#sun bleached black extended blanket

[jorvik-fashion]

[jorvik-fashion]

Flowery Forester Sunhat Tailtop Village "Squirrelpaw Handiwork" - 9 000 JS / 90 SC Trail Ride Earrings Equestrian Festival - Tokens Red Fancy Blouse Jorvik City Mall "Clothes" - 6 850 JS / 92 SC Black Silverglade Gloves Cape West Fishing Village "The Crazy Ship" - 4 800 JS / 49 SC Cool Punk Rocker Jeans Jorvik City Mall "Clothes" - 9 500 JS / 93 SC Black Leather Riding Boots Silverglade Manor "The Wine Cellar" - 8 020 JS / 77 SC

English Bridle in White and Silver South Hoof Farm "Horse Gear Store" - 5 200 JS / 86 SC Snow White Jumping Saddle Goldenleaf Stables "Goldenleaf Stables Store" - 10 000 JS / 100 SC Rex Stamper Pink Saddle Pad Moorland "Summer Camp Horse Equipment" - 4 500 JS / 45 SC Bobcats Legwraps Equestrian Festival - Tokens Flowery Forester Saddlebag Tailtop Village "Squirrelpaw Handiwork" - 1 500 JS / 15 SC Bobcats Roses Equestrian Festival - Tokens

To Camp Western, we wear pink

[maccreadysbaby]

Project: Killcode

batfamily + oc insert

tw: none

wanna read more? here’s the table of contents!

want to read the first fic in the hundred days series so you understand what’s going on here? here it is!

okay, so, keep your eyes open for a possible varian origin story that may come out today… haha. also bentley is about to get right back on the bad decision train he loves so much

part eight

❝ HITTING THE CITY ❞

SATURDAY — JULY 21 — 8:30AM

VARIAN REALLY LOVED TO TALK.

And that was how he, Asten, Bentley, Rockie, and a very grumpy-slash-sleepy Koa ended up piled around the dining table so Varian could try to teach them how to play Phase 10.

Bentley was completely and utterly lost. Phase 10 was complicated, and at the Manor, they much preferred Uno or slapjack. You know, card games that didn’t take a terrible amount of thinking.

Bentley was sitting on the left bench beside Asten and Varian, straight across from Koa, who looked like the state of California incarnate. He had this really uniform golden tan that couldn’t even be achieved by the most religious suntanners in Gotham, and nearly fake looking sun-bleached blonde ringlets on his head. (They weren’t even that messed up from him sleeping under the blanket.) He had his chin resting in his palm and his cards sprawled out on the table, his strangely crystalline seafoam greenish-blue eyes fluttering closed every now and then. He even had one of those bright white shell necklaces on, and a very, very orange shirt.

“No. Once you finish a phase you move on, but no one else does. That’s how you win,” Varian explained. He’d been explaining the game to Asten for at least ten minutes now, and Bentley had been trying to learn as much as he could, but it was still kind of hopeless. He had no earthly idea what he was doing. 

Rockie seemed bored by the whole thing, and had taken up staring at his phone instead. (How did he use it with those gloves?) Really, the room was quiet apart from Varian.

Until a door squeaked open. 

Bentley glanced up to the bedroom right across from his and Asten’s just in time to see their second to last roommate — Valor — emerge. He looked like he’d just rolled out of bed, wearing a bulky, oversized black hoodie and some gray gym shorts. He had this sort of long brown hair that hung down in funky waves past his ears, grayish eyes that looked sort of like Bruce’s, and an honest to goodness cowboy hat on his head.

A cowboy hat.

“Morning, Val!” Varian called from his seat, but all he got in return was a muted grunt.

“Don’t talk to him before he has at least four energy drinks. He punched me yesterday,” Rockie muttered, eyes not leaving his phone screen.

Bentley watched Valor go to the minifridge and pull out a vibrantly colored can, popping the top open with a loud snap. 

“I only get aggressive for you, Rockie,” Valor said with a sly little wink, which made Asten, Rockie, and Koa chuckle, while Bentley and Varian stayed quiet. Valor had a thick accent — British, if Bentley’s sort of skewed accent instincts were correct. Why would a British kid be here? Didn't Varian say he was from Arizona?

Valor took a sip of the bright drink and tugged his hoodie off over his head.

Bentley’s lips parted.

Sitting folded up on Valor’s back was a pair of absolutely massive wings that were poking through some makeshift holes in the back of his white t-shirt. There had to be thousands upon thousands of feathers there, and they were all a silvery, shiny platinum that glistened when he moved. He extended them outward (they had to be at least five feet long, which would mean he had a ten foot wingspan at least, holy crap.) and after a minute, he shook them out, and Bentley saw thousands of minuscule feather particles float out into the sunlight.

Varian groaned, frown deepening. “You know I’m allergic to birds.”

Valor’s icy eyes cut to him. “And I’m not a bloody bird.”

He didn’t sound exactly like Bentley had thought — his voice was deeper than everyone else’s, which meant he was probably older, too. That made sense; he was by far the tallest of them all.

“I am physically unable to play this horrendously complicated game,” Asten said finally, with a big sigh, putting his cards down on the table.

“You’re making them play that?” Valor said, scrunching his nose, coming to the table and sitting down next to Rockie. Bentley couldn’t take his eyes off of the massively massive platinum wings that were on his back. The one on the right hung sort of limp, nearly touching the floor, while he wrapped the other around Rockie’s shoulders and poked a pretty much sleeping Koa in the face with the tips. Koa startled awake and batted the feathers away with a groan.

“Who’re the new guys?” Valor questioned, ignoring Koa completely, his icy eyes now bouncing between Asten and Bentley’s faces. 

“This is Asten, and this is Bentley,” Varian introduced them before they could as much as speak, flicking a hand to them both as he spoke. “Bruce Wayne’s kids!”

Valor nodded to himself. “Cool.”

“Since we can’t play Phase 10,” Varian started, plopping his cards on the table. “Let’s play, like, a get to know you game.”

“Okay, mom,” Rockie snickered, shaking his head. “Like what?”

“I don’t know. Like… I don’t know. Let’s go around the table and talk about our superpowers!”

Rockie and Koa groaned. 

“We do this every semester,” Rockie muttered.

“Why stop now?” Varian said with a smile. “I’ll go first!”

Varian reached forward and dragged one fingertip across the bare tabletop. Deep purple crystals bloomed there like flowers, growing out of nowhere, exactly where his finger touched. 

“I can materialize crystals. Anywhere, really, and I don’t have to be touching it. It’s not very useful unless I’m, like, trying to stab someone in the feet, though,” He said with a shrug. “Next!”

He pointed over at Asten. Bentley wondered if Varian was always this excitable. He didn’t mind, but he did wonder. Maybe it’d be nice. It reminded him a little bit of Dick.

Asten, with no real expression on his face, held his hand out. The whole thing lit on fire with a loud whoosh and a wave of intense heat, like matches to gasoline. “Fire.”

“Whoa! That’s so cool!” Varian chided while the others looked on with only mild interest. “Next!” 

He pointed over at Valor, who stared at him, blankly, sipping his drink. “Seriously?”

“Okay, fine, I’ll do it,” Varian said with a huff, looking between Bentley and Asten. “Obviously Valor can fly, but he also has super strength and can pick up big stuff. He once shoved a bus off a crosswalk in Times Square.”

Valor shrugged. “It was in my way.”

Varian pointed at Rockie. “Rockie kind of has a weird superpower, like a not superpower superpower. He can take other people’s superpowers away from them and use them. But he can’t give them back, and they wear off after a while and disappear. And it only happens when he touches with his hands — that’s why he has big ol’ gloves on.”

Rockie shrugged to himself, propping his elbow on the table and laying his chin on his metal-covered hand. “More of a curse, really.”

Varian nodded in agreement. “Yeah, he can’t touch anybody with his hands, which makes him sad.”

“I’m not sad,” Rockie snapped.

Varian shrugged. “And Koa kills people with his voice. But only if he hums or sings. Like a siren.”

Bentley glanced over at Koa, and he was already asleep again.

“Makes sense. He’s from California,” Varian continued.

“What about him?” Bentley questioned, pointing toward the only closed door left. The one that said Bellamy.

Varian hummed to himself. “I don’t know. We haven’t met him. He’s a first year, I think, so just eleven. What about you, Bentley? Superpowers?”

“Oh,” Bentley started, thrown off by the sudden change of subject. “Uh, I control liquids.”

“All liquids?” Varian questioned, and Bentley shrugged.

“Pretty much,”

“That’s so cool,” He stated, gathering up the Phase 10 cards and shuffling them, supposedly for fun. “I wish I could do that.”

“What kind of accent do you have?” Bentley questioned, in an attempt to flex his socializing muscles. Varian looked at him with a little smile.

“Russian. I grew up there,” He replied simply, doing a fancy trick where he flicked a card back and forth between his hands. “I was taken from my parents when I was really little and held there to fill this big ol’ mine with crystals, because apparently the ones I make are really expensive. A couple years ago, Batman and his friends broke in and got me out. Brought me home.”

Bentley blinked and looked over at Asten, whose green eyes were wide, and he also blinked.

There was no way this was the kid from the team’s trip to Russia.

Bentley couldn’t forget it, it was literally a few days after he was formally adopted — every single person but Barbara, him, Alfred and Asten were swept off to Russia when they got a call from a contact about a metahuman child being used as a product slave in the mines. Reportedly, he had an American-like accent and looked eerily similar in age and appearance to a missing child from Brooklyn.

It couldn’t be Varian.

Oracle, I have the boy — around little B’s age, I think. Looks malnourished, and possibly diabetic. There’s a blood tester on the floor and the last test is only clocking in at nineteen, Dick had said. That was the only part of the mission Bentley had heard over the comms.

Russian accent. Diabetic. Saved from the caves by Batman.

Holy crap.

“Oh,” Was what Bentley replied. Varian waved him off.

“Don’t be like that. It’s fine — I’m normal now. Plus, I got to meet Batman, which makes me really cool,” He said with a bright smile, despite having literally just dropped a I-was-kidnapped-my-whole-life bomb on Bentley and Asten’s faces, with a little sprinkle of oh-yeah-by-the-way-your-dad-saved-me added on.

Of course, no one else knew that.

Bentley wouldn’t ask about accents anymore.

Asten reached around Varian and tapped Bentley on the shoulder, and then, once he had his attention, put his hands beneath the table and signed: I can’t believe B didn’t adopt him.

Bentley snickered.

“Don’t worry, Val’s just from London. No weird accent story there,” Varian said with a lighthearted chuckle. “But yeah, I really like America. Anyways, what about the-“

Bentley’s attention was drawn away from the table of conversation when he began to feel, in his own veins, someone’s heartbeat, their blood beginning to pound loudly and fast, booming in his ears.

He sent a glance to Varian, but it wasn’t his. Varian’s was a bit slower than the one that had forced itself into his mind, and gentler. 

He went one by one around the table — Asten’s heartbeat was slower than Varian’s, and steadier. Valor’s and Rockie’s were, too. Koa’s was the slowest (because he was asleep with his head on the table.)

Whose was it, then?

The blood wasn’t pumping at the table, it was pumping from somewhere else. Not the hallway. Not the dorm next to theirs. Not outside. 

Bentley let his eyes travel around the room one little bit at a time, and after two full sweeps, it finally clicked.

It was coming from Bellamy’s bedroom.

Not a second later, something joined his pumping blood — something thinner, something more freely flowing that Bentley could feel, could hear.

Tears.

Bellamy was crying.

“-ley. Bentley.”

Bentley snapped back into reality and glanced at Asten, who was watching him warily, waving a hand in front of his face. Actually, everyone was looking at him now. Even Valor and Rockie.

“What’re you staring at?” Asten continued, glancing over at Bellamy’s door.

Bentley shrugged, looking down at his own lap, face burning a little from all the eyes. “He’s crying. Bellamy. I can feel his tears.”

A moment of quiet passed.

“Remind me not to cry myself to sleep anymore,” Rockie muttered, and Valor snickered, elbowing him lightly.

Varian tapped his fingertips on the table, near the crystals that were still sitting there. “I brought a bunch of board games. Why don’t we pick one and ask if he wants to come play? I was really scared my first year, too, so I can imagine what he’s thinking, especially since he’s the youngest in the dorm.”

Everyone shared eye contact, silently considering their options, and they seemed to get the sentiment — after all, they all had to have had a first year at Redwood, too, right?

“Yeah, go ahead,” Valor replied, his voice strangely gentle compared to what it had been earlier. Rockie reached over and shook Koa’s shoulder, with a not-so-gentle half-shout of get up, idiot, we’re playing a game!

Varian rose from his spot between Bentley and Asten and made his way to the little kitchen area, opening one of the cabinets, which was full of games instead of groceries. He pulled out a pile of brightly colored boxes and brought them back to the table, then made for Bellamy’s door.

The only game out of the, like, seven that Varian brought over that Bentley knew how to play was monopoly. There was one called Sorry, and one called Life, and one called Risk, and one called Chutes and Ladders. Bentley had never played any of those. He had to move his head to see the ones on the bottom, which the boxes revealed to be Candyland and Yahtzee. He didn’t know those either.

He glanced back up when Varian knocked softly on Bellamy’s bedroom door.

“Hey, there, Bell! My name is Varian. I’m just coming to tell you that we’re all about to play a board game together, if you want to join us,” He said with an audible smile. (He was really good at that.) “I’ll even save you the coolest pieces.”

Bentley closed his eyes and listened hard, everyone’s differing heartbeats thumping into his mind before he was able to single out Bellamy’s. It was…

… getting faster.

… and faster.

He swapped from the blood to the tears, which were also coming faster, bigger. He wasn’t crying anymore, he was sobbing. But he was silent all the same.

It was when Bellamy’s heart rate reached a solid hundred-and-forty that Bentley opened his eyes. “Varian, stop. It’s making it worse.”

Again, Bentley felt everyone's eyes. Varian immediately took a step back.

“Oh… okay. Well. Uh. If you change your mind, you can come out here with us,” He finalized, then moved away from the door hesitantly, eyes lingering there for a few moments.

Bentley frowned, glancing down at the table, keeping Bellamy’s heartbeat audible in the back of his mind.

Rockie frowned, too. “That sucks. My first year was rough, too,” He muttered, clicking his phone off and letting it drop to the table. “I hope he takes it better than I did.”

“Bellamy?” Koa asked with a yawn, glancing over at the door Varian was retreating from.

“Yeah, dude, we've been talking about this for, like, ten minutes. Wake up,” Valor replied. Koa rolled his eyes.

Bentley glanced over at Asten, who was looking at Bellamy’s door.

And suddenly, the heartbeat in the back of his mind was drowned out by something else — his phone ringing.

He glanced down, pulling the little device out of his pocket and glancing at the caller ID. He half expected Bruce, half expected Dick, maybe Tim. It wasn’t any of them.

It was Vera.

With a cringe, he hit the green button. 

Vera’s face appeared on the screen, and she was smiling slightly, her black and purple streaked hair tied up into these intricate looking braids. He could see a pair of bunk beds identical to his and Asten’s in the background. 

“Hey there, Red. Heard you’re in Aristotle,” She smiled brightly. In the background, Bentley heard a small voice say: hey, is that Bentley? And not a second later, Layla appeared on the screen, her blonde hair only halfway secured in a ponytail with a hair tie in her hand. “Hey!”

Bentley glanced up, and thankfully, only Asten and Varian were looking at him. Rockie and Valor were preoccupied with their own phones, and Koa was falling asleep again.

“Hey,” He replied, turning the volume down since they were basically yelling.

“We’re in Columbus, right next to you,” Vera smiled. “Let’s go do something.”

Bentley blinked. Girls asking him to go do something? Something like what? Something like leave his dorm something?

“What do you mean?”

Vera scoffed. “I mean they don’t take attendance on moving day, and you’ve never been to New York before. Let’s hit the city for a while.”

Bentley blinked, again. Just a bunch of kids going out into New York alone? The little Bruce in the back of his mind didn’t think that was a good idea.

“Oh come on, I can see all the hesitant on your face. You’re a big boy now. Bring some of your roommates, I’ll bring some of mine,” She smiled. Then she turned her head and yelled: “Georgia! Get Summer, we’re breaking out!”

It was that point that Asten leaned over, suddenly very, very interested. “Georgia?”

Vera glanced back at the camera. “Yeah, Georgia Vallie. She said she saw you guys at the diner the other day.” 

Bentley glanced up at Asten with a little smirk, and Asten looked back at him, narrowing his eyes. “I mean, if you’re going out into the city I can’t let you go alone.”

Bentley snickered. 

“I’ll go too. I love New York,” Varian said with a smile, bouncing a little in his seat. “What about you, Val?”

Valor shrugged. “Someones gotta stay here with the little guy,” He stated, pointing to Bellamy’s door. “Plus, it’s hot, and I can’t leave without my massive hoodie.”

Varian frowned. “Poo. Rockie?”

“Nah. Can't leave him alone or he’ll probably punch something,” He replied blankly, not glancing up from his phone. 

“Koa?” Varian asked, and when Koa didn’t budge, he shouted: “Koa!”

“What?” He grumbled back, lifting his head off the table.

“We’re going into the city with Summer. Wake up and get ready,” 

Koa grumbled again, but surprisingly, pulled himself off of the bench. Varian snickered, leaning in close to Bentley. “He has a massive crush on Summer.”

