#teagan: what the water gave me

[mortemoppetere]

TIMING: current LOCATION: a pond in wicked's rest PARTIES: @closingwaters & @mortemoppetere SUMMARY: teagan makes good on her offer to help emilio with his problem. CONTENT: mentions of past parental death, sibling death, & child death

Lucio had picked up on the first ring. Breathless, like he’d run to answer, like he’d been afraid if he were a second later, he’d have been met with the dial tone. It wasn’t an unfounded concern. Emilio had spent half an hour staring at his phone before dialing, another fifteen minutes with his fingers hovering over the ‘call’ button once the number had been typed in. This was the first time he’d been the one to reach out to Lucio since learning of his uncle’s survival and, if things went the way he hoped they would, it would be the last. 

On some level, he wondered if that was unfair. He hated his uncle for saving his life. Some might call that cruel, he knew. Some might say that Emilio was being unreasonable, that Lucio deserved a second chance. But God, Emilio couldn’t look at him without feeling the dried, crumbling blood beneath his own fingernails. He couldn’t hear his uncle’s voice without hearing his daughter’s screams, couldn’t have a conversation with him without bodies flickering in the corner of his vision. 

There wasn’t a world where Emilio could have a relationship with the man who’d raised him without being reminded of the man who’d denied him the chance to raise his own daughter. Not when those men were one and the same. It wasn’t good for him, for whatever was broken in his head. He was backsliding, falling back to where he’d been two years ago. And he didn’t want that. He wanted to get better, to be better.

So he dialed the phone, and Lucio answered. On the first ring, breathless and full of hope. And Emilio ached a little, but it was necessary. It was what he needed.

He arranged for both Teagan and Lucio to meet him in Gatlin Fields. Near a pond, which he thought might make Teagan feel a little more… secure. Lucio wouldn’t attack her, not if he thought it would piss Emilio off, but he figured she might want the added level of security, anyway. Emilio stood at the edge of the water, absently fiddling with a loose string on his shirt. It was one of Teddy’s. He hadn’t told the ex-demon where he was heading, hadn’t wanted them to ask to tag along because he would have said yes if they’d asked and he didn’t want them here for this. It was a shitty thing he was doing. He knew that. It was the kind of thing his mother would have been ashamed of, the kind of thing that would make Rhett hate him even more if he ever found out, the kind of thing that would make his friends frown even if they wouldn’t say anything about it. He was punishing someone for saving his life. He was punishing himself for being saved. But there was nothing else to be done.

Lucio arrived first. It wasn’t much of a surprise, given how eager he’d been. He approached carefully, hands at his side. Emilio tensed at the sight of him. He didn’t used to. The change was something Lucio noticed, and he swallowed and looked away. It was funny — this was the man who used to be a safe place to land, used to be the one opening the door to the shed where Emilio had been locked away for hours or days or weeks or years or lifetimes and letting him back into the sun. Now, given the choice, Emilio thought he might pick the damn shed.

“Mijo,” Lucio greeted, and Emilio flinched at the word. Lucio noticed that, too, seemed to hesitate a little. “What’s this about? Why are we here?”

There was a flash of Flora’s corpse at the edge of the pond. Emilio didn’t let his eyes dart to it, though it was a near thing. Instead, he forced himself to look over his uncle’s shoulder at an approaching figure. He moved past Lucio in favor of greeting Teagan with a nod.

“I didn’t know how to tell him,” he said lowly. His voice was small, and he felt small. He felt like that fucking six year old kid, just waiting for someone to let him out of the shed. There was a reason, beyond giving Teagan the security of the water, why he’d chosen to do this out in the open. The walls couldn’t close in on him if there were no walls at all.

“Milio.” Lucio spoke from behind him, and Emilio tensed. “Who is this? If — If you’re going to kill me, I’d think you’d do it yourself. I’d think you’d at least give me that.”

—

Helping a hunter wasn’t ever a gesture the nix ever conceived doing. It felt like a betrayal to her family, in a way, but there was something to be said for a man like Emilio. Though given the title of a slayer, he modified the teachings he was taught from childhood, enforcing the idea that the beasts he was meant to hunt were people too. And they were, all of them. Even those like Teagan who spilled blood for the sake of nature or their calling. It was never black and white, from what she had learned and had been living within. It was for that reason that she found it so easy to help the man take care of his own blood without spilling any of it. 

Out of every hunter Teagan had met, Emilio was, by far, only of the only that stood in the grey area, and she wanted to stand there with him. By a pond, of all places, which made the nix’s stomach flutter with gratitude. He understood what she could do mere feet away from it, which meant she had his trust and permission to do what she needed if things went awry. In doing so, she thought it was only fair to give hers to him to keep the balance, and she hoped he could see the resolution and determination in her eyes as she walked up to stand next to him while the other stood ahead. 

“Well ya could’ve told a lady a warnin’. Now I gotta explain myself.” She greeted quietly with a playful roll of her eyes, trying to relieve some tension and then standing quietly. There was something in the man’s eye that didn’t quite sit right with the fae, making her stomach sink and her nerves burn. Her instincts were rarely wrong, but they were forged in the fires of a past she could hardly let go of. Perhaps, Teagan thought, relying on them at that moment wasn’t the best course of action if she was going to venture towards healing. Ideas to make one particular warden pay, be damned. 

“Not here to kill, don’t ye worry. And you don’t gots to know my name either. Just…a friend.” She sniffled, patting her eyes dry as she made her way toward to water until her heels touch the edge. With her hands raised as a gesture of peace, Teagan paused just before urging the water to lap across her feet as a way to reassure herself. As long as the water was near, she was safe. They were safe. But Teagan didn’t think Emilio’s uncle had any intention to attack. He seemed all too keen on mending their relationship. If there was one to be saved at all.

“Anyways, go on, then. Don’t mind me. I’ll just be back here until ya need me.”

A friend. Was that what they were? Emilio didn’t feel the need to correct the term, didn’t feel like he should deny it. A short time ago, he would have. Months ago, just after that shit at the lake or Teagan’s encounter with Ren that had sent her spiraling backwards in her own attempts at growth, he would have been quick to speak up. Even to Lucio, even when it didn’t matter. Emilio’s stubbornness would outweigh his logic every goddamn time, and he knew it. But that desire to reject the notion of friendship didn’t exist here the way it had back then. He didn’t know if it was because of the heaviness that had settled over everything since his uncle’s reappearance or if he really did consider Teagan a friend now. He liked to think it was the latter, but maybe the former was more likely. Old dogs and new tricks didn’t go together, after all. 

Lucio continued to eye her warily, eyes darting between her and Emilio with a question curving into his brows. “You need a friend here for this? I don’t recognize this one.” Which meant he hadn’t found anything about Teagan when he’d been digging into Emilio’s life, hadn’t seen any presence of her in his contacts. It made sense. Until just a few weeks ago, he was pretty sure she’d had him blocked on most of her accounts. 

“Yeah, well, you scared all my other friends,” Emilio bit out, trying not to think about the messages he’d gotten while his uncle had been making his rounds. He’d scared Emilio, too. He could still feel a phantom stutter of it in his chest, like his heart hadn’t yet caught up to the fact that he wasn’t in danger.

(What a stupid notion. He was always in danger.)

Glancing to Teagan, he nodded his head. She’d wait. She’d let him do what he needed to do, and then she’d help him close the chapter. He felt a surge of gratefulness that he didn’t dare voice, and he turned back to Lucio. His uncle watched him expectantly, glancing down to the water at Teagan’s feet and the slightly unnatural way it was moving. 

“She’s a nymph,” Emilio confirmed lowly. Lucio let out a sound of quiet surprise.

“I doubt Everett would approve of —” 

“He’s not here,” Emilio snapped, anger and grief swirling together in his chest. “You made sure of that, didn’t you?” Lucio looked almost apologetic, and Emilio continued before he could voice an apology that he didn’t want to hear. “I need you gone, tío.”

“I told you, I don’t —”

“No. I need you gone. With you here, it’s like —” He cut himself off, hands trembling as he brought them up to push the hair off his forehead. It was sweaty, in spite of the cold. He let out a slow, shaky breath. “I held her, you know. After, when I found her in — in that damn room. I held her, and there was no heartbeat. It took me weeks to get the blood out from under my nails. And you — You’re here, and I can feel it sticking to my hands. I can feel the weight of it. So I need you gone, Lucio. And if you give a shit about me, the way you say you do, you’ll give me that.”

A silence stretched over them. Even the lapping of the water at the edge of the pond seemed muted, somehow. Finally, Lucio spoke. “What do you need her for, then?”

“For you to promise.” He glanced to Teagan, offering her another nod. “You promise. She makes sure you stick to it. And — And we all go on with our fucking lives. You walk away, and I stop seeing my daughter’s corpse around every corner.” It was saying too much, he knew. It was telling Teagan something that so few people were aware of. But she was here, and she was giving him this. She could know if she wanted to know. She’d earned that much.

“You know this won’t stop that,” Lucio said. Emilio only shrugged. It had to be better, didn’t it? It had to be better than carrying on this way.

—

Emilio’s partial tale felt all too familiar, stoking a pain that never quite went out for the nix. She knew, if only a little, that the slayer had experienced great loss, but she’d never cared enough to ask. Or maybe she respected that heavy burden enough to leave it alone. Regardless, Emilio’s story was a tragic one, and it intersected so closely to Teagan’s that she couldn’t help the hitch in her breath as he spoke. Whoever he held, whether it be a friend, a lover, or child, they were important, and he was reliving that awful tragedy over and over again. 

Teagan knew a thing or two about that. She’d held dead bodies, too. In arms much too small to keep them fully wrapped in an embrace. She felt the blood caked in her clothes, heard the screams until they faded into an endless silence. Even in that moment, she could, and she was surprised to feel sympathy for a hunter that knew exactly how that felt. The water reacted in earnest, a few ripples turning into large laps against the edge of the pond. With a swallow, a tear cascaded down Teagan’s cheek and she quickly wiped it away, looking at Emilio with a somber and apologetic look before looking at his hands. 

How tired were they? And how many lives had they taken? Did they feel the same as hers? Mentions of a promise forced Teagan back into the conversation, and she shook her head and blinked her thoughts away. Musing would have to wait.

“Mind the words, dear.” Stepping forward, the water loosely followed, never thinning too much to remain near her feet. “Every corner. You’re causing more harm than good here, and by the sounds of it, he’s done letting you harm. A little too good at that harming, aren’t ya?” Teagan knew her tone had a little too much attitude, as if she were defending a friend, but that was exactly how she wanted it to be heard. She was a protector. They both were. It just so happened that Teagan was taking the reins that time around, and she was happy to do it. Her. A hunter killer. 

The tides really have changed. 

“So,” Teagan cut to the chase, not letting herself get too preoccupied with her thoughts. “Promise me you’ll leave come morning, and you won't come back.” She took a small step forward, eyes darkening as they locked with the man’s. “Promise me you won’t come looking for him in this town again, or in any place he decides to live. Because…” She scoffed, shaking her head, “You’ve already destroyed his life once. Don’t go on being daft and ruining it again.”

Lucio looked stricken, and Emilio wondered if it was real or not. There was a time when he wouldn’t have doubted it at all, a time when he’d taken everything Lucio said and did at face value and accepted it all as the truth. As a young boy growing up without a father, he’d found it easy to allow his uncle to slot into that empty space, hadn’t questioned it at all. Lucio would never lie to him, because Lucio loved him. Lucio would never hurt him, because Lucio was on his side. 

And then, the streets were filled with blood and his daughter was dead in his arms and his uncle stood in the middle of it all with apologies that solved nothing and good intentions that led them both into Hell.

Funnily enough, he believed the look on Teagan’s face without the same swirling of doubt in his gut. Teagan looked empathetic, and even though Lucio had been on those bloodstained streets, even though he’d lost the same people Emilio had lost, he found Teagan’s empathy far more digestible than his uncle’s. Whether it was simply because she hadn’t been present for the massacre in Mexico or because she’d been in his position when it was her family who was slaughtered was hard to say. 

Lucio looked at her, too, eyes darting over her face like he was trying to puzzle out what her expression meant, what her tone implied. He’d never been good at reading people. He’d never needed to. Elena was the one who’d unraveled intentions and viewed situations with a critical eye to plan their resolution; Lucio was the steady hand. Teagan’s expression was a mystery to him, Emilio knew. He didn’t have the tools to understand any of it.

So it was no surprise when his eyes shifted back to the more familiar variable, searching for a chance to meet Emilio’s gaze. Emilio refused it, focusing on a spot in the distance instead. “I never meant for any of this, Milio,” Lucio pleaded. “You have to know that. I’m sorry. I loved her, too. You know I did.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Emilio choked out, clenching his fists so tightly that he felt his fingernails digging into the palms of his hands. “It doesn’t matter what you meant to happen. She’s dead, Lucio. They all are. And you — All you are now is a reminder. A reminder of the worst thing that ever happened to me. And I’m fucking tired, man. I’m tired of being reminded. You said you wanted to help me? This is how you do it.” 

It was quiet, for a moment. Lucio kept looking at Emilio, and Emilio kept looking anywhere else. Then, with a defeated exhale, he turned back to Teagan. “I’ll do it,” he said quietly, “if you promise me something, too.”

“That’s not —” Emilio’s protest was silenced by a sharp glare from his uncle, that old lesson of speak when spoken to flooding back over him and filling his lungs, choking off any further words he might have wanted to say. He felt like a child again. Funny how good Lucio was at making that happen.

Looking to Teagan again, Lucio tilted his chin up. “You promise me… You promise me you’ll look out for him. Don’t let him… Don’t let him die for my sins. You care about him, too. You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t. So… promise me you’ll do everything you can to make sure he’s okay, and I’ll do what you’re asking me to do.”

—

Teagan was baffled at the amendment the man was requesting, and she grit her teeth to prevent herself from reacting harshly. Rolling her shoulders, she shook her head with a few disappointed tuts. “Why are you lot so horrible at weaving words together? Not just that, boyo, but you lost the right to request anything a long time ago.” She inhaled deeply, a little shakily as she found herself actually considering the proposal. That in itself was a feat for someone like her, someone who’s vengeance was toward anyone like Emilio. Her heart raced, at odds with itself as it ran in circles trying to find the right place to take a rest. 

Taking the man’s amendment would be stupid, what with Emilio’s self-sacrificial nature. No one could protect him from himself or his need to reunite with his family without taking another way out. Still, there were other things he could be protected from, and it could be done. Teagan just had to alter the request slightly so that the smallest of injuries wouldn’t send her careening into death’s arms. Because she always saw worth in protecting, and to her surprise, once again, she wanted Emilio to fall beneath her arms. He was her friend now, and maybe it’d take a while to consider him someone she loved, but she did care about him, and by the Waves, she understood what he needed. 

“Promise me you won’t come looking for him again or contact him, and I’ll be there to help him and protect him from death as best I can, when I can. Can’t stop him from being himself.” Teagan shuddered, a tear falling that she didn’t realize was brimming in her eye. The man was a blurry mess of colors and blobs, and for a few moments, she kept quiet to wrap her mind around the fact that she was doing this for a hunter. One she actually wanted to keep from harm, though she knew that would be like trying to keep her from the water. 

“Deal?”

Lucio’s insistence at getting something out of the deal was hardly surprising, though Emilio doubted it would be accepted. Teagan owed him nothing and owed Lucio less. He half expected her to laugh, or to simply walk away, and he prepared himself to argue his uncle into complacency. He needed Lucio gone, and if this option didn’t work, all he’d have left was the knife in his pocket. He didn’t want it to end that way; he didn’t think Lucio did, either. It was a good bargaining chip, a decent threat. Do this, or I’ll kill you. Wasn’t that the only thing either of them ever really understood?

But, to his surprise, Teagan didn’t leave. She didn’t demand that he talk sense into Lucio, either. Instead, she wove together a promise, and Emilio let out a small sound of protest. “You don’t have to do that,” he said quietly, looking at Teagan. “I’ll get him to agree either way. You don’t have to do that.”

“You’ll get me to?” Lucio sounded half amused, the way he used to when Emilio was a kid going on and on about how he knew he’d be able to kick Rhett’s ass if it came down to it, or insisting that he had no idea who’d kicked a hole in the wall of the shed. Back then, that fond amusement in his uncle’s voice had filled him with warmth. Now, like everything else, it only ached. Emilio shot him a glare, but the world felt too heavy for him to put any kind of heat behind the expression. 

Lucio looked away, settling his gaze on Teagan instead. He seemed to consider her for a moment before nodding. With one last glance to Emilio, he spoke. “Okay.” He was looking at his nephew as he said it, though the word was clearly meant for Teagan. “Okay. I promise. Give me until the morning to get gone, and I’ll leave. I won’t reach out to my nephew again, and I won’t look for him. But…” He looked back to the nymph now, a hint of curiosity in his expression. “This won’t prevent him from reaching out to me, will it? If he chooses to.”

“I won’t,” Emilio bit out. “I won’t choose to, so it doesn’t matter.”

Lucio paused for a moment before sighing. “Okay,” he said again. “It’s done, then?”

—

Of course Emilio would want to argue. Whether it was to keep Teagan from doing something stupid or to keep himself from having someone take care of him, she wasn’t sure. Regardless, she stood firm, quieting Emilio just as quickly as he protested. “It’s my decision.” The two men went back and forth again, and it wasn’t until Emilio’s uncle finally complied that Teagan inserted herself back into the conversation again. “It won’t, but it’s as he said, it doesn’t matter so long as it’s his choice.” She rolled her eyes and backed away, water following closely again. The negotiation was at its end, and if Teagan was reading Emilio correctly, he needed his uncle gone from his sight as soon as possible.

“It’s done.” The pond lapped with increasing force, idling for just a brief moment. An eerie silence fell around the trio, and as a smile grew on Teagan’s face, the water struck Emilio’s uncle. Not with enough force to hurt. Just a little push for him to leave. A small sentiment, considering how the nix’s and slayer’s first interaction went. “Now leave. If you’re not gone by morning, who knows what’ll happen to ya. Hope you don’t got too much to pack.” 

Sauntering back over to Emilio, Teagan patted his shoulder, offering a slightly amused smile. She trailed along the edge of the pond, landing herself a few feet from the two men in an attempt to give Emilio the space to give whatever goodbye he wanted. If there was going to be one at all. At this point, Teagan wouldn’t be surprised if Emilio left his uncle on the ground in a sputtering mess to get the water out of his mouth. Alone. Just as he had left Emilio after his horrendous mistake. 

There was no kind of outward sensation accompanying the bind. No physical feeling, no tangible proof. There hadn’t been any when Siobhan bound him, either, hadn’t been any way of knowing that it had been done beyond the knowing. Even so, as Lucio made his promise and Teagan confirmed that it was done, Emilio felt a rush of relief wash over him so thoroughly that it felt like a physical thing, like the waters of the pond Teagan stood at were rushing over his shoulders and washing the blood off his hands at last. His shoulders slumped, and he nodded. 

Lucio took a step away from the water, looking down at his feet and swallowing. “I won’t change my number,” he said, trying to meet Emilio’s eye. Maybe it was childish, the way Emilio refused to raise his gaze and allow it. Lucio stopped trying after a moment, sucking his teeth. “If you ever wanted to talk, I won’t change my number. I — I love you, Milio. I mean that. It won’t change. So I won’t change my number, and you can call me. Okay?”

Emilio didn’t respond and, after a moment, Lucio took off. To pack his things, maybe, the way Teagan suggested he do. The moment he was gone from view, Emilio released a breath, letting himself take a step backwards. He trudged over to Teagan, hands stuffed in his pockets out of view as he fiddled endlessly with the ring on his finger. He could feel his hands trembling, but the rest of him was, too, so what did it matter?

For a moment, he stood beside Teagan in silence, looking out at the water. The waves lapped around their feet, and he wondered how much of it was her and how much of it was nature. He closed his eyes, listening to it. He thought it might be peaceful; he didn’t know for sure. Peace wasn’t something he was familiar enough with to recognize. “You —” He broke off, inhaling shakily. “You told me you owed me a favor, once. After the shit with Arden in that barn. This was it. We’re even. You don’t owe me anything, I’ll say whatever I need to say to… get rid of that. This was…” He trailed off, shaking his head. “Thank you. For this. I know — I know what it means, saying that to you, but I’m saying it. I mean it. I appreciate it.”

—

The man continued to babble, and there was no sense to them, as if he’d lost all of it to the conversation he’d had with Emilio. Or had it left him a lot sooner than that? Perhaps, if Teagan knew how long ago Emilio had lost everything, she’d be able to give an estimate in years, but that mattered very little right then. Next thing she knew, she and the slayer were standing alone by the pond, and she had to stop herself from scoffing at the show of gratitude. Friends didn’t need to express that, but Teagan understood the sentiment, especially after how strained and uneasy their relationship was.  She chose to ignore it, anyway, linking her arm with Emilio’s in a show of compassion. 

“You hear that?” Without saying a word, the nymph gestured for Emilio to close his eyes again. She’d seen his attempt to listen to Mother Water, and she hoped with a little help from her, that he’d be able to hear what she was offering. After what he’d been through, Teagan felt like he deserved to know what that peace was, and how to listen for it when he was alone. “Water is your friend now, and it’s always been a part of you. No need to fight it. There’s even a bit of water in that whiskey you like so much.” 

She chuckled lightly, clearing her throat. “But really listen now, okay? He’s gone, and this is what you’re hearing now, after all of that. He’s gone and you can let yourself relax next to the one thing that holds memories far longer than you and I will exist. In some way, the cycle continues, but it’s the bend that you have to focus on. Hear it? Hear how the water trickles and bubbles and treads against itself?” Teagan gave Emilio’s arm a squeeze, closing her eyes with him as she guided them both through the sounds. She could feel the water’s strength thrumming against her skin, and the pull of its love in her chest. Emilio couldn’t feel it, but maybe, just maybe, he could hear what she meant. “The bend has many directions, and water always flows. It’s peaceful, that’s what it is. Focus on that, and know that you can go anywhere now.”

It still felt like the world was closing in. Like his lungs were constricted, like he was locked in something so much smaller than that training shed, like he was bleeding out on the living room floor. How long would it take for the healing to feel like healing? Teagan’s family had died over a decade ago, and it was still etched into her skin. How many times would Emilio have to relive that day? How many more times would he wake up on that living room floor?

