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summerlovingbaby · 7 months ago

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funeral

Y/N walked slowly to the door, her black ballerina flats clicking agaist the wood of her apartment. The room was crowded and stuffy, filled with tense tears and distant family Y/N hadn’t seen since she was little. She didn’t have the heart to tell them to leave. She got them drinks and food, and made sure they were properly accommodated.

The funeral was 2 hours ago, and she wore a little black dress, that she had to buy because she never needed one before, and she put on her black ballerina flats that she never wore, because the back of the heel dug into her ankle, and put on makeup because she wanted to look nice in photographs, and thought the makeup would give her a good excuse not to cry, and went to her mothers funeral, where they burned her body and she was sent back home with a little box of her bones to put on the mantle.

She pulled open the door, without looking through the people hole surprised to see her team, she lifted her eyebrows at the group, all dressed in black suits. Suga standing at the front with a bouquet of white flowers. None of them were smiling which was strange for the team, usually smiling and rambunctious, the distraut mood from the inside of the house, seemed to infect them. Even Nishinoya, who she had never seem in a bad mood more than a handful of times, seemed to be somber.

“ What are you doing here?” She asked softly.

She hadn’t told them what happened. She found out her mom died a week ago, and it wasn’t until she received her little box of bones that she internalized it. She had been so concerned with relatives, and planning the funeral services she never stopped to realize that her mom was dead. It was so sudden and unexpected, just one day she was here and the next she was gone. She got the call Monday at noon, her mom was hit by a car on her way to lunch and died en route to the hospital. She left school early on Monday, lied to the team, and said she was sick, and the team hadn’t heard from her since.

When the team first heard, they assumed it was a minor flu, they sent her well wishes but by Wednesday they hadn’t heard from her, and her absence was noticeable at practice. She was their photographer but took on some assistant managerial roles to assist Kiyoko. And on Thursday Suga made a desperate plea to Takeda who let it slip that Y/N was skipping school to handle funeral preparations, and the wake would be held Friday afternoon, and the funeral would be held Saturday morning.

“ Did Takeda tell you?”

Suga nodded and licked his lips, he offered her the vase of flowers, which she accepted with a vague bow. It then struck her with how rude she was being, she hadn’t said thank you or bothered to invite them in. She stepped to the side and opened her arm motioning them in. The room was crowded with extended family that she hadn’t seen in years.

“ Can I get you anything? Water?” she asked.

Suga sadly shook her head, she looked so small and fragile in the large bustling room. The lights made the purple hues under her skin stand out under her eyes. She looked remarkably thin in her dress, it seemed to swallow her whole.

“ No,” he said quietly. He looked around, the house was sparkling clean, and the various guest seemed well cared for. He watched as Y/N stood awkwardly in the center of her room, chewing at her lip. Someone called her name, and an empty glass of water shot in the air, Y/N nodded and disappeared in a small crowd of relatives to refill the water.

Y/N only had her mom, her dad left when she was a toddler, and no siblings. All her grandparents were dead, and her aunts and uncles she rarely if ever saw. She planned the whole funeral service by herself, and was presuably caring for all the guest afterwords despite her grief.

She returned about a minute later and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. It must have fallen from her updo while she was bustling through the crowd.

“ Can I offer you guys a seat?” she said, motioning to the vaguely empty couch.

Suga watched her, the way she subtly shook and shifted despite her stance. She seemed to sway slightly, and despite her smile, she looked like she was on the verge of collapse. She looked thinner, she had only managed to eat scraps since Monday, too caught up in funeral preperations to prepare a proper meal for herself. And her home was so costanlt crowded with guest, she could hardly have the space to breathe.

“ Y/N,” he said softly. He slowly moved towards her, and let his hand graze the small of her back.

It was no secret that Y/N and Suga had something together. To anyone it was obvious that they were clearly more than friends, though nobody seemed to know how to label it. It was love at first sight, at least for him, he saw her in the hall, hunched over her plate fighting her friends for food, and knew that was a girl he wanted to know. They seemed to talk in a language that they could only understand.

He gently guided her to the couch, and her knees pratically gave way underneath her. She had skipped breakfast to take care of her younger cousins and hadn’t thought of sipping water since Friday morning. Her head was starting to ache from the low buzz in the room, and she wanted nothing more than to clean. She folded her hands in her lap and crossed her ankles, looking straight at the wall.

“ You should leave,” she squeaked, “ you guys should be practicing,” they had regionals coming up, and the last thing they needed was distractions. It was very important to the team that they make it to nationals. Especially the 3rd years, it was their last chance.

Suga didn’t respond, just sat down next to her and pressed his forhead into his jaw. He placed his hand on the back of her neck and his other hand on top of his. She felt so cold, and he felt warm. He didn’t speak for a moment, just let her soak up the warmth that he gave her. She sniffed wetly and chewed on her lip.

“ I’m so sorry,” he whispered, “ I am so sorry for your loss.”

“ Thank you,” she squeaked.

“ You did everything by yourself huh?” he asked. Y/N nodded.

“ It was just me and mom, and now it’s just me,” she squeaked, “ I did everything, I took care of everything, the funeral and I took care of everyone,” she said.

Her mom was all she had, and now her mom was gone, and she was completely alone.

“ Have you had any food or water?” he asked quietly. He took her lack of response as a no.

Yamaguchi, who stood in the back volunteered to go get a glass, nodding at Suga as he listened to the complex water instructions. She liked her water a specific way, she hated bottled water and preferred it from the sink. But she always put a little salt in the water because it tasted better and it generally made her feel more hydrated. She didn’t like ice in most of her drinks because it watered down most of her soda’s and she hated the way cold water felt when it went down her throat. But she liked to chew on ice cubes because she was anemic, so Yamaguchi returned with a glass of water, and a cup of ice.

She took the cup of ice and fished out a ice cube from the cup, and placed it in her mouth, chewing it until it melted enough for her to swallow.

He moved his lips to kiss the side of her face, something he did all the time, but never with as much tenderness and softness as he did before. His hand on the back of her neck genlt massasaged the area, and he squeezed the hand in her lap.

“ I am so proud of you for being so strong, and taking care of everyone,” he said. “ But you don’t have to do that now, let me take care of you,” he spoke softly.

Even under the best circumstances, Y/N was stubborn and especially resistant to help. She didn’t like asking, so she didn’t, and if offered she said no about a dozen times before she accepted it begrudgingly. All her needs often fell to the wayside, and she helped other people before herself.

“ I bought a new dress,” she said quietly. She usually wouldn’t wear a dress like this, but she picked it out because she thought her mother would have liked it. “ My mom would have thought it was pretty.”

“ I think you look beautiful,” he whispered, he kissed her again, and the sensation of her lips brought her vaguely from her trance. “ Tell me what you need?”

She let out a wet sniff, she wanted to be alone, but she was trapped in a cramped apartment, full of people she was sure her mother only talked to when someone died. She was stuck catering to their emotions, taking care of them of them, and bringing them food and water. Listening to people talk about her mom, people who barely knew her.

“ I want everyone to leave,” she said quietly. “I invited them because they’re family, but I hardly know them, and I’ve had to take care of them, but I told them they could stay until 4, but I'm tired and my head hurts and can hardly breathe,” she said, her voice was growing panicked.

He looked at the clock, it was 3:50 and no one showed any signs of leaving. A good number of them were vaguely drunk and those who weren’t seemed to be comfortable. He moved his hand to the small of her back, and rubbed in circles.

“ Okay, so how does it sound if we help people get going and then we take you to that ramen place on the corner, the one we went to last week, and we can get you some food, and maybe go on a walk in the park, with all those pretty flowers and trees and get you some fresh air, that’ll make you feel a little better, and then we can go from there?”

Y/N liked the sound of that, she couldn’t remember the last time she went outside and appreciated the beauty in things, and still couldn’t stop smelling formaldehyde, from the wake. She wasn’t hungry, but felt a sinking hollowness in the bottom of her stomach.

The team watched on in abject confusion. They had never seen Y/N so close to the brink of falling apart, she always seemed so sure of herself and confident, and so ontop of things. Making sure everyone was so hydrated and feed, and now they just watched as she barely hung on, so small and fragile. The way her skin stretched over her features.

Suga, took the glass of now melted ice and handed it to Tadashi, and traded it for the glass of water. “Why don’t you drink a few sips, and we’ll start helping people leave.”

She took a small sip, and Suga kissed her on the cheek before turning to the team, who was waiting paitently for instructions. The team then split off, going around the room, pilotely helping them to the door with ease. Soon the room was clear, but the air smelt stale, and was filled with a static silence.

The silence seemed to ease Y/N, though she couldn’t get past the subtle stench of sweat and staleness. She stood suddenly and looked around the apartment, “ I have to clean,” she said suddenly.

And walked to the kitchen, her little black ballerina flats clicked across the apartment until she got to a cupboard and pulled out a broom, and began to swep up the dust diligently. She picked up the little plastic cups and put them in a plastic bag.

“ Y/N maybe you should-” Dachi started, he was gonna tell her to sit down, that they would clean the mess later.

Suga silenced him by raising his hand, and the group all watched miserably as Y/N did her chores. She moved robotically from one task to the neck. She swept the floors, and got rid of the plastic cups, mopped the floors and dusted. She then moved to the kitchen, and began washing the dishes, rolling up her sleeves so water wouldn’t grt on her new dress.

She polished the silverware, and her moms crystal set and but them away. She then dug through the cabinet, pulled out a large yellow picture, and rather strangely began to make a large container of lemonade, only looking up to ask if they wanted ice in their drink or not.

She took the pitcher of lemonade and placed it on the table in the living room before walking to the doorway, stepping out of her shoes and into a pair of slippers and walked across the room back to the kitchen and bounced on her toes.

“ Are you guys hungry, can I make you something to eat.”

Suga patted the seat next to him and slowly shook his head. Y/N stalked to the sofa and sank down slowly next to him. She looked around the apartment, the it was clean, nothing left to obsissivley wipe down or meticulously sweep. She let her lip form into a pout, and he put a comforting hand on her lower stomach, and she fell apart.

She let out a violet sob that shook her entire her entire body, and sunk into a ball with a loud and painful sounding wail. Suga couldn’t do much in the way of comfort, nothing he said was going to solve her problem. He couldn’t give her what she really wanted. He couldn’t make her mom any less dead. He could only pffer her support now that she was gone.

“ Oh honey,” he whispered, he brought his hands to her scalp and massaged it lightly. “ Let it all out.”

It struck her then, that she hadn’t cried yet. She didn’t cry when she found out, or in the days after. Didn’t cry at all, just buried herself in funeral preperations, and making sure everything was sparkling and clean because her mother liked it that way. And now with nothing left to clean, it all hit her like a truck, and left her in pieces.

“ I miss my mom,” she said through broken sobs.

“ I know, I know,” he said soothingly. He motioned for the rest of the team to sit, and they all sat where they stood. Most of them looked uncomfortable, but the 3rd years looked like they were barely keeping away tears.

She cried for a while, until her sobs sounded like wheezing and it hurt her chest to breathe. Her eyes went dry and her face was puffy and her vision was blurred. She sat up, and untucked herself, letting her feet fall flat on the ground.

She then realized how embarrassed she should have been. She fell into hysterics infront of her friends, and most of them looked at her vaguely horrified. She knew her makeup was all smeared and her dress was wet with tears, and her face felt all hot with embarrassment. She wiped her face using the back of her hand, and wiped the snot from her nostrils on the sleeve of her dress.

“ I’m sorry,” she said, “ I’m sorry you have to see me like this, I’m a mess,” she sqeaked.

“ It’s okay,” he said.

“ I don’t know what to do?” she said. She didn’t know how to move on without her mom. She was 18 now, so she wouldn’t go into foster care. She would be finically fine after she graduated because the apartment was paid off and her mother had a fairly extensive savings account. Not to mention Y/N had quite a bit of pocket change from the photography we did on the side. She would be fine until she graduated highschool in a few months, and then college soon after.

She would be fine, but couldn't quite comprehend her moms absence. She was alone now, her only family was gone. She couldn’t comprehend that she wouldn’t be there anymore. No parents to visit her at parents weekend, nobody to stand for her at graduation. She would get home from school to an empty apartment, her mom wouldn’t be there for food or comfort or when she needed her mom. And she really needed her mom.

“ Why don’t we sit here for a bit,” he said.

Suga knew her, he knew her well. She was kind and gentle and cared so deeply for others she sometimes forgot to care for herself. She was a good photographer because she spent so much time looking for the beauty in others. He knew that she would not let herself grieve, because she typically ignored all the bad feelings and hoped they would go away.

“ We can sit here for a bit, and you can feel all your feelings, then you can change into something more comfortable, and we can get you some food, does that sound okay?”

Y/N nodded, and let her head fall to his shoulder, she used her sleeve to wipe at her face, and cried a bit. It was no longer pained sobs and wheezing, but tears falling freely down her face with an occasional sniffle. After about 45 minutes she sat upright.

“ I think I’m hungry,” she said softly.

Suga nodded and helped her stand, and watch as she disappeared in her room. His face fell to a frown. She waddled around the corner moments later wearing sweatpants and a oversized t-shirt. She wiped the smears of makeup off, and took down her precarious updo and let it fall to her shoulders.

They walked with her to dinner, and watched her poke at a bowl of ramen before eating a handful of bites, and trailed behind Suga and Y/N as they walked in the park. The pretty one with all the flowers and trees, he took her hand, and it all seemed right, and the fresh air and food seemed to make her a bit better. She still looked horribly sad, but no longer had an era of hopelessness. Suga hadn’t managed to coax a smile from her, but she looked rather lively all things considered.

#hq noya #hq #hq sugawara #hq tanaka #hq headcanons #hq x reader #hq suga koshi #hq suga x reader

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1-ichi · 7 months ago

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h/aikyuu!! where (fresh out of college) k/uroo and k/enma live together in the same musty Tokyo apartment. k/uroo has been working long hours at his new job and is absolutely exhausted. He just got back from work, but here he is again making faces at the paperwork sprawled all over the floor. K/enma sighs. They sit together at the low dining table, k/uroo typing away and k/enma checking out the newest game that launched on his little game console.

Without even looking up from his game, k/enma can tell that k/uroo is catching something. There are occasional pauses in his clattering, followed by a choked "..N’gxt!" K/enma knows that K/uroo has the tendency to avoid attention and despises being coddled, but by the third or fourth stifle, he couldn't help but worry about his poor throat. Could it be because of his job? It didn't bother him before, but now he couldn't stand the thought of all that pressure and scraping against his throat. K/enma passes the box of tissues over and k/uroo's eyes widen.

"Sorry, was I being too loud?" "The exact opposite. Don't hold them in." "Huh, was I?"

Kuroo

I feel like he would be a chronic stifler, and that it's been a force of habit for a quite a long time. He's a clown sometimes, but it seems calculated ? for the most part. He probably does not want negative attention.

people are a little surprised when they first see him snz

Stifles no hand in public and when alone. If he is feeling contagious, he'll probably wear a mask outside. If he feels a fit coming, he might stifle into his shoulder.

When sick: probably runs a low grade fever for a bit and shrugs it off. No one really notices. His next set of symptoms would be from his nose/sinuses, and it finally becomes obvious that he's sick.

Type of guy to carry a tissue pack in his bag and bandaids in his wallet.

Doesn't get sick often. Doesn't have significant allergies. But cannot stand physical touch like flu tests, nasal swabs, inducing.

Probably blames his cells whenever he gets sick. Kenma rolls his eyes at him for that.

I wanted more HQ snz content on my timeline, so here I am making it myself >_<

I'm centered around Kuroo, Daichi, Suga, Iwaizumi, Ennoshita, Sakusa, Atsumu, Ushijima. I love all the characters dearly ugh so the list keeps getting longer and longer. Hopefully I can write little drabbles or head canons of them. All is for funsies and all are my interpretations (no relation to the actual work!).