“Shut up, Var,” He muttered as he staggered toward their room.

“Everyone knows it!”

“So, is that a yes?” Vera questioned, and Bentley glanced back down at the screen, where she and Layla were smiling in anticipation.

Bentley silenced the little Bruce in his head that kept saying that wasn’t smart. He was a teenager now, right? And teenagers break rules and stuff. So it was normal. And normal was what he wanted.

“Where are we meeting?”

—

dedicated to @sassenashsworld ❤️

—

tag list! (If you want me to remove or add you, ask in comments!)

@fleur-alise @sarcopterygiian @flyrobinflyy @skylathescholar @gayboss-too-close-to-the-sun @xiaonothere @beatyoutothatusernameloser

[yeetmetotheforbiddenwildwest]

So does anyone else have a Google doc of all their (canon) horses or am I just autistic? Because I have them organized by breed and the breeds are listed in alphabetical order and when I have multiple horses from the same breed they are organized in alphabetical order unless I have the symbols higher than A in the alphabet.

A few excerpts:

Fern

Coat: Bay extended blanket

Gender: Mare

Kamikaze

Barn Name: Kazi

Coat: Sun-bleached black extended blanket

Jorvik Name: Trailblaze(r)

Gender: Male/Stallion

Professions: Western Riding, Trekking, Ranch work; (roping, herding, trail rides, etc.)

Home Stable: South Hoof Rescue Ranch

Owner(s): Totally not pirates (past) Hugh Sheperd (present; also the owner of the South Hoof Rescue Ranch)

Rider: Hugh/Arizona

American Paints

Athena

Barn Name: Athena, Aquilon (Aquilo -- one of the Greek animoi), Astraeus (Astraios), Aristaeus, Zephyr

Coat: Chestnut Medicine Hat

Gender: Mare

Jorvik Name: Skyfall

Boomerang

Barn Name: Boomerang

Jorvik Name: Boulder

Name Inspiration: Spirit Riding Free -- Boulder, Colorado

Coat: Brown Tobiano

Gender: Stallion

Owner: Marley

Nayelli

Coat: Buckskin Tobiano

Gender: Mare 

Name: Nayelli

Nickname: Sunstreak

Jorvik Name: Copperdeep(s)

Owner: Jorvik Rangers Association

Owl

Coat: Dapple Gray Pinto

Gender: Stallion

Barn Name: Owl

Nickname: Owl

Jorvik Name: Arcticowl

Owner: Starshine Ranch

Curly Horses

~~Puzzle~~

Barn Name: Puzzle

Jorvik name: Bulletwish

Show Name: Outlaw’s Crossfire

Coat: Dun Pinto

Gender: Stallion

Profession: Ranger work

Home Stable: Dundull

Companion Pet: Brown Male Arctic Fox named Rustler or Badger

(But you can’t deny the icy blue-eyed boy looks great in the bridle with the clouds) (Just look at him) (He’ll always be one of my faves)

Arroyo

Barn Name: Arroyo

Jorvik name: Wildwish

Show Name: 

Coat: Bay Pinto

Gender: Stallion

Profession:

Home Stable: --

[cass-windfeild]

[vindickyoutive]

black noir being the father that stepped up :)

here’s a little snippet of ‘black noir being the father that stepped up’ WIP :) the explanation written in the heading is simply: ‘noir passive aggressively forces his way to see the experiment he technically risked his life for’

At first, he thought they were fabricating the truth just so that he’d be one-hundred percent convinced. The notion had come off to him as ridiculous, simply a stretched hope, something that wasn’t even remotely possible considering all of their limitations - and yet, all of it was real, unfolding right in front of his eyes. His one eye, for the time being.

A week had passed since the fight, since Soldier Boy’s abduction, Noir hadn’t healed properly, but that’s the least of his worries. Luckily enough, he pulled through. With the extent of the beating he had received, the severity of his injuries, including how close he had felt to his head being completely smashed inward - the scars littering his face, his head, being alive right now was all he could ever ask for.

The child, three years old now, Noir found out he was born April-May nineteen-eighty one, had bleached blonde hair and he kept chewing on his fist as he sat on the cold, pasty tiled floor, his other hand yanking at the blanket sprawled over his tiny legs.

Although he made no noise that indicated any interest in what he was seeing, Noir had lifted his hand to press his palm against the glass and slowly leaned in, ogling the boy, body language exuding infatuation.

Vogelbaum was saying something next to him, but he wasn’t listening, he kept staring at the baby, listening to the echoes of the toddler humming an unrecognizable tune.

Vogelbaum slips up and says ‘John’ in reference to their little labrat. John’s name is the only piece of information Noir feels the need to retain, the doctor begins to correct himself, seeming a little perturbed at himself due to his moment of slippage.

Noir was already repeating the name over and over in his head.

He goes inside to see the toddler, Vogelbaum lets him albeit reluctantly. Noir wonders how long he’s been carrying this invisible air of intimidation that causes individuals to sway, he questions if these people even trust him. It’s not like they trust Payback at all. Noir was the only one who decided to stay around much to the discomfort of everyone else.

Once Edgar mentioned the replacement was ‘still a child’ he knew he couldn’t leave.

Vought did a necessary task in the midst of being one of the most corrupt companies in capitalist America, and that task was getting rid of Soldier Boy. Yet, even then, they’ve once again caught themselves meddling in something sinisterly heinous, again. Noir thinks about their track record as he shuts the door behind him, the toddler scooting back, tilting his head at him as he strides over, he thinks about the evils of raising a child like this, in this type of facility.

Noir kneels, holding his hand out.

John has big blue eyes that were intensely locked onto his hand, his eyebrows dark brown, and the back of his hand has slobber on it as he extends it, touching Noir’s palm curiously for a few seconds, his wet stubby little fingers wrapping around his pinky.

Noir tilts his head and wiggles his pinky finger, curling it before poking it out, John is thrown into fits of giggles at the small action, flickering his eyes up at him, his small, white baby teeth on display as he grins at him.

His smile reminds Noir of sun rays peeking over the horizon, blanketing the skies with a fuzzy pink color before it diminishes into a blinding brightness, his laugh reminds him of singing birds twiddling about in the trees in the mist of early dawn, and when John had lightly squeezed his entire hand around Noir’s pinky, the man had felt his breath catch in his throat.

A page is turned over, and he lets himself relish in this moment, this is the most content he’s ever felt, and it’s with Soldier Boy’s son, his greatest nightmare’s very own offspring. That only keeps him grounded though, because that man is gone, and John is what is left, the potential for him is promising, and Noir is going to control it, nurture it.

From the beginning, as soon as he walked in, there was this sense of protection that crashed over him, and in this moment, the longer he plays with the bubbling boy, ignoring Vogelbaum standing outside the door, peeking through observantly, he lets the waves wrap around him.

It’s like a kilt, warm, snug.

[jimothy-hopkins]

Sso horses I’d give the greasers

Johnny

Black splashed white quarter horse

Peanut

Sooty buckskin quarter horse

Lola

Flaxen chestnut peacock leopard blanket Appaloosa

Ricky

Bay brindle quarter horse

Hal

Flaxen chestnut Percheron

Vance

Red roan quarter horse

Lefty

Sun bleached black extended blanket Appaloosa

Lucky

Bay quarter horse.

Norton

Seal brown shire.

[moderndayportia]

4 Seasons and 5 Centimeters

A/N: This is based on a drabble prompt request from @skashi-k. Thank you! I’m trying to get my writing skills back up to par by warming up with a few of these, so if you have a drabble request, feel free to drop it in my ask box.

Pairing: Kakasaku Rating: None

“Open your eyes.” A soft voice sparked in the deep, stagnant darkness in which he existed. He tried to shift, but there was no body to shift. He tried to open his eyes, but there were no eyes to open.

He was nothing, and it was okay. The blackness rushed in tighter. “Kakashi,” the voice lit through the void.

Again. “Kakashi.” More insistent. The tense sound of pained breathing gathered at the corners of his consciousness.

“Kakashi, open your eyes.”

No.

A tether yanked hard. Kakashi didn’t want to go, but he couldn’t stop the force that had ensnared him.

Up, up, up. He was dragged out of the deep, empty pool of unconsciousness, and plunged into a red world of searing pain.

His ears- yes, he had ears and eyes and a body- rang with the blaring of a siren. Everything was defined by hurt. “Kakashi, it’s okay. I’ve got you.”

Sakura.

It was Sakura. Her seal was activated. Something roiled in his belly and he jerked to the side and vomited blood.

________________________________________

“You look like shit,” she said with no malice. Kakashi scrubbed his hands through his hair and then pulled up his mask. She had appeared suddenly in front of him as he crouched in the dusky shadows on the roof of Konoha’s Grand Temple. He was on guard duty—or on the pretense of guard duty.

His name was still on the evaluation list after that mission. The one where— Sakura huffed and stepped gently across the ancient clay eaves before sinking into the space directly to his right, where he knew she knew he could keep an eye on her.

Underneath his hitai-ate Obito’s Sharingan ached.

“What’s with the uniform?” he asked, his voice slightly unfamiliar to his own ears. “I’m going out,” she responded simply. “Hn,” he answered. Because what was there really to say?

He had ordered her not to follow him into Anbu. Had actively pulled strings and called in favors to make sure she wasn’t accepted. But there she was, sitting next to him in the all black uniform reserved for nighttime missions.

Assassinations. Hostage taking. Mayhem. Murder. Blood.

It’s not what he’d wanted for her.

He was tired. He shifted and stood slowly, the places that still hurt making themselves known.

“Be careful.” His voice was a weary sigh. A breeze passed behind him and she was gone.

Kakashi yanked his mask back down. The late summer air was suddenly stifling.

His eye traced the angles of the elaborate roof until they settled on a certain spot—the eaves were newer, slightly less sun-bleached. They stood out even in the waning evening light. His friend Hayate had died over there. Kakashi slouched and limped back into the dark shadows.

He was so, so tired.

 ________________________________________

“Here, eat,” Sakura said, holding out a tin plate piled high. Kakashi glanced up briefly from where he was lounging under the crimson bows of a Fire Country oak tree, and then turned the page of his book, ignoring her.

“Kakashi.” A tinge of temper colored his name. “Hm?” he asked dismissively. “I said eat.” Her patience was slipping.

“Leave me be,” he responded, maintaining the façade of reading. She stood for a moment watching him, her cheeks flushed red with anger. “That’s an order,” he reiterated stoically. “Fine.” She set the plate at his feet and returned to the campfire where the rest of their Anbu squad was warming themselves by the crackling fire.

Kakashi closed his book, slipped on his Anbu mask and leaned his head back against the sturdy trunk, pretending to sleep.

Always pretending.

 _______________________________________

The gates of Konoha before him climbed high into the stark winter sky. Always steady. Always protecting. Cold stone and mortar built and guarded by warm flesh and red blood. Kakashi glanced back at his mission-weary squad, crunching behind him through knee-deep snow. They had done well. “We’ll debrief on Monday at 8:00 AM,” he directed. Several members perked up and blinked at him in surprise. “You’re on R&R until then.”

They lingered in the coldness, not sure what to do. “Dismissed,” Kakashi barked.

Knowing not to question a good thing when it came their way, the members of his squad dispersed into the night in a flash. Except for one. Sakura, of course. “I said dismissed, Sakura.”

Sakura hesitated. She seemed to have developed that annoying habit recently. “I just...”

She walked slowly towards him, her feet skimming above the snow. Perfect chakra control left her alone able to move with the stealth expected of them even at the end of a long, arduous mission. She reached into her side pouch and pulled out a package wrapped in brown paper. “I made this for you.” Kakashi looked at the package in her extended hand and then at her.

An unfamiliar emotion flashed from her eyes. “What—what is it?” he asked rigidly. “Open it and you’ll see.” Kakashi meticulously untied the twine around the package and unfolded the paper to reveal a soft piece of red fabric folded neatly inside. “What is it?” he asked again, glancing up at her. That look was shining even more brightly from her eyes. “It’s a scarf! I made it for you,” she smiled warmly. “Why?” Kakashi asked, not able to keep the indignance out of his voice. Sakura grabbed the scarf. “Because,” she groused, “It’s cold.” She somewhat roughly looped it around his neck and pulled it snug. “And it’s Christmas.”

As she adjusted the tails against the front of his armored vest, Kakashi realized how close she was. The warmth of her body reached out to him through the frigid air. Her cheeks were rosy red when she peeked up at him. “Merry Christmas, Kakashi,” she whispered, eyes avoiding his.

“….Merry Christmas,” he answered. And then she too was gone. Not even footsteps left in her wake. Kakashi stood in the bright moonlight for a long moment, thinking. He no longer felt cold.

 _______________________________________

Another Spring, another wedding.

Since he’d been declared next in line for Hokage, Kakashi’s presence was often required at these kinds of events. He’d rather be napping in a field somewhere or out on a mission, but he did his duty and put on the stiff formal attire and smiled and nodded and shook hands.

New beginnings meant his Anbu days were over and a long string of diplomacy and politics lay ahead. He’d always thought he’d have a warrior’s death. But things change. And so do people.

Kakashi slouched against a wall and took deep sips of his shochu when nobody was looking. His head was spinning a little. They hadn’t skimped on the premium stuff.

He turned his glass around in his hands and examined a little too closely the way it caught the afternoon sunlight.

Across the garden Sakura was talking with a man he recognized from Planning and Logistics.

Nice guy, but not good enough for her, he told himself as he snuck another gulp.

He hadn’t seen her in a while. Not since she had formally accepted the position of Head Medic. He’d been relieved when she’d finally handed him her resignation, but sometimes he found himself missing her company.

Today she looked—

Beautiful.

The long sleeves of her furisode kimono were adorned with an intricate climbing lilac motif that perfectly complemented her soft pink hair. They also signaled to every bachelor in the room that she was unmarried. Young, beautiful and unmarried. Kakashi sighed and turned to leave. Thanks to Tsunade-sama’s orchestrated drinking game at the head table, the wedding party was reaching a point of alcoholic stupor that ensured he would not be missed.

He ducked out the gate and into the shady afternoon street littered with a soft blanket of pink from a tall, ancient cherry tree towering overhead. He regretted that he’d rarely been in the village this time of year.

Konoha glowed.

“Kakashi,” a voice called. Of course. She wouldn’t let him get away that easily. Deciding to be amenable, Kakashi turned back to see Sakura hurrying towards him, as quickly and gracefully as her kimono would allow. “Hello, Sakura,” he said. “Are you leaving?” she asked, a small, familiar crease between her eyebrows showing itself. He fought the urge to run his thumb over it and rub it out. “Yes,” he answered simply. Sakura glanced around the empty street before looking back at him. “Please don’t,” she said timidly.

“Why?” Sakura looked to the side and hesitated. A gentle breeze rustled through the bows high above, and a rain of soft petals fell around them.

Long ago, Minato-sensei had told Kakashi that the velocity of a falling cherry blossom petal was 5 centimeters per a second as Kakashi tried to catch as many as he could on the blade of his tanto.

Sakura laughed a little and stepped closer.

Kakashi waited, stone still.

She rose up to her toes and reached to comb her fingers through his hair. Kakashi closed his eye. This kind of touch—neither to hurt nor heal—was also a distant memory.

“You have petals in your hair,” Sakura said breathlessly.

Kakashi opened his eye. She was still close. She too had petals in her hair. Her eyes burned green in the half-light. A soft blush painted her cheeks.

Now, his heart screamed.

Now.

His hands rose to softly hold her waist as he leaned in. Centimeters separated their lips.

“Kakashi,” she whispered. Now.

His lips pressed against hers softly.

[nam-nam-joon]

by the sea

Pairing: jeon heejin/reader; kim seokjin/reader

Genre: inspired by this post by @kurara-black-blog​ ; selkie! AU

Wordcount: 6.7k

Warnings: someone opens a door in only underwear (partial nudity); implied consumption of alcohol (this does start in a bar)

Summary: the night is dark and the tiny town by the sea storm-swept when you make your way into the local bar; to meet Heejin and catch up. who could've guessed a chance encounter could extend your horizon far beyond what you thought was normal - real?

Thunder clapped overhead as you shut the pub’s door behind you.

It wasn’t the first summer storm that raged high above the little town by the sea, but it was among the more vicious ones, and you were glad to even have found the bar in this downpour.

The coat rack by the door was overflowing with oilgear in all shades of black, grey and yellow; depending on the age of the garment. In the dim orange light they mostly looked the same anyways.

Not wanting to lug the drenched coat around with yourself you dove between the jackets, arm outstretched to feel if there was a hook under the mountain of cloth that could still hold one more – your knuckles brushed surfaces both smooth and rough, canvas and wax, and then, fur.

It was very soft but came so unexpected you froze, until you remembered someone probably left their heirloom mink or something. The hook next to it wasn’t blocked yet, and with great difficulty, you managed to wedge the loop of your coat over it. The fur brushed your hand again, and then the previously unseen garment landed in a soft heap in front of the worn Blundstone’s on your feet.

It wasn’t mink, as you’d thought, and it didn’t look like your run of the mill fur coat either. It was a vest with applications of some sort; The fur only on the inside for insulating purposes, probably. What it was doing here in the middle of summer was beyond you; you hadn’t seen anyone wear anything heavy like this the days you’d spent here over the summer. The chance to dwell on the matter longer was taken from you when-

“Hi.”