Teagan’s arm linked with his, and she didn’t mention the thank you. Emilio didn’t know if that meant she hadn’t bound him; it was hard to care much about it. After today, after what she’d done for him, there were certainly worse people to be bound by. He tried to listen to the water, tried to imagine it the way she was saying — something that was a part of him, a part of the whiskey in his glass and the people in his heart. There was some comfort in it, even if his chest still felt tight. Even if the world was still closing in.

He nodded along as she spoke, even if he suspected it made more sense to her than it did to him. Naturally, Teagan understood water and nature far more than Emilio ever could, and he’d never pretend to believe otherwise. Still, it wasn’t completely incomprehensible, what she was describing. And the fact that she was taking the time to say it, to try to offer him some kind of comfort? That meant a lot. “I’m going to… hang here for a while,” he said quietly, and it came out hoarse. “You don’t have to stay. I’m all right. I just… need a minute.”

—

The emotion in Emilio’s voice was all Teagan needed to know that he’d listened for what the water offered, understood what he had now, if only a little. It was a lot to experience, and for someone who wasn’t connected as she was, he certainly seemed to wade the settling waves and be tethered to them. As much as he could without being a nymph, anyway. Seeing that is what allowed Teagan’s heart to accept his request to be alone. Because she’d had to listen and wade many times before, her entire life, really, and she knew Emilio had to do the same. 

Much like him, or exactly like him, she’d had to listen for the bend while she accepted her new life, her new place with fewer siblings and more grief than she thought possible. Teagan let herself be swallowed by it as she rolled and tumbled within, and she was disappointed to admit that she didn’t allow any room for peace like she urged Emilio to search for after letting the man who essentially killed his family leave. That realization burned like acid in her throat, and it trickled down into her stomach until nausea hit her like a truck. 

“Okay.” 

Emilio let go of a murderer in some way, but she could not, and maybe she never would. There were too many to allow to live, and closure wasn’t something Teagan knew how to find in that bend she listened for. Not yet. But maybe if Emilio had let go and chose to find a path that suited him better than the weight he forced himself to carry, then she could too. Eventually. For the moment, Teagan didn’t let herself linger in her head or in Emilio’s space, and she walked away feeling a little heavier, but appreciated knowing the slayer let her take a piece. He wasn’t so bad. For a hunter. 

[thediamondcheezy]

Toon Analysis— Boxten! 🫧·˚ ༘

rarity— common

"Boxten The Music Box, Boxten is somewhat shy Toon. He is most comfortable around those he knows. He may not always know what to say, but he always tries to put a smile on a friend's face." —Boxten poster

✎·˚ ༘ Boxten has a timid personality often shown in his dialogue and his interactions among the other toons. often being worried and stressed, stated by Poppy, Rodger and Teagan being concerned about Boxten's well-being.

He is also being taught by Cosmo to bake, and it is also mentioned by sprout to shelly, and Cosmo also comments on Boxten's key spins while being focused.

Boxten is a big fan of Vee, commenting how he loves her trivia with his interaction with Vee; Boxten is shown to be annoyed with Shrimpo in their interaction. In both interactions, Boxten is shown to have confidence rather than being afraid.

"Woke up Glisten last night... I feel bad, had that nightmare again. I really am starting to think Astro might not like me? Hope not. He says he doesn't but I dunno the nightmares are pretty bad. Anyways Glisten helped me get a some water and talked with me some. Than he left for 'beauty sleep' at least that's what he called it? I'll talk again with Astro when I can." —Boxten's note

✎·˚ ༘ Inside Boxten's room you can see a note on his desk about his nightmare waking him up and waking up Glisten and getting water, then Glisten left to get his 'beauty sleep', and this interaction is also mentioned in Glisten's note, then planning to talk to Astro about his nightmares.

And when interacting with Astro, he is confused on why Boxten is receiving nightmares, being sure he gave him good dreams on their interaction. The nightmares aren't described, but it is theorized that Boxten dreams about floating in the clouds based on his skin, 'Cloudy Dream' implying he has a fear of heights.

Boxten often has trouble with grammar and mostly use informal words seen on his note.

Inside his room, Boxten has a poster of himself along with Razzle & Dazzle, Rodger, and Goob, suggesting that they may be Boxten's friends along with their interactions, and close to it is his poster.

And near those posters are crates, and on top of them are two spray cans that match Boxten's color palette, hinting that the toons actually paint themselves.

"One of the most common Twisteds you'll encounter. Overcome by ichor, this Twisted has the innate urge to chase others down. Thankfully, it appears that this Twisted doesn't have any abilities to aid him." —Boxten research

✎·˚ ༘ Boxten's Twisted form has two hands trying to attack you on top of his head, and applying my theory, then the hands may have been a clone of himself developing inside his head, and when attacking a toon, he falls forward and his head mostly leans forward because of the amount of ichor stored inside of it, making it heavier due to the added weight.

I think the reason why Boxten may have hands inside his head is because of his role as an extractor, as plenty of the twisted abilities are parallel to their abilities or roles as toons. Boxten's twisted form is shows that he is able to control the lid of his head while his toon version is closed off. 🪼⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

PS: I DON'T support the dev!—

[closingwaters]

TIMING: Current

SUMMARY: Teagan finally comes around to talk to Aeron about why he's paying a visit.

WARNINGS: Mentions of Parental Death and Sibling Death

It couldn’t be avoided for very long, could it? It was her own house and Teagan had burst into a sprint, as if she was the intruder. Maybe she was. She played the role of a sister, of a daughter, of a friend, but was she actually any of those things? In the way it mattered?

The nymph sighed, worrying her hands together and wiping the clamminess on the shirt she’d snagged from Arden’s closet. It was a comfort to have her scent surrounding her, bringing her a sense of peace. If only for a moment.

“I’m ready to talk.” Teagan walked to the edge of the lake, seeing a bobbing figure in the distance. Aeron was always rather good at camouflaging himself in the water, but Teagan always managed to find where he was. He had a way of moving that was all his own, and she saw right through it all. It was surreal to see him swimming in the lake she protected, and for a brief second, there was a semblance of relief.

After fifteen years, Teagan had the opportunity to watch her brother swim, feel the way her skin became abuzz with familiarity and warmth. She closed her eyes and smiled wanly, the expression fading when Aeron surfaced. Teagan had always revered his true form, the way his body resembled the very frogs they used to catch and release as children. Those were simpler days.

“Aye? You ain’t gonny attack me?” Aeron huffed, keeping himself at what he considered a safe distance.

“I’m…duw duw. You just—okay. No. I’m not gonny attack you, Aeron. I already explained why—just forget it. I’m much too bard over this. You said you wannae talk, so let’s talk.” Teagan rubbed her eyes, letting her true form rush over her body.

Aeron took in his little sister’s visage, both happy and torn to see it. Her skin was marred from years in a war that she began. At least she is alive, he thought. But how far gone was she? Maybe it was daft of him to believe she could’ve let go and become a version of the person she was before. Not the same, obviously, but just a hint. 

Sadly though, to Aeron, there was no chance of that. She was alive, but was she really? He went looking for her, against all odds, hoping that she had somehow survived on her own. The rest of the family had accepted a conclusion without evidence, believing Teagan had died in her pursuit, but not Aeron. So when he did his monthly internet search for his sister’s name, he was happy to discover she was not too far from the Aos Sí. One cryptic call and he was off to reunite with his baby sister. 

He almost wished he hadn’t. His baby sister was dead, and if he were to overlook anything, it could prove detrimental to the family, to the whole community. And that time, they might not be able to snuff out the fire before it burned everything in its wake. It would pour salt in the wound, but ties needed to be severed. Teagan was just too far gone.

“You haven’t changed. I thought you would have, you know? That you needed time. I didn’t want to give you that ultimatum, but the Aos Sí was in danger. You lashed out on everyone and almost gave our location away. And now this?” Aeron choked back a sob, gesturing to his remaining wounds with a glimmer of tears in his eyes. “Fifteen years and you’re still holding onto that darkness.” He opened and closed his mouth repeatedly until he managed to speak again, his voice laden with sorrow. “Is that all you have? Did you really let go of the good we had?” After all that time, after being given a choice, Teagan had chosen her path of hatred. As much as it pained him to believe it, Aeron wasn’t sure if Teagan would ever be capable of love. 

That, in itself, was a heartbreaking horror. 

Teagan stammered, squeezing her eyes shut, “N-no. You’re wrong. It’s not—” 

Aeron interrupted, “Look what you did to me!” He breathed harshly. “Ever since what happened to mam and our siblings, I just watched this darkness grow inside you. It consumed all the good.” Aeron harshly waved toward Teagan, his expression full of grief. “All of it.” He croaked, “I thought there’d be some left or that it came back, but no. You’re just—”

That time, Teagan interrupted, voice cracking against the jagged rock in her throat. “I’m a bad person who’s trying to be good, Aeron. I was scared. I have things to lose now.” She stressed a hand through her hair, “You think I got a darkness? I know I do. I know.” Her lips were trembling, the truth spilling out before her hesitance had a chance to barge in. “I’ve let a light in,” Teagan placed a hand at her chest, swallowing. “And her name is Arden. It doesn’t fix everything, and I’ve gotta do the work, but I am trying—and-and I-I got scared. Was attacked by a warden not long ago and almost died. And you know what?” She swallowed, hands curling into tight fists. “A hunter came begging for me to spare that hunter—his brother. Practically promised he’d-he’d protect me. Can you believe that? A hunter. And you know what?”

Aeron scoffed, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. He wanted to answer, guessing the hunter was now at the bottom of the lake, but he kept his mouth shut. Even if his baby sister had the strength to fight her darkness for a moment, who knew when how long it would last? She’d already made it evident that it could return in an instant, Aeron’s skin was evidence of that. No one was safe. Not him, not Teagan, and most certainly not the rest of their family. Still, he listened.

“I wanted to kill him, want-wanted to make him pay. But she…she helped me let go. Made the darkness fade just long enough for light to be shed on everything.” Teagan paused, blinking as she stared into the void. Finally, she looked back to Aeron, imploring him to hear her. “There was light and I made the right choice.” Her voice grew soft and hopeful, trembling reverie stuck to her lips. “I despised humans. You know this. And she…” Teagan’s shoulders raised with tension to her ears, releasing when she found her voice again. “She’s human, and wonderful, and sees past this monster I am.”

“She can afford to see past it, Teagan. She’s human. She doesn’t have hunters after her, or a community of fae to protect. But us? Your family? We can’t.” Aeron shook his head vehemently, waving Teagan away as he paced. “She will never understand and she will never know the fear we have. That is why we keep to ourselves and don’t go out looking for trouble.”

Teagan’s cheeks burned and she hiccuped from the way she tried to hold back the sobs. It was happening all over again. Only this time, Aeron had a grieving anger that wasn’t there before. As if he was blaming Teagan for the sentence he was bestowing onto her. “Please.” Teagan gasped out, hugging herself tightly. She wanted her family back. She was tired of the loneliness from the void in place of where her family should be. Why was she being punished for protecting her lake and herself? Change was happening. It was. It just couldn’t be instant.

“I’m trying, Aeron. I am. I am!” She took a step forward, and out of fear, Aeron took a step back. Teagan fell to the ground then, her knees hitting the wet earth and her hands squeezing the silt between her fingers. It grounded Teagan enough to look back up at Aeron, eyes of recycle bin blue and chocolate brown struggling to see through the blur of tears.

“Everything I’m doing is different, Aeron. I-I-I let her in. I-I am letting her show her heart and I’m showing her m-mine. She is becoming my heart. Do you understand?” Teagan’d scar her arms further, sell her own blood if that’s what it took to pay down the debt she sank into. Arden would do the same, and despite not understanding why, the nymph settled in and tried that much harder. She didn’t mind the pain so long as it meant that she could vindicate herself enough to be part of her family again. She’d do her best impression of forgiveness, become a sister and daughter again in the midst of the chaos, and commit until the effort had borne fruit. She would not quit, not sit, and pin a paper heart to her chest so she could make a target that her family’s love could land upon. 

But there would be no fruit.

“You’re too much of a danger, chwaer.”

The words shot down a weight onto Teagan’s chest and she buried her face in her arms as bowed on the ground. 

“Maybe in a few years, we can try again, but we just can’t risk it right now. Not to mention that human? You may think she’s a light, but you’ll…” Aeron believed even if this Arden human were of the decent sorts, his sister may be too far gone into her void. That she’d consume whatever light the human had. He thought better than to say that aloud. “You’re a beautiful monster, Teagan.”

“Monster?” Teagan replied, looking up again with her red-brimmed eyes.

“Aye. We all are. You just so happen to be the kind we fear, and we can’t be scared of our own family, can we?” Aeron blinked away his tears, a thundering storm raging inside. He’d wait until he was far enough away for his release. He was hurting his sister enough.

Aeron was right. It pained Teagan to accept, but he was. Existing in fear around your own family was no way to exist, and she wouldn’t put her family through that. Not again. There was still a chance. Aeron had said as much. She just needed to get better.

“Okay.” She said, defeatedly.

“Okay.” He replied, disheartened.

“You have my number now. Call sometime. If what you say is true, then at least we have that line now to check in, eh?” Aeron began to back away, healed from his wounds but somehow feeling worse than he did before. “I love you, chwaer. Always will.” 

“I love you, too, tadpole.” It came out hollow and weak, a reflection of what she was in that moment. Rolling to a sitting position, Teagan looked up with half-lidded eyes, too heavy with misery to fully open. She watched and sobbed as Aeron departed, the parallels on the exit not lost on her. 

She’d sit there for a while. Maybe until the next day.

[ohwynne]

All That Cake // Teagan & Wynne

TIMING: Early June PARTIES: Teagan @closingwaters & Wynne @ohwynne LOCATION: Teagan's home. SUMMARY: Over shared Welsh cakes, Wynne and Teagan bond and reflect on their respective families. This could be the start of a lasting connection. CONTENT WARNINGS: None.

The sweet smell of currants filled the house, the Welsh cakes just about done. Teagan tapped her fingers on her counter as she waited for the last of the bakestones to finish up. She had made entirely way too many, but that was fine. A few of them could be gifted to Arden, or maybe even that Alex lass. It really depended on how many Wynne would eat considering they hadn’t had the treat in quite some time. The two of them could very well eat the whole batch. 

“Hmm…” Teagan hummed to herself and pondered on what to do. Bringing a few treats could be a good excuse to see the journalist again. What was she doing? She groaned, dropping her head onto the counter. The coolness did well to soothe her mind, making the decision to box up a few of the treats that much easier. With that done, she plated the final cakes and sigh, plopping herself down into a chair. 

All there was left to do was wait. It was only a matter of time until Wynne arrived. About five minutes or so, give or take. They sounded like the type to care about punctuality. At least, Teagan hoped they were. Welsh cakes were best eaten fresh and warm. 

The prospect of having pice bach again was something strange, something that made Wynne equally giddy and sad. They were a piece of home they had been unable to recreate themself, somehow feeling like it wasn’t something they ought to. It had been their mother, after all, who had always heated the bakestone. They lacked the right utensils and maybe the bravery too, to make them.

So this invitation had them arriving a little early, heart fluttering a little in their chest. Meeting people they had gotten to know online was always a bit scary, what with all the warnings people gave and monsters roaming around town. When they rang the doorbell, they rocked back and forth on their feet, drumming their fingers against their leg. 

Once the door swung open, however, it was becoming clear that this wasn’t a complete stranger they were meeting. Wynne’s mouth fell open, slightly, and they only closed it when remembering this might be a bit rude. They had seen this woman before, in their own apartment, roaming the halls at night — Wynne had even offered her some water, which had apparently not been entirely appropriate. “Oh!” They tried to look very normal. “Hi again. It’s me, Wynne. Sorry that I’m a bit early.” 

Teagan blinked. Then, she blinked some more. Words clustered in her head, yet none were willing to spill out. Fates, she had a way of working her magic. Who would’ve thought that the strange roommate who’d offered Teagan water would’ve been the very same person she’d invited over for tea and treats. She really needed to stop being so nice. Why was she anyway? She disliked people. Then again, she was trying to be different. 

“Hi. Yes, again. Wow. S-sorry.” Rubbing her eyes a little, Teagan finally managed to form an actual sentence. “Wasn’t expecting Arden’s roommate to be on my doorstep. Small town, I guess, eh?” She chuckled lightly, shoulders loosening as she forced herself to relax. “Well, come in.” Teagan opened the door fully and waved Wynne inside. “Like I said online, I’m Teagan. Welcome to my home.” Her smile was small, but still had a hint of excitement. It was refreshing to have someone in her home who knew what bach was and could fully appreciate it. 

“The kettle is hot and I just finished making fresh bakestones, so let’s go on into the kitchen. Best to eat ‘em while they’re warm.” Teagan all but danced to the kitchen, joy bouncing off every step now that the anxiety was swept away. She practically jumped into her chair when they both got to the kitchen. “Sit, sit. I’ve got all the fixings.” Teagan pointed at each one on the table. “Butter, jam, raw honey, and creamy honey. The works!”

There were strangers over at the apartment aplenty, and while Wynne knew somewhere that it was not etiquette to always greet them the way they wanted (especially in the middle of the night), it was a habit that they had yet to unlearn. Hospitality was an important trait of Proterians after all, who opened their doors to all willing to receive and belong. Besides, it felt good to be welcoming, did it not? Still, it had been a little awkward when they had eagerly offered to get Teagan a drink, and now they relived that embarrassment.

“I wasn’t expecting you to be Arden’s …” They frowned a little. “Friend. But yes, it’s a small town.” And Wynne did trust Arden’s judgment, as she seemed to be a very levelheaded person and, most of all, one of the smartest people they’d come across outside of the commune. “It’s so nice of you to have me, though. And you live here very beautifully, too.” Complimenting where people lived was part of the routine, now, whenever Wynne visited others. 

Teagan’s energy was contagious and soon enough Wynne was smiling brightly. The scent that hit their nostrils was familiar and brought a sense of comfort as well as nostalgia, but it was easier to let themself be picked up by the other’s energy than get sad over the fact that there no longer was a home with freshly baked pice bach any more. “That’s amazing. It smells so good.” They sat down, tucking their legs under them on one of the kitchen chairs and looking at Teagan with a hint of awe. “I don’t meet a lot of other Welsh folks. So this is great.”

The pause between Arden’s name and what Wynne was going to deem Teagan made her throat go dry. She’d gone on one date, which ended in Arden’s room, and the last time she had visited the Worm Row apartment, she was falling apart. Being called a friend seemed justified, and if Teagan were honest, she was relieved that was the word Wynne used. 

“Yes. Friend.” She understood that the girl meant no harm—hell, she offered Teagan a glass of water when she was sneaking out of the apartment—but the last thing she wanted to be mistaken for was someone’s significant other. “The beauty here is all to do with that magnificent lake out there.” Teagan jutted her chin toward the body of water, getting out a few spreaders to accompany the items she had out for the bakestones. 

“You and I have that in common then.” With a light sigh, Teagan picked out the butter and spread a healthy portion on her cake, quickly adding the creamed honey on top before taking a bite that was a bit too large. She chuckled, covering her mouth as she spoke with a muffled voice. “Where abouts is your family from then? We’re from Hay, like I said. Miss it every damn day, but I think I’m finding a new home here.” Her tired eyes locked with Wynne’s and she swallowed, yawning soon after. Fates, she needed to get more sleep.

Wynne wasn’t very familiar with the lingo used to describe romantic relationships. They had read a few articles on extremely pink websites that attempted to explain it to them, but even so it all seemed a bit backward to them. They were glad, then, that Teagan didn’t correct them and that they hadn’t called her Arden’s lover or something of the sort. (They wondered what Ariadne was to them for a small second.)

They let their gaze drift to the body of water, smiling a little. This, too, brought some kind of nostalgia to them. The commune had sat on the edge of Moosehead lake, after all, using its water for plenty of things. So many fond memories were connected to that body of water. “It’s very beautiful.” They were quiet for a moment. “I used to live near a lake, too.” There were thousands, if not millions of lakes in the world. That hardly seemed like a dangerous detail to share.

They reached for a cake and spread some butter on it too, but nothing more. That’s how Wynne had preferred them back at home, too. They chewed and swallowed before answering. “My family comes from Llyn Brenig, but we’ve been in the States for quite some time.” For about a century, even. “I’ve never really been. There’s just always been a … stark grasp on our Welsh culture back home, you know? Didn’t really mingle with the Americans.” They hoped that explained enough. “These taste very much like the ones I used to have.”

“Oh ya did? I bet it was magnificent! Haven’t lived by a lake in a great many years, so I’m happy at this change of pace.” Teagan took another bite of her stone, already preparing another on her plate. “Maybe you and I can go for a dip some time. This side of it is usually pretty quiet–which I prefer. Less people means less pollution.” She smiled, wrapping her cardigan tighter around her as she adjusted her seat. Taking a sip of her tea, plucked the honey from the table and lathered her stone in it, giggling all the while.

“Can’t get enough of sugar. ‘Specially local honey. Oh…it’s delicious!” Teagan licked her lips and quieted down to listen intently to Wynne. It was a shame they’d never gotten to visit their family’s hometown. It made the cakes that much more special. “Llyn Brenig…believe that was about three hours north of Hay. Beautiful place–but really, what place isn’t in Wales? Gwenny little place that you can get lost in with friends during a ling-di-long. Specifically in the woods. Lots of trouble we got in–my siblings and I.” 

The smile on Teagan’s face began to slowly fade, but she shook the heaviness in her chest away, hiding the hint of grief with a bite of her cake and Wynne’s compliment. “Oh, that’s so good to hear, lass. Family recipe. My mum taught me. They’ve always been my favorite treat.”

“It was very nice. I loved the first warm days of the year, to go swimming when the water was still so icy. Or even in the winter, when there was ice? Warm up by the fire.” They looked at Teagan with a look of preemptive excitement. “That would be very nice. It’s getting so warm out, so a dip in the cool water … And I like quiet and less pollution.” Wynne did miss the lake and the times they’d have with their peers, but maybe there could be new lake-based memories created.

They smiled. “I definitely have a sweet tooth, I get it.” But they’d just never had their stones with honey, was all. Wynne listened to Teagan speak somewhat melancholically. It reminded them of the way some of the people had spoken — all of this reminded them of home, almost in a way that made them want to turn their back and run off from this too. “I have seen pictures and paintings, and they are very beautiful. I really like it here too. The woodsy areas are gorgeous. Do you have many siblings? My brother and I definitely liked getting in a bit of trouble.” 