Also, my work will be centered around post-time-skip only, so if you don't want spoilers please avoid!

#k/uroo #h/aikyuu #snzcanons #k/enma

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wooziorgans · 3 months ago

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Noah hi 😊 how are you doing these days? I hope you're not sick anymore 💚 pls take care of your health (*sending you hugs*) If you're comfortable with that could you do some about me post? Like what country are you from, your fav bands & tv series, hobbies, biases in kpop... But only if you like the idea about sharing info about yourself. Love your works and writing style 💙

hiii anon!

i am still sick unfortunately and somehow caught the fucking stomach flu yesterday. had a fever last night n everything,, but im feeling a lot better today i think.

unfortunately im not super comfortable with giving loads of details abt myself online just bcs i have an online presence elsewhere n i don’t rlly want other online oomfs finding out that i write smut for fun😭

but i will answer some of these here just bcs im not super vocal abt any of my other interests to people so,,, yeah.

i am from canada wahoo.

mmm my bands/artists are wave the earth, hozier, fall out boy, seventeen (obviously) and lately childish gambino has been hitting.

i don’t really watch a lot of tv,,,, but i guess the grip jujutsu kaisen has on me is,,,, yeah.

i dont really have hobbies anymore but i guess i draw like once a year. writing is my main hobby. i also read a lot.

my biases,,, oh boy.

my main bias in svt is woozi,,,, i feel like that’s obvious. but the rest of my bias line is jun, jeonghan, seungkwan n hoshi.

my txt bias is taehyun. uhhh my shinee bias is taemin but also key. when i was a big bts enjoyer i was sooo painfully suga biased. my twice bias is jihyo.

that’s really all i can think of rn. i still have a fever brain rn so thinking is very hard tbh.

#☼wo talks #☼anon ask

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alienaiver · 2 years ago

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Chapter 3: Collision [FINAL]

Chapter summary: You're traveling to the duchy where the root of the issues might be. The bond with your advisor deepens and truths are unconvered, in every sense of the word.

Warnings for this chapter: someone gets stabbed in this, and another get an arrow to the head so uh. warnings for that? theres also some in-fighting but its not like, dramatic overkill!

Wordcount: 12k [...hehe]

Chapter content: fluff, sfw, fantasy AU, royalty AU, MEDIUM!!! angst, genderneutral reader, poc and bodytype!friendly reader, no use of y/n, more ‘your majesty‘, im bullshitting my astrology knowledge i apologize to ppl who actually knows shit, happy ending, kissing is minor but THERE IS KISSING, THERES STABBING AND BLOOD HERE THO, descriptions of fights/battles but im not very sufficient in them so it stays light LMFAO,

notes: i APOLOGIZE MY ASS OFF FOR THE DELAY. i got hit by an intense ass flu, so i could barely text normally the past week!! BUT HERE IT IS.... my god. this world. i have so much more information and world building that will never see the light of day. i wanted to still keep the focus on suga and reader, so i apologize if some of my world building has felt like it falls short now that its done. it was mostly just to show there was more, without diving deeper. i also have intricate backstories for everyone involved and love charts LMFAAAAAO. the economic history has been worked on as well even tho no economy is shown here LMFAO MY DUMBASS DOING MATH. if youd like me to expand on other characters or other parts, i might be feeling up to it heheeh<33333 ENJOY!!! im gonna go treat myself to my friend’s ice cream in my freezer JFESKJFSK

ALSO in tryibg to fix the spaces between paragraphs, but tumblr's new psot editor is messing w me. so please bear w me! 🧡 (if youd like to avoid the spacing issue until im able to fix it, theres no issues in ao3! the link to the story is on the series masterlist!) ✨

previous ┋ series masterlist ┋ first chapter

Sugawara’s sitting in the servant’s kitchens, drinking ale with Sawamura and Azumane.

Or more truthfully put, Sawamura and Azumane are drinking ale. Sugawara’s fighting to stay awake and stay part of their current subject. They’re talking animatedly in front of him but he can’t for the life of him follow suit. You’re currently eating a leisurely lunch with Bokuto and his fiancé, Akaashi Keiji, in the gardens before they’re taking their leave tomorrow and travel back to the empire.

You’ve given Sugawara time off but he hardly knows how to pass such hours anymore. There’s always something to do – so when both Azumane and Sawamura was off as well, they all decided to eat lunch together.

“You need to work less, Suga.” Sawamura scolds, his hand pushing at Sugawara’s plate as to regain his attention. He brushes him off as he stifles a yawn, “thanks for the encouragement Daichi, but it’s just sleep that’s the issue, is all.”

Azumane frowns in concern but isn’t sure how to convince Sugawara either, “we never see you around anymore,” he tries and Sugawara smiles, “I appreciate your concern Asahi, however, to support my crown I will do what it takes.”

They both shake their heads and Sugawara sighs as he leans his head in his palm, “I like what I do, you know? It enriches me. When I look at them, all I see is the bright future that shines on Karasuno. They just need a push, is all.”

They nod in unison, “yeah, there’s something to agree on. They have the proper air around them, too.” Sawamura sighs as he crosses his arms, a satisfactory smile on his lips. Azumane smiles too as he takes a sip of his ale, “they’ve come so far. Nothing has brought me greater joy than supporting them through it all.”

Sugawara sends Azumane a beaming smile, “exactly! You spend just as much time with the crown as I do – so there’s no problem, right?”

They laugh and shake their heads at him, “there’s nothing we can say to make you change trajectory anyways, Suga. But please remember to rest.”

The talk branches off to different subjects – mainly Sawamura’s complaints about the new troublemakers in his personnel. They’re talented with weapons and hard-working, but the barracks has never been as chaotic as they are right now. It’s giving Sawamura new wrinkles to worry about.

Sugawara zones out of the conversation as he thinks back to late last night. He’d found you in the map room – the room that had unofficially become your meeting place – exhausted. The bags under your eyes were hardly possible to hide on top of the greying of your skin. After that afternoon where he’d helped you sleep some moons ago, there’d been no repeats and he wasn’t so arrogant to suggest his help himself to the crown. He might’ve even done it wrong for all he knows.

You’d sat with your head resting in your hands, looking pointedly at documents in front of you but Sugawara had a feeling you weren’t looking at anything of this world.

He’d been right.

You hadn’t registered his appearing and the moment he cleared his throat you’d jumped up from the chair with fear and panic in your widened eyes. His arms had shot up to show he meant no harm and as you’d registered his face, you’d become visibly calmer.

Sugawara had ended up going to the guard’s kitchens to grab a bowl of the hot porridge always freshly served for any guards on night duty and spoon-feeding it to you. He’s sure it had been awkward for you, even if you were the one who suggested that he did so, but for him it was an entirely different experience. He’d felt your breath on his hand when it came close to your face and he swore he had almost felt your heart beating, that’s how close he’d been.

He can’t possibly tell of this to Sawamura and Azumane – the teasing would be relentless.

Midday turns to late afternoon and as the sun is slowly setting behind the mountains, Sugawara is called upon by a maid. You’re in his study and require him to attend you.

When he reaches the door left ajar, he sneaks a peek before announcing himself. You’re standing by his window, your hand outreached towards the stained glass, admiring the light’s reflection onto your palm. the sun bounces off of you and leaves you in an ethereal glow. You remind him of the bright guiding star on the night sky.

This is when you’re the most beautiful, Sugawara thinks and holds his breath.

You retract your arm from the sun’s rays and drag your fingers over some of the books on his shelves. It’s the fictional section and he feels a touch of embarrassment at your possible scrutiny. He hears a low chuckle leave you as stop by a small row with a few children’s books. They’re worn out – mostly because he’s used them when telling stories and teaching children how to use letters, but also simply from age. They’re the first gift from his mentor and he holds them close in his heart.

To Sugawara’s surprise, you turn around and look directly at him. Then, you let out a surprised yelp when you see him. Your hand travels to your chest, “oh, I apologize Sugawara, I neither saw nor heard you.” you laugh and he shakes his head and bows lightly, “no the fault is mine, your majesty. I apologize for startling you.”

You laugh it off and sit yourself down by his desk, “the lunch with Bokuto went well, I take it?” he asks as he rounds the armchair to sit down, keeping his gaze on you. You hum out a reply as you settle better into his chair, dragging your open palms over his desk, “I’ll miss him and Akaashi when they leave. You’re joining us for supper, correct? It won’t be for the full court, for the sake of privacy.” Sugawara raises his eyebrows but keeps his stare level, “pardon?” he asks and you chuckle, “I’d like you to be there. The chefs are making your favorite.”

His favorite?

The chefs – who cook for the royal court – is making his favorite meal from his hometown? A nervous laugh escapes him, “your majesty, are you serving spiced tofu to your royal visitors?”

A smile as mischievous as your personality graces your features as you nod, “I’m sure Bokuto and Akaashi will enjoy it as well! And I’m curious about it too. It’s been on my mind since you told me about it.”

Maybe he shouldn’t have, he thinks for a short panicked moment.

He’s not sure how highly spiced the chefs will prepare it – hopes it won’t be – but he can’t be certain. His dream isn’t to offend the royal tastebuds of his crown and other royal entities. You bark out a laugh, one that comes deep within your stomach and sound off of the room, “you seem perplexed, Sugawara.”

Sugawara nods, “do you enjoy spiced food, your majesty?”

You smile, big and proud, “I can take anything.”

You couldn’t.

Since you’d been so wise to ask the chefs to create it as true to its original form, the spice level had been nothing to scoff at. In your defense, Sugawara thinks you’re holding out really well, considering.

Bokuto’s handling it worse than you, constantly scarfing down the offered milk while Akaashi enjoys it in silence. Sugawara’s not sure whether or not that’s positive, but decides to take it as a win either way. The dinner drags on with the minstrel playing for them struggling to keep a neutral face. Sugawara’s not sure telling Azumane and Sawamura about this spectacle in front of him would count as treason against the crown.

“You’re in love with them, aren’t you?”

Sugawara’s chokes on his own spit at Akaashi’s blunt question during the final evening walk of the gardens. It’s become a habit during their stay, and you and Bokuto are currently walking further ahead, opting for conversational privacy for a few short moments. Sugawara hadn’t expected Akaashi to speak much to him, let alone confront him like this. Akaashi smiles and looks up at the sky, “the night sky’s so beautiful out here. It reminds me of the place where Bokuto proposed to me.”

Sugawara nods, confusion evident on his face, “that does indeed sound romantic, your majesty.”

Akaashi nods his head towards you, “they like the stars too, don’t they? You should take advantage of that knowledge.”

Before Sugawara can ask him to elaborate, Bokuto calls on them both and he gives Sugawara a court smile, “I think the chances align in your favor, dear advisor.” And with that, he walks up to Bokuto and kisses him on the cheek.

It takes Sugawara a few short moments to restart his mind, being called out of his stupor by you, asking if he’d like to retreat for the night. There’s a question for concern hidden in the syllables and the gentleness of your gaze that makes his palms sweat.

///

Bokuto and Akaashi departs your kingdom without further incident, and Sugawara feels like he can finally relax in several days. The moment Bokuto and his entourage has left the courtyard, Sugawara notices how your shoulders slump slightly as well. It must’ve been more draining for you than he can even imagine. While you and Bokuto are on much more even ground, he’s sure the need to pose correctly still lingers at all times.

“Sugawara, what does the court say about my marriage opportunities?”

He tries to keep his face as neutral as possible, to hide the surprise from the sudden question in the middle of your lunch in the map room. You haven’t been in here for longer than small moments while Bokuto had been visiting, so it’s nice to finally sit in here again, just the two of you. To gain a moment where he can gather himself, Sugawara takes a bite of his bread and hums, signaling that he needs to finish chewing. You wait patiently with a neutral expression.

He then brushes his palms against each other to get rid of any loose breadcrumbs, “there currently aren’t any official suitors, if that’s what you’re asking.”

You smile and take a sip of your tea, placing it down gently, “my question pertained more in regard to our laws. With whom can I marry? What are my restrictions?”

Sugawara swallows thickly again, letting his mind stay close to simple facts and not emotions, “well there’s quite a bit of history there. In the olden days, the crown was allowed to appoint anyone – although most of the weddings still related mostly to those of royal blood, your great-great-grandmother married a commoner – to which her son was so enraged that the bloodline was sullied,” you both make a grimace at this part of the story, “that he forbade such matrimonies when he ascended the throne.”

You sigh and deflate down into the chair, “what an unsettling man.” Sugawara nods in agreement and gently folds his napkin over the plate to signal that he finished eating, “a lot of laws were created during his reign that most don’t agree with.”

”I can’t imagine he was very popular.”

Sugawara tuts at you, “now, now, your majesty. You mustn’t speak ill of the dead.”

You sigh and give him a look – one that signals that it may not matter as much to you. Sugawara then clears his throat and with a voice pitched higher than he’d have liked, asks, “a-anyways, what brought this on, your majesty? If I may be so presumptuous to ask.”

You tense up suddenly, clearing your own throat and hastily gathering your cutlery on your plate, clearing your throat a second time before you answer, “oh! Oh, well. Akaashi’s a commoner and it just… it got me thinking, you know?” your hand travels to the back of your neck to scratch while you let out a soft laugh. Sugawara smiles gently at you, happy to hear you might’ve found someone – even if he thinks you should focus on your duties for an extended period of time before marrying (that’s what he tells himself is the reason, at least, when he’s back in his own sleeping chambers that night). You don’t bring up the subject again, and Sugawara tells himself he shouldn’t pry.

///

Sawamura walks around the map room, his armor newly polished and shiny. You’re sitting upright in a chair with Sugawara standing next to you, arms on his back. Azumane’s there too, sitting on a stool to the right of the table. Sawamura’s waiting for his underlings to arrive, his eyebrows getting more and more furrowed with every moment they’re leaving him waiting. The mood is tense in the room and you’re afraid of making small-talk – you can’t stifle the yawn that threatens to spill and look at Azumane, who you inevitably infect with the need as well. He gives you a reassuring smile and just then you hear the sounds of someone yelling as the sound of their armor indicates that they’re running in your direction.

Sawamura hurries to the door and lets out a hushed but no less powerful, “hey!” which makes Hinata and Kageyama halt in their movements. He ushers them inside and sigh deeply, “your behavior could cost a life on a battlefield,” he scolds and you hurry to get up with a kind smile, “luckily it wasn’t on the battlefield, Sawamura, let us excuse this honest blunder and get started, shall we?” you send Hinata and Kageyama a look that you hope shows them you won’t bail them out of a scolding a second time.

It’s past 3AM and the moon’s high in the sky. You’ve all rendezvoused in the map room to plan what you hope will stay a secret plan until you’ve left the keep in a few days.

The information that Bokuto offered you has meant tremendously in the investigation and yesterday you finally convinced Sugawara to let you go with them as they’re traveling to the Hiashi duchy to figure it all out once for and for all. There are gaps in the knowledge that the kingdom pertains and what seems to be the actual reality.

You’d like the arrival to the duchy to be as quiet as possible, gaining momentum before a possible uprising will occur if the news reach them before their arrival. Sawamura originally wanted two other guards with him, more seasoned ones he knows and trusts well, but Hinata is from the area that you’re going to, and Sugawara convinced Sawamura of the importance of someone they already trust as a local.

Sawamura goes over your travel route, of the places and areas where you’ll be resting. There’ll be tent-sleeping and as little contact to the people of the kingdom as possible. Your face is already known and he won’t risk this information breaching containment. His guards are well underway packing all of your needs and supplies – you will all travel as light as possible, meaning everyone will have to carry their weight. As he says this, he gives you an apologetic look that makes you snort out loud, “I am fully capable, sir. There shan’t be any complaints from my shoulders.”

You miss the proud gleam from your advisor as Azumane reaches for your shoulder to give it a reassuring squeeze.

