#see now what a fun twist to see princess take fate into her hands

[singularattitudeofasafetypin]

If you wanted me, you really should've showed

Masterlist

Summary: Eddie is head over heels for Reader but there’s one slight problem. Her boyfriend, Adam. Despite this, Eddie tries to settle for being a good friend instead but when Adam gets possessive, Reader has to figure out what she really wants out of a relationship.

Word Count: 7k

Warnings: Bullying, insecurity, controlling mildly threatening boyfriend.

A/N - Inspired by this scene from the Princess Diaries II, and a song my dad listens to that I don’t know the name of. I had fun with this one, I hope you enjoy it!

Please don’t steal my work

It was no secret. Eddie Munson was in love with you!

He wasn't shy about showing it either. Many a weekly rant on social conformity was interrupted to proclaim you the prettiest, cleverest girl in Hawkins, always accompanied by a deep bow and a dazzling smile. He held every door for you with that same love-sick smile plastered across his face. Handwritten notes and slightly crumpled flowers were a common occurrence but never failed to bring a rosy blush to your cheeks. Head over heels was an understatement.

There was just one small problem.

'Hey- I uh… I was thinking… maybe we could go out tonight?' Having run the length of the hall to catch up with you, Eddie struggled to keep his breathing steady. At least he told himself that was why. His arms were folded to keep his hands from shaking. He’d been psyching himself up for this all week! 'There's this new milkshake place opened at mall and then I thought we could watch a movie together or something. Kind of like a date? But it doesn't have to be if you don't want!' He garbled the rest, cheeks bright red and his voice quavering slightly.

Your face fell, heart aching with the answer you had to give him. 'Oh Eddie,' the least you could do was make it easy for him, 'I'm so sorry, but I-'

'Hey babe!'

An arm slung around your shoulders and your boyfriend pulled you in for a kiss. He shot a dirty look at Eddie when you broke. 'I was coming Adam,’ you reassured. 'I was just...' you looked back at Eddie with apology written in your expression.

His eyes flicked between you, taking in the green jacket emblazoned with a tiger Adam wore. It didn’t take long to put two and two together. 'You know what? Don't worry about it!' he tried to smile but it didn’t reach his eyes and he stumbled over his words. 'I'll see you round!' And with that, he spun on his heel and walked quickly away.

'Was that freak bothering you?' Adam demanded. He didn’t care that Eddie was still within earshot.

'Don’t call him that!' you frowned, an awkward sensation twisting in your tummy. 'We were just talking!'

Adam shrugged, ignoring your reproach and steering you in the opposite direction. He chattered on about the next big game and the huge afterparty that was planned. You nodded and agreed at intervals but his words washed over you.

You couldn’t stop thinking about the heartbroken look Eddie had been unable to hide.

*

You didn’t stop thinking about it all weekend!

He'd looked so crushed. There wasn’t anything else you could have said but still, you'd have liked to let him down a little more gently.

Walking into school on Monday, you were greeted by cheerleaders coming out of practice, a novel experience for you. Since Adam had asked you out, the cheerleaders had started paying you more attention than you liked. They were friendly, you supposed, but it didn’t feel genuine. Before Adam noticed you, you were a nobody. You belonged to no particular group and didn’t have many friends. Now all of a sudden, they cared? They treated you more like a pet. The poor, ill-fated girl lucky enough to be made holy by the hands of the basketball team. Still, you couldn’t help but feel obliged to them.

You made your way to your locker as they trailed behind, gossiping amongst themselves. You fiddled with the combination and felt a pang of disappointment. There would be no note from Eddie this morning. Until they were gone, you hadn’t realised how much you relied on them. Perhaps it was selfish but those few scribbled words of encouragement had always brightened an otherwise cloudy day.

It was to your surprise then, as you opened it, a carefully folded piece of paper tumbled out and fluttered to the floor. You recognised the familiar spiky scrawl instantly. Eddie's handwriting traumatised his teachers but you could read it like a second language.

Unbeknownst to you, Eddie watched from across the hall. He smiled to himself as your lips curved softly upwards. Of course, you had a boyfriend! He'd been stupid to think you wouldn’t! At least he knew he hadn’t screwed things up between you by being foolish.

'The world is lucky to have someone as tender hearted as you!'

You folded the note carefully, moving to tuck into your bag when a sharp, shrill voice startled you.

'That freak isn’t still harassing you, is he?'

Jessica Vaughn, captain of the cheer squad and self-proclaimed Queen of Hawkins High sported a look of pure disgust, 'Doesn’t he know you have a boyfriend?'

Your skin crawled at the cruel insult uttered so casually. 'He knows,' you mumbled, ducking your head and clenching the note protectively in your fist.

'Oh honey!' a fit of giggled ensued, 'He must think he can win you over or something!'

A few of her friends joined in, their voices dripping with faux sympathy and disgust interchangeably.

'Oh, you poor thing!'

'As if you'd ever choose him over a member of the basketball team!'

'You shouldn’t lead him on,' one advised, 'He might get the wrong idea!'

'Yes, you shouldn’t let him think he's got a chance!' Jessica giggled at the thought as the bell rung. Nobody saw you wince at their words.

You made your way to homeroom in silence, letting the crowd pull you along while you tried to make sense of your predicament. Sure, you weren’t about to dump Adam, but for all their cruelty and arrogance, they were right about one thing. You shouldn’t lead him on.

It wasn’t fair.

You made up your mind to talk to him in English. The two of you sat next to each other in the back, but how to say it consumed your thoughts all day.

'Hey, Eddie?' you whispered, keeping an eye on Mr Boushebel so as not to get caught. Eddie looked over the moment he heard your voice, his adoring smile unknowingly twisting the knot in your stomach tighter.

'Yeah?'

'I want to say thanks... for the note this morning! Thank you for all of them really...'

'You're welcome!' he beamed like nothing had changed.

You sighed and grimaced. Why did he have to make this harder? 'It's just, I'm with Adam and that's probably not gonna change anytime soon... and I don't want you to think I'm leading you on or anything-!'

'I don’t think that!' the swiftness of his reply caught you by surprise, and so did the honest reassurance in his eyes. 'Look,' he leaned closer, keeping his voice low as he fiddled with the silver rings adorning his fingers, 'I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable the other day. I'd really like to stay friends if that's okay with you?'

'Oh no! You didn’t...'

'Mr Munson!' Mr Boushebel’s nasal voice rang clear through the room, 'Kindly refrain from distracting your peers and focus on the lesson at hand!'

Eddie made a show of apologising earning a disapproving eyeroll as the teacher turned back to the board. You couldn’t help but laugh as he rolled his own eyes, slumping back in his seat, but behind his antics, he was still waiting for an answer.

'Yes,' you whispered and Eddie's smile softened. ‘It’s okay!’

*

More or less, things went on as they had.

Maybe it was selfish, the relief you felt? You weren't infallible; the attention was nice. A nice change. You contented yourself with the fact you'd been honest with him. He knew where he stood, if he still wanted to be kind to you, who were you to stop him?

Whether you admitted it or not though, things were different now. You hadn’t exactly bandied it about before, but now you found yourself taking care the girls you were supposed to call friends didn’t know about the continued affections you received from Eddie. You took to pressing the flowers he gave in the back of your notebook instead of threading them through your hair or the buttonholes of your cardigan. Instead of drinking in the thoughtful compliments he wrote, you stuffed them into your pocket, waiting until you were alone to read them and feel your heart lift.

If Eddie noticed these small deceptions, it didn’t deter him. Every morning, without fail, you were met with a posy of handpicked wildflowers and a few heartfelt lines observing some hidden jewel of your character.

Some of them bordered on poetry.

*

Things weren't exactly unhappy with Adam. Unsure perhaps? Indefinite?

To tell the truth, he was your first real relationship; you were still getting to grips with exactly what that meant. Everyone else seemed to understand. Why couldn’t you?

Most of the jocks and cheerleaders you sat alongside were paired up together. It was rare for them to venture outside of their group for a partner; you were an exception so you tried to follow their example.

Frankie was always perched on Chase’s lap, her arms around his neck, fingers trailing along his collarbone while his rested on her waist. That felt a little bold for you but you tried to sit as close as possible, opting to rest your cheek on his shoulder but he didn’t seem to notice.

Every time you saw Becky, she and Ryan were locked in conversation. What they spoke about was a mystery to you but both seemed to be consumed. As the general chatter lulled, you took the chance to try the new approach.

‘I’ve been reading this really lovely book Adam! It’s called Little Women and-!’

‘Wow, boring much?’ Jimmy Davis cut you off without a second thought. ‘You aren’t gonna bring all that nerd stuff over here, are you?’

You couldn’t speak. With a simple look, all the confidence was knocked out of you. He turned to Adam and laughed, ‘Next thing you know, she’ll be bringing her homework to lunch!’

Tears pricked in your eyes as Adam laughed along with him. Their discourse resumed like nothing had happened. You blinked them away. No one saw.

Jessica and Tony were all over each other. Making out in the hallways, feet touching in the aisles of the classroom. His hand always seemed to be somewhere near the hem of her skirt. It was still early in your relationship and you weren’t completely sure you wanted that yet, but it was worth a try. You tried to reach out, to shower him in affection the way the other girls did but almost every time he brushed you off. Pulled away and scowled as though you were inconveniencing him.

So instead, you fell silent. Ate your lunch with your head down and gave affirmative answers when a question was asked. They took no notice.

Your eyes tended to wander over the other tables; people-watching had become a habit during lonely lunchtimes. More and more often, you gaze came to rest on Hellfire. They were always animated and lively, often talking over each other in their excitement but never leaving any member out.

Unconsciously, your attention was drawn to their leader. He was no stranger to conversing loudly himself but you noticed how quickly he stopped to listen. The way a brotherly fondness fell over his features whenever one of the younger ones spoke and he sat forward to hang onto their words.

Perhaps that day a kindly angel was looking out for you. As you stared over at them, your head propped up in your hands, something made Eddie turn his head and his eyes met yours. Under anyone else’s gaze, you would have looked away quickly, pretending to find interest in the floor but you didn’t. He offered a soft smile and, in that moment the world blurred around you. It was like there was no one else in the room. Instantly you felt better, heart lighter. You couldn’t help but smile back at the silent reminder you weren’t alone.

‘Helloo?’ Jessica waved her hand in front of your face, breaking the spell and bringing you crashing back down to earth. The whole table was staring at you, teasing smirks warping at many mouths. ‘What’s the matter with you?’

You tried to brush them off, forcing yourself to shrug despite the heat burning in your cheeks. ‘Nothing, sorry, what were you saying?’

Frankie was looking behind her, craning her neck to see what you’d been staring at then leaned in close with an expression of sordid delight on her face, ‘You aren’t sweet on the freak are you?’

‘What? No!’ you protested as they erupted into giggles. ‘I was just daydreaming that’s all!’

‘Is he still sending you love letters?’ Jessica asked through hysterical tears.

Adam pricked up at this, ‘What?’ His expression turned from confusion to anger in a matter of seconds. Jessica stopped laughing.

‘You didn’t know?’

‘It’s nothing, I promise!’ you hurried to explain, guilt nagging in your tummy as you downplayed your interactions to reassure him. Your account seemed to assuage him and soon he too fell to teasing you while you tried to laugh along.

*

After lunch, you walked with Adam to class. His arm seemed tighter around your shoulders than normal; it was probably just your imagination. As he dropped you off at your classroom, one of his friends piped up, ‘We’re still on for extra practice tonight, right?’

The boys all replied to the affirmative and surprise hit you when Adam joined them. ‘I’ll be there!’

‘But I thought we were going out tonight? We planned it a week ago!’ you’d caught his hand but he only shrugged, pulling out of your reach.

‘Sorry babe! We can do it next week or whatever!’

‘Adam, you said you’d take me home tonight!’ Your house was an hour’s walk away.

He was losing patience now, ‘Just wait around!’ he snapped, ‘I’ll take you after practice! It’s not that big of a deal!’

And then he walked away.

*

You sat in the hall, back against the lockers and long since abandoned homework laid out in front of you as your eyes devoured the pages of ‘Little Women’ searching for solace. School had ended almost two hours ago. The lights were starting to hurt your head.

Somewhere down the corridor, a door opened and a flurry of excited voices broke the silence.

‘No way did you include a secret passageway!’

‘I did not see that goblin hoard coming!’

‘Can’t wait to see what happens next week Eds!’

The small gaggle passed by and Eddie caught sight of you alone. He quickly excused himself, promising more plot-twists and epic battles before making his way over.

‘Hey! How come you’re still here?’

You brightened instinctively at the sound of his voice. ‘Adam had extra practice,’ you explained. A look of impatience flashed across his face. Just for a moment, then it was gone. Eddie stuck his hands in his pockets and smiled.

‘Well, Hellfire’s done now; do you want a lift home?’

You hesitated. You did, you really did, but Adam would go ballistic if he found out. ‘It’s okay, he won’t be too long!’ You hoped.

Eddie nodded, sitting down beside you, ‘Can I wait with you then? Far be it from me to abandon a fair damsel to solitude!’

You nodded, laughing along at the funny voice he put on. You had no idea how glad Eddie was to make you smile; his eyes never left your face. Sunshine seemed to spill from every pour.

‘Tell me about your book!’ he requested, tucking his legs up and settling back against the lockers.

Forty minutes later, the doors to the gym swung open. Perhaps practice had gone badly. Perhaps he’d missed the last shot or coach had been especially tough that night. Adam had forgotten all about the teasing at lunchtime but when he rounded the corner and saw you sitting with Eddie Munson, when he saw him making you laugh and smile, it all came flooding back. Harmless jokes transformed to threat and trespass. You never smiled like that for him. Pride gave way to rage.

‘Back off Munson!’

His voice made you flinch. Eddie jumped up, taking a step back as Adam barrelled down the hall, spitting venom. He was angrier than you’d ever seen him. You stumbled to your feet, stepping in front of your boyfriend, hands stretched out, hoping to calm him down.

‘Adam, what are you-?’ he caught you, his hand sealing around your upper arm and jabbing a finger at Eddie.

‘She’s my girlfriend, freak! You stay the hell away from her!’ His fingers were so tight they began to bruise your arm. You tried in vain to subdue his fury but that only seemed to rile him more. ‘Crawl back to your trailer where you belong, trash!’

Eddie stood silent; his mouth half open like he wanted to say something but thought better of it. He glanced at you, a wordless apology heavy in his eyes, then walked away without a fight.

You breathed out.

Adam glared after him ‘til he was out of sight before he released you and stormed off in the other direction. For a split second, your heart was torn. Then you scrambled to pick up your things, stuffing them into your bag and running after him.

‘What the hell was that?’ The cold night air hit your face as the double doors swung shut behind you. Adam scoffed at the question but didn’t stop. ‘Why are you being so mean?’

‘What was he doing near you!’ the fury in his tone made you falter. He’d never sounded so cross.

‘Nothing!’ you were nearing the car. Clutching the bag on your shoulder, you stumbled over to the passenger side. ‘He just asked if I needed a ride and we were talking! That’s all!’

‘No! He’s trying to get it on with you!’ Adam jabbed a finger in your direction as he yanked the door open.

You almost laughed at the accusation, following suite and throwing your bag in the footwell, ‘Don’t be ridiculous! He was just being nice!’ He pulled his own door closed with a slam. ‘You don’t have to get so jealous!’

‘Jealous?’ That was the wrong thing to say! Adam was seething, ‘Of him? Of that freak?’

‘Look, Adam, I’m with you! It’s harmless, I promise!’ your own anger sparked, ‘Why don’t you trust me?’

He wasn’t listening. ‘You tell him to knock it off or I will!’

You hesitated. The look in his eyes was one you’d never seen before. Something like fear stirred in your chest. No, not fear! You pushed that thought away, he was your boyfriend, he wasn’t going to hurt you! But in the same second, you realised who he would hurt.

You swallowed, as he backed out of the parking lot faster than normal. His hands gripped the steering wheel so tight they turned white.

Neither of you said a word on the way home.

*

‘I’m sorry Eddie-!’

‘You don’t have to be sorry!’

The sounds of the cafeteria echoed down the deserted hall. Eddie sighed deeply, ‘I’m sorry!’

He knew this would happen eventually. He should have left you alone the moment he found out you had a boyfriend. Sure, it would have hurt, been unbearable even, but now you were mixed up in it all too. Now you would have to untangle the mess he’d made; manage the tempers he had riled.

‘It’s okay,’ you gave him a small smile, ‘You’ve been so kind. I’m grateful, really!’ You paused, ‘I just… I know what he’s like and I really don’t want you to get hurt!’

He smiled wryly. Eddie knew what the basketball team were like too and while he’d gladly withstand any punishment they decided to inflict, he didn’t want to cause you more pain than he already had. The time for dreaming was done. He nodded and left with all the grace and pleasantries he’d always afforded you.

He hoped you didn’t see the heartbreak in his eyes.

*

Life went on.

Gone were the notes and trinkets in your locker. No longer brightened by secret smiles and whispered compliments, the world turned grey.

You tried to pretend as if nothing had happened. As if clouds hadn’t blocked out the sun, as if all its warmth hadn’t drained away. He was never uncivil, never unkind, but now the two of you existed on different plains. Without Eddie, a gaping hole had been left behind and now you had to find something to fill it with.

Constant surveillance became the norm. It seemed Adam was always watching you somehow. From the corner of his eye at lunch, one of his teammates moving next to you in a lesson, or a cheerleader looping her arm through yours.

Try as you might, in the beginning you couldn’t help looking up when Eddie walked in. He hardly ever ate in the cafeteria anymore and when he did, he was silent. Picking at his food while his friends tried to pick up the pieces on their own.

Adam was quick to notice and settle an arm around your shoulders, pulling you closer and shooting a look which told you his patience was wearing thin.

You tried instead to listen to the conversations at your own table. The cycle was endless. Gossip and sports and who was going out with who. Whose social suicide would make the headlines today. It was mind-numbing.

You ought to be grateful really. People dreamed about this life. Popularity, fame, and all the rest of it. You sat among kings and queens, had earned the honour of their interest. Adam had given you all this. Most girls would kill to be in your place. You were indebted to him.

Time went on, each day more soulless than the last.

Adam began to be more affectionate, or at least put on a convincing performance for everyone else. He must have sensed people thought there was trouble in paradise. Doubt would not be tolerated.

It started out as small things. His arm dropped to rest around your waist for instance, holding you snugly against him. Things you might have enjoyed in the beginning, but now you couldn’t shake the idea that he had some ulterior motive.

One day, you were walking down the hallways. Arm in arm, and actually talking for once, only about Adam’s hopes for the basketball season, but it was a start, when out of nowhere, he pushed you up against the lockers and started kissing you with a force. One hand on the side of your neck, tangling itself in your hair and manoeuvring you with ease.

After the shock, you tried to kiss back. Maybe this meant things were alright again? Maybe this meant you were forgiven?

His other hand trailed down your ribs, slipping deftly under the hem of your shirt. ‘Adam, stop!’ You broke away in surprise, pushing on his arm, ‘We’re in school! You protested.

And just like that, he stopped. Turned and carried on walking without explanation. Without a word.

Confusion flooded your mind as you smoothed your shirt and glanced around to see if anyone else had witnessed his strange behaviour. Searching for an answer to such violent yet fleeting passion, you felt your stomach drop at the sight of a familiar leather jacket disappearing around the corner.

‘Oh,’ you thought, guilt and shame burning in your cheeks.

That was why.

*

It was late one Saturday night. Lamplight enveloped your room as you sat alone in the warm, comforting glow. A tangle of emotions weighed on your heart.

You and Adam had argued earlier. These days, it seemed all you did was argue. He’d insisted you come to some big party this evening.

‘I just don’t feel up to it!’

Everyone would be there, but you were tired and really didn’t feel like being around a bunch of drunk teens groping each other while Adam tried to convince you to go and make out upstairs.

‘Why do you have to be so boring?’ he’d complained, ‘It’s just a party!’

‘I’m not going! You go ahead if you want to!’

He’d left in a huff, muttering under his breath and you biked home by yourself. Were relationships supposed to feel like this? You wondered all the way home. You didn’t exactly have a wealth of experience to draw on. Somehow you didn’t think Jessica or the other cheerleaders would give the advice you needed.

Love was hard. So many people had told you that. It’s not like the movies. You sighed; was that all that was wrong? Were your expectations too high?

A tap on the window roused you from your thoughts. You jumped, half thinking you imagined it but there it was again. A sharp, swift tap like something hitting the glass.

Swinging your legs off the bed, you crept over and pulled back the curtain just in time for a third pebble to hit the pane a few inches from your face.

You flinched, then leaned forward, searching the darkened street for the attacker. Shadows and streetlights outlined a figure wincing at the indignation on your face. ‘Sorry!’ they mouthed.

Fond astonishment bubbled up and you pushed the window open. ‘Eddie?’ you whisper-yelled. Were you dreaming?

He beamed up at you, dropping a handful of pebbles and throwing up his hands in defence, ‘I know! I know you said to knock it off, but I have to show you something!’

‘What?’

He motioned, ‘Come down!’

You leaned back into your room and glanced at the clock by your bedside, ‘It’s eleven fifty-one, Eddie!’

‘I know!’ he nodded impatiently, ‘We’re gonna be late!’

You sighed. You really shouldn’t, but one look at his hopeful expression made the decision for you. ‘Alright!’

With many complaints and a few close calls, you climbed down from your window. They definitely made this look easier in the movies! You jumped the last few feet and Eddie grabbed your hand. He’d parked his van a block over and held the door as he helped you in.

‘Where are we going?’ you asked, but he only laughed.

‘You’ll like it! Trust me!’

So, you did.

Eddie drove quickly down the deserted streets, constantly checking his watch. He was expert at maintaining an air of mystery. For once the radio sat silent, limited conversation between the two of you filling the space.

He pulled up on the outskirts of town, stopping at the base of the hill. Weathertop, as it was affectionately nicknamed by the nerds. Eddie hopped out, getting your door. Once you’d jumped down, he rummaged in the back and pulled out a blanket and what looked like three couch cushions. At your obvious confusion, he flashed a smile, shifting the bundle in his arms so he could offer his hand.

‘Come on!’

The climb was steep, almost pitch black away from the houses and streetlights. Your only guide was the vague silhouette in front of you, hiking with a spring in his step and leading with the warmth of his touch. Nervous excitement mingled with curiosity.

What was his game?

‘There!’ Eddie flapped the blanket, spreading it on the summit and arranging the cushions with meticulous care. He nodded his head expectantly.

‘What?’ a bemused smirk preceded a hesitant giggle at his antics.

‘Sit down!’

You sat, tucking your legs and waiting eagerly. Eddie’s eyes were fixed on his watch, his fingers crossed behind his back as you stared at him.

‘Three… Two… Look up! Now!’

Your head jerked upward; adrenaline triggered by his frantic tone.

But nothing happened.

Puzzlement seeped in. It was a pretty night, beautiful even. Away from civilisation, the stars were a little brighter than normal, the moon full and ghostly full but that was all.

‘Come on… Come on!’ Eddie bounced on his heels, praying silently and trying not to lose hope. Just this once! Let me have this one!

You sighed, gaze falling back to him, ‘Edward Munson, if you’ve brought me out here for nothing-!’

‘No, look! Look now!’

He pointed.

You followed.

And all the breath left your lungs.

Out of the darkness, out of the midnight sky came streaks of bursting light. First one, then another, and another. Then a thousand!

Slicing through the firmament like papercuts, drawing bright white blood then fading to nothing.

You shot to your feet, craning your neck as far as you could and laughing in pure, open-mouthed delight!

They kept on coming! Daubing the night with silver and pearl for almost five minutes before the flow stemmed as suddenly as it had begun. Starlight faded leaving you in darkness, breathless with awe.

You looked back at Eddie. A crescent smile stretched over his face, ‘Did you like it?’

‘Like it?’

You laughed, giddy and weak at the knees. You stumbled closer and threw your arms around him, ‘Eddie, that was wonderful! Wonderful!’

He laughed with you, hugging you as the sound reverberated through his chest. Then as if a switch had been flipped, he pulled back, suddenly apprehensive. ‘There uh… There might be some more,’ he said, rubbing the back of his neck, ‘… If you wanna wait, I know it’s late!’

You beamed, ‘I want to stay out here all night!’

He smiled.

Side by side, in the comfort of the cushions and each other’s company, you watched the night sky as its contents danced and glittered. Between showers of falling stars, you laughed and talked with ease, cutting each other off with a yelp of excitement when more appeared.

Somewhere around two am, you glanced back at Eddie. It took everything in you not to gasp.

The bright stars sparkled in the reflection of his eyes. Twinkling and shining an endless brown nebula with some with some ethereal power. There was a whole universe inside of him and you got to catch a glimpse!

You stopped watching the sky after that.

*

As the night turned chilly, Eddie’s jacket found itself draped around your shoulders. The conversation turned deeper and more meaningful than anything you’d experienced in months.

Over the course of the night, you’d moved closer. Mere inches existed between you now but it wasn’t until, on the verge of sleep and against your better judgement, you laid your head on his shoulder that his arm settled around you.

Gently. Loosely so you could pull away whenever you chose.

The veil of tiredness thinned as you observed that it was always like that with Eddie. Always making sure you were perfectly comfortable before he made a move.

Not like Adam, the admission tasted bitter. Adam whose hands wandered every chance they got. Who kissed you when he liked then shunned you with no explanation. Who brushed you off with ease. Who cared more about keeping up appearances than resolving actual problems between you.

The familiar churn in your stomach resurfaced. You pulled away from Eddie feeling suddenly guilty. He was your boyfriend! You shouldn’t be making comparisons like that…

Shouldn’t you?

‘Why are you doing this?’ the question was unprompted, but you needed to know, ‘All these nice things, why are you still doing it?’

Eddie gave a crooked smile, trying to hide how much he missed the closeness. ‘I think I’ve made it pretty clear it’s because I’m in love with you!’ You didn’t look away, so he had to. Your searching eyes and the late hour threatening to pry the truth from his lips. ‘And because…’

‘Because what?’

Eddie fought a battle in his heart. He shouldn’t interfere, he had no right! It wasn’t his place. If he did, he could lose even the fleeting moments he was allowed with you. He couldn’t risk ruining what was left by opening his big mouth.

But you wanted to know… and he couldn’t deny you anything.

‘Can I say something?’ he managed, struggling to find the words. He laughed a little, ‘And you can totally slap me and tell me to get lost if you want!’

You breathed a smile. He never missed a chance to put you at ease. You nodded.

He paused, breathing deep. He had to get this right. When the words came, they were plain and simple.

‘I don’t think he’s good for you!’

Silence. Eddie thought his heart might beat right out of his chest.

‘Oh?’ your voice came out thin. You didn’t sound surprised. Maybe you shouldn’t have said the next words. Maybe you should have turned around and gone straight home. Or maybe, more than anything, you needed to hear his answer. ‘Why not?’

Eddie let out a breath, wetting his lips nervously. ‘You don’t smile when you’re with him… Not really! And he doesn’t notice when you’re faking it.’ Once he’d begun it was hard to stop. Until now, he hadn’t realised just how much he’d pent up. ‘He doesn’t do the things a boyfriend should! He doesn’t listen to you. He doesn’t even think about you unless you’re standing right in front of him! Unless he thinks he might lose you…’

He stopped himself. You hadn’t moved, your eyes staring through him as you listened. The words stung but you knew in your heart they were true. Tears began to blur your vision.

‘I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to-,’ he reached for you hand then dropped it with a sigh, ‘This isn’t a ‘dump him and date me instead’, I swear, I just…’

It was maddening. He wanted to hold you. The sight of your pretty eyes glistening with unshed tears was too much to bear. He wanted so badly to draw you close and comfort you properly but he knew he couldn’t.

‘I just think you deserve someone who knows you deserve the world!’

There it was. Out in the open.

Your breath hitched slightly. No one had ever said anything like that before. It was like you were seeing him for the first time. Away from the insults and expectations at high school, away from the cruelty and the caricatures. All this time, he’d been right here in front of you. Out here in the twinkling starlight everything was clearer. Why hadn’t you noticed before? You wanted to say something though where to start, you didn’t know. Before you could open your mouth, Eddie spoke.

‘Come on,’ he dropped his gaze nodding to the sky. ‘I think that’s the last of them.’

Eddie got to his feet and collected the cushions. You rolled up the blanket, a sense of reluctance tugging on your heartstrings. Neither of you spoke as you wandered down the hill. Eddie helped you into the passenger side and started the van. The ride home was silent. The sky above beginning to lighten.

He drew up to your house, hopping out to open your door one last time. He held your hand as you stepped down. You didn’t want him to let go.

As you looked up at him, a thousand thoughts revolved in your mind. A million questions you needed answered, a million more things you needed him to know, but a whispered, ‘Thank you!’ was all that came out.

Eddie looked at the ground, a small smile twitching at the corner of his mouth, ‘Thank you!’ he echoed.

You shrugged off his jacket, handing it back as the early morning air bit at your bare arms. He took it and for a moment you stood together. Neither of you wanted to go first.

‘I’ll see you Monday?’ he asked tentatively, looking at you through his eyelashes.

You nodded, a shy smile gracing your lips,

‘See you Monday!’

The walk to your front door was lonely and cold but hope’s bright spark flickered in your heart. You weren’t afraid anymore. You knew what you wanted and you had the strength to go after it.

You didn’t look back. You didn’t see Eddie watch you all the way up the path then slowly raise the jacket to his cheek. The fabric brushed against his skin. You didn’t see him sigh and smile as he breathed in your scent.

*

Your heart was pounding; palms sweating. You made your way through the crowded hallways, silently hoping your resolve wouldn’t crumble.

You caught sight of him crowded around his locker with his friends. With a deep breath, you started toward him. You couldn’t change your mind now.

‘Adam, I think we should talk!’

Your boyfriend rolled his eyes, reluctantly pulling his attention from the conversation he was immersed in, ‘What now?’

You bit the inside of your cheek, praying for the strength to stand your ground. ‘I mean in private.’

‘Oh, come on babe! It can’t be that important!’

Just like that. Like you were a nuisance. A mild inconvenience he was forced to live with. Well, who were you to burden him?

‘Fine!’ you retorted, tact and empathy worn thin, ‘I’m not happy! This isn’t working; I want to break up!’

The group fell silent. Shock and horror covered every face but you couldn’t care less. Adam’s expression morphed from amusement to surprise, then outrage. ‘What?’

You folded your arms, forcing yourself not to quail under his gaze. ‘You heard me! I’m breaking up with you!’

In one swift movement, he seized your arm, pulling you away from the others into an alcove. ‘What the hell are you playing at?’

‘I’m not happy!’ you repeated, shaking yourself free from his grasp, ‘You don’t care about me! You won’t even talk to me unless it’s about sports or parties! You ignore me and then get mad when I make friends with someone else! You don’t want me, you just like the idea of having someone on your arm! Well, I don’t want that! I’m done!’

Adam was seething. ‘This is because of him, isn’t it? That freak, Munson!’

‘No, you aren’t listening!’

‘I’ll kill him, I swear!’

‘You won’t go anywhere near him!’ a surge of anger flooded your voice when he threatened Eddie, ‘He has nothing to do with this! All he did was make me see what was standing right in front of me!’

Fury tensed his every muscle. Fists clenched, all but frothing at the mouth. Suddenly, he looked nothing like the person you’d been in a relationship with.

‘You were nothing before me!’ his voice was low and shaking with barely restrained anger, ‘A pretty face and nothing more! If we break up, that’s exactly what you’ll go back to!’

Once upon a time, that thought would have terrified you. Perhaps then you’d have reconsidered, grovelled for his forgiveness and been content to live in misery. Not anymore.

With that threat, he confirmed every doubt you’d ever had about him.