The other looked somewhat sad, though, Wynne thought. They hoped they didn’t look sad and that they were infecting the other. They chewed slowly on their stone. “My mam would also make them. She wasn’t Welsh, though, but she married into it when she was very young, you know? She learned from my father’s mam. And she from her mam before her.” But their mother had never really taught Wynne with the intention of the recipe being handed down again. They had both known that wasn’t in the stars for them.

“Well then, Wynne, you’re absolutely invited as long as you respect the water. I take care of it as if it’s my own.” Teagan had a look of fondness in her eyes, the mismatched hues landing back on Wynne. She knew there was no harm in saying she took care of the water she lived by. Hell, people managed their lawns and ensured their community was neat and tidy. 

Teagan could pretend she was just a caring citizen of Wicked’s Rest. Besides, Wynne gave no indication that she was anything but human. And now, sadly, the subject of family grew deeper than the nix would have liked. “I, uh…” Teagan tried to breathe, but the ball in her throat made it sound more like a choke. She took to taking a rather large gulp of her tea, the warmth soothing her enough to speak again. 

“Sorry, lass. Bit of a touchy subject. Does a tidy job of making my heart heavy.” She shrugged, “Lost a few of ‘em, but that’s all I wanna say.” Offering a tired smile, Teagan shifted the conversation back toward the cakes, hoping to move on quickly enough before tears were able to form. “How ‘bout I teach you, eh? Get you all sorted and you’ll be a master in no time. Teach you all my tricks on how to get them perfectly fluffy. Make a day of it. Start with some baking and then end it with a splash in the water.”

They were beaming a little at Teagan, who spoke with such ease and warmth that Wynne wanted to be embraced by her way of speaking. “Of course I’ll respect it. The fact that so few do is very sad, I think. And so it’s good that you keep an eye out.” The sight of the beaches had been so special to them, up until the fact that they’d seen the litter spread over its shores.

But that warmth dissipated and turned into cold regret the moment they saw Teagan’s features twist. There was some sorrow there and Wynne had brought it up, had pressed into the wound and made their kind host sad. They felt heavy with guilt. “No, no. I’m sorry. Didn’t want to bring up anything that was hard to talk about.” They gave a little awkward smile. “I get it, I think. It’s hard to think about my family too. I’m not in touch with them any more.”

They fiddled with their cake, rolling a small bit of it between their fingers before popping it in their mouth. The change in topic was welcomed, slightly. Wynne didn’t want to make Teagan sad, but they did want to talk of their mutual families, if some comfort could be found there. “That sounds like a lovely idea. A great way to spend the day. Do you wanna do it now, or another time?” They looked at all the cakes in front of the two of them. “Might be a bit of a cake overload, though.

It was endearing the way Wynne felt sorrow for the lake despite being human. Well, probably human. Regardless, it was rare for anyone besides a nymph to care much deeper about an aspect of nature. “Good, good.” Teagan smiled, waving away the apology Wynne offered for the topic brought up. It wasn’t their fault there was always a twinge of pain with the mention of family. They even shared the sentiment, having been estranged from their own family themself.

“Ain’t the easiest, is it? Even if it is for the best.” Teagan took another bite of her stone, offering a sympathetic smile. This wouldn’t be the last time the two would connect, she wouldn’t let it be. “Perhaps we should save it for another day.” A flutter consumed Teagan’s stomach and she bit the inside of her lip at the idea in her head. “Arden could join and it’ll be a small party. In the meantime,” She leaned in, “Why don’t we find a movie to watch on the telly, eh?”

It was as if Teagan could read their mind, or at least their history. Because she was right: it wasn’t easy, but it was for the best. Every day separated from their family was a day lived longer than expected. They just wished they could have lived while still being with them, that there could have been a reality where their family had tried to find a way to keep them alive. They let their eyes travel, something heavy in their chest but something warm, too. Because they weren’t alone. Even Teagan, who Wynne had only known for a short while, was making them feel better. “Yeah. Even then, it’s hard.” 

They smiled a little at the mention of Arden, beaming at the other. It would be fun if Teagan and Arden got closer, they thought — it would widen their circle a little, but Wynne also thought that they could be a good match. “Yes! That sounds glorious. We will have to do it.” They smiled at Teagan and nodded, stuffing the last bit of their muffin in their mouth. “Please. You pick, though, I’m very bad at decision making.” And with that, they made it into the living room where for a few more hours they’d reside, comforted by the film flashing on the telly and each other’s presence.

[casspurrjoybell-32]

Taken - Blue Moon Series - Chapter 8b

*Warning Adult Content*

Lakota Bateman

We had been traveling for a good two days straight now as we came to a rest for the night by a stream.

It was a pretty silent trip with the occasional irritant from constantly being around each other all the time.

I watched Teagan and Connor slip off somewhere while the three of us sat to rest as was a typical thing for them to escape for alone periods of time.

I walked over towards the stream and lapped at the cool water.

Laying my exhausted body down I was listening to the peaceful sounds of the creek rushing by, almost falling asleep when I jumped up suddenly as a fish was dropped in front of my face.

I looked over towards Gale who had made himself comfortable against a tree, he was fiddling with a piece of wood.

Glancing up I watched as a drenched Cyrus pushed the food closer to me with his nose before shaking and splattering water everywhere.

'Eat,' he told me through our bond.

My chest suddenly felt heavy as I stared at the bloody scaled creature.

It was considered one of the ultimate intimacy when you provided sustenance for your mate.

It proved that you were forever in his care and he would make sure you were safe and healthy.

Living as I have, I haven't felt much love in my life and being fed something my mate had caught for me had set my emotions off.

'Thank you,' I said roughly as I leant down piercing my teeth into the flesh.

"Oh, that looks delicious," Gale's voice sounded from above me as I heard him kneel down next to us.

"So is everyone staying in their wolf form and leaving me the only talking being around here?" he gave us his charming smile.

I heard Cyrus growl slightly as he gave Gale a sideways glare.

Shaking my head I finished my fish and shifted, Cyrus reluctantly followed suit.

"Ah there you are," Gale joked.

Something large was thrown over me from behind, a blanket, peeking over my shoulder I saw Cyrus's grim face as he stood naked above me.

I snapped my head back, a blush flooding my cheeks as I gripped the edges of the blanket closer.

"Well damn I feel like I should be going in the buff as well," Gale said grinning.

"I feel left out," and reached down to pull his shirt above his head.

"How about you don't," Cyrus growled sitting beside me, unashamed.

"I'm just joining the pack is all," Gale shrugged.

"We don't want you in the pack."

I glanced up frowning at Cyrus's rude comment.

"Cyrus," I said softly but I was ignored of course.

I watched Gale's usual playful brown eyes were staring at Cyrus hard now.

'Oh No.'

"I believe you mean 'you' don't want me in the pack or mated to Lakota," Gale retorted.

"You're right," Cyrus stood now.

"I don't and I don't want you anywhere near 'my' mate."

I could see Cyrus's canines extending and none to my surprise I found Gale's sharp fangs elongating as well.

'This isn't good at all.'

"Guys," I warned, coming to my feet.

"Lakota has been with me for years and you think it's fine for you to just swoop in and have the rights to take what doesn't belong to you?"

"You have some nerve wolf."

"Excuse me?"

"If you wanted him so much you should have marked him a long time ago," Gale snarled in Cyrus's face as he stepped up to him.

"Don't think I didn't notice that your essence was no-where to be found on him, when we first met."

In that moment Cyrus growled and pushed Gale out of his face... I knew this wasn't going to end well.

Gale staggered back abruptly, his head down and his hair obscuring our view of his face from us.

"Gale," I whispered calmly, stepping closer to him when he snapped his head up and I had to step away as his gentle brown eyes were a deep silver and his lips pulled back over his glistening fangs.

Then he was airborne, his body slamming into Cyrus's snarling form as they rolled together.

"No," I screamed running towards them.

I could smell blood and my own ran cold.

"Stop."

I heard the growls as Cyrus must have shifted biting any place he could get his canines into.

Gale was under him suddenly holding Cyrus' head from getting any closer to his own before he balled up his fist and punched him, causing him to fall over.

They rolled and rolled, each unable to get a good grip of the other.

When I saw Gale finally push forward and sink his fangs into Cyrus' furry neck.

I watched in horror as Cyrus seized up, his eyes squeezing tight and I heard a whimper escape his mouth.

"Oh Goddess," Connor's voice said from behind me as both Connor and Teagan ran forward.

Teagan quickly grabbed Gale and tossed him aside and I ran over to him to find his mouth red and glazed silver eyes.

Clenching my teeth I quickly turned towards Cyrus dropping to my knees beside him.

"Cyrus?" I said reaching out to pet his sable colored fur.

But the moment I touched him he flinched.

I snapped my hand back in surprise as he shot to his feet suddenly running into the forest.

"Cyrus?" I exclaimed.

"What the hell did you do?" Connor demanded as he came to stand in front of Gale's immobile body.

I glanced towards them curious of the answer myself.

Cyrus had never been defeated in a fight before and he didn't easily run from one either.

"Hey," Connor yelled yanking Gale's shirt only to get an intense glare and a deadly growl.

"Let go," Gale warned.

Connor was snatched away as Teagan came to shield him from Gale.

"Do not threaten him," he snarled.

Frowning I walked forward mimicking Teagan's move as I stood protectively in front of my mate.

"Can you please just give us a moment?" I asked Teagan, staring him in the eyes.

I watched as his dark eyes softened slightly before turning, placing his hand on Connors lower back guiding him away. 

Once they were gone, I turned to face my motionless mate.

On the ground he lay with his arms spread out and his legs spread apart slightly as he stared blankly up at the night sky.

The moon was eliminating the sky with it's bright light.

I could see that it was almost a full and for some reason it gave me a nagging feeling like I was forgetting something important.

But I couldn't remember at the moment.

"Gale," I said softly lowering myself to the floor next to him.

"Gale?" I placed my hand on the other side of his head and leant over his body to get in his face.

Finally his glassy silver eyes focused on me and I gave him a patient expression.

His mouth was still cover in blood when I saw him smile up at me and reach his hand out towards my face.

His cold fingers gently caress my face.

"What did you do?" I asked him softly.

"I didn't mean to but..." he stops.

"What?"

He sighed closing his eyes before leaning up and lightly touching his lips to mine.

I felt the wet transfer of blood smearing on my mouth and I instinctually licked it away from both of us.

Cyrus's taste exploded on my tongue and I gasped.

My shocked eyes met his calm ones and he smiled.

A while later I sat next to Gale as we waited for Cyrus to finally come out of hiding.

I would have followed after him but he was the type of person that when he needed space it was best to give it to him.

Gale was playing with my hand, caressing my fingers and palm but kept his gaze set intently out onto the tree line.

I knew what was wrong with him but kept silent about it.

I also knew Cyrus was not going to be too happy about all this but to be honest it helped me understand our group a lot more.

I have marked both Cyrus and Gale and Gale had just bitten Cyrus... meaning the only thing left to do was for Cyrus to sink his canines into Gale now and we would all be mated.

But the problem is, even though we were all supposed to be together Cyrus was not a big fan of Gale.

There was no way in hell that he'd willingly mark Gale without a fight.

[teaganmyrick]

What the Water Gave Me || Mina & Teagan

TIMING: Current

PARTIES: @drowningisinevitable @teaganmyrick

SUMMARY: Mina and Teagan finally meet.

WARNINGS: Parental Death Mention

There was a knock at the door, tentative and almost too quiet, but Mina heard it. Really, to her, it was almost too loud. It was so bloody loud. Everything was so loud. She was probably kind of, sort of, very much, really, hungover. Maybe that’s why everything was loud. She moved to open the door, though. She had to open the door.

The other woman was another Fae. That was blatantly obvious before the door was open. Mina could just sense it, sense her. She blinked at the woman. That was it. She felt no sense of familiarity, no recollection of who this stranger might be, no clarity in her mind that she knew this person at all. She looked at her, and she just saw a strange Fae. Whatever inherent sense of community Fae were supposed to have had been bred out of Mina a long time ago. “Hi,” she said back, apprehensive and wary. Very, very wary.

“Are you okay?” Teagan sounded worried, too worried about someone she just met. But Mina was her sister. She could feel it in her bones just as she was able to feel that her sister was fae. The similarities between them were there, too. It nearly made a smile creep up to her lips, but the worry she felt greatly overpowered it. Her head quirked, her face a question as she looked in awe at Mina.

Shaking to compose herself, she managed to take a shuddered breath and sigh. “I’m—you know, um, Teagan.” Her voice was a little smaller than usual, apprehensive and a little fearful. Teagan’s hopes had skyrocketed the very second dots began to connect, but she didn’t care. She didn’t let the fear at the back of her mind trickle into her actions.

“I’m hungover,” Mina muttered, stumped by the immediate concern. And maybe chaffing under it a little. Couldn’t she suffer a damn hangover on her own? Was that too much to ask for? Mina wasn’t used to coddling. She didn’t even let Morgan coddle her, at least, not in obvious ways, and certainly not at first. Mina wasn’t prickly. She tried not to be prickly. When she’d first gotten to White Crest, one of her students had playfully told her she was too uptight in far different words, and maybe she was, but she wasn’t prickly.

She was just… apprehensive and confused. Mina didn’t have any siblings, yet here was this woman who claimed to be exactly that, who claimed that there were more. Mina didn’t know what to do about that. Siblings. More. All of them Fae, most likely. It seemed awful. “Teagan, right. I’m– I mean, you probably guess– knew?-- I’m Mina.” She felt so awkward. “Do you… want to come in?”

Hungover. That came with consuming far too much alcohol. Which was something Teagan had never done. “Oh. I’m sorry.” She wanted to reach out, to hug Mina and bring her comfort, but based on her demeanor, that was not what she wanted. But hangovers brought nausea and headaches, and she knew how to deal with those. “Maybe some chamomile or mint tea would help.” She offered with a wan smile, squeezing her fists even tighter. The energy around them was so awkward.

“Yes, I know. Mina.” It felt nice to say her name, to be in front of her. Mina, her sister. Teagan nodded and stepped forward, crossing the threshold into the home. It wasn’t just a house, and it didn’t feel like it was just that either. It felt like a real home. Tears welled in her eyes, and she was grateful to whoever housed her. “I know this is a lot, but I appreciate you letting me meet you.”

“It happens,” Mina said, rubbing at her eyes. Not often, and not to her, especially not from wine of all things. Mina metabolism usually burned through alcohol pretty quick. She was sure the hangover would go away if she got in the water, but she hadn’t done that today. She’d just sort of let it linger, let herself feel it. “Tea might help, yes.” She moved to go to the kitchen, pausing to make sure that Teagan was behind her. “Would you… like some?” she asked.

Mina didn’t particularly wait for an answer. If this woman wanted to get to know her, then she could do it on Mina’s time. And she felt immediately guilty for thinking that. Mina didn’t think like that. She was just exhausted, and too much had come crashing down around her, and the existence of someone that Mina just didn’t care to know had been too much. It was a lot. It was just… too much. “It would have been rude,” she said, slowly, “to not at least hear you out.”

“Tea would be nice, yes.” Teagan followed after Mina, looking around the home, seeing pictures and decorations of a home well lived in. Her smile continued, and it was wonderful seeing that Mina had a place. She just hoped she could provide something similar for her, something she could eventually see as family too.

Teagan watched carefully as Mina walked around the kitchen and gathered the materials for tea. Though the energy was awkward, it was also a little warm too. Probably just from her side, she thought. “I guess you’re just very polite then,” The corner of her mouth curved slightly and she took a timid step to the dining table to take a seat. The chair slid a little noisily, but stopped abruptly so that she could take a seat. “Do you have any questions?”

Nodding, Mina moved to get out two mugs and to get the tea bags out of the cupboard. She put water in the kettle and turned on the stove burning, getting everything started, and she was grateful for something to do, anything to do that wasn’t looking at this stranger who was invading her space. This was fine, though. She could relax. She doubted the other nix would stick around once she knew what Mina was, how she was just the world’s biggest Fae failure.

“I was raised with manners,” Mina said by way of explanation. And they’d been drilled into her along with everything else, a need to be as good as she possibly could, to try and be polite if she couldn’t be charismatic because she was just a little too awkward to be charismatic. Watching water boil was a fruitless task, so Mina glanced away from the kettle, leaning against the counter to look at Teagan. “Yes,” she started. “How… How did you find me?”

Teagan could see how Mina was avoiding looking her way. It was a lot to discover you had a sister, even more so when someone tried to tell you everything you knew was a lie. She had reeled it back, but she desperately wanted to show her everything she’d missed out on, and change whatever negative ideas her hunter father may have instilled. “I…” her fingers traced the edge of the table and her brows twitched. “Well, I’m actually an animator and programmer. So, using my programming skills, I created a system to search for certain keywords and identifying features.” She rubbed the back of her neck and felt nervous. What she had done was out of love and desperation to meet Mina, but it could definitely come across creepy. “I eventually got a ping from the WCU graduate students page. And…you were on it.”

With a sigh, she picked off invisible lint from her sweater and shook her leg anxiously. “I know it sounds strange, but I just wanted to find you and maybe meet you. But as I said before, if you choose to not have me be a part of your life, I’ll leave.” Teagan began to choke up, swallowing harshly to continue, “It’s just wonderful knowing you’re alive and that you have people who love you.”

Mina blinked. That was an incredible amount of effort to go through for one person. One person that might never love you back. She swallowed, feeling… something. Something odd. She didn’t know how to place it, not in this context, not with this stranger. She decided to ignore it. It wasn’t worth lingering over. “I forgot they listed that, the people who were wrapping up their theses.” She sighed. “I suppose that’s make sense. I don’t exactly have the most active online presence.” At least, not with her full name. And not with too many pictures, either.

It did sound strange, but there was no point in Mina reiterating that. She wanted Teagan to leave. She wanted all of this to go away. She wanted this headache to end. The kettle whistled, and she went back to it, pouring hot water over the tea bags in the mug. “Do you want any honey?” she asked. She brought the mug to the other nix and sat down across from her. She sighed. “You’re going to be disappointed by me. I’m not a good Fae, I’m not a good nix, and I’m quite certain I won’t be a good sister.” Her words were dulled, though, blunted around the edges. They could have been harsh. Instead they were just tired. “But you’re welcome to find that out for yourself.”

Teagan’s lips pressed into a thin line, familiar and saddened by how Mina spoke of herself. “Yes, I’d like some honey.” She finally answered, her voice strained and a little pained. Mina’s father let her live, but he disconnected her from a large portion of what and who she was. That had to be jarring and so invalidating, and oh so confusing. “I’m not disappointed now. And I don’t see myself being disappointed later either. You’ve never truly gotten to be any of those things you’re claiming to already not be good at.” Her hand twitched, arm extending to reach forward, but she stopped herself. There was a time and place. It just wasn’t then. “I want to know all of you. The good and the bad. I’m…I’m not the best sister, but I try. And I’m not the best person, but I try. I believe as long as you lead with your heart and have good intentions, you’re a person. That’s all someone needs to be.”

She took the honey and steeped her tea a little longer before pouring some and stirring. Tea was her favorite, and it always brought comfort with its warmth. Teagan shifted in her seat and took her first sip, humming softly at the taste and aroma. “Do you believe we’re sisters yet? I believe everything lines up. It’d be too much of a coincidence for us not to be. But as I said…” Her mug scraped along the table as she pulled it close, choking up with her bottom lip shaking, “I know it’s a lot. And I’ll answer any and all questions I can.” Blue eyes looked intensely at Mina’s, watery and hopeful. She still couldn’t believe her sister was in front of her.

The honey was already on the table, frequently used by Mina every time she had tea, which was at least once in the morning and once before she went to sleep. She used to drink it plain, perhaps just a little too strong. She’d shared that with her dad. Now, though, she was almost always craving something sweet, and she allowed herself to indulge, just a little. “I know enough about what we are, how we are. I don’t feel the same connection there, you know. I get that we’re all connected, we can all sense each other. You realize that’s such an easy connection to exploit, right?” Fae were too trusting of each other. Mina should let Teagan know that, even if she was a stranger. It would be cruel not to let her know that.

“I don’t know what I believe,” Mina murmured. “At the very least, you believe what you’re saying. You’re not lying about any of that.” Curious, she asked, “Can you lie at all? I can, but it makes me sick, sometimes. I know it’s different for different Fae.” She took a sip of her tea, and she met Teagan’s eyes, and she almost wished she hadn’t. The other nix seemed so hopeful. Mina just knew she was going to be disappointed.

Brows furrowed at the hunter-like note, and a hurt frown tugged her lips slightly downwards. “I know it can be exploited. You can’t trust everyone. Fuck, I don’t trust everyone. I’m wary of people. But you…I couldn’t be wary of you. Even if you had killed me, I would’ve been okay with that. I couldn’t blame you.” Teagan sipped some more, using the hot liquid to soothe her aching throat. “Knowing you exist and alive is enough for me. But getting to know you and being your sister would be everything.” She had practically chugged her tea, so anxious that there was barely a sip left.

At Mina’s question, Teagan’s back straightened, a little excited that she had asked something fae related. “Oh, I can lie. But like you said, it makes me sick. Goodness, sneaking out was the worst too. I got so dizzy and threw up on my aunt’s shoes when I lied three times in a row. Dancing around words is much easier.” Her shoulders relaxed a little more, and she propped her elbows on the table and leaned forward. A small smile formed despite her tears and she rubbed them away. Crying was such a pesky and annoying action, but she couldn’t help herself. The overwhelming emotions she was feeling caused her heart to overflow through her eyes. “And that connection, you just might not realize it’s there, or know what to feel for. Or maybe you are a little disconnected given that you’ve never been around a nix community. I could show you if you wanted. But I know that’s a lot, so you can disregard that offer if you want.”

“You would just allow me to kill you,” Mina said slowly, the words strange in her mouth. She looked at the frowning nix, a matching expression working its way onto her own mouth. “But you probably trust most Fae. That’s what I’m getting at here. I was raised to kill Fae.” Might as well get that one out in the open. “I’ve led plenty to the sharp end of their own death.” She regretted it, she regretted it so much, but that wasn’t the point of telling Teagan this. The point was to let this woman know what she was bringing into her life if she wanted Mina to be her sister.