The plan is simple, really. For you, it feels like an adventurous and exciting quest but you know, based on Sawamura’s tight demeanor, that there’ll be dangers lurking. He wouldn’t bring in so many neutral guards to travel in the radius around you if it wasn’t – not to mention his loud protests when you demanded to join him.

Sugawara had to calm him down after that and it wasn’t until that moment you realized the weight you’ve put on his shoulders by joining this mission – he’d already lost your father to a faceless enemy. One he’s hopefully going to face again if the outcome of this hunt goes right. What if he isn’t strong enough to protect you as well?

///

It turns out there wasn’t much for him to worry about, as you’re at the end of the first week of traveling with no issues. The fears Sawamura conjured in all of your minds on the night you left seems so far away now, with the quiet travels you’ve experienced. You’re in one of the middle duchies, Kogeno, and the weather tonight is clear and fresh. Spring is nearing and the tips of the mountains aren’t all white anymore.

Yesterday, Sugawara showed you one of the spring flowers in bloom. Kageyama accidentally trampled it down with the mule shortly after.

You’ve taken a liking to the night shifts. You’re traveling with two tents, one for you and one for the rest of them – you’ve tried protesting this multiple times, seeing no need to carry both when there’d be room for you in theirs. None of them has accepted that, though, fiercely arguing about your title as crown and theirs as commoners. You aren’t sure how to tell them it’s lonely without sounding too much like a child. Azumane sometimes comes in and holds your hand, but you know he leaves your tent shortly after you’ve dozed off.

Night shifts are less lonely since no one takes them alone. You’ve gotten closer to Hinata, learning about his hometown and his dream of becoming a knight. How no one believed him and he was ridiculed for such a dream due to his short stature. He’d proudly puffed out his chest the night you’d told him that you’d appoint him a title after the travels were over, “I’ll even send home an official letter to your family.” You’d added with a wink, and his eyes had turned bigger than you thought possible.

The day after, Sugawara had scolded you that you mustn’t make such promises to such a young guard. You’d dismissed him.

Tonight, you and Sugawara has the shift together. You take a sip of your tea and sigh, “it sure is quaint out here,” you muse and Sugawara chuckles, “you seem to have fallen quite in love with the countryside.”

You look at him longingly and smile, “well, it’s quite the view.”

He doesn’t notice how your gaze lingers on him and just smiles into the distance, “it is. I haven’t ever been this far south.”

You wrap yourself up more in the blanket that Sugawara draped over you earlier, when your watch started. You then gather the courage to ask him, “are you happy with your work?”

You’re not sure if he turns his head to look at you or not, your eyes fixated on a rock further ahead in your line of vision, afraid that his answer might not be what you’re looking for. You spent so many years admiring the relationship between your father and his advisor, counting down the days until you’d be the one bound in an oath like that. You’re not sure it is what you expected.

You’re not sure you’re supposed to look at his lips so much.

Sugawara sighs and stretches his arms, “it sure is work, your majesty.”

It takes a moment for you to register his joke, to understand that he’s making fun of you, your expression not as schooled as you’d like it to be. You kick his shin and he chuckles before taking a sip of his own tea. It’s elfbark, harvested a few days prior when he took you foraging – he’d even held your hand as you went over a creek.

“There’s no greater thing for me to do, your majesty. I told you, remember? That I dreamt of grandness, to help the Karasuno Kingdom reclaim its former glory before the Third Age.”

You hum out a reply and look into the fire in front of you, “do you think I shall be able to achieve that? Continue my father’s work?”

Sugawara puts down his cup and leans closer to you, his brown boot lightly touching yours. A way to make a connection. You notice the dirt on the leather. You think this may be the first time you’ve ever had boots this dirty outside of the keep. Sugawara points up at the night sky,

“You remind me of the guiding star, your majesty. Your glow is magnificent and empowering, you’ll lead this country to greatness. Do you not trust the Farseers?”

You huff out a laugh, trying to hide the flustered expression on your face by looking back at the tents, avoiding his intense gaze, “it is not that I do not trust them, Sugawara, but being called the ‘Bringer of Serenity’ feels like a title meant for someone else.” you admit, for the first time out loud to anyone ever since the premonition was brought to you by the Farseer clan when you were just short of 14. You’re not sure when you started to feel like an impostor. It’s been a while since those thoughts journeyed your mind last.

You haven’t had such thoughts since Sugawara came into your life.

“You’re my earth, Sugawara.”

You blurt it out before you can stop yourself – before you can think through the heaviness of the words. Spiraling in your mind, you don’t notice the way Sugawara’s breath hitches or the way his eyes widen, his mouth hanging open. There’s a silence stretching between you until Sugawara manages to close his mouth and bite his lip.

“Pardon, your majesty?”

You can’t retract it now – you might as well be honest. Didn’t your father always tell you to never hide any parts of yourself for your advisor?

You heave in a big breath, “you ground me. I may be a star to you, up in the sky where nothing can reach me. But I get to admire you, look at you. To be reminded of who I’m shining for. A constant reassurance that you’ll always be there.”

Sugawara doesn’t reply to you immediately and you cough into your sleeve to hide your face, not able to look him in the eye just yet.

As the silence stretches out you whine and give in and look up at him. Sugawara’s simply looking at you with the warm smile that makes your insides melt. If it weren’t for the darkness of the night, you’d know that his lash line is wet, but he gets to keep that information to himself. You raise an eyebrow, “’cause you will always be here…. Right?”

His warm and affectionate smile turns into a face splitting grin, the gooey mess in your stomach suddenly sprouting wings and flying rapidly, desperately around inside you, “of course, your majesty.”

A few more days pass in peace, the setting up of tents your biggest worry. There are two mules with you, ones that Kageyama and Hinata takes care of. It’s not until you’re at the borders between Kogeno and Hiashi that trouble arise. There’re scouts positioned in a two-and-a-half-mile radius traveling alongside you, even if you’d insisted there was no need. Sawamura hadn’t budged on the subject and the hardened look he’d given you made you shrink in on yourself, remembering the burden you’ve put on him.

Some scouts didn’t report back to Sawamura and some went missing. Sawamura’s sitting by the fire with Sugawara, a tense silence draped over them. “I think it’d be safer to return with the crown.” Sawamura says, his eyebrows furrowed. Sugawara hums, “I’m not sure they’ll do that. They’re just as determined as you are, if not more.”

Sawamura heaves a big sigh as he straightens his back, lifts his arms above his head and gain a satisfying pop of joints. Sugawara scrunches his nose up at the noise – he’ll never be one to enjoy that sound.

“Won’t they listen to you?”

Sugawara scoffs out a laugh as he takes a sip of his mug of ale, “as capable as they recognize me to be, if their heart is set on something, none of my academic words will matter.”

You’re all out in the woods with no one around you, so everyone lets their guard down. There’s quiet, only the sounds of critters. Sawamura flinches a few times but Sugawara doesn’t notice.

The mules, which are tied up next to your tent, start whinnying and moving restlessly, and that’s when Sugawara notices.

There’s a fire at the side of your tent.

He flies up, his mug thrown to the ground as he runs towards the entrance, glad to see the fire’s still small. “Daichi!” he calls as he hurls open the latch of the cotton door. Sawamura yells in the distance and out of his peripheral vision he sees Kageyama and Hinata jump out of their tent.

You’re asleep. He flies to his knees in front of your bedding, “your majesty!” he calls and you open your eyes, confused and disoriented, “we have to get out!” is all Sugawara says before he pulls you against him and out of the tent. You both land on the ground outside, coughing.

There are other people now. Sugawara belatedly hears the clashing of swords, commands and running. It takes him a moment to orient himself, shielding you underneath him on the ground. You start to claw at his arms, “I can fight too!” you yell, and he hushes you, “we’re not sure what our enemy is here,” he half-whispers as he makes a headcount. He’s not sure if they’ve noticed you’re out of your tent, alive. You grab on to the ground underneath you and manage to crawl free of Sugawara’s grasp, running to your sword placed by the supplies, ready to grab and defend with if needed.

There’s more yelling, and you manage to land a hit on someone using an axe. Commands of killing the crown are shouted all around you and Sawamura’s back hits yours, “your majesty, please escape.” He says and you let out a hysterical scoff, “I’m not”- you land a hit on the hip of the enemy in front of you- “leaving you all behind!” you finish, shouting as you kick the person away. They fall to the ground, weapon lost on the way down. The fire from your tent lights up the place in an almost magnificent glow.

Someone shouts something about daggers, you think it might be Hinata. You turn your head, and then you see it.

The dagger hurled toward you makes your eyes widen in fear, freezing you into place. You want to dodge – knows how to, yet you’re unable. You hear the shouting of your men from all around you, amplified by the sound of weapons continually clashing. You’re able to filter out Sugawara’s voice in all the noise as he calls your name – your name. It’s the first time you hear him use it and you almost want to scoff at how the mind processes all of this in such short moments. This must be what it feels like to know you’ll die. An image of your father appears in your mind.

And then you’re roughly pushed to the ground, exclaiming a groan at the impact with another human, hearing his cry into your shoulder as you both crash onto the ground. All sounds are now muffled and you feel intensely the pressure on your ribs from the weight of the other, the pebbles digging into your hip from the ground and then, then you feel a warm liquid trickle down over your collarbone and jaw. You briefly wonder if it’s yours but can, in those short seconds, locate no penetrated part of you that’d make you bleed, heaving in a deep breath filled with the dust of the ground.

Your eyes travel to the tuft of grey hair tickling your cheek and it’s then the bubble that had closed your ears pop sharply, making every sound all too loud and all too much again. On top of you, Sugawara is groaning in pain before he rolls off to the ground next to you, apologizing in a strained voice for getting blood on you.

The dagger, meant for your heart, is lodged into his shoulder and he’s bent awkwardly in an attempt to hide it from you with his left arm. You desperately pull his other arm away to assess the damage and there’s more than just one scolding going through your mind as you see how much blood is running down over his arm and chest, though no constructive words are able to pass your lips, only panicked one-syllable words. Sugawara’s already heavily damaged, not one used to fighting like this. There’s already bruising forming on his face, his brow split and bleeding. He’s groaning in obvious agony.

Words are being shouted around you and one repeats itself continuously, “run, your majesty!”

It’s not a demand, it’s a plead. Sawamura’s voice sounds desperate and coarse as he fights off another attacker with his sword. The meaning behind the words has changed since he started shouting them at the beginning of the ambush and for the first time since drawing out your sword, you decide to heed his words. You send him a determined nod and his gratitude gives him new power to charge an enemy.

“I’m sorry, Koushi, please hold on,” you whisper and Sugawara starts whining and trashing as you try to carry him off of the ground. His voice is garbled as the four words departs him, “leave me. Hide.”

You laugh, almost hysterically as you get his arm over your shoulders, “you can make this easier for me or not, I won’t leave you.”

The fear of losing Sugawara gives you new strength and while limping on your right leg, you manage to carry the both of you into the nearby bushes off of the road. You have half a mind to look back and check if anyone’s following you, but it’ll slow you down to turn your head, so you decide to trust Sawamura and his men. You know more arrived shortly after the ambush, the back-up guards Sawamura has had stationed in a radius around you ever since you left Karasu Keep. You’re not sure how many successfully fell to the ground up until this point, but hope you’ve outnumbered them by now.

The shouting becomes quieter, the throbbing of your head becoming louder. Out here there’s no light, the bushes and trees blocking off the light from the fire in the camp. Blearily, you locate a bigger bush and decides to push yourself and Sugawara inside of it to hide. He groans loudly at the impact, and as you crawl in next to him, you realize it’s a hawthorn bush. You roll your eyes; it’ll have to do.

You feel the thorns digging into your exposed skin as you try to get on your knees and pull Sugawara’s upper body to your lap gently, trying not to make the damage worse. Judging by his groans and whines, you’re not doing a very good job at it. You feel after the wound and hiss when you realize it’s still bleeding. You’re afraid to pull out the dagger, fearing it’ll make it worse. You’re also afraid it might be poisoned – would these attackers rely on simple luck that it’d pierce either your head or your heart? A dagger to the arm or leg isn’t necessarily fatal.

You apologize to Sugawara in bated breaths as you try to get a grip of your shirt’s side, ripping off as much fabric as you’re able, all the way to your back, where it’s hard to reach. You then lift his arm to wrap it around.

“Remove”-Sugawara coughs and curls in on himself – “the dagger.” He finished and you whine at his command, “what if you’ll bleed more?” and he wheezes out a laugh, “I’m bleeding either way, aren’t I?”

You want to punch him, but decide to do as he says, “here, bite down on this. I don’t want them to hear us,” you rip off the fabric of your sleeve and he bites down onto it, “I’m not sure if I’m supposed to do it quickly or slowly,” you admit and he groans. You apologize again, “I’ll do it quickly, in one”- you put your hands around the handle – “two… and three!”

Sugawara passes out after that.

///

Sugawara’s eyes are heavy as he tries to open them, coated with blood and tears. He hears Sawamura calling out, “Suga! Are you here? Your majesty!” and as he manages to open his right eye, is immediately blinded by the bright light coming in through the branches he’s surrounded by. He feels a weight on top of him and feels arms wrapped tightly around him, almost caging him in. He hears your soft breathing and sees you asleep on top of him.

Your face, beautiful and kind is layered in caked blood and dirt, your lip swollen. His name is called again and as he opens his mouth to reply, he realizes how dry and big his tongue feels. He tries to lick his lips, gather saliva but coughs instead, “in… here,” he manages to croak out but it’s barely even a whisper, his voice strained and hoarser than he’s tried before. He takes in a deep breath, “Daichi!”

Footsteps near them in a fast pace, “bushes,” he manages to wheeze out and that’s when you steer over him, “Sugawara!” you plead as he coughs from the strain, and then Sawamura is standing next to the bushes, “we’ll help you out, don’t worry your majesty, Suga.”

Sugawara’s eyes fall shut again.

He wakes up more comfortable this time, wrapped in blankets and with a pillow underneath his head. He’s back by the camp, and everyone is gathered, in various stages of bruised and hurt – but alive.

He sighs as he falls back onto the pillow, which makes Daichi look down at him, a gentle expression on his face, “you’re awake.”

Next to him, you’re stirring something together in a cup, blending them as you wait for the kettle to finish boiling – you’re preparing medicine, he realizes. You’re doing it meticulously and with your tongue sticking out in concentration.

Sawamura fills him in on what happened, “it’s the same men as the attack on the former crown,” he clears his throat and takes in a deep breath, “fewer this time. We managed to fight them off, but a few of them escaped – probably to report back to whoever’s behind this.”

You fill in the cup with the water, trying to pour it in the swirling motion that your father taught you, so that the medicine blends better. You haven’t spoken a word to Sugawara yet. He pouts, “that decides this. The crown’s going back.”

He’s never seen you turn your head so fast, “I am most definitely not!”

Sugawara tries to sit up but feel the strain it gives his body, wheezing out a cough. You instinctively reach out to help him, but recoil at the last minute as you see the hardened look he gives you, “there’s no discussion to be had about this. You’re going back to Karasu Keep where you’ll be safe – and alive!”

You scoff at him and get up, “who’s the hurt one here? I can walk and run just fine!” you yell, and everyone at the camp is holding their breath, shifting their gazes between the two of you. Sugawara groans out loud to make a point and sits up higher, “who says you’ll survive the nex-“

“I do! I’ll survive jus-!”

“There’s no heir!”

Everyone freezes. You look at Sugawara with a mixed gaze, surprise and … is it hurt he sees there? He looks pointedly at the ground as he sighs, “Karasuno is teetering on the edge as it is. Losing one crown to an assassination was a hard blow – but losing the next one too? You’re unmarried, you’re childless. Whose head will the crown fall upon? Someone with the kingdom’s interests at heart?”