You turned, vest still in hands. You couldn’t make out much of the stranger, but he was very tall and had wet eyes.

“Hi!” You spoke back, over the backdrop of the noisy bar. “Sorry – Is this yours?” You held the vest up. A glass smashed and cheers erupted somewhere deeper into the room, and the stranger twitched, shoulders sagging down.

“Um, ye-“

“I’m so sorry I dropped it!” You had to shout now, as claps and more cheers arose. “I hope it’s not dirty!”

And you brushed it off half-heartedly and held it out to the other.

Around the stranger’s side you could spot Heejin close enough to the bar that the many many candles burning on it illuminated her face.

“Alright, sorry, got to go. Sorry about dropping it, again!” You patted the stranger’s lower arm, smiled up at the wide eyes and made a beeline for the small table Heejin was sitting at.

“Heyy!” She greeted you, lifting her bottle and looking visibly relieved. “Thought you’d drowned in the storm! What took you so long?”

“Haha!” You huffed, not really angry. “The streets are swimming, I had to make sure I didn’t accidentally walk off a cliff!” That seemed to settle her, and she took a swig of her drink.

The air inside the bar was warm and filled with noise by the people inside it – likely most of the tiny town’s residents. It would’ve been stuffy, too, if it weren’t for the windows that were all propped open the smallest bit to let the breeze smelling like sweet rain and salty sea be blown in.

“What’s with the candles?”

Heejin leaned in close to hear you before nodding.

“Power went out. They really need to fix the lines and the generator, this is the second time it’s happening during storm. The salt gets to the lines, you know.”

You nodded and caught the eye of the bartender. She nodded and, pleased with your work, you settled back into the crummy chair.

Around three the storm calmed down, and it was around that time you and Heejin decided to head home, too. Leaving before the barkeeper kicked you out was always a good thing and meant you knew your limits which automatically put you on the good list of any respectable bartender, and besides, it wasn’t like Heejin and you didn’t have something to go home to.

Dawn was far beyond the horizon, especially with those thick clouds still covering the sky. Not even gulls were awake yet as you and Heejin walked with your arms around the other’s back, breathing in the fresh scent of the town scrubbed clean.

“You should come by more often.” She sighed, putting her head on your shoulder. You smiled.

“I would, but I do have a degree to finish and some kind of job that’s waiting for me out in the world. But I promise I’ll always come back to you.”

She huffed, seemingly not entirely satisfied.

“Hey, I’m spending every second weekend of summer here, do you know how many hours that are on public transport? Not to speak of-“

“Alright, alright!” She laughed, touching her free hand to your shoulder, grinning. “I rest my case, don’t worry. It’d just be nice to have you around more. Even more.”

You shook your head and fished out the key from the bottom of your shorts’ pocket as you approached the salt and sun bleached wooden gate leading into the weathered garden surrounding Heejin’s house.

It was small, had been Heejin’s Grandmother’s before the old woman had passed away unexpectedly years ago. Unsure of her future in the city, with her family placing the weight of responsibility for the business on her older brother’s shoulders, Heejin had leapt at the chance to escape it all and settle for slow life on the border of the ocean.

You’d asked her, during one of your many visits, lounging on a sundeck chair in the garden that couldn’t have won many prizes for its beauty if it’d tried. You’d asked her, if she regretted it – dropping out of Uni, coming here.

Putting a screeching halt on the modern life of decadence and decent luxury she’d had in the city.

“It’s scary, a bit.” Heejin had said, swirling the virgin tequila sunrise in her glass – an old mason jar. “Everything’s so different, you know? But I like it. I feel like I can do good here.”

And that had been enough for her, and by extension, for you.

What had been her Grandmother’s study slash miniscule library had turned into a sort-of guest room with a bed and some other necessities. It couldn’t really be called a guest room, as it was only you who ever slept there, and you and Heejin had a queerplatonic relationship going on and to call yourself a ‘guest’ under those circumstances didn’t fit very well.

“Where’d you leave my toothbrush!” She yelled from the bath while you were still busy hanging her and your own coat properly so all the dampness would be gone in the morning.

“I don’t know, I didn’t touch it!” You shouted back, hopping on one foot after pulling your shoes off with your feet and almost losing your balance. The underside of your sock stuck to your sole after you stepped in a puddle of water and you caught yourself on the door frame to the bath, face showing the sheer disgust you were experiencing right now as you briefly caught your reflection in the mirror.

Heejin, having found her toothbrush and already scrubbing away, couldn’t contain a laugh at your misery and sprayed your face and shirt with a fine mist of white bubbles.

“Thanks.” You deadpanned, sidling up to her and wiping at the spots visible in the mirror.

“Sorry.” She said around her brush. “What happened?”

“Stepped into... fucking water, is what happened.” Putting your own brush into your mouth, you sat back on the closed lid of the toilet and tugged at the wet sock until it came off and you could wriggle your toes in the air.

Heejin laughed again, and you could still hear her giggling as you laid down on the comfortable bed, surrounded by the smell of books and faintly, the sea.

“Shut up woman!” You shouted, grinning yourself. She cackled loudly but still wished you a good night, which you gladly returned.

The sun wasn’t out when you woke, but that might’ve been because of the clouds still hanging around. Or maybe Heejin had drawn the blinds yesterday and not told you; but either way, when she touched her hand to your shoulder and said she’d go see what the bakery had that’d make a good breakfast, you only hummed in agreement.

She pressed a loving kiss to your temple and you had made the effort of squeezing her hand, and then she’d left again.

You had half the mind of asking her if she had taken her keys but by the time the thought process had reached the point in your brain responsible for signalling your mouth to talk, the front door had shut and all attempts had been voided.

Whatever.

You really weren’t used to such long nights anymore, you thought to yourself, and sighed and rolled onto the other side, tugging the blanket around you a little tighter.

How great it was it was Saturday, and you didn’t have to be anywhere but here.

It felt like five minutes later, at most, when you were roused from sleep again.

You lifted your head.

The house was silent.

What?

Then came knocking on the front door, and not the gentle knuckles on wood kind most everyone did here, but the loud one from the old fashioned metal knocker, almost eaten by the rust.

Grumbling, you sat up.

Did Heejin think this was funny? Knocking this loudly? Did she really think you were sleeping so deeply!

Not bothering with any more than what you were already wearing – underwear – you haphazardly made your way down the crooked stairs, eyes not even fully open when you reached the door.

The knocking came again, loud, so loud, pounding in your ears that were filled with the sound of rushing blood and-

“Heejin I swear to the good lord, wh-“

Where Heejin’s head would have been was someone’s chest.

Blinking against the brilliant white of the even clouds, you lifted your eyes.

“Ha- Hello.” Soft cheeks and windswept hair, and dark eyes that looked at you far too intently for such an early hour. Was it? Still early?

He bit on his lips and had his shoulders squared, but only when you took note of the soft leather and the stitching on it did you make the connection.

“Oh! Oh, my god! The fur vest! It’s you! Hi.” A breeze curled into the small hallway, and the last of the bed’s warmth stripped from your skin. Shivering, you felt a bit indecent. Almost exposed, as it was – still the guy’s eyes did not waver or drop from your face, which was a stellar behaviour.

“Can I help you? Did I get dirt on your vest, I’m really sorry-“

He smiled, releasing his full lips for the first time, and softly shook his head, effectively shutting you up. He’d reached out with his hands, as if to gesticulate, but settled on clasping his wrists.

“No, it’s nothing like- Please, can I come in?”

“Uh- This is my friend’s house, so I don’t-“

“It really is urgent.”

Something about the way he talked seemed a bit off. You stared at the flat stone acting as the doorstep for a moment.

“I’m sorry, who were you again?”

His lips widened into a full smile – still somewhat shy, though. He puffed his chest a little.

“Kim Seokjin. If it helps, I’m friends with Heejin?”

It was like he tried to sound the most proper way he could, like he was putting special emphasis on pronouncing every syllable correctly.

You were too tired for any of this. Had Heejin ever mentioned him?

“Um... Sure, just- Here, head down through the door into the living room, I’ll grab... some clothes and- be there in a minute, alright?”

You opened the door wider to allow him in, and he leaned down to quickly hug and press a short kiss to your cheek before continuing to where you’d pointed him.

You stood stock-still, the door handle still in your palm, utterly confused.

What had happened?

Head still void of thoughts you took the stairs two steps at a time, dove into Heejin’s room, grabbed one of her spare blankets from where she kept them folded over the old box by her bed, and then hastened back down, silently wishing for her to come back soon.

Wrapped in the soft knitted sheet, you stopped to breathe deeply, and collect yourself a little. Everything would be fine. Of course it would.

“Would you like something to drink?”

Kim Seokjin turned away from the small shelve with Heejin’s favourite books and little keepsakes, looking a little like you’d caught him doing something he wasn’t supposed to. Your gaze zeroed in on the framed picture of you and Heejin, a candid a friend of yours had snapped of you sitting on campus. He tried to push it back in its place and you looked up into his eyes again.

“Wh-what,” He weakly asked, ears a fierce red.

“Would you... like tea? Coffee? A glass of water?”

“I’m, I’m fine thank you.”

You left the door, came towards the couch.

“Actually, just a glass of water would be lovely, if... you don’t... mind?”

His voice got quieter towards the end, but you managed a smile and soon returned with two glasses, a water carafe and a bottle of orange juice on a small tray.

“If you’re looking for Heejin, she’ll be back soon.” You lowered yourself on the couch, and Kim Seokjin did the same in the small armchair across. Folded into it, he looked even larger than in the pub yesterday night. He nodded, and then he shook his head, opened his mouth but didn’t bring any words out.

He downed almost half of his water, and then his fingers wouldn’t let go of the glass. After seeing his knuckles turn pale, you swallowed the juice in your mouth and decided to try again.

“So... What’re you here for, again?”

That seemed to sober him up. He leaned forward and put the glass on the table, and then sat at the edge of his seat, with his palms pressed between his knees.

“So, you see,” He began, his eyes flickering from here to there until they finally landed on you and stayed on you. It seemed like his body let out a huge sigh. “I figured-“ He reached into his pants’ pocket and produced something small he hid in his hand. “This is for you.” And held it out to you.

You didn’t move, staring between his hand and his face.

“What?”

He came around the couch table, nervously sitting closer to you, and you let him take one of your hands off the glass and put a small bag of rough fabric in your palm.

A small, shimmering pearl came tumbling out of the pouch. Understanding less and less, you furrowed your eyebrows at the visitor.

“I’m sorry, I don’t have a ring just yet- Everything went so fast and the shops aren’t open that early, so I figured- I mean, after all, it would only be proper for us to get married by human standards as well, so please accept this as my wedding gift, until I can give you the ring later.”

You stared into those big, brown eyes.

“I’m sorry, I think you’re confusing me with someone else.” You put the pearl back into its pouch and wound the string around the end to keep it securely inside, but when you tried to hand it back, he wouldn’t have it.

“No, no it’s yours, you can’t give it back! –That wouldn’t be proper.”

“Okay? Okay.” You put the satchel down next to your glass and rubbed your hands over your face. Heejin would be back any second, and she’d surely help you get this lunatic out. She’d be back any minute. “Okay, first of all... We’re not getting married, I have no idea who you are, and? What...”

He smiled, wider than seemed acceptable at the moment. Giggled, even.

“Oh, you don’t want the ceremony? That’s okay, more time for us, then. There’s so much I want to know about you, and you have to simply tell me everything! Le-“

“He-Hey hold on, wait, a minute? Ceremony? What? What are you talking about?”

“You gave me my pelt back, I figured you’d want the proper human ceremony, to make it official on your side, too.”

“You... are human too, you know that, right.”

This time he really laughed, once, dropping his head. When he looked up again his eyes sparkled with mirth.

“Oh, funny, you’re funny, I like that. We’ll do well together, I’m sure of it.”

“You-“ He’d inched closer on the couch, and you stood up to bring some distance between you. “We are not getting married, I have no idea who the hell you are, and please, leave now. I’m not even sure Heejin really knows you, she never mentioned you and as crazy as you sound, that’s a huge thing. So, please, if you could just-“

All humour dropped off his face, but it didn’t turn bitter or blank either.

“O-oh, you... You want me to leave you alone so soon, ah... Okay, well.”

He rose, and though he towered above you, looked very small. It appealed to a thin sliver of you, those heartfelt, sad eyes and the hunched over posture, but you fought it down, unwilling to cut this maniac some slack.

“Hurry up, would you?” You huffed as his steps towards the front door came almost in slow-motion.

By the coat rack he turned to look back over his shoulder, bottom lip sucked into his mouth again, the corners turned down.

You looked away as you noticed a tear roll over his cheek. What the hell was going on?

“I suppose...” He faltered in front of the jackets, running his palms over his vest and grabbing its edges. His voice had lost all of the cheery brightness from before, was now solemn and downtrodden. “I suppose you’ll want to keep this, then.”

And he began to shrug out of it, until you stepped closer, put a hand to his arm, looked up at him through bewilderment.

“Why would I want that? It’s your vest, why would I-?”

He froze mid-taking it off, sniffled and blinked and by now there were thin trails of wetness running down his cheeks, and his ears were still red and his nose began to colour too and even though you’d never really met him before yesterday he still looked so lost and sad that it tugged on your heart.

“Listen-“ You began, at the same time he was starting to say “You-“, and both of you were interrupted when the front door opened and Heejin stood there, panting, with a paper bag in her hand and a rolled up newspaper under her arm. Her hair curled a little and with the thrown open door the wind came blowing in, carrying a few drops of rain inside before she shut the opening. Obviously having run from the rain, she pushed her hair back, the elated smile on her face twisting into confusion as she took in the two of you.

“Seokjinnie, I didn’t know you wanted to stop by-”

Her eyes landed on your hand on his arm, her eyebrows lifted. The smile returned to her face. “Oh, you two know each other?! _______, why didn’t you say anything, ever, we could’ve-“

“They don’t.” Kim Seokjin said, his voice coated. The smile trickled off Heejin’s face again. A bit embarrassed you took your hand back, and he pulled his vest back on all the way. “Heejin, if you could-“

Her eyes left him for you, and you tried to convey just how helpless and confused you felt. Something settled on her face, and she nodded, but it hadn’t been directed at you.

“Do you want to stay?” She asked, directed at the tall male. He cleared his throat.

“I guess that’s easier.”

“Come on then, both of you. Time to sit down.”

She pushed between you and tugged you forward, with Kim Seokjin trailing after you.

Since the couch wasn’t that big that it could’ve comfortably housed all three of you, Heejin took one for the team and sat on the couch table between you, looking as serious as she could. It was a little unsettling.

“What’s going on.”

Kim Seokjin took a breath, got choked up, and broke off. Seeing him struggle and desperate to get this off your chest and Heejin on your side, you jumped at the opportunity to explain yourself.

“He showed up here this morning, saying stuff about a marriage and ceremonies and he kissed my cheek? I’ve never met him before but he said you were his friend? You never mentioned him? Or am I losing my marbles here? I mean I never met him before yesterday night, at the bar, but-“

“I was about to head home,” He said, voice laced with tears and his fingers interlocked in his lap. “I was about to go, and then they- My pelt fell off the rack, and they-“ He swallowed and looked at you, causing Heejin to turn her head, too. At the centre of attention, you focused on your own knuckles.

“And they gave me back my pelt. No questions asked. Just like that.” He whispered the last sentence, and you forcefully relaxed your feet. Wouldn’t bring anyone any good to get a cramp now.

Heejin sighed, but it didn’t sound condescending.

“I understand.” She stated. You looked back to her.

“You do?”

She nodded.

“Great! Then can you please explain him-“

“_______, Seokjin is a selkie. Do you know what that means?”

You blinked. “The... The Seal Spirits? But they’re...” Your gaze found his, and the words ‘not real’ died in your throat. You closed your mouth and swallowed.

The silver fur on his vest suddenly seemed a lot brighter than before.

“But...” You tried again, mind blanking at what to do next.

“To give a selkie their coat back means as good as marrying them, in their tradition. That’s why he came here this morning, to make it ‘official’ from your side, too. Did you accept his gift?”

“I didn’t-“

Seokjin nodded silently, pointed at the little pouch still next to your glass with juice.

“They don’t want me.” He said then, voice wobbling and tears collecting under his chin. “I w-waited so long and now-“

“Can you give us a minute? I’ll come see you upstairs, okay?”

Thoughts flurrying, all you could do was nod. “-Sure. Yeah, I’ll... I’ll wait, yeah. Okay.”

And you collected the blanket around you and left for the stairs.

Seokjin’s pressed sob was the last thing you heard before closing the door and climbing the stairs.

By the time Heejin softly knocked on your door you had freshened up, got dressed and combed your hair. She closed the door behind herself and crossed her arms over her chest, leaning against the wood.

“Can you please help me because I am... Extremely lost right now.” You confessed, sat on the wooden, revolving chair in front of the old, creaky bureau.

Heejin sighed again, and now she did sound tired.

“Yeah. You got yourself in quite the pickle this time, not going to lie...”

You stayed silent, hoping she might elaborate. After another intake of air, she did.