For her part, Mina mostly used her tea to warm her hands. She cocked her head to the side. “Is that who raised you, then? An aunt? Did you grow up in an Aos Si?” It was true that it was much easier to dance around the truth than it was to lie. Mina could be good with her words, when she thought them through. Sometimes, she had trouble thinking them through. She realized that Teagan seemed close to crying, and there was a certain amount of guilt there. “I appreciate the offer,” she said instead of giving a straight answer.

“If that’s what it had come down to, yes.” Teagan’s eyes may have watered, but they looked confident in her words. “I trust the fae in my community,” she corrected, swallowing thickly at the revealing words right after. It was no surprise that she was raised to kill her own kind. After all, her father was a hunter. That fact alone revealed so much about what Mina had to go through. “I know you were. Or rather…I guessed. And Mina, that’s what you were taught.” And it was wrong. It was so wrong to force a child to kill her own kind. To make her believe that she was killable just because she was different. She wanted to say that next, but her opinion may push her away if she gave it too soon. “I couldn’t be angry with you and I couldn’t really blame you, you know? It would hurt, yes, but I knew there was a possibility that you wouldn’t know any differently and kill me. But you do anything for family.”

Teagan drank the rest of her tea and looked down at her empty cup. It was rare that she felt out of place. Having as much confidence as she did granted someone that kind of luxury, but she found it waning in the situation she was in. “Several people raised me. When I say uncle or aunt, I’m really just referring to an older nix who acted as one of the parental figures in the community my siblings and I found. So I guess, yes, an Aos Sí.” Again, the urge to reach out and finally make physical contact with her sister nudged her hand forward. It looked like an awkward jerk more than anything, and she recoiled ever so slightly. “The offer will always be there, just so you know.” She took in a weak breath and rotated her now empty mug in her hands. “I know this is all very awkward and tense and a little painful given your state, but it’s still nice to meet you, Mina.”

“Then you’re very foolish,” Mina said, her words a blunt truth. She wasn’t one of the Fae in Teagan’s community, no matter how much the other nix might have wished otherwise. She took a slow sip of her tea, and she wanted to grit her teeth, to argue against the fact that she was raised to just kill Fae and other supernaturals indiscriminately. But she couldn’t argue against that, because it was true; that was what she’d been taught, it was what she knew, and she still thought about it, even if she’d never actually killed another supernatural. She could kill Teagan three different ways right then. She told herself she didn’t do it because Morgan and Deirdre wouldn’t appreciate the mess.

Mina wondered what it was like to be raised by several people that actually wanted her around. And that wasn’t really a fair thought, even if it was true. She’d been raised by different people, she supposed. She held a blade like a slayer from Russia taught her. She moved like the wardens her father had known moved, the sort of near gymnastic grace that came from moving quickly and fluidly. She was made up of the teachings of all sorts of different people. Perhaps raising wasn’t the right word, though. She’d never been enough of a child to raise. It was better that way. Hunters’ children always grew up fast. It came with the territory. “I appreciate the offer,” she murmured again, solidifying that nonanswer. “It’s been…” she couldn’t think of the right words. “Where did you grow up?” she asked instead.

“Love is foolish,” Teagan fired back immediately, as if she was ready for that assessment. And she was. Mina was a daughter of a hunter, so in retrospect, she was a hunter too. She thought like one. “And I like to think that you wouldn’t be able to do it. Call it a hunch. Mine are usually right. You seem kind, regardless of how rigid you are behaving now. Given the circumstances, your behavior is reasonable. You’re hurting.” The older nix knew a lot about hurting. Pain was an everyday occurrence, and Mina seemed like she understood that all too well just like her. Another similarity. Not the best one, but it was a similarity nonetheless. “I’m sorry you’re hurting.”

Teagan’s ears wiggled subtly as her face lit up from Mina’s question. Her interest was a good sign, she hoped. “I grew up in Michigan after everything. Houses surrounding a lake and we kept to ourselves. I was actually a guard, a protector for my community. Ended up leaving, though.” Shoulders slumped slightly, guilt building up in her chest for that decision. Everyone had told her she’d fail and that her interest in human things was wrong. Several things were wrong, and she kept those hidden, buried in her heart, but not animation. Indulging at least one thing was enough. “I watched television once. A cartoon. And I was immediately hooked.That’s why I left. To get my degrees and animate professionally. Which, I do now.”

That made Mina frown. It was the truth, though, wasn’t it? Love was foolish, and it made people do foolish things. But there was no way that this woman, this stranger, could love her. Teagan didn’t know her. She didn’t know anything about Mina except what she hoped she did. Mina snorted. “I’m not rigid,” she said, the words acrid. She sighed. “Just… dealing with a bit. It’s fine. It’s getting better.” She was mostly healed physically, and things had gone alright the night before, despite the hangover. It was fine. It was getting fine.

“Michigan,” she asked, curious. Mina was trying to figure out how they’d gotten there if the family had been from Wales originally. Was it Wales, or was that just something that she made up in her head? Was this really her sister. “That sounds… interesting,” she said, looking for the right word for a moment. Groups of Fae living together made her skin crawl. She cocked her head to the side. That sounded so mundane, animating. Then again, Mina liked music, and she liked numbers, and she liked movies, too. She liked watching movies with Bex. “So you enjoy that, then? Animating? Living among humans?”

“I know.” Teagan nodded, listening to Mina and hearing the small fib. She could tell it made her body uncomfortable. She’d seen it plenty of times to know when a fae tried to misdirect. “Yes, Michigan. I didn’t want to. I don’t like the states. Humans are bad enough, but Americans?” A chuckle tickled her throat and she moved her hair behind her ear. The idea of animation didn’t really seem to pique her interest at all. Most people thought it was a glamorous career, but she didn’t even react. “I do enjoy it. The coding, the drawing, the music, the pacing. When you put it all together, it can make something beautiful. Something people can enjoy over and over again. Being around humans is worth it if I get to animate.” Her smile grew while she spoke, displaying just how much she loved her career. Humans didn’t do very much good in her eyes, but they did something right with animation.

“What about you? I saw that your thesis was up for presentation. Have you done that yet? What was it about?” She snapped her fingers at herself, trying to remember what the page said. “The chaos theory, correct? Statistics? The only numbers I deal with are in bits of code, so frankly, your understanding fascinates me.

Huffing, Mina gave a small laughing. “Americans. Though, I like it here.” Sometimes, she thought she missed Europe, missed the places that she’d traveled to more often than the places in this too large country. She did like it here, though. Most of the time. “How much of animation is about the art and how much is about the coding and programming process,” she asked, politely curious. She didn’t know enough about animated film or media to be too invested in the conversation, but she could see that Teagan was interested, and the other nix was right; Mina wasn’t particularly cruel.

“Ah, yes, I went in and presented last week.” Honestly, it sort of worked in Mina’s favor that she’d been too tired to actually be nervous about her presentation. She’d gone through the motions, and perhaps it had been a little lackluster, but her defense was pass/fail. And she’d passed. She just… didn’t know what to do now. “Yes, chaos theory and how it relates to probability. My focus was statistics, so I spent a lot of time working with probability and such.” She shrugged. “I just… like numbers.”

It was nice talking about their respective interests. The more she got to know about Mina, the happier she felt. Her sister was back, and even if her stay wasn’t set in stone, she was just glad she got to see her again. “It’s pretty half and half,” Teagan began to explain, growing excited as she used her hands to aid her, “I actually quite like both. Very few people do. Either you illustrate or you program and animate. I like it all. It’s complex and keeps the mind moving. And by the time you look back up, you’ve got minutes of motion on screen.” She was beaming, smiling ear to ear with her eyes bright. Feeling like too much though, she sank back down and cleared her throat. She was way too excitable.

“You sound incredibly intelligent,” Teagan gathered that she probably got that from both parents, even if she hated that her father was a hunter. Those people were intelligent in their own right, and she wasn’t one to lie to herself. At least, not with stuff like that, but she didn’t really realize that. “Mom was intelligent. But I guess your father was too.” She bit the inside of her lip, hating what she said and fearing she may have said the wrong thing. The ground was thin glass, and she felt like it could shatter at any moment. “Maybe I should go. I don’t want to push you.” Her hands slid into her pockets, her legs pushed her seat back and she stood up quickly.

Mina cocked her head, genuinely paying attention. And she thought, maybe, if she wasn’t so thrown by this whole thing, she’d be invested in what Teagan  was saying. She wanted to know other nixies, if only to help figure out some control over herself. She just… wasn’t expecting to be related to the first one that she met. “I’m glad that you enjoy what you’re doing. I’ve always thought that’s important.”

Ducking her head a bit, Mina shook her head and tucked some hair behind her ear. “Really, I just like numbers.” She wondered how hard it was for this Fae who hated Mina’s father to actually say something nice. “He was intelligent, yes.” A decent tactician. Good at thinking on the fly. Over confident, though. She set her cup down and stood with Teagan, stuffing her hands into her back pockets. “I’ll walk you out.” As they made it to the door, though, Mina paused, rubbing at the bridge of her nose. It was bright, her head hurt, there was far too much that she had to worry about, but… this wasn’t horrible. “If you’d like, perhaps we can… get dinner or something sometime this week.”

Was intelligent. Teagan took note of that. A question for another time, and by the sounds of it, there was definitely going to be another time. She turned from the door and smiled with tears in her eyes. Perhaps she really had a chance to reconnect with her sister. “I’d love that. Your fiancée can join as well if you’d like. She mentioned that online. That you were together. But, whatever you want. Just let me know.” Her hands clenched tightly and she took an apprehensive step forward, looking down at her feet. “Would it be all right if I hugged you?”

“Sure,” Mina said, “if she wants to come, she can.” And that was strange too, wasn’t it? That Teagan already knew so much about her life. It was so strange. Mina couldn’t decide if she liked it. She didn’t know if she liked it. This was strange and uncomfortable, this way that this person was coming into her life and wanting to know her just because of who she was, what she represented. Who even was Mina, really. What relation did she have to this woman other than blood, if they were even related by blood. If she was even who she thought she was. Maybe she’d gotten it wrong. Maybe it was a different Wilhelmina whose father’s name was Eric. Maybe. Maybe. Even still, though, Mina knew that wasn’t quite right. “I–” She didn’t know how to say she wasn’t always fond of being touched. “Yes, you can hug me.” It wasn’t like it’d do any harm.

“Okay,” Teagan nodded and smiled languidly as she wrapped her arms around Mina. It was short, soft, and not the least bit stiff on her end. Her head laid on Mina’s shoulder for a second, and she pulled away first. She was already overwhelmed, and she didn’t want to make it worse. “Bye, Mina. Have a good night.” She sighed and turned, wrapping her hand around the doorknob to open it. She was welcomed with a harsh cold, but the warmth she felt kept her from feeling it as she disappeared into the dark, until only the sound of crunching snow echoed into the night.

[heecyon]

Enhypen Little Angels Series: Sick Day

warnings: mentions of hospitals, injections, and throwing up.

Lee Heeseung

They were both heading to the studio, the little SeoJoon was on his car seat. He was feeling a little bit off, he had a headache and felt hot, even though it was really cold outside, his stomach made really weird turns all over.

“Appa?”

“Yes, Joonie?”

The kid touch his stomach, feeling worse than before as the car kept going on.

“Can we go back home? Don't feel good.” Seojoonie felt a bile coming up and then all the throw up fell on his sweater.

“Ah! Seojoonie!” Heeseung saw it all through the mirror and immediately stopped the car, pulling it out at the side of the road.

Heeseung ran out of the car to open the back seat door where Joon was in. He opened it and took out all the security belts taking his son out of the car and walking to the side of the road just got the kid to finish throwing up.

“Seojoonie, buddy it's going to be okay. I'll take you back home.” He said of Seojoonie finished, rubbing his back.

They went back to the car, taking a turn to go back home.

Park Jongseong

A trip to the hospital wasn't on the plan, Mila had woken up with an upset stomach and a fever. Her fever was pretty high even with the attempts to take her temperature back down.

So now they were here in the emergency room with the kid a fast asleep on the hospital bed. Bella cuddling her to make her feel safe.

Jay appeared with two water bottles on his hands. He smiled slightly and took a seat on the chair beside the bed.

“What did the doctor tell you?” Bella whispered, caressing Mila's head caringly.

“It's just a stomach bug, but she's dehydrated, we can take her home tomorrow in the morning. She'll be better by then.”

“I hope so. She looks so tired.” Jay approached the little girl and his wife, and left a kiss on the little one's head.

“You'll be okay Mills, I promise.”

Shim Jaeyun

“Jacob, you can't go with your dad. You are way to sick.” Teagan took the small backpack from her son's back, the child pouted and some tears rolled down his cheeks, making his nose way more red than it was before.

“I'm not sick! Gotta go with Daddy!”

Teagan heard footsteps coming from the stairway to find Jake ready to go to the studio.

“Jake, Jacob still incisting that he wants to go with you.”

Jake noticed his son's red and wet cheeks, he approached him carried him on his hip.

“Jacob, you have to stay home with mommy, so you can recover and come back healthier and stronger, and as soon that you get better I'll take you to the studio with me, okay?”

“Okay...”

“Now you rest and tell mommy to give you a lot of cuddles.”

Park Sunghoon

Poor Jin Ae, she was falling asleep on too of Hyeyoung's chest, she looked so tired but her mother tried her best to keep her comfortable.

Then Sunghoon came through the door after having a rough day at work, his backpack weighting over his back.

He heard that Jin Ae was sick, so he came back home early after hearing from Hyeyoung that they went to get a check up at the hospital and went back home to rest.

“How is she?” Sunghoon approached them and noticed that his daughter was half asleep.

“The doctor said that she has a throat infection, she can't talk that much, she says that it hurts.”

“Ah, baby! Don't you want to go to sleep upstairs with Appa?” He said playing with his daughter's hair.

The little girl nodded and let Sunghoon carry her upstairs. He signaled with his head to Hyeyoung to go with them.

So they could all have a family nap.

Kim Sunoo

“Shh! It's okay Young-hee, daddy's here.” He said rocking his daughter back and forth while she cried for feeling so bad, her temperature wasn't that high, but it wasn't lowering down either.

“It's sissy going to be okay?” Sunoo looked over his son in a comforting way.

“She's going to be okay.” He said leaving his daughter on the bed after she calmed down. “What if we make some tea for your sister?”

Young-Jae nodded and went to the kitchen with him. Sunoo gathered all the ingredients and then checked his for phone because of the constant messages of his wife asking how her daughter was doing.

Jae grabbed some water and putted on the table just to feel a weird gurgle in his stomach.

Oh no!

Young-Jae tapped Sunoo's back. “What's wrong JaeJae?”

“I think I'm going to be sick just like sissy...”

Shit!

Yang Jungwon

“I don't wanna be sick!”

Mirae looked at Seung-hye with a sad smile, and picked her to place her on her lap.

“Then me and Appa are going to make you feel better. But you have to take this test first, so the doctors can see what's going on.” Seung-hye gripped her mother's shirt and hid on her face on her neck.

The little girl felt a soft hand on her back, rubbing back and forth, it was really comforting.

The doctor approached the couple and signaled Jungwon to see if he was okay with what they were going to do.

Jungwon agreed and kept rubbing his daughter's back, before the doctor inserted the needle in her vein to get some blood samples.

He took the rubber band out from her arm and took the sample before leaving he gave Jungwon a bandaid.

The couple noticed how the girl didn't even chirped to the needle inserted.

“You okay angel? Did it hurt?” Jungwon said worried.

“It pinched a little.” Seung-hye said with a soft and small voice.

Jungwon grabbed the bandaid softly stickied it to her arm.

Then he softly kissed the spot before he left a kiss on his daughter's forehead.

Nishimura Riki

Niki entered his shared bedroom to see how Hinata was doing. The poor thing rested on the bed with a green blanket over her shivering body.

He tiptoed to not disturb his daughter's sleep.

He sat on the bed rubbing the little girl's back. And the little one stirred a little, waking up with a headache and a freezing coldness attacking her small body.

“Daddy?”

Niki looked at her with a sad smile, she looked weak and fragile, so small.

“Why are you so sad little one? Aren't you happy that Papa is here.” He said touching her forehead, feeling a radiating heat coming from it.

“Don't you wanna cuddle? Would that make you feel better?” Hinata nodded and soon Niki got on the bed embracing the child in his arms. Not caring if he would get sick.

He just cared about his angel.

[crimsonfluidessence]

Prompt 25: Silver Lining

Just another day, like any other. Esredes was on his walk to work, and in a particular mood. His mind was wandering once more as he passed the Vault, to fantasies that faded far beyond reality. Imagine if the Warrior hadn't interfered until Nidhogg reared his ugly head. Imagine if Ysayle had killed the Archbishop, before he could take on his own transformation, and the two of them had dealt with Nidhogg. Esredes hadn't trusted Ishgard's people enough, perhaps even less than Ysayle herself. He was fully mentally prepared for having to subjugate Ishgard to get it to listen to them. But perhaps, as things had turned out, not nearly as many would have needed subjugation. Perhaps he wouldn't need to help manage a fragile, in chaos city-state that had been taken over, especially when so many of his own had nothing even close to management skills, perhaps a proper parley would've been possible. And yet, Esredes pulled himself back to reality and reminded himself, that was never quite the case. Peace had been agreed to, and that was it. Himself and all of his were only here on Ishgard's terms or else, and the rest simply had to be dealt with. Still he went through his days in anticipation of being fired for shining progressives who repeated his ideologies on Ishgard's side, or of his house burning down when he got home. Ah, what would life have been like if he wasn't a failure who couldn't match up to idiotic children with goddess powers? It was a question he asked himself here and there, swirling around with all the others, and in his head, timelines began to split off, mirrors into other worlds for him to glance into. In one, he saw himself back with his family in Thanalan. He lived under a new identity and kept quiet and to himself, always afraid of the Ishgardian government finding him out. He worked a simple job that had him feeling nothing, and though he hoped to earn his parents' forgiveness through it, things didn't really change. Esredes looked away from the mirror and towards the approaching door to his office, and opened it and went inside. He greeted the receptionist as always, then greeted Heilyn and Ferrant, quipped with Heilyn about the fact he would never brush his damn hair properly and it looked like ass or something stupid like that. Work went steady today- Esredes cozied himself up with a cup of white tea and busied himself writing some in depth notes on Dragon Blood observations to use as a reference. With how many people he had encountered here and there who would do any amount of dubious things to obtain such information, the casual scrawl on the paper gave no indication of awareness of this. Just another day, just another paper amongst many, cloaked in the tranquility of absurdity. Another mirror opened in Esredes' head as he worked. In this one, Esredes had gone through with one of his fleeting ideas and fled to the Far East when Ishgard rejoined the Alliance, and oh my, was he lost. Completely out of his depth, he had to fight off multiple people trying to mug him in Kugane until someone watched his latest skirmish and approached him. "You're good with a sword," the man said as Esredes shrunk back and kept his hand wrapped around its handle. "How would you like an opportunity to put it to the test?" And so Esredes watched himself hesitantly agree after sixty and a half questions to work for a Kugane lord as a bodyguard. It was a place to stay and decent pay, to stand around and observe everyone like a hawk. He got to know some people around the home and the streets of Kugane who looked upon him with respect, yet caught himself glancing over the sea even on a good day and remembering everything he left completely behind. Esredes got up to refill his tea, and the mirror closed. Soon after, Heilyn called him over to the office across the hall, and surprised him with a sweater- knit entirely by him in that periwinkle blue reminiscent of Shiva. So that he had more than one sweater, Heilyn said. Esredes smiled and thanked the man back, giving him a soft hug of gratitude. Ferrant was also his usual cheerful self today, asking after if Esredes was feeling all right and letting him know he appreciated him. All very routine, yet he never tired of it. At lunch hour, he had an appointment of the strangest sort, so he retrieved his coat and exited the building and made his way down to the Firmament. Esredes was in a little bit of hot water recently, having chased down a double agent to his people and getting in trouble after he was arrested for the act of vigilantism- as if that was the worst thing he had done while back in the city. And yet the head Inquisitor on the chase wrote to him and invited him out to lunch with his friend who also got involved with the chase. To know them both as a person, she claimed. He was completely lost as to the motivation, but Esredes could tell she was an Inquisitor who had an actual soul, a normal person's thought process. So he accepted and went on a picnic. She served arancini, an imitation recipe from the Far East. Elouan took most of the conversation as Esredes anticipated, and he didn't have to do much work as he listened to her and her bodyguard talk about how much they want to visit the Far East, and Elouan filled them in on his own travels. What a nice and unexpected little bubble in the veil of absurdity. Another mirror manifested during the picnic, and Esredes saw himself with his knees curled up, sitting on the ground in a pathetically tiny cell, and from the expression on his face alone, clearly having lost his mind. He flinched and ignored the mirror after his initial glance, focusing his attention on Elouan's babbling exclusively. When everything wrapped up and he returned for the second half of work, Esredes made a few discreet calls in his office to the network about arrangements for later. A little outing with an actually human Inquisitor was nice, but the man knew what he was, and there was always work to do. He took a break in the middle to move over to the Blue Room for an appointment. Clover's ward Teagan had begun seeing him in the past couple months, a woman rescued from life in a fighting ring in Ul'dah who was still perpetually trying to learn and adjust to life beyond. They always had good discussions, even after he put her to looking into the water. This time, to teach her about Ishgardian culture, he had ended up going into his own story up until everything fell. "How did you do it? Turn it around, I mean? It must have been hard, pulling yourself out of that... how did you manage?" She asked him after that. Esredes had to pause a moment to think about his answer. "I had to take it a day at a time. The other members of the camp were not unsupportive. They were concerned, they wish they knew what to say or do, but I was completely unreachable. So, for one thing, I'm someone who doesn't believe in meeting your death unless you have to. It's more productive to die so someone else lives than to simply off yourself. So every day, it was get from start to finish. There was a routine. Do your tasks, break for meals, read in your tent, avoid talking to anyone any longer than you had to. Keep doing this, and eventually you would either die, or something would happen that you were waiting for. Just, something to happen. It was all I really had besides keeping in mind my family- what if I missed something happening? Eventually, I realized these people were that, people. Who cared. Who did not want to kill me for being a knight as I thought. And I decided that, while I could've fled to Thanalan and tried to live as a normal person, I wanted to stay and make a difference, even a small one. Help people in my situation to be saved and survive, not perish to Ishgard, even if there was no chance of making a bigger difference by that point. And when Ysayle entered the picture, that changed everything, and the rest is history." "I think I can understand that... I, for one, am glad the sun continued to rise for you...that you were able to find reasons to keep going, ways to help people." She gave a small smile. "I bet you've made plenty of differences with all the folks you've helped along your journey. Cause it's not just the big ones that matter, yeah?""Well, had I not been concerned about the small child who was alone in the woods, we wouldn't be here, so yes. And that's what I enjoy about doing this on the side nowadays- the pleasure of seeing it affect individual people in real time. The way I ended up discussing it with another client, is you have to figure out the way to get out of the room. You're in a room, and you can get out and see what's beyond it, but you're just not ready to yet, you find yourself unable. Once you can manage to get out of the room and see what's beyond it, everything becomes a little easier." Teagan tilted her head at this. "A... room? So... you finding the drive to help others helped you open your 'room'?" "It helped me get out of it, yes. I realized I still had something to do and people cared. People really helped a lot, even though I was pushing them away. Just knowing they wanted me to feel better and believed in me as a person.... after everything else fell through, it was all I had." She nodded and smiled a little. "I'm glad you were able to find the door, and that you had people there to help you find the knob." She paused for a brief moment. "... Thank you for sharing your story with me, Esredes. It's been really eye-opening." And so the session concluded, and soon Esredes was back out into the world. First half of the day was over, and then it was time for the second. There was not a formal meeting happening with his people tonight, but instead a get together of sorts at Vette's more recently acquired mansion she had made into a space for all of them to convene safely. Esredes went to and from everybody, making sure everyone was doing well, holding conversations and watching everyone enjoy themselves with a faint smile on his face. He stepped into the bathroom at one point to do his business, and washed his hands after. He was confused why there was a second bathroom mirror for a moment until it began to show him another reality. Esredes stepped back from the sink and put a hand against the wall to his left, the other going over his heart. Reflected back at him in the mirror was a collection of all the people he knew and loved close together, with himself standing further away on the platform and forced to stare at them. A mass public execution. Esredes rushed out of the bathroom and slammed the door shut, pressing his entire body against the door and breathing in and out, in and out. It's not real. It's not real. "Esredes?" Came a gentle voice, as Vette approached the man. She had most definitely felt the spike in distress from the aetherial bond they shared. She asked about how he was doing and put a soft hand to his cheek. "I'm all right, really." Esredes said. "I just had... an unexpected wave of fear come over me." Vette was always in tune with how he felt. She helped him calm down the rest of the way, and then lead him back to the gathering. The anxiety soon faded, and replaced by it, a warm feeling heated the blood inside him. For the rest of the evening, Esredes continued to engage with his family, waves of laughter and elation surging and falling in with the tide. He only hoped that the droplets of gratitude leaking from his fingertips and voice washed over everyone attending like a cool rain on a summer's day, for as he closed his eyes and let each droplet of noise from their voices and words hit him, everything stood right into place where it belonged.