You slump and almost stagger but stand your ground as much as you’re able. You look him directly into his eyes, and he swallows thickly at the emotions swirling so obviously there, “I’ll survive.” You grit it out, like it’s hard to speak, and he fears it might be for you. He knows his words have hurt you – but he’d rather have you hurt and alive. He’ll gladly become a villain in your mind to keep you in this world. He grits his teeth,

“Take Hinata and go back.”

You laugh and throw your arms in the air, “we’re almost there. Who says I won’t be attacked on the way home, then? Will I be safer with more guards or simply one? And we only have pack-mules and very little supplies. I’ll hardly survive the trip home without making it known that I left!”

Sawamura gets up then and gives Sugawara an apologetic look, “they’re right. It’s safer to keep them with us.”

“Daichi!”

Sawamura sends him a pleading look, begging for him to cooperate, “keeping the crown safe is my priority and responsibility. I cannot guarantee such protection if they’re to stray from my side.”

Sugawara puffs up his cheeks, “you wanted to send them home a few days ago!” he yells, his anger redirected to his best friend. Sawamura lets out an exasperated sigh, “the situation’s changed.”

Sugawara looks around. Azumane, Hinata and Kageyama are all avoiding his gaze. “You can’t be serious!” he yells before he falls back on the makeshift bed and turns to lie on his left side, his back turned to everyone. He has to squeeze his eyes shut to prevent tears from falling.

Kageyama’s standing by the mules, feeding them stray grass he’s found from the side of the road. You come up to him and stand in silence. You’re not sure how to talk to him, though you wish you could. His entire arm is brushed and bandaged and he’s limping just a little bit more than you are.

You sigh as you pet the side of the mule’s head. It leans happily towards you, enjoying the attention. “Should I go back?”

Kageyama whips his head so fast towards you that it surprises you. His face is as hard to read as ever before he pouts, “I’ve never wanted to follow a weak leader,” he gets out and you raise your eyebrows, awaiting his continuation. “I don’t think Suga meant it the way you took it.”

You nod as he bites the inside of his cheek, “I’ll always follow you, your majesty, and I believe you capable of making the right choices.”

There’s silence between you again, only the sounds of the mules’ hooves and breaths – it’s comfortable. Behind you, you can hear the movements and low talks of your other travel buddies. Azumane has clung to you since you came back and this is the first time you’re walking away from the make-shift seatings and he didn’t follow you.

“I think Suga simply wants you to survive, is all, your majesty.”

It’s your turn to bite the inside of the cheek at the statement.

Evening has arrived at your little camp and while everyone’s settled in a sort of comfortable gratitude about being alive and well, the tension between you and Sugawara is still pulled taut. Hinata is currently singing a few songs by the fire while Kageyama fills up the waterskins for tomorrow’s continued travels.

“Sugawara, a moment if you will.”

Sugawara puts the ladle back down into the pot of porridge with gracious speed compared to the damage of his injury before he straightens his back and replies to you, just as coldly as you had to him, “of course, your majesty. How may I assist you?”

Azumane and Sawamura can scarcely keep the smiles off of their faces at the display in front of them, entirely too childish and immature – not befitting of the crown and their advisor at all. Not to mention the way they’re all unceremoniously huddled under blankets around the fire, their ruler in the same, commoner survival gear as them. You look nothing like royalty after last night’s attack, so your speech mannerisms seem almost out of character. Sawamura’s just glad they brought a few extra uniforms with them since everything in your tent turned to ashes.

You pull out a map and beckon him closer. Sawamura doesn’t miss the way Sugawara rolls his eyes ever so slightly yet gets up from his crouched position to be by your side at your request. Your quarrel today is still heavy in the air and Azumane fears for the night shift the two of you are supposed to have at nightfall. He knows how you both can be stubborn and volatile and he’s not sure he’ll be able to sleep soundly.

Your talk remains civil as you go through the final stretch of your journey on the map, talking strategies. Sawamura altered the route earlier today to shake off possible attackers in case there’d been a mole in his scouting groups. He’d also sent one back to the keep requesting back up – he’s not sure they’ll get there in time, even if their travels won’t be on foot.

The night shift is entirely quiet. Sugawara’s stiff through the first few hours, waiting for you to yell at him, chide him, anything. But you stay silent, only occasionally getting up to fetch fresh water from the kettle by the fire. He thinks he’d rather want a scolding at this point.

You then gasp out loud and his fight or flight reacts immediately, his body tensing, ready to jump up at any given demand. He may be hurt, but he’s sure he’d still be able to defend you – at least until Sawamura woke up. He then looks to you, and your eyes are fixated on the sky above you. There’s a shimmer reflected in your eyes that makes his pose relax, the half-smile you’re adorning that makes him unclench his fists.

“There was a shooting star,” you explain and keep your gaze fixed up. Sugawara looks up at the immense horizon, the stars illuminating the pitch-black darkness. “Right there,” you point up even if the action is meaningless since your perspective is different from his, “right by Orion.”

That doesn’t help him, so he just stares up at the sky, “I think Cygnus is visible on the sky tonight as well.” You bite your underlip in concentration as your eyes flicker around and Sugawara finds himself looking more intently at you than at the heavens. A triumphant smile appears on your face, “yep, it’s right there north of the guiding star!” you say and Sugawara hangs his head low as he admits his biggest academic flaw to date, “I can’t navigate the stars.”

There’s silence from you and he finally gathers the courage to look up at you. The moment your eyes meet his apologetic ones, you can’t stop yourself from bursting out into a laugh. He seems genuinely sorry that he’s unable to locate a constellation and the blanket of tension between you dissipates immediately at his confession. You wipe a stray tear from your lash line as Sugawara pouts next to you, “it’s okay,” you manage to say between laughs as you start to quiet down again, “I can show you.”

You shuffle closer to Sugawara – closer than he thinks you’ve been before and he swallows thickly – and put your head by his shoulder. Sugawara holds his breath. You raise your arm to point, “do you see the bright star there? It’s Deneb, there’s three stars aligning with it horizontally,” you say and Sugawara thinks he knows where you’re talking about. You sigh before you continue, “the star directly next to Deneb, there’s stars that go vertically,” you point your finger a little higher slowly as you count, “one a little distance away and then,” you lick your lips subconsciously, “two, three and four.”

Sugawara’s getting cross-eyed by the closeness but wills his mind to focus entirely on your hand and the stars above. He sees the pattern you’re mentioning, “Cygnus means swan, right?” he asks and you nod. In nodding, your head touches his shoulder – you decide to lean into that with a sigh, “yeah, it’s the swan constellation. It means summer’s coming.”

Sugawara dares not move, lest you pull back from him. Only once has he felt your weight like this on him, and he never imagined himself lucky enough to experience it twice. He can feel your body temperature mingle with his own and when he exhales slowly, he can actually see his breath. He notices your slight shiver. It’s unseasonably cold for this time of year, “it’s the clear skies. There’s nothing to tie down the heat.” you say while stifling a yawn.

Did Sugawara speak out loud? He simply nods, unable to form the proper words he wants to articulate. All these years reading books and learning about the human mind and he can’t even hold a conversation with you. He wants to lean onto you as well, but he doesn’t.

You climb out of the tent bright and early, stretching your limbs. You enjoy sleeping in but admittedly sleeping next to three grown and snoring men made it easier to get up with the sun. Azumane greets you from the fireplace and hands you a cup of tea as you settle down.

Today, Hinata is leaving ahead of you to see if he can either gain information or trust. He’s from the duchy – even if he grew up on the borders of it, on the other side of the mountain, it might help that a local arrives. He’s preparing a packing mule for traveling together with Sawamura, trying to make it appear that he’s been traveling alone. You’re lucky he didn’t get visibly hurt during the assault.

When he’s packed and ready to leave, you approach him, “thank you, Hinata, for doing this,” you say with a gentle smile that makes Hinata tense up in excitement from your acknowledgement. He then salutes you, “of course, your majesty! I shall do my utmost to help.”

He sounds knightly and ready, if it weren’t for the rumbling of his stomach a few short moments after his declaration. He curls in on himself with an apology dripping from his mouth. You notice the signs in him as the signs you had back when you became Crown-in-Waiting. You bend down to lock eyes with him, “you’re going to do great, no matter the outcome.” You hope you give a sufficient enough smile as you rest a hand on his shoulder, “we’ll arrive after nightfall as well, so it won’t be long before we’re united again, okay?”

He inhales slowly, holds it, and while straightening his back, exhales slowly again. He seems more determined as he gives you a big smile, “thank you, your majesty.” he says as he gets ready to leave you.

After Hinata’s left, you’re all by the campfire, eating a small provisional breakfast. Kageyama’s trying to sleep a few hours before you leave after having the final part of the night shift. Sawamura scratches at his ever-growing beard and you smile, “it’s really grown out these days, huh.” You say and he laughs. One of those deep ones that rumbles from his stomach, “I admit I have forgotten to pack a proper looking glass and blade.”

You smile and take a bite out from the small bowl on your lap, “it suits you. Beards are very handsome.”

Next to you, Sugawara chokes on a piece of bread. With a worried look you turn to him, leaning in to see if he’s alright. You pat his back and he raises an arm, “I’m okay, your majesty,” he manages to wheeze out and you smile, “you have to be careful.”

Sugawara nods as he wipes off his mouth with his sleeve. He freezes when he feels the pad of your fingers against his cheek, “you haven’t grown out much hair,” you absentmindedly state, eyes locked on his lips, the valley of his cupids bow as you feel the softness of his skin. You’re pulled out of your daze by the roaring laughter around you. You look to Sawamura and Azumane who’s both wheezing out, Sawamura hitting his thigh too in order to control his laughter. Sugawara pouts and scolds them, “shut up you two!” he tries, but they hardly listen.

You laugh at the antics in front of you, “did I say something amiss?” you ask and Azumane heaves in a breath, “Suga’s never been able to grow a beard, it’s his insecurity, your majesty.”

“Hey!” Sugawara yells and your eyes trace back to him, he’s pointing at Azumane with his butter knife, “stop telling people about that!” he side-eyes you for a second and then, in a frustrated whisper adds, “especially them!” as if you wouldn’t be able to hear him.

Sawamura laughs, “when we were little, Suga drew a picture of us grown up, and he had this big beard on the drawing – so you can imagine his disappointment,” he jokes and you laugh. Sugawara mumbles out unintelligible yet clearly annoyed words.

“Yeah, in front of the castle, right?” Sawamura asks and Azumane confirms, “yeah, he drew it shortly before I left as my parting gift. I still have it in my chambers.”

You look around at the three men in front of you with slight confusion, “you grew up together?”

They all return your confused look, staring at you as if you’d just grown three heads and not simply asked an innocent question. Azumane smiles, “did I fail to mention so, your majesty? We’re all from the same hometown.”

You nod as you piece together the childhood stories you’ve gotten before from both Azumane and Sugawara. Like a painting receiving it’s finer lines, you start to visualize who was with them in the stories they’ve told. You raise a hand to your mouth as you bark out a laugh, “I didn’t realize! But I can see how it makes sense…”

You sigh, “…must be nice, to stay so close after so many years.”

They all nod, solemnly, and the rest of the breakfast is finished in silence. It’s comfortable, but there’s a fog around you that Sugawara can’t seem to see through. He’s not sure how to give you any reassuring words.

///

When you arrive at the outskirts of town, there’s quiet. You can see the light from the houses littering the scenery and nothing seems amiss. There’re still a few miles to the center of the town, so you stretch your arms over your head as you straighten your back. Sawamura is by your side instantly, “do you need a break, your majesty?” he asks and you smile at him as you shake your head, “I’m fine, Sawamura. Thank you, though.”

Sugawara and Kageyama are walking behind with the remaining mule and Azumane’s walking a few steps ahead. Sawamura paces his walking to yours, and a comfortable silence settles over you as you take in your surroundings.

You heave in a breath to gather courage and clench your fists at your sides, then you turn to Sawamura, “ho- “your voice is higher pitched than you’d like, so you steel yourself again, “how was Sugawara as a child?”

Sawamura looks at you, startled to begin with but loosens up with a sort of fatherly smile. He looks up at the sky as you continue walking side by side, “Suga? He’s not much different now, I’d say. He’s mischievous when he wants to be, but other than that he’s got a stout heart – he doesn’t sway easily.”

You nod, playing with your fingers to alleviate your own nervousness. Sawamura sighs, “he’s always there for the people he cares about. He picked a fight with some older guys when we were kids, because they picked on his brother.” Sawamura chuckles at the memory.

“He’s a romantic, too.” Sawamura adds and it sounds much like an afterthought to you, but if Sugawara had heard him say those words to you, he’d scolded him. You feel your pulse quicken from something other than the brisk pace you’re walking as you hurry to avert your eyes to the ground. You’re about to say something when you’re abruptly interrupted, “psst!”

You all turn your heads to the hedge you’re walking next to, Sawamura already holding onto the handle of his sword, ready to fight if necessary. It’s an elderly lady in a cloak looking directly at you. She’s so small that her head is barely above the hedge’s edge. “Who walks there?” Sawamura demands, all loud and imposing but she hurries to hush him, “quiet! Come in quickly, before everyone knows you’ve arrived.”

She motions for you all to come in through the gates to the modest house. Inside, there’s lights in one of the rooms and you can see someone else walking around.

“Daichi.” Sugawara says from behind you, his voice level and even. You can hear the coldness to it, his message clear that he does not trust this lady. You smile gently at her as she tries to make you hurry, “if they spot you there’ll be trouble, so please, your majesty.”

That makes all of you tense up and Sawamura hurries to drag out his sword, pointing it towards her. He asks you to stand back but you walk closer to the gate, and lower Sawamura’s sword with your hand as you pass him, “I believe we can trust her.”

You’re not sure why. You have no recollection of meeting this woman, but you feel safe when you lock eyes with her. She bows slightly and opens the gates for you, “the mule can grass behind the house, just hurry.”

When you’re inside, you’re seated by a table. Sawamura and Sugawara’s standing by the entrance with their arms crossed, not happy with your decision to come inside and they’re not afraid to make it known. Azumane’s sitting with you, profusely apologizing for your company’s manners. You’re all waiting in awkward silence for Kageyama to walk in through the door after securing the mule to a post.

There’s another woman humming as she’s preparing a kettle of water. You can’t determine her age, but she isn’t much younger than the other one. You faintly recognize the melody she’s humming, but you cannot place it. When you finally ask her where the melody is from, she chuckles as she answers you, “it’s my own. I sang it for my son when he was just a babe.” She hands you a steaming hot cup of tea and you bow to her as you hurry to thank her – both for the cup of tea but certainly also for the hospitality – even if the circumstances seem dubious to your traveling company.

The door from the gardens open and Kageyama treads in with the elderly lady in hand, helping her up the heightened steps. “Oh, your majesty, I’m so delighted you’ve been tended to,” the elderly lady exclaims happily, excusing herself as she walks past Sawamura and Sugawara, who both declined any refreshments.

“I believe an introduction’s in order.” She says nonchalantly, seating herself next to you, “I’m Takeda Airi,” she bows to you unceremoniously before she grabs one of the pastries from the center of the table. Both you and Sugawara perk up and take a look at each other, recognizing the name immediately.

She lets out a shrill laugh, “you two can’t be fooled, I take it.” She notices, and you smile sheepishly, “am I wrong to assume Takeda Ittetsu is a family member of yours?” you ask, putting down your cup on the table. Airi hands you a pastry without asking if you wanted any, and the other woman scolds her, “mother! Don’t force feed the crown!”

She waves her off, “Ittetsu told me that the crown loves sweet things. Which is why I had you baking!”

You can’t help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation. You’d never known your tutoring scribe’s family history or ever imagined yourself in his family’s home. Airi seems special and almost familiar to you, now that you can take a better look at her. Her nose is rounded and flat, while her eyes are still big and all-seeing. When she catches you staring, you straighten your back. She smiles knowingly, “you’ve realized we’ve met before.” She states, and Sugawara walks over to stand by your side. You’re not sure of his intentions.