“So, dear Seokjinnie is a selkie, and you happened to give him back his coat, and without conditions, too, so yesterday, when you did, it was like... Like a dream come true for him. You gave him his pelt back without any demands, basically saying ‘I’ll take you as you are and we are one now’, and Jin, not knowing you had no idea, came to see how you would proceed, and now we’re here.”

“But I didn’t- If I’d known he’d think that I wouldn’t have given him his coat! I mean hand it to him. Gosh, what- And now? What now? Can’t he understand this was a mistake? A, a, an accident? –Does he think I own him now?” Panic seeped into your words, and Heejin was quick to shake her head and reach out her hands placatingly.

“No, no no, they have their traditions but they’re aware that people don’t-“ She sighed again. “No, I explained to him you had no idea what he was and what that action might cause, and he understands that, it’s just... He’s a huge romantic, you know? Has always spouted about how when he finds someone that’ll be it, he’ll be that person’s, faithful to one and only one, ever. And all the soulmate stuff and fated one and all that in the books didn’t do much good, with how Selkie’s treat their history and- Can you... Follow me? Where I’m going with this?”

“I think... Maybe? I think I can, yeah... Can’t I just- Break off this marriage? Or... engagement? Whatever that is between us?”

“Technically yes, as you already ‘gave him back’ his pelt and he is as such free to go, but... This is very complicated. If you’d be okay with it, we could go downstairs and sit in the living room and talk while Seokjin is there? He’ll know better answers to all of the specific questions, I promise.”

Still feeling a little light-headed, you nodded. Before Heejin could open the door, you held her back.

“How long have you known? That he’s selkie? That they... exist?”

She pulled back from the door, covered your hand.

“I came to know after my Grandma’s funeral. She was somewhat of a... A warden or, a keeper of peace between the merfolk and the town. A bit like a mediator, because there’s a lot of Selkie’s living amongst humans these days, and all that. Seokjin was among the small group that approached me, to ask if I knew anything of my Grandma’s heritage or if I’d follow her footsteps.”

“So that’s the whole ‘doing good here’ was about.”

She nodded. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you more, I really am-“

You shook your head, squeezed her hands.

“No, don’t apologize. You kept their secret, that’s- That’s important. Don’t worry, okay?”

“Thank you for understanding.” She smiled at you, and you dared to smile back.

Kim Seokjin was a heap on the couch when you came back in the room.

The skin around his eyes and nose was red and a bit puffy, but the tears had dried and he blinked against letting any more escape.

Even though you understood who he was a little better now, it still felt weird to think of him as your husband when you took your seat next to him once more.

It was too soon for any of that.

Heejin resumed her position on the couch table – fully embracing her role as mediator, evidently – and looked from him to you.

You turned to the Selkie, fully turning your torso so you really did face him.

“I’d like to apologize. I had no idea about any of this, and- I’m sorry for doing this to you. All of... This.”

He swallowed and nodded slowly.

“I know- I know basically nothing about Selkies other than the thing with their coat; when you hide it, they can’t go back to the ocean, and so on. But I don’t- I’d never do that. And I will never do that. And I, I was wondering, if there was- Any way of... not doing this? Marrying and all of that, I mean.” He blinked, and Heejin shifted, and hastily you continued. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, you’re really pretty-“ He turned his eyes away and dropped his head a little, as if ashamed. “-and I’m sure you’re a really sweet guy, but I barely know you and wouldn’t it be better for you to marry out of love and not because... Because some dumb person accidentally proposed to you in a manner they didn’t even know about?”

“But it happened.” He said, voice small. “You did, if you meant to or not, and if you want to, you can have me. I’m ready to live with you. Unless... Unless you don’t-“

Heejin reached out and rubbed his knee comfortingly, and he collected himself.

“Unless you reject me, and tell me to go back to the sea. I would do that for you, too, live as a seal again. But, if I may, I would-“ He held eye-contact with Heejin, even though his head was turned towards you. “I would like for us to give this a try, before y- we, break apart.”

It seemed like he’d practiced saying it, for when he finished and his eyes glanced at you, his shoulders sagged down a little.

You leaned forward.

“This is all a lot.” You stared between Heejin’s socked feet. “Like, a lot. Can I- May I think about this? About... you, and me? Just-“ Your eyes found the clock on the old piano, focused on the pointers. “Until six pm? Give me time to think this over until then?”

You caught Heejin giving him an understanding, but still questioning look, thumb still rubbing over his knee.

He looked from her to you.

“Yes,” He agreed, swallowing bravely. “Okay. Six pm.”

Heejin invited the Selkie for breakfast, as she’d bought way too much, and even though you’d been reluctant to agree at first, it turned out to be nice.

He’d taken a glass of homemade marmalade that Heejin’s Gran had made, weighted it in his hand and Heejin, apparently knowing what was coming, had been barely able to contain her giggles before Seokjin had said “This is my jam!”. It had eased the way into chatting with him, about his visits to town, his friendship with Heejin, among other things.

He was funny, you had to admit that, and could also eat a lot. After munching through three rolls with various toppings he finally leaned back, satisfied at last.

Even though food coma must’ve been upon him, he helped in clearing off the table and putting everything back in the fridge, wiped the surface and then even stuck around long enough to help with the dishes.

The sun finally broke through the clouds as the hour neared two, and Heejin packed a bag for the beach.

It was warm again, summer having come back in full force after the cool down of the storm last night.

Clouds gathered over the horizon, far out over the water, but the sky spanning above you was clear and blue.

Baking in the sunlight and listening to the waves and the gulls crying out it was almost easy to forget the decision you had to make by the time the early evening came.

Seokjin had excused himself for now, going about his own business, and so you were left alone with Heejin and your thoughts.

“You really don’t have to do it, you know.”

You cracked an eye open and saw her lying next to you on her stomach, open book in the sand. It was a new softcover, otherwise her Grandmother would’ve likely been turning in her grave.

You sighed. “I know this is probably weird but-“

She glared at you. You hurried to backpedal.

“I mean, I guess in the big picture it’s not that weird, but I kind of... He really is cute, isn’t he?”

That got her laughing.

“He is. And he can dance, and sing, and loves to cook, and it’s a miracle nobody from this tiny village has dated him yet.”

The waves were light blue where they rolled on the shore.

“This affects you, too, though. I mean, I was with you first, doesn’t this- Isn’t this like marrying your side hoe? Or something?”

She laughed again and closed her book to turn her sun warmed face to you.

“I mean technically, yes, but under these circumstances I’d be willing to let you have your side hoe. We could still see each other? And...” She trailed off, squinting over the water.

“What?”

“I don’t want to get ahead of myself. Forget it.” A small smile played around her lips.

“What.” You poked her arm.

“I was just thinking-“ She slapped your fingers away. “-Hypothetically, if you do accept him, and you go off to have your thing, it would be nice if you moved in with him. Like a shared house. Preferably somewhere by the ocean, like... here.”

Her smile simmered down, and she looked at you again. “It would be nice to have you around again, you know?”

It wasn’t the first time she said that, and it wasn’t the first time you toyed with the thought what moving here permanently might be like.

“But if I move here I won’t be able to attend my lectures. And I really want that degree, I worked so long for it-“

“You could always do online classes.” Heejin dragged a finger through the soft sand, sneaking glances at you.

“Half the houses here don’t even have WiFi, and the internet café would cost a fortune if I stay holed up here for eight hours a day.” You shot back. Heejin pouted, still drawing swirls into the sand. You’d had this argument before.

“There’s new houses being built uphill, they have WiFi there. Or will have, when they’re done.”

That was new.

“Those would be too high of a price range for me.” Both of you had lost your playful snark. Before she could answer to that you shook your head, huffing.

“Look at us, debating on where I should stay with the strange Selkie I’m married to. Life is crazy.”

“So you will?” Nothing on her face let you know if she really did sound hopeful of if that was just your imagination.

You sighed.

“Honestly... I mean, I can try. We’ll see about the whole married-in-human-terms, but for now... He can’t be so bad. Is he?”

She shook her head so hard you got dizzy just by watching.

“He is not.” She confirmed.

You shrugged and rolled on your back, blinking against the bright sun.

“I guess, I could try. If he’s as nice to be around like at breakfast, and like you said... It feels a bit like cheating though, you know?” She looked at you, raised a brow with interest. “I mean, everyone else dates and breaks up and then there’s me, having been with you for the last years, and now suddenly I have a husband.” You turned your tongue over after saying that, feeling all sorts of strange at using that word. “Husband. How that sounds, too.” You shook your head. “It seems so crazy.”

“You do!” Kim Seokjin echoed, after you’d repeated the words to him at shortly past six, with Heejin rumbling in the kitchen and preparing to cook an early dinner. “You really do? You want to try?”

“Yes.” You said, carefully reaching out across the gap between you two on the couch and covered his balled up hands with yours.

His eyes were swimming again when you shyly looked up into them.

“Can I,” He cleared his throat, never losing eye-contact. “Can I please hug you? Oh me, I’m so-“

You nodded, and he lurched forward, wrapped you up in his arms and then you were flush against his chest with your cheek against the soft skin of his pelt.

“-happy.” He finished, mumbling the words in your hair and tightening his hold.

And it felt nice.

You still had no idea who he really was, apart from all which you did know, but that was what the next weeks would be for, you supposed.

“So, you’ll stay.” Heejin said over a spoon full of broth. You nodded, with a lot more collected Kim Seokjin on the other side of the kitchen table.

“That’s good, ‘cause you see...” She blew on the broth and then dropped the spoon back down, erasing her progress. It didn’t seem to matter, her eyes were glistening and her hands clasped under her chin. “I kind of got my mother to invest in the houses being build uphill, and as such you can pick one for yourself! A branch of my family’s business will rent them out to whoever wants, but you’ll be able to live there as long as you want. For only a small rent, of course.”

You dropped your spoon.

“Heejin-“

She lifted a finger.

“I’m not saying I planned this, because I didn’t, but I had the hope that if I had a little more to offer than a creaky bed in my makeshift library, I might be able to persuade you to come out here more often, and maybe get you to stay longer, too. And now... Now it might work out, after all!”

Kim Seokjin’s eyes switched from your friend to you.

“I know you don’t live in town, but where do you usually live? The truckstop a few kilometres from here? Or on the other side of the forest?”

You looked from him to Heejin, and then back.

“Um, Kim Seokjin-“

“Seokjin. Or Jin. Or, anything, really, is fine.”

“Seokjin, I- live a little further than just the stop or the forest.”

“That’s okay.” He said quickly, stirring his soup in its bowl. “I haven’t really... I mean, I never really left town much. On the occasion of walking around.”

You nodded, and suddenly felt a bit bad again.

“_______ will be back second next week. They always visit every second weekend.”

“So long.” Seokjin mumbled, and you quietly reached out your hand to tap it to his.

“I’ll just- I’ll need time to sort things out a bit, and transfer all my stuff online, but- As soon as the house is finished, I’ll probably be able to come and live here.”

“Speaking of which,” Heejin clapped her hands and startled both of you. “We can go look at them if you want?”

“What, now?” Seokjin’s eyes were wide as he desperately looked down on his bowl.

“Maybe tomorrow.” She added, faced with his distress. “It’s Sunday anyways, so nobody will be around. It’s the perfect time!”

She was right concerning that.

The houses were sprinkled over a plateau halfway up the hill, visible from the town but not so that they had really caught your eye before.

There was one, furthest out from the gravel road that had been put down already, with its balcony positioned just right so you could see both sunrise and –set.

Only the walls and the stairs were built, and a roof, but the balcony was there already. Seokjin came out to where you were standing with your hands in the pockets of your shorts, well away from the handrail-lacking edge. You turned your head and observed him, how he let his eyes roam from the horizon to the town nestled about a half-hour walk down the hill.

Even before he focused on you and shyly reached out his hand, asking for you to hold it without words and then smiled, you knew he had made a decision.

“I like this one.” You said, rubbing a thumb over the back of his hand. It felt very nice to do so.

“Me too.” He mumbled, eyes not letting go of your gaze as he answered your touch and tightened his fingers briefly.

“You wanna choose this one?”

He nodded, buzzing with energy now that the decision had been made.

“Heejin?”

You leaned around the opening that would one day hold the door, and found her with her phone out.

“I think we’ll take this one.”

Besides you Seokjin’s smile widened. He tugged on your hands a little, and even though he refrained from leaning his head against yours, you could see the happiness radiate from his action.

“Thank you.” He whispered, not for the first time.

“Who knows, maybe I’m a terrible flatmate and you’ll really regret moving in with me... Maybe I leave dirty clothes everywhere... Maybe I never shower... Maybe-”

He wrinkled his nose.

“I’ll lo- I mean, I will like you either way.” He spoke bravely, but still searched your face for a response. You grinned, and he did, too.

“Yah, are you two done?” Heejin yelled from below.

Neither of you had noticed her going down.

It still felt very new and like you shouldn’t be able to do it, but you disentangled your hands and wrapped the freed arm around his waist. He hummed, smiling, eyes sparkling.

AN.: you can also find this and everything else i’ve written on my ao3 runningfaucet

if you enjoyed reading this, please let me know what you liked best in the comments :)

[yandere-society]

Hi! Would do a reverse-idol scenario where the reader is filming a music video for the ballad of their new cd, and RM is cast as the love interest?

Sunset Serenade

Admin: @nomnomsik  🎉

Trigger warning: heavy misogyny, yandere-themes, love-hate relationship, slight mention of stalking. Please read with caution. 

»»————- ★ ————-««

Look at me. I want you to look at me, please. 

I’ll do anything to capture your attention, to earn your love and affection.

Why won’t you look my way? 

Please… 

Wait, where are you going? Don’t go… Don’t leave me.

Namjoon’s eyes were glued to his phone, mind hazy as it went in and out of consciousness. The blue light illuminated in the dark, burning his eyes, but he didn’t care. He was simply lying on his soft bed, ruffling the dark, black locks on his head as your image appeared on his screen, flickering back at him.

You were chatting vibrantly away with the hosts of a certain show, answering trivial and insignificant questions. Namjoon’s grip tightened on his phone as he shuffled in the blankets, turning to his side. 

His gaze sharpened, eyes furrowed as he began to question himself. Why was he even watching these? He hated you. Everything about you. 

Your laugh was nails on a chalkboard, always too high pitched to ever seem real and genuine. Your hair was styled weird, too much volume that made it look like it was bigger than your face. The clothes you sported didn’t even fit the shape of your body, often too baggy, and not even on purpose. Your habits and gestures always seemed so stiff and off making him wonder: were you even real?

You were nothing special. You were everything he despised in a person. And even though he hated your existence, he continued to watch. He couldn’t understand why he was so enthralled, why his eyes continued following every scrunch and expression of your face. 

He hated women like you. 

He hated you, specifically. 

He hated how he could never have you. 

There was a spark in his mind, flashing images in front of his eyes. He wanted to see you cry, wanted to show you how it felt, wanted to get over people as terrible like you. It wasn’t until the host spoke again that Namjoon was pulled from his thoughts and back at his phone. 

“Y/n-ssi, so, care to share what your ideal type is?” 

You blushed a shade of pink, Namjoon’s jaw clenched as he wanted to launch his phone onto the ground and scream at the top of his lungs. His resentment brewed, not only because of you but because of himself. 

Why did he always get trapped by these type of women? The ones he hated so much that he couldn’t help but be captivated, that he couldn’t help himself but look at you again and again from his screen.

“I guess… I like really tall men, not too tall, preferably fit? If they can pull off white hair too or a platinum blonde color, that’s bonus points?” You laughed nervously, scratching the back of your hands as your legs swung off your seat. 

Namjoon’s mind blanked, the video coming to an end a few minutes later, black screen. His arm seemed to move on its own, setting his phone aside on his nightstand and powering it off. He just stared at the ceiling, the white color staring back. 

White, huh…

»»————- ★ ————-««

It took a couple of weeks, but Namjoon stepped outside the hair salon, his white fringe blowing in the breeze as the hair covered his eyes. He was lucky he decided to do research on his client much earlier than he usually did. The hair came out even and sharp, dark roots probably not showing for a few solid weeks. 

His fingers came up to his blank strands of hair, surprisingly still looking alive despite all the heavy bleach he had to endure that burned his scalp. Namjoon would adjust his hair for the next couple of days, his fitness trainer who he had befriended for not even a month complimenting him on his new look, only for Namjoon to give him a ‘thank you’. 

All for what again? Another one to not look his way? 

“Kim Namjoon.” He had smiled, extending his hand out only for you to accept it, giving him a shake in return. 

“Nice to meet you.” You had shyly pursed your lips, eyes lingering on his for only a second before snapping away. “Nobody really does handshakes nowadays, don’t you think? I’m so used to bowing you caught me off guard.” You confessed, chuckling at yourself as your director led the two of you to the set. Namjoon agreed out of necessity, sharing the same sentiment, not that he meant it. 

You were to spend the next two days filming, Namjoon cast as the love interest of your music video. The two of you were drenched in jewels, diamonds encrusted in the collar around his neck and a necklace around yours that dangled to your chest. You sighed in a joking manner, wondering why you were dressed up in such a flamboyant way for a slow, ballad type song as your title track. 

“Don’t you think this is a bit too much?” You muttered, pulling at jewelry that seemed to tangle around your wrists. While Namjoon was getting his hair readjusted and makeup getting the eighth touch up of the day, he laughed. 