--- @thecalmnessandthestorms / @heartofthefury Heilyn, Ferrant, Sartorius (unnamed mention) @eternal-finis Lieuvanne (unnamed mention) @shieldbcund Elouan @punches-and-cream-puffs Teagan @syerraffxiv Vette

[gaemkyuu]

The Present

Warnings: Mentions of sexual assault/rape, but not overtly descriptive.  A/N: As much as I like writing fluffy pieces or glimpses in time, I really wanted this series to have some sort of progression. A lot of the feelings and emotions that are in this piece was taken from personal experience or the experience of someone close to me. In no way do I claim that all experiences are similar to the one disclosed in this piece of fictional writing. Disclaimer: This is a FICITONAL writing piece on Charlie Gillespie. In no way do I claim or declare that Charlie’s portrayal is accurate to real life. I do however, own Teagan Valencia :)

Masterlist  *now taking requests ;)

The Teagan Valencia Series: The Meeting  / The Fight / The Proposal / The Present / The Recovery / The Future

***Please note that sensitive topics are addressed in the writing and may cause discomfort or trigger readers. If subjects such as non-consensual sexual engagement, rape or sexual assault cause discomfort, please refrain from reading the story.

The Present

“Cut! That’s a wrap on this scene, great job everyone! Let’s break for lunch” Kenny announced to the crew. He smiled at Teagan releasing a big sigh. As awesome as this all was, it could still be tiring!

“You’re doing a great job Kenny. Seriously, I can’t wait for the second season” Teagan gave Kenny a hug from behind his chair.

“I should be giving you a giant hug Teagan!” Kenny stood up from his directing chair, moving his way to Tegan. “Congratulations on your engagement!” He gave her a big bear hug. “Now let me see the ring!” Teagan showed her his hand and he inspected the ring gleefully. Although they had gotten engaged two weeks ago, this was their first week filming and the first time Kenny saw her since the night of the party.

“I told you I had good taste Kenny” Charlie came over and wrapped his arms around my waist, perching his chin on my shoulders.

“Honey, you didn’t pick out the ring, you just picked it up” Teagan joked as Kenny released her hand. Turning to give Charlie a quick playful peck on the lips, Teagan saw the playful smirk kneeing he had a clever come back.

“I’m not talking about the ring, I’m talking about the person” he smirked kissing her back playfully. “Are you joining us for lunch?” His eyes hopeful.

“Well since you can’t leave the set for a birthday lunch, I guess so” she dramatically sighed acting like she was disappointed.

“Hey! I’m taking you out for dinner! Remember? Birthday dinner?” Teagan’s dramatic façade broke and Charlie realized he fell for it. “Sometimes I wonder why you're not the one in front of the camera”.

Charlie kissed her on the cheek and led her to lunch with the rest of the cast. As usual Maddy already had the designated brownie plate that both of them shared from and Savannah was able to join them as she finished in hair and make up. Everyone had a fun time chatting and hanging out at lunch but they had to continue filming. Charlie, Owen and Jeremy had to go get touched up and a new wardrobe on, but he left Teagan in the company of Booboo and Savannah, as Maddy went to go take a nap. 

“Hey Savannah, we are going to need you and Maddi on set soon” the three of them jumped at the sudden interruption from the new Production Assistant. His eyes piercing and intense staring at Teagan. “I’m James the new Production Assistant and you are?”

“I’m Charlie’s fiancé, I’m just visiting him on set today.” Teagan smiled back politely despite feeling uncomfortable under his gaze. She came to understand that this was the new PA that kept coming up in their group chat. It was no secret that a majority of the cast who had interacted with him felt slightly uneasy. Owen had been changing in the wardrobe trailer when he “popped out of nowhere and scared the living shit” out of Owen. Jeremy had been sneaking onto the set to take a nap in Julie’s infamous bed when he found James lurking around in the dim lighting. There were a few other stories that Teagan remembered, but she waved it off as James being misunderstood as he was new to the cast.

“Oh yeah! Sure! I’ll go get Maddi” Savannah stood up quickly getting ready to film.  

“Well ladies, it was a fun lunch, but I’m done on set and need to head over to a photo shoot” Booboo smiled collecting their lunch mess and glancing at his watch. “Which starts in an hour, shit. I better get going. Happy Birthday again Teagan, I wish I could be there tonight!”

“Don’t worry about it Booboo, let’s take a raincheck” Booboo gave her a big hug and waved them goodbye. “Hey I’ll come with you since I’m going to hang out in Charlie’s trailer” she stopped Savannah getting out of her chair too. “As much as I love watching him act, I know he has the Switch in his trailer and I want to play Mario Kart”

Savannah giggled at her friend and the two of them noticed James still standing there. “I’ll go grab Maddi if you want to let Kenny know we are on our way” Savannah smiled at the PA, who simply gave a curt nod, never taking his eyes off of Teagan. The two girls waited until he was no longer in their line of sight before moving towards the trailers. “Between you and me, I heard he’s being let go at the end of the week”

“What? Why?” Savannah looked incredulously at Teagan, shocked at her response. “Okay, I know he’s kinda weird and freaking people out, but what if it’s because he’s new?“

“He was hired last minute because of some pregnancy complications our actual PA Sarah had. She was cleared by the doctor to come and work yesterday, but she won’t be able to be here until the end of the week. We told Kenny we would much rather have her here and not James” Savannah shuddered as she said his name. Teagan didn’t know that he made everyone feel this uncomfortable.

“Who hired him?” She wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt because someone had thought he was a good fit. There must have been some sort of misunderstanding!“

“Netflix kinda threw him in since it was so last minute! He’s from Vancouver, so it made things easier” Savannah shrugged stopping in front of Charlie’s trailer. “Now go relax birthday queen, we’ll come get you in a few hours when we’ve wrapped and we can get ready at my apartment!”. 

Teagan smiled and hugged her friend, entering the trailer shortly after. She was greeted with the familiar scent of pine and cologne, just like Charlie. His trailer was neat, save for the sweater or shirt tossed here or there, and his acoustic guitar propped up against the couch. She opened his fridge pleased to find it stocked with water bottles, knowing well that Charlie mostly drank from his blue hydro flask to reduce the amount of plastic in the environment. After grabbing a bottle, she headed to the couch of the trailer where she plopped down and grabbed his Nintendo switch. She played a couple rounds of Mario Kart, drinking water when she felt a sudden sleepiness descend her. Putting the switch away, she took off her shoes and clothes opting to wear Charlie’s orange hoodie and black sweats for her nap. Glancing at the clock, she realized she had about two hours before they would start wrapping up for the day and thought a little cat nap wouldn’t do any harm. Plus, Savannah knew where she would be in case she didn’t pick up her phone. With that Teagan drifted off to sleep on the couch.

Teagan didn’t expect to wake up on the floor of the trailer with both arms restrained to the leg of the desk. Confused for a moment, she found herself restrained like a hostage in a movie, her hands tied with heavy and thick rope and a cloth restraining her mouth. Looking around, she recognized she was still in Charlie’s trailer and thought this was a cruel joke that her friends were playing on her. To her horror, she realized it wasn’t a prank when she saw James shutting the blinds and locking the trailer. She took a deep breath to scream, but quickly stopped when James noticed that she was awake, unsheathing his pocket knife.

“You're so pretty” he whispered, drawing close so that he was inches away from her face. She watched tensely as his eyes scanned her face with this crazy look in his eyes. “If you scream I will hurt you” he whispered as he untied the cloth muffling her mouth. Teagan was too afraid to say anything as James started to laugh. “You did it James, you got a pretty one” he smacked his head twice dropping the knife by Teagan’s foot. As he paced the trailer muttering to himself, she tried to inch the knife slowly to her with her foot, but this caught her captor’s attention. “Oh no you don’t!” he lunged for the knife as Teagan tried to kick him away, her leg getting nicked in the scuffle.

“Help!” she cried, but was quickly muffled by one hand on her mouth, the other holding the knife pressed up against her throat.

“I told you not to scream!” he yelled at her. Teagan began to cry in fear as she realized the man was mentally unstable and out of control. “Now I don’t trust you!” he gagged her with the cloth that was previously muffling her pulling at her hair in the process. Teagan tensed as he pressed the knife back to her throat. “I’m serious. I will cut you if you scream” he threatened holding her jaw with his free hand, forcing her to look at him. As more tears began to fall from her eyes, he cooed and shushed her hoping that she would stop. “Stop being sad. You aren’t pretty when you’re sad. I can make you happy. Let’s do that!” she trembled as his face lit up as though he had come up with a brilliant idea. He suddenly stood up and smacked his head again, muttering to himself incoherently. Teagan had no idea what to do. If she made a ruckus someone might be able to hear her, but the man in front of her might act on his words. She winced as he bumped the leg that he nicked.

“Did I hurt you? Oh no... Dammit you’ve damaged the merchandise James... You made her ugly! No. no. I can fix it. I can fix it” Teagan watched as he cursed at himself, dropping down to her side, yanking off Charlie’s sweats. The cut wasn’t deep by any means, but it was there and about two inches in length. However, it left Teagan pant less on the floor of the trailer with James staring at her half naked form, hands shaking as he drew nearer to her. Teagan knew what was to come as she struggled against her restraints and he pinned her legs down, approaching parts of her body she only let Charlie touch or see. Tears started to flow freely from her eyes as she protested through her gag, shaking her head no and trying to yell for help. James didn’t care anymore that Teagan had become vocal again, as he was too focused on indulging his own fantasies. Teagan cried out desperately and squeezed her eyes shut, wishing for this whole thing to go away. A banging on the door interrupted both of their thoughts as they froze. James terrified that he had been caught and Teagan hopeful that someone had come to end this. 

“Teags! It’s Owen, open up! You alright in there?” 

Teagan realized this was her only chance to end this and she screamed the loudest Help she could despite being gagged. She was sure Owen wouldn’t be able to make out what she was saying, but the fact that it was a scream would have alerted him to something important. The banging on the door became steady and stronger as if he was trying to break the door down. They could hear him screaming for help and speaking to someone over the phone. Quickly a commotion began to gather outside the trailer and James paled.

“This is all your fault! You stupid bitch! I told you to be quiet” he slapped her hard across the face, a burning sensation residing in her cheek. “You were supposed to be quiet!” he slapped her again on the opposite cheek, but this caused the back of her head to hit the leg of the desk that restrained her hands. A ringing in Teagan’s ears overcame all of her senses and she couldn’t focus on anything else. She felt him roughly cut her restraints and drag her to a standing position, but she couldn’t stand. She felt dizzy and nauseous at the sudden motion as the ringing in her ears started to subside. James held the knife against her throat, his back to the wall waiting for people to break into the trailer.

With a final bang, security was able to bust the door open, two of them filing into the tiny trailer, Owen standing behind them. There was Teagan, a knife being held to her throat, a swollen cheek, her underwear discarded on the floor and the orange hoodie preserving whatever parts of her body that it could. She felt the knife press into her neck as James and the security officers yelled back and forth at one another. She could feel a sharp stinging sensation and warm liquid languidly make its way down her neck. The yelling intensified and so did the pain. Teagan could barely hear Owen’s attempts to comfort her and assure her over the noise. She couldn’t understand what was happening, but James’ body tensed and convulsed, pushing the knife slightly deeper into her for a moment and then collapsing to the floor. In a rush of motion and bodies, the two security officers rushed to James’ shocked body on the floor and Owen rushed to Teagan, quickly untying the pink hoodie that was a part of his costume to help cover her up.

“Teagan! Teagan look at me, are you alright?” Owen’s voice snapped her back to reality as his soft anxious blue eyes searched hers.

“...Owen?” his name came out as a tremble followed by a fresh stream of tears as she lunged into his chest. He caught her and held on to her just as tight as she held onto him. Owen’s heart broke as she held onto him for dear life. He picked her up, never letting her go and moving her out of the trailer as the security guards handled the rest. As Owen exited, the small crowd of castmates and crew that had gathered in the alley gasped at the sight of Owen and Teagan. Savannah rushed over to throw her jacket over her legs to help Owen’s pink hoodie, giving her soft rubs on her back as she sobbed into Owen’s chest.

“Teagan?! Teagan! Oh my god, what the fuck happened?!” Teagan’s face came out of hiding as she heard Charlie’s voice. Their eyes met as Charlie sprinted over to her, pushing people out of the way. Owen quickly handed Teagan to Charlie, both of them crying and Kenny arriving at the scene with Maddi. Sadness befell their faces at the scene, but Kenny quickly took charge and started dispersing the crowds, giving orders to others to help remedy the situation. Teagan sobbed uncontrollably in Charlie’s arms and he offered as much comfort and solace as he could. The paramedics soon arrived and Charlie had no choice but to hand her over to them, but he followed the paramedics to their van with Owen and Savannah in tow.

Along the way, Owen had explained how he had come to find her. It turns out that Owen wasn’t needed for the final shots of the day, so he went to find Teagan before changing. Savannah had mentioned that Teagan had gone to hangout in Charlie’s trailer, so naturally Owen made his way over. He didn’t expect the muffled sounds of desperate screams and cries to intensify as he neared Charlie’s trailer. He knew something was wrong, but the door was locked, and after confirming that she weren’t doing something else, he began to yell for help and try to break the door down. As one team of paramedics checked on Teagan, Kenny asked the other team to check on Owen as he used physical force to break the door down with the security team. Therefore, he wanted to make sure Owen didn’t hurt himself in the adrenaline of it all. The entire time Teagan sat on the stretcher and gurney, covered with a blanket, Charlie held onto her hand tightly. Her tears subsided but everyone could tell she was still shaken. The rest of the cast members who were still on set were escorted to their vehicles and told to return home for the day. Filming had to come to a halt until they were cleared to run again. 

“Mrs. Valencia, I’m going to need you to confirm some details of your assault so we can properly attend to you” the female police officer spoke to Teagan with an apologetic looking female paramedic at her side. “Sir, we are going to have to ask you to let us speak to her privately” 

Charlie kissed her forehead and went to let go of her hand, which Teagan protested.

“No please. He can stay. Please, I need him” her voice initially came out strong and desperate, but fell to a quiet whisper as she finished speaking. The police officer made eye contact with one another and then with Charlie, who returned closer to her side.

“Very well. Mrs. Valencia, did your assailant force any penetration on you?” the police officer got right to the point, staring deeply into Teagan’s eyes. Charlie tensed, preparing himself to hear the answer he didn’t want to hear. Teagan hesitantly shook her head no. “Did he force himself upon you that can be considered sexual assault” she bowed her head, ashamed of what she was admitting, and softly nodded. “I’m sorry Mrs. Valencia, I’m going to need you to tell me a little more than that” the police officer looked at her apologetically, knowing fully that this was a difficult conversation to have. “We need to have a verbal confirmation.”

“It was just his fingers. No kissing or anything more” Teagan whispered, her eyes filling with tears once more. The police officer thanked her and nodded to the paramedic who finished cleaning her cuts and bandaging them up. Charlie held her hand the entire time, rubbing soft circles on her back. After the paramedic was done, she gave the two of them a moment alone.

“I’m so sorry Charlie” Teagan whimpered, crying all over again. She bowed her head in shame and embarrassment, feeling hopeless and defeated.

“Teagan, look at me” and when she refused to lift her head, he placed a finger under her chin to lift it. Teagan looked at his eyes full of determination, anger and conviction. “Don’t you ever apologize for what happened to you.” his voice was stern, unwavering despite the emotions he felt inside. “None of this is your fault. Don’t think for a second that you are responsible in some way shape or form.” His eyes bore an intensity that Teagan only saw when something upset him, in which she couldn’t blame him.

“Do you still love me?” she tried to be strong as she spoke, but her tears got the best of her. Charlie’s eyes suddenly became soft, concerned and worried. She couldn’t bear to look at him as she felt that he may have been disappointed in her.

“Of course I do Teags. Nothing could ever change that.” her tears softly fell down her face as Charlie pulled her in for a tight hug, peppering her with kisses. “I’m so sorry Teags, you must have been so scared” he rubbed her back hoping to provide more comfort and assurance. “I’ll love you no matter what. This doesn’t change anything, Mrs. Gillespie” the last part of his comment made her chuckle through her tears and pull away to look at him. “I can’t promise you and say things are going to be the same from here on out, but I can promise you that I’m not leaving you. Ever.” He had hoped that his eyes conveyed his commitment to her and she confirmed this with a gentle kiss on his lips. Charlie was careful to kiss her back knowing that she was still in pain from the assault.

This was a hurdle that they were going to face together. Teagan knew deep down that this event had caused serious damage and she couldn’t quite come to terms with what happened. However, she knew that Charlie was going to be with her and oddly enough, that was all she needed right now.

[khrysopoeia]

This is in super rough shape, but I've been wanting to share something from this AU for ages, so I'm going to go ahead and put out a preview. Still working on the larger plot, but it's stock fantasy/D&D-inspired FMA AU and I'm having far too much fun with it.

The Goblin’s Jig was an adventurers’ tavern, which meant the ale was strong, the barkeep was stronger, and the barmaids were less ‘feisty’ or ‘spirited’ than they were ‘trained combatants.’ The need for that skillset rarely arose, though. Teagan, the Jig’s owner, didn’t stand for the kind of adventurer who thought their line of work entitled them to special favors. He was a jovial older man -- and an adventurer himself before an infected wound had forced the amputation of half of his left leg -- who generally knew the type when he saw them.

A quarter hour ago, Roy Mustang had known none of this. Fortunately, one of his companions was a chatty drunk.

“I don’t think he wants to hear Teagan’s life story, Brosh,” said the less chatty of the two. Her name was Maria something -- Roy thought the surname started with an ‘R,’ but he wasn’t sure. She and her friend were members of the Pendleton city guard who Roy had helped out of a tight spot involving a cutpurse with a couple more friends than they’d expected. They’d offered to buy him a hot meal and a round or two as thanks. The meal had been more of an enticement than the drinks.

“He sounds like a man with some interesting stories,” Roy said. And some interesting contacts, he didn’t add.

“Adventurers get all the good stories,” Denny Brosh said. “I bet you have some, right?”

“I suppose I do,” said Roy, and launched into a well-practiced yarn about a goblin tribe and an enchanted helmet. As usual, he made sure to grin just a little slyly during the most improbable bits. You’re in on the joke, that grin said. I’m exaggerating, but not making things up, exactly. If you fit the mold people expected too perfectly, they got suspicious. Roy was careful to give his stories an edge of braggadocio. It kept people’s questions focused where he wanted them, which kept them from realizing that every one of the stories was a complete fabrication.

“Is that when your hand got messed up?” Denny said, and Roy stopped mid-sentence.

“Brosh,” Maria growled, “you don’t just ask people about missing fingers! Sorry about him.”

It was his thumb, actually, on his left hand. And Roy had gotten enough practice with that question over the last year and a half that he no longer actually flinched when someone asked it. It still threw him, though, and it was a relief when the door to the tavern swung open with a bang and a gust of cold spring air.

Three figures in patched leather armor entered. Two of them, both humans, were straining under the weight of a large chest.

“Teagan, pour a round for the tavern on me!” the third figure bellowed. He was a black-haired dwarf with no beard, but an impressive mustache. It was braided and everything. “The Company of the Golden Oak just raided a dragon’s hoard!”

The entire room heard that. Every soul in the tavern other than Roy broke into some form of laughter, be it loud guffaws, hearty chuckles or, in the case of one gnome who should probably have stopped drinking two tankards ago, manic giggles.