You’re about to ask her to make sense of this feeling in you when she claps her hands together, “we don’t have time for the past! Your majesty, you must leave.”

“Leave?” you exclaim, not able to hold back a grimace. She nods, “this duchy does not see you in a very good light. Your very life is in danger just by being here.”

Your throat feels dry but your mouth waters in anxiety. You try to gulp but feel unable to. Sugawara puts a hand on your shoulder, “with all due respect, we came to figure out why.”

Airi nods before giving Sugawara a grim look, “you have been doing a poor job, advisor. Letting your crown come so far into a lion’s den.” Everyone tenses, Sawamura and Kageyama take another battle stance at her comment. She then lets out another shrill laugh, “oh I don’t mean me, obviously! The town! The duchy!” she raises her arms to further her point, “the duke is not to be trusted.”

The other woman sighs, “mother, you’re confusing them,” she then turns to you all with a warm smile, “I’m Hina. Ittetsu’s mother.”

You take a bite of the pastry shoved in your hands earlier. She then sighs and look out the window, clenching her fists by her chest, “Duke Takashi killed your father.”

The air gets hard to breathe. It’s like there isn’t any air in the air you were breathing, your throat feeling tight; mouth numb. The ringing in your ears become distinctly louder and your blood feels heavy, rushing through you. In a far corner of your sense of self, you feel the hand on your shoulder tighten. You think the pastry in your hand might’ve fallen to the ground. The sweet aftertaste of cinnamon lingers on your tastebuds, suffocating you.

You register the raised voices around you, but none of the words gets processed. Your eyes are open but they’re looking inwards. There’s a burning wire of fire in your heart, ablaze and uncontrollable. You think you hear your father’s voice somewhere, repeating your name. As the voice gets clearer and clearer, the sound of your name gets more and more distorted.

You heave in a desperate breath as you’re pulled back to reality. Airi’s hand is touching yours, her ring cold on your skin. You recognize it immediately, the Black wings of the Crow crafted into a ring instead of a pin. You look at her with questioning eyes and she smiles gently, “one thing at a time, my dearest. Now, take a deep breath for me.”

She takes deep breaths to instruct you and you seem to follow them with ease. Sugawara tries to relax next to you, but he can’t deny the bizarreness of this entire situation. He holds his breath until yours is back under control.

Hina asks Sawamura and Kageyama to sit down as well as she starts explaining. Duke Takashi came into his dukedom shortly before the drought, known locally as the power-hungry, youngest son of the Takashi family. His older brother tragically died in a housefire shortly before ascending his duty and therefor Takashi stood to inherit it all.

There was a big change of staff when he entered his role, new rules bestowed upon the duchy.

“After the drought, he held an assembly to tell us of the kingdom’s decision of abandonment.”

Sugawara raises an eyebrow. No such decision was ever made – or even discussed. Hina smiles patiently, “you all looked confused. See, Duke Takashi is good at many things. Manipulating and isolating his duchy is undoubtedly his strongest suit.”

Airi scoffs and interrupts, “that snake.”

Hina nods, agreeing with her mother, “the treaty with Fukurodani Empire was still new at the time and he used it to his advantage. Made us believe that the crown was trying to give us up, abandon us.”

You suck in your teeth, fear gripping at your heart as you try to steady the beating. Hina continues, “your father did a lot of good things for the duchy during the crisis. He even came here, in this very kitchen, with food to help sustain us – and a lot of other homes.”

Airi sighs, “but time does as time does best. If it is not taken care of, it forgets. It leaves behind knowledge.”

“But what does that have to do with Duke Takashi?” Sugawara asks, though he thinks he might’ve pieced it together by now. He doesn’t like where it’s going.

Airi’s about to open her mouth and speak more when Hina hisses, “they’re here.”

You whip your head to the window and through the darkness of the outside, you make out a few torches and movement. More detailed it won’t become, so long as there’s light in the house.

“Hide, upstairs!” Airi says as she pulls you up from your chair with surprising strength. Sugawara grabs your hand and leads you first towards the stairs he noticed at the back of the hallway when they arrived. He hears the others are right behind the two of you.

You take a look back and see Airi smile gently at you, tapping her ring finger with her other hand. You know it means her allegiance lies with you, though fear still has a wholesome grip around your throat. You’re not sure what’s going to happen, but you know nothing must happen to her.

You’re huddled in the back with Azumane and Sugawara hovering over you, arms around you protectively, as Sawamura and Kageyama stand ready with weapons in case anyone will show up.

You hear the muffled noise of knocking on the door and Airi tiredly yelling she’s on her way when the knocking becomes more aggressive. You strain your eyes to listen to the words spoken but can only make out the hostility of the voice speaking, not the words. The voices raise and you hear something being thrown, which makes your body react before you can really think your actions through.

You jump up from your bent position, passing Sawamura and Kageyama before they can even react to your actions, jumping – and almost falling – down the stairs, a determined glare in your eyes. You see Airi on the floor next to the stool she’d been pushed towards and Hina crouched by her, holding up her head. Airi looks at you and yells out a “no!” but you only have eyes for the man who still has his arm raised from the push.

Duke Takashi.

When he sees you, a sinister grin appears on his face. He pulls back his arm and readjusts his sleeve, as if the wrinkles he’d gotten from his violence was more revolting than the action itself.

“Oh, your majesty, what brings you here? What a pleasant surprise.”

You scoff, “surprise?”

You hear the others hurry down the stairs to you but before they can round the corner, Takashi’s already jumped into action, pulling your back close to him with a knife to your throat. Involuntarily, you let out a whine from the impact as you try to scratch at his arms, kick his legs, anything.

But he doesn’t budge. He merely kicks at Airi as if your struggle was a daytime breeze.

“Get Airi and Hina away from here!” you choke out between labored breaths, and Sawamura orders Kageyama help them get up and behind them.

“Let them go, Duke Takashi and you shan’t be punished.”

Takashi laughs again as he starts walking backwards and out of the house with you in tow, “oh I don’t believe that at all, you simple knights have no honor left.”

Outside, a mob has gathered. It’s the people of the town, and they’re all making way for Takashi to hold you in the center, demanding their attention.

“Everyone! We have them in our grasp!” he starts, toying with the knife close to your throat, laughing triumphantly.

“Our plans had setbacks, sure, but now we can reclaim the full prize. There is simply no heir to take the throne and what will happen when they tragically pass due to a group of bandits? I, Duke Takashi, will of course lend my aid to the kingdom.”

Sugawara clenches his fists, “there’ll be no place for you on the throne!” he yells, and one of Takashi’s guardsmen takes a hold of him. “Let me go!” he yells, but it’s futile. His shoulder’s acting up and the fatigue from the other bruises that he’d hidden well from you, is catching up to him. He’s powerless. He sends Sawamura a pleading look, but his look is steeled entirely on you, sword raised as he tries to figure out what to do. How to get you back safe.

“Won’t there? You’re the advisor, Sugawara, so tell me. What happens if there’s no one to ascend the throne? Hm? That’s right, the dukes are put to a vote to become stewards of the kingdom.”

“As if they’d vote for you!” Sugawara spits back and the guard tightens his grip on Sugawara’s arms, making him kneel. You whine at seeing him being hurt.

“Oh, so you think I’ve been snoozing the past five or so years? You haven’t noticed the good relations I’ve been making with the other duchies? The aid I’ve provided them?”

Sugawara’s eyes widen. The lowered tax – Sugawara had assumed that Takashi had kept the money to himself instead of giving it to his duchy, that he’d hoarded wealth for his own gain – but the plot had been much bigger than Sugawara had caught on to. This was more than just stealing money from his own duchy.

It’s a coup d’état.

A carefully planned one at that.

You scratch at his arms and he groans, “stop moving, your majesty, I’ll finish this soon enough.” He says your title mockingly. You hear the sound of crows cawing somewhere in the distance.

“You stole your people’s money!” you manage to yell out as you kick his knee. Takashi yells out as he hits your head with the blunt end of the blade, making you disoriented.

The guard holding Sugawara tightly suddenly loosens his grip – not enough to be visible to anyone else, but certainly felt by Sugawara. Sugawara notices some of the guards looking around at each other, their angry and victorious faces going pale, confused, questioning.

Sugawara takes his chances, “you stole the much-needed money from a hurt duchy and redistributed it to other well-functioning duchies, didn’t you? The crown lowered the taxes to help the people here, but you didn’t lower their payments!”

More confusion, more questions.

Sawamura smiles confidently but with reprehension still as he quietly says, “these people are helping you on false pretenses, aren’t they? Do they know the truth?”

Takashi starts backing away more, tightening his grip on your throat. You try to resist, but he’s strong – and the knife is lodged so close, that you can feel the sting of the blade. Your head pounds, making your vision blurry. You feel blood tickle down your brow. You have to trust your men.

You detect panic in his voice as he frantically starts explaining to his men how they’d get in on his success, too. How he’d share the riches of the kingdom with them. One yells back, “there was riches! But you took them!”

“My daughter passed away because you said we couldn’t afford to pay the local doctor to stay in town!” another yells, anguished.

Words like worthy sacrifice, small evils needed and desperate attempts to convince them of his righteousness is thrown around, but he’s frantically grasping at straws now that he’s been exposed.

He pushes the blade enough to break skin. Sugawara calls your name again and you almost smile. You must be delirious from the pain because somehow you feel happy that he called your name again. You never thought you’d hear it again, much less this soon. He calls it with a hoarser voice and as the guard lets go of him, you can see he intends to run to you. Sawamura stops him with an arm and the yelling is now directed at him instead.

Sugawara can’t see what you can from your perspective on the other side of the hedge, and you know Sawamura’s taking a gamble based on his hearing only.

Takashi laughs manically, hysterically, shrill in your ear as he presses the knife, getting ready to slice. You try to mouth ‘it’s okay’ to Sugawara but it seems to make his anger rise even more.

Takashi raises the knife again and lifts it high to get ready to end your life. A mocking salute is heard from him.

And that’s when you hear the sound of an arrow pass cleanly by your head.

The sound and feel of blood gushing out will probably be forever ingrained in your memory. You look to the side to see one of Sawamura’s guards with a bow. Behind him is one with a shield and a sword, together with Hinata. You smile at them before your legs give in underneath you.

You expect to hit the ground, given that Takashi’s body is pulling you down with him.

Sugawara scrapes his knees as he tries to run to you so fast that he stumbles. The last few steps are crawled but he reaches you before your upper body falls further down, grabbing a hold of your shoulders.

Panicked, one-syllable words are thrown at you, his behavior mirroring yours when he was stabbed. You almost laugh. His hands search your face and wipes your tears and drags stray hairs away from your face. You’re about to open your mouth and make a mother hen joke when his lips are colliding onto yours.

You’re rigid at first before you relax your mouth and mold your lips to fit his. Right as you’re starting to enjoy the feeling, he pulls away, apologies thick on his tongue, panic laced in his voice. He hasn’t gotten very far away from you before you lean forward to kiss him back.

You’re rougher, and your teeth clash, the kiss much more undignified than when he initiated it, but it’s no less perfect to you. When he pulls away, slower this time, you let him, searching his eyes. He still looks terrified and his breathing is still panicked, “I thought I’d lost you.” he admits. You smile and kiss him again, this time short and sweet, “oh, you won’t get rid of me that easily.”

Behind you, you hear the bellowing laugh of the guard who shot the arrow. You think his name might be Nishinoya. Sawamura walks up to them – he puts a hand on your shoulder on the way and smiles at you.

“Nishinoya.” Sawamura then says gratefully, and you make a mental note of giving that man a title as well. Nishinoya yells, “I told you guys I’d always have your back as the Guardian Deity!” you hear Hinata’s excitement too as you laugh and rest your head on Sugawara’s shoulder. Then, a stray tear slips past your defenses, “is it over?” you croak out, almost too afraid to ask. Sugawara laughs airily, like he can’t believe it either, but he rests his head on yours, “yes, your majesty.”

You’re glad to have found the truth, relieved that you can now let your father go knowing what has happened. The steps in front of you are also now clear, like he’s paved them for you before he left.

You smile into Sugawara’s shoulder and close your eyes. It’ll be okay.

My cat’s final contribution. He thanks you for reading his words and for your kind feedback in earlier chapters. He knows his words are superior to mine and CLEARLY is what’s made you all come back to this work:

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#haikyuu x reader #hq x reader #sugawara koushi x reader #sugawara x reader #hq x you #haikyuu x you #nohr.writing #whew i really hope yall like it [pleading emoji] [profusely sweating]#i feel so bad abt the delay which in turn makes me feel like it has to be BETTER bcos u waited so long which is. a viscious cycle #I ALSO HAVE SO MCUH LORE FOR AIRI!!!!! U WONT FUCKING BELIEVE LMFAO

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struggle-but-its-all-ocean-floor · 1 year ago

Note

Sorry this turned more into me venting than a question lol. Your blog just kinda feels like a safe space 🙃

My appreciation for jungkook has grown so much this year. I've just never seen an idol genuinely care and appreciate his fans the way jk does. I know he goes above and beyond, so what he does shouldn't be expected... but I can't help but feel a bit disappointed that no other member has gone live. Maybe it'll change in the next few hours, but if it doesn't, then it just sucks because don't they want to say goodbye to us? We're not gonna see them for 18 months :( I know they did the group live but it was so chaotic 😅 I would think they might want to do a solo one to just say everything that's on their mind like jungkook did. I know a lot of people have been coming for jk about parasocial relationships and whatnot, but I honestly believe it goes both ways. Like you could just feel how much he cares by the way he stops and makes sure to greet and bow at every fan or the way he always rolls down his car window no matter what (even when we don't deserve it). I've seen how other idols sometimes just walk past fans/crowds without a glance. Jk comes on lives just to chat with us, while other idols usually only go on when they're promoting. Jungkook isn't my bias, so maybe that's why I'm feeling a bit hurt and jealous lol... how are you handling the enlistment news?

Thanks! My blog is always a safe space for asks like these! <3

It's true that Jungkook has really connected with Army this year. He's always loved us, but I think now he feels so much more confident being himself around us and has developed the kind of relationship he wants with us, so he's much more comfortable going live. Maybe before negative comments affected him more, and he was careful in what he said or did, but now that he can shrug off the haters and be himself fully, I think he's gotten closer to us and our relationship has improved! I think Armys really became friends to Jungkook in a way we weren't before. But maybe I'm wrong. I've only been Army since 2019, and the COVID era was an anomaly. Jungkook also had more free time to go live in the beginning of the year compared to before.

But, yeah, all the other members went live! Jimin went live for a short while, I think V went live too (I'm not sure), but he shared many pics and goodbye letters so that was enough! I'm not sure if RM went live but I think he might've a while back. He shared so many pics, letters, song recs, etc. though - his goodbye letter was so Namjoon and more than enough... I think they all said goodbye. Jimin probably did the least, but since he doesn't seem to take pics and doesn't know what to say during lives, I think he went more quietly.

The parassocial accusations for Jungkook are pure bullshit. Kpop stans need to unlearn that word. That man has drawn clear limits - he's told stalkers off multiple times, said fans need to deal if he does something they don't want even though he understands everyone likes different things (ie. Seven explicit lyrics) - so I don't get why JK calling Armys his girlfriends (usually when they ask) or talking about how much he loves us is such a big deal. I'm sure if any fan seriously told him not to date someone because Army was his girlfriend, he'd tell them off politely.

I think people just want to assume the worst of Jungkook. And kpop stans sadly hate other stans so they can never understand the idea of an idol genuinely liking their fans...

Anyway, I thought I was going to be so heartbroken when Jungkook left but I'm too sick (with the flu) and busy with work to process it. I still can't believe Suga is enlisted... He went so quietly it feels like he's just in one of his phases where he goes off the grid lmao.