“Of course not, you look beautiful.” 

His words set you off, face blowing up with heat, but foundation covering your reddening face perfectly. 

“Oh god, don’t say that.” You begged, hand coming up to cover your flustered state. 

Namjoon was a tall man, chest broad, biceps and thighs thick, and voice so soothingly deep. His aura oozed of charisma, the makeup artists even falling for his beauty. He was a man who knew exactly what he was doing and just how good he looked, on and off-camera. 

His hand completely engulfed yours, gently stringing you along in the set as the camera panned over to follow the pair. With the soft ambiance of your track in the background, you two twirled around for the camera, sharing flirtatious giggles, smiles, and touches that lingered for far too long. Even Namjoon got bold, spinning you around until he was directly behind you and wrapping his arms around your waist. 

You never wanted the shoot to end. When you were with Namjoon, you felt like you were in love. It was like you had a husband, a lover, who loved you as much as you did. Your hearts were beating as one. The look of his eyes filled you with something warm, melting into his embrace. With Namjoon, it’s like you knew what love was supposed to be. 

It hurt your heart when you heard the final “cut” that echoed in the room. The shoot was over. Your time with Namjoon was over. As you were getting your clothes and accessories unhooked off, all you could think was how a person you just met impacted you so deeply. You knew nothing about him, but exactly everything. 

He had to be the one. 

You didn’t care if you were delusional, you wouldn’t be able to take the pain of never seeing him again, never getting to know him. When you were finally released, you sprinted out of the changing rooms, running to the lobby and searching for the man you longed to see again. 

Where was he? Did he leave already?

“Kim Namjoon? Oh, yes, he just gave me his farewell a few minutes ago. He’s such a polite gentleman-” The director spoke, only to get cut off as you quickly thanked him and sprint off and out the door. 

“Kim Namjoon!” You yelled, legs running to chase after the man who seemed to disappear after the recording was finished. You saw his figure down the empty street, crossing one of the small bridges over a stream that flowed underneath. With the sun setting in the distance, you willed all the power of your lungs, catching up to the man you couldn’t bear to not know, to never see again. 

Namjoon turned around at the sound of your voice, the golden sun shining on his skin, eyes wide as you panted, hands grasping onto his white dress shirt. 

“I-I…” You harshly exhaled, only for the man in front of you to look at you with worry in his eyes. “I want… I want to know you. I want you to be in my life. I can’t have someone like you leave me… Don’t do that to me.”

Namjoon’s heart thumped loudly in his chest, hands shaking as he boldly cupped your cheeks. This was it. This was the moment. 

Even when Namjoon lowered his head down to yours, lips so close they were barely touching, you realized you could reject him, refuse the intoxicating taste of his lips, but you didn’t. 

You sealed your fate with him as your lips met his, his hold so tight and intense. When Namjoon fluttered his eyes back open, he didn’t see just you. He saw all the women he chased after in your face, in your eyes. 

It was then he hid a smirk beneath his smile, hands joining yours. You had looked his way. He had won your attention. 

And he was never letting go. 

[wileds]

more vacuo tidbits from after the fall!  for my own reference & anyone else’s.  beware spoilers!

wonderful description of fox’s childhood home!  “Hardy palm trees arching over a clear blue oasis, bright green leaves reflected in the still water. There’s grass on the shore, lush green grass, dotted with pink and white flowers. Bees lazily drift over them, collecting pollen. Do you hear them buzzing? This is the center of town, where everyone gathers to talk, eat, conduct business at the market. Around us are burlap tents and lean-tos built by traveling merchants, beyond are the huts, squat shelters made of mud brick and straw where are people dwell. [...] it’s beautiful. Though our homes are simple and inelegant, they stand as a testament to our sheer will to survive. The fact that anything can live in the desert is a miracle. And when the desert winds knock all this down, we’ll just rebuild. When monsters run us out, we will move and start anew elsewhere. Always remember that. Every life is precious, even the mole crabs and the carrion hawks and the slowworms...all the more so out here where there is so little of it.”

the 38th vytal festival tournament took place in vacuo.  

shade academy’s headmaster is named theodore.

the west winds blow moisture in from the ocean.  depending on how close one is to the coast, a blanket of rolling white mist sometimes covers the desert, a fog that burns off in the heat later in the day.

forceful sandstorms happen in a lot of places.

tribe names and settlements seem to be synonymous often?  plus a notable trend in the names being related to earthy/mineral stuff.  a few settlements in vacuo (some of them destroyed even if the people still call themselves by it): gossan, tuff, feldspar, schist, kenyte, coquina.

aloe is a common sunscreen cream in vacuo.

a flatback slider is a giant sand turtle “the color of the desert it swam in, rich oranges and yellows and reds” with an obsidian shell, worn and glasslike where blasted by sandstorms, pockmarked and pitted higher up. very rare. it swims in the sand and is so big that it doesn’t really notice or care when people hitch a ride on its back, a sun-bleached surface as flat and stable as any plateau.

old dust quarries can be found all over vacuo.  “Once upon a time, about a century back, they had all been part of a major mining operation. Once the corporations had leeched the land of the Dust that made it so valuable, they up and left—having helped the desert claim more of the land, leaving giant holes like this one.”

generalizations/worldview:  

“Vacuans live extemporaneously, with little attachments aside from the people they cared about—and even then, many weren’t into commitment.” 

“In Vacuo, there were two kinds of people: those who were selfish and those who were fully dedicated to their community, and, in time, Fox came to understand that the latter usually had a better chance of survival.”

“Living from moment to moment instead of planning for the next day, week, or year seemed strange to many outsiders, but it also made Vacuans appreciate thing in those moments far more—every meal, every conversation, every joke was a celebration of lide, and even the sad and painful moments carried greater significance.”

an old saying in vacuo: “Listen to the desert.”

“Vacuans had exciting names for every natural phenomenon, most of them destructive or deadly: Misery’s Kiss (sunstroke). Lasting Regret (food poisoning). Sudden Demise (a sinkhole spontaneously forming, which occasionally swallowed whole settlements).”

“Vacuans have a reputation for being dishonest. [...] It’s misplaced, particularly since it’s the other kingdoms who stole from us.”

grimm introduced include a few we have met before in previous volumes: king taijitu (faster than many other land-based grimm, especially in a desert terrain) and lancers.  

new grimm:

dromedon.  a monstrous pitch-black camel that spits venom. it has a mishhapen hump.

jackalope.  a huge four-legged beast with black fur, branching red-and-white antlers extending from its bone mask, and powerful hind legs that could propel it a great height and allow it to run fast.

ziraph. long-necked, its has three heads and kicked anyone and anything that crossed its path. four long legs are covered in razor-sharp bony plates, its skin was black with glowing red spots like a leopard’s with short but pointed white horns over its fiery red eyes. 

ravagers. flying grimm like uglier, meaner nevermores with dark leathery wings like bats.

blind worm.  a long black spiky worm with a fiery red eye in the center of its head, which also featured a circular maw with razor-sharp teeth.  easily as wide as a nevermore from wint to wing and the length of six goliaths. it can burrow in the sand or travel atop.  when ripped into it can spew green ick, essentially acid. “Blind Worms are nasty things. Maybe the nastiest in a desert of nasty things.”

[enygmass]

Title: Ghosts

By: Ames

Char: Jonathan Crane

It’s October, it’s about time I write something for Halloween.

AO3 || Ko-Fi ____________________________________________________________

It was a dark stain. The landscape was picturesque, appearing as though it were ripped right from the scenic moment on a postcard, but it was marred by that dark stain. There were neat rows of corn, blue skies, little cars that drove steadily on by, but all of it was ruined by that dark, ugly stain. It looked as though it was built without kindness, as though, despite the mortar between the bricks and the embellishments that lined the porch, the spark of life that finished off a home had been forgotten, left to turn to dust in the high Georgian sun.

The interior was no better than the exterior. Where the exterior, with its black bricks bleached a dull grey and the wood chipped to splinters in the yellow grass, showed its ability to handle the elements, the interior was coated with a sheet of dust and decorated with cobwebs in the corners like some sick party trick. Welcome home, it seemed to echo, down halls that had been silent for years on end. Welcome home indeed.

But the home was not without life, although the absence of a hearth and darkness from the windows made it appear so. The people who watched from the town of Arlen below spoke of the ghosts within the walls, who seemed to hover just out of view in the tallest windows. They would whisper that if you looked at the right time, at the right moment, and if you squinted your eyes and leaned forward in your seat just a little bit, you could see them. You could see them if you really wanted, but you better hope to God that they couldn’t see you back.

Home was always a funny word on the tongue of someone who hardly knew it. It was a heavy word, a light word, a word with many meanings, but from the chapped lips of a man who had grown within the walls like some parasite, feeding off the misery of those alleged ghosts to fester his own, it meant a carcass. To him, it was a shell on a hill, blanketed in a field of corn that he once knew and once loved and over time had since grown to hate. He had grown to hate it with a passion that replaced the missing hearth of that home with his own burning resentment, which seemed to seep into the walls and make the already rotting foundation even more decayed.

“Home.” Yes, the word did sound funny on his tongue when he uttered it to an empty master hallway where his only companions were the knockoff roman statues that guarded the stairs. The word even echoed in his head a few times as he made his way up those molded velvet steps with his hand tracing the railing all the way to the windows which once looked nice, yes, but were now so coated with dust you couldn’t see out them at all. It felt nice to finally stand in the house when it was in its true element, rather than the spotless lie that he had grown up in.

His surname should have been Keeny, but he had always been called Crane. Grandmother had formed some sort of adamance against allowing him to carry on her surname; it always had to be his father's surname so that the world knew he was nothing but the bastard product of two shattered homes. One time, when he had asked why, she had ceased her cutting of the meat she intended to use that dinner that night and became so unnaturally still in her state that, by the time she finally moved, Jonathan had been near tears with the wrongness of the situation. She had not responded to his question.

To his right, he could see a room. The walls that once might have been a seafoam green were faded out now, with the little bear stencils lining the borders now nearly scratched away. There was a rocking horse, a chair, and a toy box that sat unmoved in the corner. Jonathan supposed at this rate that if he tried to open it he would be met with resilience. Grime had surely hardened the bolts that held it together.

When he was five years old, his Grandmother used to lock him in the room by himself as a means of attaining some peace and quiet. At first, Jonathan would cry and knock on the door, but eventually, he self-soothed and resigned himself to the various toys that littered the room. It was in this room that he first learned that something wasn’t right in the Manor. It began with scratching in the walls, an action that could already scare a child but was only amplified by the fact that it didn’t stop, followed by knocking, and then full-force banging, as though someone was attempting to get through to him. It had been so strong that a few pictures had even fallen and hit the floor. Jonathan remembered pulling the toys out of the toy box and crawling into it, where he lowered the lid just enough so that there was a crack he could peer out of, lest anything ever crawled into the room.

Nothing ever did, though, and in due time the noises would cease on their own. Whenever he asked his Grandmother about it she would give the same half-hearted response of ‘pipes in the walls’, but Jonathan had always been an observant boy. It wasn’t hard to see the way her gaze would linger on the corners of the room for just a moment too long before she would grip her skirt and leave.

The playroom had been locked up when he was seven as a punishment. It was only open now because the wood had been chewed away by unseen insects, loosening the hinges enough for the door to collapse in on itself. Jonathan wondered if the bang from that noise had scared the neighbors enough to keep them from ever entering.

This wasn’t where he intended to linger, however, and he was already moving past the playroom as the last trails of that thought left his mind. His gaze was set firmly on a red door ahead, the one door that was still standing in this house, unopened since he had closed it firmly on that final night. His hand extended and touched the brass knob, pale fingers wrapping around dark copper, and with a sharp twist the deafening screech of parts unturned for twenty-odd years sounded their protest as the door was forced open with one firm shove. The smell of musk captured his senses, and as he stepped past the threshold into that room that held no light,

“You are not him, and you never will be.”

An eleven-year-old boy sat on a chair with a teddy bear in his hands. The woman at the church had told him that every boy and girl needed a teddy bear, for that was how their guardian angels saw them, and when Jonathan had answered that he didn’t have one, she had gone and bought one for him herself. Jonathan had brought it to her funeral no more than a week later.

“Who?” The question sounded so naïve for an answer already known. Jonathan had found the pictures in the vanity, the pictures of the boy he looked almost identical to, although one had been born from a woman of god and one had been born from a woman of grief. That was their prominent difference.

“You know who. I know you like to dig through things that aren’t yours when you think I’m not around, but I am always around. God holds no secrets and my ears are always open to his word.” In the haze of the memory he could not make out the expression his Grandmother wore on her face, although he imagined her lips were pinched to a thin line and her dark eyes narrowed with distaste. Mary Keeny always did have her ear turned to God, and she always had her gaze turned to him as well. In fact, she had her eyes turned to God so often that she forgot to turn them to her son, who lay bound in iron in his bed [ Jonathan’s bed ] at the tender age of eleven, until the rattling of the last breath filled the room as the grip of polio finally shut down his lungs.  With this, Mary Keeny had turned her gaze back to man after so long, but by then it was too late. He was buried in the garden. Jonathan knew this because he had dug up a bone last week.

“How come we have the same name then?” If he was not he, and he never would be, why did they share so many similarities? His train of thought had been ceased by the sound of his Grandmothers hand hitting the table; no breath escaped his lips then.

“Because you were given by God as the consequences of my actions. I keep your presence as a reminder of what I failed to do, you are the embodiment of a failure, and so you are aptly named so. You are not him because he was sweet, young, and so full of good while what you are full of is maliciousness, and spite, and evil so that when I look at your face, when I look at my Jonathan’s face, I do not see my sweet boy, but instead I see the product of my sins.”

She was close now, so close that he could smell her stale perfume in the air, but when he blinked the eleven-year-old boy was gone and replaced by the thirty-eight-year-old man that he was. That moment in this room had changed him – it had finally opened his eyes to the reality of the situation he was in. There would be no love for Jonathan Crane; all of it had been spent on Jonathan Keeny, and there was nothing left to give.

This realization replayed in his mind as he moved to the window, the very same window his Grandmother had stood at in that moment, and he looked out to the town of Arlen below.

The Manor did not have ghosts. The Manor had lies, it had undocumented crimes that stained the walls that started far before Mary Keeny's reign, but had ended with Jonathan Cranes, it had stories and tumultuous past. In the end, though, the Manor was nothing but a hollow carcass that sat on a hill, acting as a dark stain on the landscape. If it had ghosts, they were silent, caught in the repeating moments of their lives that had occurred in the horrific past that built this home.

No. If the Manor had ghosts, there was only one now, and if the people of Arlen feared that the ghost in the manor could see them back, he could.

[howdoyouspellepiphany]

The Prophecy

Pairing: Min Yoongi x Park jimin (DemonAU)

Words: 5653 words

Summary: Long ago, the Divines and Fallens received a prophecy that promises their demise in the hands of a mortal that says:

Beautiful as the creature may be, fire doesn’t burn, ice doesn’t freeze, water doesn’t drown and lightning doesn’t destroy.

Now, the demon prince (Min Yoongi) meets a pink-haired waiter (Park Jimin) who looks like heaven and smells like sin. As their relationship blossom, the Divines and Fallens are beginning to wonder about the prophecy.

Warnings: Crude language, ignorant author

Note: I kind of know how Tumblr works now. Yay

Chapter 1  Chapter 2  Chapter 3  Chapter 5

Chapter 4

Min Yoongi is known to be a heavy sleeper who once slept for 2 days straight without an ounce of remorse. He remembers the good times when he wakes to burnt candles and the smell of spider lilies. It took him a while to realise that his room has been transformed into a shrine to respect his ‘departed’ soul. His father had his mother come to Infernum to see him for ‘the last time’. Yoo Jung was seen wailing when she hears about her son from her husband. That year, autumn came faster than any other years as Demeter tried to calm her daughter down. But the thought of losing her son hurts.

 When he wakes, he wakes to his mother hugging him and was engulfed in a bone-crushing hug from his little brother and Namjoon. He got a beating from Jin and Hoseok refused to talk to him for days. Yoongi did receive an earful from his parents and was – what happened afterwards? His memory doesn’t serve him any justice as the memory appears to be fragmented and lost. But it is expected since he did lose a big chunk of his childhood; only retaining a few important ones.

When Yoongi was forced to act as regent, even the slightest noise wakes him up. Nothing gives him peace anymore and whenever Namjoon or any other council members try to start a conversation with him, it’s never about music or the sky. It’s always about work and more work. And eventually, sleep doesn’t seem as important like it once used to. Not when all the creatures living on Earth that are registered under Vescor is under his protection and not when he has a kingdom to run. Sure, if he wants to, he can use aggression and violence to get things done but that’s not what Hades had taught him. The king of Infernum had taught him to be fair and that’s exactly what he will become; fair.

In the dead of the night, Namjoon stumbles in the room through a small door connecting the hall and their shared chamber in his demon form. The said man desperately tries to be as quiet as he could despite knocking everything over. His advisor’s efforts were fruitless but it’s the thought that counts even though it’s rather painful how hard Namjoon is trying. All Yoongi is hoping now is that his pink-haired advisor doesnt leave a trail of blood on the way to their shared room. 