But no, that wasn’t quite right. One other person wasn’t laughing. A human woman, seated at the bar with her back to Roy, glanced at the three men and shook her head ruefully. Roy had noted her when she came in, more for the hand-and-a-half sword strapped to her back and the high quality of her wool cloak -- it looked about five times as warm as anything he owned -- than for anything else.

“Laugh all you like,” the leader of the 'Company' said. “We’ve got a chest full of dragon gold that says it’s true!”

Because dragons always kept their valuables in flammable wooden chests with locks sized for human hands. Right. Roy dismissed the trio and went back to his meal. The roast chicken was good, and the overcooked carrots were food. He appreciated both.

“Bullshit,” called a voice from a shadowy corner of the tavern. There was a large man, larger even than the three with the chest, seated there in full plate mail. Roy had given up trying to figure out how his chair hadn’t collapsed a while back, but he hadn’t stopped glancing over periodically. Anyone with that much steel on them in a room full of people in normal clothing was automatically dangerous.

It wasn’t the armored man who had spoken, though. A shorter figure, one Roy hadn’t spotted through the crowd, stood up, gesturing to the chest.

“That thing has to be three feet long and, what, a foot and a half wide? An inch deep in gold and you’d already have more than three hundred pounds on your hands.” The speaker picked up his tankard and made for the bar. “Hey, Teagan, you gave me watered-down ale again.”

“You’re a kid, Ed,” the tavern keeper grumbled into the silence that followed. “And you already get a discount.” People began turning back to their drinks. Maria shook her head with a rueful smile and took an enthusiastic bite of chicken. The two human men with the chest put it down, one looking mournful and the other downright enraged.

“Dammit, [dwarf], you swore this was the real thing!” the angrier of the armored humans said.

“Of course it’s the real thing!”

“But how do we know it’s actually gold?” asked the mournful man. “It better be. I’ve got a tab going at the smithy on [street name] now.” Judging by his hat, which would have been gaudy even without the full rooster’s worth of plumage and was probably worth as much as his well-used armor, he also had one going at a haberdasher.

“I’m telling you, it’s gold!” the leader insisted. “Dragons hoard gold. Everyone knows that!” He turned to the tavern at large. “Any of you heard of a dragon hoarding anything other than gold?”

A couple of people nodded thoughtfully, though more rolled their eyes, and most just ignored the dwarf. There hadn’t been a dragon seen in Amestris in decades, let alone this far west. They were rare even in the desert to the east these days.

“You could just open it,” the tavern keeper suggested as he poured a drink for Ed. “If it’s full of anything valuable, you can replace the lock easily enough.”

“Sounds good to me,” growled the other armored human. He pulled a set of lockpicks from his belt pouch, which just went to show that it wasn’t wise to assume things about people’s skill sets based on their body type.

Maria and Denny exchanged looks as the man knelt in front of the chest. Those picks were probably illegal to use in the city. Adventurers tended to pose dilemmas like that for municipal guards, which was one reason you rarely saw Maria and Denny’s type in establishments that catered to them. Bringing Roy to a tavern frequented by guards would have been even more awkward, though, and those were the only other places that let you keep a weapon the size of Roy’s longsword with you. He was fairly sure he hadn’t been too suspicious about mentioning that he didn’t like to be parted from his weapon. Just an adventurer here. Not quite average, but with quirks that you can easily understand.

Before the two guards could decide what to do about this particular awkward [dilemma], though, the man with the lockpicks screamed. Roy whipped around to see his hand and wrist disappearing into a hole in the chest where the lock had been -- a hole with large, gleaming teeth.

“Mimic!” shouted the man with the hat as the whole tavern came to their feet and dozens of weapons were drawn.

[to be continued]

[baepop]

Sacrifice

When you go on a camping trip with your group of friends, you realize things aren’t as they seem.

Word Count: 14.3k

Pairing: You x Namjoon, You x BTS Members

Genre: Thriller, Smut, Angst

Warnings: OC is fucked in the head basically (disturbing thoughts/ actions); gore, graphic descriptions (It’s really not too bad but I want to make sure I cover all my bases)

Part 1 | Part 2

You could only see his profile during the duration of the car ride, but it’s all you really needed, enough to hold you off until you could get him alone.

It was easy to pretend you two were alone, two love birds skipping town to spend time together on a retreat away from all of your troubles. You were, after all, in the quieter car (save for Namjoon’s whistling) and that was because of who was riding in the back. Jungkook and Yoongi hardly ever said a word, not even to each other, so the drive up the mountain was peaceful. It was one of those drives that had you zoning out and imagining your life was completely different. Though, you couldn’t say your reveries were that diverse. They were all just variations of the same fantasy where you and Namjoon were madly in love, married and sometimes living in a foreign country. Well, you, Namjoon and his child growing inside of you. Being pregnant, for once, wasn’t just another daydream, and you were thankful for that.

It was easy to pretend he was your summer love, something light and airy, uncomplicated and fun, but it was anything but. He often gave you mixed signals, caused you to stay up at night wondering what he meant when he said this and that, and stressed you out about the authenticity of your relationship. You two simply didn’t exist as a couple outside of your own private sphere, and that worried you for many reasons.

You reclined back on your seat and reminisced about the precious moments you’d shared with him, specifically the first time you two met. It was years ago, at a party thrown by a friend of a friend of a friend. You decided to attend last minute, and you were glad you did, because as soon as you entered the kitchen, there he was, facing his back towards you as he carefully poured himself a drink. You were instantly filled with a sense of serendipity, convinced that the universe placed him in your path that night for a reason, because although this would be the first time you two would talk, it wouldn’t be the first time you’d laid eyes on him.

This had to be a sign, you two were somehow meant to be. You just knew it.

Without much of a second thought, you closed the distance in between you and tapped his shoulder. He turned around and took your breath away, just like that. God, he was so perfect, and you, you were nothing, a lowly admirer that would never have a chance. But being near him made you feel like someone, and it was enough of a feeling to cling onto as long as you needed to. Even after all this time, he still had that effect on you.

You smiled and looked at Namjoon once more before returning to your memory.

Your mouth was dry, and your mind went blank, not having bothered to come up with a plan for when you got this far.

“Hmm? Oh, it’s you.” The boy turned back to the task at hand, but instead of lifting his now full cup to his lips, he handed it to you and got himself another. You gladly took it, blushing at the idea that he seemed to recognize you somehow.

“Y-You know who I am?” You smiled at the brim of your cup, batting your eyelashes.

“Yeah, you’re the girl who followed me around the bookstore the other day.” You grew impossibly redder than before.

Your mind drifted to the day he was referring to. You were at your favorite shop in town, perusing the cookbooks when your favorite person walked in, sounding the familiar chime of the creaky wooden front door. You didn’t ogle right away, instead choosing to feign interest in Chrissy Teagan’s recipes as you watched Namjoon’s wispy silver hairs sway to and fro from the corner of your eye. He was surveying the science fiction book he had just picked up, and you wondered if he was going to buy it this time, since this wasn’t the first time he had gravitated towards that novel upon entering. He did end up buying it, but only after perusing the manga section for 20 minutes.

You didn’t think he noticed you that day. You must’ve been getting sloppier, you thought. Either way, the idea of him noticing you made you giddier than it did nervous.

“O-Oh.” It was all you could say. You had been caught red handed, after all. But he was smooth, easy on the eyes and had such a calming presence to him that you didn’t feel as embarrassed as you should’ve been. It just made you like him even more.

He clapped his hand on your shoulder. “It’s okay, we’re all a little weird.” With a tentative smile, he bumped his cup with yours then walked away. You stared after him wistfully, butterflies in your stomach and stars in your eyes. He was, decidedly, the coolest person you’d ever know, so you followed him around that party all night, and this time you weren’t sneaking around.

You sighed and turned away from his beautiful face, choosing instead to squint at the rowdy car driving right beside you. The rest of the boys were there, and it looked like they were having such a heated discussion that they’d swerve into oncoming traffic at any minute. You chuckled to yourself, watching Hoseok take his eyes off the road to lean back and flail his arms around attempting to smack Taehyung.

Taehyung and that mouth of his, I wonder what he said to piss off this hyung this time.

“What’s so funny?” You looked over at Namjoon. His eyes were now trained on you, gentle and patient. His smile was slight, but it was still enough to bring his dimples out, and your heart leaped at the sight. It still bewildered you that no matter how chaotic your thoughts might be, a simple look of his was enough to still raging waters, each patient smile of his serving as a life preserver.

“Nothing, I’m just happy we’re doing this. I really needed to get away for a bit, you know?” Namjoon’s smile widened before he turned back to the road, resuming his whistling as the car continued to carry you for miles into what looked like uncharted territory. Dense foliage and vegetation surrounded the roads and went on uninterrupted like a background real. It was beautiful, to say the least.

You were simply content with taking in the change in scenery, because there was something magical about how a different environment could equate to a different persona. Back home, you were the same old you with your same old troubles. But out here, so far away from home, you could be anyone you wanted, so you imagined you were a farm girl who grew up with horses and lots of land, easily imagining yourself travestying the forest with innate expertise and grace.

It was fun, until the looming rainclouds ruined your reverie.

“Looks like it’s going to rain.” Yoongi woke up from his nap long enough to point out the obvious. Namjoon didn’t respond, his eyes fixed on the road ahead with both hands on the wheel. You recognized the seriousness in his demeanor, because while he would never express his worried thoughts outwardly, you knew he was still human. It was one of the things you loved about him so much, the role he played amongst his long-time friend group. He was always their fearless leader, even in situations that warranted a reasonable amount of fear.

When you first started hanging out with them, it was one of the first things you noticed about him, the way everyone seemed to gravitate towards him, to say things to gain his approval. But none of it seemed to ever go to his head. He was always kind, intelligent and understanding.

As you watched him from the passenger seat, you wanted so badly to reach out and touch him, to put your hand on his lap or hold out your palm for him to take, but you knew it’d be a bad idea, so instead his worry became your worry, watching the clouds and the road like a hawk while keeping track of time to make sure you could arrive to the encampment in time to beat the definite rain shower.

Eventually, a soft road that veered off the highway presented itself amongst a clearing in the trees. Namjoon slowed down enough for the second car to follow his lead as he turned into the dirt. You drove for a little while, past all kinds of trees and shrubbery that blended into countless other vegetation until a round clearing of a couple yards in diameter appeared up ahead. Namjoon parked the car further up to allow the second car to park behind him. Once the vehicles were off, you all got to work setting up the tents. It had grown darker, much darker than it was even just half an hour ago, and because of that, Namjoon suggested setting up the giant tent instead for the night since it appeared it might be storming all night. Everyone was okay with that, except for you. You were looking forwards to a little alone time with Namjoon, but it was clear that wasn’t going to happen, at least not tonight.

With a combined effort, you all had the massively sized tent pitched and erect under the biggest tree in the lot along with blankets, pillows and sleeping bags set up inside, one after the other. Only 5 minutes had passed after zipping up the entrance to the tent before the torrential downpour came down with a vengeance. You pouted as the only remaining light was blighted by the sky’s bad mood. This was an awful start to you and Namjoon’s romantic getaway.

The boys always talked about their legendary camping trips, it seemed, only exclusively around you. They always had insiders and memories from coming here every summer, moments you weren’t a part of that made you feel like an outsider. You were so tired of feeling left out that you finally begged Namjoon to let you come along. He nonchalantly agreed, much to your disappointment. You wanted him to say yes of course, but you wanted him to feel the excitement of going camping with a girlfriend and not just with another one of the guys. Although you were a part of the group, you wanted to be more to Namjoon.

You weren’t allowed much time to glower in the dark before the boys’ antics were lifting you from your funk. First, it was Jin with his whooping and hollering, then Hoseok with his imitation of bird noises that sounded god awful. You laughed at the knuckleheads along with everyone else.

Eventually, Namjoon found the lanterns he had packed away for a situation like this. Soft yellow light filled the tent, bouncing off the green fabric and onto everyone’s sweaty faces. You all sat facing each other, looking around at who would be the next source of entertainment to drown out the droning of the pitter patter going on all around you.

“So, what do you guys normally do when you get here?” You looked at Namjoon, then around the room, genuinely curious about what they found fun about this place.

“Well,” Taehyung was the first to speak, rubbing his neck as he looked at the shadows being casted onto the fabric, “it’s never rained when we’ve come here, so this is a first. We’ve never even had to use this giant tent before.”

“Yeah Y/N, why did you have to ruin it for us. It’s no coincidence that it starts pouring on the same day you decide to tag along.” Jimin shot you a playful look. His teasing always sounded harsh, but you knew he was always all bark and no bite, so you rolled your eyes and pushed him. His eyes shrunk into crescent moons as a pillowy smile dawned his features.

“Shut the fuck up.” You quipped at the boy which had him quirking a brow at you. You only ever cussed at Jimin while being around the other guys because you knew how much they liked to bust his balls.

“Yeah, Jimin, shut the fuck up.” Taehyung followed in your lead which had everyone laughing, especially you, when Jimin shot you a not so playful look this time around.

“Oh! I know,” Jin grabbed the small flashlight that was attached to his keys and held it under his chin for spooky effect, “Let’s tell scary stories.” You rolled your eyes at his childish proposal but couldn’t help chuckling when the boys whooped and cheered. Sometimes you felt like you were hanging with 5th graders around them, but you secretly loved it.

“Me first! Me first!” Taehyung waved his hand in the air to get everyone’s attention.

“Alright, but this better be fucking good. It’s the first one so it’s gotta set the tone for the rest of the stories.” Everyone collectively turned to the blonde in wait. He jutted out his tongue to wet his bottom lip as he thought for a second.

“Okay, so…one time, I was playing hide and seek in this abandoned house—”

“NEXT!!!!” Jin yelled then handed the flashlight to Hoseok. Everyone laughed again after Taehyung frowned, clearly displeased that no one gave his story a chance.

“Ah jeez, I’m the worst with this kind of thing.” Hoseok scratched his head, embarrassed to have the entire group watching and listening to him at once. “Okay…um. Okay, so one time—”

“NEXT!” Jin screamed and Hoseok chucked the flashlight at his head. Jin was by far the most obnoxious of the group. If your friend group was a class, he would’ve been the clown and the problematic child all rolled into one.

Jin caught the tiny accessory on his chest then looked around the room for the next person to annoy. When his eyes landed on you, you knew you were his next target. He tossed the flashlight into your lap and you made no moved to pick it up, instead looking back at him with a serious expression.

“What’s the matter? You too scawed to tell us a stowy?” Jin jutted out his bottom lip, mocking you as he always did. You rolled your eyes.

“If you think I’m going to get baited into telling a story after what you just did to them, you’re stupider than you look” Jin smiled then looked down, trying but failing to keep his expression serious.

“I’ll be on my best behavior, I promise.” He held his hand over his heart and batted his eye lashes at you. You flared your nostrils, finding the entire notion unappealing. To the 6 onlookers, it might’ve seemed innocent, but you knew better. Jin was always trying to get into your pants, each tactic used cheesier and more obnoxious than the last. It left a bad taste in your mouth, but you resolved to put up with it in order to be able to stay close to Namjoon. You peered up at your crush who sat opposite of you in the circle. His eyes were watchful and waiting, so you blushed and decided to entertain the idea.

With a sigh, you began your spooky tale, making sure to make eye contact with all of the boys as you did so, speaking in a slow and quiet tone that you knew would easily frighten them.

“This happened last year, actually. I was in my bedroom—”

“I like where this is going already.” Jin interrupted you as he wiggled his eyebrows.

“Oh my god, shut the fuck up!” Yoongi, whom was very much so the listening type, found his outbursts equally as annoying as you did. When he looked back at you, you continued your story.

“Anyway, I was on my bed,” You looked at Jin for a second, checking to see if he was going to interrupt you again. The sight of him almost popping a blood vessel to keep quiet was extremely funny to you, “looking for a song to put on my phone to zone out to. I put my headphones on, and right before I hit play, I hear a woman’s voice singing right into my ear. You are my sunshine, my only sunshine…you make me happy when skies are grey.” You sang in a creepy slow tune, looking around the circle and nearly laughing when you saw Hoseok’s adam’s apple bob up and down. “So I looked at my phone to make sure it wasn’t playing some creepy song by mistake, and nothing. I took the headphones off and the singing continued. Slowly, the woman’s voice became sadder, until she started crying while singing. Her voice was so close to my ear that I could hear the sniffles as if they were my own. I figured I must’ve been going temporarily insane or something, so I turned the lights off and went to sleep with a pillow on my ears, but the singing continued all night. That freaked me out so bad, that I looked up historical information about my house, and you know what I found?” You made eye contact with Jungkook whose mouth and eyes were wide open, concentrating on your story. You knew they must’ve all been entranced if the one who didn’t believe in any of this stuff was frozen like that, so you continued on. “A woman and her child died in my room a long time ago. She accidentally rolled on top of her sleeping baby in the middle of the night and when she woke up… it was dead. It’s said that she held it for days afterward, singing You Are My Sunshine until she starved to death.” You looked around again, holding back a laugh when everyone simply stared back at you wordlessly.

“…NEXT!”

You threw the flashlight at Jin’s head, “I fucking knew it!” Everyone chuckled as both of your outbursts dissipated the tension in the air.

“Hey, I let you tell the story, didn’t I?! Jin rubbed the spot on the side of his head where the flashlight had nicked him.

The rain never let up, so you all made your peace with sleeping all together in the tent. As everyone got cozy in their respective spots, you frowned seeing Namjoon settle in between Hoseok and Yoongi. I guess it was too much to hope for anyway.

The only spot left to take was beside Jin at the end of the row of sleeping bags, and it had your frown turning into a full-blown scowl. You just knew it wasn’t going to be a peaceful night now that it’s come to this.

You fluffed your pillow and laid down gingerly so as not to touch the boy who was watching you with a smirk. Namjoon turned off the lanterns and flashlights, leaving all of you staring up at the apex of the tent in darkness. The only sounds that could be heard was the rain falling incessantly, and it would’ve been enough to lull you all to sleep, if it wasn’t for the piercing cry that rocked the forest and your tent right along with it.

You all stiffened at the same time, not daring to breathe as you waited for a commotion that never came. It sounded as if a woman was getting stabbed in the trees just past the clearing, the sound was haunting and pronounced and it had all of your hairs at attention. Just as quickly as the screech disturbed the quiet of the night, it had gone and left a deafening void in its absence that made way for the droning of the rainfall. You were all sure she’d come bounding towards the tent soon after, calling out for help.

The tension and unspoken fear hung heavy in the air as Namjoon cleared his throat to speak, “Relax everyone, it was probably just a red fox nearby.”

“Bullshit! What animal sounds like that!?” Hoseok looked over at Namjoon incredulously.

“Red foxes, actually, both male and female. They have a distinct cry that mimics the sound of a human female in distress. They often use it to ward off predators such as coyotes or wolves, or as a mating call.”

“Well that’s just terrific.” Yoongi grumbled, unhappy to hear that there may be aggressive animals in the area.

“Now hold on, it could just be trying to get its dick wet, I don’t blame it. Scream on little buddy.” Everyone chuckled at Jin’s joke except for you and Jungkook. You were tired and just wanted to sulk in peace.

“They also,” Another scream that sounded slightly farther away pierced through the trees and had everyone flinching simultaneously, “scream in sets, so be prepared to listen to it for a little while.” Everyone groaned collectively. “It seems to be moving farther away, so hopefully we can sleep soon.”

No one talked after that, silently waiting for the screams to stop. Though they gradually faded into the rest of the sounds of the forest, it only sounded more and more bone chilling, like a haunted echo, a wailing woman running through the trees in pain and agony.

Eventually, the boys fell asleep one by one with Hoseok being the first one to start snoring. Everyone made fun of him, of course.

You laid awake listening to the sounds of the night. You were used to falling asleep to the sounds of a television, and trying as hard as you may, closing your eyes and pretending you were in your bed at home just wasn’t working. You began thinking about what the next day would entail. You were hoping to get some alone time with Joon, but you weren’t sure how to go about it with all of his guy friends around. You considered asking him to teach you how to fish, something that would require you two to get away for a bit and have some peace.

Suddenly, you felt a finger caressing your arm lightly and you didn’t have to turn your head to know who it was. You grimaced, opening your eyes and staring straight ahead at the fabric of the tent. You had laid on your side with your back facing Jin, but he slowly turned over to face you. You shook your shoulder to get him off, but it only earned a low chuckle from him. He always thought you to be feisty, even when you were just plain pissed and wanting to be unbothered.

Jin was simply trying to get lucky a second time, but you weren’t having it, each of his advances making you angrier than the last. You thought you had made yourself clear after that one drunken night, but every time you rejected him it seemed to make him only want you more.

It happened last year at a house party Yoongi threw. You were all there along with a ton of their friends. No one you knew came, because you didn’t have any friends other than the boys, so you followed Namjoon around like a puppy as he made his rounds to greet people he recognized. You always waited for him to introduce you, but he never did, and it only made your party mood disappear into a cloud of frustration and loneliness.

You loved listening to him talk, loved listening to his stories and anecdotes. He was well read and therefore well spoken. He had the ability to captivate any room and teach you something new in the process. It wasn’t just his boyishly good looks that drew you to him, all of your friends were handsome. You were in love with everything else about him too, the way he smiled shyly whenever someone complimented him, the way he could be so graceful yet so clumsy at the same time, even the way his room was full of Ryan plushies. No one knew about that detail except for you. He’d never let anyone inside of his room except for you, and you held that one little detail as a trophy.

That particular night was different, however. You were used to him not paying as much attention to you when the guys were around, but now you were competing for his attention with the rest of the party goers, especially the pretty girls that had shown up when they heard Yoongi was throwing a party for once. You didn’t blame them for the way they fawned over Namjoon and his gorgeous dimples, but you blamed him for the way he pretended you weren’t even there half of the time. You were so upset that you began drinking yourself into oblivion, determined to prove to yourself and to the others who were giving you sympathy looks that you could have a good time without Namjoon. You hated the way they made eye contact with you every time Namjoon spoke over you, or ignored something you said, each moment sending blood rushing to your cheeks and your lips crashing into the rim of your solo cup.