Tbh, even with Jin and Hobi, though I miss Jin especially, what I miss most is the group and not any individual member. I'll miss Jungkook a lot though for sure - just not now.

BTS is all enlisted... There is no BTS now... They'll come back in two years... I think it's too early for us to process what this means. For the next few months nothing much will change. We already have content lined up. But somewhere down the line, it'll hit us more.

Thanks for the ask! How are you coping with the enlistment?

#ask #bts #jungkook #text #thanks for the ask!

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tunichtgxt-archive · 3 months ago

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@multianime•*⁀➷ non-verbal angst prompts | available

╰┈➤ ❝ [ [ sick ] sender cares for receiver while they are sick ] ❞

"i told you that you don't have to visit me every day." daichi sighed softly. sometimes he believed that what he said went into suga's ear and right out of his second. maybe he didn't even perceive daichi as the real leader and rather as his sweet best friend that he could play around with. that wasn't wrong, but sugawara could also just practice instead of staying with daichi. there was zero productivity to all of this. didn't he want to even try a little, to catch up to the first year setter? sometimes daichi hurt over the fact, that sugawara couldn't play as much anymore, but he valued the team and the progress and the fact that suga could sub in and create so many more opportunities, but daichi had enjoyed his time with suga so much.

a hand reached out to cup the other male's cheek. "get out before you catch my flu, suga, come on. i don't want you to get sick." and who knows what he would do in this fever state? it wasn't like daichi was entirely immune to the feelings of adoration for the setter inside of his heart. it just was much easier no to act on them.

it wouldn't make things complicated.

#multianime #( daichi > answer )#[ thank you so much ;; ]

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sparklehoney7 · 1 year ago

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Essential as Sunlight

by: deepslowpanic

pairing: namjoon/yoongi/jungkook

info: one shot (6,179)

tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting / Established Relationship / Sick Character / Jungkook has the flu / Emotional Hurt/Comfort / Fluff / Light Angst / Polyamory Negotiations / Polyamory / Jeon Jungkook is Bad at Feelings / Jungkook is baby he just doesn't realize it / Hurt/Comfort / Min Yoongi | Suga Is Whipped / Kim Namjoon | RM is Whipped

summary: Jungkook is always worried that he's being too much, that he's a burden or takes up more space than he should. It shouldn't be so hard after a year with Yoongi and Namjoon, but Jungkook can't shake the feeling that they'll grow tired of him. So he's low maintenance, he puts up walls, even when he doesn't mean to. All of his careful consideration goes out the window when he falls sick and his boyfriends take the opportunity to show him just how much he means to them.

link

#bts fic #fic rec #namgikook #one shot

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biginfoman · 2 years ago

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5 Reasons to Curb Sugar Intake — Beyond Empty Calories

BY ELIZABETH MILLARD

DECEMBER 9, 2018

When it comes to weight management, refined sugar in all its forms — high-fructose corn syrup, dextrose, rice syrup, sucrose and many others — is certainly one of the top items to get knocked off an eating list.

Harvard University’s School of Public Health suggests that to achieve a healthy weight, you should limit “lower-quality foods” including sugar-sweetened beverages, refined sugar and highly processed snacks.

But your waistline isn’t the only thing affected by excess sugar consumption. Overindulgence on the sweet stuff can affect you in some other surprising ways:

SLEEP INTERRUPTIONS

According to the National Sleep Foundation, an after-dinner dessert is a great way to get a terrible night of sleep. In fact, the organization notes, the more sugar you eat during the day, the more likely it is you’ll wake up during the night.

That’s because sugar lowers the activity of orexin cells, a neuropeptide that regulates how wakeful you are. More bad news: These cells also help control appetite, so if they’re feeling off-kilter, you’re more likely to eat more.

MORE COLDS AND FLU

When it comes to an effective immune system response — the kind you need to be on high alert during cold and flu season — sugar could be defeating your white-blood-cell army.

When you eat a big dose of sugar at once, like a soda or a candy bar, you temporarily suppress your immune system’s ability to respond to invaders, according to certified nutrition specialist Monica Reinagel of Nutrition Diva. If that happens occasionally, it may be no big deal, but since the effect lasts for a few hours, you may be sabotaging your immune system on a consistent basis if you eat sugary food regularly.

READ MORE: What Your Sugar Cravings Might Really Mean

INCREASED RISK OF HEART DISEASE

Sugar may be tough on your weight goals, but it’s even tougher on your heart. A major study published in JAMA Internal Medicine suggested a sugar-packed diet may raise your risk of dying of heart disease, even if you aren’t overweight.

In the study, done over 15 years, participants who took in 25% or more of their daily calories from added sugar were more than twice as likely to die of heart disease than those who consumed less than 10% of added sugar.

POTENTIAL DEPRESSION

Although much is made of the mind-body connection when it comes to health and wellness, less attention has been put on the mood-food link. But it’s a strong one, and sugar can be especially notorious for causing emotional fluctuations, including anxiety, frustration and even depression, according to Dr. Elson Haas, author of “Staying Healthy With Nutrition.”

He notes that refined sugar has been shown to deplete important nutrients, such as protein, vitamin B, zinc, chromium and manganese.

“These deficiencies can lead to lower levels of emotional and mental functioning,” Haas says. “When you don’t have these depleted from your system, you can really feel a difference in your mood and your emotional state.”

LESS-THAN-STELLAR SKIN

Refined sugar, as well as other high-glycemic foods, raises insulin levels in the body and that increases inflammation. When that happens, the inflammation produces enzymes that break down collagen and elastin, the structural “building blocks” of your skin, notes dermatologist Nissan Pilest, MD, of California-based Total Dermatology.

“Digested sugar permanently attaches to the collagen in your skin through a process known as glycation,” he says. “That results in sagging skin and wrinkles. Glycation can also exacerbate skin conditions like acne and rosacea.”

Plus, the more sugar you eat, the more likely it is you’ll develop insulin resistance, he adds. That can lead to excess hair growth on the skin, as well as dark patches on the neck and other areas.

A SWEETER STRATEGY

With side-effects like these, you might be tempted to swear off cupcakes forever. But you don’t need to cut out refined sugar products completely to see benefits and lower your health risks, says New York-based registered dietitian Vanessa Rissetto.

Instead, focus on mindful eating and awareness — in other words, she advises, make a sugary treat into exactly that, so it’s a sometime occasion and not a regular habit. Start by eating your next sugary snack very slowly, and notice how it smells as well as tastes. You don’t need to become a mealtime snail, but doing this a few times can help you “reset” when it comes to sugar, Rissetto says.

“This exercise helps teach you that you crave much less sugar than you probably think,” she says. “Being more mindful when you eat, especially when it comes to sugar, can keep you off autopilot and change your eating habits.”

#repost #wgtolss #weight loss

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jeahreading · 27 days ago

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UHHHH, Ok so I deff stan blackpink, I used to stan a LOT of bands but I hardly do that nowadays, I more into lo-fi becuase that's what helped me through my break year, OH AND XDINARY HEROES, amazing people I tell you, I listen to a lot of songs though i follow back very less, I'm more of the 3rd-4th gen gal so red velvet, everglow, mamamoo, G-Idle, Jackson wang, heard a few songs of 2ne1, girl's generation, rain, i LOVE twice and itzy, I used to stan BTS, I liked their songs from the middle, like not the OLD old songs but not the NEW songs either, oh but I love every song of Jimin's, He was my, he was my main(what's that word again??) and Filter is a personal fav, Suga's songs too!. I've heard a few of ateez and seventeen oh and some of NCT, over all I've atleast one song from almost alll the K srtists out there somehow, OH AND JESSI, she my bae can't forget her, a song. Oh my god SOOO many now that I try ot thinka about.

As or non K pop, obviously the famous Inidan singeres, Shreya, Arijit, Lata ma'am, Kishore sir, the basics yk, recently found this rock back called "The Warning" and they're pretty cool(There one I'm saving for the last just you wait). ik a few songs of Taylor swift(from friends but my fav will always be love story), yeah I mean, I can just go on and on and on. It's funny becuase ik people like me becuase they think our music tastes, book taste, food tastes etc match but it's mostly jsut the fact that I have SUCH a vast variety and my intresets are limitless I am open to anything and everything that they FIND their tastes within my tastes, I mean I go from freaking Mother mother and maneskin to wengie's old songs, ariana grande, dua lipa, Lovelove LOVE Doja Cat, and tbh just about EVERYTHING(I don't usually like songs with tooo much rap but if it's good damn right it's good). Also I have a hearty enjoyer of classical music both Indian and Western, Indian because well, I am a classical singer(I learnt hindustani for 3 years) and my no body's surprise I also LOVE estern classical, usually peices with Violin, Cello, or any wind or string intrument.While I may not have learnt the peices by name I CAN recognise a lot of them just by hearing them, one of my most favourite peices come from this video

youtube

I listened to this every single day on loop for at least two years, I wouldn't belying if I said I probably contributed hald the views,

gnossienne no. 1 (satie) is one of my if not the favouritepeices of all time.

ALSOALSOALSAOSLAOS

MY INTRODUCTION TO THE WORLD OF ENGLISH SONGS(well it was actually the intro of mako mermaids and i had that byhearted but BESIDES from that)

LINDSEY STIRLING (THE QUEEN)

I FOUDN HER WHEN I WAS OBSESSED WITH THE SUGER PLUM FQAIRY THEME AFTER WATCHING OF THE NUTCRACKERS MOVIES AND THE FIRST VIDEO OF HERS I WATCHES WAS THIS

youtube

AND THEN I SPIRALLED INTO BASICALLY A LINDSEY FLU, IK A SHIT TON OF HER SONGS AND SUGGEST YOU LISTEN TO HER TOO

I invite you to view the playlist i made of the all the songs I love and know of hers that are on youtube.

Ok i'm done talkign for now *bow

Hiiii you seem so cool😭 And I saw you like straykids EEEEE felix has been my phone lockscreen for half an year-

ALSO SINCE YOU LIKE READING I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE STATE OF SORROW DUOLOGY BY MELINDA SALISBURY (the writing. The plot. The covers. Everything is sooo pretty!)

YAYAYA, HI NEW MOOT!!!!!!!

THIS HAS BEEN MY HOMESCREEN FOR 2 YEARS NOW, HE LOOKS SO SQUISHY I JUST WANT TO HUG HIM AND GRAB HIS CHEEKS, AND HAN'S AND CHAN, AND CHANGBIN, AND HYUNJIN AND LINO AND SEUNGMIN AND I.N AHHHHH

I WILL DEFINITELY CHECK OUT THAT BOOK IT SOUNDS SO COOL

#life ig #Youtube

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psycho-slytherin · 6 years ago

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Off-Limits

Your big brother’s best friend has always been off-limits, but you’re tired of being treated like a little kid.

Pairing: Yoongi x Reader

Genre: Fluff

Warnings: geek terms

WC: 2.9k

|mlist| ~ |birthday fics|

A belated birthday fic for @mypersonalityiskpop! Happy birthday!

You stare at yourself in the mirror and sigh. He’s only ever going to see you as a kid, his best friend’s little sister. He’s so annoying and cute and you hate him and you’ve had a crush on him since seventh grade and ugh.

“Y/n, do you have plans tonight?” Joon asks, knocking.

“Nah, I was just gonna watch Sherlock and eat ice cream,” you reply, opening the door to face your brother. Even though he’s only two years older, he’s almost a foot taller than you– when you were younger, you were the same height, and over the years you’ve watched him shoot upwards while you’re still on the short side of average.

“Well, can you make plans? I’m having the guys over and I don’t want you to bother us.”

You press your lips together. “No, I’m not going to rain check Netflix. I’ll stay in my room, so don’t worry.” You have this conversation every week; your brother hates it when you bother his friends, but it seems ‘bothering’ them just means saying hi or offering snacks. You learned early on that the only way to satisfy Namjoon was to leave them alone completely.

But Yoongi always tried to include you– even when you were younger and dumber and just wanted to be one of the guys. You’re not obsessed with joining Namjoon and his friends anymore, which is why it sucks so much that you still have this dumb crush on Yoongi.

Whatever. You fetch your bowl of ice cream and curl up in your bed to rewatch Sherlock. Halfway through the episode you hear the front door open, and raucous laughter rings through the house, cutting through Benedict Cumberbatch’s dialogue.

You roll your eyes. Namjoon wants you to pretend you don’t exist, but he’s always exceedingly loud with his friends. Thank goodness your parents are out at dinner.

“Yo, where the hell is Tae? We need an odd number of players for this session.” How is it, through two closed doors and across the house, your brother’s voice is so distinctive? You groan in frustration, reaching over to grab your headphones. Why are you expected to be the perfect little sister when Namjoon is so annoying?

Once your headphones are on and the volume is turned up, your evening becomes more pleasant… for about three minutes.

Your door swings open without warning, and Namjoon walks in.

“Joon!” you protest, taking off your headphones. “Get out!”

Your brother sighs. “This is a one-time offer, and it was not my idea. Look, our game needs another player, and Tae’s not gonna be here. Do you want to play with us?”

“You want me to play with you?”

“Yes or no, y/n?”

You should say no. Saying yes means seeing Yoongi, and dealing with a whole evening of being coddled and teased like– well, like a little sister. Still…

“Fine. But I reserve the right to leave if you guys get too annoying and testosterone-y,” you say, sliding off your bed. “Just let me change.”

“What’s wrong with your pajamas?” Namjoon asks.

You hesitate. They’re too childish.

“Your friends are all teenage boys, Joon. I’d rather be wearing a bra around them, thanks.”

“They don’t care, you’re just a little kid.”

“I’m sixteen,” you huff. “That’s not so little anymore.”

“Whatever, just hurry up.”

You spend perhaps too long in front of your closet– it’s been a while since Namjoon has let you hang out with his friends, and you don’t want them to think you’re still the annoying little one. They’ll think it anyways, though. You pull on a comfortable T-shirt and sweatpants. A step above pajamas, barely.

You stride down the hall and into the living room, where Namjoon and five of his friends are sprawled on the couch, the floor, the chairs, snacking on chips and fruits and more chips.

Almost unconsciously you zero in on Yoongi, who’s laughing at something Jungkook said. His gummy smile, even when not aimed at you, is messing with your heart. There’s a spot next to him where you would fit, and you’re tempted, so tempted– but Namjoon would kill you if he knew of your crush.

“I heard you guys were in need of another player?” you ask, settling down between Hoseok and Jimin, as far from Yoongi as you can. He’s wearing a grey sweater and black sweats– although, why you notice this, or care, or wish you had the confidence to sit by him, you have no idea.

“Aw, lil’ y/n-ie! It’s been a while!” Hoseok laughs energetically, ruffling your hair. You elbow him in the ribs and smooth your hair down. Yoongi’s looking at you curiously, probably because your messy introduction made you look like an idiot.

“Are we getting started?” You ask, ignoring Hoseok and his exaggerated wails of pain.

“Sure. I’m the DM, and we needed six to have even teams,” Namjoon says, passing you a D&D character sheet. “You can just be an NPC.”

“Sounds good.” Growing up with Namjoon, you’re familiar with the rules and rituals surrounding Dungeons and Dragons, and you fall into character quickly. Namjoon assigns you to whichever role he needs filled– barmaid, lackey, merchant, whatever. It’s honestly great fun, and you’d never admit how cute Yoongi is when he acts like his character, how warm you feel when you make him laugh.

“The ranger clearly knows more than she’s telling you,” your brother narrates, while you sit up straight, staring haughtily at the party.

“I’m gonna threaten her,” Jungkook announces.

“Roll for intimidation.”

Jungkook rolls the twenty-sided die before groaning. “Six.”

“Sir Cragg’s menacing glare falls short, and the ranger is unimpressed.”

You snort, still in character. “Are you trying to scare me, Sir Knight?”