‘I’m done Adam.’

He swallowed, a muscle twitching in his jaw. He could hardly comprehend your words. ‘Have fun being a nobody again!’ he spat, knocking your shoulder as he stalked away.

Relief hit you in the chest, forcing tears while your knees shook. There would be consequences for this, of that you had no doubt.

But for the first time in months, you could breathe easy.

*

With no one to sit with at lunch, you ate in the music room. You really weren’t up to facing the flying rumours and disapproving stares so your fingers teased a familiar tune from the old piano between bites. A tear or two slid down your cheeks every now and then, landing on the keys as you sniffed and tried to wipe them away.

You knew you’d done the right thing but somehow it still hurt. Who knew what they were saying about you in the cafeteria. You’d slapped a great big target on your back and probably Eddie’s as well!’

‘Oh, sorry! I didn’t think anyone else would be in here!’

Speak of the devil.

You stopped playing abruptly turning to find Eddie Munson standing in the doorway. He caught sight of your red-rimmed eyes and stepped closer, pulling over a chair.

‘Hey, what’s wrong?’ he asked in that gentle, caring tone only ever reserved for you.

You sniffed, giving him a rueful smile and gesturing vaguely, ‘We broke up!’

Eddie’s face fell. He cursed under his breath, ‘I’m sorry! I shouldn’t’ve… I didn’t mean you had to-!’

‘It’s not your fault!’ you shook you head and sighed. Closing the piano lid, you leaned an elbow on top, head in your hand. ‘I guess you just made me realise…’ you trailed off.

Silence fell once more and Eddie didn’t disturb it. He wished he could comfort you, banish the storm clouds and shadows but he couldn’t shake the guilt of being their conjurer. He couldn’t ignore how glad he was that you were away from Adam, and the selfish inkling that now he might finally have a chance with you.

As if sensing his torment, you managed a small chuckle, ‘I’ll be okay!’ you nodded to yourself, ‘I’m gonna need some time… a few weeks, a month maybe, I don’t know,’ you shrugged.

Eddie nodded quietly. His eyes fixed on the floor. Yours never left him. ‘But someone told me there’s a new milkshake place at the mall… I still haven’t been!’

Eddie looked up, a hesitant smile tugging at his mouth, ‘Yeah? Me either.’

You nodded and shrugged again nonchalantly, ‘We should probably go check it out… If you still want to…’

‘I’d love to!’ Perhaps he replied too fast. Perhaps he smiled to wide and looked too eager but you didn’t seem to mind.

You opened your mouth to say something but the school bell rang. It’s harsh tone signifying the end of lunch. Stuffing your things back into your bag, you slung it over your shoulder as you both stood. Now, face to face, you appreciated the warmth of those brown eyes more than ever before.

‘I’ll call you?’ you asked, suddenly unsure if you were worthy of such patient kindness as his.

Eddie fought every urge to lean forward and kiss you right then and there.

‘When you’re ready!’ He smiled. Sunshine through the clouds.

‘Maybe everything would be okay?’ you thought. ‘Maybe everything would be wonderful!’

***

Thank you for reading! I really hope you enjoyed it! Please reblog and leave a comment if you did! It gives me such a boost and encourages me to keep writing when people do leave feedback!

Check out my masterlist for more of my stuff

Taglist: @sadbitchfangirl, @neewtmas, @idathereader, @ladymunson

[emilykaldwen]

@princestalea continuing this here lol

Yeah, I get the Elmo point… somewhat. I love that you wrote him like a lil bitter bitch - in my humble opinion - but something that nags me is Alicents plan. What’s up with that? As much as I love mommy Hightower, her scheming scares me. I figure, if Abby asked nicely enough, they could make the Cassandra and spikes thing happen. After all, EVERYBODY (maybe not sweet Abby) knows that it was someone from their own ranks that toasted Harwin and Lyonel alive… what wouldn’t he do for his own sister but sacrifice people? If the weirwood centaur (?) actually tells her that when he was speaking to her, says there was something suspicious about that night, how would Abby react? ARRRRGH! I can’t wait to read more!

I'm genuinely fascinated by these thoughts and questions so I hope you don't mind!

Elmo Tully: See, not once did I think Elmo was being a little bitter bitch. Aegon's pov was certainly judgemental, but Larys, Alicent, and Otto were also playing tennis with him. As Aegon notices: Larys pushes Elmo onto the back foot, twisting his justifiable concerns to look petty and like he was a bitter little bitch. From Elmo's POV, let's say Vizzy ends up naming Aegon as heir. Their eldest son becomes heir to the iron throne, a second son would take Harrenhal, but what happens, for example, if that Harrenhal son ends up becomes king? Or if there is only one heir, who inherits both the throne *and* Harrenhal? Remember, House Targaryen only has one other inherited house and that's Dragonstone, part of the crownlands. This is potentially the first time the crown is taking land from one of the realms to absorb it in there. That's not only taking land, but income, from vassals that the Iron Throne is beholden to in a Feudal system.

What else can the throne take, then? His paramount seat?

Remember in Chapter one, Lord Wylde wonders if they should install a new Lord Paramount if the Tullys can't keep their bannermen in place.

“Incentive for not letting their bannerman destroy harvests?” Tyland Lannister snorted, reclined in his chair as if he were the one running the meeting. “That’s their duty. If they can’t do it, then there’s a bigger issue to deal with.” “Perhaps a betrothal,” Lord Beesbury spoke up, his eyes darting from Larys’ to hers. Alicent straightened, watching the man try to figure out how to present his own suggestion. “The Tullys are proud, and the Riverlands command a great host when they come together. Lord Tully’s great-grandson is around Princess Helaena’s age. It would be a show of friendship and goodwill.” “A show of a dragon is what you mean, isn’t it?” Her father’s voice cut in smoothly, but she could see the annoyance in his eyes at the prospect of Helaena being sent to the Riverlands.

Also don't forget: Alicent is trying to protect her children, not to mention, it's not JUST her. Otto is also playing a game here too! And boy, is this game sooooo fun!

Does everyone know it was someone from their own ranks? There's suspicions of course. Corlys Velaryon, Daemon Targaryen, Larys Strong, even later on Viserys Targaryen, were all rumored suspects outside of it simply being a tragic turn of fate. Alicent Hightower thinks Larys did it to allow her to get Otto back into the position of hand - she has no idea that Viserys was the one who ordered it. She thinks it's her fault.

So there's no weirwood centaur. As Abby says, it's one of the Green Men from the Isle of Faces! Which I did plan and write before the season started. They had a 'blink and you'll miss it' cameo in the final episode.

If for whatever reason the Green Men knew something underboard had gone done at Harrenhal and told her, it would absolutely fuck with her. I can definitely see her becoming fixated on that mystery.

For now, only Aegon and Jace (and Larys) know the full truth, and Alicent only knows of Larys' involvement and what he told her.

[s-brant]

The Endless Summer (2/?)

(gif: @beccs) (PART ONE) (SERIES MASTERLIST)

Summary: A day out on the water goes awry and puts JJ, John B, and Y/N in danger. With tensions rising and the stakes higher than ever, JJ finds it difficult to control his feelings.

Word Count: 9.1k

Warnings: Angst, implied sexual content, strong language, graphic violence, and JJ being an emotionally confused asshat.

A/N: Welcome back! Thanks for the love on this series, I’m so glad you guys like it and I hope this part is just as good. Things get a little heated in this chapter, so buckle up. Let me know if you enjoyed this. Have fun!

JJ isn't sure why she did it.

He wasn't sure then and he isn't sure now, but he knows one thing for certain: there isn't any going back to how things once were now that the barrier between them came crashing down.

Sweat drips off of his skin from the relentless heat of the Caribbean that has made their recent lives hell with the painful tinge of sunburn atop their tans and heat exhaustion they must be careful to avoid at all costs. They were educated on both topics by Pope, their godsend of a survival encyclopedia in human form, who advised them to spend most of their day outside of necessary tasks like fishing and constructing stable shelter under the shady cover of the treetops.

The sole reason he and John B aren't hiding in the safety of the shade is that it's their day to fish, but he's not thinking about the sun. In fact, neither of them is. They're both wondering where their third fishing buddy is.

It took roughly ten minutes of spearfishing with him in comfortable silence for JJ to finally break and spill his guts about what happened last night. Though there was an unspoken agreement to never tell anyone that their hatred has turned into desire, he couldn't help it. He was going mad trying to unravel it in his head.

After all, he already had a conversation with JB about the recent shift in their behavior with each other by the ocean last night, so it seems fitting to pick up where they left off with the calm and clear blue water in front of them again.

He walks on the jagged outcropping of rock that serves as their perch to observe the fish without disturbing the pattern of the current they swim through with John B closely behind.

"One second she's pissed at me, the next she's all over me. It makes no sense. Then, she didn’t say anything to me after it happened," JJ says with his face hardened into a look of concentration at the fish he squints against the sun to aim at, "Not even "Fuck you, Maybank" or one of her weirdly creative threats. She just sat there all night and talked to everyone but me."

His gaze slips away from the water as his chosen fish disappears from sight before he can bother to throw the spear, eyeing up his friend's reaction to the news.

John B doesn't seem that surprised by it, because who else, aside from everyone else in Kildare who knows of their "hatred" for one another, could've seen it coming as much as he did? He considers it for a second, then props his arm up on the handle side of the spear he digs into the rock to lean against.

"I'm pretty sure that means she likes you."

JJ retorts, "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard you say."

Why would anyone ignore a person they like? It makes no sense to him. Every time he wanted a person, he'd simply walk over and make it happen. It's never been difficult for him to pursue the people he finds himself attracted to...Well, except for her. For a guy that also ignored her for the rest of the night and pretended their moment in the woods didn't happen, he has some balls of steel to be chastising her for the same things he did.

John B shrugs and says, "I'm being serious, dude. Sarah wouldn't even acknowledge my existence when I worked on the Druthers, and I thought it was some stuck-up rich person thing but it wasn't."

They shouldn't be talking at all right now as to not scare away the fish, but they do it anyway. They both know he won't let it go until it's out of his system for good. He wouldn't allow himself to forget it if he wanted to, so its better to talk it out than turn stir crazy from ruminating over it 24/7.

Though it's, as he worded it yesterday, hot as balls out, being by the sea lessens the feeling of it by a landslide.

The breeze they crave whenever they work on their huts or forage through the forest for wild berries, coconuts, or potential building supplies blows on them without pause for the time they spend here, which almost makes it more dangerous. They stand under the direct harm of the UV rays frying them without truly feeling it burn yet, and he dreads the next few days in anticipation of the returning sunburn he just peeled off of his shoulders the other day.

JJ walks down the side to get a better view of the water, balancing precariously on the sharpened edge with the spear clenched tightly in one hand. The breeze is strong enough to threaten his balance, but he holds firm and digs his toes into the sedimentary rock for traction. His body sways in the midday sun with the struggle for stability, or, at least he suspects its midday.

Since being stranded here, time is a foreign concept to them. With no phones, clocks, or any guide to go off of other that the position of the sun above to display the hours that pass, they've lost complete track of what day it is, let alone how long minutes or hours truly are in comparison to the endless summer they live within. They suspect it's been a month since they were left here, but, in all honesty, it could be two. None of them had the sense to mark the days in a tally until it was too late.

He says, lifting his arm to throw the spear, "Well, she is a stuck up rich person, so maybe it's just—"

"You know I'm right here, don't you?"

The sound of her voice from a few feet behind them startles JJ into turning around to look at her right when he lets go of the spear.

Unfortunately for him, the jerking movement throws off his carefully distributed weight and skews his balance, making the feet placed on the edge slip from underneath him and send him slipping down into the water. His calf is the first body part to hit the rocks, and the groan of pain he lets out at the feeling of the jagged rock slicing through his skin could make her heart stop mid-beat. But what truly scares her is seeing the back of his head hit the ground too.

Before he can slide the rest of the way into the water, two pairs of hands are grabbing onto his arms and heaving him up with all of their strength. She and John B grit their teeth with the effort it takes to pull him back up, their muscles burning from the strain, and once his feet are over the ledge, he pushes off the rock to help them the rest of the way. Drops of his blood disperse into the water off the edge from where he cut himself, dripping until there's hardly any left.

Once he's safely laid back down a few feet from where he slipped, Y/N is kneeling in front of him in a matter of seconds. The rock beneath her knees opens small cuts into her skin, but she doesn't pay it any heed. She sits on her heels to lessen the minor pain and lean forward to inspect the damage he took with nothing on her mind other than worry.

Soon enough, John B joins her to kneel at his feet as he sits up and watches them eye up his injury as though it’s some sort of ghastly, life threatening thing instead of a gash that won't need stitches. He watches them against the glittering ocean, waves washing up on the rocks around them to sting his wound with saltwater.

"It's a scratch, not an amputation," JJ says.

She ignores him with a frown lining her pretty features and twists his leg by the ankle to get a better view of the wound in the sunlight. It extends up the entire length of his calf, almost from ankle to knee, and dribbles fresh blood onto her hands as well as the ground beneath them. From what he can tell, it doesn't look all too severe. No muscle or bone can be seen, so it's a simple, superficial scratch.

When he doesn't get a response from either her or John B while they're too busy checking out his leg, he says again, "Guys, I'm serious, it's fine."

This time, she doesn't hesitate to answer.

"Yeah, well you may not need stitches but you still have infection to worry about. This wilderness isn't exactly the cleanliest place," she says retorts with as much snark as usual, and he quietly rejoices in the fact that she's finally acting normal after what happened last night, "Not to mention, you hit your head pretty hard. There's no need to act all tough."

He shrugs.

"It's not an act, it really doesn't hurt that bad."

John B stands and smears the blood on his hands off on the front of his shorts.

"I'll be right back, guys, I'm gonna go get stuff to patch him up."

Just like that, they are left plunging into silence as he is running away down the peninsula back to the beach they've claimed as their own.

Silence has always been her least favorite thing to share with JJ. She'd rather anything over it—screaming, fighting, joking, friendly conversation, or even what they did together yesterday night. Anything is preferable over the tense and insufferable feeling of silence when they're alone together with none of their friends, or their playful hatred, between them as a barrier between them.

Instead of seeing the same pestering jerk she always used to when she looks at him, she sees the memory of how he looked at her in the woods. He didn't look at her like she was the worst person to ever walk the planet, or like she was his least favorite Kook "Princess", he looked at her like she meant something to him.

They sit together in uncomfortable silence in the time it takes John B to rush to the beach and back, careful not to slip on the rocks the way JJ did, with the supplies from the dinghy in his arms. It isn't much to work with, but at least it's something to keep the nasty wound on his leg protected from dirt and germs. She's sure he'd leave it uncovered and up to fate if he had it his way.

Before he can set them down on the wet rocks, thus ruining the gauze and bandages in craters filled with ocean water, she gestures at JJ with a stern command, "Take off your shirt."

His brows raise.

"Shit, Princess, take me out to dinner first."

She groans in frustration, "Can you be quiet for a second and actually listen to me for once?"

He catches John B's gaze with wide eyes, but complies nonetheless, reaching down to tug the tank off of his torso by the frayed hem until it's balled up in his closed fist to hand off to her. Her eyes only linger on his body for a quick second on accident before snatching it from him.

Her bloodstained palms lay the shirt out on the flattest stretch of rock she can find to act as a barrier from the small puddles of water to protect the supplies. One nod at John B has him setting them down atop the navy fabric as she glances up at JJ with a smug smile.

"Believe it or not," she taunts, unscrewing the cap to the disinfectant, "I didn't ask for it so you could sit there and look pretty."

The words throw him back in time to their conversation on the beach while they thatched the roof to their hut, and he wonders how long she's been waiting to throw that back in his face since he first said it.

He grins at her as he asks, "You think I'm pretty?" but before he can say more, she's pouring a generous amount of the hydrogen peroxide along the length of his cut without a warning for him to prepare himself. His leg jerks away on instinct to save himself from the burning sensation, but she grips his ankle tightly enough to force him to stay still.

His nose scrunches up with the urge to groan in pain, and he does a little. Through grinding teeth, he winces in response to the peroxide slipping into every cell of open skin and bubbling up like the white water of the waves as it kills the bacteria lingering in the gash.

"Does it hurt now?" Y/N asks.

She's looking up at him through her lashes with her lips curled into a smirk as she packs gauze onto the wound until it's covered to her satisfaction. And it should be the last thing he's thinking about right now after cutting up his leg and hitting his head hard enough to worry her about concussions, but he can't help it. Looking down at her like this, it's impossible for him to not think about the unfinished business they have.

Everything is the same as it was yesterday—the tattered white top, the red panties in place of a bikini, sunburnt cheeks, and a taunting look that he'll never get tired of seeing. But that's precisely why he's reminded of it. She's wearing the same clothes and looking at him the way she did on the beach before any of last night's antics occurred, and he can't keep himself from wondering if it'll happen again.

"Yeah," he finally responds.

Her smirk grows for a second before she gets back to work.

"Good."

JJ subtly eyes her up from where she shifts on her knees to set the open gauze wrappers under the peroxide bottle in exchange for the bandage wrap, but he isn't as subtle as he thinks. She can feel his stare no matter how sneaky he attempts to be. He may be able to evade John B's attention, since he dove into the ocean to retrieve the wooden spear that began to float out in the tide, but she never misses a thing. Not when it comes to him.

When he looks at her, he finds memories.

Her legs folded up beneath her bring him back to how smooth they felt on his palms when he lifted them up around his hips. Her rosy lips pressing into a line in concentration bring him back to the coconut flavor he tasted on them. Her nipples poking against the fabric of her shirt bring him back to when he lifted it up over her breasts to suck at the sensitive skin until he got a moan from her—There isn't a place he can stare without going back to last night.

Part of him hates that.

He can't stand that a girl who he spent the last five years hating has found a way into his daydreams. Why couldn't it have been anyone else? Why did she have to lure him into her trap? He supposes there's nothing he can do about it now, though. After hours of stewing over it, he's reached the conclusion that it was likely a one-time thing, a mistake made in the heat of the moment that she won't make again, and he should get the idea of it out of his head.

When she has to adjust her grip to hold the gauze in place while she wraps the bandage around his leg, he sucks in a sharp breath through his teeth and jerks away again. She glances up at him with her best, "Are you kidding me?" face. Didn't he say he was tough?

"I'm starting to think you're a sadist, 'cause it's like you're trying to make it hurt," he says.

She gasps, feigning offense.

"Me? Enjoying this? It's not like we've hated each other for years or anything."

And though he may not realize it, this is her way of distracting him from the pain of having her apply added pressure to his cut while she wraps the bandage into place. It has to be tight enough to keep water and sand out, but not so tight that it cuts off circulation, and while it may have been tolerable without her touching it, the contact is enough to make it worse for him.

He asks, "Uh, speaking of, why are you the one doing this? Isn't it some kind of HIPAA thing to treat patients you've threatened to violate with tree branches before?"

The sound of her laughter makes his stomach flutter with butterflies, and he wonders what the hell is wrong with him.

"That's not what HIPAA is, genius"—her eyes crinkle at the sides with her wide smile while she wraps his leg—"and I'm the one doing this because I know way more medical shit than the rest of you."

Even Pope.

"Ohhh right, I forgot. Your dad is this hotshot surgeon and that makes you think you know everything," he taunts.

The casual mention of her father makes her chest ache with something not many of the Pogues, excluding Pope, have felt since being stranded on this island. With their parents either disowning them, absent, abusive, or dead, they have no reason to resist the allure of living here for the months or years it may take to be rescued, but she does.

She misses him.

For the longest time since her mom died, it was her and her dad versus the world. In everything they did, they did it together, and before she met Sarah, he was the closest she had to a best friend. Since they had no other family to help watch her as a child, she grew up in the hospital with him, drawing with crayons on his office’s printer paper with her babysitter and picking up small things along the way from watching him for so long.

He could've chosen to leave her at home, sure, but he didn't want to miss out on seeing her more than he already did, so she spent the majority of her childhood in offices, waiting rooms, and the indoor playground of the PEDs wing.

She takes a deep breath to steady herself after the sucker punch of being reminded of her dad and says, "Well, I know enough and, thankfully for you, I'm the one doing this instead of John B."

From far away, twenty or so feet offshore where their friend is paddling through the water with the lost spear held in one hand, they hear John B shouting an offended, "I heard that!" back at her. It draws a soft chuckle from them both, and she silently thanks him for distracting JJ one last time as she finishes and secures the bandage so it won't unravel.

She wipes her hands off on her water-soaked thighs one more time to get as much of his blood off of her fingers as possible before she reaches out with both arms extended to offer him help to stand. He takes them with a murmured, "Thanks," as they both try not to show how affected they are by the casual touch.

It makes them feel pathetic that something as small as holding each other's hands makes them remember what they did and desperately wish to continue it. Her throat bobs with how she must swallow the lump in her throat at their close proximity, barely breathing now that he's standing close to her with less than a few inches between them.

For a second, they don't move away. They stay face to face, and all she can think of is how badly she wants to kiss him again. But she can't do anything yet, not when she hears someone screaming from the water.

"There's a shark!" John B screams as he paddles back faster than he's ever swam in his life, already close enough to the peninsula that they can see the terror in his eyes when they turn to look.

Surely enough, there a tip of a fin too pointed to pass off as a dolphin cutting through the surface of the water to alert them of the fish's presence, but if that weren't enough, the water is clear enough for them to see its outline.

Thankfully for him, it isn't huge. It looks about as long as he is tall, but that doesn't change the degree of danger. Just because it isn't as big as other sharks doesn't make a bite any less lethal, especially when their only form of medical attention rests on her knowledgeable yet inexperienced shoulders.

For once in his life, JJ is frozen with no clue of what to do.

He's always the man with the plan, the one who jumps into action when others choke up and sit on the sidelines, but this makes him falter. What can he do to help other than stand here and pray John B can out-swim a shark? He's helpless, and now that he's faced with the prospect of losing his best friend for a second time, he doesn't know what to do.

It was his blood in the water that must have attracted the shark, and he was so caught up in his own drama with her and the pain of his cut that he didn't consider the danger of John B jumping in to retrieve the spear he dropped. It's his fault. His best friend is about to be eaten by a shark and it's his fault—

The blurred image of her rushing past in his peripheral vision rips him from his stormy thoughts, and right when he thought it couldn't get worse, it does. Water splashes up around her body and swallows her under the surface after she leaps off the edge of the rock with the aluminum spear from the dinghy raised in her dominant arm.

"Y/N!"

Before he even realizes what he's doing, JJ is screaming out her name, screaming it like he cares, and damns the consequences to dive in after her.

While he was frozen, she sprung into action without thinking of her own life first. She knew he was close to the rock, but not close enough to swim faster than a predator designed for the conditions of the ocean. It took one glance at the spear resting to the side for her to lean down, scoop it up, and get a running start to jump out as far as humanly possible. Various joints and muscles ached from how she strained to push herself far off the rock, taking flight with nothing but their survival in mind.

She sucks in a heaving breath upon breaking the surface, but she doesn't take a second to pause with John B paddling up to her so soon.

"Go back!"

The only answer she gives him is, "Use your spear!" before she brings hers out of the water in anticipation of the grey figure bolting straight for them.

It's a stupid plan, but it's the only one she has, and if one of them is in danger, they'd all risk everything they have to protect them. After all, they're already trapped here with the threat of death every day. Is there anything more worthy of dying for than your friends?

Neither of them is necessarily trying to kill it yet either, they're trying to keep it at a safe distance or hurt it enough so it swims away from them, but she puts all of her strength into spearing the fish between the eyes anyway. Her legs kick tirelessly to keep her afloat while she and John B stab as accurately as they can, choking down a mouthful of salty ocean water from how her head sinks at the surface without the help of her arms to keep her up.

Blood stains the water with a crimson hue spreading out around their bodies—whether it's theirs or the shark's, she doesn't know—and she must keep her lips clamped shut to prevent it from spilling into her mouth, breathing solely through her nose. She can tell her legs are soon to give out on her, but then a pair of hands latch onto her body. Call her irrational or stupid, but even with the clear distinction of human hands on her waist, her mind reacts in instinctual fear.

The touch makes her jolt mid-stab and sobers her feral mind back to reality for a moment until she realizes it's a human touching her, not the shark.

It's JJ.

His arms wrap around her thighs and hoist her up out of the water as much as he can while still swimming, effectively pushing himself underwater with one last gasp for air.

The sudden shift in view has her gaze shifting around to take in the new sights with a gush of red water rushing off of her onto the splashing surface: a light grey tail whips around in the chaos, the shark's head oozes blood from the multiple puncture wounds that didn't push quite deep enough, and its jaws snap right where John B's arm is before he yanks it back.

After a fraction of a second, it clicks with her that there's no time to waste watching her friend almost get his arm chomped off while she takes in the unbelievable sight. Her slippery grip on the handle remains as firm as possible, and she raises the spear over her head with an improved accuracy she never could've had from where she previously aimed it before. All of their shots landed well enough, but with the height advantage, she won't allow herself to fuck it up this time with her friend's life hanging in the balance.

She hardly recognizes her own frantic voice shouting at him, "Spear it in the gills!"

Her hands bring the razor-sharp tip of the spear down into its head repeatedly, and she isn't sure whether it's the splashing water or tears wetting her face when she buries the weapon down into it for a final time right when John B lodges his wooden spear in its gills.

Whatever she did, it must've hit its brain, because the animal halts its thrashing. Its teeth no longer snap at her friend, nor does its tail whip around in the water as violently as it did a moment ago.

As quickly as it started, it drops off into a sickening calm that leaves the white bubbles dissolving into a puddle of bloody water surrounding the trio and the fish that dies with no small amount of guilt on her part. There was no choice but to kill it. It makes her ache on the inside, but how could she regret it if she knows it saved them? The guilt might ravage her for the upcoming days, but she can't bring herself to regret jumping in after him.

She hardly has the chance to process it before she's being pulled away by both of the boys, her view of the scene shifting drastically once more with the abrupt drop of JJ letting her down in favor of guiding her through the gentle waves. His calloused hand squeezes her arm enough to cut circulation off on their journey back.

Time rushes past her in the next thirty seconds or so it takes them to reach the peninsula again in a paranoid sprint away from where the dead fish floats. One of them, John B she thinks, tosses the aluminum spear he dislodged from the shark's head up onto the rocks and clambers his way back up on his own. The waves closer to land grow rougher than the tender current out where they killed the shark, and she grunts in pain as one sends her and JJ straight into the rocks. His body hits her back with a solid ‘thump’ and forces her to wheeze with the wind getting knocked from her lungs upon impact, nails cracking on the black rock from the desperate grip she uses in an attempt to lift herself.

Meanwhile, JJ can't seem to catch his breath either, nor can he think of anything other than her once he sees that John B isn’t injured.

As soon as he sees his friend is unmarked from the teeth of the shark after he's out of the water, he positions himself behind Y/N to help her out first. He places his hands on her backside to push her up as quickly as he can. Knowing that the carcass in the water will soon attract more sharks in the surrounding area into a feeding frenzy, he'd rather it be him than her. It's a thought that shoots by too fast for him to fully acknowledge the meaning or weight of it at a time like this.

Somehow within his adrenaline-crazed mind, he is careful not to push her onto the jagged edge that sliced his leg open earlier, then climbs after her with little space left between them.

She's coughing up saltwater onto the rocks as he scrambles over to her, eyes wild with the petrifying worry of anything bad happening to her. They scan over her arms, legs, stomach, and back, and he doesn't even realize his hands are reaching out to inspect her as frantically as she had with him when he got hurt.

His hands cup her face, petting over her dripping hair and forcing her to look up so he can see if she somehow got hit in the face. Never has his mind been so void of rational thought, and, knowing him and his impulsive tendencies, that's saying a lot. The confusion of his contradictory feelings for her muddle his mind. Worry and hatred, attraction and anger—they battle it out, but only two manage to reach him externally.

Worry and anger it is. Worry for obvious reasons. Anger because—

"What the fuck were you thinking?"

She has never heard him sound so vicious since the start of whatever odd relationship/friendship/enemy-ship they have. With his worried expression and how he checked her entire body for injury after helping her out of the water, the last thing she would've anticipated from him was anger. Especially not after she saved his best friend's life. Considering what she just did for him, she thinks he should be thanking her, not chastising her.

Behind her back, she can hear a collection of yelling voices and splashing footsteps over the water dripping from them. It can only be the rest of their friends racing up the peninsula to them, but she can't turn around.

She stares at him with utter confusion flooding her at his unexpected outburst. Speechless.

"What was I thinking?" she asks incredulously with her face still cradled between his hands, "I was saving John B's life!"

Their emotional distance and disagreement are made up for in abundance by how physically entangled they've become. It wasn't intentional. It was a result of him needing to get close enough to scour her exposed skin for any bites, but now that they're sitting so near to each other, they forget to back away.

John B is too busy to engage with them.

He's doubled over on the ground with the compulsion to vomit the contents of his stomach into the ocean, but he doesn't dare get close to the edge again after what they went through. Instead, he positions himself away from them and their approaching friends until the half-digested food is forced back through his mouth. The acidic bile scorches his throat and nostrils on the way out.

JJ doesn't have the opportunity to retort back something about her being stupid, because Pope is the first person to reach them and ask, "What the hell happened?"

The rest of the group isn't far behind. It's Kie who asks the next question, then Sarah, then Cleo. They all pop off in rapid succession before either of the three of them can answer.

"Are any of you hurt?"

"Why is he throwing up?"

"Is that a shark?"

The last question draws everyone's attention over to the half-sunken mass of fish bobbing up and down on the breaths of the sea with a wooden spear sticking straight out of its gills. Though it isn't the biggest, most intimidating shark to roam the ocean, its presence doesn't fail to make everyone who looks at it shudder with the realization of what must have happened.

John B wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and points over at her with his trembling arm outstretched.

"She killed it."

The four of them whip their heads in her direction, jaws nearly falling off their faces in disbelief, but she doesn't say anything yet. Because as soon as they feel the eyes of their friends burning into them, she and JJ realize, as though they're returning to reality from the hazy layers of a dreamscape, that they're still holding each other.

She's slumped halfway onto him from when he hauled her body closer to inspect her, so she's essentially sitting on top of him at this point. Her legs, bruised and scratched up from when the waves crested to send them crashing into the rocks, are entangled around his enough that they look back and forth between them and where his hands cup her face in surprise.

JJ doesn't know what came over him.

Now that he snaps out of it at the same time as her, both of them separating and nudging each other away until their bodies are no longer entwined, he feels his cheeks flush in embarrassment.

When he saw her leaping past him to jump into the water, his mind shut off. He wasn't thinking about himself, or the possibility of getting killed, or anything at all. He was only thinking of the danger she put herself in, then he dove in and the rest of his conscious mind faded away into pure survival instinct. Yet, even after he knew the immediate danger was gone, the adrenaline kept him on edge, desperate to get her back to land and pray none of them were hurt.

"It was trying to attack him," she rasps. Her throat is raw from the saltwater she choked on, and every word burns. "But we did it together."

She pushes herself off the ground with an exhausted sigh.

Muscles spent from the struggle in the water, her legs wobble beneath the weight of her upper body as she takes a few steps to help John B up from his position on his hands and knees. From what she heard, he has thrown up all he has left in his stomach and hasn't gagged again in a minute or so, so attempting to stand again shouldn't be too strenuous for him.

His hand is cold in her grasp from the water soaking their bodies, but it holds firmly enough for her to help him into his feet without their palms slipping apart. No patches of blood are visible on his shorts, nor are there any puncture wounds on him from the sharp teeth that snapped at his arm in the quick but vigorous fight.

They were very, very fortunate to have made it out alive, and when he looks down at her face, he feels nothing but gratitude for the girl he previously saw as nothing more than his girlfriend's best friend. They went into the water as casual acquaintances, companions of convenience and the happenstance of being forced onto this island together, but they've come out of it differently. Now, they're friends.