You had skipped dinner while helping the boys get the house ready for the party, so by the time your third cup was empty you could barely speak a coherent sentence let alone maintain eye contact. The rest of the night was a bit of a blur. Your memories of it consisted of incomplete reels of the boys picking your arms up and dropping them, laughing as they refilled your cups, and getting you to say tongue twisters for their enjoyment.

You were sufficiently drunk and had managed not to gravitate towards Namjoon’s side for the past hour, so you allowed yourself to peak at him from beyond the rim of your cup only to find a red headed girl that you mildly recognized from your neighborhood, sitting on his lap. They were talking intimately, and his smile was dazed, almost sleepy. His cheeks were flushed as he spoke. You couldn’t hear what he was saying to her, but you had to imagine it was the funniest joke in the world with the way she keeled over onto him laughing and continuously patting his chest. He was smitten, and you were green with envy.

You had to get out of eyesight lest you vomit the four mixed drinks you had downed. You stumbled into the kitchen, bumping into people on the way there.

“Fuck, fuck fuck! Where’s all the alcohol?!” You slammed your hands against the countertop, looking around at all of the empty bottles littered throughout.

“Easy there, drunky. We ran out so Hoseok and Jimin left to get some more. Not that you need anymore, you can barely stand.” Jin held you by the elbow as you swayed back and forth, but you ripped your arm out of his grasp so fast that it had you stumbling backward into the island. He chuckled, coming forward again to hold you upright.

“I don’t need your help! I’m fine!”

“Who are you trying to convince, me or yourself?” The boy’s grip on you was ironclad, so you sighed and blinked a couple times, trying to regain your composure.

Finally, you looked up at him. His cheeks were flushed, and his forehead was sweaty. His eyes were trained on you but his gaze was far away, unable to focus on anything in particular. Although it seemed he could hold his liquor well, he was definitely wasted. You narrowed your eyes, poking him in the chest roughly.

“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever told you this before, but I find you very annoying.”

This time Jin didn’t hold back his laughter. “Oh yeah?”

“YEAH! You always think you’re soooo funny,” You flailed your arms about to drive your point home, but it only made him laugh even more, “when you’re actually just super obnoxious!”

“That’s it, let it all out.” He hovered over you, his hand never left your arm and his eyes remained on yours centimeters apart.

“And…and you know what else?!”

“Hmm?”

“Your jokes are corny too!”

Jin guffawed, feigning offense. He found this all too entertaining. “Is that all? Are you done?”

You shook your head childishly, feeling proud of yourself for telling him off like you’d always wanted to.

“Well, if I’m so corny and obnoxious, then you’re extremely fucking weak.” Jin spat the words out at you which had you blinking rapidly.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” You huffed, furrowing your eyebrows. Being intoxicated always made your emotions run high, so his simple jab was already getting you worked up.

Jin nodded towards the entrance of the kitchen in the direction of the party happening in the living room. “If I had to take a guess, you got yourself nice and wasted because legsformiles over there is occupying all of Namjoon’s attention.” You couldn’t hide the hurt in your eyes. Fuck, is it that obvious? The brunette leaned into you only to whisper in your ear with pure malicious intent, “You’re pretty pathetic if you ask me.”

You flushed with indignance. Suddenly you were trying to rip your arm out of his grip wildly, wanting nothing but to run so you could cry in private, but he wasn’t letting you.

“Don’t tell me you’re seriously going to go bawl your little eyes out after I just called you pathetic? Where’s that fire I always see in you? Where’s that girl that doesn’t take anyone’s bullshit?”

“She’s right fucking here and she’s tired of your shit!” You huffed, looking up at him with watery eyes and crimson cheeks. You could feel the heat radiating off of you in waves.

“Oh yeah? Then prove me wrong then. Prove to me that you’re not just this weak bitch pining over a guy that doesn’t even like you.” Jin let you go and backed away. He half expected you to stomp into the living room and embarrass yourself in front of Namjoon some more. He also half expected you to bolt out of the house to go cry in the bushes. Either way, he was sure to watch since the party was already boring to him. He sees his friends every day, and he’s slept his way through the entire female body in attendance, so he had been bored all along and messing with you was the first amusing thing that’s happened all night.

What Jin wasn’t expecting, however, was for you to press your hand against his dick. His eyes bulged as he looked down at you then at your hand.

“Okay, I’ll prove you wrong. Fuck me.”

Jin chuckled uneasily, confused as to whether this was a trap or not.

“Y/N stop fucking around!” Jin slapped your hand off of him and gripped your shoulders roughly to try and shake you out of whatever momentary craze you had come under.

“I’m serious! Fuck me, right here. I’m not some weak bitch.” You spat the words out at him, tempting him as your hands slid under his shirt. “I don’t need Namjoon’s attention when there’s clearly another fuck boy desperate for it.”

Jin’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t like being reduced to just another fuckboy with a crush on you, but hell, he wasn’t one to keep a girl begging. It only took a couple seconds before he turned you over and hiked your dress up your waist. He bent you over the island while you kept an eye out on the entrance of the kitchen.

Jin pushed your underwear halfway down your thighs impatiently, licking two of his fingers and running them along your entrance to see if you were ready for him. You were surprisingly wet, earning a smile from the boy. She’s a fucking freak that gets off on this kind of shit, who’d have thought?

Jin plunged his fingers into your cunt, swirling his fingers around briefly as he fumbled with his zipper.

“Fuck!” He accidently got his boxers caught on his zipper. You rolled your eyes, getting impatient and quickly losing steam.

After yanking his pants down, he wasted no time slapping his impressive length against your pussy then shoving the head into you. You gasped, feeling how much he was already filling you up. You hadn’t expected him to be so well endowed. You now understood why girls in your town took turns flocking to Jin whenever he was around, as if he was a new ride at a carnival that they all scored free tickets to. This was exactly what you needed to forget, forget about Namjoon in the other room getting felt up by another girl much more attractive and feminine than you. You just wanted to get out of your own head for a moment, to feel wanted and attractive in someone’s eyes, even if it was annoying ass Jin.

You struggled to keep your moans low as he fucked you fiercely against the marble. He pounded into you with an intensity that had you seeing stars prematurely. He groped your flesh greedily, struggling to keep up his ferocity with impaired motor skills. He took turns groping your ass and your hips, releasing air tightly through gritted teeth as he reveled in the feeling of your tight walls squeezing his dick. You wanted to moan so loudly, you’d never been fucked like this before, but the only thing worse than having to live with the reality of letting Jin of all people fuck you in public was having others know about it too.

Suddenly your voice of reason weakly pounded against the walls of your mind, pleading for you to think about what you were doing. Jin doesn’t care about you. But Namjoon does, he just doesn’t show it how you want him to. How do you think he’d feel if he found out about this?

Tears sprang to your eyes involuntarily and suddenly you were sobbing against the counter. Jin caught wind of the tiny sniffles and froze. His dick immediately went soft as he pulled it out of you, bending over you to see if you were okay.

“Jesus fucking Christ kid, get a hold of yourself!”

“I—I—” You struggled to get a sentence out, your chest heaving involuntarily, and hot tears poured over your rosy cheeks. You stood up and let Jin help you put your underwear back on, but his hand stilled before it could pull your dress down. Both of your attentions were now drawn to the entryway where Jungkook stood in sheer horror. His mouth was wide open and full of food, his hand holding an empty beer can. He didn’t come in any further, but he also made no moves to leave, until you yelled at him.

“Get the fuck out of here Jeon!!” The boy scrambled out of the kitchen so fast it was almost enough to make you laugh if you weren’t so busy feeling fucking awful about yourself.

You pushed Jin’s hands away and finished pulling your dress down. Your moment of embarrassment slowly faded and made room for more tears, so you swiftly turned and left through the exit in the kitchen. Jin was right all along, you just ended up leaving to go cry by the bushes after all.

It was when you were out of tears and down to sniffles when you heard the door creak open then slam closed. The smell of smoke invaded your senses. You turned to see Jin pop a squat next to you with a cigarette in his mouth and another one nestled in between his fingers extended to you. You took it and put it in between your lips as he held a zippo flame up to the end of it, nurturing the fire with a closed palm.

You pulled and inhaled before exhaling a cloud of translucent white into the quiet of the night. Turning the cigarette over in your fingers to look at it properly, you realized they were menthols, your least favorite kind, but you smoked it nonetheless.

“You have until the end of this cigarette,” You took another pull and exhaled the smoke through your nostrils, your body physically calming down and easing your mind, “and then we go back to how we always were. This never happened, and you’ve always been annoying Jin, capeche?”

Jin chuckled, looking at you for a moment before looking away. “Fine by me sweetheart. But we had a witness so, I don’t know how far you’re going to get living in denial.”

You cringed, remembering the look on Jungkook’s face, the judgement in his eyes. You cussed, flicking some of the ash off of your cigarette.

“Relax. I’ll talk to the kid.” You looked over at Jin and the seriousness in his face and tone. It allowed you to relax and trust in him, so you both sat in silence, inhaling and exhaling for a while.

When the alcohol arrived, Jin left your side and you went home to shower, trying desperately to scrub off all of your shame, but it was futile. You perpetually made bad decisions, and you were always forced to wear them like tattoos.

Things happened exactly as you both had said, however. Well, almost exactly. Jungkook never said a word about the ordeal, and you and Jin had continued bickering and pretending nothing had ever happened between you. He kept hitting on you unabashedly and you kept swatting him away like a pesky bug that just wouldn’t quit.

But you were starting to think that the lack of intimacy between you and Namjoon had emboldened him, since he had never actually touched you intimately like this apart from that time in the kitchen.

As you laid there being caressed by him, you panicked, feeling like your past wouldn’t stop suffocating you.

“Stop.” You spoke plainly and in a low voice so as not to wake up the others. Jin’s hand froze as he propped his body up on his elbow to get a better look at you.

“C’mon, you honestly can’t tell me you haven’t been wanting a round two?”

“That’s exactly what I’m telling you. I’m not interested in you that way. Or at all for that matter. I hate you, remember?” You hesitated, feeling a twinge of embarrassment at saying your next sentence. “I was drunk and sad, and you were an easy lay. Now please let me sleep.”

Jin scoffed, “What the fuck do you see in that nerd anyway? Earth to Y/N, he’s not interested.”

“You’re wrong. There’s… something between us.”

“…something? For god’s sake Y/N—”

“She said leave her alone, hyung.”

You both turned towards the voice that came from two sleeping bags over. It seemed you were wrong, Jungkook had been awake all along.

You smiled shyly, feeling grateful that he felt inclined to come to your defense after witnessing what went down between you and Jin.

Jin was outwardly annoyed but he stopped making advances towards you immediately and turned the other way to go to sleep.

You turned over too, smiling to yourself and deciding to thank Jungkook for sticking up for you and for also being a gentleman last year when you were a complete mess, especially because you knew it wasn’t just a funny story to him. You’d always known about his crush on you, but things between you two weren’t simple.

You met Jungkook and the rest of Namjoon’s friends shortly after you started hanging around Namjoon. They were all practically inseparable, and because you were now inseparable from Namjoon, it meant you were constantly around them too. You were all much younger back then, and Jungkook was the runt of the group. He was always so innocent with huge doe eyes and a small bunny smile. You quickly noticed how he reacted differently to you than everyone else, but you were so callously absorbed in Namjoon’s orbit that you didn’t care for it at all.

Of course, everyone else quickly noticed his crush on you too and even teased you about it all the time, which frustrated you because you didn’t want anyone picturing you with anyone but Namjoon.

On one night, however, you knew most of Namjoon’s friends were too busy to hang out, so you invited yourself over to his apartment, keen on finally making your move. When you arrived, Jungkook was there, much to your annoyance, but you didn’t let that stop you. Whether he was there or not, you had resolved to show Namjoon exactly how much you liked him.

The night started off innocently with all of you hanging out in Namjoon’s living room listening to his old records and playing games. Though this might’ve started off as just another hang out sesh for the other two, it certainly wasn’t for you, and the longer it went on, the harder it was for you to wait any longer. Suddenly, after Namjoon switched out the current disk for a Frank Sinatra one, you turned towards the love of your life, swayed by the sultriness of the tempo. He turned to you and smiled, so you leaned in and pressed your lips to his.

His hands quickly found your shoulders and pulled you off of him, his wide eyes darting over to Jungkook who sat there stunned with the shuffled uno cards in his hands.

“Let him watch, who cares?” You mumbled, turning Namjoon’s head back towards you and kissing him again. His lips hesitated at first, then quickly warmed up to you as his hands found your waist instead.

You two made out for a while, rolling on the floor in a tangle of limbs while Jungkook refused to blink. Eventually, Namjoon pulled away when your fingers found his belt buckle, taking your hands in his and halting your movements.

“You really want to go there?” You nodded dazedly, biting your swollen lip. It was all you could think about, all you wanted since you first laid eyes on him. You wanted every part of him. You wanted to be wholly his.

“Then,” Namjoon smirked and turned towards Jungkook, “take care of him first.” You followed his gaze and watched as the younger boy’s eyes widened impossibly further.

“You mean,” You sat back, realizing what he was implying, “what, is watching your thing or something?” Namjoon snickered and straightened his shirt.

“Show me how badly you want it.” He quirked his brow at you smirked, but there wasn’t any warmth in his eyes.

Part of you was disappointed. You hated jumping through all these hurdles to be able to get to his heart, but you kept telling yourself that this would be the last thing he’d put you through before giving himself to you, so you began taking your clothes off without hesitation. If this was what Namjoon wanted you to do, then you’d simply do it and look forward to the day where it’d finally just be you two.

Jungkook sat a few feet from you, frozen in panic. He was sweating, gulping as he watched your fingers carefully unbutton your blouse. His irises were trained on your very movement and his breathing quickened when you made eye contact with him. You slid your shirt off your shoulders and swung your arms around to unhook your bra, but seeing how scared Jungkook looked, you decided to slow down and take your time, despite just wanting to get this over with.

You crawled over to him and took purchase on his lap, looping your arms around his neck. He was stiff and his hands hesitated to touch you. You wondered if he was a virgin, so you looked back at Namjoon with a questioning stare. He simply smiled back at you, his gaze telling.

You pursed your lips and turned back to Jungkook who was growing redder by the second. “Just relax, okay? I’ll do all the work.” You leaned down and pecked his lips tentatively. That’s when he was finally emboldened enough to put his hands on you and kiss you back hungrily. You weren’t expecting the sudden passion, so you went along with it.

As you began kissing the boy’s neck, you maintained eye contact with Namjoon, wanting him to know that this was all for him, and that you’d be imagining you were with him the entire time.

After that night, Jungkook had seemed to think you two were together, until you pulled him aside one day and told him Namjoon was the only man for you. He got the picture right away, because that was the last day he’d ever spoken directly to you.

Looking back at that time many years ago, you felt a little guilty having taken Jungkook’s virginity while knowing how he felt about you. He ended up being collateral damage, and he certainly didn’t deserve that. But what else were you supposed to do, refuse and risk Namjoon closing himself off to you? You couldn’t risk it.

As you laid there trying to sleep, you wondered what he must’ve thought about you that day he walked in on you and Jin, and you wondered why he felt this loyalty to you despite you treating him terribly.

You awoke alone in the tent. The birds were chirping all around you, soft green light illuminating the disheveled interior of the sleeping arrangement. You had no idea what time it was, but you were surprised everyone had been up and about before you were. You wondered how long they let you sleep in for, feeling bad for not being there while they were probably busy setting up camp. Though, as you stretched out your limbs and yawned, you realized it was awfully quiet, so you hurried to get out and investigate for yourself, deciding to get angry if they had all decided to do something fun without you.

You unzipped the tent hastily and stumbled out, squinting against the sunshine as you surveyed the clearing. Everyone was gone except for Namjoon who sat on a log peacefully reading from his worn-out copy of The Art of War. He perked up to the sound of the leaves rustling under your feet, turning to you and smiling dreamily.

“Hey, sleepy head.” Three words, 4 syllables, was all it took for you to get weak in the knees this early in the morning. You blushed, hurrying to smooth your bedhead and wipe any remaining drool off your face.

“H-Hey. I’ll be right back. You dove back into the tent to rummage through your belongings for a hair brush and some mouthwash. You only left Namjoon waiting five minutes before you hurried over to sit by his side.

As you sat perched on the wood next to him, you noticed he was only 3 pages from finishing the book for the 5th time. It was his absolute favorite book, and you’d watched him pull it out to read countless times before. You waited patiently for him to finish, sitting in the sunshine and feeling content to simply be in his presence. When he noticed you staring at him dreamily with your cheeks resting on your palms and your elbows on your knees, he paused his read to pull you into his chest and nuzzle his nose into the top of your head. Your heart squeezed along with your eyes as you buried your head under his arm, trying hard but failing to keep the goofy smile off your face. You wished you had woken up much sooner, so that you could snuggle with Namjoon for longer than 1 and a half pages.

All too soon, he closed the book and stood up, stretching his arms then placing his hands on his hips. “Alright, what should we do then?”

You pouted at the loss of contact, looking around at all of the pitched tents and the set up barbecue area. “What else is there to do? It seems like you all did everything already. Where is everyone, anyhow?”

“Hobi and Yoongi went down to the river to catch us some breakfast. Jimin, Taehyung and Jungkook left to gather some firewood, and Jin went to go find cell service.”

You rolled your eyes, “God forbid he goes a couple days without checking his follower count.”

Namjoon chuckled, shaking his head. “He means well, I suppose.”

It was never like Namjoon to talk badly about anyone. He was almost too perfect, and it was hard to decipher whether this was an irrefutable truth, or if you were simply seeing him through love goggles. He was amazing, much too amazing for you, that was for sure, but that didn’t stop you from holding out hope that yours and Namjoon’s relationship would evolve into something much more than fleeting signs of affection.

“So, you waited here alone for me?” You looked up at him hopefully.

“Yep. I didn’t want you to wake up alone,” You smiled down at your knees, feeling appreciative that he was so considerate of you when any of the other guys wouldn’t have thought twice about leaving you for dead. “These parts have a lot of wildlife, so it’s best to stick to a buddy system.”

“Ah, so we’re buddies then.” You stood up and linked your arm to his.

“I hope you’re not too disappointed. I promise to make it worth your while with plenty of riveting facts about bugs and birds.”

You rolled your eyes and smiled cheesily, “I suppose it’ll have to do.”

As you both ventured up a narrow trail that took you in between tons of maple trees, you thought back to the last time you were able to spend some alone time with Namjoon.

It was months ago, back when one of Joon’s relatives had passed away.

The funeral was brief and simple since Namjoon didn’t have much family as it was. The boys and you were the majority of the attendees. Everyone felt awkward, feeling out of their element when it came to being a support system for their fearless leader. Namjoon was never someone they had to look after, so to see him absolutely broken was hard for them, and it was especially so for you.

You spent all week at Namjoon’s place, making him food to eat and spending a lot of silent time together. He refused to talk about it, refused to say anything about how he was feeling. He simply preferred to sit in silence and stare at whatever food you brought him. You felt like you were bothering him at times but if you weren’t going to be the one to take care of him during his time of need, then no one else would. Everyone always assumed he was an immovable pillar, someone strong and incapable of crumbling, but you saw past all of that. You knew what a gentle soul he was, and you didn’t want that to get lost in the sea of grief washing over him.

After the burial, all of the boys paid their respects, sticking around to talk to Namjoon a bit before they slowly went their separate ways. You stuck around to walk him home, hoping he’d invite you in. You already felt intrusive enough, and you wanted him to show you that he cared for you at all, even if it was something as simple as uttering the word stay.

But much to your disappointment, you watched him walk past you when you stopped in front of his door and enter without a backwards glance. You stared at the wooden door for a while before heading home, letting a few tears escape while you were still alone.

You didn’t have to wait long to hear from Namjoon either, he showed up outside of your bedroom window last that night, throwing tiny pebbles at it until you lifted the glass to see who the hell was disturbing your sleep.

You stared down at the silver haired boy in awe, unable to believe he was staring back up at you waiting to be let in. Hell, you hadn’t even known he knew where you lived.

You hurried down and snuck him upstairs swiftly.

As he stood in the middle of your tiny room, dwarfing your belongings and you for that matter with his height and stocky build, it only then occurred to you that you might feel embarrassed. You blushed realizing he was observing you in your childish pajamas, surrounded by posters and trinkets you’d had since you were a teenager. You never cared much for change, so it times it seemed and felt as if you weren’t a full-fledged adult.

He was definitely out of place in his shabby oversized suit and dirt covered converses while looking around wordlessly. He nodded to himself before finally looking at you. “So…this is your bedroom, huh.” He smiled, but it never quite reached his eyes.

“Yep. Since I was a toddler,” You smiled back halfheartedly. You were on edge, to say the least. “Namjoon, what are you doing here?”

The boy looked down at his feet, the sad expression he’d worn all week making a return. He made his way over to you, pausing at the edge of your bed to ask permission to make himself at home before he sat next to you and sighed deeply. “I…I don’t know, to be honest. I guess I just…don’t want to be alone.” Namjoon’s head hung and his hand hesitated in the air before finally placing it on your knee and rubbing circles on it with his calloused thumb.

Your heart skipped a beat. You shifted closer to him, putting your hand over his and patting his back gently to let him know you were there for him. You heart pounded furiously in your ears as you waited for him to either make eye contact with you or say something else. The silence felt overwhelming, so you blurted out the first thing that came to mind

“I love you, Joon.” You froze, blushing furiously and choking on your next words in a hurry to get past what you knew he wasn’t ready to hear yet. “Y-you know I’ll always be here for you.” Namjoon nodded, looking up at you with sympathetic eyes that broke your heart. You didn’t know much about love or relationships for that matter, but you knew it couldn’t be a good thing that his response was to look at you as if you were a beaten-up puppy left on the side of the road.

His prolonged silence stung, so you turned away, searching for anything to relieve the unbearable moment. But just as quickly as you turned away, Namjoon’s finger tipped your chin back towards him and suddenly his lips were on yours, hesitant and calculative.

You didn’t move at first, adjusting to the realization that the love of your life was now kissing you. It was sweet and tasted faintly of toothpaste. He was everything you ever wanted, so you brought your hand up to his cheek and kissed him back sweetly. If he wasn’t ready to hear what you had to say, then you wanted your lips to convey everything your words couldn’t. You wanted each kiss to be all the ‘I love you’s’ you’d ever wanted to say to him, and all the caresses to make him feel as warm and safe as his smiles always made you feel.