“Wait, let me try,” Yoongi says, turning his attention to you– no, your character. “You know, we would really appreciate knowing the location of the dungeon. Surely someone as beautiful as yourself would know– and we’ve heard tales of your adventures; such an accomplished ranger would have no issue sharing her secrets, right?” He winks at you, and a shiver runs down your spine. He’s looking at you like you’re the only thing in the world.

Namjoon chuckles. “Roll charisma.”

“Gee, I wonder how a bard will do on a charisma check,” Jungkook complains. “He’s got a huge bonus.”

Yoongi tosses the die, and then whistles. “Nat fucking twenty! With my bonus, that’s twenty-six.”

Namjoon nods at you, and you fan yourself. “Well, I-I suppose I might have what you need, since you asked so nicely. In fact, I have a map with directions to the dungeons, and I can lead you there myself.”

“Damn, she’s actually blushing!” Hoseok hoots. “That’s the power of a nat 20.”

Oh no, are you blushing? Is it that obvious? Do they know? You can’t let them know.

“Well, that was fun,” you say, standing quickly and dusting yourself off. “Namjoon, you can hold down the fort– I’m going to my room. Wouldn’t want to bother you all.”

The guys protest, but you know they’ll just keep playing once you’re gone. You never really needed to be there in the first place. You hurry to your room and, once isolated, flop onto your bed with a sigh. You feel like a lovesick teenager… or a little kid with a crush.

A knock at the door startles you out of your thoughts.

“Go away, Joon,” you call, curling up under your duvet. “I’m not coming out again.”

“Then I hope I can come in,” says someone, but it’s not your brother, it’s a voice more gravelly, sleepier, quieter– a voice you’d recognize anywhere. Your heart beats faster against your will when you get up to open the door. Standing right outside, with his hands in his pockets and a soft smile lighting up his features, is…

“Yoongi?” you breathe. “What… what are you doing here?”

“Ah, they need an odd number of players. Since you left I decided to sit out the next mission so everyone else could play.”

“Oh. Uh, do you want to come in, or…?”

“Do you want me to come in?”

You swallow, your voice barely a whisper. “Sure.”

“Then yeah, please, it’s boring having to watch without playing.” Yoongi admits sheepishly, sitting down on your bed and surveying your room– thank goodness you cleaned it earlier. “Huh. You know, for however long I’ve known Namjoon, I’ve never seen your room. It suits you.”

“Oh, thanks.”

“So how are you, y/n?”

You start. “You called me y/n.”

Yoongi raises an eyebrow. “Did you change your name or something? Have I missed the memo?”

“No, it’s just… all of Joon’s friends call me y/n-ie, or little y/n, or don’t know my name at all.”

“Oh, I know the feeling.”

You sit down on the bed beside him, careful not to get too close. “You do?”

“Sure. Y/n, you know I have a big brother myself, right?”

“You’re a younger sibling?” You have to consciously close your jaw at his words. Yoongi, who’s so clever and seems to fit in everywhere, is the youngest? All your life you’ve had to deal with ‘Oh, you’re Namjoon’s little sister?’ You’re the little one, doomed to sit at the kids’ table forever, and never to be looked at as anything other than your perfect brother’s little sister. Do you have an inferiority complex? Maybe. A sibling rivalry? Sure. Even more feelings for the guy sitting next to you than you already had? Definitely.

“Yes, I’m the youngest,” Yoongi chuckles. “I was always trying to play with my brother and his friends when I was a kid, but he never let me. Then when my brother was older and started bringing girls home, he always told me to leave them alone. No matter where I go or what I do, people only know me through him. Namjoon was really the first friend I made that liked me better than my brother.”

“You guys have a good friendship,” you say affectionately. “As annoying as he is, it’s good to see that Joon’s got people like you around him.”

“Aw, thanks.” Yoongi smiles, bumping your shoulder. You laugh and nudge him in retaliation. Sure, you’re nervous– Yoongi’s almost intimidatingly pretty– but he makes you feel so at ease. Is it really possible that you could ever step out of your big brother’s shadow, like Yoongi has?

“Remember like six years ago when you ran into that glass door because Taehyung told you it was open?” Yoongi says suddenly.

You laugh. “Yes, and I remember being ten years old at the time. But you did the same thing when you were fourteen!”

“Wha- you weren’t there for that!” Yoongi exclaims, wide-eyed.

“I know everything that goes on in this house,” you reply, flipping your hair. You were thirteen at the time, and constantly trying to join Namjoon’s group of friends. So of course you remember Yoongi walking right into the door– you were hiding behind the kitchen counter when it happened.

Your brother’s friend suddenly goes very red. “Hopefully not everything.”

“Is there something I shouldn’t know?” you tease, your heart hammering in your chest.

“Just guy stuff– we all have our secrets, right?” Yoongi says, winking conspiratorially.

Why does he keep winking at you? You know it’s just a joke, you’re only entertaining him until he can go back to his friends, to your brother– but you can’t help but wish, just wish that he really were flirting with you.

It’s impossible, though– to your brother’s friends, it seems you’re permanently stuck at twelve years old.

“Secrets, yeah. I’ve got my fair share of those too.”

“Really? What’s one?”

You sit up straight in disbelief. “You do know how secrets work, right? ‘Cause it’s not that.”

“I know, I just thought we could play our own game since the others are having fun. Let’s swap secrets.”

“How is that a game?”

“We ask each other questions– if there’s a question we don’t want to answer, we have to trade a secret instead.”

You smile internally. It’s dangerous, sure, but it sounds kinda fun. Besides, you have watched all the episodes of Sherlock.

“Fine. Let’s play.”

“You can go first, if you want. Ask me anything.” Yoongi says, sits back confidently.

“What’s something Joon’s really bad at?”

Yoongi chuckles, a smile pulling back his lips to reveal his gums. “He’s great at DM-ing, but he’s shit at roleplay. That’s why he agreed when I had the idea to invite you tonight.”

“Pff, that sounds like him,” you snigger. “Alright, shoot.”

“What’s something you’re better at than your brother?”

You raise an eyebrow. “Weird question, but okay... well, acting, obviously. I’m better at making friends. I’m better at not sucking all the energy out of the room.” You take a deep breath and almost against your will, the words spill from your lips: “I’m better at having a lower IQ. I’m better at failing my classes. I’m better at being the second best, the one who no one remembers their name, I’m better at being ignored–”

You’re cut off by Yoongi leaning forward to wrap his wiry arms around you and hug you. You’re so focused on trying not to cry that you don’t even have a chance to blush.

“You’re none of that, y/n.” Yoongi says quietly, but with conviction. “You’re your own person, an amazing, intelligent person, okay? You’re fun and social and smart and funny and you’re more than Namjoon’s little sister, I promise.”

“Thanks, Yoongi.” You blink hard and realize he’s still holding you close, too close, he smells so good, and ugh why do you like him?

But after tonight– how can you be sure he doesn’t like you?

“My turn to ask a question,” you say, straightening up and fighting to keep your voice steady. “How old am I?”

He freezes, cocking his head. “How old are you? I thought you’d ask something juicy.”

“I said what I said,” you reply. You just want to know, just want to see if you have a chance.

“Um... Namjoon’s eighteen, I’m seventeen... you’re... fourteen?”

Something inside you– maybe hope– dies a little. Right. You’re a child, a little kid.

“I’m sixteen,” you say, a hint of steel in your voice, and it’s almost like Yoongi can see the frustration in your eyes, the way your fists clench, the way you press your lips together.

“Sorry,” Yoongi says softly. “Really. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. It’s just... you’ve always been off-limits, so I’ve never known enough about you.”

“Off-limits?”

“Well, yeah.” Yoongi runs his hand through his hair, avoiding your gaze. “Namjoon made it pretty clear that we weren’t supposed to bother you– he’s really protective of you, y/n. He didn’t want you near heartbreakers like Jungkook and Taehyung.”

Huh. That’s new information. “They’re not my type anyways.”

“Then... what is your type?”

“Uh...” you swallow hard. “Someone who gets my humor. Someone fun, clever, sociable. Someone who, I don’t know, sees me for me. I guess...” Someone like you. “How about you?”

“About the same,” Yoongi shrugs. “I’ve never been someone who only loves romantically. I’m attracted to people who I know I could be friends with.”

“That’s pretty sweet,” you admit. “And wholesome, for a teenage boy.”

“Your brother’s friends aren’t all villains, y/n.” Yoongi says. “You might even want to get to know us.”

“Namjoon won’t let me,” you reply. “I’m just a little sister– I’m not allowed to talk to you.”

“You’re talking to me now,” Yoongi points out. “How’s this feel?”

“It feels...” You’re comfortable, safe, happy. “Feels good. Nice.”

“For me too.”

You shake yourself out of the stupor of his intense gaze. “Uh, it’s your turn to ask a question.”

“Can I tell you something?”

“Is that your question?”

“Yeah.” Yoongi takes a deep breath. “That’s my question.”

“Then yes, go ahead.”

Yoongi’s eyes are almost pleading, and when he looks at you, his gaze is so electric it feels as though you’re rooted to your spot. “I like you, y/n. And you’re more than your brother’s sister, more than anything. I like you a lot and you don’t have to like me back, I shouldn’t even like you because you’re my friend’s sister but you’re more than that and I really like you.”

Your breath catches in your throat. Your heart– has it stopped beating, or is it too fast to feel? Yoongi is looking at you with earnest vulnerability, he gulps and you can see his Adam’s apple bobbing, and he likes you and he likes you and he likes you.

“But... Namjoon,” you whisper. “You’re not– I’m off-limits. You��re off-limits.”

“I don’t care about Namjoon right now,” Yoongi breathes. “All I need to know is how you feel about me. If you don’t like me, that’s okay. If you do, that’s great. I just... I just need to know.”

“I...” this has to be a dream. You’re dreaming. Your brother’s best friend, the one who you’ve liked for years, likes you back. “Yoongi– wow. I...” Aaah, you’re nervous. “I like you too. I’ve liked you since I was twelve, and...” you clam up, turning red. “Sorry, that was weird.”

Yoongi laughs, a newly beautiful sound, and touches his forehead to yours. “It’s not weird. It’s perfect. You’re perfect.”

“Yoongi...” before you can say anything else, your door swings open and your brother marches in.

“Y/n, have you seen– what the hell?”

#bts #bangtan #yoongi #suga #bts suga #min yoongi #bts scenarios #yoongi scenarios #suga scenarios #yoongi fluff #bts fluff #suga flu #yoongi drabble #suga drabble #yoongi x reader #suga x reader #bts x reader #bts drabble

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vexaiton · 6 years ago

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when it comes to loving you | a yoongi fic

fluff | angst

intro

“Hey, done yet?”

Yoongi turns his chair around and sees you by the door of his studio, smiling, with two cups of coffee, steaming hot and bringing warmth within the walls of his cold, lone studio. He replies with a “I’m never done” which you have heard too many times from him. You smile and approach Yoongi as he welcomes you in his arms. You lean forward to kiss his head and whisper “Take time to rest, okay?” against his forehead and he would hold your waist tighter as a sign of reply.

When you entered this relationship three years ago, you knew what you were getting yourself into. You knew that it won’t be any normal relationship. Sometimes it would feel like cold blankets and breezy nights with no one to hold. It could feel like loving a lover who fades away like your dreams when you open your eyes in broad daylight, because Yoongi is never awake on those times of the day. Being with Yoongi feels like a tender memory that would only visit you from time to time, and when it’s gone, you chase for it just to feel it again. When it comes to loving him, you have to learn how to love his pieces. Pieces that he leaves as signs and evidences of his being and presence to know that he was here. He could be those crumpled blankets, or clothes by the dryer, or maybe the jacket draped over your desk chair, or maybe he could be those coffee stains, that lone cup sitting on your counter. He could be that chair by your dining room that wasn’t put back properly, or those shaving creams and men perfumes that sit on your bathroom’s cabinet. When it comes to loving Yoongi, you need to love every trace of him.

But also, when it comes to loving Yoongi, it is always worth it. Loving him means warm hugs, sweet kisses, and loving stares. Loving him is like coming home to a warm home after suffering in the cold of yearning. Loving him means tasting his coffee through his lips, feeling his warm, calloused hands on your waist. And maybe loving him is also tracing the map from the eyelash of his eyes to the roses of his cheeks until you reach the cute curve of his lips.

And maybe, loving him is also getting stood up too many times on your celebrations, and seeing your home-cooked meals turn cold as they await the lover who never comes home. Maybe loving him is also about the dry words he utters to you, and the huffs of annoyance when all you wanted was for him to rest. Or maybe loving him is all about cold beds with dreams filled with a promise of the warmth of summer that his kisses could bring, but never even came. Maybe loving him comes with this feeling of being stuck in winter as your nimble hands clutch your frozen heart as it awaits the summer. Maybe loving him comes with the pain, disappointment, and the state of being broken.

When it comes to loving Yoongi, you get steamed hot coffee that eventually turns cold no matter what you do.

And maybe your heart grew too tired of coffees turning cold cause all you wanted was scorching hot coffees that could set your heart on fire and light up an ember of love with a chance of sweetness and everlasting warmth.

When you broke up with Yoongi, everything seemed like a blur. It felt like everything stopped and stared in the depths of darkness because of the hopelessness of ever finding a way back. Leaving him left you both in ruins. Leaving him was the best and yet the worst decision you’ve ever made in your life. And Yoongi could say the same too.

—

🌼hey lovelies, this is the yoongi fic i’ve been working on for the past few months. this is just a short intro yo give you guys an idea. i think it would be 2 parts only? please do give it a feedback and tell me if you would like me to continue this. a writer is struggling right now and she is in need of a motivation to do this.

reblog if you enjoyed it!🌼

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illeee-girl · 3 years ago

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You Infire Me Release Date

I’ll be publishing my Min Yoongi campus crush fic, You Infire Me, on Suga’s birthday :)

Watch for it on Tumblr, Wattpad, and Ao3!

#min yoongi fanfic #yoongi fanfic #suga fanfic #suga fic #yoongi flu #suga fluff

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moccahobi · 5 years ago

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A Fae’s Brew To Take You Away: Chapter 4 [Taehyung x Reader]

Warnings: Drinking, Kidnapping

Summery: Experiments never go as planned. That's why testing is so important. But when a fae tests a potion on themself that turns them human temporarily, they didn't realize the series of events it'd set off. One fateful meeting with a photography student in college turns the fae's world upside-down and sets off a series of dangerous events.

Word Count: 4k words

Genre: Angst, Fluff, Fae AU!, College AU!

Chapter 3 >> Masterlist << Chapter 5

A sigh left you as soon as you finished cleaning up your chamber for the night. It was almost nine and all you wanted to do was curl up on your couch and read something… or possibly walk but you knew that probably wouldn’t happen. You rarely did anything social on a work night aside from the occasional walk with Jimin or Jin, instead you opted for a calm way to relax and destress. With that in mind, you locked up your chamber, and started the flight back home. You wrapped your arms around your body tightly, a shiver running through your body making you falter in your flight. Nonetheless, you continued flying, keeping an eye on any movement that could possibly be a predator.

You were still in the village so in theory you were safe… but you worked on the outskirts of the village. If the number of times you’ve had to ward off squirrels from your chamber is anything to go by, there were most definitely things you had to be careful of in these woods. You sighed again, quickly surging forward and flying faster than before.

You really didn’t want to have a fly in with any animals tonight. Ideally, you wouldn’t fly into any living thing apart from your apartment tonight. No fae, no humans, no raccoons, no birds, no squirrels. No living thing. Not even a tree… although a tree would be more ideal than a living thing that moves. You stifled a small giggle at that thought before you shook your head. If you really didn’t want to be seen by another living creature, you probably shouldn't be talking much. A laugh probably wouldn't draw any predators in... would it?