 Nevertheless, Namjoon in his demon form is relatively scary. He doubles his normal height and has grown claws for nails. Demon Namjoon has heterochromia – red on his left and light blue on his right with big horns on his head and two snakes as a tail. His father was the previous Asmodeus before he steps down with Ken as his successor while his mother was a Wendigo; the most powerful kind to have ever existed. Namjoon is the son of the sun and the moon and he is already very resourceful even before he took the position as Yoongi’s advisor. His once brute Namjoon now whispers curses every time he stubs his toe near a furniture and when he trips over his own leg in fear of waking Yoongi up.

Little did he know, the prince is already up the moment he steps in the front door.

When Namjoon stops near his bed, simultaneously dropping a few Ryan dolls on the floor, the demon pants as he tries to regain his human form. Yoongi quietly listens to Namjoon’s pained grunts and laboured breathing as the latter’s bones snap and crack to signal the start of the bone remodelling and the retraction of his demonic features.

It hurt.

It always hurt. How can it not? Their bones are remodelled while their extra organs/limbs are forced to retract back into the ‘slumber’ body. As for Namjoon’s case, his heterochromatic eyes and horns need to be kept too. ‘Jin-hyung would know what to do to lessen his pain,’ Yoongi thought. ‘Jin-hyung will always know what to do. They are bonded, after all.’

After a few excruciating minutes of hearing Namjoon’s grunts and pants, his advisor slumps over the bed while his two snakes slither across the bed, hissing noisily. The prince grumbles as he gets out of bed. It is futile to try and go back to sleep when his mind is at its loudest. When Yoongi approaches the two snakes, they had lowered their head and with a silent command from Yoongi, they retract into Namjoon’s body. Poor boy must have lost all his energy. Although it almost never happened to Namjoon, gathering the information must have been more tiring and energy-draining than Yoongi had originally thought. 

The mint-haired prince grabs a Ryan-themed blanket and puts it over his advisor’s body as he glances over to Jeongguk’s empty bed. It has been untouched for days and his bed still has the same, white and unwrinkled sheets. He had to resist the urge to lay on it or touch it just to spite his little brother but decided against it. Rather than fight Guk, he’d rather spend it on finding the little bastard who is trying to steal his kingdom from him.

Min Yoongi walks out of the room and makes his way towards the balcony, not forgetting to grab a box of cigarettes on the coffee table. He glances at the brown piano and decided to just sit outside. His slim fingers grab one stick and puts it between his lips. He lights it up with his forefinger as he stares at the bright lights decorating the tall buildings before him. He sucks in all the nicotine as much as he can before exhaling a puff of grey smoke. Seoul, even his sight is restricted behind the grey smoke, still resembles a lighted up Christmas tree. It is impossible for him to be at a place in the city where light doesn’t hit for it has always been so bright and festive in the heart of Seoul.

Seoul, in his eyes is bright.

But bright lights cast the biggest shadow. People can only see the superficial parts and fail to see the deep parts.

He finishes the cigarette with 2 more takes and he had extracted his wings. His grand, magnificent, black wings have made its appearance (smaller due to space constraint but the beauty of his wings can never be compromised.) and tore his pale skin and the black shirt he wore to bed in the process. Specks of blood splatters everywhere within the proximity, decorating his mother’s mini garden with tiny droplets of red. He stands on the railing as he takes in a deep breath of the early morning air.

He jumped off and with his fully extended wings, he had soared off to the dark skies where the stars decorate across the sky and the moon is hung high up in the sky. It is times like these that he enjoys most. The serendipity he feels and the ephemeral feeling of being free. Free while he is in the sky for when he steps back down, the shackles are back on his limbs, tying him down to Vescor and Infernum while his responsibilities hit him like violent waves.

If his father were here, would he have let the massacre happen? What could he have done to prevent it? The thoughts cloud his mind and once again, his eyes change colours and black takes over.

When he looks down from above, he has a very mean look on his face. One that Hades wears all the time and it’s the look of disgust and disdain. Yoongi puts all his wrath in one flock of his wings and he is almost sure that the wind will eventually turn into a tornado or cause a tsunami somewhere.

Seoul, in his eyes is black.

Seoul resembles both Paradisus and Infernum for the most part.

They are both dark and light

They are grey.

He is grey – devoid of colour, and is just a shade between the bleaching white and swallowing black.

             Before Yoongi flew back, he had stayed to watch the sunrise. Memories of Hoseok and Mejiwoo, the angel’s elder sister being created flashes through his mind. No sunrise can ever be compared to that morning Hoseok and Mejiwoo is born.

Beautiful.

They both of them are beautiful and golden.

They’re different from the grey lead Yoongi is known for.

When the prince flew back, the balcony is wiped clean of his blood and the door is left open to allow air to come in. He retracts his wings the moment he stumbles into the room as the smell of food floods his senses. He, just like any other demons don’t need food to nourish them but it doesn’t mean that they don’t enjoy it.

Yoongi pulls the torn shirt over his body as he walks confidently towards the kitchen where an expected Jin-hyung is cooking with a pastel yellow with little blue clouds apron as the male hums to a melody Yoongi easily recognizes. It was a song he used to play on the piano to show off to his friends. After… A tragedy? Yoongi doesn’t know. As far as he knew, he hasn’t played it in a long time probably due to his duties as regent but it feels like there is something else underlying it. Something must have happened that made him stop playing the piano since he couldn’t bring himself to even touch the brown, old piano his mother still keeps around just in case he changes his mind.

He walks straight to the kitchen where a cup of freshly roasted coffee is set on the table next to a bowl of rice cooked with black and red beans while Jin transfers the fried chicken to a more presentable plate after draining the excessive oil. Yoongi scans the table as he hums in approval. Jin had made a traditional Korean breakfast with the side dishes ready and he has already begun salivating. There are some tofu cooked in soy sauce and egg omelette.

“You’re making a lot. Are you expecting guests?” Jin scoffs at the playful jest as the prince sips on his coffee. It is black, sugarless and hot – just the way he likes it.

“They’re not for you.” Jin places the fried chicken on the table as he cleans his hands with some soap and dries them on his apron. Yoongi smiles a little when the table is clearly set for two since Namjoon and probably Jeongguk (whom Yoongi assumes is back due to the amount of fried chicken Jin had made) wakes up fairly late.

Jin grabs his chopsticks after Yoongi had shove a fried chicken into his mouth. Even if Jin speaks freely to Yoongi, it has never been forgotten that Yoongi is still the prince of Infernum and the son of Aphrodite respects his younger friend a lot for it. And he tends it to show it in subtle actions. “Yoongi-ah, Ken had told me that Suran-noona called yesterday, asking for you.” Yoongi grunts and shoves another mouthful of rice and chicken into his mouth. “It’s about Vescor.” Yoongi looks up from his food before resuming eating. Jin pauses for a while, as if getting a telepathic message from the prince.

‘Talk about it after breakfast.’

“Anyway, I think it’s high time you get a phone.” Jin said, mimicking Yoongi’s eating style.

“Then get me one.”

“I will. But you need to come get it at Aphrodite before nightfall.”

“Yeah, ok.” Yoongi mumbles as he asks for seconds.

“No.” Yoongi stresses, glaring at Hoseok from behind the transparent shower curtains. After breakfast, Jin left without telling him what Suran wants and Yoongi just let it be. They will be meeting soon, anyway. It shouldn’t matter if Jin had forgotten or not.

Hoseok came a few minutes after with a joyful smile and shining eyes. Apparently, the angel told Yoongi that he’ll be closing his dance studio, Gabriel for some time to help out at Yoo Jung’s floristry, ‘Bunga’.

“Hyung,” The angel whines as the demon prince growls in the shower. The angel leans against the blue and white tiles of the bathroom as supports a pout. The demon prince scowls in response as he takes a sum of shampoo and wash his mint-green hair thoroughly. He makes sure to wash his hair properly and condition it before going out. Frizzy, dried up hair is the last thing he needs during his stay on Earth. “I swear I have a good excuse.”

“What could even be a good excuse, Seokkie? You’re closing Jibril-“

“Gabriel.” Hoseok frowns.

“Same difference. They’re both your mentor’s name.”

“True, but my dance studio is ‘Gabriel’. So, say it correctly.” Yoongi sticks his head under the shower and washes his shampoo-ed hair.

“As I was saying, you closing down-”

“On a short hiatus.” Hoseok corrected once again and in turn, the irritated demon takes in a deep, sharp breath.

“Can you stop interrupting me for once, Seokkie? For fuck’s sake.” Yoongi glares at the angel who still supports the joyful smile and shining eyes. Hoseok knows that Yoongi means nothing behind his insults and welcome them with open arms.

“I need to make it clear so that you don’t get the wrong idea. I need a short break from dance, hyung.” Hoseok said, pushing himself off the humid wall as Yoongi applies conditioner to his hair. The angel takes the articles of his clothes off and joins the demon prince in the shower. “Hyung,” Hoseok said in a soft voice – the voice he uses to persuade Yoongi. “Please believe in me when I tell you that. I have been thinking about it for a while. I swear I’m not lying.” Hoseok whispers against the expanse of his skin as the latter trail kisses all over the demon prince’s back. Yoongi sighs when Hoseok wraps his arms around Yoongi’s waist.

“Dancing is your dream, Seokkie.” Yoongi whispers, staring at the steam radiating from the hot shower as he reaches over to press some body wash on his palm when Hoseok beats him to it.

“Yes, but Yoongi-hyung, helping you is a second nature to me.” Hoseok never ceases his kisses even when he lathers Yoongi’s pale, cold skin with firewood and mist scented soap. Yoongi stays quiet afterwards. What the angel said hold truths to it and the golden colour hovering Hoseok’s honey skin proves it. Hoseok is the first man and species different from Yoongi’s own that he had slept with and Yoongi still remembers the state of euphoria he felt during the night with Hoseok. He remembers the younger’s gentle touches and hushed wishes – all which he succumbs to.

But it was just one night and it made Hoseok unable to fly despite having wings of his own. His halo dimmed significantly after that night and the two of them refrained from any sexual intercourse mainly on Yoongi’s side in order to preserve Hoseok’s status as an angel. He would be damned if he ever let the younger angel fall.

He already let one get so sick, she may never be able to recover and continue her remaining life as an angel.

“Hyung,” Hoseok whispers from behind him, fingers now massaging Yoongi’s tensed back. “What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing.” Yoongi lies behind his teeth as he continues his shower. “I’ll let you do whatever you want.” The prince says after a while of silence.

“You’ll let me work at ‘Bunga’?”

“If that’s what you really want to do.” Hoseok gives him the biggest smile he has ever seen as he hops out of the shower and grabs his clothes on the floor.

“Yes!” The angel cheers as he simply takes Yoongi’s towel and runs out the bathroom without closing the door.

“At least close the fucking door.” Yoongi grumbles.

“Oh by the way,” Hoseok sticks his head at the ajar door. “As proof that I will never regret working at ‘Bunga’ is that I overheard Jackson Wang’s trainees from Tantara Records that the ‘New Ruler of Infernum’ is going to overthrow you.” When Yoongi’s eyes darken as he stops the water flow, Hoseok raises his hands in defence. “It’s their words, not mine.”

“Overthrow me?” Yoongi chuckles darkly. “Me? What a joke.” With all the heat radiating from Yoongi’s body, the water droplets quickly turn to steam and evaporated into the thin air. “Little bastard couldn’t even enter the castle without my permission.” The castle is located in the heart of Infernum in the main, capital city, Gehenna. It is designed to pulverize anyone who doesn’t carry Hades’s blood in their veins if they ever try to leave or enter without their consent.

And his guards are trained to be loyal to the crown – all so ready to please and kill for the crown. His top general is Lucifer and followed by other 4 demons named Beelzebub, Belphegor Leviathan and Mammon. They are all trained by Hades to specifically protect the royal family and the peace of Infernum. They will never betray him.

Yoongi tells himself just that every time he finds himself alone but it gets harder to convince himself. What the prince got in return isn’t relief but strange anxiety. None of his guards back home in Infernum had contacted him and they are supposed to report to Namjoon or him every subsequent day. But no updates were given. The Styx Goddess hasn’t updated anything either but it must because that she was crowned to be regent after his absence.

He just hopes that the Goddess of Styx would try to make lessen the complications of any given matters that were given in his absence.

To come back and see the whole Infernum on fire (due to her lover, Acheron) is the last thing he wants.

By the time he got dressed, Jeongguk woke up with a pout, asking where he’s going. He’s very confident that his little brother is only acting upon reflex and that he is not even half awake yet as the younger demon struggles to keep his eyes open only to fall back to bed. Yoongi cracks a small smile and pulls the blanket over Jeongguk’s torso before making his way to the balcony.

“Are you leaving?” Hoseok says with mouth-full of rice and fried chicken as he stumbles from the kitchen.

“Only for a little while, yes. Things are strange back in Infernum. They aren’t reporting anything to me.”

“You mean, Lucifer.” Hoseok swallows as he says the fallen angel’s name in distaste. Hoseok wasn’t born yet when the whole Adam-Eve-forbidden apple fiasco and neither have Yoongi. While the angel has his own views on the fallen angel, Yoongi does too. Hoseok doesn’t understand why Lucifer couldn’t have just listened to orders even if he doesn’t want to do it. Following orders are simple. You don’t have to feel it. You just do it. It baffles the angel greatly. It’s better to just go along with things without questioning it rather than having their wings ripped off of their backs. Yoongi, on the other hand, understands where the jealousy is coming from for he would have been jealous too if his parents have another child and decided to love the child more than him. It’s the same with Lucifer. His maker practically gave him a big ‘fuck you’ and chose the human who is made out of clay. Since when did dirty-ass clay become better than fire?

“Seokkie,” Yoongi pauses as he sticks his tongue against his cheek in mild exasperation. “Not today.”

Hoseok can only sigh in response. Yoongi has never been one to actually share his business about his generals with him. Even if they are close, Yoongi can never fully trust the angel for Hoseok’s loyalty belongs to Zeus and the likes. Yoongi isnt one to hold a conversation regarding Infernum affairs with anyone other than Namjoon and Jeongguk. It isn’t anything deep it’s just how it’s always been. “Alright, sorry.” Hoseok mumbles as he swallows the food he has been munching. “I’ll be in ‘Bunga’ if you need me.”

Yoongi watches the angel retreat to the kitchen with a bowl in his hand and sighs. Hoseok is upset and truthfully, Yoongi couldn’t bring himself to care. Not now, not today.

He stands on the railings, jump off the building and allows his wings to be extracted from his skin with a sickening crack. Yoongi no longer grimaces at the sound or the pain it seems to bring whenever he summoned them when he was younger. Now, he only feels a numbing and tingly sensation. He flies up into the sky and towards a crevice in a dark area where sunlight doesn’t hit Seoul. He soars and glides with the wind and once he found a dark crevice, he speaks in an ancient language – one that Charon, the ferryman understands so that he could open the entrance for the prince.

When Yoongi returns to his palace in central Gehenna, the capital city of Infernum, Styx and her lover, Acheron is found waiting for him in the gardens on the palace. Styx had filled him in the information he wanted during his absence and she admitted that she hasn’t been able to update him on anything due to Lucifer’s disappearance.

“It’s bad, Your Highness. The Sluaghs are all over the place now that Lucifer isn’t around to keep an eye on them.” Styx says, rushing towards Yoongi as soon as the man steps in the premises of the palace. Styx is a woman who is made of water with long, flowy hair. She is the guardian and the Goddess of Styx River, the main of the 5 rivers surrounding Infernum. Her lover, Acheron, is the guardian of the fiery river in Infernum, the Acheron River. The man doesn’t speak much and when he does, he only tends to only speak to his lover. The man of big build next to Styx has red hair and red eyes. “Lethe, Coccytus and Phlegethon have been trying to curb the Sluaghs along with Leviathan. But for some reason, my prince,” Styx says, warily looking around. “The Sluaghs said something about the ‘New Ruler of Infernum’.”

‘Fuck’ Yoongi closes his eyes in annoyance. ‘Lucifer is gone? Where the fuck did her go?’ His patience is really wearing thin. One: Is the cause of his anxiety was proven to be right? Two: If he ever hears another one calling the bastard the ‘New Ruler of Infernum’, his hands will really be their new choker. “What did they say, Styx-noona?” Yoongi’s voice wavers as he tries to remain calm. It is much too dangerous for him to lose control in the public eye.

“I think matters such as these are best discussed in the protection of the castle walls.” Styx said, touching her lover’s hand, burning herself in the process. Acheron quickly steps away but Styx doesn’t let his hand go. Yoongi has never understood the love Styx and Acheron shares. They can’t even touch each other without hurting each other and they couldn’t continue their day without touching each other. Yoongi watches the steam arising from where their hands meet and couldn’t bring himself to say anything. Acheron once burnt Styx alive at the beginning of time for he was a raging fire that couldn’t be controlled. The man weeped for years until Hades decided to bring Styx back in the form of water to him. Acheron sees it as a chance that was given to him to live happily with his love and pledged loyalty to the crown for as long as he shall live if it meant he could live with Styx. Bu that’s not all that he did. The man actually changed. From the rambunctious, unforgiving and wild fire turned tame just for a fragile lover.

Yoongi didn’t understand why Styx chose to stay then and he doesn’t understand why she chose to stay now.