Now, she's a Pogue.

He smiles at her, glancing up at their friends as their questions die down at the sight of his crazy grin, and says, "That was some real Pogue shit right there, Y/N." His eyes come back to meet hers. "I think it's about time we officially make you one of us. What do you think?"

She's opening her mouth to respond when Kiara cuts her off. The rest of them are staring at the trio as if they have ten heads sprouting from their bodies for not immediately surrendering more details of their near-death encounter other than saying she killed it.

"I'm sorry, can we please rewind to the part where you got attacked by a shark first?"

"Ladies and gentlemen, can I get a drumroll please for..."

The campfire is roaring with the abundance of sticks, leaves, and branches thrown onto the pile to fuel it as she feels a strong pair of arms looping around her thighs to lift her into the expansive, star-flecked sky.

In a flash of haunting memory, she relives the moment where JJ dove into the water after her and lifted her body above the surface to give her the high ground over the shark. She relives its thrashing hunger, the water splashing on her, and the cloudy hue of blood around them that she hoped wasn't either of the boys. For a second, as the world grows taller with her new perspective, she is brought back to the sudden shift she felt then and feels her stomach drop in panic, anticipating the danger.

But then the sound of her friends laughing, as well as the surging fire and crashing waves, comes back to her and forces the frightful flashback away. Her hip fits perfectly in the curve of John B's shoulder, and she lets her head fall back in giggling laughter at how he hoists her up in the air as though she's a holy figure of worship for the Pogues to kneel to.

His voice can likely be heard across the entire island when he shouts, "The Shark Conqueror!"

The group erupts into a triumphant mixture of cheers and laughter that fills the beach, everyone celebrating in their narrow escape earlier today...everyone except JJ.

After John B divulged the gory details of what happened, from JJ's fall to her picking up the spear and jumping in to save him from the shark, they made their way back with enough conversation to last the month. They all asked questions and took peeks back at where it happened in morbid curiosity, wondering how on earth they managed to come out of the situation without a scratch.

The rest of the afternoon continued on with the same buzzing energy that can only be created from the thrill of being alive. She's felt it many times since joining Sarah's group of friends that seem to find trouble wherever they go, but she has never felt it as vehemently as she does tonight. It's a mixture of euphoria, shock, and soul-crushing guilt for having to hurt another living creature, even one that was intending to make a meal of her friend.

No matter how much she grows up or discovers more about herself as a person, feelings never stop being as frustrating as they were to her as a child. You can get better at processing and hindering explosive reactions to them, but they never simplify. She doesn't know why she feels so much at once. She doesn't know why she feels simultaneously on top of the world and thrown off the edge of a cliff, but she thinks it has to do with him.

Since they walked back to the beach and talked about what happened until the day withered into night, which led them here to the “official” ceremony of her being named a Pogue for life, JJ hasn't spoken to her once.

Suddenly, the shoe is on the other foot.

Much like how she avoided him all night last night leading into this morning, he doesn't talk to her. He tries not to look at her too from where he sits on the log of driftwood across the fire, but it's somewhat inevitable with the spectacle John B is making of her at the moment.

Painted in the warm tones of the firelight like a goddess in her own right, Y/N is impossible to look away from, and it makes him angrier than he already is. A handwoven circlet crafted from the hibiscus and hippeastrum flowers growing in the forest around their camp sits atop her head. It doesn't fall to the ground with the movement of her throwing her head back in laughter. It stays in its rightful place against the rule of gravity until her face comes back into view for him to quickly look away from.

It dampers her laughter to see him avoiding her gaze so adamantly, taking a swig of water from one of the small cups they carved from wood and turning to talk to Kie to keep himself busy. The distinct sensation of being on top of the world slips away with the feeling of his cold avoidance and John B lowering her back to the ground until her bare feet sink into the soft sand.

Before she can start sulking about it for the foreseeable future, Sarah steps up beside her.

The familiar touch of a hand on her shoulder brings her comfort amidst her confusion and hurt over the way JJ is acting, and when she turns to see a pretty face looking fondly at her, a warm smile finds her lips.

"Pogue for life?" Sarah asks.

The three words bring make her smile grow the same way it had when she was talking to JJ on the peninsula. It crinkles the skin around her eyes with its unrestrained happiness to hear them because, as much as she pretends to let JJ's comments roll off of her, tonight marks one of the first times she's felt at home with them.

That's not to say they haven't made her feel welcome in the past, they did, but this isn’t the same. This is closer, this is the type of bond that's forged in situations like these where people have no choice but to rely on each other or let their worlds collectively fall apart, and she thinks, for the first time, that she could live here with them forever if she must.

None of them know how much time has passed since they arrived here, least of all her, but it sure as hell feels like an eternity. At first, she could barely withstand the idea of living here for months with the intention of being rescued as soon as possible, but now...

She brings Sarah into an embrace tight enough to force the air from their lungs.

"Pogue for life," she echoes back with her face buried into the salt-scented tresses of dirty blonde hair cascading over her tan shoulders.

Would it be crazy of her to think that this is where they're meant to be? That they're her family and this place she has fantasized about escaping is now their home?

After all, the lush island provides everything they need to sustain themselves with the rationing, scavenging, and hunting routines they adhere themselves to. Freshwater runs down the land in a stream from a water source uphill, plenty of different edible plants grow in the forest, and there's so much left of the expansive land to explore; it's perfect. Everything here is perfect for them, calling out to them to make it their home, but there's one little problem as of right now, and he's sitting across the fire behind her back.

Sarah's arms squeeze around her shoulders once to bring her in even closer.

"Thank you for saving him," her voice is so hushed, Y/N can hardly hear it with her lips brushing the shell of her ear to whisper into it, "I'm not gonna get all mushy with you right now, but I don't know what I would've done if"—Sarah's breath hitches in her throat, and she shakes her head—"I just wanted to thank you."

When they pull apart, Y/N is looking back at her with a knowing expression, one that says everything she can't in the presence of the others, and Sarah can't help but mirror it.

It isn't long before the blonde-haired beauty is whisked away by her boyfriend to help him cook the crabs they caught closer to shore after their encounter with the shark. Not wanting to swim out or risk slipping off the rocks again with the dead fish promising to lure more predators to their area for the next week or so, they settled for hunting for shellfish and making good use of the fruits they find growing in wild abundance in the forest.

The night ticks away in swiftly passing minutes thanks to the humorous company of the people around her.

She nearly chokes on a mouthful of banana as Cleo tells a story from before she met them, when she used to live in Nassau and work jobs with Terence and Stubbs on ships. For such new additions to the group, they both fit surprisingly well with the lifelong childhood friends that sit around and banter with such ease together.

They talk, laugh, dance, and eat together, and there are moments when she feels happier than ever. There are moments exactly like when John B lifted her up and made her giggle at how their friends cheered on her behalf in indulgence of the silly "ceremony" they did, half out of boredom and half out of gratitude for what she did. But then she is reminded of the man sitting on the outskirts of the group with his features hardened into an expression of contemplation she wishes she could decode.

The night breeze feels heavenly on her perpetually overexposed skin. It blows into the fire and allows it to swell from the oxygen supply, crackling and popping embers out every so often like the spark of the zippo lighter JJ fidgets with in his restless hands. The movement attracts her wandering eyes while they should be focused on Cleo and Kie dancing around the fire with boisterous laughter while Sarah and Pope sing for them.

She keeps herself honed in on the opening and closing of the lighter under the guidance of his ring-clad fingers for the next minute or so.

They may have been pitting themselves against each other since they met, but that doesn't mean she doesn't know him well. If anything, the keen attention that her old hatred for him forced her to keep on him made her memorize everything there is to know. And she surely has picked up on the nervous habit of him playing with the lighter whenever he's thinking, whenever there's something crawling under his skin that he can't piece together.

He sits with his back to her, facing out toward the ocean so all she can see is the hand he uses to flick the lighter open and shut with. With a quick glance at the rest of their friends to see if any of them are watching or wanting to speak with her, she pushes herself up from the log and dusts her sandy palms on her shirt.

The tracks of her footsteps lead around the corner of the driftwood he rests against until her feet appear, sunken into the sand in front of him. It takes a lot of control to not allow himself to follow up the length of her body, panning up along her legs until he sees that infuriatingly tenderhearted set of eyes looking down at him.

However, he doesn't have a choice in looking when her hand outstretches in a silent invitation. His first glimpse of her in the last half-hour shows her jerking her chin in the direction of the beach curving around the bend of the island.

This morning, he probably would've taken her up on the offer. He would've done anything to get a few minutes alone with her, but now he can't see past his anger and doesn't know why. He doesn't know why it hasn't calmed yet, but, in truth, it has more to do with him than it does her idiotic yet brave decision to fight off a shark today. Trust him, it still has a lot to do with the idiotic shark thing, but the rest is lost in translation for him.

"Not in the mood," he dismisses her.

Her brows furrow and form a crease between them as she tries to find something to say but comes up with nothing. At least not until it clicks with her what he thought she was trying to do by inviting him to walk with her.

The last time they went off on their own together, it ended in an explosive encounter they have yet to erase from their minds. It's what greets them whenever they close their eyes for a second too long, existing in their wildest daydreams and fantasies whenever they have a spare moment to themselves. Hell, he can't stop thinking about it even when he's already occupied. It was the reason why he didn't catch any fish this morning before the incident that made him pissed at her in the first place. He couldn't stop thinking of her.

"Oh," she murmurs and starts to kneel down until her knees are sinking into the sand the same way she did when patching up his leg. Her eyes peek over his shoulder to ensure the others didn't hear them—"That wasn't what I meant...I was just wondering if you wanted to talk about today. It must have been a lot to process, since he's your best friend and all, and—"

JJ snaps, unable to tolerate it anymore, and stands up from his spot on the sand to move away from her.

"You don't need act all therapist with me, okay? I'm fine, and I don't need you to fix me if that's what you wanted. Today was fine. Everything's fine, so let it go."

Her mouth opens and closes like a fish with a loss for words. For the second time in the span of a minute, she is grasping blindly for something to say in the wake of him shocking her to silence. He's starting to walk past her but she doesn't let him. Her hand shoots out to stop him and holds onto his arm to turn him back despite his rudeness.

Underneath it all, her concern touches him deeply. It shouldn't trigger a reaction like this in him, so why does it? What about today set him off? He hasn't been this genuinely angry with her since before the hunt for the gold began, before she started to blend into their friend group and establish herself as one of them.

"Woah, woah, woah," she says, "I never said that. I thought that you needed someone to talk to. You know, as a friend."

Their friends start to notice their interaction tensing up now. Before, they didn't pick up on her stepping away for a second to check on him. Now, it's impossible to ignore what unfolds hardly six steps from where they watch as slyly as they can. The two of them haven't had a conversation as cold as this one in months, and what he says next takes it to a place that freezes over the connection they made last night and shatters the warm place it held in her heart.

He scoffs.

"We're not friends. If you think you gotta act different 'cause you threw yourself at me last night, don't bother. You hate me and I hate you. That's how it is."

No nicknames, jokes, or anything to act as a buffer, just cruelty. Rejection.

Though they truly were trying to pretend like they weren't paying attention, every single one of their friends stops and stares. A chorus of hushed reactions sound off from across the fire, and the faint sound of Kie muttering, "Oh shit," is the first thing to reach their ears. It's needless to say that none of them could've expected something so callous to come from him, not after what they saw when they ran up to them on the peninsula this morning.

With the way he was holding her then, doting on her and cradling her face between his hands even in the midst of his anger at what she did, they sooner expected the pair to admit they're dating than have a blowout like this.

In the delayed seconds it takes for her to realize what the fuck he just said to her, he watches her face shift from a look of concern to sadness, to flush-faced embarrassment, then finally to anger. Her teeth grind together, nostrils flaring on her inhale, and in one quick moment, she comes to a conclusion within herself.

She reaches up to rip the handmade crown of vibrant flowers off her head with flames to match the camp fire flaring up in her eyes for him. Before she can do anything, he already knows he crossed a line, if not multiple lines. It's evident in everything he sees, from the hurt look on her face to the force with which she shoves the crown into the center of his chest to send him stumbling back a few steps. Just like yesterday, except it couldn't be any more different.

"Fuck. You." She spits the words as though they're venomous, and he almost shrinks away under the intensity of her stare, “Go find somewhere else to sleep tonight, 'cause it sure as hell isn't gonna be with me."

Petals flutter out upon impact against his solid chest and float peacefully to the sand around his feet as he watches her turn on her heels and storm off toward their hut. Though, after what he did and what she said to him as a goodbye, it isn't really theirs anymore, is it? At least not for tonight, tomorrow, or the next day until he finds a way to make her hear him out for an apology.

He stands there, frozen, the entire time he watches her leave. Nothing can move him from the spot, not even Sarah knocking her shoulder against his with a pointed glare on her way past to follow her into the moonlit darkness.

He doesn't even resist the disappointed looks he gets, or the shoulder check from Sarah. This time, he deserves it. He deserves every ounce of their judgment. All she was trying to do was make sure he was okay and he was too consumed in his unreleased frustration from today to see it. And, in a way, he's still frustrated over it, but it's greatly overshadowed by the guilt seeping through him.

The shadowy shapes of the two girls disappear into the small hut further down the beach, and JJ is left with nothing to do but look down at the flower crown clutched to his chest in regret.

Tag List: @gabiatthedisco, @fangirlvoice, @black-syren, @apparrio, @particularcth, @planetdemon, @idk-ijustworkhere, @krisphann, @astrydis, @k-k0129, @zarahsloves, and @stilesflannels.

[mermaidsirennikita]

November 2022 Book Recommendations

This month, I finished IAD in the beginning (and started with a book that I personally think is a true, game-changing romance classic) and started Christmas books in the end. I also read a great villain anthology (I... love villain heroes) and got into some truly exciting ARCs, going into 2023. And I read my first full length Ruby Dixon! I did work and I loved it.

Lothaire by Kresley Cole. Lothaire, the Enemy of Old, is on the brink of having the revenge he's sought for thousands of years. All he needs to do is claim his Bride, and he'll have his thrones. The only problem? His Bride, demonic former goddess Saroya the Soul Eater, has possessed the body of backwoods country girl Ellie Peirce; and Ellie is too strong-willed to simply let Saroya use her body for mayhem. Ellie is new to the world of the Lore, and she should be afraid of Lothaire... but she has a strong will to live, and she senses a desire within him that Saroya isn't satisfying. With Lothaire seeking a way to cast Ellie's soul from her body and Ellie seeking to seduce her freedom from him, the two begin a game that neither is fully prepared to win.

Obviously, this is a truly classic romance by now, and perhaps the? Definitive? Villain romance? Lothaire is evil, and the point of this book is not whether or not he can be good. He never will be, not 100%. The point is whether or not you'll buy his romance with Ellie, and uh--reader, I bought it. He hates that she's "low", mortal and poor. And she's not impressed with his cruelty and erratic behavior. They're both master manipulators, and he doesn't see her coming at all. It's kind of the perfect, inspired match between two incredibly opposite and similar characters. I cannot imagine the pressure Kresley felt to nail this after building Lothaire up as a definitive villain of her series... but fuck, it paid off. It's hot and twisted and incredibly compelling and... achingly romantic, somehow. The vows! The orgasms! The bloodplay! The betrayals! These two sick puppies just might make it.

Shadow's Claim by Kresley Cole. Bettina, future queen of the death demons, is being offered up as a prize in a tournament--whoever wins gets not only her hand in marriage, but the kingdom. The issue? Bettina has been carrying a torch for her best friend, Caspion, for years--and Cas seems reluctant to take their relationship to the next level. More complicated? Trehan Daciano, the vampiric master assassin sent to kill Cas for a transgression discovers that Bettina is his fated Bride--sending both men into the tournament, where either one could die. While initially desperate for Cas to win, the more Bettina gets to know Trehan, the more she's torn about what she wants for her future, and how devastated she would be if either man died.

This one seems to have a controversial reputation in the IAD fandom because of... Bettina, basically. And she is a different heroine for Kresley, for sure. She's a Princess Classic, essentially, except for the fact that she likes to make weapons for fun. And she does really hold back on Trehan because she wants to have this epic romance with Cas so badly, even though it's clear that their love is totally platonic. Was she a bit problematic? I guess, but I liked her because of it. And Trehan is HOT. A cold assassin who can kill anyone, is desperately holding himself back from ravishing the heroine, and offers a bag of decapitated heads as a present? Sign me the fuck up. Also, Lothaire is here, being an absolute nutjob. We love to see it.

MacRieve by Kresley Cole. Uilleam MacRieve is unable to control his inner beast and unable to have even vaguely normal intimate, or hell, sexual relationships due to the trauma of his past, a childhood tragedy that decimated his family. But just as he's on the verge of suicide, he finds his mate, Chloe Webb--the daughter of the man who tortured MacRieve and reawakened his dormant demons. That, they can get past--Chloe and MacRieve's connection is immediate, and it seems that he can bring himself out of the darkness for her. Yet at the worst possible moment, Chloe's own true (unknown to her) nature as a succubus--the same creature that victimized MacRieve as a child--is revealed, throwing their relationship into chaos.

This one was ROUGH to read, in the best possible way. It's beautifully done, it's just, for me, the most intensely sad IAD book. Basically, massive content warnings for childhood sexual abuse all over the place. MacRieve was groomed and raped by a succubus from the ages of 9 to 13, and the discovery led to the deaths of both of his parents and his unborn sister--and of course, he blames himself. He can only perform through his beast because his human side literally can't handle that kind of intimacy, and the revelation of Chloe's species throws him into chaos--and he treats her horribly as a result. You always get why he acts the way he does, but it's never justified. However, the slow healing for both of them, the way they make it through to each other, really worked for me and was just gorgeously emotional. And did lead to one of the funniest scenes in the series, to be frank. Also, the entire concept of succubus culture and dick flu was just... too.... good............ The matchup of a succubus, who by nature needs semen to like... live, and a werewolf, who by nature must give his mate what she needs to live and provide for her at all times... Kresley Cole's brain, man.

The Long Game by Rachel Reid. The direct sequel to Heated Rivalry. This one picks up with Shane and Ilya in a serious, committed relationship, if one that they must keep secret. Ilya left his successful team for a much shittier one to be closer to Shane--and he's feeling the professional effects, while still not actually being able to live with Shane full time. Though Ilya wants to be open about their relationship, Shane remains hesitant--putting a strain on their connection, and threatening their future.

This one was so good! Such a satisfying followup and (I assume) conclusion for one of my favorite romance couples of all time. Ilya's mental health, his isolation as an immigrant, and his trauma over his mother's suicide (and attempts to cover up all of the above through charm and natural wit) is examined at length in this one, and I loved seeing that picked apart. I also loved seeing a relationship wherein two people love each other deeply but still have to do active work to be better partners for each other. It isn't magically there. We also see Ilya getting brought into the fold of Shane's family, the two of them really creating this identity together... It was so natural and great, and the sex remained VERY HOT. (Trophy room sex... please.) The one complaint I'd have is that I think the book could've explored Shane's internalized homophobia a bit more, and the effect this would have on the ending of the novel. That was a big theme in Heated Rivalry, so I can see why Rachel Reid pulled up on it a bit here, but it did feel a bit too easy.

Dark Skye by Kresley Cole. Melanthe the sorceress finds a childhood best friend in vrekener Thronos, who recognizes her as his mate. But after a betrayal that leaves Lanthe on the run and Thronos with permanent injuries, she's terrified and he's enraged. He's spent five centuries tracking her since then--and once he has her, he doesn't plan to ever let her go.

I am open about my love of "childhood friends who fell out and now there's beef but they also love each other". This is that. This is also a deeply.... wild... book. Thronos is basically a demon-angel-thing, and he's very religious, and he comes from a deeply conservative culture, and he wants revenge on Lanthe, and he wants to fuck the shit out of Lanthe. All of these things are true. Lanthe is a pleasure-seeking sorceress who's never ashamed of her sexuality, and never apologizes to Thronos for fucking other people before him; and he does slut shame her a bit for it at first. A lot of the book really is about Thronous having to accept himself for what he actually is, both internally and externally, and what he wants (kinky sex with Lanthe). It's definitely different from many other IAD books, but you know what? I had fun with it. I liked Thronos and Lanthe's weird sex through a sheet thing. I thought it was funny.

Sweet Ruin by Kresley Cole. The Morior have come to fuck up the lives of all the IAD monsters, and first up is Rune Darklight--Rune the Insatiable. A 7,000 year old dark fey assassin known for using sex to get information--but don't kiss him, ladies, because his bodily fluids are in fact poisonous--Rune is thrown off course by Josie, a vampire (or is she?) who seems immune to his venomous blood. In fact, she seems to like it a lot. And he likes her drinking his blood a lot. Rune is sure that Josie is more than she seems--and holding back secrets. But as the two partner up together to save Rune's brother from a murderous valkyrie, he quickly discovers that the real risk Josie poses is in her irresistible appeal to him.

This one was so good. The Morior arc is interesting to me, if not my favorite--but Rune and Josie have been my favorite part of it. Rune is, to put it kindly, a total moron. He's a dangerous assassin who's a master at sexual torture and specializes in edging... But fails to see that Josie LOVES his edging. And I love that about him. I am a sucker for a super powerful man who's bowled over by a random girl, and this book is that. Josie is a really different kind of heroine for this series--illiterate, grew up on the streets, doesn't really know fuck all about the Lore. But she is... wild, and she knows that Rune is the one for her pretty quickly. And it makes for a truly delightful reading experience. Josie blithely confident that Rune will realize he loves her, Rune being totally in love with Josie and completely in denial about it. I love it.

Shadow's Seduction by Kresley Cole. Cas the demon was humiliated by the outcome of the tournament for his friend Bettina's hand--and even before then, completely thrown off by an unexpected night with his new friend, the vampire prince Mirceo. So he does what anyone would do and goes to a separate dimension where time moves differently to become more of a badass. But when Cas returns, Mirceo quickly realizes--they're meant to be together. He just has to convince Cas.

This novella was the first queer IAD book, and I do think it shows some datedness in terms of its treatment of sexuality (Mirceo has fucked a million people, but because he's never bottomed Cas sees him as like... a virgin on some level). But I also really can't speak to the accuracy or inaccuracy there on a personal level, and I'll be honest, I loved Cas and Mirceo together. Cas comes from a conservative culture and struggles with internalized homophobia and recognizing his own bisexuality. Mirceo is a hedonist who seems incapable of actually committing, even if he really wants to convince Cas that he can. I had a lot of fun with this one, and I kind of wish it had been a full-length book.

Wicked Abyss by Kresley Cole. Centuries ago, the demon prince Abyssian was betrayed by his fated mate, a fey princess. Now she's been reincarnated, and sent to the hell plane where Abyssian now rules--and is becoming more monstrous-looking every day. Sian's initial plan is to keep Lila as his captive and punish her for the sins of her past life. But fate may have other plans...

A Beauty and the Beast retelling, straightup, and I wasn't mad at it. This one has everything--curses, past life transgressions, secrets, a heroine who thinks her way out of the problem, and Nix moving her chess pieces in the background, all the time. I won't say that I loved Sian quite as much as I loved Lila, but I did love that when he came the entire hell plane reacted. That was great.

A Wicked Game by Kate Bateman. Read my full review here!

Munro by Kresley Cole. Munro MacRieve has one chance to go back in time and save his fated mate, the human Kereny. Except Kereny is a total stranger to him, and the only way to truly save her is to transform her into an immortal. Problematic, both because the transformation is extremely hazardous and Kereny turns out to be a monster hunter.

The first IAD book published in 5 years (and the most recently released, which means I'm out of books for now) this one is just. Really fun. Does it go as hard as some of my favorites? No. Is the last 20% INCREDIBLY FAST? Yes. But I just had a good time. Munro is such a fucking werewolf dude, even if he tries to be The Rational One between himself and MacRieve. Ren is a fun, defiant, snarky heroine, and I really enjoyed the path her transformation ultimately took. This one is just a fucking romp, and isn't connected a ton to the major arc, which I think was nice--but the ending! The cliffhanger! I fucking knew that fucker was alive but to have him come back like... almost twenty books after his death was mentioned... SOMEBODY GET MY BOY HEATH!!!!! NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Never Cross A Highlander by Lisa Rayne. Read my full review here!

The Countess by Sophie Jordan. ARC; review to come closer to publication.

Villain I'd Like to F... An anthology collection of novellas by Eva Leigh, Nicola Davidson, Adrian Herrera, Joanna Shupe, and Sierra Simone. The assignment? Historical romances about VILLAINS. Fucking delightful, varied, and super sexy. Let's break 'em down below (in brackets).

[Lady Viper and The Bastard by Eva Leigh. A romantic take on Dangerous Liaisons sees Lady Violet "Viper" Hampton and Ian "the Bastard" Molyneaux, two of the most feared figures in 1700s high society England, reluctantly team up despite their distrust of each other. Their mission? To break up a young couple in love by seducing each party separately. I fucking LOVED this. It's my favorite thing Eva Leigh has ever written. We see two fearsome, snarky, kinda horrible people, both in their forties and well aware of the world's caprice, engage in deceit and seduction while actually... falling in love with each other. Violet is a dream of a heroine, sharp-tongued and confident and determined to not catch feelings... While--let's be real--for all that Ian is a slutty, slutty man with a wicked sense of amorality (he is partially into this seduction game because he fucked the girl's mom and wants to fuck the daughter in turn because that would be funny), he's actually smitten by Violet from pretty early on. The feelings are intense and the sex scenes are FABULOUS. There is in fact a scene where they role play as a virginal Violet and her dancing master, and while that shit isn't gonna be for the more... cautious readers, it was certainly for me. I would kill for Eva Leigh to write more about these types of sardonic, gleefully wicked characters. She does it so well.

Seven Sinful Nights by Nicola Davidson. Twenty-year-old widowed duchess Estelle is set to be a servant for her in-laws when local club owner Blake Evans comes to call for the massive debt the new duke owes. Estelle's brother-in-law offers her as Blake's mistress in exchange for the debt being cancelled, but Blake gives her the choice--seven nights as his mistress, and the debt will be cancelled and Estelle will be given her widow's portion. Estelle agrees--in part because she wants the independence that comes with her inheritance and ruination, and in part because she's just too intrigued by Blake to pass up the opportunity. For seven nights only, she'll be his Stella, and his to do with as he pleases. This one was great, also my favorite thing I've read of Nicola Davidson thus far. It has everything--supportive friends with a dash of torture (something Stella has a fabulous reaction to), a lot of good girl-ing, domination, exhibitionism, and sex toys. Frankly, the whole "mistress of a villain" gig thing seems pretty sweet. There's also an age gap (Blake is 35 to Stella's 20) and the sex is ridiculously hot. I was a little ambivalent about one occurrence in the epilogue, but it really wasn't enough to truly taint the story for me. It was just fun and good and had a great climax (technically... several).

The Gangster's Prize by Joanna Shupe. When Isabelle's upstanding politician father goes missing, she's certain the culprit is Billy Baxter, leader of the Hell's Kitchen Gang. But when the demure Isabelle surprises Billy with a confrontation, he claims innocence--and promises to help her find her father... for a price. This one felt a bit different for Joanna Shupe at first, largely in that it's first person, alternating between Billy and Isabelle's perspectives. It took some getting used to, but ultimately the story had the hallmarks of what I love about Joanna Shupe: a dominant hero, a woman who throws him for a loop, and hot hot conflict. Also great fucking. That too. There is one particular moment in this novella that had even me raising my eyebrows, which is hard to pull off. And just when I thought she'd pull a punch--nope. Billy is pretty bad (and so good).

The Bootlegger's Bounty by Adriana Herrera. Rosalia dreams of singing in a New York nightclub--but the only way to get that is to ally with Camden McCullough, a notorious rum runner. The dangerous Cam is overwhelming enough--but throw in crew member Enzo, and Rosalia is very quickly in over her head. Or is she? This one is for the mmf lovers out there, especially if you're looking for a historical novella with a different setting (1920! High seas!). Cam, Rosalia, and Enzo have chemistry to spare. This one does tend towards the eroticism a bit more than the plot, but that's not a bad thing at all. The bond between Cam, Enzo, and Rosalia seems natural and fun and compelling--and yes, everyone does fall in love with everyone here.

The Conquering of Tate the Pious by Sierra Simone. Tate is the youngest abbess of Far Hope Abbey--ever. And she's set to protect the abbey with her life, offering herself up to the marauding Norman invader The Wolf. But The Wolf is not what they seem--in fact, they're a stunning woman, Adelais, who decides she could forego pillaging the abbey... if Tate offers herself up in exchange. You can't really go wrong with a sapphic medieval villainess romance. Adelais and Tate are both pretty hardcore in their own ways, and if you aren't familiar with Sierra Simone's work, this one might go in directions that surprise you. It's certainly hot--there is one particular scene with the hilt of a knife that's.... perfection--but I also enjoyed the contrast of Tate and Adelais and their respective strengths and forms of power. Fabulous.]

The Wrong Marquess by Vivienne Lorret. Elodie Parrish has always been set to marry her best friend George--not by any official agreement, but by an understanding that began when they were children and Ellie fell head over heels for him. But she's twenty-five now, and George is dragging his feet. So while she initially dislikes Brandon, the older brother of her new friend, the upside of their charged encounters could be that George might take the hint and make it official... But Brandon, if initially puzzled and annoyed by the confusing Ellie, might just want to keep her.

This one was really, really lovely. Just the right amount of humor, just the right amount of drama, with plenty of sexual tension (that does indeed get satisfied). It's also a pretty searing indictment of many unsatisfactory friends to lovers plots, even if it doesn't intend to be. George is a prick. Ellie is darling, a ball of anxiety (her fear of death was quite relatable) and desperation for love. Brandon is... fucking hot, and also just like. Desperate to get into her panties, in a way that was quite charming (there is a scene where she leaves a bowl of ice cream unfinished and he grabs it and finishes it because he wants to taste what she was tasting... man fucking down...). Brandon's initial prickliness and distrust of Ellie (he has a tragic past, obviously) giving way to besotted obsession was charming as fuck, and the contrast of his adoration against George's dogged determination to lead her on was just classic romcom excellence. And the ending--as well as the introduction of a certain future hero--did make me want to go and re-read How to Steal A Scoundrel's Heart, which is itself a fabulous read that follows this one in the Mating Habits of Scoundrels series. Just... so good.

Of Visions and Secrets by Kathryn Ann Kingsley. Emma Mather's brother has gone missing, and the only person who seems to have any clue as to what happened is his former professor, Raphael Saltonstall. The issue? Rafe knows a lot about the dark, occult societies Elliot got himself tangled up in--the only problem? Rafe may be more connected to the darker side of them than Elliot realized, and Emma may not care about that nearly as much as she should.

This is an unusual turn for me in romance--the first book in a trilogy that is truly connected, versus featuring standalones with different couples and smaller connections. The Tenebris trilogy reads as one big story versus three separate books, to be honest, and I blazed through it. Kingsley is a self-professed villain lover, but these books are definitely a romance; you just have to wait until the end of the final book to get the promised HEA. And like... Rafe isn't especially heroic. But for all that the world and the magic and horror is incredibly compelling--think 1920s, but with cults and eldritch abominations--the centerpiece is still the romance. Or rather, romances as book two reveals. Rafe and Emma's connection is both entertaining--he's a stern murderous professor with the voices of legion monsters in his head, she's a reckless adventuress who hurtles into trouble and gets turned on by fear--and kind of tragic? Like, he just wants to love her and frankly fuck her the fuck up? But so do the monsters within him? When the dam breaks with this guy, it BREAKS. Frankly, I blame a conservative society. I think that if Rafe had been introduced to BDSM and allowed to explore his dom side, countless lives would've been saved.