The chirp of those toads you had seen earlier today brought you back to the present. The toad sounded close. You stopped flying and just listened. You heard what you guessed was the toad hopping in the woods. Then you heard another. And another. And another.

How many of these toads were there?

You didn't know... and you didn't want to find out at night. You had very little ability to cast spells. Unlike other fae who mainly relied on spells, your magic showed itself through potions. The most you could probably do to these toads was blind them and that would do much if they really wanted to try and eat you.

They probably could.

At that thought, you surged forwards, flying faster than before as your heart rate sped up. You were safe. They couldn't eat you. They probably couldn't even reach you if you flew high enough. You started to fly higher in the air just to be sure. You could hear the hopping grow louder and faster. Were they running from something? What would scare toads? Were they chasing you? Why would they chase you?

You flew faster. Unshed tears of fear started to cloud your vision as you kept flying. Your pulse rushed in your ears. Once again, your wings started throbbing.

You didn't stop flying.

You didn't stop flying once you saw the real entrance to the village.

You didn't stop flying after you passed many of the homes on the outskirts of the village.

Your mind kept running as fear built higher and higher and-

THUD!

You hit something and stunned, you fell to the ground. You hit the ground with a dull thwack. You laid there stunned. This was your death. You were done for... all because of some frogs.

Someone was hovering over you.

Something was rubbing against your arm.

There was a voice.

Slowly the world started to come to and you saw Jimin worriedly hovering over you, looking you in the eyes.

"Are you ok, Y/n?" He asked again, and when you turned your head to the side, you saw Jin sitting next to you, looking worried and rubbing your arm slowly.

"I... Yeah. I was just spooked by the animal noises... I guess." You started slowly, not daring to move just yet.

Why were they in the outskirts of the village? None of their jobs required them to be here.

Jimin laughed and smiled, slowly flying a little ways away from you, "Makes sense. We were just about to walk to your chamber to see if you wanted to go out drinking with us."

You slowly sat up and gently rubbed your wings as you thought. You didn't intend to go out and drink some tonight, but after the scare you had and the long weekend... maybe it wouldn't hurt. Plus, you could spend some time with your two favorite faes if you did. You gently nodded before letting Jin help you stand up on your feet.

"Can you fly? You landed on your back... that must have hurt." Jin asked, looking wearily at your wings.

You winced as you tried to move and stretch them. You had landed on them wrong that is for sure. You probably shouldn't use them much until they feel all better to be sure that they don't get damaged. You shook your head again, not yet trusting yourself to say something coherently. Jimin and Jin didn't mind though, simply nodding, Jimin flying above you slightly while Jin opted to walk next to you. Aside from a few comments here and there, the three of you made your way to the closest local bar in silence. You appreciated it, taking the time to listen to your surroundings. There were no chirps of toads. Nor were there the sounds of hops. They must have been going elsewhere and you were just too paranoid.

That has to be it.

You were simply being paranoid because it was dark out. It was silly really. Nothing would possibly happen to you while you were still in the safety of your village. Its magic protected you. Nodding surely, you took a deep breath in to ground yourself. You were more likely to be mobbed by those in your own village than to be attacked by toads.

Before you could think any more about the likely hood of your own village mobbing you, you looked up and saw the bar just a few feet away. You must have been thinking for longer than you originally thought for you to have made it to the bar so quickly. Last time you went here after work it had taken you a good ten or fifteen minutes and yet here you were.

You must have been making a strange face because Jin shorted loudly, "Why do you look so shocked that we're here Y/n?"

"She must have been thinking too much again." Jimin said with a laugh, gently rubbing your head as the three of you entered.

The bar wasn't too full at this point in the night, most fae who came here after their work having left only half an hour ago to spend the night in their homes. The only ones that remained were either trapped in some deep (for tipsy people) conversations or were drinking their worries away. You passed the same old fae who cursed you out for not being willing to make a potion to help him cheat death sitting alone at a table, a cigar tray full of ashes and five empty nip bottles laying on his table. He looked so sad, his sagging face seeming to crumple around the cigar in his mouth, eye gunk collecting in the corners and falling onto his under eye bags, and eyes gazing off into the distance. You wondered if you had seen this side of him instead of an angry fae who thought you would do anything, would you have tried to help him? Would you have foregone your morals to help someone who looked so utterly defeated?

"Whatever you're thinking about, stop." Jin said with a sigh as the three of you sat in the booth, you and Jimin on one side and Jin on the other.

"Why? What if I am thinking about something super good?" You shot back, trying to put a smile on your face.

You didn't doubt that it looked somewhat like a grimace though.

"Because you looked sad." Jin shot back, gently patting the top of your hand before starting to look at the menu.

"Yeah. Your brows were all furrowed," Jimin leaned in and swiped his thumb along the bridge of your nose as you giggled, "And you had this little pout on your face. We just want to have a fun night tonight. So no worries." Jimin finished, pulling you into a quick hug before letting his arm rest around your shoulder.

You laughed lightly and shook your head, watching as one waitress made the rounds in the bar. No doubt, she'd be over to take your order soon. No doubt, Jin would be the only one to order food. No doubt Jimin would drink two bottles of nip and be drunk off his ass. No doubt you would leave without drinking more than a bottle of nip.

You didn't want to get drunk tonight.

A buzz might be nice but you needed to be good for dealing with people tomorrow.

When the server eventually came by, the three of you ordered three bottles of nip and a pizza. Jin being the only one who really wanted the pizza. You didn’t doubt that you would probably eat some of the pizza yourself though. Nip settled in your stomach in a way that you didn’t always find the most comfortable with and food always helped ease that settling.

"So...Y/n, are you thinking about going to the blossom festival next month?" Jimin asked once the waitress left.

Jin snorted at the question and rolled his eyes, "When has Y/n ever showed interest in going to the blossom festival? Isn't it for lovers and children anyways? She doesn't fit into any of those categories anymore." Jin reached over and rubbed your head affectionately... further messing up your already messy hair. You swatted Jin's hand away with a laugh of your own, leaning further into Jimin to try and hide from the offending hand.

"I mean... I think it could be fun to volunteer in. Lord knows that the festival could do with some new magic tricks. But going? As a participant. Probably not. Unless I magically started to date someone then I might. Although the likelihood of that happening." You laughed.

Jimin sighed and shook his head affectionately, removing his arm from around you and shoving you gently.

"You're a lost cause if you think that way." Jimin sighed.

Before the conversation could continue any more, the waitress flew by again with a trey carrying three bottles of nip. Jimin and Jin yelled in excitement, a few drunkards joining in with the yelling before continuing with whatever conversation they were having. You simply laughed and watched as Jin and Jimin started to act like professional nip tasters. They swirled it around in the bottle and stared at it's color in the swirls before wafting it to their noses.

The whole act was over the top but you loved it.

"Oh I can tell that the fae who made this was pregnant. Most def. You can almost taste the... the..." Jin started, still wafting the smell of nip to his nose.

Although you were fairly positive he didn't smell much. Nip rarely smelled of much.

"Fae dust?" You offered with a snicker.

"Yes! The fae dust! It is just wonderful! Rejuvenating almost!" Jin finished with a smile before taking a large swig of his bottle of nip.

"See, I was actually going to say that you could almost smell the fermentation of a fungi in it which means that this nip was made by an old fae! It is just barely there so I could see how you might miss it but I most definitely smell the fungi!" Jimin said smugly before taking a swig.

"I mean... you can grow that fungi and also be pregnant. The two aren't exclusive." Jin responded, a large pout on his face making you laugh more.

These two were such jokers.

"I bet these were actually made one village over where they outsource the herbs and the fermenting and bottling process is less personal." You said with a laugh, gently kicking Jin under the table as the two yelled at you, mirth shining brightly in their eyes.

You took a swig of your own nip, relishing in the fizzling that started to take place on your tongue, a world of flavors exploding as you drank. All of you got the classic nip drink that was on the more bitter side... although you never found it very bitter yourself. It had it's bitter tones but it wasn't nearly as bitter as some people made it out to be. You found tones of chocolate and coffee as well as dandelion and sesame, but all of them worked in such a way that instead of feeling utterly overwhelmed by their bitterness you felt taken in. You squirmed some as you felt the nip slowly made its way down your esophagus and into your stomach where it seemed to fizz more and more. You felt it jostle around in your stomach as Jimin and Jin roughhoused next to you, their laughter filling your ears.

A laugh left you, your eyes slowly looking elsewhere around the shop. Another wave of people made their way into the shop, some unknown celebration happening. You eyed them cautiously as they laughed and smiled, flying over to a large and open table. A deep sigh left you as you eyed them. You didn't want anyone to come over here. Even though you didn't know who was in the group (you refused to look to see who had come in), you knew that some people were willing to come up and criticize your work. Not many of those in your village liked your work (even though many of their specializations relied on you making simple potions to jump start their work. One time one of your old classmates threw a container of water at you when she saw you. It was utterly shocking and you hoped that whoever was celebrating would simply mind their own business.

"You're really giving other people attention when Jimin and I are right here?" Jin whined, snapping you out of your thoughts, a small frown on his face has he kicked you under the table.

"Yeah!" Jimin whined, gently bumping his shoulder against yours, "We are out here goofing off and you're thinking about other stuff? Give us your attention, Y/n!"

You laughed and shook your head, "I was paying attention." You mumbled, a small blush rising on your cheeks, "I just drifted slightly."

"Yeah? So what had we started to talk about?" Jin asked, leaning forwards and taking a bite of pizza you didn't know had arrived (and was somehow almost done… only one slice untouched).

A light blush settled over your cheeks from embarrassment as you sighed and shook your head. Jin was always so perceptive. Grabbing the last slice of pizza, you shrunk into your seat, happy that Jimin no longer had his arm wrapped around you as you pressed yourself into the booth. You took a bite of pizza, focusing on the flavors that burst in your mouth. It was an amazing pizza... even if the chefs were most likely not food specialized. Any fae could do anything if they really pushed themselves to.

"Well we were just saying that the pizza was good so you didn't miss much." Jimin said with a small laugh.

He rubbed your head fondly, to which you whined and swatted at his hand. He really didn't have to mess your hair up more than it was already. You were hoping to not have to do much to it tonight... Now you would probably have to work it a little.

"Yeah! You're always diminishing my amazing critiques! I am not a food specialized fae but I do love food and I love cooking! I am good at it! And here you are, not respecting my ability?" Jin shouted, earning a few glances from other patrons in the area.

You laughed quietly, "I mean... were they even good critiques? This is good pizza. I don't think that the great Jin could do much better himself."

"Oh most definitely. His critiques were super weak. Kept talking about how the tomato sauce wasn't reduced with nip to add dimension to it." Jimin added, air-quoting something Jin must have said.

"I mean... It w-wasn't! How can they not when they work at a bar!"Jin said indignantly, his eyes widening and cheeks puffing with air.

He was preparing for a rant.

"Oh I am sure that they know what they're doing. Besides, would this nip even be good for a reduction?" You asked with a smile, stuffing your cheeks with more pizza.

You didn't know as much about cooking as Jin did but you loved to watch him try new things. His eyes would sparkle as he explained what he was doing and when the recipes were hard, you watched excitedly as his face screwed tightly together. You had spent countless hours watching Jin cook and you loved every moment of it. He had a way with food that came with decades of practice.

"Good point. I didn't really think of that. I imagine it would taste good but I think that it would taste good. Do we need to spend another weekend at my place testing it out?" He asked, an excited smile growing on his lips as a familiar twinkle of excitement grew in his eyes.

"Gods. Are you really going to plan something without me in front of me?" Jimin asked, finishing the rest of his nip and signaling for the server to give him another bottle (it was then that you noticed that this would be his third bottle of nip).

"No. You're always welcome to join." You managed to say even with the rest of your pizza slice stuffed in your cheeks.

"Yeah! Not that you have come the last three times that we have." Jin said with a laugh, "Normally you complain about us not involving you."

"But it is just me watching as Jin cooks. There really isn't much to do in the first place."

Jimin sighed and shook his head, "You and I could always cuddle together and watch a movie as Jin cooks."

"But I like watching!" You cried out dramatically.

You laughed as Jin added, "And I like being watched as I cook! It makes me feel special."

"Awww." You cooed, leaning over the counter and cupping Jin's cheeks, "You are so special, Jin."

"Yeah!" Jimin shouted, pulling you back down and into his lap, "You could have fallen... You've barely finished a bottle of nip in an hour and you are already tipsy... is that it?"

Jin snorted, "If that is the case then we really should pay our tab and make our way home. I imagine we all have rough days tomorrow."

With that, you watched from Jimin's lap as Jin got up to pay. Jimin quickly sipping the new bottle of nip, nuzzling into your neck and whispering senseless nothings into it in between his sips. When the two of you had first gotten comfortable together and he started being more affectionate, you were somewhat uncomfortable but after so long, his affection was normal. You even laughed a little when you heard him whisper about a crush. You'd heard a few things about this so-called crush of his but never pushed him to talk. He mostly only talked about them when he was drunk so you doubted that he wanted you to know about them.

It wasn't your business.

Once Jin got back, you untangled yourself from Jimin to get up, Jimin following quickly before looping arms with you. Another laugh left you as he nuzzled against your shoulder. You extended your other arm out to Jin and once the two of you looped arms, the three of you all made your way out of the bar. At this time of night you were greeted by the calming sound of crickets chirping and frogs croaking. You loved it.

Nature was always something you loved and being able to listen to the night critters sing was something you enjoyed doing whenever you possibly could. At one point, Jimin let go of you to spin around as the three of you flew across the city. You were more so staying up as Jin pulled you, letting your wings relax some. Once the three of you made it to the town square, you started walking, chirps of toads greeting you as you did so. Jin laughed and waved goodbye at the square before flying off to his parents home (they needed his help tomorrow morning apparently).

Once it was just you and Jimin, all conversation stopped, a peaceful silence resting between the two of you instead.

"Hey Jimin. Have you heard that chirping of toads tonight?" You asked near the end of your walk.

There was the occasional chirp throughout the entirety of your walk and by now you were sure a new species was moving it.

"Nope. Been too busy feeling the air against my body. It is so nice out." Jimin said with a sigh, twirling around as he looked up at the sky, "I might... I might fly a little more tonight before returning home. Do you want to join me?"

There was another chirp and suddenly you were reminded of what had happened earlier that night with the toads. Had Jimin really not noticed? There were so many toads.

"No. My wings are still a little tired. Have fun! Be safe." You said, fluttering your wings some for emphasis.

"Of course, Mom." Jimin shouted as he sped off, flying high.

You watched him zoom around the air for a minute or two before he was completely out of view.

He was such a skilled flyer.

Another chirp brought your attention to a toad sitting close by. You hadn't seen any since your trip back into the village earlier today. It was a shock to see one now though. The village often spent time making sure there weren't large animals causing danger to fae that lived inside the village.

At the sound of another close to you, you turned around and saw once standing just a little ways behind you, something held in its hands.

There were two?

The sound of the toad your back was to jumping made you turn around to face it again. It was now almost close enough for you to reach out and touch.

Something wasn't right.

You quickly shot up, pushing your wings to fly fast and hard to get away from them but before you could, you felt something sticky and wet wrap around your ankle tightly. It was probably a tongue. You screamed out in shock and fear. Your whole body being thrown to the ground harshly, you landed sharply on one of your wings. You screamed as pain tore through your body. You broke something.

Thrashing as hard as you could, you felt pain take over your consciousness.

The toads were looking down on you with something akin to a smile on their faces.

Your head was roughly pulled up, more pain shooting through your body at the harsh movement. Something was roughly pulled over your head and the world went dark around you.

Something tightened around your neck and you struggled to breath.

You needed to escape.

You needed to get to safety.

Before you could do anything though, your head roughly hit the ground, a ringing filled your ears until you couldn't think or see or feel anything but it and the pain. In the midst of all of that, you slipped away into darkness. The world quickly became nothing but darkness.

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