The three of them walk to the throne room in no haste when the pair of lovers are forced to part when Lethe came, panting, asking Acheron to join in the fight upon Leviathan’s orders before greeting the prince. When Acheron left, Styx opens the door to the throne room and Yoongi strides up to his throne. It has only been 2 days in the human world and he’s already missing his throne and the black, pointy crown that sits comfortably on his mint hair. “My prince, a few minutes after Namjoon left for Earth, a peculiar man came to my river.” This immediately catches Yoongi’s attention. Only gods and goddesses who are ready to make a pledge will descend to Infernum to see the Styx Goddess where a mark of their word will be tattooed on their skin.

Namjoon and Jin had made their vow in front of Styx and their vow of ‘Semper Fidelis’ are tattooed around their neck like a chain – a leash.

“He was wearing a black cloak, one that covers his hair but a few strands of green hair is visible. His pale is fair, so fair it resembles yours, Your Highness. He’s different. The hate that he radiates isn’t like anything I have ever tasted before. The hate – it radiates throughout his body, sire.”

Yoongi watches the water-woman as she tries to describe how it tasted like. Styx River feeds on hatred and loathing. ‘The stronger the feeling, the better the taste’ Yoongi recalls Styx once told him before. And for her to describe it as an exquisite taste doesn’t make him happy at all.

“And when he makes the oath with me, he left.”

“What vow did he make?” Yoongi asks even though he knows Styx will never tell him.

“Your majesty, you know I am very tight-lipped about oaths and vows.”

“Even if it means doing me a great favour?” Yoongi asks and Styx stares at him.

“Are you implying that the green-haired boy is the rumoured man?”

“I don’t know, noona. Nobody does.” Yoongi is tired. He just wants to find this boy and burn him alive. He just wants a cup of coffee and some peaceful time in his kingdom and on Earth. But that is a luxury he doesn’t seem to be able to afford. Lucifer is missing, the Sluaghs are doing whatever the fuck they please, the mysterious kelp on Earth, the slaughter of the People of Poseidon and now a boy with ominous energy. “Namjoon, Wang and his pups are all over the place trying to gather intel for me.” Yoongi grumbles as he stands from his throne.

“Anyway, while Luci is gone, have Mammon take charge. I want those Sluaghs in the dungeons.” Having Mammon, the demon known for avarice in charge is never a good idea in Yoongi’s point of view for Mammon is greedy and sadistic. He takes and takes but never gives and most importantly, he goes against Yoongi’s principles of being fair. But Mammon will have to do for now just until Lucifer gets back. He couldn’t possibly have Leviathan for she has too much on her plate right now and Belphegor is known for his laziness and lastly, Beelzebub is known for his gluttonous life. Yoongi would be damned if Beelzebub resorts to eating those Sluaghs who refuses to listen to him.

“Will do, sire.” Styx bows at Yoongi as he walks down the stairs.

“I need you to be extremely tight-lipped regarding this matter. I will leave Infernum in your hands for the time being and I expect it to be in good conditions. I need you to update me whenever you can. You no longer need Lucifer to transmit any message to me.” Styx nods in understanding. “One more thing, noona…” Yoongi trails off as he takes off the black, pointing crown from his mint hair as he runs his hair through it. “How’s… Y’know, Hoseok’s sister?” Yoongi asks despite knowing what Styx will reply judging from her eyes.

The guardian of Styx River has averted her eyes from meeting her prince’s bluish-grey ones. “She’s still the same.” The prince purses his lips. “I will still send the purple hyacinths to her despite you being on Earth.” Yoongi gives her a small smile and nods slowly. The prince hopes that if the other half of the golden sibling will accept the flowers and listen them if she refuses to listen to him.

“I have another favour to ask from you, noona.” Styx smiles and tilts her head to the left. “Can you have Charon change some Danakes to Korean Won?”

“May I inquire for what purpose?” The beautiful woman asks as she tucks one finger under her chin. She finds the favour rather peculiar because while her prince is known for many things, Min Yoongi isnt a lavish person.

“I need to buy some rubies for Jin-hyung.”

‘Ah, so that’s what it is.’ The water-woman thought as she pats Yoongi on the shoulder in response. “Did you put my sweet Jin on a dry spell again?”

“No, I didn’t.” Yoongi gives his noona a pointed look as the said man rubs the back of his neck and in response, the guardian guffaws.

“Whatever you say, Yoongi-ah. I’ll have them delivered to you and do ask Suran to accompany you when you buy them so you don’t get some ugly-ass ones.”

“Rude.” The prince mumbles as the prince makes his way out of the castle and Styx trailing close behind him. She had struggled to match his pace but the prince is way too fast for her liking. When the prince stops in his garden and extricate his wings to their full expanse, Styx abruptly stops. She doesn’t want to be in those wings’ proximity when they’re out. One flap and she might evaporate into thin air. “Take care, noona. Both yourself and my kingdom.” Yoongi said and the water-woman bows with her right hand over her left chest.

“Your wish is my command, my prince.” The prince finds himself smiling and with one powerful stroke, he ascends up to the sky. He opens a portal with one destination in mind – Jin’s pride, Aphrodite.

The prince had a ‘marvellous’ time at Aphrodite as the Divine hands him his phone and a few quick tips on how to use it properly. With a little ‘I don’t need that’ from Yoongi and a ‘You’ll never know when you do.’ As a response, Yoongi walks out with a jailbreak-ed phone and a game that allows you to fight other players with a sausage. And then with a smile, he makes his towards his happy place – The Promise Café.

“Here you go.” Jimin smiles as he places a tall glass of vanilla milkshake in front of Yoongi. The prince is still on his little quest on finding the right flavour that resembles the chubby-cheeked waiter and that explains the vanilla milkshake. When he reaches out to take the glass, he realises that the pink-haired boy had added something extra at the side and before Yoongi could even ask about it, Jimin had already gone to greet a new customer. Yoongi couldn’t help but muster a little smile. ‘How nice.’

While Yoongi is lounging on his chair, (from his point of view), he saw a man – more specifically, V – who was watching the café in a distance. The Muse is wearing a brown hoodie and a washed-out blue jeans that are ripped at certain places. He no longer has that confident air around him or a frivolous outfit on. It feels like Yoongi is watching another man and the one before his eyes under the over-sized brown hoodie isnt V. The man had the hood on to cover his long, wavy brown hair as V’s chest pants heavily. Yoongi watches carely and a dark blue (one that’s much darker than his eyes) aura hovering above the Muse’s much too pale skin. If memory served him right, V has a rich, honey skin yesterday so what’s with the pale complexion today? V’s lips are trembling and chapped. When the Muse raises his arm to wipe his mouth, Yoongi notices a streak of red on the sleeve of his hoodie. After a while, V’s mouth moves and left. To Yoongi’s dismay, he couldn’t figure out the latter had said as the wind carries the Muse’s words away.

The prince’s eyes make their way to Jimin’s face now where the pink-haired boy is seen taking the orders of a regular. It was humiliatingly easy for Yoongi to remember the faces of Promise café’s regulars and new comers. When Yoongi takes the first sip of the vanilla milkshake, he instantly regretted his choices. It was so plain and milky and it tastes like eggs. Why the hell did he even think it was remotely close to Jimin? When the door chimes, he pays no heed to it as he forces the drink down his oesophagus and eats the extra thing Jimin gave him. The pastries taste good.

The customer at the door takes a seat across his table and Yoongi could feel it. Whatever or whoever the man is, they’re not human. Both of the hooded men have their hoods on but the one who is sitting in front of him made Yoongi raise his chin and furrow his eyebrows. The man has a mask on and the only thing Yoongi can see is the playful, goading pale blue eyes. If the man, much shorter than him with blue eyes doesn’t avert his gaze, Yoongi might have to dig those eyes out to make him learn his lesson but at the end of Yoongi’s thinning patience, the shorter man did.

Yoongi was about to take another bite when Suran gave him a chain of messages that came in like a flood. The prince growls in annoyance as he swipes as he gives the messages a glance before paying for what he ordered. He thanked Jimin and while the pink-haired boy is rushing to give him his balance, Yoongi unconsciously reaches out and ruffles his hair.

“Keep the change.” Yoongi said and Jimin seems startled a little before a furious blush makes its way across his cheeks. He mumbles a thanks and Yoongi watches how his cheeks move when the waiter’s plump lips move. ‘I can’t wait to eat you up.’ Yoongi thought, smiling. “No problem.” When Jimin’s mouth-watering smell reaches his nostrils and are beginning to cloud the prince’s vision, Yoongi suddenly (and awfully) is hyper-aware of his actions as he drops his hand and left.

His hand smells of Jimin now. And while the pink-haired boy has a bashful pink aura hovering his skin, the necklace around Jimin’s neck changes to a similar colour as well.

And for the nth time that week, Yoongi has a hard time cancelling out Jimin’s scent.

Chapter 5

[madtangledblues]

landmark songs as aesthetics

sun veins- fairy lights, record players, succulents, hair whipping in the wind, road trips, freckles, sunshine n smiles

way it goes- sky blues, sun tans, beach days, ice cubes in lemonade, pixie cuts, cats, cotton

vines- teal, dancing in the dark, flannels, cuddling, headphones, messy buns, coffee breath in the morning

epitaph- adventuring on your own, forest green and pale blue, libraries, fresh air, manic pixie dream girl, road trips, sitting in silence

simple season- back to school, crunching leaves, dark lipstick, tucking hair behind ears, bruises, slamming lockers, plaid

tuesday- crisp november air, apple cider, holding hands under tables, velvet, thanksgiving with extended family, tipsy, muffled laughter

western kids- high school parties, pink silk, drugs, football, curly hair, sneakers, abba, 4am

poems- snowflakes, oceans in the winter, black coffee, blankets, horror movies, sweatpants and oversized sweaters, dark circles

monsoon- candles, white dresses, waiting in a car, jet black hair, headaches, glasses, a warm cup of tea, aspirin

vacation- hammocks, the smell of a bonfire, the stars, braids, salty skin, the feeling of freedom, bikini tops, alcohol

boyish- bay windows, driver by over the speed limit, combat boots, neon signs, distant mountains, broken glasses, swimming in an ice cold lake, kisses

interlude- an endless stream of tears, tank tops, yellow, leather jackets, anger, bleach blonde, cigarettes

buttercup- prom night, climbing trees, bralettes, flasks, feeling numb, screaming at the top of your lungs, sunglasses, telling someone you love them

i know they don't necessarily match the meaning of the song but these are what come to my head

[blanketsafe]

🥳BLACK FRIDAY has arrived!!🥳 Super Sales going on!! And to give back, we are extending all of our sales!!! . Washes are perfect for any pet laundry, and especially the delicate waterproofing of a horse blanket!! Just use in place of your house hold detergents that will destroy waterproofing, ruin soft fabrics, not able to wash wool, leave skin irritating chemicals, can bleach fur/hair when in the sun, deteriorate fabrics (causing stretching, and decreased longevity). . Plus, household detergents are not designed to clean the extensive mud, manure, odors that many pet products get!! Use on pet beds, horse blankets, saddle pads, washable girths, wraps, boots, dog toys. Designed with the help of a veterinarian and a professional pet laundry!! Perfect for professional use and All pet lovers! . #petsafe #horsesofinstagram #catsofinstagram #dogs_of_instagram #equestrianblackfriday #horseowner #farmlifebestlife #petlifestyle #veterinarianapproved #equestrian (at RugSafe USA) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5c4JCWH7xD/?igshid=1opiahcztmcy7

[sonicasura]

Devil Skull, Crystal Light

By: SonicAsura (One shot, Don’t own Bleach or Steven Universe)

Have you ever felt there was something out there? Something...new...something strange...and something dangerous… Did you ever feel like you’re the only one out there when left alone by time? I am something different from everyone else but it didn’t really bother me. I’d always fit in, but you bring something new into the matter? How long will things last? Let me tell you a story about the Devil Skull and the Crystal Light.

My name is Steven Universe, a 14 year old boy living in the shore town Beach City. Home of the magical guardians known as the Crystal Gems, a trio of magical women who protect the world from vicious monsters and magic! I’m at least 4 ft tall with a slightly large body(not fat though just big boned!), light peach skin, bright brown eyes and curly dark brown hair almost like a curly afro and I always wear my signature salmon shirt with a yellow star in front of it, a pair of blue jean shorts and light pink sandals. And...I’ve been lonely for awhile. It all started this morning… Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl had set off on a mission and said they wouldn’t be back for awhile. So what do I do in this situation? I walk around the beach looking for people to hang out with.

First I’ve decided to go to the Big Donut where Sadie and Lars worked at to strike up any conversation. The shop was closed for some strange reason, I’ve managed to find Lars but he told me to buzz off. I thought about going to the arcade but realized it was boring just to play by yourself. I decided to talk to Onion, he didn’t answer and walked off. My whole day was spent trying to find someone to play with. I was now in my house by the beach sitting on my couch. “Man… I feel so bored and empty… No one wanted to play or do something with me. I couldn’t get a donut from the shop, didn’t want to play in the arcade because I was alone and even Onion didn’t want anything to do with me!” I said to myself disappointed. “Maybe I can read a book!” I shouted but noticed I’ve read everything.

“Maybe a game?” I asked but just remembered I was alone. “Aaaaah… I wish I had somebody to play with me.” I sighed as I got off the couch and climbed up the wooden stairs then went into my bed. “Maybe I won’t be lonely tomorrow.” I muttered as I closed my eyes and drifted to slumber. However in the middle of the forest a little way from Beach City… It was the middle of the night lit by the moon and millions of stars in the sky. The leaves of the trees rustling in peace, the chirping and cries of animals that dwell within, all was in peace until an unusual pressure filled the air. A tear emerged through the air like a rip in reality of a single cut but not ripped. It was like that until the tear shook violently ripping open to reveal a spinning gray vortex of light within the confines rip opened as a loud blood curdling shrieking ripped through and the glow of yellow shone through it.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!” A loud shriek roared through the town and scared the living daylights out of me causing me to fall off my bed. “Whoa!*thud*” I shouted as I landed on my back in pain. “What was that?” I asked as the shriek happened again, it sounded like a cry of pain. “Whatever it is, it’s hurt. I’ve got to find it!” I shouted as I quickly grabbed a flashlight and my sandals then ran out of the house. I ran through the streets of Beach City and quickly into the forest as the shrieks continued but I noticed that nobody was aroused by it though it didn’t really matter. “Aaaaaaaaaa!” The shriek came louder and louder as I was getting closer to the source. “Don’t worry! I’m almost there!” I shouted as the screeches started to grow quieter and softer. I threw my hands across the last set of bushes as I arrived to the area. I dropped my flashlight as I looked at what I was seeing completely shocked.

Lying on the ground...was a demon of some sort. It was a 6 ft 3 in tall white humanoid demon with a slender yet buff frame covered in white skin, it had a hole in its chest with silver black lines coming from it, slender arms ending with razor sharp clawed fingers with tufts of red fur around the wrists, clawed feet with red fur around the ankles, a huge mane of red fur around his neck, a skull mask like face with 3 black stripes on the top forehead, two black lines going down his face, razor sharp skeleton like teeth and a lot of them, 2 pointed and straight curved devil horns and long orange hair going down the back of his head as he was wearing some sort of torn black and white robed pants but so shredded that you could see more of his left leg than his right and a black sleeve on his right arm and lied next to him was a black blade with a strange kanji shaped guard with chains going down the end of the hilt. The devil was severely injured with tons of cuts across its body.

“Is this… some sort of Gem Monster?” I asked a little nervous and confused as I noticed there was no Gem on it or anything from what Pearl told me. “Is… he alive?” I asked as I approached the demon which twitched for a moment when I got close before I saw it. Piercing yellow eyes coming from the carved sockets of the mask staring into my being. “It’s okay. I won’t hurt you.” I answered as the eyes faded like it passed out. The first thing I went to was the sword. I wrapped the chain around my waist and then picked up the demon and hefted him on my back. He was heavy but I could managed. “Hold on Mr. Monster, I’ll take care of you.” I answered as I started my way back home. It took awhile but I managed to get back to my house with the strange monster. I quickly laid him on the couch and placed his sword on the table before running into the bathroom. “Got to find some medicine!” I shouted as I searched through the cabinets and grabbed some bandages and some rubbing alcohol then ran back to the living room.

I took out the rubbing alcohol and began to clean his wounds from what Pearl showed me then I started to bandage him. The first thing I bandaged was the hole in his chest, I didn’t know how he was alive with it but I bandaged it quickly before taking care of the other wounds. It took some time but he was completely bandaged and I quickly got a spare blanket and covered him. “There you go big fellow. You should be feeling better soon. I’ll call you Skullzy. Good night Skullzy.” I whispered as I kissed Skullzy’s forehead and headed off to bed. What I didn’t know was Skullzy had begun to stir as his bright yellow eyes opened. Night slowly turned to day as the sun’s light shined through the windows and onto my bed.  “Mmm.... Stop it Dogcopter…” I mumbled in my sleep as something shadowed over me. “Hey...Who turned off the sun?” I asked as I opened my eyes to see Skullzy was in my face. “AAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!” I screamed loudly as I accidently bumped my head into his head and fell off the bed only to not feel the hard ground.