Of Flesh and Bone by Kathryn Ann Kingsley. The direct continuation of the above book--but I will add a couple of things. The secondary romance of the series (which is really pretty prominent, hot sex and all) is introduced in this book, and it is great. A sexy nightclub singer/cult leader and the hot battle priest who falls in love with her! I will also add a TW because that nightclub singer is a trans woman, and this book, as well as the third, feature a subplot in which a bigoted villain attempts to essentially undo her (magically-powered) transition--it is not super graphic, it does not last long, it does fail, and he does suffer. The main characters all affirm her and she does have a HEA with her hero, but just a heads up. Other notes: Rafe's shadow tentacles (or, as I have seen them called, his Consentacles) join the party in full in this one, and honestly? The fact that SHADOW AND BONE had the potential for shadow tentacles that can fill every orifice while also allowing the tentacle-user to utilize his fingers and dick... and did not do that.... A wasted opportunity. All hail the shadow tentacles.

Of Grave and Glory by Kathryn Ann Kingsley. The conclusion of the Tenebris trilogy--angsty, wacky, gave me all the "NOT WITHOUT YOU" shit I could ever want. You know??? How it is??? When you monster boyfriend shows up to take you into his horrifying grasp and murder everyone standing in his way??? The only thing I could've used is one more sex scene, but the one we got was like... admittedly... three different kinds of sex at once, so. Fair. Rafe and those shadow tentacles, man.

Bound to the Battle God by Ruby Dixon. Faith is a simple girl working for an insurance company, when she follows the voices she hears from the empty apartment down the hall and ends up in another world. Her only way out seems to be pledging herself as the mortal Anchor to Aron, a god who's meant to learn a lesson. The God of Battle, Aron has been split into four different selves, or Aspects--Apathy, Hedonism, Deceit, and Arrogance. Faith has ended up with the Arrogance part, and boy does she know it. Her life is now tied to his; the only way to kill Aron is to kill her. The problem? Only one Aspect can live and be restored to full godliness, and the other three are out to kill Faith in order to eliminate "her" Aron. And as Aron and Faith travel to destroy his other Aspects, she finds herself not only caring about saving her own life, but keeping the rather annoying, if completely hot, god alive.

This was my first Ruby Dixon, and I was. Sold. Listen, Ruby's style is very chatty and real and it's going to be for you or it isn't--it totally worked for me (though, I'm not sure when this book was written, but some slang used was... less than ideal). The world building in this book is actually kind of insane, too. I loved the mythology of the Aspects and Anchors, Aron's backstory, the worship--it all rang true. There is definitely some leaning into the "fetching slave girl" stuff in this one... less so with Faith, and more with another character, though I wouldn't say that any sexual assault occurs as said character is a willing concubine who wishes to serve the gods. Very religious. But that aside, the romance in this is actually pretty fucking excellent. It's a long book, and while an Incident makes Faith and Aron's mutual attraction very clear, it takes both of them a while to come to terms with their feelings and really start up together. By the time the book ended, I was so invested in their relationship. And if I haven't sold this book enough, there is a scene where he gets so turned on by her eating a piece of fruit that he sits her down in a chair and starts going down on her while demanding that she continues to eat the fruit. It was a great choice.

Never Seduce a Duke by Vivienne Lorret. Review to come closer to the release date, but trust and believe that I love it.

How the Dukes Stole Christmas. An anthology with Christmas-themed (duh) stories by Tessa Dare, Sarah MacLean, Sophie Jordan, and Joanna Shupe. Comments on each in brackets!

[Meet Me in Mayfair by Tessa Dare. Louisa Ward is on the hunt for a wealthy husband in order to keep her family from being evicted by the new Duke of Thorndale. But--shock of shocks--the man she meets at the ball is actually Thorndale himself, and the two set out on an evening stroll that could be exactly what she and her family need... This one was very sweet. Very tame. I mean, I know it's Christmas, but... I liked it as a short story, for sure, but this one might not have been quite my speed.

The Duke of Christmas Present by Sarah MacLean. This one is a basically "what if Scrooge's fiancee who left him came back 12 years later, and both of them were super hot", and I was GOOD WITH IT. It's very charming and second chance, and there is sexual tension aplenty between Eben (yes), and Jacqueline, aka Jack. And yes, that tension does pay off, in a very Christmasy way. I had a great time with this, and it was both sweet and angsty in a way that MacLean masters.

Heiress Alone by Sophie Jordan. This Home Alone retelling sees a young woman end up left on her own over Christmas by her family--with a Scottish duke. And guess what? He's very gruff, and she plans on becoming a nun! This one was so much fun, with plenty of sexual tension and insane happenings. I think that Sophie has a great talent for creating a fast-paced book, and that was perfectly suited for a novella. It had a very snowed in vibe, and yes, there are horny cookies in this one. I love a horny cookie moment.

Christmas in Central Park by Joanna Shupe. This one was probably my favorite of the bunch--the heroine runs an advice column as a married domestic goddess, except she is not married or a domestic goddess. When the brusque newspaper-owning boss guy (who hasn't met her before) asks her to put on a big dinner for the board, she has to fake having a husband, a home, and staff in time for Christmas. But the whole fake husband thing might be a problem, because her boss wants to dick her down HARD.]

[falling-pages]

Knight & Day: MoriHaru

Please I had so much fun with this one T_T Haruhi and Kyoya's friendship is so pure. I love them T_T also, they make fun of Tamaki.

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Summary: When Sir Takashi goes off to war, Princess Haruhi must wrestle with her feelings and the fate of her kingdom.

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Takashi Morinozuka x Haruhi Fujioka; Kyoya Ootori x Renge Houshakuji

Genre: Fantasy AU, fluff, angst

Warnings: None

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Normally, running her fingers over the velvet strips in her dress calmed her. She was a very physical person, often anchoring herself through touch whenever the world got too heavy--whenever the pressures of being a royal bore too heavily on her shoulders, or her father was too much. Being a Princess required so much energy that she often couldn’t give, not without something or someone to ground her.

And now, she watched that someone march off into battle.

The wind was harsh as it wove through the castle parapets. She stood like stone, tears frozen in her eyes, fingers abnormally still. The velvet strips wound up her arms, ready to be stroked while pondering, but the only comfort she wanted had just swung onto a horse and left her.

The sky loomed dark. The clouds jumbled together like mismatched puzzle pieces, like even the Heavens couldn’t place why the lovers were being separated. Dark gray and blue and black and white. Shattered, cut lines.

The Princess smiled, shook her head to no one. She missed him already, her favorite knight, the captain of the guard. She knew it was his duty to one day die for her, as his family had done for the kings and queens of the ages, but she prayed that morning and every other that he would return to her arms safe and sound. If her tears were collected, they would rival the moat surrounding the castle; if her prayers were songs, she would be singing for eternity.

“Your Majesty.”

Haruhi turned into the wind, meeting eyes with her advisor. He was cloaked, the stiff gray fabric protecting him from the rain. It made her realize only then it was raining, and she was soaked.

Some Princess she was, dripping wet, indignantly crying in the rain over a simple knight.

When had she started crying?

“Kyoya, what is it?” she asked, running the back of her hand across her cheeks. It made little difference in the rain, only smearing the paste and lining her chambermaids had applied. The only one she cared to see it was trudging off to the mountains.

Her advisor stepped forward and extended his arm, revealing a deep purple cloak. “Please come inside. It is cold and wet; you will catch your death out here.”

She sighed and turned back around. Leaning against the parapet walls, fingers scrunched into the slimy stone, she bent to spot the caravan of soldiers still parading without decorum. It was a wretched decision to send them off in the rain. Mud had surely already stained their uniforms, and their armor would rust. But her father the King would hear no different; when the Queen of Lobelia made such a vile comment concerning the Crown Princess, Ryoji would not wait till morning to send his army off in contempt.

“Just a few more minutes,” she replied. “Just until they’re out of sight.”

Kyoya heaved an anxious breath, but he waited. He teetered on his feet. She had not changed much since childhood, headstrong and stubborn, but also intensely brave and compassionate. When he knew her then, he thought her petulant; now he knew her to be thoughtful. Sensitivity was a bad quality in a future Queen, but she wore it as well as the tiara atop her curls.

“My lady, the parapet is high and the land is flat,” he said. “They will not be out of sight for hours still.”

Haruhi sneezed, and he chuckled. Normally he would never dare, but they had grown up together, and he had seen her in much worse condition than this. She shot him a glare, but it was dampened by the softness in the edges of her eyes.

She motioned him closer, and, as cold as he was, he obeyed. “I feel that if I were to take my eyes from him,” she said, “I would be abandoning him.”

Kyoya nodded, perceiving the deep grief in her words. “And no Princess would abandon her knights.”

“Certainly not.”

“But you don’t care about the rest of them.”

She whirled around, ready to reprimand him for his audacity, but stopped short at his raised eyebrows. He had always toed the line of insubordination with her, but she felt herself grateful for it. It kept her head from getting too big for the crown.

“Of course I do Kyoya, what an insensitive thing to say,” she murmured anyways. She turned back to the wall and bent, supporting herself on her forearms. Her eyes searched the disappearing party until they landed on the tall captain in the front, rocking in his saddle atop his black stallion. The rain pelted his armor, but he sat up rigidly, setting the example for his men. The entire kingdom rode on his shoulders, and he carried it magnificently.

Kyoya looked at her for a moment, deeply, before following her gaze to the head knight. As far away as they were, he noticed the man’s commanding presence. It seemed to radiate off him in waves, a shield against the rain.

He looked so natural with a sword and horse, rocking in his saddle like it was a cradle. To him, it was; he was a Morinozuka, and they were a warrior breed.

“But none of them make you feel the way Sir Takashi does,” he whispered. “None of them make your heart stir in your chest, or fill your head with honey, or make your eyes glassy with just a glance and a smile.”

“How do you--”

“You aren’t subtle,” he responded, adding a last minute, “Your Majesty.”

Haruhi pursed her lips. It wasn’t becoming of a Princess to pout, but alone with Kyoya, she felt no need to keep up appearances. Out here on this parapet, in the rain, with her heart riding west, she could take off the tiara and he could drop the titles. Out here, they were friends.

Her mind flashed back to Sir Takashi. Their little rendez-vous around the castle, how he left her breathless in the morning gardens, how the sun tanned his calloused skin as he worked in the training yard. The way he tasted of cranberries and buttered bread, so simple, yet so divine. Their visits were always innocent; never moving beyond gentle kisses and longing touches against waists and cheeks. Though she craved the young captain, wanted him so deliriously, it was he who asked for her patience--she was the Princess of this land, and he was but a knight unworthy of sullying her skin. Her heart burned with the thought of his gray eyes soaking into hers in the dusty, mid-afternoon light of the library, the moment she realized she loved him, the moment that he said it back.

She gasped. “Does my father know of this?”

“No, Princess,” Kyoya soothed. “He knows only of Sir Takashi’s great devotion to you and this kingdom. As a good knight should.”

Haruhi nodded. The King was a good ruler, but in matters of his own family, he was quite clueless. Truly, since the Queen died, Haruhi had been running half the castle by herself. It left little time for connection or romance, but somehow the knight had managed to snatch her heart for himself.

The anguish of absence was great. When he was told of this mission the night prior, Takashi had snuck to their secret spot in the northern gardens, sending word for her to meet him. There, they wept beneath the gardenias, enraptured in the other’s arms, their only solace the same thing breaking their hearts in two. Takashi, with a kiss to both cheeks, had insisted that he would die to protect her honor from the vicious Queen Benio, while Haruhi whispered against his chest that she didn’t care about flimsy words, as long as he came back to her. He swore against the stars and the moon that he would, sealing his vow with a kiss.

He only asked for a token of her affection, one small reminder of what he was fighting for, and she withdrew her handkerchief from her gown and pressed it to his hands. That night, after he escorted her back to her quarters, he laid in bed and inhaled the cherry blossom perfume until it lulled him to sleep, wondering what it would be like to hold the beautiful Princess as they rested, instead.

Just then, Takashi turned from the front of the pack. His handsome head twisted back to look at the castle, and though he was too far away to pinpoint his gaze, Haruhi knew he was staring at her. He dug something from beneath his shirt and lifted it to his lips--he pressed a kiss to the ring she had given him, hung by a chain around his neck, before riding onward.

She felt that very kiss against her own lips as they parted and gasped. She weakly waved in response.

Her sullen worries must have manifested on her face, because Kyoya cleared his throat. “You needn’t worry,” he nudged. “He is of Morinozuka blood. He will return victorious.”

Haruhi nodded, but it offered little comfort. The Morinozuka family had served the kingdom for centuries, dying for causes even less petty than this. They were a warrior breed, trained from birth in war tactics and strategies, how to kill and be quick about it. She knew not all the works his hands had wrought, and he had no mind to ever tell her, but even as great of a soldier as he was, he would never become king. He was destined to serve, to protect, to die. That was the Morinozuka way.

“And yet I pray for him,” she admitted. Kyoya’s eyes were gentle on her, compassionate, understanding. “I meet with Umehito in the chapel every morning and I pray for him.”

Her tears fell faster, and Kyoya moved forward, spreading the spare cloak against her shoulders. She curled into the warmth, only realizing now she was utterly soaked.

Her voice shook the castle. “What if it doesn’t matter?”

Kyoya gently hugged her, and she found comfort in the familiarity of a friend. Fear coursed through him--he could have his hands chopped off for touching the Princess--but he was her personal advisor, not to mention her best friend since childhood, there to help her on issues large and small.

“Shhh, Your Majesty,” he cooed, “the gods listen to the prayers of a sincere heart. He will return safely, if not by his own volition, then by Heaven’s intervention.”

His wisdom and reassurance filled her heart, corking the hole from where her sadness leaked. Their priest, Umheito, had said the same, but it sounded more comforting from the lips of a friend. Against his chest, she watched the caravan curve behind a hill, her beloved at last out of sight. She let out another choked cry, and Kyoya clutched her tighter, swallowing.

“I love him,” she whispered, and Kyoya hummed. His hands stopped soothing her back, and she leaned away. “I love him, and--well, I suppose it is hardly subtle. You are right, again.”

“I usually am,” he replied with a smirk.

“But you have no room to talk about subtlety, with the way you’ve been spending time with my maid.”

Kyoya narrowed his eyes. Haruhi was sure he would have blushed crimson, but he pulled his cloak further over his head, cutting off his face, and turned away. “It seems it has less to do with me being subtle and more to do with Renge not keeping her mouth shut.”

Haruhi laughed, and something in Kyoya’s brain lit up. Her mind was distracted; she no longer cried. He had done his job.

“Now, Kyoya, you know you can tell me anything.”

He smirked at the teasing tone, lowering his hood to face her again. “Seems that Renge is doing that already, Princess.”

“What, can I not have a double perception?”

“No.”

He took long strides back to the palace, trusting that she would follow, and she did. Her skirts dipped as she stepped in time with him. “Your Majesty,” he said, clearing his throat, signaling talk of business, “you have matters to attend to.”

Haruhi was silent, thinking through her day, and then sighed loud enough to spook a pigeon in the rafters. “Oh. Yes. I must finally answer Prince Tamaki. He will not stop harassing our poor mail carriers.”

“It would be best.”

“He is so bothersome,” Haruhi complained. “Fine. I will answer his letter, but then after that clear my schedule. He is so exhausting to deal with, even through paper.” She paused, sucked in her bottom lip between her teeth. “Can Renge do it? She is much better at sweet talk than I am.” She glanced at her blushing adviser. “Clearly.”

Kyoya released a small chuckle, catching half-way in his throat, but out before he could stop it. “She is very talented in that regard,” he said, “but our writing lessons are still progressing. There is more I need to teach her before that.”

“Hmph.”

Kyoya chuckled, opening a door. “What, my lady, do you not fancy your fiance?”

“Alleged fiance,” she hissed. She suddenly missed Takashi’s quiet, stoic, easygoing nature. “He believes us to be betrothed, despite neither myself nor my father--or even his father--giving consent of any nature.”

“Humor him,” Kyoya advised. “France could be a valuable ally if Lobelia retaliated. Soak your letter in perfume, and try not to insult him this time. That should be enough to satiate him.”

They arrived at the Princess’s quarters, and Kyoya bowed to take his leave. Haruhi sighed before opening the door. “Dearest Kyo, where would I be without you?”

He smiled. It was genuine, full of light, bright against his dark cloak. “On the throne, Your Majesty,” he responded, lowering to kiss her hand. “Right where you belong.”

-

[ice-cream-writes-stuff]

¤°~Ghost Marriage: Lovely Bride To Be?! Part 3°~¤

Previously... 

"STOP YOUR STEP!!"

At the end of the hall, Senior Vanrouge and Sebek were conversing with the ghosts knights. "They became angery just because of a mere joke I made about them. Such a bunch of narrow minded ghosts." Lilia jests with ignorance in his tone.

"Ugh, the guys from Diasomnia! Why did you bring these ghosts here?!" Ace yells out in fear. "You naive ghosts who dare to snarl at Lilia. I'll get rid of you guys!" Sebek said with very little amusement.

Present Time..

After the fight with the ghosts. The student's and Headmaster go to the field so ghosts won't bother them. Students who were also kicked out the school stayed at the field. "Ha...haaa. Ugh the sides of my stomach hurt so much." Ace tries to say as he and Deuce groan and grumble in pain.

"Ace, Deuce." A familiar voice spoke. "Ah, Prefect Roseheart!" The two huff out as they nod. Azul and Kalim stood next to Riddle, but Azul looks at the two with confusion. "Where is Prefect (Y/N)? Shouldn't you two be with her?" The prefect of Octavinelle points out.

The A-Deuce combo only shrug. "I think she got mixed up the crowed." Deuce says as he looks at the growing crowd of students. "How did you guys get put here?" Ace asks the three dorm leaders.

"We had gotten chased out by some ghosts that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Even though it was valuable time for the three of us to study together." Kalim responded, while Azul shot him tired glance. "Kalim. Shouldn't it be "valuable time where we teach you about studying."?" Riddle could only sigh and cross his arms. "We almost got Kalim to understand the question..!"

"When we stayed in class, a bunch of ghosts appeared. They chased us out while saying, "this will be the brides fitting room!"" Grim watched as more students came up to them. Telling the same tale. "Everyone who was kicked out from campus has already gathered around..!"

"It seems like the whole campus has been taken away by those ghosts." Deuce said rather calmly. Ace on the other hand was more shocked than calm. "Oi! Principal, what's going on!?"

Before Mr. Crowley could respond, Ortho decided to explain. "I'll be the one to explain. You see, yesterday..." Once the young Shroud told everyone of the events that occurred. Everyone went silent. The only person who spoke after Ortho, was Riddle.

"The ghost groom has been searching for his ideal princess. Then had chosen (Y/N) as his ideal bride... That's the idea, correct?" Riddle revised as his expression was oddly calm. "WHAT!!!!" The group of NRC boys all screamed in anger and fear, a lot of other expression as well.

"We need to save her!!" Ace says immediately after the video was shown. "What will happen to (Y/N) if she does marry the Ghost Groom?!" Deuce asks the principal with fret. Mr. Crowley casted his eyes downward, with a somber voice he said.

"If (Y/N) marries the ghost prince, that is the same meaning of signing a contract. Which will mean, once the wedding is over.. SHE WILL FOLLOW HER SOON-TO-BE-HUSBAND TO THE UNDERWORLD!!!" "EEEEHHH!!!" Everyone yelled out in shock.

Mr. Crowley continues: "I put my guard down because I never would of expected someone who meets the conditions of the prince and his ideal Princess would exist in this world." Headmaster Crowley said with dread in every word he spoke.

"(Y/N)... Is going to be a ghost..!?" Epel gasps out with fear. "We can't let that happen!" Jack gruffs out as he bared his fangs. Many others agreed at helping the female student from her impending doom.

"We need to come up with a plan then!" Ortho tells the group of fired-up teens. "How about we start talking with them? We can throw a party! I bet that the ghosts will definitely let (Y/N) go if we just explain the situation."

The young Al-Asim heir suggested to his fellow peers. Rook nods, agreeing with his classmates. "A truly splendid idea, Roi d'or." A slim smile crepts on Rooks lips, "though..." The huntsman drawls out, his eyes turn a bit narrow.

"Do you think you'll be able to persuade a groom who has been searching for his bride for so long?" Rook crossed his arms over his chest as he continues on. His voice hinting with amusement. "If I was in his place, I'd never let my beloved go."

Leona growls, "so our only option is to just beat those ghost into submission." Vil scoffed at Leona and his idea. "Have you forgotten that we all ran all the way out here because we couldn't do just that." The male model said sassily with a frown gracing his painted lips. "No matter what we did, we couldn't defeat all those ghosts."

The headmaster starts to speak, "they are truly a infuriating opponent to take on. We should avoid confrontation as much as possible." Lilia starts to ponder as Crowley squawked about. "Lord Sam is well versed in the ways of ghosts and things of a spiritual nature. Shall we go see what he has to say on the matter?"

"Lord Sam... Do you mean Sam from the student store?" Deuce questioned the old fae. Lilia hums, "I was acquainted with his great grandfather." Cater starts to laugh dryly. "I still can't tell when you're joking or when your being serious... Lilia."

"Then we must make haste to the student store!" The headmaster yells as he and the others rush to Sam's shop. As soon as the shop door closed, Sam greets them. "Yo, headmaster and little demons. Whay could you be looking for that brought you all here?"

Sam chuckles and shakes his head. "Kidding! I know you're looking for something to deal with that ghost groom, right?" Sam told the group of teens and headmaster. Riddle is perplexed by Sam and his words. "This speeds things up but it sounds like you knew we would end up here."

Sam starts to laugh once more. "My friends on the other side bring me all kinds of info." Soon Sam's voice quickly turns less cheerful. "But things are getting really dicey. Ghost are tied to this world by a really powerful "lingering attachment".

Sam explained more in depth on what he meant. How they still come back because of the "attachment". "And as long is it remains, they'll keep comin' back." Grim felt realization struck him like lightning. "That's why the ghost of Ramshackle keep coming back!"

"Bingo! Precisely. That's why ghosts are so hard to handle." Ortho asked how they can save (Y/N), saying there was no such item like that to get rid of the ghost permanently. Sam grins and says, "IN STOCK NOW!" Azul looks at Sam selection while Leona tsks.

"Groom and brides are especially quick to meet tragedy. So they turn into ghosts all the time." Sam then holds up a item, "to get rid of a ghost groom. You need the "ring of severance." Slide this ring onto the host's left finger while saying "I shall love you till death do us part." And it will forcibly send him to the other side."

"How could (Y/N) give this to him? She's not even here!" Vil said as he picks up the small ring. Crowley gasped as he remembers something about the ghost groom. "Hold on a moment, the ghost groom was a boy who loved a challenge."

"So if one of you asked for (Y/N)'s hand. He'll see it as a duel for her hand in marriage, you don't have to win. But you must be able to give her the ring and tell her what to say." Lilia giggles at the crows plan. "It'll be fun to watch the drama unfold by stealing someone's bride."

"We shall call this plan... "Operation, Lovely Bride To Never Be!"" The headmaster said confidently, "it's a bit long for a name." Ace mutters under his breath. "Now I must decide on who the grooms will be for his plan." Crowley exclaimed as the male students to crowd and shout. "I'll do it!" "Let me do it!" "As if!"

The headmaster started to sweat with nervousness stirring in him. The gleaming eyes of the students were scaring him! It was almost as if each student was ready to take a role as a groom by ANY means necessary. Which it seemed like the students were readying themselves for.

"Alright alright! Will do a vote! I will write down all of your names and put them in my hat. I'll choose four grooms for this operation. So that means four names will be drawn." Mr. Crowley says with a exasperated look on his face.

_________________________________________________________

(Y/N) sat in the far corner of the "fitting room." She held a blank expression as she looks at herself. She wore a beautiful wedding (gown/suit/ect) as her hair was spruced up and was placed into a (loose/ponytail/ect). A (white/gold/silver) tiara with a veil attached to it was on her head. (Y/N) wanted to rip the thing off her, but then the ghost would force the item back onto her head again.

Sighing and cursing under her breath. (Y/N) felt queasy, or maybe it was because she hadn't ate anything yet. This was all happening so fast! (Y/N) did not want to be married to this ghost groom. She hoped that her friends would find a way to get too her before the wedding started.

"Bleh..." The female utters as she looks at her bare feet. A knock was heard on the door as a soft "coming in" was heard. A slim ghost that wore a white suite appears in front of her. He was the nanny of the ghost groom.

"Come, my dear lady. Your fiance is waiting, he needs your help with decorations and would like your words on it." (Y/N) felt herself become stiff, but agrees. Playing along was her better chance of escaping her "wedding". "Of course," (Y/N) said politely as she walks with nanny ghost.

The two reach the cafeteria, now transformed with pretty decorations and tombstones. Along with dark blue flowers and white sheets cover each table. The nanny smiles at his prince with nostalgia. "It seems like only yesterday you were a small child. Trying to find follow your dream and find your dear princess. A dream you lost long ago with your life as well. What a cruel twist of fate." The nanny said as his voice started to crack.

"If only I had arrived at your room faster, I could of helped you escape..." The sweet prince smiles at his caretaker. "It is alright now, know need to bring up the past. Don't let all that stuff bring you down."

The young princes smile never faltered. "Besides, going through all that pain and sadness is what allowed me to meet (Y/N)!" His caretaker could feel his spirits lift at the princes words. "Oh prince Elias, you are always so courageous and strong."

(Y/N) could feel her heart cry at what she heard. She didn't know that... Breathing in a gulp of air, she slowly walks closer to the two. 'It's gonna be okay..' "You did a great job Elias." (Y/N) said as she gives him a small smile.

The ghost groom returns her smile tenfold as he looks at his bride. "My goodness, (Y/N)! You look just as beautiful as a.. Well beautiful than an' undead flower!" Elias said happily, (Y/N) giggles at his childish wording.

"Thanks." The caretaker gives the two a tender look. "You both are just perfect for one another. Prince Elias, we must get you ready before nightfall. You have to look your best for your princess."

The caretaker jests as he pushes the prince out of the cafeteria. "Wha- but I wanted to-!" "No sir, you must get ready. *Sigh* your still a stubborn little boy too." Elias waves at (Y/N), "I shall see you soon, my love!"

Once the two were gone, the ghost soldiers take (Y/N) back to the dressing room. Before the door closed, (Y/N) asks them something. "Can I please have something to eat? I haven't ate in a few hours."

To be continued...

(Okay, part three was supposed to be the end of the series. But that didn't happen, so I'll do my best to make sure part four is the last installment. I really wanna get to work for the Halloween event for Twst and a bunch of other stories I wanna put on this account! But I have to wait until I finish part four. Thanks for reading!)

[skellebonez]

I AM SORRY FOR THIS SKELLE BUT I MUST: 5 (kidnapping them was the only way I was going to get them here),6 (let's make a deal, shall we?) and 41 (can you teach me how to do that) with the demon bull fam and mk with a little hint of 64 (I may have eaten seven of them already). NOW GO HAM MY DUDE

Oh I had way too much fun with this one. I took S2E4 (spoilers mentioned for that!) and some tweets made by one of the show producers on the same day as fuel for a very silly idea I had. I don't write what can be considered "Crack treated seriously" (or at least semi-seriously, this is not a 100% serious fic) often but when I do I go hard. This is more focused on MK and others than SpicyNoodles so it's a bit more gen fic than a full on ship fic as well.

Kidnapping them was the only way I was going to get them here/Let's make a deal, shall we?/Can you teach me how to do that?/I may have eaten seven of them already.

"Red..." MK started off slowly, watching as his boyfriend's face flushed and twisted in embarrassment. "Can you tell me why your mother showed up at my apartment and used her wind vortex thing to teleport us here without an explanation? And then left us in your..." He looked around, noting that aside from the excessively large throne and two smaller thrones beside it this room looked like a... "Living room? On a couch?"

"I can-" Red Son started, raising a hand before pausing a frowning deeply. "Actually, no, I can't explain. This is just weird, even by my parent's standards. I have no idea what is going on, but since you're still here..." He shrugged with a hopeful smile, shaky through the uncertainty. "Maybe it's not bad? I mean, if Mother was truly upset or wanted to do something bad surely she would have not left us to our own devices. Maybe she’s... uh... happy I finally have a boyfriend?”

At the pointed raise of an eyebrow from MK that hopeful smile faltered a bit. Happy Red Son had a boyfriend for the first time in a couple centuries? Under different circumstances he wouldn't doubt that! Happy when that boyfriend was MK?

Oh he did doubt that.

He knew that they shouldn't have been sneaking around the way they had been. It had made sense at first, two people on opposite sides of a feud lasting centuries who discovered they actually enjoyed spending time together more than fighting each other. One who decided he very much would rather not follow through with any kind of domination and see his family hurt, who realized "actually my sworn nemesis isn't so bad", and another who decided "my life is already weird enough, why not give this befriending my enemy thing a shot".

And then one thing lead to another and before they knew it their secret friend meet up became a secret boyfriend meet up. They'd managed to keep everything under wraps for a while (except from Mei because, well... she was his best friend! He couldn't not tell someone and she would have found out fast if he wasn't obvious, and she had quickly become a mutual source of support for both of them), though MK knew Pigsy and the others knew something was up. They didn't question him, though, aside from the occasional good natured jab. "Wow MK, you seem happy today. Got any plans?" and that sort of thing. They seemed to trust him to make his own decisions, as long as he was happy and healthy and eventually told them. (Sun Wukong, however, may have caught in a little when he jokingly asked if MK had gotten a boyfriend and MK had choked on his drink. He never brought it up specifically after that but he was smart. Too smart.)

Red Son, on the other hand, was fantastic at keeping secrets when he tried. Or MK thought he was... the last few months gave no indication that either of his parents had discovered their little sneaky rendezvous. Then Princess Iron Fan broke into his apartment and, well, here they are. Clearly something had gone wrong somewhere along the line.

Before MK could follow through with any questions of whether or not there could be a fate worse than instant death that involved lulling him into a false sense of security, the two men froze at the sound of quickly approaching voices.

“Could this not have been done another way, my dear?”

“Kidnapping them was the only way I was going to get them here, you know that. Noodle Boy is not that gullible, contrary to what we first believed.”

Ah... shit... Red Son’s parents.

Mk quickly ran through all the possessions he had in his apartment and wondered if he had time to text Mei or Pigsy the world’s fastest will and testament and if that would be legally binding. He just hoped he had something for Pigsy to handle the Phantom Orderer they'd had for the last year.

They always ordered on the app and prepaid and managed to leave him a sizeable tip in his tuk-tuk after he dropped off the food at whatever random location they indicated.

"Good," PIF's voice rang clear, far faster than he could even attempt to pull out his phone, and MK turned to see that she was casually lounging on the shoulder of the Demon Bull King. She jumped down, her wind lightening her fall so much so that she barely made a sound when her feet touched ground. "You've made yourself comfortable."

MK couldn't bring himself to move, as much as he very dearly wanted to run away as quickly as possible. Yes, he was The Monkie Kid and had progressed far enough that he could probably escape without much problem. Yes, he and DBK had had an understanding after the White Bone Spirit and Lunar New Year Festival (though he still didn't know if PIF ever found out about that one). Yes, Princess Iron Fan had shown little interest in him before and had even worked beside him with no complaints (she didn't even care enough to attack during the Food Wars thing!). But that was all before she apparently found out he was dating her son behind her back while they were technically still enemies.

He was glad at that moment that she had grabbed them before they went to get lunch... his stomach was doing back flips that would make a gymnast jealous.