Skullzy had literally caught me in his arms before I hit the ground as I glanced at him. The bandages were gone as his wounds were healed except for the hole in his chest. I looked at him and saw his glowing eyes but they weren’t intense, they were actually soft, warm and bright. “Thanks for the save Skullzy.” I answered as Skullzy placed me on my bed and looked at me. “Hey, your okay! I don’t see any of the wounds on you except for that hole in your chest! By the way I’m Steven, Steven Universe. It’s nice to meet you Skullzy.” I said as I extended my hand. Skullzy looked at it strangely wondering what to do. “Oh! You shake my hand. Like this.” I answered as I gently took Skullzy’s hand and shook it then let Skullzy try. He did well except he shook me the same time leaving me dizzy before he caught me again. “Thanks Skullzy, we’ll work on that. Do you know what happened to you last night?” I asked but Skullzy just stared before nodding no.

“Hm. So do you know what you are Skullzy? Are you a Gem like me?” I asked as Skullzy looked at me confused. “I’m only half human. I’m half Gem as well. See?” I explained lifting my shirt revealing a pink rose quartz crystal on my stomach where my belly button should be. “Aaaaaa....” Skullzy muttered curious as he looked at the Gem on my stomach and even feeling it with his hand. “So Skullzy, is that hole in your chest normal for you? It’s the only thing that hasn’t healed.” I asked as Skullzy nodded yes. “Is that sword yours too? It looks pretty cool! It must be important to you.” I asked as Skullzy nodded.  “Yep. This Gem is apart of me like that sword is apart of you. Right?” I asked as Skullzy eyed the sword on the torn sash of his before nodding. “I’m guessing your not a Gem… Then what are you? Oh well… It doesn’t matter because your here! I’ve been so lonely lately… would you like to be my friend? You do have friends right?” I asked as Skullzy nodded no. “Then let’s make you some! In fact I’ll be your first!” I laughed happily as Skullzy eyes gleamed brightly.

“I can introduce you to the Crystal Gems once they come back but let’s take you a tour on Beach City? I should introduce you to my dad first, he runs a local carwash here. He’ll love you!” I shouted excited as I ran to one of the spare boxes holding my Cheeseburger backpack and took out a colorful ukulele from the same box and put it inside along with packing some snacks in it too. “Alright Skullzy! Let’s go!” I shouted excitedly running out the door with Skullzy running after me on to the bright beach were the Temple but also my house was at and into the small town of Beach City. Skullzy looked at the town as we ran by seeing some of the citizens as he followed me to my dad’s. After a while we arrived at car wash with a light yellow van with red stripes and the words Greg Universe on it by the front near the elephant car wash sign but it looked like no one was there.

“It’s been awhile since I’ve seen my dad. Now wait here for me to get him.” I answered as Skullzy stayed put as I headed to the back of the van. “DAD!!!!! I’M HERE!!!!” I shouted loudly as the van shook while a middle aged man jumped from the back with a waffle iron in his hand. It was my dad, he’s 5 ft 7 large man with reddish skin, long brown hair except on the top of his head and brown beard, brown eyes and had tan marks on his body wearing a white tank top, blue torn shorts and black sandals. “Alright! Where are you!? I’ve got a waffle iron and I’m ready to use it!” Dad shouted anxious before looking down to see me laughing but didn’t notice Skullzy laughing either. “Hey dad, you can put the waffle iron down.” I chuckled as my dad sheepishly smile putting down the kitchen tool. “Steven! I almost waffle ironed your face for a moment! Give an old man a warning you little bugger!” Dad chuckled as he picked me up and noggied me before putting me down.

“So what brings you here?” Dad asked as I smiled. “I want you to meet a new friend of mine! Skullzy come here!” I shouted as my dad scratched his head confused for a moment before Skullzy appeared behind me in a flash. “AAAAAAAAAAA!!!!” My dad screamed surprised falling back into the van until Skullzy caught him before he did. “Holy schmucks! My son brought a demon!” Dad screamed as Skullzy just dropped down in the van annoyed. “Don’t worry dad! Skullzy doesn’t mean you any harm! He’s my new friend! I met him last night when I found him in the woods injured.” I explained as my dad decided to take a deep breath before relaxing. “Okay. I’m fine. Steven, do the Gems know about him?” Dad asked a little curious. “No. The Gems are still gone on a mission. Skullzy’s been keeping me company.” I answered as Skullzy nodded. “Sorry for flipping out there Skullzy, you just caught me surprised is all. I’m Greg Universe, Steven’s Dad. It’s nice to meet you.” Dad answered as they shook hands or Skullzy shook Dad like he did to me actually.

“So Skullzy, I guess you can’t speak? Well, I’ve got somethin for that. Just hold on a moment.” Dad answered as he dug into his hand before coming out with two little booklets. “What are those dad?!” I asked with literal stars in my eyes. “These are Sign Language Booklets. I got these just in case. Skullzy can communicate with us using Sign Language so we’ll understand him more and know what he’s trying to say.” Dad explained as we were both amazed. “That’s awesome Dad! Let’s try it out!” I answered handing a book to Skullzy as he flipped through it while I looked at mine. “Alright, Skullzy let’s ask you some questions.” Dad answered as Skullzy answered Okay in Sign Language. “What are you?” Dad asked as Skullzy answered with me as a translator. “Hollow. He says he’s a Hollow, a type of spirit.” I answered for him. “Whoa! That explains one thing. Alright, Skullzy. Is that hole normal for you?” Dad asked as I answered yes for him.

“Okay. Final question, are you really Steven’s friend?” Dad asked as Skullzy answered with a yes. “Yay! I knew it!” I shouted happily hugging the Hollow. “Bonus Question, you want to listen to a Steven and Greg Jam session?” Dad asked as Skullzy answered yes before looking at me. “Yep! My dad’s a musician and so am I! Let’s bring you into a father and son Jam Session!” I shouted happily as Dad took out his guitar and I took out my ukulele. Dad began to strum a energize and metallic music as I answered with a light but strong note on my ukulele. (The Palace That Was Found, Crush 40)

🎵 (Greg) If truly free, then believe all that is happening. Who's gonna rock the place, place, place? Who's gonna rock the place, place, place? And forever rock the place, who's gonna rock the place? And together rock the place and the one who touch this?!

(Steven) Down in the castle of burning flames, all these pictures look the same. Breathing fire, the burning spire! We’re running through the zone, following the path of brimming stone. We burst through the blaze, leading the path with a windy haze!  It’s just you and me beyond this castle’s boundary. We will make it through this Evil Foundry! Break through the lock! (Greg: Who's gonna rock the place, place, place?) As the palace that was found will rock! (Who's gonna rock the place, place, place?)

(Steven) In this palace of hidden desire! Burning bright with the burning fire! We run! We jump! We fight! The flames of the spire! (Who’s gonna rock the place, place, place? And the one who touch this!) The palace that was found! The golem that was bound! The darkness of the foundry’s tower! We’ll make it through with our power! (Who’s gonna rock the place? And forever rock the place, who’s gonna rock the place? And together rock the place!)

(Steven) The fire is strong. The Evil Foundry has got ahold of us all along. Golem that protect this tower. Watching us by the final hour. We will get caught in the lock? Or we will rock? (Who's gonna rock the place, place, place? Who's gonna rock the place, place, place?!) Even hearing the drop of the pin… WE WILL WIN! (Greg and Steven) Who’s gonna rock the place? In this Evil Foundry race! Jumping through the fire! Running across the burning spire! Who’s gonna rock the place, place, place? Together we rock the place! Fighting the golem of the tower! Make it through with our hearts and power! Who’s gonna rock the place? And forever we’ll rock the place! Who’s gonna rock the place and the together we’ll rock the place! AND THE ONE WHO TOUCH THIS!🎵 End of song.

   Skullzy clapped in applause as Dad and I bowed our heads. “Aw dad! You remember the song!” I chuckled happily. “I wouldn’t forget my son’s favorite music from the Sonic Series! It was easy to add words that make sense and putting in lyric breaks. Skullzy seemed to enjoy it too.” Dad explained as Skullzy answered Yeah I did in sign language. After a while Dad and I continued the jam session while Skullzy took an interest to Dad’s instruments mainly his drums and spare guitar. We took the time to show Skullzy how to play them for a least an hour. He actually started to get the hang of it though he had to use a pick because of his sharp claws. A few hours passed as we were lying down in the van a little tired. “Man that was so fun! I never had this much fun ever without the Gems.” I chuckled as my dad smiled.

   “Yep. It’s pretty awesome to a spirit play the guitar and drums. He’s got that nice beat.” Dad answered as Skullzy said something in sign language. “Aah! Bad language!” I shouted covering my eyes before Skullzy answered Oops, moved an extra finger tried to make an L not an F. Dad chuckled sheepishly while I just chuckled and so did Skullzy. “Well son, I think the Gems might be back. I suggest you go to the Temple to see if they are. After all you did want to introduce Skullzy to them.” Dad answered as I immediately remembered. “Aw jeez! You’re right! Come on Skullzy! Let’s get back to my house!” I shouted only to have Skullzy pick me up and took off in a flash to the Beach House but gave me a chance to say bye. Skullzy had managed to get us back in less a second as I opened the door for us to come to see Amethyst back first. Amethyst was a purple woman gem around my size but at least a ft and a half taller with long white hair, brown eyes and a purple gem on her chest wearing a black tanktop with a strap down, gray fuchsia shirt, black pants with a star on it, white boots with a purple star on it.

   “Hey Amethyst!” I shouted getting her attention. “Hey Steve...WHOA!! What the heck is that?!” Amethyst shouted surprised as she ran up to Skullzy. “Is that a Gem Monster?!” She asked excitedly looking at Skullzy. “No! This is my friend Skullzy, he’s a Hollow. I met him last night and he’s been playing with me the whole day!” I answered as Skullzy answered hello in sign language. “That’s pretty cool Steven. Hey Skullzy, I like those horns of yours. It makes you look awesome!” Amethyst chuckled shapeshifting into a purple version of Skullzy surprising him. “Oh yeah. The Gems have the power to shapeshift. Amethyst likes doing it a lot!” I chuckled as Amethyst started messing with Skullzy who only sweatdropped at the strange woman before she changed back. The Warp Pad began to glow as a beam of light shot up while two figures materialized from the light. It was Garnet and Pearl.    Garnet was a tall gem at least 9 ft tall with red magenta skin, black hair in the form of a huge black square afro, a busty figure, and had light pink sunglasses covering her eyes and forehead wearing a black and red jumpsuit with light red stars on the chest and half was red and the other half was black with two gemstones on her palms while Pearl was 2 ft shorter than Garnet and thinner with light colored skin, blue eyes, a pearl on her forehead, peach pointed hair and a long pointy nose wearing a blue ballerina outfit with a yellow star, white see through frilly skirt, white leggings and blue ballet shoes. “Amethyst there you… ARE!!!!!?” Pearl screamed as she noticed Skullzy next to me causing Garnet to summon her gauntlets and Pearl her spear. “Aaaah!” Skullzy howled surprising arming himself with his sword.

   “No! Don’t fight!” I shouted getting between them. “Steven back! There’s a monster there! Let us take care of it!” Pearl shouted but I refused to budge. “No! He’s my friend! Skullzy’s my friend not a monster!” I shouted shocking the two and Skullzy who lowered his weapon. “Friend??? You mean that creature… Is your friend?” Garnet asked a little confused. “Yes. This is Skullzy. I met him last night. He was injured so I took care of him but he means no harm. He’s been playing with the whole day and even did a jam session with me and my dad.” I explained as Skullzy answered yes in sign language. The tension was starting to lower until we heard a loud high pitched wail coming from far away. Skullzy tensed up as his eyes lit with fury before he let out a blood curling roar. “Skullzy? What’s wrong?” I asked only for Skullzy to grab ahold of my hand and took off to the woods with me. “Steven!” The Gems shouted as they ran after us.

   “Where are you taking me Skullzy?!” I shouted terrified as Skullzy looked at me. In his eyes said Danger. He took us back to the forest only for us to see something insane. There were tons of monsters but they looked different. They were gray with white masks on their faces and a hole in their chests each in different forms and sizes but were similar for the mask and hole in their chest. “Are these...Hollows?” I asked as Skullzy nodded before saying something in sign language surprising me. “What…?! Hollows are evil spirits that eat people’s souls!? But… you aren’t like these Hollows… Your different!” I answered until Skullzy said something in sign language. “I’m only part Hollow. I am also. A Soul Reaper.” I read for Skullzy thinking that Soul Reapers were good spirits. “STEVEN!!!” The Gems shouted as they arrived to the scene only to alert the hollows of our presence.

   “Well… Look what we have here. A bunch of tasty souls! They don’t have spiritual pressure like Soul Reapers but it does smell delicious! Why don’t you hand them over puny Hollow? There is plenty to go around!” A bat like hollow chuckled evilly terrifying me. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!” Skullzy screeched as he began roaring at the hollows in his own language. “What’s he doing!?” Pearl asked. “He’s protecting us!” I shouted. “If your not going to hand them over, then we’ll take them from you and enjoy eating your souls!” Another hollow screeched as they began to charge at us but Skullzy looked at us. “This is his fight. Let’s respect his wishes.” Garnet answered as the fight had begun. A bunch of Hollows leaped towards Skullzy with an attempt to slash at him but Skullzy countered by slicing the hollows in half with his black blade causing them to disintegrate into nothing.

   Skullzy charged into the large group of hollows and began slicing and dicing from left to right with furious speed and strength. “That thing is strong.” Pearl answered shocked in awe of Skullzy’s swordsman skills. “Roar!” Skullzy howled as he charged black and red laced energy through his sword before unleashing a huge dark red energy slash with a swipe of his blade colliding into a group of hollows and exploding with unbelievable power. The hollows started to charge spheres of red energy in front of them like preparing for an attack before firing off the spheres in the form of gigantic red lasers. Skullzy quickly prepared his own and fired it back with a much bigger blast countering all of the lasers leading to a gigantic explosion and huge pillar of red light.

   “GO SKULLZY!!!” I shouted loudly cheering for my friend. There were only a few more hollows left including the bat hollow but they didn’t seem to let up. “This is impossible! No hollow can have this much power unless… YOU’RE A VASTO LORDE!!! The strongest species of Hollow aren’t you?! How dare you protect measly earthlings! You’re a disgrace to all hollows! I will end your miserable life!” The bat hollow shrieked as he fired up another laser with the other hollows merging to create a gigantic mega laser. “Skullzy!!!” I shouted loudly as Skullzy let out a loud howl before his horns were laced with the black and red energy before shooting out a colossal black and red laced laser from his horns. The two lasers collided with incredible power trying to push each other back. “GOOOOO!!!!” Skullzy and I howled as the red and black laser blasted through the smaller one and  slammed straight into the hollows ending with a gigantic red and black explosion blowing everything away with immense force but Skullzy placed his palm out diverting the shock wave from us.

   The explosion and shock wave have stopped as they were was a massive crater taking up a huge chunk of the forest. “So much...power.” Garnet answered as a rip in space tore open in front of Skullzy but nothing came out. “You did it Skullzy! You won!” I shouted happily before he started to say something in sign language. “You… have to go?” I asked surprised and concerned while he began to make strange noises. “S...Steven… Fr...iends… I… Must ...lea...ve… Be… in danger… if… I… stay…” Skullzy answered an adult male voice that sounded young but a bit scratchy. “What?! You have to go!? But… Skullzy! You’re my friend! Please… don’t go!” I shouted as tears began to stream down my face. Skullzy wiped the tears from my eyes and looked at me with the softest of looks. “Skullzy… won’t… for...get… Steven… Take...this… as… a memory…” Skullzy answered as he grabbed ahold of his horn and rip off a chunk of it and handed it to me.

   “Skullzy…! Then at least take this before you go!” I cried as I handed him the red and black guitar pick that he used. Skullzy took the pick and took a piece of his sash to wrap it and place it on the scabbard of his sword. “Good...bye Steven Universe...and Gems…” Skullzy answered hugging me tightly. “Goodbye Skullzy… I’ll never forget you! I’ll treasure this always!” I cried as Skullzy let go and walked towards the vortex. He turned to us giving us the best impression of a smile before walking through the vortex as it closed behind him. “Steven… we’re so sorry about Skullzy but he wanted you to be safe.” Pearl answered as she tried to calm me. “Steven, Greg wanted me to give you this.” Garnet answered as she handed me a photo. It was a picture of me and Skullzy playing instruments together. “*sniff* Thank you Garnet! Thank you guys!*sniff*” I cried as we hugged each other.

   I looked up to the sky with tears in my eyes but a bright smile on my face. (Skullzy, wherever you are. One day we might meet again… until then I’ll keep living for your sake. I love you Skullzy and I wish to see you again. My friend.) I thought. In another world… A teenage boy with bright orange hair was in a world with sideways and upside down buildings facing a black cloaked man and a white doppelganger of himself. “Zangetsu! Who is this guy and why does he have my sword?!” Ichigo Kurosaki shouted to the spirit. “I used to not have a name until someone I met gave me one. I am Skullzy, Ichigo Kurosaki. And I’m here to teach you a lesson in the way of the Zanpakuto!” Skullzy shouted as the guitar pick around his neck fluttered with the passing wind. (Steven Universe, my buddy! I will make you proud so don’t forget about me! Until we meet again. Friend.) Skullzy thought as he held the guitar pick in his hand.