"Uh, yes Miss-Mrs-Muh-M- Princess Iron... Fan?" MK couldn't help but stutter awkwardly, holding onto the hem of his jacket and worrying it as he tried to keep his composure. He looked beside him, watching as Red sat straighter and kept an even expression on his face that he couldn't quite place. His hair seemed to spark softly.

Though she raised a brow at this, PIF didn't comment on that at all. Instead she made her way to the other couch across from them as opposed to what was clearly supposed to be her throne, leaning forward right her elbows on her knees and her fingers laced together in front of her. DBK stopped behind her, seemingly content to stay standing.

"Noodle Boy... you prefer to go by MK, is that correct?" She started, and he nodded slowly in confused response. "Hmn... so. You've been dating my son for quite some time. Many months... no, a bit over a year if I am not mistaken in how long his behavior has changed." 'Oh shit' went MK's brain. "You must be quite serious, if you're willing to go through so much just to see each other. Late night meetings. Secret hideaways. Sneaking onto Flower Fruit Mountain, even." 'Oh SHIT' it repeated in horror. "That's quite the dedication to show toward anyone... I hate to admit it, but I am quite impressed." 'OH SH-wait what?'

"Bw-huh?" Was what MK managed out, half a sound that was almost a word and half a squeak of confusion.

"The fact I myself remained oblivious until only a few weeks ago is quite something. Let's make a deal, shall we?" She continued, sitting back straight and looking like the proud Princess she was and not like a woman sitting on a couch that looked comically small in front of her enormous husband. "You and Red Son no longer have to hide your relationship from us and in exchange..." she paused, as if relishing the building tension between herself and the couple before her. "You will come over at least once a week so we can get to actually know you properly."

MK froze. Red Son froze even more.

Then his entire head lit ablaze as he jumped up and gestured at his mother with a gaping mouth. "Th-that's it!? I-I was... I was RIGHT!?"

PIF barely reacted to this, merely lounging sideways as she put her elbow on the arm of the couch and rested her cheek on her hand.

"Whatever you were right about, I suppose you were. But yes," she shrugged, honestly looking... kinda happy? "Has this been about a year ago I perhaps would not have understood what you saw in Nood-MK. But I can see how happy you have been lately, and there's something about him that is like... what did you say he was like, darling?" She turned to DBK, who shrugged himself with an unreadable expression.

"A ball of sunshine given human form."

... that was not what MK ever expected to hear from the Demon Bull King's mouth...

"Yes, that's it," she nodded as if this was completely normal and ignored how Red Son flopped back down onto the couch and stared at the ceiling. "I'd hate to admit it, but you've grown on us through out sparse interactions. Somehow. And we have been eagerly waiting for the day we could finally welcome someone into our son's life. So what do you say? Do we have a deal?"

She seemed... serious. MK may not know her that well, but it was clear to anyone when she wasn't being so.

"Uh... o-ok? Sure?" MK said softly, nodding in amazement as DBK and PIF actually smiled at this.

This was the strangest day of his life, beating our every single demon fight and even the day he got the Monkey King's staff. But he'd take this strangeness over the alternative 500 times over.

"Excellent," DBK nodded himself, there was a lot of that about. "That seems to have worked out n-"

Everyone paused at a loud grumble echoed the room, all turning to Red Son as he flared up in embarrassment this time.

"Don't look at me like that, we were supposed to eat half an hour ago and I am starving," Red Son grumbled as he sat up, not looking anyone in the eye. "I don't suppose we could. Eat now? Please?"

Despite the situation, MK couldn't help but smile at his pouting.

"I could bring us some food from Pigsy's?" MK offered in an attempt to contribute. Something. "I mean, I know Red likes it and you kinda seemed to like it the one time you tried it and... uh... yeah."

"Actually... I may have eaten seven of them already..." PIF admitted, looking away in embarrassment. "l've tried not to give into the temptation, but your father's noodles from the Food Wars were so... I just can't resist ordering some secretly after 5 or so weeks!"

"So you're the phantom orderer!" MK gasped out in shock, but after a moment he frowned and rubbed the back of his head. He had a bit of an idea. "Well... I could... make some for us instead?" He ammended his offered softly. "I may not make it exactly like Pigsy does, but I can get pretty close as long as you have the ingredients! And you wouldn't have to worry about me going there and coming back! We can eat like. Immediately!"

"I think that sounds acceptable," PIF said with a nod as she stood, but MK could see a bit of excitement sparkling in her usually cold eyes. "Come, Red Son. I need to discuss some upgrades the Bull Clones have been asking for with you. Your father can assist him in the kitchen until we are done."

Red looked over at MK and only stood to follow his mother once he nodded, giving his father a pointed look before exited the room. MK, in the meantime, looking up at DBK with a gulp and followed him as he lead the way toward their kitchen.

It was... well, bigger than he was used to. But pretty normal, regal size and decor aside. And it seemed, once he was given the nod of ok from his host (and wasn't that a bizarre thing, DBK and PIF being his hosts on a home visit to his boyfriend's parents... he was going to need to get used to that) he checked the fridge and counters and found he had just about everything he needed to make what he had in mind.

"Can you teach me how to do that?" DBK asked after a moment, startling MK into nearly dropping the sauce he needed for the broth. "Not the recipe itself, just..." He gestured to the counter. "Red Son has a bit of a proclivity toward cooking and he's been trying to get me involved, but we've never cooked anything like. That."

His words were awkward and stilted, but MK could tell he was trying. The same way he could tell PIF wasn't kidding with her offer. They just seemed to... want to get to know him as a potential... son-in-law... huh.

"Sure, but you're gonna want to shrink down a bit for this."

Lunch turned out amazing and, while awkward (much like most of the day)... it was nice not to have to hide their dating for once. And Red actually seemed pretty happy! Though he learned quickly that the Monkey King was still a bit of an (understandably) sore subject that was best avoided. For now.

Maybe not forever though.

(When PIF very not subtly dropped him and Red Son both off inside Pigsy's Noodles after their lunch, the only response he got was a "oh, so they finally found out huh? Looks like things went well" from Pigsy and Tang. Maybe he wasn't as sneaky as he thought he was...)

[four-letter-girl]

InuKag Fanfic Recommendations

Hi everyone 🌻

I joined the Inuyasha fandom over the summer, and I’ve been having a good time reading fanfiction since finishing the series. Recommendation posts helped me find some great ones. I’ve decided to put one together for fun [lmao for all 10 of my followers - squad]. These are fics I’ve enjoyed [i.e. binged and used as COVID coping mechanisms]. They aren’t in any particular order. I’m sure there are plenty I’ve read that I’m forgetting, but I wasn’t exactly planning to do this.

I’m copy and pasting the summaries from the writers with each link because that’s more helpful than my fangirl thoughts about each one. Ha. I’ve included ratings, but this list is being made with the assumption you’ll determine if a fic is right for you by reading Author Notes and additional ratings within each link.

I tagged the Tumblrs of the authors I follow/could find. If you see someone on here who isn’t tagged and you know their Tumblr, let me know and I can add them. Also, I’ve been using Tumblr less than a month, and I have no idea what I’m doing. If I’ve done something wrong or something looks weird, THAT’S WHY. 💀

As of 11.22.20

Multi-Chapter In Progress:

(T) Light Me a Lantern by Novaviis / @inuyashasforest: “Picking up the pieces after being separated for three years isn't as easy as it may seem. A quiet, burning kind of chaos sweeps through Feudal Japan, and it's going to take a lot more than a fairy tale ending to put things back together. They defeated a man who would become the Devil. Can they survive a man who would become a God?”

(M) Behind the Silk Screen by Eiennobasho / @eien-no-basho: “When a twist of fate brings the common-born priestess Kagome to serve Inuyasha, Divine Emperor of Japan, will she be able to help him claim his place on the throne and bring order to their country? Or will court intrigues and their own burgeoning feelings tear the two and their nation apart? A historical romance set in Japan’s Heian Era.”

(M) Fate Carving by willowandfog / @willowandfog: “The human world has been brought to its knees by the demons, reverting their culture back a century. Demons now control everything and the humans? Set to be servants forever. Kagome’s city is ruled over by the Inu youkai clan and when she goes to Kaede on her 18th birthday for her required “Fate Carving,” the tattoo that will determine what her place is in the world, she’s stunned, terrified, and overwhelmed by the results. Everyone she’s ever known has been a worker, but when has Kagome ever been the same as everyone else?” (M) Kintsugi by Evilillusions / @soliska: “Failing to be chosen as her village's miko, Kagome had resigned herself to a humble life. An unexpected summons returns her to the city where she's forced to reconcile the taught virtues and the spiralling, warped reality created by those that abuse their power. She holds the key to repairing the fracture between humans and youkai, and the freedom of her new hanyou friend.” (M) Bound Across Time by wonderwander / @thornedraven: “InuYasha and Kagome are separated for three years, travelling for so long together only to be ripped apart without so much as a good-bye. Pain and heartache manifests itself in different ways. It hardens you or breaks you. How long can one hold on to hope?” (M) The Half-Breed’s Wife by Gypsyn / @gypsin: “On the night of the new moon, a runaway girl stumbles into Inuyasha's life. Little did he realize then what he would be undertaking by saving her. But when Kagome has nowhere else to go will he leave her to her fate Or will he rise to the occasion? And what will the humans think?” (M) Hit The Like Button by omgitscharlie / @omgitscharlie: “After a public breakup, successful social media influencer Kagome Higurashi is single for the first time since she started her career. Trying to cheer her friend up, Sango hosts a party in hopes of getting Kagome out of her stooper; unbeknownst to her, there was a certain person Sango wants her to meet. Unfortunately, the set up does not go as hoped as the two know each other from previous, unsavory interactions.” (M) Youkai In The Mirror by SugarRos / @sugarrosfanfiction: “Kagome Higurashi is lucky. She has good grades, good friends, and the cute, popular boy in class just asked her out. But when she accidentally unleashes a very wicked youkai from a very wicked spell, her luck runs out. Now on the run from a powerful priestess, Kagome must help Inuyasha get his revenge.” (M) Demon Nature by Shardetector / @shardetector: “He spoke low and gently, although his voice was gruff with his demon still so close to the surface, ‘You saved me wench, now I’ll repay the favor.’ With that, his muscles bunched in his legs as he sprung up and out of the well, a red blur in the night as he made his way through the forest to his destination. His precious cargo held safely to his chest, as he raced to save her with his demonic speed.”

(M) A Crack in the Glass by willowandfog / @willowandfog: “Kagome’s being watched, followed, but has no idea who it is or why they are doing it. When Kagome hires the help of a private investigator things take a dangerous turn. Uncovering secrets that Kagome didn't even know she had.” (M) The Shogun’s Daughter by Shnuggletea / @shnuggletea: “Kagome’s father passed away when she was just a child but his Shogun status still makes her a valuable bride to a Lord of lands that border their village. She isn’t given much choice but still agrees to marry the stranger so those she cares and loves would be happy and safe, taking her village under his protection in return for her hand. Lord Inuyasha Tenoe is pushed by the council into marriage, assured his new bride was an excellent choice. He has his doubts but has no choice, agreeing to the match sight unseen. All their fears and anxiety are amplified when they meet. It’s an interesting coupling to say the least.”

Multi-Chapter Complete:

(M) The Kings Concubines by The ReddQueen: “The Concubines of the House of the Moon are the most beautiful & idolized women across the Western Land. A chance arises as they search for another to take such a prestigious position. One will find that a true concubine is more than beauty, but she must overcome the most painful of hurdles, keep the darkest of secrets, & still stay true to her heart.”

(M) Thousandfurs by RosieB: “Based on the little known Grimm fairytale. Princess Kagome is forced from her home and into the demon territories. Will Prince Inuyasha ever figure out who his new servant is?” (M) Base Instincts by ImaniJoain: “When Inuyasha is lost to his youkai half, Kagome must find a way to convince him to return to himself.”

(M) To Summon a Mate by Penthesileia / @pentheseileia: “On Halloween night, Kagome is tricked into releasing a possessive, dangerous, hotter then hell demon from his prison of 500 years. She's in danger, but it's not her life she's worried about…yet.”

Oneshots

(M) Lesson by akitokihojo / @akitokihojo: “After a long night out, tensions begin to build. Kagome gets herself into a little trouble with Inuyasha, and Inuyasha is more than happy to teach her right from wrong.”

(M) Dominance by omgitscharlie / @omgitscharlie: “She'd been teasing him all day, and she knew it. Those fleeting glances and knowing smiles, it drove Inuyasha insane; not to mention she smelled sweeter, more intense. What happens when Kagome pushes Inuyasha beyond his limits?”

(M) It Will Come Back by wonderwanderer / @thornedraven: “A one shot inspired by Hozier's song "It Will Come Back". Slight Little Red Riding Hood inspiration as well. Darker themed Little Red Riding Hood, and much more adult themed.”

(M) Touch by KeiChanz / @keichanz: “’I want…’ He paused, trying to find the words, and growling in frustration when he couldn’t. A grunt left him and he dropped his forehead onto her shoulder. ‘I just…I…dammit.’ Inuyasha sighed raggedly, nuzzled her shoulder, and then husked against her skin, ‘I want…you.’”

(M) After the Well Closes by Shnuggletea / @shnuggletea: “It's been a year since Kagome made the decision to jump back through the well and leave her family and life behind. And she is confused to say the least that things are almost the same. Tired of being Inuyasha's demon-killing partner and nothing more, Kagome decides to start her new life and family. When she is stopped by a manic demon Inuyasha, her new life beings quickly.”

(M) Mine by jaygirl987: “She was so beautiful and pure. And his.”

(M) Diamonds and Moonglow by annabeth: “That whimper, right there, is what Inuyasha loves most about this.“

(M) Together Again by wonderwanderer / @thornedraven: “Some intimacy between InuYasha and Kagome after being reunited after three years, rediscovering each other in some of the more intimate ways one can.”

[ageofevermore]

Magic In The Parks

SUMMARY — and maybe he was meant to find love in the happiest place on earth, or maybe they were just strangers in the same room at the same time

WORD COUNT — 5.2k

NOTE — happy halloween, i’ve been working on this for nearly an entire month. it’s a bit rough around the edges, but i’m super proud of it!

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───── ･ ｡ﾟ☆ﾟ: *. ☽ .* : ☆ﾟ. ─────

The air is sweeter in Florida, warmer too. Tom’s got his arms full of bags, and his hand held tightly, but he still takes a minute to tilt his chin upwards and inhale the tropical scent of Orlando. He’s spent a lot of time in the southern states of the east coast, but he’s thankful to be in company this trip. The black adidas bag on his shoulder is heavy, but valuable. He can feel the sharp plastic of a crown poking his back through the padding; one of many she insisted on bringing, and his smile widens.

Traveling with a toddler is difficult, and Tom much rather prefers the time of his parental experience where Posie wasn’t mobile. She’s all over the place now, wanting to see and understand the inner workings of everything mechanical. He’s sure he’s answered the question of how a plane flies six times within the last few hours, but he enjoys it. He enjoys everything about fatherhood; even single fatherhood. 

Posie’s been buzzing about this trip for weeks, ever since Tom told her they’d get to meet all of her favorite princesses during the week. He’s seen every movie thrice over, confidently quoting The Princess and The Frog in his sleep he’s sure. It was the requested theme of her third birthday party, and he has his suspicions that her fourth will be all the same in a couple of months. 

“Hold my hand please, darling.” He insists when she pulls away, not wanting to lose his tiny companion in Terminal C of Orlando International. She’s always been a bit of a wanderer, but her curiosity’s grown since landing in Orlando and spotting a plethora of poorly hidden Mickeys. “Thank you.” 

His teams arranged for a driver to escort them to the resort, n0t wanting to risk public transportation. Somehow he’s managed to go unrecognized, but he doesn’t want to leave anything to chance. Posie’s swinging his hand now, her small fingers twisted into his. The feel of her is soft, dainty, innocent even. It’s everything Tom misses when he lays her to bed at night and goes about the rest of his evening without her company. She’s his best mate, and has been since the day she was born.

The black SUV Tom’s put in order pulls around into the terminal, a driver dressed in a black and white suit coming to help load the bags into the boot of the car. Tom’s made a plethora of big moves this trip, like traveling without personal security, and not bringing a car seat for Posie. He’s almost regretting it now, but it wasn’t worth the bulk and invasion. He likes this quality time, something he doesn’t get much of with the amount of active projects he’s signed onto. 

“We’re gonna go see the castle, right, Daddy?” Her small sentences are full of glee, and she’s bouncing excitedly on the tips of her toes. Tom scoops her up onto his hip, handing off the black Adidas bag when the driver, a middle aged man named Phil, asks if he wants it in the back as well. 

“Thank you,” He nods towards Phil, the asian-american nodding as gleefully as he could show behind the thick black mask. “Yeah, we’re gonna see the castle, and all the princesses. What are you gonna sing when you see Rapunzel?” Tom asks. 

Posie doesn’t have to think for a single minute, smiling as she begins the motions of delicately brushing another's hair. “Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine, make the clocks reverse, Daddy, you sing the rest.” Her young voice is innocent as she struggles over syllables, maiming almost every other word in the song, but Tom understands it, and his heart swells with adoration. 

“Bring back what once was mine. Heal what has been hurt, change the fates design. Save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine. Go ‘head, finish it, love,” Tom encourages, laughing at the shy blush that spreads across Posie’s neck. She presses her cheek into his arm, grabbing his fingers in her tiny fist with uncertainty. “We’ll do it together, yeah? Ready?” He waits for her to nod before they both softly finish the rhyme Mother Gothel makes Rapunzel sing nightly, “What once was mine.” 

“Good job, Daddy.” Posie encourages, laughing when the button of her nose is pressed and Tom smooths his hand over her head. She’s got flyaways going in every direction, the once cute ponytail he assembled at the crown of her head having slipped down towards her neck with all of her excited activities. She looks a mess, but the sight makes his heart grow fonder. 

“Who’s your favorite?” The driver asks, his friendly question opening the shy toddler up. Her lips split, and her looks between Tom and Phil to make sure it’s okay before continuing.

Her voice comes out like a soft symphony, and shyly her English accent carries through the car. “Tiana.”

“I quite like Mulan.” Tom exclaims, poking his finger into Posie’s side. She squirms away from his touch, a laugh pouring from her belly as she throws her head backwards. “Reckon I could be Mushu, what do you think, mate?” Tom asks Phil, the man under question shaking his head with a laugh. His grin is wide beneath his mask, having been ages since he’s heard a child laugh so wholeheartedly. 

“I think Mushu fits perfectly, sir.” 

-

Posie’s pressed into Tom’s side, sound asleep for the second time with the hem of his Star Wars shirt in her fist. Tom’s watching her blissfully, occasionally looking down at his phone to straighten out the last of their reservations, but for the most part, he’s devoted to her simple innocence. He had watched her sleep on the plane too, not remembering the last time he had the time to just sit beside her and admire what she’s becoming. 

“I miss that age.” Phil speaks softly. He’s kept quiet for a while, letting Tom just absorb the sweet cuddles he’s being offered, but he couldn’t let the father slip by without sympathizing about just how fast they grow up. “I have two at home.” 

“Goes by in a blink, doesn’t it, mate.” Tom smooths his hand over Posie’s head once more, breathing in deeply to settle the emotions brawling in his heart. 

-

Tom’s holding her on his hip again, coaxing sleep out of her eyes with the pad of his abused thumb. His fingers and palms are rough from years of stunt work with Sony and Marvel, but he still finds a way to make his touches gentle and sweet for her. His precautions surfaced from the first time he held her, just minutes after her delivery, and his pinky scratched the pink of her gentle cheek. He never wanted to feel that bottomless guilt and sorrow again. 

Posie’s fighting his gentle approach though, emitting soft whines from around her thumb as she poutily shoves her face into the crook of his neck. She’s been asleep for nearly an hour, which is longer than she naps at home, but Tom knows all too well how draining travel can be. They've only just been escorted into their hotel suite, and Tom wishes he had the patience to let her sleep until her sweet little heart's content, but he’s just about buzzing to get everything settled and begin the true festivities of their short trip. A week is not nearly enough time at the happiest place on earth. 

“Come on, darling.” He coos, bringing a hand down the small of her back and patting her bum. She’s as much of an easy riser as Paddy is, though where Paddy’s irritable, Posie’s cuddly. “Don’t you want to go see the pretty castle, love?” 

Posie lifted her head from Tom’s shoulder, petting the bridge of his nose sleepily. “Wanna go.” She mumbles, “Put my Tiana dress on.” 

Tom laughs, lowering her onto the hotel bed. She’s heavy in his embrace still, still mesmerized by sleep, but her eyes are open and buzzing with excitement. She traces the bag of costumes laying by the door, and her little fingers jet out in persistence. He detaches her arms from around his neck, kissing her little knuckles sweetly, before asking her to sit down so she doesn’t fall. She’s not the most coordinated little, and he’s not willing to risk the chance of her getting hurt. 

“Which one do you want, Posie? Yellow or Green?” Tom asks, turning around to look at his daughter. She’s on her feet again, reaching high above the headboard. Her fingers are just barely able to brush across the portrait of the Pixar characters, but she’s absolutely bustling with glee. “On your bottom, please.” Tom advises. He pulls the yellow dress from the bag, deciding against the green dress for the first night. 

Posie owns every princess dress ever, and in multiple variations. There’s about four Cinderella dresses shoved into the adidas backpack, Tom’s just barely managed to convince her to pack half of the collection, though he knows they’ll leave with at least another three in his suitcase when she lays her eyes on the gift shops collection, not to mention after the trip to bippity boppity boutique; which he’s already made a reservation for. He’s excited for the struggle though, because he knows it will have meant that Posie had fun. 

She mindlessly lifted her arms up when Tom came back over towards the bed, and he happily pulled her shirt from her body. At the moment, he couldn’t care for keeping the suite in a tidy order, flicking the shirt across the room, which prompted giggles from Posie who watched wide eyed excitement. “Reckon we can make it a bit messy, huh?” Tom teased, poking at the flesh of her pudgy belly. She’s losing the baby weight more and more every day, becoming almost unrecognizable in comparison to the infant decorating his home screen. It’s a bittersweet realization to have, and Tom feels as though he has the same thought every time she laughs. 

“Go ahead, angel. Throw them.” He encourages after standing her up on the bed and helping her out of her cotton shorts. Posie grins mischievously, doing as she was prompted and releasing the black shorts into the air. They don’t make it any farther then Tom’s shadow, but her head is still thrown back in exquisite belly laughs. 

Tom grins, holding the dress over her head and sliding her arms through the small cuffs carefully. She’s always hated being dressed, whether it was the actual act of putting clothes on, or continuing to wear them. She’s his little wild card, but he can’t help but melt at the sight of her in Tiana’s working uniform. 

“You look so pretty, my baby.” He coos, laying her down on the bed and kissing all over her face. Posie’s squeals and giggles are blissful, her small little fingers trying to push Tom’s scruffy chin away from her cheeks and necks. 

In retaliation, she digs her fingers into his sides, trying to mess with him in the same way he’s instigating her. Tom’s grin in splitting, mocking surprise as he pulls away from Posie quickly to glimmer with enjoyment and love. 

“Are you tickling me, Posie Grace?” Tom retorts, hands planted on the dips of his hips. Posie grinned, standing from the bed and leaping into her father's embrace with gleeful vigor and giggles. Tom’s never heard Posie laugh so much in her entire life.  

He’s damn near certain that his cheeks are going to hurt after their week long escapade, but he’s looking forward to the dull ache in his jaw. It’s been awhile since things have been so easy, and he knows that it won't last even a day past november second, but he’s cherishing it while he has it. He doesn’t ever want to worry about Posie being taken away, but with a growing argument from his daughter's maternal side, he’s not so sure his multiple day work week and constant travel looks appealing in court. 

“Ready, Princess Posie?” Tom asks, shifting Posie higher on his hip as he advanced towards the suites door. She nodded happily, fisting the neckline of his shirt between clammy fingers. She always did get clammy when she was feeling too much of something, a dead giveaway to Tom and anyone else that knew Posie Holland. “It’s gonna be so fun, right?” He pries gently, hoping to settle some of the overwhelming excitement and uncertainty she’s feeling. 

“Yeah!” She babbles shyly, watching her father grab two face masks and slip the smaller one around her ears and over her nose. She wiggles her lips for a minute before accepting the fate of the feeling. 

“We’ve gotta keep this on, remember?” He preaches, kissing Posie’s temple when she nods in confirmation. The entire situation isn’t ideal; Tom never thought he’d be taking Posie to Disneyworld for Halloween in the middle of a global pandemic, but he’s made sure to adhere to all the precautions and plan as strategically as he’s able. He wants to have fun, but he needs her to be kept safe and healthy. “Let’s roll, princess.” 

-

“Mickey’s over your nose, please.” Tom speaks softly. Posie’s been chattering up a storm about their recent trip around the Dumbo ride, and in her excitement the mask had slipped down. She giggles, clumsily pulling it back up and flashing a wide grin at her father. “Cheeky.” He muses, leaning up against the railing to his left and looking down at the little girl who's all his own. Her face is flush, a blush rising up her neck and around her ears from the heat, and flyaways from her ponytail have begun to frame her face. “Who are we going to see first, hum? How about Ariel, I quite like her.” 

Posie leans into Tom’s legs, wrapping her arms around him tightly. She’s completely overjoyed, but she’s shied away from multiple attractions, and he thinks the décor might be a little more intimidating then she’s letting on. 

“I wanna see Anna!” She beams, and Tom laughs, although not surprised. Her list of favorite princesses is endless, and every minute somebody else gets added higher onto the list. “No! I wanna see Rapunzel, can we see Rapunzel?” 

Tom’s thankful she changed her mind before he had to explain that Anna was located in an entirely different park, and that they definitely wouldn’t make it there by the end of the day. Posie grinned when the group of three ahead of them was escorted into the building, making her and Tom the head of the queue. 

“Do you think Tiana’s gonna like my dress?” Posie grinned shyly, fingering the yellow material covering her little legs. 

Tom nods in confirmation, giving her a look once over just to boost her confidence. “I think she’s going to love it, mate.” He smiles when Posie gets flushed, digging the button of her slim shaped nose into the denim of his jeans. “Do you think Cinderella will like my crown?” 

Posie pulled away enough to check the silver crown on top of her father's head, she pulled her hand up to her already covered mouth, and threw her head back in blissful laughter. She’d found it incredibly hilarious when Tom bought them matching crowns to begin with, she hadn’t even realized he had stuck the silver accessory through messy strands of hair on his head. 

Neither Posie or Tom has time to address the crown, because a Disney employee is smiling kindly at them, and asking them to follow the arrows into the princess greeting space. That brings another level of timidness onto Posie, as she clings to her father's hand and makes sure she walks behind his every step. She’s testing the waters. 

“Look at that, mate.” Tom points out Rapunzel in the line of princesses. She’s first followed by Cinderella, Tiana, and Belle, all smiling easily. Tom’s sure Posie’s eyes couldn’t have grown any wider at the sight and she completely freezes up, raising her arms and pinching her fingers to her palms with a pale flush. The redness that had once been spreading over her body completely replaced by nervousness. 

Tom lifts her onto his hip, a hand cradling the back of her head when she digs her face into his shoulder. Her fingers twist into the hair on the nape of his neck, while she looks Rapunzel over with uncertainty. She’s never been a fan of character costumes, Tom found that out at the Spiderman; Far From Home premier, but he hadn’t expected that shyness to carry over into princess costumes, especially considering she all but lives in her own selection. 

“Hello, Princess.” Rapunzel sings sweetly, her golden locks of hair twisting down her back as she flutters her fingers in Posie’s direction. The purple lace mask she’s wearing is similar to the pattern on the chest of her corset, just like every princess down the lines whose face mask matches their iconic costume. 

The interaction is the same down the line. Posie clings to Tom looking mortified as they pose for pictures at a safe distance, and make brief one-sided conversation, then move on to the next princess waiting. They’re at the end of the line now, and Tom’s growing a bit tired of making conversation with the princesses. They’ve all been incredibly sweet, but he’s not interested in the circular pattern Cinderella uses to mop the floors of her step-mothers house.

“Well, hello there, Princess! What’s your name?” Belle chirped, hands clasping the yellow silk of her heavy ball gown. 

Tom’s about to answer for himself and Posie again, but Posie’s shy wave distracts him. He can feel her skin getting warmer beneath his hands, but that doesn’t silence her this time. A shy frown pulls at her lips, but she looks Belle over with something similar to...trust? 

“Posie.” She whispers, before a shy smile breaks her lips and for the first time since entering the entertainment hall she looks comfortable. 

“That’s a pretty name Princess Posie! What’s your Prince’s name?” Belle asked, flowery hand movements getting a giggle from Posie’s chest. Tom can see the actor's heart nearly melt behind her eyes at the sound, and he chuckles to himself while Posie answers. 

“He’s Spiderman, not a Prince, silly.” Posie whispers, knowing she isn’t meant to be blabbering about Tom’s profession while they’re away on vacation. It’s quiet enough that the other three princesses, who are still heavily in character, don’t hear, but he still looks Belle over with worry that she’ll leak the news to the media. 

He’s made sure to dress down, avoid anything too revealing, and ditch certain aspects of his outfit that are an official identity giveaway to his following. His rolex is sitting in a safe back at the hotel room, his mask is black with a simple mickey design, and he’s instead of his preferred pair of grey sweats, or blue jeans, he’s in black Adidas joggers that he borrowed from Harrison. 

“Superhero, huh?” Belle muses softly, “Well, we better keep it a secret then. We can’t have everyone knowing, right Princess?”  

Posie lifts her head from Tom’s shoulder, smiling widely at the actor. Tom listens constantly as they talk for a few minutes, Posie grows more and more animated with every half sentence ‘Belle’ speaks and it brings back the wave of guilt he’s been surfing for weeks. His specific profession as portraying the live action version of Spiderman could have ruined all of this magic for Posie, it still has the possibility of ruining it for her when she gets to understand what an actor really is. She can only grasp that Daddy plays dress up when he goes to work, but when she realizes that Daddy is Spiderman, and without him there is no Peter Parker in Paris, he’s heartbroken thinking of everything else that ruins. Santa Claus, Disney World, cartoons. He only hopes he has a few more years of this easily achieved joy, before he single handedly ruins the magic. 

“Alright, it’s time to go, Princess Posie.” Tom snaps from his trance after they pose for another socially distanced picture, He’s not sure how ten minutes escaped him so quickly, but in the time that he’s been dreading Posie growing up, she’s found a life long friend in the professional princess actor. 

Belle sings her goodbye to Posie, but when he eyes catches Tom’s she nods, a silent promise that his secret is safe with her. 

- 

Posie’s warmed up to the characters a bit more since their first night at the Parks. She’s not overly excited about meeting them personally, but in close passing she’s bright with awe. The parks had secretly scheduled parades throughout the day, a method of trying to prevent large crowds from forming, but Tom was lucky enough to be in the know of them the floats would pass down main street. He had taken Posie to a few of them, and each time she warmed further to the idea of the Princesses and Princes...she still wasn’t exactly fond of the full body costumes though. 

Tom laughed gently as she plowed into his legs. It was their last full day in the most magical place on earth, and Tom had pulled out all the stops. He had scheduled another reservation at the salon inside the castle after hearing all about it until Posie fell asleep on his chest, a smile and glitter painting her face, and had booked them a reservation at the infamous character dinner.  

At the bippity boppity boutique, he wasn’t surprised that she had requested Belle again, and had gleamed with the same excitement despite the repetition. He was just happy he somehow convinced her to choose a different dress, instead of the same heavy and yellow one. She was spinning around his legs, absolutely bursting with joy. Her hair was tied into a half up half down style, and the bun on the crown of her head was framed by a small silver crown and a dusting of glitter. As the lighting in the waiting area dims, signaling the arrival of Prince Charming who is set to open the doors at six o’clock sharp, Tom catches a sparkle of blue shadow across her eyelids. He doesn’t know where his baby went, but somehow she’s gone. 

Posie’s clinging to her Belle themed pumpkin basket and wand, clicking together the heels of her clear blue heels. There’s a picture of Belle on the front of them, similar to the seven pairs she has at home for every other princess and fairy. Tom’s shocked she hasn’t branched into the Prince outfits yet, though he much rather prefers the days when he comes home from set, and her little body is dressed in his button downs and blazers, absolutely knocked out in the center of his bed like a starfish. 

“I’m gonna get sweets for Hazza!” Posie grins, fiddling with the plastic handle of the bucket. “And some for Paddy and Harry, but Sammy ate mine last time, so he doesn’t get any. Right, Daddy? Sammy’s gotta get his own.” 

“I think that sounds like a wonderful idea, love.” Tom laughs softly, remembering the day his brother had been caught eating the halloween candy Posie worked tirelessly to collect. “Bet they’re gonna love it.” 

Posie goes on about the candy she wants to get each of the boys as Tom watches for the start of the small ceremony. The dinners are a small gathering, safe with covid regulations, and he can’t help but feel thankful that it’s a smaller audience. He knows it’s almost impossible to go unnoticed now, but he’s reserved a corner space to hopefully stay unnoticed. 

“Whose that, Pose?” Tom grins, pointing out Prince Charming as he rounds the corner. He’s got his arms folded behind his back, white suit with gold embellishments sparkling in the lights of the dinning hall lobby. 

“He looks like Haz!” She giggles, and Tom can’t deny that the actor does resemble his best friend a bit eerily. His eyes are a piercing blue, hair the same dirty shade, the only difference Tom can spot is the slim of his nose which is wider than Harrisons. 

“Do you reckon Haz should be a prince with you, love?” Tom asks, knowing that if he puts an idea into Posie’s head, Harrison has no chance of saying no. His best friends the worst with following Posie’s every desire. 

“He can be the Beast! I wanna be Belle.” Posie beams at the idea, “He can borrow my teddy, but he has to give it back.” 

“Why don’t we get him his own, yeah? I think he’d like his own teddy.” 

“And we can get Tessa a teddy, right? She likes watching Rapunzel with me! Can we get her a Pascal?” 

“Absolutely.” Tom agrees, just as Prince Charming cuts the red ribbon tying the dining hall doors together. The pair of them are ushered into the space a few seconds afterwards, and shown to their secluded table in the corner beside a bouquet of yellow roses.

Tom helps Posie into her seat beside his, eyes filling with tears for a reason he can’t name. It’s the same empty feeling in his stomach that he’s experienced since landing in Florida. It’s his baby girl growing up and not needing him for every small thing anymore. It’s her little personality and sweet soul, her gentle honey eyes and adoration for cuddles and family. He couldn’t be prouder of the little lady he’s raising, but he can’t help but wonder if he’s doing it right. 

He pulls out his phone, taking what has to be the millionth picture this week. Posie grins, her eyes showing specs of gold from the invasion of the flash. The blue dress on her body brings out the tan complexion of her skin, and Tom can’t help but think of how angelic her little life is. 

“I wanna take your picture!” She grins, reaching for his phone. Tom hands it over, pulling a large smile even though the expression is still hidden behind his mask. His eyes squint from the sheer tension of his tightly pulled lips, and Posie’s giggling so much her hands are shaking and the picture comes out blurry, but Tom loves it anyways. 

“Awesome job, peanut.” He smooths a hand over her head when she hands his phone back, tired eyes blinking at him despite the expression of excitement she’s still wearing. She’s been on a sugar high since takeoff back home, and Tom’s anticipating the crash once they get back home to their own beds and routine. 

After Tom orders their meals and drinks, the gentle halloween music kicks up slightly and the princesses and characters start to make their way around the venue. Posie tenses when she sees Mickey Mouse walk down the stairs, his halloween outfit adding to her uncertainty. Tom laughs gently at her reaction, taking her mask off of the table and pocketing it so it doesn’t fall or get misplaced. 

Mickey isn’t the first character to come over, it’s Tinkerbell, and after she drops some candy into Posie’s bucket, she makes flowery conversation before moving along to another table of children. Posie’s starting to enjoy herself by the time their food is served, forking a pile of cheesy noodles into her mouth between smiles and laughs. They’ve been visited by Jasmine, Elsa, and Prince Charming since Tinkerbell’s stop, but she’s ranting about wanting to see Belle. The candy bucket is nearly halfway full, and Tom knows there's going to be a fight about how much she’s allowed to eat before bed tonight. He’s prepared to lose and let her have it all, but he figures the responsible thing to do is break it up and make it last. 

Posie’s deep into a chocolate sunday by time Belle comes into view, and Tom’s quick to grab his camera when he sees the yellow dress get closer and closer. Posie’s face is smeared in chocolate ice cream and whipped cream, which is what Tom expected when he ordered her the treat in the first place. He’s not sure what it is about little ones and frozen treats, but even an ice lolly has her skin stained for hours. 

Her eyes grow wide when she realizes Belle’s standing at the foot of their table, hands gently clasped around the handle of an identical sweets basket. 

“Princess Posie!” Belle grins in delight, letting a few extra pieces of chocolate fall into Posie’s bin. She sends a wink towards the little girl, and Posie breaks into a sweet giggle. Tom watches the actor have the same look of adoration in her eyes at the sound, and he can’t help but notice the subtle tint of yellow around her pupils. 

A conversation about dresses and matching baskets breaks out, and Tom’s sure that Belle has overstayed her assigned time per table, but he doesn’t say anything. He quite likes hearing her and Posie chat about make believe and magic. 

When the actor finally does decide it’s best if she carries on, Tom makes sure to motion her closer. “What’s your name?” He has all intention of putting in a word with Disney management about how excellent she is, but selfishly he wants to test it on the tip of his tongue. 

“Y/N.” 

- 

The air is cold and bitter. Posie’s passed out on Tom’s shoulder, little arms wrapped around his neck and legs hanging limply at his sides. He’s waiting for Harry to pick the both of them up, wanting to get home and fall into his own bed with Tessa and Posie. 

His baby girl’s only just fallen asleep, her eyes rimmed red from crying throughout the entirety of the flight. She’s coming down with a fever from all the travel, and he’s sure the upset of leaving the warmth and magic of the parks has something to do with it.

She’s still wearing her yellow Belle dress, though her little feet are bare and cold because the princess shoes she insisted on wearing kept slipping off of her toes as Tom carried her through baggage claim. It’s the same as how this entire trip started. He can feel crowns, wands, and plastic shoes poking him through his backpack, and he’s surrounded by luggage and gift bags that giveaway where they had spent Halloween week. 

When Harrison pulls the car around, Tom is thankful that the seat warmers and heat are already on, and Posie’s car seat is buckled into place. Harrison shivers when he steps into the brutal cold to help Tom put all the bags into the backseat and trunk, cooing at the sight of Posie. She’s sunkissed, freckles dusting her cheeks and a flush running up her neck and ears. 

“How was it, mate?” 

Tom grins, thinking back to the sweet girl whose name sounds heavenly on the tip of his tongue. As he buckles Posie into her carseat, gently shushing her whimpers when he gets her arms through the chest straps, he tugs off his sweatshirt and puts it over her body like a blanket, before he turns his head to look Harrison over. 

“Magical.” 

[reversemoon255]

(This is the second of a three-part series chronicling the story, concepts, and original Pokémon that appeared in a Dungeons and Dragons campaign I worked on for several months. This entry will be more focused on a lot of my original designs and how their encounters would play out, rather than concrete story. Also, much of the art was done by @extyrannomon on Twitter, and I suggest you check them out.)

Dungeons ‘n’ Dragonites - Phase 2: Ultra City

The Queen Durant would prove to be a difficult foe, able to use all manner of elemental attacks to strike from a distance to compensate for her low speed. Furthermore, she would have full command of the Duranthill, using her followers to guard herself. As the battle rages, the team slowly begin to evolve, and their newfound strength and Types, along with the aid of the Princess, would have them see victory.

I was unsure as to the ultimate fate of the Queen. Either having it disappear into the tunnels alone, or be sucked into another Ultra Wormhole like the Poipole. And with the Queen vanquished, the Princess would choose to become partner to whoever she felt most worthy (a combination of good role playing and damage dealt).

I designed every Pokémon in this campaign under the pretense that it could actually exist. The Queen and Princess fall under the category of “Rare Variants.” There’s only one queen in a colony of thousands of ants, so it makes sense for it to be rarely seen. They’re still Bug/Steel, but special attackers, with the three spheres on each of their abdomens made to mimic the pattern of Tri-Attack, symbolizing their ability to use those Types.

As for the Starter evos, Flymph has evolved into Epipesis, gained the Electric-Type, and become a full Dragonfly. Calfyre into Steared, staying mono-Fire, but growing considerably (4 feet at the shoulder, the largest mid-stage Starter). Squisque into Knaval who’s now Rock, because he’s a rock lobster! And Utaw into Uteteo who may still be pure Fairy, but has gained some gold adornments.

=====

My working title for this campaign was “Ultra City.” Hinted at by the appearance of the Poipole early in the game, my intentions would come into full swing during this portion, with boss encounters against many of the known and some unknown Ultra Beasts. I had a few encounters planned, from a pickpocket Pheramosa that they’d fight in a mall store room full of mannequins, to a Blacephalon that had kidnapped several children, hypnotized them, and had them watching his performances, to a beach episode where there’s just a Buzzwole hanging out and not causing trouble.

Things would take a twist when a Guzzlord would take over the abandoned district, raining destruction down from its highest building. The crew would have to climb a multi-floor dungeon in order to battle it, many scared and aggravated Pokémon blocking their paths. After reaching the top however, after initiative had been rolled, a mysterious Pokémon would descend from the sky, felling Guzzlord in a single strike...

Majra, the Dragoon Pokémon (a slurred portmanteau of Magic and Dragon). A Dragon hunter with a unique ability, “Hunter of Evil,” that removes all its resistances but makes it immune to Dragon, Dark, and Ghost. This Pokémon came about as I was trying to create a dramatic encounter that would interrupt an expected one. As I was thumbing through DnD and fantasy ideas, the idea of a Dragoon who furiously hunts Dragon-Types came to mind. Ice/Fairy seemed the perfect combination, and the sentient suit of ice armor fell into place soon after. As Pokémon don’t typically hold weapons, I made him part scorpion, having him hold his tail as a workaround, and also informed how his extremities would look. The Haxorus skull buckler also helped drive the Dragon hunter aspect home.

Ultra Beasts were the second category of original Pokémon in my campaign, and encompass all purely original Pokémon (including the Starters). However, I didn’t want to just haphazardly make a ton (as commissions cost money), so I gave myself the condition that if I made an Ultra Beast it had to play with weaknesses and resistances in a way to trip up experienced players, hence Majra’s ability.

Majra would not attack our players in their first encounter, unless someone was using a Type he hunts. He would be a reoccurring boss character, helping or hindering the players depending on their enemies or allies.

The next unique encounter would have been a tutorial battle against another Rare Variant, a Shiinotic possessed Parasect. Every boss encounter is technically 4-on-1, so I wanted to give a Pokémon a reason to have multiple turns, and fused or symbiotic Pokémon felt like a naturally occurring way to have that happen. I created this Shiinotic as a way to teach the players how these Pokémon work.

As Shiinotic is a bio-luminescent mushroom, I wanted to have Parasect faded in color from its light. I also thought it’d be a nice touch to have Shiinotic’s spindly fingers act as puppet strings to move Parasect’s arms around. It would have been encountered after a swarm of scared Paras started flooding out of the sewers near everyone’s school.

Then would be Fortifiend, who would be encountered a few times as an easily circumventable castle wall in the middle of the street before Majra would eventually attack it, forcing our players to take a side in the battle (with Fortifiend possibly joining them if they help it). His ability would make all attacks not very effective while it had over 50% HP, and the opposite when under 50%. Despite the name, I pictured him being very nice, and giggle whenever he heard someone compliment his stone structure.

I imagined that the world he came from had naturally occurring stone structures similar to him, and his folded castle form was a sort of net to help him catch large prey; partly why he doesn’t attack the smaller people and Pokémon of the game’s dimension (he’s around 30ft tall). He could be encountered anywhere, so he wasn’t a full quest; just a fun “what the heck is this” moment to confuse players.

Also, while it wasn’t purposeful, Fortifiend and Majra both also matched the DnD aesthetic. That definitely helped them stand out as some of my favorites, and Fortifiend barely missed the final pass for the last round of commissions.

Then was the twin encounter of Feyerre, a Fire-Type igloo and snowmobile Pokémon, and Eyescse, an Ice-Type pyramid and four-wheeler Pokémon (probably the most Ultra Beast-esque concepts I came up with). They would be messing with the weather across the city, causing disturbances until the players eventually found one of them, in when the other would appear. Their ability would flip their weaknesses and resistances, and they would have an attack that could do the same to a target. And fun fact: there’s meaning to the color and number of their eyes! Feyerre’s are F.I.R.E (Fire=Red, Ice=L.Blue, Rock=Brown, Electric=Yellow), and Eyescse’s are I.C.E (Ice=L.Blue, Sea=D.Blue, Electric=Yellow).

But their defeat would incur the wrath of a mysterious Pokémon they had encountered a few times:

“As you turn around, you see a grey Charizard standing there. It stares at you for a moment, wide-eyed and unblinking. Then it begins to open its mouth, wide, wider, and wider still, stretching beyond what should be possible. Then a hand reaches out of it...

“Suddenly you’re falling. The lights and sounds of countless unknown worlds whir past you incomprehensibly as you plummet through time and space. You try to close your eyes to shut out the flurry of stimuli, but it’s impossible to drown out as your minds begin to feel the strain of the void. Then, after what feels like hours, time seems to stand still as the heavy rain of an unknown world hits your face. For a brief moment you are able to take in the desert that surrounds you before a flash of lightning illuminates the sky, revealing a titanic silhouette looming above you before you are once again thrown into darkness. And as you come to outside the warehouse (where you encountered Feyerre and Eyescse), in the distance, you hear what sounds like laughing.

“Fofofofofo...”

The final original encounter I had planned for Stage 2 was Meadew. It would have been wandering the city, spawning grasses and flowers wherever it went. However, while beautiful, the sudden growth would be causing havoc and destruction to all the buildings and vehicles it could root into.

Unlike the other Ultra Beasts, Meadew’s ability didn’t affect its weaknesses, but instead created Substitutes since I wanted a way for it to form its own adds (the concept behind its inception). However, it wasn’t without a Type gimmick; rather than an ability it has a signature status move called “Radiance” that raises its attack and special, as well as give it the Fire-Type, making it Grass/Water/Fire (the 3 Starter Types). It would invoke this after its adds were defeated, but could be talked down through diplomacy, unlike some of the other encounters.

=====

I’ve mentioned Rare Variants and Ultra Beasts, but there was a third Type of original Pokémon that could appear: Mutant Evolutions. Essentially, evolutions like Probopass or Leafeon where being in an energy charged area or coming into contact with a huge ore deposit (what I interpreted the Mossy and Icy Rocks as, since they became Leaf and Ice Stones in later Gens) could force an unusual evolution in a Pokémon already shown to be susceptible to unique evolutionary conditions. Due to a future encounter, I already knew there would be large Metal Coat and Ice Stone Ore deposits in the mountains to the north, so I wanted to do some test prototyping using each of those items, whether I used those evolutions or not.

Poliwhirl is already shown to be capable of multiple evolutions, all of which use items, so I thought having it come into contact with a massive amount of Ice Stone Ore (since it should be chemically similar to Water Stones) could force a Mutant Evolution. This is Policuti, from the Latin Cutis meaning skin, and Poli-Cutis would mean “multiple skins,” as it wears the shed skin of preevolution. And being freshly shed is why its skin lacks pigment. It’s just a cute little frog in a raincoat! Also, the swirl on its jaw is actually its tongue.

Since Magneton evolves into Magnezone through being electrically charged, I thought about how it might evolve if charged with Steel energy. I imagined it being magnetically attracted to the Metal Coat Ore, fiercely trying to pull itself away, being stretched and elongated in the process, resulting in the bullet train Pokémon Magneline. The Mutant Evolutions weren’t supposed to be anything important to the story or that they’d run into in the wild. They were more so surprises to excite the players who would be expecting something, well, expected. I had considered doing at least one for each player if they caught a compatible Pokémon, but as no teams were filled out, I was merely left with my prototypes. The only reason I had these two commissioned was because I was very happy with their designs.

=====

As we reach the end of Stage 2, the reoccurring group of rowdy Onix would return once more. Following them deep into their tunnels, our heroes would come across a massive chamber with a giant metal stalagmite and frozen stalactite in the center of it. The Onix would then appear, twisting around them, forcing their evolutions. One into Steelix, and the other into Glacix...

[strawbunniiee]

A Girl and a Ghost Ch. 4: The Truth

S O this one was VERY FUN TO WRITE MY GOD

i really hope you enjoy this aaa

@salamifuposey @monsterbride99 here ya go :D

The deafeningly silent night was ominous, with a pearly white full moon hanging in the sky. Phantom's gramophone showed slightly in the moonlight as he rushed through the forest, as fast as he possibly could.

He knew he had to get to King Boo's manor before anything terrible happened to Peach.

This time, however, he didn't want Jawaii with him. He didn't want her to be harmed, or possibly even killed. But at the same time, he didn't know how she was going to deal with this pain if he was destroyed. After all, she was only so young... How could she deal with the loss of the only friend she had?

But Phantom did not want her dead either. He wanted her to live on and grow to adulthood at least.

His gramophone heart pounding in anxiety, thoughts racing, he hurried through the forest.

He finally arrived. The manor loomed over the forest casting a shadow over it.

Phantom took a deep breath. Then, he entered the mansion, ready to meet his fate.

———

Meanwhile, Jawaii was scurrying through the dark woods, tears filling her eyes.

The Peek-A-Boo was attempting to chase her down to get her to stop. But it was all in vain. Even if she was caught by the Peek-A-Boo she still wouldnt give up. All she wanted was to rescue her friend.

Her only friend.

She knew that after everything Phantom did for her, the happiness he had helped her find, finding out that someone out there wasn't afraid of her and cared for her... she had to return the favor.

She tripped over and fell into the darkness and let out a scream, but she got up, albeit with a scraped knee. The pain hurt badly.

She began to cry a bit from the pain, but she still ran on through the darkness.

Nothing was going to stop her.

After much running, she finally reached the manor.

She stared at it in horror, wondering if Phantom was already confronting the king. Or worse, what if he was already...? ...No, that couldn't be it.

Why am I staring at this place like an idiot. thought Jawaii. I'm such a COWARD! My own best friend could possibly be dying right now, but I can't even come in because I'm too much of a chicken.

Jawaii transformed her hands into swords (a skill she inherited from her father) and slowly walked into the mansion, ready to take King Boo on, prepared to rescue her friend.

If she couldn't rescue him... well, at least Phantom would have company if King Boo decided to hurt him.

The mansion was dark and dusty, and very cold. There were thick cobwebs everywhere, and everything smelled extremely old.

She took slow steps, shivering in fear.

Maybe this was a stupid idea. Jawaii thought. Maybe that Peek-A-Boo was right. But hey... it's too late now.

She walked around, looking for where Phantom could possibly be. She looked under tables, in closets, yet she couldn't find him. She began to break a cold sweat. Where was he.

She went to the second floor and looked there, in each and every room, each nook and cranny. Still, no dice.

However, when she got to the third floor she finally found him, on the floor quietly sobbing.

She turned her hands back to their normal selves and happily ran over to Phantom and gave him a big hug.

Phantom looked horrified at the fact that Jawaii was here, but also slightly pleasantly surprised. He suppressed that feeling as much as he could.

"I'm so happy you're alive..." whispered Jawaii.

"J-Jawaii, first and foremost, I know you had good intentions, but please... you should not have followed me here. I don't want you getting harmed. That's why I came here alone and didn't tell you. I want you to be safe. You have a long life ahead of you and it would be beyond horrible if it was simply just snuffed out before that. Second of all, how did you even know I was here...?" Phantom whispered back, concerned and shaking.

"One of the Peek-A-Boos told me and I knew I had to go help you. I just wanna help you... And make sure that you don't get hurt or worse." Jawaii answered. "I just wanted to help you..."

"Please leave this place, Jawaii. I'm sorry... I can't risk losing you to him." Tears formed in his eyes.

"I'm not leaving this place until we save her." Jawaii insisted. "Besides, my mom always told me, "Teamwork makes the dream work.""

Phantom caved in. "...I suppose I will allow you to help me. But the moment you get hurt, or he attempts to harm you, I am taking you away from this awful mansion. I am doing this because I want you to be unharmed."

Jawaii grinned. "I won't be the one getting hurt. King Boo sure is though."

Phantom slightly chuckled a bit. "Confident, are we now?"

Jawaii turned her hands into swords with an almost maniacal grin. Phantom looked a bit surprised. "Did you ju-"

"Yeah. I can have sword hands. My dad taught me how, but you're a bunny, so I dunno if I could teach you. though..." said Jawaii.

"Anyway enough rambling, let's kick this guy's ASS." Jawaii grinned.

Phantom sat there in shock. Did she just say what he thought she said?

She giggled at Phantoms dumbfoundedness and ran up the stairs. Phantom quickly snapped out of it and rushed to go in front of her, as if to protect her.

They had a small conversation on the way up.

"...I can't help but feel like this place is just so... familiar to me. I've never been in this part of the manor however." Phantom noted.

Jawaii cocked her head. "Whaddya mean by that?"

"Almost as if... I've been to this place many, many years ago. ...Perhaps it's just me."

After ascending up each floor, they finally made it.

There it was.

The attic door, and beyond it was where King Boo resided.

With Peach.

"Well... this is it." whispered Jawaii.

Phantom's heart began to race. "...I'm starting to regret having taken you up here with me. If you get hurt, it will be my fault."

"No it won't. I promise you, I won't get hurt." she promised.

Phantom took a deep breath. He slowly opened the attic door and phased through it.

Jawaii scurried up a ladder.

———

The attic was dimly lit, the dust and cobwebs were even worse than the first floor. It was clear that this place had not been touched in years, decades even.

King Boo hovered over Peach's unconscious body, preparing to turn her into a painting. It appeared he had knocked her out so she wouldn't try to escape.

Phantom gasped in horror, but his fear turned into anger. "Unhand her." he said.

The king turned around. "So I see you came along to save your beloved little princess, Tommy."

"Do not call me that. I said to UNHAND HER." Phantom's once blue eyes faded into a piercing red color.

King Boo scoffed. "What, do you really expect me to just GIVE her to you just because you said so?" He just laughed. "I'm afraid that just isn't how we do things in this manor, Tom."

Jawaii came out from behind Phantom.

"It's me again, ASSHOLE." Jawaii said. She turned her hands into swords again. She menacingly stared King Boo down. For a little girl, she could certainly be intimidating if she wanted to.

King Boo simply laughed in her face. "YOU- YOU THINK THAT'S INTIMIDATING? YOU THINK YOU'RE SCARING ME?"

That just made Jawaii angrier.

"Don't worry, because I have something that'll scare you. A little story. And it's a true one." King Boo had a malicious grin on his face.

"Once upon a time, there was a talentless, ugly, but rich man. He just loooved Princess Peach so much, he just adored her and wanted to be with her for the rest of his days. But there was a also a plumber. The plumber always saved the day, always rescuing the princess from the evil Bowser. Every single time, the rich man always tried to save her, but  was just so talentless and idiotic that the plumber always beat him to the chase. The plumber was always celebrated for his heroic feats, but the rich human's halfhearted attempts had always gone unnoticed. He was spoiled as well, he was rich, had everything he ever wanted but was still unhappy."

"Then one day, I decided to kidnap her for a change. Stir up a bit of trouble, you know? Then, for once the man came first this time. He tried to stop me and save the princess, but I killed him easily. I sealed his soul away in an old gramophone and threw it away deep into Spooky Trails, never to be seen again. Until now, anyways."

King Boo grinned even bigger, his twisted smile stretching across his entire face. Then he got up close to Phantom.

"Does this story sound familiar, Tom? Because this story... is about you."

"You were a human once, Tommy. And I killed you."

Phantom was staring in complete shock, trying to process this new information. He was practically a statue, just stuck there like that, frozen in horror.

Jawaii, however, was full of inconceivable rage.

She leaped at the king and let out a shrill, ear piercing shreak, about to shred him to pieces.

"YOU MOTHERFUCKER!"

[laurenhufflepuff2]

A list of fandoms I'm in (in no particular order, will probably be updated regularly. Some fandoms are more intense and some are more casual. Depending on the fandom, I could go on and on about fandom topics for HOURS. Let's get into it!)

Harry Potter, Disney, Marvel, DC comics, Miraculous Ladybug, Avatar: The Last Airbender/The Legend of Korra, Star Wars, Literature, Winx Club, Nintendo, Minecraft, Little Witch Academia, Voltron, Coraline

Details:

Harry Potter- I got into Harry Potter in 7th grade and now I am the resident expert in my family and in my friend group. I read all the books, watched all the movies (notably the British version), and I've seen the Fantastic Beasts films as well. I've also read Tales of Beedle the Bard (the Warlock's Hairy Heart was traumatizing) along with the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them textbook (plus an updated edition). I also read The Cursed Child script and while I mean no hate to anyone that liked it, I hated what it did to the canon. I am in Hufflepuff with some Ravenclaw tendencies (I took the Pottermore quiz 3 times, 2 out of 3 I got Hufflepuff, the other time was Ravenclaw). I had a pottermore account and I was so upset when it got converted to the Wizarding World page. I cosplayed Hermione in 7th grade complete with British accent and even monologued as her for a talent show (classmates and teachers would recognize me as the Hermione girl all the way through high school). I was obsessed and I still love it even if J.K. Rowling has gone off the deep end on Twitter... yeah... my favorite character is Hermione but I also relate to Luna

Disney- there's so much that goes into the Disney part of my fandom list. I'm excluding Marvel and Star Wars from this part as they were originally separate entities before Disney got the rights to them. I have seen almost every animated Disney film ever and often use random movie quotes in conversation. My favorite villain is Maleficent, my favorite princess is Ariel (followed by Belle, Rapunzel, and Anna). I relate to so many of the characters. I'm not sure who my favorite Pixar character is though (I love Violet, Sadness, Dory, and Piper (from the short)). My favorite Disney fairy is Fawn. My favorite characters overall are Ariel and Stitch. Disney is definitely on the list as one of my biggest obsessions. My favorite movies are Lilo and Stitch, the Little Mermaid, Inside Out, Alice in Wonderland (original), and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

Marvel- I mostly get my Marvel exposure through the MCU, other movies, and animated TV shows. I have difficulty reading graphic novels so most of my comic book knowledge comes from friends, posts, or wikis. My favorite characters are Spider-Man, Captain America, Peggy Carter, and Scarlet Witch. I also like Gwenpool, Deadpool, Spider-Gwen/ Ghost-Spider, Venom, Squirrel Girl, Daredevil, Mantis, Gamora, Black Widow, Iron Man, Thor, Loki, Bucky, Black Panther, and most MCU characters. Out of the X-men I really like Professor X, Wolverine, Mystique, Magneto, Nightcrawler, and Quicksilver (either version- MCU or Fox).

DC- this was the franchise I was more familiar with growing up but again, graphic novels aren't easy for me to read so most of my knowledge comes from information pages about the comics or from tv/movies. My earliest experience with DC came from the 60s Batman series, with Catwoman and Robin being my favorites. I also watched the Wonder Woman series from the 70s and a handful of CW shows, my favorite of which being the Flash and Arrow. I also managed to watch all 5 seasons of the Teen Titans Cartoon Network series from 2003. With that being said, my favorite characters are Wonder Woman, Catwoman, Flash, Batman, Nightwing/Robin (Dick Grayson), Green Arrow, Starfire, Raven, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, and Alfred. I also like most of the bat family, and when it comes to CW I LOVE Caitlin Snow/Killer Frost and Cisco.

Miraculous- this is one of my guilty fandoms but since this is Tumblr I'm not too worried about it. I love Marinette and I relate to her on an astoundingly deep level (minus the stalking and obsession with potential lovers, that's creepy). If I had a miraculous, I'd probably want the Ladybug one, but the Cat miraculous, fox miraculous, and snake miraculous are good too. My favorite character is Marinette/Ladybug.

Atla/Tlok- I jumped on the avatar bandwagon just when it was starting to get popular, so I managed to get through the series before the memes took over everything. Same with Tlok, although i couldn't completely avoid the spoilers for that when i started it. I've been wanting to get into the comics because of the short story comics I've read, they seem easier to read than superhero comics. My favorite characters are Aang, Katara, Ty Lee, Iroh, Korra, Jinora, Asami, Suki, Appa, Momo, Naga, and Pabu. I also like Sokka, Mai, Zuko, Lin, Kuvira, Varrick, Zhu Lee, and Azula. I feel really sorry for her and while I understand that a redemption arc would undermine the importance of her corruption arc, I still wish she could have one. I would love to be a waterbender or an airbender... maybe a waterbender raised in the air nation? Obviously, being the avatar itself would be awesome. The show has taught me a lot of great lessons and put a lot of stuff into perspective for me.

Star Wars- oh boy, talking about this one is dangerous. I've seen firsthand the horrors of the Star Wars fandom but then again no one will probably see this anyway so... I've seen all the movies and I remember watching the clone wars series with my brother when I was younger but we fell wayyy behind and it's taking us forever to get back into it. I've also seen the Mandalorian and quite enjoyed it. I like the prequels unironically, in fact, the prequels are some of my favorite movies. I especially like how they switched from lightsabers being heavy weapons to light weapons that can be used for all kinds of tricks that make for epic battles like the ones we see in Revenge of the Sith. The sequels were fun to watch but when I would analyze them along side their predecessors, I came to the conclusion that, for me, they were good to watch but did not do anything good for the rest of the franchise. My favorite characters are prequels/clone wars Obi Wan and Anakin, Padme, Ashoka, Leia, R2D2, BB-8, R4-P17, the Mandalorian (Din Djarin), and Grogu. If I had a lightsaber I'd want it to be blue, but when I was little I got a purple one like Mace Windu because it was closer to pink and I was into pink at the time. I still have that lightsaber and none of my friends have a purple one so it's one of my flexes. I feel like I wouldn't make a good jedi because of attachments being forbidden, so I'd probably become a grey jedi.

Literature- this is a broad term I use to cover all the random books and stories I liked reading and have studied. So we have Shakespeare (Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, Romeo and Juliet), The Great Gatsby (bored while reading, loved to analyze), Grendel (HATED reading, loved to analyze, Grendel really needed a hug and a friend), The Crucible, Fahrenheit 451, Dark Life (+ the sequel Riptide, both are by Kat Falls good reads, sci-fi and kind of dystopian), The Once and Future King

Winx Club- I think the show is trashy but I still love watching it. I haven't been able to get through season 6 though and I hated what they did with season 8 and Fate: the Winx Saga. My favorite character is Bloom along with Stella and Flora. I prefer rai to nick. My favorite transformations are magic winx, enchantix, and harmonix. My favorite member of the Trix is Icy followed by Darcy. My favorite Pixies are Chatta and Lockette.

Nintendo- mainly Pokémon above all else, followed by Animal Crossing. I have also played (mostly as player 2 or just never beat or watched my brother play) mario games, legend of zelda, pikmin, and kirby. Games I haven't played but I just liked the characters/the lore and probably learned about through Super Smash Bros. are Fire Emblem (Lucina mostly), Metroid (Samus and baby metroid), and Kid Icarus. Pokémon is where I'm most knowledgeable but you'll most likely beat me in battle. I am however great at MarioKart and I always destroy my friends at it. Terrible at fighting games though.

Minecraft- I like playing this casually. Sure, I'll play for hours and hours on end for months, but I prefer to stay exclusively in peaceful when playing Survival mode and I don't make anything too ambitious in Creative mode. I like to write, so sometimes I'll make a rough layout of the settings of my stories in different worlds. I prefer interior design and decorating when building, and when in survival mode I focus more on mining and gathering while my brother works on ambitious building projects. I just bring him the raw materials and furnish the interior when he finishes the outside.

Little Witch Academia- this takes up a smaller portion of my fandom list because there were only 2 seasons and a couple movies and I watched the whole series years ago, but I still enjoy it. At one point I wanted to cosplay Akko, and I loved the nod at Twilight through the Nightfall series. And I especially liked the twist that Shiny Chariot was Ursula, which I suspected for some time. The blend between magic and technology was fun to see, but I was so sad that the series ended RIGHT when Akko finally showed signs of magic proficiency. Also, Shiny Chariot being the reason Akko couldn't do magic was heartbreaking.

Voltron- this takes up a much smaller portion of my fandom list mainly because I haven't even finished it. I know hardly anything about Transformers aside from the Bumblebee movie so to me I just watch it for fun. It reminds me of power rangers, star wars, and star trek, and then there's just a transformer insert. But I don't know anything about Transformers so maybe the show is more rooted in canon than I think.

Coraline- I am in a love-hate relationship with Coraline. I have watched the movie several times, I've read the book, I've watched hours of theories and analyses on youtube, I've watched behind the scenes videos by Laika, and I even wrote a script for a fan film parody. I am amazed at how original the story is and how impressive the stop motion animation is but I also have recurring nightmares from it and it scares me/creeps me out to the max. If anyone asks what my scariness limit is, it's definitely Coraline.

[girlmeetsliv3]

Prince of Nothing I

~ Part One of Five ~

Release Date: March 19th, 2020 @ 9 p.m.

Word Count: 6,608

Jeon Jungkook was the prince of everything except for you…

Jeon Jungkook was the prince of everything: heaven, hell, and everything in between. His family was an enigma who came to power under mysterious circumstances and had managed to retain hold over the kingdom for centuries - even if no one knew how. There was one thing that Jungkook wanted though, something that could never be his: you. A nobody. A girl with no title. No land. Just money and a pure soul to your name. Jeon Jungkook would’ve never spared a look your way, had that incident not occurred. Now you find yourself the target of his affection and the most hated woman in all the land. Which will kill you first?

Trigger Warning: The following story contains mentions of manipulation, abuse, and vivid, as well as implied, descriptions of abusive acts. The behavior and mindset of the characters in this will be incredibly yandere and toxic. This is a work of fiction and doesn’t represent the character of bangtan sonyeondan. Enjoy ~~~

“YN, please listen to me,” Hyunshik spoke a frown etched into his pale face. From where he was standing YN could see how his leg twitched anxiously. Hyunshik wasn’t the type of individual to be easily stressed, in fact, the man had a perpetual optimism that often irked his sister. Which is why her brother’s sudden switch unnerved YN. “Shik, what’s going on?”

Hyunshik had suggested a holiday for the two of them. Though the way he shaped his words, YN wondered if it was less of a ‘holiday’ and more of an escape. From what exactly she didn’t know. YN shook her head, she didn’t understand where all this was coming from. Things had been going well for the siblings as of late: their house was small but quaint enough for them to live comfortably. While Hyunshik had been employed in Mistress Eun’s manor since he was sixteen, YN had recently been employed in a small shop in the town square. Her employer was a bit strict but well-meaning. Is it Mistress Eun? YN had heard enough around town to know that she wasn’t a kind woman - often barking orders and treating her staff like scum beneath her feet. Hyunshik though simply cleaned, he wasn’t in high enough of a standing to be able to communicate much less see her.

YN stopped organizing the different fabrics on the shelf and walked towards her brother. “Talk to me. Did something happen?” In her eyes, there were unspoken words - one that Hyunshik could easily understand. Did she do something to you? Though Hyunshik was always happy, he wasn’t naive about the cruelty of the world. Something his sister had yet to experience fully, so for her sake he smiled. “Nah, work has just been piling up recently and I thought the two of us could use a break you know. Maybe go to the seaside and enjoy the ocean for a bit.” YN smiled though it didn’t quite reach her eyes, “I just started working silly. Maybe we can go for the solstice? That way we can actually enjoy the sea. It’s far too cold now.”

Hyunshik gave an exaggerated sigh, “Fine but don’t complain to me later on,” his finger came up and gently massaged the space between YN’s brows. “Stop frowning, it’s unladylike and makes you look like a hag.” YN scoffed, “Rude. Plus, I am hardly a lady.” She returned to the counter and began organizing the small intricacies placed there. Hyunshik rolled his eyes, “Please my sister is the fairest maiden in all the land. I have to fight off suitors every day.” His tone became a strong bravado as he flexed his arms.

“Don’t lie to yourself, if anything I fight off my suitors every day. You couldn’t harm a fly.”

           YN and Hyunshik had moved to their current home when the latter was sixteen years old. Their parents had just passed shortly before and they couldn’t afford to live in the city anymore, despite them living in the slums; which only grew worse over time. Slavers often went around picking up orphaned children to either sell or trade, so Hyunshik sought to get both of them as far away as he could. In desperate times came desperate measures, but Hyunshik had always stayed on the right side of things. Even when doing the wrong thing would have provided an easy out to all their hardships, he wasn’t that type of man. YN knew this deep down in her bones. So, when she saw a detained poster pierced to her front door with Hyunshik’s name under it she knew it had been a mistake.

           Soojin knew this was a part of her role, didn’t mean she hated it any less. Soojin had woken up that morning to the advisor telling her that the King had relayed his duties of standing council to Jungkook, and Jungkook to her. She didn’t have to do it - not really but it wouldn’t bode well. Even if these were technically not her people, they would be someday and it would be better to win their favor than their apathy. Soojin was meant to be the velvet to the Jeon's leather and she would play her role well. So she had sat in that wretched chair that seemed to wrap around her, tightening every second she sat upon it. It wasn’t too difficult, most of the cases were simple cases. As she was not a princess by blood, she couldn’t make any impactful decisions but it was a bit fun nonetheless to have people look up at her in the opal throne, fear in their eyes. It sent a tingle down her spine.

           Still the sensation would fade quickly as the black mamba kept coiling around her form; a reminder that it was not her throne - not yet. “Princess Soojin, the next case.” Soojin felt her eyes roll to the back of her head as she looked down upon Joo Eun feeling nothing but disgust crawl up her throat. The lady was Yoongi’s latest fling, but she felt the need to parade that around the entire court. Though one could tell just by looking at her attire that modesty and sensibility wasn’t something she knew. “What seems to be the problem?” Before Eun could speak a younger girl stepped forward, her attire worn but pleasant. Her eyes were red and brimming with unspilt tears, but somehow the girl’s head remained held high.

           “Good Morning your highness, I am here on behalf of my brother to ask that he is released as I believe there may have been a mistake.” The commoner kept her head low as she spoke, body angled in a bow. It wasn’t until she finished speaking that she looked up and Soojin’s eyes met hers. When she gazed into her eyes a weird sense of Jamais Vu consumed Soojin. What? “Why that’s just ridiculous. Why would I lie?” Eun’s voice was a high shrill, too high to be genuine. “I know my brother, he would never steal or harm anyone. Even if they tried to harm him.” The girl pleaded. She never once looked at Eun, perhaps knowing that would be a lost cause. No, all her words were directed towards the princess sitting on the throne. “Are you implying something?! Look at these people, we give them everything. Allow them to live under us, yet they bite the hand that feeds them.”

           Soojin would’ve normally agreed with Eun’s statement, but her attention was focused on the girl. She knew her from somewhere but it almost felt like what she was seeing wasn’t real. An illusion. A vision. “There are no witnesses. My brother doesn’t even have access upstairs. How would he steal?” It seems that Eun hadn’t thought out her plan to incriminate the boy or she hadn’t expected that he would have someone come to bat for him. Nonetheless, it seemed this case was a simple one. Soojin raised her hand to signal her decision, about to wave in the direction of the village girl until -

           “He assaulted me! He asked me to bed him and when I refused he threatened to kill me.” Ah, so that’s what had happened. Poor boy had refused Eun’s advancements and now he was paying the price. “Do you have any proof of this statement Mistress Eun?” She didn’t need proof, Soojin knew that. Just her words were enough to condemn him. No one would ever dare question a noble - their words were gold. Still, Soojin felt pity for the girl. “He took that necklace off of me.” Eun pointed towards the girl’s neck.

“No, this is my mother’s. She left it to me when she passed.”

“Liar. As if a vermin as yourself could afford something like that.”

“Please Mistress Eun. Please, Your Highness.”

Soojin was beginning to get a headache with all the back and forth. She rubbed her temples slowly. Just let Jungkook deal with this when he gets back. For some reason, something twisted in her gut when she had that thought but she ignored it. Soojin leaned back, feeling more claustrophobic by the second. A sigh left her lips, “The prince will deal with this when he returns. Take her to the dungeons.”

 YN couldn’t stop the tears flowing from her eyes even if she wanted to. She’d long given up on holding in the sobs that racked through her body as her brother’s fate dawned on her. Hyunshik...we should’ve run away. There was a time for should've. If only she could’ve gone back and recognized the absolute terror in her brother’s eyes. The dread. Please. Please. Please. Please. I’ll do anything. It seems someone had heard her pleas for YN felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand, goosebumps rising beneath her clothes. YN turned to look past the iron gate, she saw nothing but pure darkness - but she could feel it. Her lips parted, but nothing came out. She was hesitating, afraid of what would occur next. Unsure if she was prepared for it.

“Who are you?” She heard a slight snicker back. YN jumped off the slab of metal she was previously sitting on. Her eyes pierced into the dark abyss trying to find something, but she came out empty-handed.

“Someone.” It was curt, monotone in its nature. Not giving much away except that it was a man.

“Why are you here?” The question was echoed back at her. YN stepped forward heart wavering, but her voice was strong. “You know why.” It seems he didn’t have a remark for that. Something inside YN told her to keep her guard up, she had only ever felt like that when she was younger and living in the slums. Life had been a tightrope walk without a safety net and YN felt transported back to her youth.

“Tell me YN, if you had to choose, would you rather be the fool or the one doing the fooling?”

“Does it matter?” YN didn’t see where he was taking this conversation.

“Better to be the fooler than the one being fooled.” The smugness seeping from his tone was palpable.

“I disagree.”

“Oh?” His voice seemed closer now, though she still couldn’t tell which direction it came from.

YN stepped forward once again, “I’d rather trust blindly, stupidly, and be fooled than be the one doing the fooling.”

“Why?” The voice was even closer now, YN threaded carefully still uneasy about not knowing who this mysterious man was. There was something familiar about his tone, though she couldn’t quite place it.

“Because the world needs more of it...hope I mean.”

“I don’t think that is what it comes down to.” YN could feel his disappointment, but she didn’t care. The man seemed to want to converse in circles and she wasn’t in the mood to entertain whims.

“Doesn’t it? I would rather live a life full of hope that the world out there is good and pure, even if it is a short one. It would be worse to live a long life without hope where I rob others of it.” There was a strong silence that followed. As if the man was mulling over her words, then suddenly there was a shift in the air: it became lighter. Pushing all the warnings aside YN took one last step until she was mere inches from the metallic rods that imprisoned her in the cell.

“I can save your brother.” YN felt disoriented as if the air had been robbed from her lungs before she even knew it. Happiness swelled in her. Hope-filled her, but - “Did you not just confess to fooling others?” YN knew better than to trust the words of a mysterious stranger lurking in the shadows. It seemed the man was aware of this for he finally stepped out of the shadows and into the light, his body inches from the door.

Jeon Jungkook, the prince, stood in front of YN with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. It was a cocky smile, the type that alluded to an inside joke or something ironic. “Did you not just confess to trusting blindly?” YN peered into his eyes trying to decipher what he wanted. Though YN was trustful, she wasn’t a fool to the way things worked. The only time a man in a position of power like Jungkook offered something to someone like her - is because he wanted something in return. The devil is in the details. YN had heard enough stories about the Jeon family growing up to know they gave the devil a run for his money. ”What do you want?”

“Hm,” Jungkook seemed to actually think this over as he glanced away from her and towards the long dark corridor. He’s trying to play it off. “Your highness?” At this, his attention returned to the woman in front of him. “Yes?” Jungkook whispered, his eyebrow quirking.

“What would your highness like in return for helping my brother?” YN had tossed caution out the window, the second she realized it was the prince she was speaking to. Not that royalty could be trusted - no - but he was the only person who could aid her. Besides Princess Soojin, who threw me here in the first place. The princess had appeared to be on YN’s side only for her to throw her in a dark cell the second her patience wore out. If she treated her subjects like nuisances rather than people, it seemed she wasn’t the good well-mannered princess the media portrayed her to be. Just another spoke in the wheel.

Jungkook could see the wheels turning behind her eyes and spoke quickly, “I am lonely and require stimulation...of the intellectual kind, of course.”

This dazed YN for a bit, “You wish to debate?!” At this the prince shook his head, “I wish to converse. It’s not often I get to speak with my subjects, especially not ones as well-versed as yourself.” That was a back-handed compliment if there ever was one.

“Perhaps if you did, your highness, you would find that many of your subjects are as well-versed as I am. Some even more. It’s a survival tactic, not a skill.” Hyunshik had always said that tongue of hers would only get her into trouble. Considering how intrigued Jungkook looked by her response, he was right.

“How so?”

“It's a dog eat dog world out there.” More like a snake eat snake.

“And yet you trust blindly, stupidly even and hope.”

YN had no response for that so she chose to change the subject, “When do you wish for this to happen?” Jungkook chuckled, stepping closer to the iron bars. YN could faintly feel his breath and he hers. “I’ll send a guard to escort you.” YN didn’t respond, something in the back of her mind warned her against this. Told her to turn her back at the extended hand, to bite it, spit at it, and never accept it. However, to do so would mean losing her brother; the only thing she had left in this life. As if sensing her reluctance Jungkook gave that final nudge, the one that would send her tumbling down the rabbit hole.

“What would you do to save your brother?”

“Anything.”

 Yoongi had never excelled at pleasantries or small talk, he preferred standing in the corner and merely observing everyone else. His father used to joke that it would’ve been better if he was born in the lower class, that way he could live his life unnoticed and unbothered. Still, there were definite benefits to being in his position and Yoongi had long taken advantage of them. Plus, the food wasn’t too bad. Although having to sit in awkward lunches such as this one often turned any delicacies in his mouth to ash. He picked up on the discussion between his two patrons, but when the subject of Eun came up Yoongi scowled. Yoongi had taken her as a Mistress simply to entertain him. She wasn’t too bad to look at and did decently in bed.

Her blowjobs, though, we're out of this world. Still, she proved too difficult to handle and had been bragging nonstop about being a Duke’s lover. While normally Yoongi wouldn’t care, it would only cause trouble at home and Yoongi already caused enough of it all by himself. Deciding it better not to dwell on those thoughts in public, especially in front of them, Yoongi’s attention returned to the Prince and Princess. Why the hell am I here?!

Yoongi had been resting in his room when he’d been informed that he'd been invited to a private lunch with the Prince. Though gauging from how out of it the young man seemed, especially whenever his lover spoke to him Yoongi was only more confused as to why he was here. Yoongi was in a high standing position, but there were definitely others who outranked him. Other’s that made for much more interesting players in the Jeon’s chess game, but it seemed the younger had a soft spot for him. It wasn’t the first time the prince had shown him a kindness he reserved for those closest to him. Maybe it meant he liked him? Or maybe he sees me as easy prey? Actually the more he focused on the young prince, the more it dawned on him that Jungkook was daydreaming - he was thinking.

“My mother has called and requested I visit her, says it’s an emergency. I’ll be leaving right after lunch and should return the day after tomorrow.”

Jungkook’s entire aura had shifted, a gleeful look now in his eyes. “Is that so?” pondered the young man, with an exaggerated pout on his lips. Yoongi had fallen victim to that trick so often he now recognized it, but it seems the Princess was none the wiser. “Don’t miss me too much,” Soojin replied, a smile on her face. Yoongi was often confused by the dynamic between the two of them. They didn’t act like lovers - no it was as if they were both pretending to be lovers and just happened to be really good at it. Or at least that’s how it should’ve been. For when Soojin stared at Jungkook for too long, her mask began to slip and Yoongi could see traces of affection and admiration in her eyes. Jungkook’s, however, remained forever blank and cold.

Their relationship reminded him of his own. “Tell me Yoongi, how has Jisoo been doing?” Shit, he wasn’t prepared for the cards to turn on him. Now both of them gazed at him with unrecognizable looks in their eyes. The masks are back on. “She’s well. Resting at home and tending to my mother.” Yoongi grumbled, he didn’t like being asked about his wife. It only served as a reminder to him and everyone else how undeserving he was of her. Thankfully the conversation had strayed away from him again onto some random girl. Yoongi let out a sigh he didn’t know he was holding in. I need a break. Well, he had been taking a break he hadn’t seen his wife or lover in weeks, but now he needed a break from his break. Yoongi was getting angsty again and there was only one person who could fix that for him.

“If the two of you would excuse me, I’ll be going now.”

Before Yoongi could even blink, Soojin had left the room; left him alone with Jeon Jungkook. Those sharp snake-like eyes trailed over him like a beast assessing its prey. Any second now Jeon would strike, Yoongi could feel it. “Say Yoongi, your little songbird, does he still sing?” Yoongi was frozen in shock. H-how does he know? Jungkook had his head resting casually on his hand with an almost unamused look on his face, though Yoongi could see the wickedness gleaming in his eyes.

There was no point in denying the accusation, Yoongi knew, but perhaps to agree would cause so much more harm. “Not anymore, your highness.”

At this, the man sighed, “What a shame. I was in need of his services.” Jungkook was baiting him, Yoongi was too much of a coward not to bite.

“Services for what?”

“Nothing too major, just information.”

Information Yoongi could deal with, but there was something about the dark look in the Prince’s eyes that unnerved him. Still, this was a test, Yoongi would lose far too much if he failed it. God bless the poor soul. “Who?”

Yoongi didn’t miss the way a grin spread Jungkook’s lips apart.

 It was hours later that a guard did appear, his jaw sharp and nose held up high as if she were scum. YN was used to nobility treating people like her as if they were inferior, but a guard? YN smiled a bit which only seemed to upset the man more, for he practically dragged her out of her cell before threading through the dark corridors of the dungeons. The castle was beautiful - there was no denying that. Exorbitant and excessive in only the way the rich could be, still the palette of the castles were mostly shades of blacks, greys, and muted whites so it didn’t appear as if Midas had gone mad. It was a fairly long walk until they reached what she assumed were the apartments. The room they seemed to be heading for was the one at the end of the hall, whose doors stood taller and prouder than those around it.

YN did note how she hadn’t seen many nobles loitering around and decided it must be offseason. Why else would they let me into a room? The doors slid open before either the guard or YN could even touch them, which confused her. The guard wasted no time in pushing her inside and gesturing towards the bed, “Twenty minutes.” He stated before slamming the doors shut. For her to say the room wasn’t beautiful would be a lie, it was so unlike everything else the palace was: simple and almost vacant. Though what definitely stood out the most were the tall rounded stained glass doors that led out onto a balcony. There was something so beautiful about the way the moonlight streamed into the room, creating a beautiful highlight that contrasted all the darkness in the room. YN found herself walking towards the doors, drawn in by the moonlight.

When was the last time she’d seen the moon? Surely, it couldn’t have been so long ago? Her hands reached out towards the handles, as she pondered if the moon would look that much beautiful up close. It must. All beautiful things look better upon closer inspection. She was so close - STOP! YN jumped back and looked around the room, catching sight of the dress on the bed. It was a black embroidered gown, from just putting it on YN was sure it was worth more than her life. She assumed she should be using this time to make herself look presentable to the prince, but all she really did was try to smooth down her hair and calm her heart. It wasn’t long until there was a harsh knock on the door before the guard from before threw the door open.

YN assumed they were heading down towards one of the dining rooms or maybe a parlor, but instead they continued to climb upwards until they reached the top floor. Where the guard made a sharp left turn they were met with large opal doors with the Jeon’s crest embedded in it. “I thought we were having dinner.” The guard smirked, raising his fists to knock. The doors opened to Jungkook sitting at the head of a table with an elaborate feast in front of him, whilst he sipped on a glass of wine. “Thank you, Jinyoung. You’re excused.” Jinyoung smiled and bowed, before pushing YN into the room.

YN lingered by the door, her focus lay entirely on the man ahead and now that she was in his presence without a barrier to separate them - she realized how threatening he was. Almost as if the cell was keeping him out. The room itself screams Jeon in every sense of the word, it's dark colors accented with green, silvers, and golds. It must’ve been the largest room in the castle save for the king’s - a penthouse in a way. “Come, sit. I don’t bite.” Somehow she doubted that. YN walked towards Jungkook counting the steps as she gazed straight ahead, she wanted to sit away from the prince but he had other plans as the chair to his left was the only one not tucked in. It was once she sat that he finally looked at her, trailed his eyes delicately across her body.

YN shifted uncomfortably aware that the evening dress, though long, still accentuated her figure in a way she wasn’t used to. YN cleared her throat, “I thought we were going to have dinner.” He seemed to understand what she was implying but played coy nonetheless.

“Is this not dinner?” Jungkook gestured to the row of dishes in front of them. Not when it’s served in your bedroom it isn’t.

YN surmises all of this was supposed to impress her, but all it truly did was make her annoyed at the prince. There was a clear disconnect between the palace and the world that existed outside the tall metallic gates. If the prince was willing to spend all this for a simple village girl, what might he do for someone of actual ranking and value? Then again he was a Jeon and their reputation precedes them, the image they conjured up wasn’t of ‘for the people’ but rather ‘for themselves.’

“You don’t seem impressed.” The prince leaned forward, eyes piercing into hers.

“I am…”

“Please, don’t hold back on my account.” Jungkook leaned back, resting on his chair. One of his legs was perched up and his hand resting on it, as the wine inside the glass swirled around. His eyebrow quirked, indicating he was waiting for a response and YN thought it best to simply give him what he wanted. After all, hadn’t he asked her not to hold back?

“It just seems like a gluttonous amount of food for two people.” She remarked looking at it.

Jungkook chuckled, “Gluttonous that’s a big word.” The stare that YN sent him had him laughing. She was taken aback by it, his laugh: the way his crinkled eyes shined and the melodic airiness of it. “Sorry but you are quite amusing. Telling the prince off for ordering too much food.”

YN’s eyes widened and she was quick to apologize, biting the inside at her cheek while she scolded herself for forgetting her place. Jungkook dismisses her apology, waving her off. “It’s refreshing.” For a second, YN felt comfortable around him. Truly comfortable, as if they were young acquaintances - not a prince and his subject. Someone next in line for the throne while YN was fighting to prove her brother’s innocence. Things would’ve been different. Things could have turned out different for the two of them, were they in another world and another time. Or maybe they were always destined to bring nothing but pain and suffering into each other’s lives. It’s easy to wonder and pretend, but fate is cruel and has a twisted sense of humor. Still, YN wondered if in another world Jungkook and her could’ve become friends. Maybe.

 “Tell me about yourself.” It wasn’t a suggestion, more of a statement really. YN places the knife down pausing cutting the steak as she looks up to meet Jungkook’s eyes. There was something lurking in them.  “Why?” The prince shrugged as if he was simply trying to make small talk. It didn’t go unnoticed by her how throughout the course of their meal he had gotten closer to her: his chair was tilted towards her, his feet were outstretched so they occasionally brushed hers, and he stared at her as if he were trying to pierce into her soul.

“My mother and father died when I was fairly young, so it has been my brother and I for a while. My brother has been working since he was eleven and I’ve managed to get a job recently,” she moved around the food on her plate. “I haven’t had an easy life, but I don’t have room to complain when there are others who have had it far worse.” YN’s early life hadn’t been easy and she still didn’t know how she got out. Still, there was always someone who had it worse and she had her brother, a good home, a sense of security. Jeon Jungkook might seem polite, or at least he’s good at pretending he is, but he would never understand what it’s like. YN doesn’t want to bother educating him, so the sugar-coated version of her life is better.

YN heard a chair screech and suddenly Jungkook was incredibly close to her, sitting at the edge of his seat. “No, I want to know you. All the little things about you.” The change in his attitude almost gave her whiplash, he was whining now. Like a child that didn’t get what he asked for. That sense of unease crept back into her system as she leaned back trying to get as much distance between the prince and her. “I’m sorry, but why?” It wasn’t a ridiculous question to ask, but the way Jungkook was looking at her made her feel like it was. “Why not?” His dark coal eyes boring into hers were almost predatorial.

Goosebumps began to rise throughout her body the longer the silence prevailed. YN didn’t feel safe anymore, Jungkook looked just about ready to strike at her but instead, he simply smiled. “Why were your parents killed?” What? “Why did you run away from the slums? Why did you move into Giihan? Why were you never engaged?” YN’s jaw slackened as she sat there unable to comprehend how he knew all of this. Finally, Jungkook paused, seeming to deliberate on whether or not he should ask his final question. “Don’t you think it’s inappropriate to live with a man with no blood relation to you?”

YN was frozen with fear, she saw at that moment a brief glimpse of Jeon. What he was capable of. “H-how...” How does he know all those things? How does he know Hyungshik and I aren’t related?

“I had to make sure I wasn’t being fooled.”

Rage. That’s what began to rise inside her, though it was mainly at herself still it was a cruel reminder that to him this was all just a game. Something to entertain him because he was bored. YN grips the chair handles to stand up but freezes when she feels something slither across her neck. Her ears picking up on slight hissing. Jungkook grinned, “Ah yes, that’s Morte. Don’t worry he’s harmless just try not to make any sudden movements.” His eyes were alight with humor, finding the entire situation funny.

The snake settled comfortably on YN’s shoulders and the girl willed herself not to cry. It would only further wound her pride and it might startle the snake. Jungkook reaches over to the wine bottle and pours himself another glass, “By the way, I spoke to Eun. She admitted to having a fancy on the boy and getting upset when he rejected her so blatantly. It’s his fault really if he had gone along with it none of this would have happened.” That wasn’t true if Hyunshik had been caught in an affair with Mistress Eun his corpse would be hanging from the gallows.

“Thank you, your highness. May I see my brother now?”

“Oh, he’s still imprisoned and awaiting trial.”

“...what?” YN couldn’t comprehend what he was saying. He had said, he had agreed. A sudden flashback of the first words Jungkook had ever spoken to her, “would you rather be the fool or the one doing the fooling? Better to be the fooler than the one being fooled.” It wasn’t until she felt the tears rolling down her face that YN realized she was crying. The next words were the ones that solidified how naive she’d been. “I only agreed that I could save your brother if you had dinner with me, not that I would.” YN felt her entire world begin to crumble. Here she was playing dress-up, feasting with the prince, trusting him, while her brother was about to be imprisoned for the rest of his mortal life. She should feel upset, disappointed, enraged, but all she felt was a cold apathy overtakes her as it finally dawned on her why she was here.

She was a nobody and yet the prince had visited her, dolled her up, and had her delivered straight to his bedroom. There was only one way to save her brother.

“What would it take for you to save my brother?”

“From imprisonment?”

“Yes.”

“A kiss...just one.”

“Do you swear on your life?”

Jungkook laughed, “I swear on the life of everyone in this kingdom, save for yourself of course.”

It was sudden really how she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his, tears still trailing down her face. It was so sudden in fact that it startled the snake, who sank its fangs straight into her neck.

  Yoongi had barely the night before images of his loved ones massacred while a snake suffocated him plagued his mind. It had been months since Yoongi had been home, but he had this urgent need to return; to make sure everything was okay. His current definition of okay meant that everyone was alive and not dead by the hand of some psychotic prince who had recently found himself a new toy to play with. It was quite ironic how much Yoongi felt the need to criticize Jungkook, considering he too had fallen victim to the same type of infatuation. He would never dare recognize it as such though, no, what they had was different. No one understood him like he did. No one would ever love him as much as Yoongi did. J-

“Duke Min?” Yoongi spun around and was greeted with the sight of a young girl. There was a sense of urgency, need, in her eyes and Yoongi thought she looked familiar. “Pardon, but I must be getting somewhere.” Yoongi spun back around but was halted when she gripped the sleeve of his jacket. “Please sir, it’s regarding Mistress Eun.” Yoongi rolled his eyes and proceeded to walk away, Eun was clearly too much of a hassle and he would get rid of her as soon as he could. “Whatever issues you may have with Mistress Eun have nothing to do with me, take it up with her or the king for all I care,” Yoongi grumbled, speeding up trying to get away from the girl but she chased after him. There was something about her that made him nervous.

The girl took off in a sprint and managed to get ahead enough to block him, “Please. Mistress Eun has accused my brother of stealing and he is to stand trial today,” Yoongi tried to push past her but the girl wouldn’t budge. “The prince has already promised his help but if you could just -” No wonder she looked so familiar. Yoongi’s widened eyes cast downward, truly taking in the girl for the first time. Fuck. It was her. Yoongi felt a deep sense of remorse crawling up his throat, it practically choked him as he saw the desperation in the girl’s eyes. “- just get her to drop the charges then the entire trial could be avoided. Please I’ll do anything.” No, it wasn’t because of her picture that she was familiar to him it was her expression. That was the exact same expression his songbird had when Yoongi had first laid eyes on him.

“How many lives will you ruin all to satisfy your needs?!” As many as it took, Min Yoongi was not a good man. He would never be. He’d been raised with a silver spoon in his mouth and the world handed to him on a silver platter like it was his to play with. Yoongi only really took advantage of it when he saw something he wanted and now he’s willing to risk everything to make sure it is forever in his hold. Even the life of the poor girl staring up at him as if he was her last hope.

“I’ll get Mistress Eun to drop the charges. You have my word.” Words are empty. It is actions that truly speak. Yet when Yoongi saw her smile, the way her eyes filled with hope, he realized that he had a lot more in common with Jeon Jungkook than he previously thought.

 YN waited among the crowd, her hood up to shield her from the downpour of rain that fell. Person after person had stood trial with whipping, banishment, imprisonment, and other methods of torture being the most common sentence. Death was rarely ruled as most of the cases were light criminal offenses. She thanked the gods, as YN didn’t think she could stomach seeing a man being hanged. Still, she knew some of the people around her begged to differ, they would scream and curse at the men on the wooden stand begging for blood and pain. It was moments like these that reminded her that although the nobility was cruel, sometimes they were no better.

“Kim Hyunshik.”

YN saw as her brother stepped up the stairs and into the stand. His clothes were dirty and full of grime, his lip was cut, and the bottom of his eye had begun to swell. It hadn’t even been forty-eight hours, yet he still looked like he’d been through hell and back. Her heart pounded in her chest as she willed herself to calm down. Hyunshik’s eyes darted all over the crowd and YN knew he was looking for her, yet he would have difficulty finding her in this heavy rain. The guard pulled out a paper, beginning to read the offenses and the verdict. YN held her breath.

“Kim Hyunshik stands accused of thievery, disrespecting a commanding officer, and assault.” The crowd began to spew insults at him, some going as far as spitting. “The court finds the defendant...not guilty.” Oh, thank god. YN almost cries of happiness. Hyunshik seems to visibly relax too, thankful that he wouldn't have to spend the rest of his life behind bars.

“Kim Hyunshik also stands accused of plotting, assaulting a member of the court, and conspiring against the crown.” What? No. The crowd became louder, venom spewing out their mouths towards Hyunshik as YN stood in shock. This can’t be happening. “The court finds the defendant guilty and sentenced him to...death.” No. No. No. No. NO! The crowd goes into a frenzy with jovial shouts as Hyunshik is dragged away to the post by the left of the stage. YN tries to fight against the crowd to make her way to her brother, desperate to reach him. “Hyunshik! Hyunshik!” Her brother looks around panicked, begging for mercy as he is placed on the false bottom and the noose is placed around his neck. It is then that their eyes finally meet, Hyunshik staring straight into YN’s eyes, his mouth moving gently as he stares at her with nothing but affection. ‘I love you.’ He mouths.

The lever is pulled.

[offtopicoverload]

Disney Princess - 3

i told you id get it out anon, didnt i? but legit, so sorry this took for fucking ever, i get distracted :)

Chapter 2

M Rating (i bumped it up cuz of drinking? am i meant to? and no warnings)

Aurora x f!MC (Rylen Damen) (if you haven't been here in a while, i changed mc to an oc, but same personality)

~3k words (not super long, but i got a jump on chapter 4 so that should be out soon)

Read on Ao3

-

Aurora Emery is relieved.

It's strange. Very strange, the way her shoulders feel less tense and the way her thoughts are less clouded as she winds through Edenbrook’s halls, steps light as they lead her to Harper Emery’s office. She adjusts her coat outside the door, smoothing out the lapels delicately before stepping inside. 

Harper’s sorting through papers on her desk, only glancing up as Aurora sits across from her, palms flat on her thighs to quell her nerves. There’s tension lingering in the air, thick as it attempts to weigh down Aurora’s shoulders, attempts to counteract the result of the trial.

The pair sitting across from each other haven’t spoken since the fight in the atrium, the only communication being a brief, agitated text. Aurora’s foot begins tapping beneath the desk, muted by the carpet resting under her feet as the silence drags on and on and on and on.

“What did you need?” Aurora rushes out, her anxiety getting the best of her as her fingers twitch in her lap.

Harper glances up from her paperwork momentarily, meeting Aurora’s gaze, then sits back in her chair, hands folded atop her desk. “I thought it best we discussed what happened earlier,” she answers coolly, the slightest irritation in her expression.

“What’s there to discuss?” Aurora counters, squirming in her seat slightly.

Harper sits up, straight as an arrow, with tense shoulders beneath her coat and fingers knit together, resting on the desk. “If you’re not happy with me, Aurora, I’d like to know how to fix that.”

A sigh sinks Aurora’s own shoulder, sinking her further into her chair, “Aunt Harper -”

“Aurora,” she cuts her off gently, “I never want you to resent me or hate being around me. If that’s starting to happen, I want to correct it and be the best aunt I can be.”

“It’s just -” Aurora’s shoulders slump, any fight dissolving from her. “It’s overwhelming. When you give me as many assignments as you can, just to spend twice the time to keep you updated and involved. It’s exhausting.”

Harper nods along, falling quiet. Her hands find a pen, twirling it, twisting it between idle fingers. She nods again, more resolute this time, “I’ll try to step back some more, give you space.”

“Are you going to go back to practicing?”

She sighs, “Aurora…”

“You’re not happy sitting in this office, I know it,” Aurora frowns across the desk, folding her arms in defiance. “You’re always upset when you get home and take every opportunity to do some real work.”

“This is real work,” Harper frowns right back.

“No, it’s not.”

“Aurora…” she warns, eyes flickering with growing anger. “My career does not concern you.”

“And mine doesn’t concern you, but you’re still involved.”

“Then I’ll stop being involved. We can cut ties entirely, if that’s what you want.”

“That’s not what I said,” Aurora bites out.

Harper sighs, her head falling into the cradle of her hands as a quiet permeates the office, mingling with the leftover irritation. “I think you should move out,” Harper finally says, not moving.

“Why?” Aurora’s asking before she can help herself, surprise widening her eyes and dropping her jaw.

“Being this involved in each other’s lives isn’t working, Aurora,” she gestures uselessly. “I love you, but we’re both adults and don’t need to be getting into petty arguments.”

“So I’m getting kicked out?” Aurora asks indignantly, her expression some odd combination of frustration and betrayal.

“Of course not! Just - Let’s take a step back, okay?” Harper attempts to gesture placatingly, waving her hands down.

Jaw clenched tight, Aurora spits, “Fine,” standing quickly and exiting from the office, letting the door fall closed with a thud. A nurse glances up from across the hall, and she barely musters as scowl before hurrying down the corridor. Her hands mess with her coat, adjusting neurotically as she navigates the winding halls. 

She’s not quite sure where she’s headed, just that it has to be far from her aunt’s office and the woman still sitting within it. It has to be far away from the nagging voice in the back of her mind, telling her she just can’t handle this workload, she’s not cut out for it. It has to be far away from the anxiety that sat heavy in her gut in the hearing, an inexplicable bubbling of nerves.

Her feet eventually lead her to a waiting area, where family members and patients awaiting treatment sit, the air heavy. A woman’s sniffling in a corner, a few tears escaping just to be wiped away by the tissue in her hands. A young boy plays with a toy car on the floor, a teenager keeping watch over him a few feet away. A man sits with his hands clasped tightly, knee jerking anxiously with wildly roving eyes. There’s a dozen stories within this room alone, each wrought with upset and grief.

And that’s why she’s here, why she’s dealt with that workload for so long. Why she felt that anxiety tug at her over Edenbrook’s fate. Why she wants and needs the best for herself, her aunt, the staff as a whole. A notification shakes her phone in her pocket, and she tugs it out, finally tearing her eyes away from the stories before her.

It’s from the other source of that anxiety, the person she was dreading seeing go most, purely because Rylen can help these people just as much as she can. ‘I know you’re allergic to fun, but everyone’s heading to Donahue’s tonight. Figured you might wanna come :D’

She frowns down at the message, glancing up at the waiting room one last time before turning down the hall, typing as she goes, ‘Only for the drinks.’ It’s an easy, comfortable quip, one that comes without trying.

Grey dots pop up in a single second, a chime quickly following, ‘Of course. I’d never presume it’d be for me, Princess ;)’

Aurora rolls her eyes at the emoticon, sending out a response as she arrives at a nurse’s station, leaning against it idly. ‘Good.’ Her grip slackens as she stares at it, one finger tapping the side of her case, a slow, steady beat, while her lips twist to the side. ‘And good job, Damen.’

‘Thanks.’ It’s quick as usual, and even without the smiley, Aurora knows it's there, reflected in Rylen’s own device screen.

Now, to survive the last of her shift - headache-inducing patients, stacks of paperwork, gossiping coworkers and all. She straightens up, exhaling deeply and setting her shoulders, teeth gritting in determination. 

---

Aurora arrives to a bustling bar, attendings and interns alike shouting and drinking, dancing and laughing loudly. A few glance her way as she cautiously steps up to the bar, ordering a beer as quick as she can, but she doesn’t bother with them. Once the bartender moves on, she slips through the thick crowd, finding a small, empty booth in the back corner.

She slumps into it, pulling her phone out just to occupy her time. She taps open the message that’s been waiting for her since she left Harper’s office: ‘I’m sorry if I upset you, but you should be more independent.’

With a huff, her phone slams against the table, and she chugs back her drink, leaving the booth for another. And another. And another.

“You came!” a joyful voice chimes, earning a short glance from Aurora.

Her attention quickly snaps back to where it’s been occupied lately, apartment listings she doesn’t have much interest in. “You always did like stating the obvious,” she grumbles. “You don’t have to check on me, by the way. I’m used to being alone.”

Beer sloshes in its bottle as Rylen slumps into the booth beside her, glancing over Aurora’s shoulder at her screen. “You moving?”

“Yes. And you’re nosy.” She slides away from Rylen, who puts even more space between them. “I’ve been staying at my aunt’s place all year, but we both think it’ll be good to have some space.”

Rylen nods enthusiastically, slouching back against the seat to look out over the bar. Elijah and Bryce are cheering on Sienna and Jackie as they down a row of shots, Sienna’s arms raising in victory when she slams her last glass down. “You know… we have a room opening up,” Rylen’s elbow nudges Aurora, a mischievous light in her eyes as they meet Aurora’s.

Aurora eyes her suspiciously, “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“Yeah,” Rylen’s smile somehow seems to grow, glinting as she picks at the label on her beer bottle. “I mean, I have to ask my roommates but… it’s not like we can afford the place on our own.”

Nodding, Aurora turns to her own drink, tapping her nails against the side in contemplation. The faint sound can barely be heard through the bar’s sounds, but it’s enough to focus on, to drown out laughter and music to.

“Think about it,” Rylen’s nudging her again, pulling her back to Donahue’s. She glances up, finding Rylen smiling softly as she stands, gripping her beer loosely in her palm.

Aurora nods, still tapping lightly, “...I will.”

---

Rylen appears before Aurora’s eyes, collapsing across from her with a thud against the booth’s cushions. “So’ve you thought ‘bout it?” Her arms fold on the tabletop, chin resting on them as she gazes up with bright, shining eyes.

Blinking, Aurora looks up, setting her phone down and eyeing Rylen and her flushed, red cheeks. “About…?”

“Moving in! Duh!” She grins, not a hint of trepidation, of reservation, all teeth and deep smile lines. Her head lolls to the side, cheek pressing into the fabric of her shirt, “So…?”

Aurora sighs, rolling her eyes, “Maybe. I need more than a single night.”

Bottom lip jutting out in a pout, Rylen tries her best to be irresistible, “Boo. You should just say yes.”

“Why do you want me in your apartment anyway?”

“Okay, so,” she sparks to life, jerking upright as energy overflows from her. “One:” she flicks a finger out, leaning over the table. “We need help paying rent. Two: We know you, and strangers are weird. Three: You’re pretty cool and we all like you already.”

“Really? Even Jackie?”

“Well…” Rylen’s voice pitches up as her head bobs in consideration, “She likes the help with rent, but she’ll come around. Swear it.” She draws an ‘x’ over her heart, slumping against the back of the booth.

Aurora only shrugs, picking her phone up again to occupy her hands and mind, “I still haven’t decided.”

Rylen hefts a world-weary sigh, her shoulder rising and dropping dramatically, “Fine. But decide soon or we’ll have to find someone else.”

Aurora nods, attention already returned to her phone and the scrolling of her email inbox. Across from her, Rylen falls quiet, gaze wandering distractedly, seeming to snap onto anything and everything.

Abruptly, her gleaming eyes fall back on Aurora. “Gimme your arm,” her hands reach across the table, keeping their distance but waiting expectantly, palms upright. 

Aurora obliges without thinking, allowing Rylen to carefully take her wrist, pushing her sleeve up her forearm, fingers barely brushing her skin. A shiver ripples down Aurora’s spin before she shakes it away, schooling her expression into distant curiosity, “Why?”

“Just checking you haven’t broken out in hives.” Rylen smiles easily, thumb brushing Aurora’s wrist unconsciously, light enough to send goosebumps breaking in a tidal wave.

“I’m not actually allergic to fun, you know,” Aurora barely manages a glare, her attention continually slipping back to the fingers still tracing random patterns on the inside of her wrist.

“Can never be too careful.” Finally retracting, Rylen’s hands fall to her lap, and despite the heat of the small, crowded bar, Aurora’s skin feels colder for it. Her goosebumps disappear, and she retracts her own arm, fidgeting with her glass.

She avoids Rylen’s eyes, staring into the random cocktail she ordered intently. “Don’t need your concern.”

“Everyone needs my concern.” Rylen doesn’t react to the slight edge in Aurora’s voice, the unspoken warning to keep her distant, like a snake’s rattle, “I have great concern, you’ll see.”

“I’m sure I will,” Aurora’s teeth grit together, grinding ever so slightly.

The corner booth falls silent as Rylen watches her carefully, watches her race the rim of her glass and stare at the colors inside. “...If you really don’t want to be here, you should go.”

“Trying to get rid of me?” Aurora’s dark eyes flicker up, finding an earnestness in Rylen’s she hasn’t seen since that day in the supply closet. It’s not unwelcome either, it’s reassuring as Aurora takes in the crease between her brows.

“Never,” she shakes her head adamantly, “Just don’t want your night to suck.”

“I’m fine,” Aurora shrugs awkwardly, picking at one of her nails. “But thanks.”

“‘Course,” hazel eyes crinkle as Rylen smiles, nearly squinting with the force of it, and Aurora can feel herself relaxing under the full brunt of that smile. The spell breaks as Rylen stands, “I’ll go but lemme know if you need anything,” tapping the table in a short burst before sauntering off.

She joins a group by the bar, throwing her arm around a giggling Sienna’s shoulders as Bryce speaks animatedly, Kyra interjecting periodically. Occasionally their laughter and shouts manage to float over to Aurora’s corner, and every burst of Rylen’s voice draws her eyes.

It’s late when Donahue’s finally starts emptying out, loud clusters of doctors filtering out the front door, most a little uneasy on their feet. One of the interns spilled a drink on another earlier, their raised voices effectively ending the night for most.

Aurora’s nearly slipped out behind a few of the quieter attendings when someone stumbles into her from the side, arms wrapping around her waist as a face is buried in her shoulder. Dark hair tickles her nose as she glances questioningly to the culprit, beaten to the punch by a mumbling against her, “Thanks for coming. Even just for booze,” before she’s released, a flushed, very drunk Rylen leaning against Rafael for support.

He smiles kindly at Aurora before carefully putting his arm around the woman waving to her and leading Eylen away, down the street after their other friends. Tugging her jacket tighter, Aurora turns the opposite direction, scanning the cars for the ride she called thirty minutes prior.

---

Aurora’s keys jangle as she unlocks her apartment’s front door, dropping them on the nearby tabletop before shrugging out of her jacket, bag still slung over her shoulder. She stretches her back, pops sounding as she stalks further into the apartment with a sigh, head bowed in exhaustion.

“I wasn’t sure you were coming home at all.” Harper’s voice rings from the kitchen, her arms folded on the countertop.

Gaze snapping over to her, Aurora straightens up, “I went to Donahue’s. Damen invited me.” The response is quick, nervous as she stares down her aunt, the very same aunt she fought with twice today.

“Rylen? I heard about that.” Harper speaks over her shoulder, crossing the kitchen to scavenge in the fridge. 

“Yeah,” Aurora shrugs, crossing her arms beneath her chest awkwardly. “There were a lot of staff there.”

Harper pulls out a water bottle and an orange, messing with them idly as she bumps the door closed with her hip, “Did you have fun?”

“I guess. It was pretty typical.”

With a nod, Harper snatches ibuprofen off a counter, stepping up to Aurora and depositing the items in her hands. She smiles softly, squeezing Aurora’s shoulder as she steps past her, before disappearing down the hall, “Take care tonight.”

Aurora blinks down at the things in her hands, somewhat surprised by the peaceful interaction. She follows a beat later, juggling the objects until she can dump them on her bed, door slammed shut behind her and bag dropped to the floor. Staring up at the ceiling, she listens to the quiet, dark apartment, and the bustling of the city outside, blocked from her by a closed curtain tonight.

A buzz sounds, an increasingly familiar buzz. Aurora jerks upward with a sigh, grabbing her bag and rifling through it until she finds her phone case. Her screen appears blurred as it lights up, and after rubbing her eyes, she opens it to the expected message.

‘Thnks agan  . drunk but youre a perfct princess :DDDDFDD’

Typing slowly, carefully, Aurora crafts her response, still grinning at the virtual smile she was gifted. She smiles too much when she’s been drinking, but maybe Rylen deserves it more than most. Or maybe she’s drunker than she thought. ‘You’re a pain but the drinks were good. Thanks.’ she finally settles on.

And with that, she puts her phone on silent, plugs it in across the room, nearly collapses into her bed, and begins messily peeling her orange in little pieces. A half hour later, she’s tucking into bed, eyes fluttering shut with the image of Rylen’s loopy, relaxed smile branded on her eyelids.

[spell-cleaver]

DAY 20: ANGSTOBER: Deception @angstober​

Part four, and the penultimate part, of the Imperial Luke AU/The Hero AU established in these three earlier ficlets. I’m gonna warn now, this features major character death, an unhappy/depressing ending, and it’s all around just Not A Fun Time, so please be careful when reading.

The detention levels of the Palace were even more familiar to him now, it seemed, than when Luke had been doing his training with the ISB and with COMPNOR and with Palpatine himself: he had already been down here several times, and here he was again.

He disliked how drawn he was to the captured Rebel leaders. He disliked it immensely—and he disliked even more that his father seemed to take it as a sign that everything was getting better. Luke would finish overseeing the operation he himself had come up with, organised, carried out and executed, he assumed, then he could move onto his princely duties in a galaxy free from the scourge of the Rebellion.

If only it was that simple.

Guilt still gnawed at Luke’s chest.

Before he knew it, he was in front of the cell—cell 2187. Leia’s cell.

“You are dismissed,” he told the death troopers at his sides. They hesitated, and he snapped it again—a little crueller than usual, which he was sure wasn’t helping his case with them. But they went, obedient as ever, and he took a deep breath.

And stepped in.

Leia was lying flat on her back on the bench when he entered, staring deadly up at the ceiling. He’d half expected her to still be in the Rebel fatigues she’d been captured in, but no: she was in standard Imperial prisoner garb, the shapeless grey suit too large on her small frame.

Before she even looked up, she was drawling, “Come to try at me again? That’s not going to—”

“Isn’t it?” Luke said coolly.

She stiffened. Bolted upright so fast she was a beige blur, and her face contorted when she laid eyes on Luke. She was up, on her feet in a second, lunging for him—

He let her get one good hit in, to his face. He rode the blow back, feeling something in his nose give and pain burst forth, hot blood splattering her fist and his cheek, then he stepped to the side—just as the cell door hissed closed in front of her, locked.

She stared at it and let out a scream.

“Are you finished?” Luke asked. He pinched his nose between his thumb and forefinger—he’d have to get to the Palace medbay, have that seen to, after this.

“Never.” She got back to her feet and glared at him. She seemed to take immense satisfaction in the blood that was spattered on his white, white uniform. “You deserve so much more, you bastard.”

He wiped his nose again and laughed lowly to himself—he didn’t know what else to do. Tell her he hadn’t meant it? He had. Tell her he regretted it? He wasn’t about to admit that.

Leia was still watching him with furious eyes. “Why are you here?” she growled. “Come to kill me in person? Or just to see what your handiwork has done?”

Why was he here? It wasn’t to interrogate her—he knew that much. It wasn’t to apologise to her—that would be moot. It wasn’t…

Why was he here?

Did he doubt himself?

Did— did he—

No.

He clenched his fists in his gloves. No.

He shouldn’t be here.

Why was he here?

Why had he let her hit him?

“You’re a traitor,” she spat. If she had been a Force-user, her eyes would have been yellow.

Luke repeated what he’d said to Evaan: “I’m not a traitor. Just a highly successful spy.”

“You are!” she spat. “A torturer, a liar, I hate you—”

And though Luke knew hatred like a familiar friend, he balked at that sentence.

“—and you are responsible for all of this. The only word for you traitor.”

Luke flinched. He didn’t mean to, but he did. Leia’s lips twisted in a vicious, mirthless smile.

“You have an objection to that word?”

“I am no traitor,” Luke said evenly. “I am loyal to my father. I am loyal to the Empire.” He… had struggled with that, for years, when his father had first proposed the idea of a coup: Vader, his father, the epitome of all he strived to be, wanted him to betray the Emperor? All the training he’d received, from every moment of his education from cadet to specialised ISB trainee, had taught him to venerate Palpatine. Palpatine had taught him to venerate him. It had been a long time before he’d accepted that killing him wasn’t treason.

It had been a long time before his father had trusted him with the knowledge of the abuse and indignity his master subjected him to, and the knowledge of the Death Star they were building.

But eventually he’d seen the truth: Palpatine was evil.

“I always have been.”

Palpatine was a scourge on the galaxy. He was a scourge on the Empire that Luke had dedicated everything to serving.

He had to go—and so did his precious battle station.

So when Leia snarled, “You’re a traitor to the galaxy, for participating in its oppression like this!”

Luke had been half-turned away, but now he snapped right back, his glare out in full force. Her eyes blew wide at the sight of him—ah, yes, he’d always made an effort to hide when his irises went yellow in the Rebellion—but she jutted out her chin and stood her ground, her hands in trembling fists.

“I destroyed the Death Star,” Luke said, “remember? Palpatine was a megalomaniac—”

“And you and your father aren’t!?”

“Don’t talk about my father like that,” he snapped. “Palpatine was a tyrant, a despot; we were always going to kill him. We were always going to destroy his little toy, and protect the galaxy from the turmoil he wanted so desperately to plunge it into. The fact that you stole the plans just meant I could come up with my own plan to take the Rebellion down at the same time.”

Leia gritted her teeth. “You’re—”

“The Rebels are the traitors to the galaxy, by that logic,” Luke continued. His voice gained fervour with every syllable—yes. Yes, this was it. This was the certainty he’d been looking for. “You are the ones who decided to resurrect war after the Empire finished it, who caused uprisings on multiple worlds and brought carnage upon them—”

“Do you hear yourself?” Leia laughed brazenly. “You were with us, Luke—if that’s even your name—”

“Of course it’s my name. It wouldn’t have been nearly as effective otherwise.”

“—you heard the pilots talking. You think that many people joined because we wanted death? The Empire brought war to them. All of them suffered, all of them decided they were willing to fight and suffer more if it meant it could spare others the same fate. And because of that, you will never kill us, you will never kill hope. All the strength of your Empire can do nothing—”

“Save your propaganda rant, I’ve had enough of that over the last few years. And it was far more effective then.” Was this what he had fallen for? The passionate words of a princess from a pacifist world, held in higher regard than his father?

She was wrong about strength. She was wrong about the Empire.

If she was right, she wouldn’t be sitting in a cell waiting to die.

She paused, a strange look passing over her face. “It was effective?”

Luke suddenly did not like the turn this conversation was taking. He strode for the door, but Leia blocked his way.

“You believed in our cause for a while? Yes or no; it’s a simple question,” she eyed his uniform, “my lord.”

He looked her in the eye. Their faces were inches apart, but neither of them backed down.

“I had doubts, for some time,” he hissed. “Until now, in fact. But you are pathetic enough that now I remember why the Empire is strong, and the Rebels were always doomed to fail.”

He pushed her out of the way and strode right for the exit, the sharp lights of the detention cell now starting to make his head hurt. Or perhaps that was the Force, constricting around him in this monumental moment—the moment he saw the truth, again—the moment destiny fell into place—

“Liar,” she called to his back. He stopped at the top of the steps, one hand already raised to open the door. “You can lie to yourself, and to your precious father.” She spat the word on the ground. “You can pretend that you are the perfect Imperial prince, a saviour, but you are still lying. And we both know the truth.”

He froze, every muscle in his body tensed to the point of pain.

“We thought you were a hero, after Yavin. That was a lie too. Because you wear the garb of a prince, Luke Skywalker.” Her voice was intense. “But I know princes. And I know that you are nothing but a liar, a coward and a fool.”

The lightsaber at his hip itched.

He wanted to draw it. He wanted to draw it, so badly, to spin around and skewer her there, watch the life drain from her eyes in shock, have her look upon his crimson blade—the blade his father gifted him because he was proud of him, because he became more skilled than any of the Inquisitors he’d trained with and so he deserved something better—and understand that this was who he was. That the Empire had defeated her, once and for all.

But he was his father’s son.

He clenched his right hand, and she choked.

Gasping.

Heaving.

She fell to her knees.

“I am none of those things,” he told her. His father’s gentle words, his love, devotion, dedication, poured through their bond and his memories, bolstering him. He remembered what he’d said—and now, finally, he could try to bring himself to accept it. “I am a hero.”

He said it with feeling. So much feeling that when the body hit the ground, unmoving, he could almost believe it himself.

[ikkos]

﹅   000   ✩     一    THE SILHOUETTE !

“See the horizon. See the sun that’s coming awake there, or perhaps it’s retiring for the moon now; see the golds and pinks and the promise of a sunny day’s blue, or perhaps the indigos and violets stark behind stars. See the one that approaches, their gait and their pace and the clothes that hang off their figure. Most details are lost to the distance, but if you look and listen hard enough, you might be able to discern their identity…”

⠀

TW: Death.

—  Describe your muse as best as possible in a single sentence.

“She’s standing on a line between giving up and seeing how much more she can take.”

—  Describe your muse as horribly as possible in a single sentence.

“I just gotta kiss myself sometimes, I’m so f*cking pretty.”

— Describe your muse’s voice.

Honey drips at the seams every time her lips dictate any form of noise. It’s sweet, delicate, gentle - perhaps, formal. She has been trained since a young age to maintain posture and reduce aggressiveness or excessive negative language due to her growth of rank. The classes have always been about creating a purr as opposed to a stuttering, unconfident statement. As, for a woman, in such an industry, one must be taken seriously by the way they stride or maintain themselves. Maybe if you leaned a little closer, listened a little more, there could be something seething in her undertones of dishonesty and toxic intentions.

— Describe your muse’s fashion sense.

Fashion to her is more than cute clothings, but rather an expression of personality, uniqueness, and showcasing her own self-confidence. From pleated skirts, thigh highs, short dresses, and high heels - she’s maintained the typical ‘rich girl’ aesthetic by the amount of high end brands endorsing her look. However, she enjoys a twist, her own sense of self in her clothings by either: cutting, restyling, recoloring, or repurposing.. which makes all of her closet options simply distinctive to only her. Nothing about her fashion sense would be found on anyone else, but her. It is what she has taken the most pride in over the course of several years as her style continuously evolves into something of a more formal business woman. No, you won’t ever catch her looking basic, even if she’s dead.

— Give a quote of something your muse has said before.

“How many funerals can someone attend before they’re twenty?” Black adorned her frame a little too perfectly for the event, at least, if you ignored any dark circles coated underneath her eyes that were negligent to constant appraisal; yet the mirror mounted in-front of her paid no mind to highlighting all of those small details to her. She knew she looked like a mess and didn’t need the untrustworthy reminder. “Miss. Jeon, that’s inappropriate.” Komi’s eyes rolled at such a statement since she nearly forgot someone else accompanied her in the tight space. “But, it’s true.”

— What fable, mythic, or fairy tale character would your muse best play the role of?

Sleeping beauty; her favorite princess.

“Princess Aurora (also known as Briar Rose) is the protagonist of Disney's 1959 animated feature film, Sleeping Beauty. She is the daughter of King Stefan and Queen Leah. On the day of her christening, Aurora was cursed to die by the evil fairy Maleficent. Due to the efforts of three good fairies, the curse was altered to instead draw Aurora into a deep sleep that could only be broken by true love's kiss.”

— Which archetype best describes your muse?

The Lover.

“The lover archetype represents play and sensual pleasure. They like to live in the moment and are appreciative of the physical environment. They try to be more attractive physically, and emotionally. They crave intimacy and enjoy being in a relationship with people. The lover archetype is also known as a friend, spouse, team builder, partner, and sensualist. The lover archetype is probably the most passionate, but they have a tendency to lack discipline. They want to stay young, innocent, and pure. They remain one of the most likable of archetypes.”

— Which temperament does your muse have?

Sanguine 21, Phlegmatic 12, Melancholic 6, Choleric 8.

“Your temperament is Sanguine. The Sanguine temperament is fundamentally spontaneous and pleasure-seeking; Sanguine people are sociable and charismatic. They tend to enjoy social gatherings, making new friends and tend to be boisterous. They are usually quite creative and often daydream. However, some alone time is crucial for those of this temperament. Sanguine can also mean sensitive, compassionate and thoughtful. Sanguine personalities generally struggle with following tasks all the way through, are chronically late, and tend to be forgetful and sometimes a little sarcastic. Often, when they pursue a new hobby, they lose interest as soon as it ceases to be engaging or fun. They are very much a people persons. They are talkative and not shy. Sanguines generally have an almost shameless nature, certain that what they are doing is right. They have no lack of confidence.”

— Describe your muse’s favorite memory.

Four years old, a memory at its earliest stage, yet so delicate and precious. The young girl trotted after her father in a near skip, smiles echoed on both of their features. This was the first time she found herself glued to the man’s side in endearment rather than fear; something of a new emotion for her to experience. But, It was only given that her attention faltered onto the beautifully decorated frames of different generations alongside the wall by her. Curiosity at its finest, one that her father indulged in while they toured the vacant manor. “One day it’ll be your’s, darling. Your own castle that you can protect.” At the time, of course, she didn’t fully understand the definition behind his words, yet the idea alone gave nothing but a euphoric feeling as her fingers laced together with his. “You can do that for me, right?”

— Name something your muse will always believe in.

Destiny & soulmates.

— Name a song that would play during the opening of a movie about your muse’s life.

Worst Behavior by Ariana Grande

— Going out or staying in?

Going out.

— Read the book or watch the movie?

Read the book.

— Talk during a movie or absolutely not?

No. What do you think this is?

— Sing to a song, hum along, or people should just stay quiet and enjoy listening to the song?

She wouldn’t be able to decide herself.

— Windows up while you’re driving or roll them down?

Wait, she’s allowed to drive?

— A wizard casts a spell on your muse that reveals their true colors. No, literally. The wisp of an aura is beginning to form around your muse. What color is it?

Crimson twirled around her in a deep fog. It felt suffocating as if air was forced out of her lungs within mere seconds, being replaced by nothing but the encasements of red. She knew very well that she deprives herself into two different personalities. She just didn’t expect the full showcase to cause such an intense pressure down against her chest. Red..? The color of love, creativity, passion, adventure, energy, and so many more beautiful things. Although, all she could think about were the color’s relativity to danger and aggression. There’s no way to tell which is the true or honest tell of her character.

— A wizard casts a spell on your muse that reveals their true nature. Smoke curls around your muse, accompanied by distant sounds of wildlife. When the smoke clears, what animal is standing in your muse’s place?

The previously suffocating smoke finally cascades from her senses. Opposed to the expected, a small fox appears in her wake, sounds of birds and leaves in the wind peeking from the distance. Many appeal to the fox as an ideal spirit animal by the way they follow signs of loyalty, independence, adaptability, beauty, and positive signs of luck. This is something she felt she could agree with as well as understand despite the strange circumstances. It’s what she didn’t know is the entire reason behind her revealed spirit; that the foxes are the royalties of mischievousness and tricks.

— A wizard (is this still the same wizard?) casts a spell on your muse that allows them to see what they most desire right here, right now, right in front of them. What do they see?

It seems these strange events never stop. This realization dawned on her the moment a figure shaped in-front of her, a figure so familiar yet unknown. The figure reached out to her with worry printed on their ghostly features. She didn’t know how to react at first, it was only natural that her hand reached out to his, an unforced smile tugging at the edges of her lips. When their fingers touched, all shades of color and light became possible. It became easy. It felt like fireworks plus all previous negative emotions or pressures ceasing to exist in his wake. She believed that this was her fate, the one she’s destined to be with. At least, until the figure lifted her small frame off the floor in a more maternal stance. Her eyes grew wide while everything around her froze. “Fa-..”

— A wizard (why haven’t they given up yet?) casts a spell on your muse that forces them to see what they are most afraid of. What do they see?

Within an instant, everything vanishes from her line-sight. Nothing but pure darkness surrounds her, not even indications of time or location. Her heart begins to pound inside her chest as panic shivers its way down every nerve and fiber of her being. Where is she? Where did everyone go? The girl paces back and forth before eventually running anywhere she could go without truly feeling like she’s moving at all. In the end, her body falls down to her knees as weakness or hopelessness settles into her bones; a broken sob stuck in the back of her throat. Being alone is the most tragic feeling anyone could experience.