It was clear he was letting you have full control over the situation as his hands refused to depart from this lap. You weren’t sure what he wanted, or needed in that moment, so you took a leap and climbed onto his lap. He spread his legs and leaned back slightly, letting his large hands rest on your hips. His eyes drank you in as if for the first time. He surveyed your entire body hungrily, his irises darkening as they made their way up to gaze at your own. You were both slightly panting from the heat of the kiss while you let his hands feel the fabric of your clothing and any exposed skin. He let you tug his suit jacket off his shoulders while his hands traveled slowly over your thighs, his hands pulling up your shorts to expose even more skin and part of your ass.

His hands continued upwards, taking your shirt off before bringing your face to his to kiss again. It all felt so surreal. You had imagined this moment in your head so many times before, each time under vastly different circumstances than at present. In your fantasies, he was almost always your boyfriend, and he always said I love you too.

You let his hands grope your bare chest as you got to work on the buttons of his dress shirt. Once free, you spread the fabric open and laid your hands on his chest. Your mouth watered at the sight of his honey skin stretched over taut pecks. He was absolutely perfect.

One thing that didn’t stray from you fantasies, however, was the way Namjoon made love to you. He was as tender and giving in real life as he was in your head. It hadn’t taken long for you two to strip each other and for you to put a condom on him that you found in one of your drawers.

You rolled the latex down his length then shimmied under his torso and opened your legs wide for him. He leaned in as you wrapped your arms around his neck, lining his cock at your entrance then plunging in. You both sighed in unison, adjusting to the feeling of him being inside of you. You were impossibly wet and growing wetter still as he began rocking into you slowly, making sure that you weren’t in any discomfort. It was the complete opposite of fucking Jin, you were happy to discover.

His sweaty forehead laid on yours while he bucked his hips into you. You wrapped your legs around his waist and clung onto him for dear life, reveling in the feeling of being the closest to this man you’d ever been.

Your lips dragged across the salty skin of his neck and shoulders, your teeth catching on his shoulder. You nipped and licked at the skin while he groaned in your ear. His arms encircled your head as his hips picked up in speed, causing you to lose control of your moans. He quickly pressed his lips against yours to muffle the sounds as his hips got impossibly faster, eventually making the bed squeak rhythmically. You were too caught up in the moment to care about that though, not when you were finally with Namjoon. Eventually, you couldn’t hold out anymore. The motion and intensity of his hips had you orgasming around him. He groaned into your ear as he spilled his cum into the condom deep inside of you. Your sweaty bodies remained entangled as your breaths slowed. You never wanted to let go of him, so he had to pry your limp limbs off of him to get the condom off.

Much to your happiness, he laid back down next you after disposing of the soiled latex, pulling the sheets onto your bodies. He laid on his side, facing his back towards you, so you settled for being little spoon.

But the consequent joy of your brief intimacy subsided and made way for all the terrible things at the back of your mind. You silently cried for a long time that night, for many reasons. You had felt overwhelming happiness at finally being intimate with Namjoon, but you also felt incredible sadness at the thought of what Namjoon must’ve been going through. You’d never experienced a death in the family before, but nonetheless, you swore you wouldn’t hesitate to take his pain and give it to yourself if you could.

You felt insurmountable fear. Fear about the future and the present and the past. Fear that he’d find out about Jin, fear that he’d wake up in the morning and regret tonight, and fear that he’d get mad at the thought of you being pregnant with his child. There was a chance of it happening, after all, since tonight you’d used the condom you had deliberately poked holes in. You’d be overjoyed at the chance to carry his baby, but you couldn’t be sure he would be happy about being a father right now.

Most of all, however, you felt great sadness at the fact that the man you loved hadn’t turned around once all night to ask you why you were crying.

And now, as you watching his back while hiking the trail in the woods, you rubbed your lower belly, feeling comforted that even though he had decided to pretend that night never happened, you now had insurmountable proof that it did in fact happen. A physical manifestation of the love you and Namjoon shared, even if only for 20 minutes. Your stomach was still flat, but you just knew you were pregnant. You always felt a part of him with you at all times. There was no way you weren’t.

You whistled along giddily as you jogged to catch up with him.

“No, no no. There’s no way you’re going to convince me that these bugs aren’t out to get me, you’re just not!” You slapped at the air in a panic, swearing for the 11th time that something had bitten you while you were unawares.

Namjoon chuckled, helping you climb over a hump of large, overgrown tree roots. “Y/N, I promise you, no matter how scary their physical appearances look, bugs found in a forest such as this one are polyphagous. They’re not going to crawl in through your ears and eat your brain while you’re sleeping, as you so elegantly put it.”

“Poly-whatta?” You stumbled over some branches hidden under a pile of leaves. Hiking was not your favorite, but if it meant getting to be with Namjoon, you were game for anything.

You two had been walking and descending for about 20 minutes. The gurgle of running water could now be heard faintly in the distance, and so could the voices of the boys laughing and splashing. Foraging for firewood my ass.

“Polyphagous. It means they dine on oak, not people.”

You two cleared the remaining trees, peering over the jagged rocks that lined the small cliff overseeing the river. Namjoon’s friends were indeed a few feet below, taking a swim break.

“Yeah, whatever.” You waved him off absentmindedly, becoming entranced by the height of the cliff. You pondered whether the jump might be fatal, and just before you decided to launch yourself, Namjoon’s hand reached out and grabbed your wrist tightly.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

You looked behind you at his panicked eyes. “Jumping. What’s the big deal?”

“The big deal is that you could die! We’re really high up!”

“So what if I died?”

Namjoon was stunned into silence, unsure of how to respond.

He looked down then back up, raking in your entire figure with turmoil on his mind.”

“It’s not just yourself that you should be worried about, you know.” You furrowed your eyebrows, unsure of what he meant but becoming increasingly annoyed by the usual vagueness in his words. You shook his hand off, looking back down at the water.

“Whatever, I’ll be fine! But if you’re sooo worried about me, come join me.” You smirked mischievously at Namjoon before bolting into the air. The boy cussed, removing his boots in a hurry to jump down after you.

Your descent into the icy water was quick. You were only able to hear the boys crying your name before you plunged deep into the dark waters. Your eyes jolted open at the sudden change in temperature your body was experiencing. It was the middle of summer yet this water was so unbelievably cold.

The surface ebbed and flowed inconsequentially, but what laid under was devoid of light and existed so still and undisturbed that it felt dreamlike. You couldn’t hear a sound and could barely see anything. Your body lost velocity exponentially as your trajectory came to a halt a few feet under the surface, suspended in the stillness of the cold water. You were running out of air quickly, but you weren’t in a hurry to swim up, or move. You just wanted to be, for a second. Being so deep in the water and alone, you thought about how easy it might be not to fight anymore.

Suddenly, Namjoon breaking the surface of the water and joining you a few yards away in broke you out of your reverie. You turned to look at him, but you couldn’t focus on his receding body as he quickly swam to the surface, not when there was another body next to his.

It was pale, so devoid of blood that it served as a beacon of light among the murky backdrop, like a moon in the darkest night.

It was a girl, similar age as yours. She was naked, her limbs extended out in front of her. Her eyes were open and her light brown hair waved gently all about her in disarray. Her lips were puffy and her stomach was awfully distended yet sagged that it looked like she was pregnant, or rather once was.

You screamed, but the sound was muffled. Only bubbles escaped you as you began flailing your limbs in a panic. Two arms reached around your torso and dragged you up and into the light.

The second you broke the surface of the water, you gasped for air, looking around you in a panic, You were in Jin’s arms as he stared at you with concern, but you had a hard time focusing on anything in particular.

“What, are you fucking suicidal or something!? What the hell was that about?!” Seokjin let you go once you began shoving him off of you.

“Well don’t fucking yell at her, she’s clearly spooked!” Hoseok swam towards you, trying to get you to look him in the eyes.

“T-Th-The—” You stuttered, pointing at the water, trying not to cry before you could get your sentence out.

“Spit it out junior!”

“There’s a-a a dead girl in the w-water.” Everyone’s eyes widened and their jaws tightened, their senses on high alert at the thought of danger being close by. They all looked around at each other, but it was Jungkook who dove into the water to investigate what you were talking about.

“S-she’s pregnant too! She’s right there, right next to Namjoon!”

“Shhh,” Jin cooed you and patted your matted down tresses. Jungkook came back up for air, giving Namjoon and Jin a look before Jin took in your frazzled appearance again. “Look, it could’ve been anything down there. Let’s get you dry, okay?”

“N-No! I know what I saw!” You argued with the boy who continued cooing you, but nonetheless you let him drag you out of the water and towards their belongings by the rocks. He draped several towels over you and sat you down on a stump.

“Just stay here and calm down.” Without a backwards glance he joined the boys and they resumed their talking in hushed tones and whispers so you couldn’t hear them. You rolled your eyes, gritting your teeth in annoyance. You knew what you saw, yet you were just another crazy girl to them. Hell, maybe you were, but you weren’t going to let them make you believe you were seeing things.

While their backs were turned, you quietly got up and trekked up the ascent. You decided to call the cops, but as you entered the forest again, you realized you had forgotten to take your phone out of your pocket.

“Fuckkkk,” You removed the device from your drenched pocket and clicked all of its buttons to no avail. It was done for. “Great…”

Luckily there was still plenty of daylight ahead, so you set off toward the direction of camp, keen on changing your clothes and drying your hair. However, along the way you seemed to have followed a different trail, since you had been walking aimlessly for 40 minutes and the camp was still nowhere in sight. The realization sent a tremor of fear through you.

It’s okay. Calm down. Remember what Namjoon told you about getting lost in a forest. You took a deep breath, closing your eyes to regain your nerve.

Namjoon. You wondered what he was doing and thinking about right now. You wondered if he noticed you were even gone by now. You hadn’t heard the boys in almost an hour, and suddenly you felt so alone. You gulped looking around you carefully and remembering what Namjoon said about there being wild animals in the area. Crap, I forgot about the buddy system.

As if on cue, you heard leaves and twigs snapping under the weight of two pairs of boots nearby. Your head quickly snapped in the direction of the growing sounds. Two people were getting closer to you, and upon recognizing the voices of Hoseok and Yoongi in idle chat, relief flooded through you. When you heard your name, you realized they must’ve been looking for you, so you ducked behind a tree, intent on scaring them when they got a bit closer. It would be payback for not taking you seriously at the river.

“Where the fuck could she have gone? She wasn’t at camp and she fled the river. There’s nowhere else she could be hanging out at, really. She hates nature so…” Yoongi swatted at the air, a winged bug gracefully avoiding his attack.

“I don’t know man. But we have to find her or else Namjoon’s going to be pissed.” Your heart swelled. Could he have told his friends that he liked you enough to be upset if something had ever happened to you? You tried not to squeal with glee, changing your mind about pouncing on them in favor of eavesdropping. Everyone was always so cryptic with you, so this was the only way to find out about Namjoon’s feelings for you. Hoseok helped Yoongi over a log as he continued speaking. “Remember the last time we lost a girl?”

Yoongi groaned, “Don’t remind me. He wanted to kill us on the spot when we told him Chaeyoung ran away. Luckily that didn’t end as badly as it could’ve.”

“Yeah. She was a slow runner.” The two boys sniggered, their footsteps getting farther and farther away. After a few moments of silence, they began calling out your name in all directions, but you stood frozen in shock.

The last girl? Chaeyoung? Slow runner? None of it was making sense. You began trembling, tears welling in your eyes. You felt insurmountable fear. There was no denying that their conversation wasn’t innocent. It seemed sick, almost. Your mind began racing, wondering if you had missed anything during your friendship with these guys to suggest that they were dangerous. They all seemed like normal people, and they never chased you down for friendship. You had all been friends for a long time now. There had to be some sort of misunderstanding.

But you couldn’t deny that the name Chaeyoung rang a bell.

You drew in a shaky breath, a younger girl with big eyes and reddish hair flitting across your memories. The name belonged to a woman that went missing in your neighborhood a long time ago. You had grown up in the same town, attending the same birthday parties and seeing each other at the park often, but you were never friends. You had always heard of her, but never really talked to her directly. After you had all grown up, it had been years before you even heard her name again. The last time you saw her was at Yoongi’s party last year, sitting on Namjoon’s lap.

It was your coworker that brought her up on a random day, asking if you had known who she was. Her body had been found in a local park that summer, tied up and drained of blood completely. The entire ordeal shook your neighborhood to the core, the thought that something so gruesome could happen to such an inconsequential girl. That was the last time you thought about her, until now.

Could she have been running from them, the night that she died? You shook your head, unwilling to believe your friends could be behind something so vile and monstrous. But now that you were thinking about it, you hadn’t known any of them knew her until you saw her at the same party as you. Since you hung out with them all the time and she was never there, you figured she was just some random attendee. Could they have been reminiscing about a time long ago when they were possibly good friends?

You tightened your fist, digging your nails into your palm and finding the resolve to get answers. You set off quietly behind Yoongi and Hoseok, keeping a safe enough distance to make sure they didn’t see or hear you following them.

Fifteen minutes went by with them calling out your name until things got quiet again. You grew anxious as they continued on in silence, mentally pleading for them to say something, anything that would dispel you suspicions about them.

Suddenly, Jungkook came bounding into view from a downhill slope. “Anything?”

“Nah, we’ve been walking around in circles and haven’t seen her. Is everyone else looking?”

“Well, Namjoon is at the campsite in case she turns up, and Jimin and Tae are getting rid of the body at the river.”

“Like they should’ve done the first time around. I really don’t want to be there when Namjoon tears them a new one.”

Jungkook shivered, recalling his own time when he fucked up and Namjoon was angry with him. “Yeah… Have you guys seen Jin? I haven’t seen him at all, so I assumed he was out searching with you two.”

The boys looked at each other in confusion. “No, we haven’t. Maybe he’s searching for service again.”

Jungkook rolled his eyes, “Well, now we have two people to find. It’s Jin’s turn to do the deed.”

“Oh shit, that’s true. We’ve all done it except for him.” You clapped your hand over your mouth to control your oncoming hyperventilation. The deed?! What the fuck!?

“He better not pussy out. He puked the last time.” Yoongi made a face of disgust while remembering Jin spilling his lunch all over the ground. Hoseok cackled at the memory.

“Oh yeah! I forgot about that!” Their voices trailed off as they began moving again. You didn’t follow them this time, growing more and more afraid that they’d catch onto you eventually. When they were far enough away, you began moving in the opposite direction, your mind racing a mile a minute. You had to formulate a plan to put as much distance from yourself and them as possible. You still didn’t know what the hell was going on, but you knew you wanted to be as far from it as possible lest you somehow met the same fate as Chaeyoung.

But although the boys in this moment were scaring you, you still felt the need to see Namjoon, to speak to him and have him confirm that everything was alright. He always made everything alright. He was your everything, and if anyone could say the words you absolutely needed to hear, it was him.

You knew you were close to camp since the trees were thinning out the farther you went. Surely enough, you were able to spot the tents a couple yards from you in between the wide cracks of the trees.

But just as you took a step in that direction, your eyes flitted toward movement just up ahead. It was Namjoon, crouched down by a bushel. He wasn’t alone, a small woodland creature was keeping him company. Like some Disney prince, he was feeding a bunny…no, a squirrel? You couldn’t see properly, but none of it mattered. Namjoon would always be Namjoon and he’d always be everything you needed. You lurched forward, intent on running into his arms in that moment, but suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around you tightly, halting you from going forward.

You instinctively froze, not knowing whether your detainer was armed or deranged. You trembled and your breath quickened as a big hand clasped over your mouth tightly, fear taking over you. He was tall and strong; you wouldn’t be able to get out of his grasp without a weapon. Your eyes flitted around to anything sharp that you might be able to use, but when your head began moving around, he yanked your jaw back in the direction of Namjoon.

Suddenly, Seokjin’s voice was stern and low in your ear. “Calm down. Just watch.” It seemed he too, was trying to avoid getting seen, and he wanted you to watch Namjoon for whatever reason, so you did.

Your breathing slowed and you slumped against him, feeling as helpless as the feeble squirrel eating from Joon’s hand. You both stared as Namjoon fed the animal his last snack. Without using quick movements that might alert it, the boy reached into his back pocket and pulled out a blade. In the flash of an eye, the animal’s throat had been cut, blood spurting out and getting a little onto Namjoon’s boots. Your eyes squeezed shut, an involuntary scream leaving you that was luckily muffled by Jin’s strong hold on your face. He held you tighter to him, yet he too was trembling.

Namjoon quickly pulled out a cup and held the animal upside down above it, letting the crimson liquid spill into the canteen. Fresh hot tears spilled from your eyes, a sob wracking your figure as you witnessed the gory scene through water eyes.

Once he had collected enough blood, he tossed the carcass aside and carried the container back to the campsite while whistling. As his figure retreated past the trees and away from earshot, Jin let you go and your shaky legs caused you to collapse onto the ground.

He let you cry for a while, knowing the experience would traumatize you but knowing you needed to see it.

You stuttered, trying to make sense of it all. “B-but. W-why…D-did you all bring me here t-to kill me?!” Jin flinched at the word yet didn’t offer anything. You looked down, rubbing your stomach with your cold hand. “B-but…you can’t! I’m pregnant, with his child you, you can’t!”

Jin pursed his lips, is eyes raking you with concern. “Y/N…you’re not…” Jin’s voice was barely above a whisper and he couldn’t find it in him to finish his sentence, but you didn’t notice. You were too busy wracking your brain for possible reasons as to why Namjoon would want to have you killed. Your lip trembled with horror. You feared Namjoon might be upset about what you did but, you didn’t expect this kind of reaction.

“B-but, how did…h-how does he know?” Jin sighed, unsure of how respond.

You shivered, partly because you were still in wet clothing and partly because the idea that you were never in control of this situation was too much to bear. You weren’t sure what to feel or what to think, but the only thing you were certain of was that you wanted this baby no matter what. You clutched at your stomach, vile filling your mouth.

“Y/N, you have to listen to me—” Jin reached out to you but you slapped his hand away.

“Don’t fucking touch me. You’re all sickos.” You sobbed, rubbing the goosebumps on your arms. “I have to get the fuck out of here.” You looked around frantically.

“Y/N! These guys aren’t going to let you leave so easily, please calm down before you draw attention to us!”

You turned to the boy whose urgent expression only made your suspicions grow. “Why are you saying all of this? They’re your friends. Why are you helping me?”

Jin pursed his lips in concern. “I…this has all gone too far. I didn’t know…I didn’t know how serious they were when they told me the stories about their camping trips I—I tried but I just can’t be a part of this.”

You stared back at him, searching his eyes for truth. You trusted Jin about as far as you could throw him, but right now you had no choice but to put your life in his hands.

“So, what should we do then? All of our stuff is in the cars and we’re too far away from civilization to leave on foot.” You tried to stifle the panic evident in your voice.

Jin nodded thoughtfully, “Yeah, these bastards know exactly what they’re doing. I’ve been trying to call for help since we got here but there isn’t any service for miles. There is, however, a highway a couple miles north from here, the same one we were on before we turned onto the trail. We can follow it back to town.”

As you nodded, you couldn’t shake the fear that overtook you, the realization of fleeing a fatal situation hitting you like a ton of bricks. You began crying again.

“Jesus Christ Y/N pull yourself together! Can you do this?” Jin grabbed you by the shoulders and shook you, looking into your eyes for resolve. You gasped, his words transporting you back a year when he last said them to you. “You need to follow the trail northwest, that’ll get you to the road.”

“W-wait. You’re not coming?”

“I can’t, they’ll know something’s definitely up if I we disappear together. They think I’m checking my phone right now, but it’s already been a while. I have to return to camp, but follow the trail and I’ll meet you at the end of it, okay? I have a plan. If I act fast enough, I might be able to steal the car keys and pick you up by the road.” You nodded frantically, wiping your tears with the back of your hand. “But Y/N, if I don’t show up by nightfall, you have to leave without me. Promise me you’ll go.” You nodded weakly, your lips trembling with unshed tears. “I need to hear you say it.”

“I will. If you don’t come by nightfall, I’ll leave.”

Jin sighed with relief yet the furow in his brow didn’t smooth out. “Okay, good. I’m leaving now. Don’t forget, follow the trail northwest.”

“Okay, I got it.” You watched the boy turn his back towards you and carefully head into the campsite. Namjoon greeted him frantically, unhappy to hear that Jin hadn’t run into you. Namjoon tugged on his locks, then placed his hands on his hips, his mind quickly forming a backup plan.

You retreated farther into the forest, not wanting to waste any time and risk being found, and you weren’t. You were able to find the trail that lead to the highway without an issue, it was your onset fever that made the trip tumultuous.

It started with sneezing, followed by more shivers, and then a killer stomach pain that had you leaning against trees for support. By the time you had reached the top of the mountain side, your vision was hazy and your forehead hot to the touch. You were so weak and barely able to walk that the lest trek up the hill took much longer than it should’ve.

You realized you were becoming delirious as you broke out into the middle of the road, missing a car by mere inches. Its horn blared in your eardrums and the lights blinded you momentarily, causing you to stumble out of the street and onto the metal railing that lined the highway.

There was nowhere to stand on safely and wait for Jin, so you retreated back into the trees and watched each car that drove by while trying to blink tears away. The air licked at your exposed limbs harshly, the weather feeling like the dead of winter despite it being the middle of July. You were sweaty and dehydrated.

A car passed by every 5 minutes and as time dragged on, you grew more and more helpless, worrying that Jin wasn’t coming at all. You considered the possibility of having to make the trip home on your own, something you hadn’t let yourself think of because you were too afraid of worst-case scenarios. Besides, you wouldn’t make it far in your condition.

But as the sun descended and the cars passed by less frequently, you mustered your resolve to begin walking the highway slowly, careful not to veer into traffic in your delirious state. Your trembling hand gripped the rails while the other clutched at your lower abdomen.

Just as you had made it a few yards from the clearing in the woods, 2 consecutive honks had you whipping your head behind you. The lights blinded you, but nonetheless you recognized Namjoon’s car approaching.

It slowed to a stop beside you and you climbed in shakily, closing the door and turning towards Jin. Except it wasn’t Jin, it was Namjoon. He looked at you and smiled, whistling his favorite tune as you stared back in horror. Suddenly his eyes darted downwards, and the sight had him frowning. You followed his gaze to notice all of the blood running down your legs for the first time. Namjoon had been right, as he always was. You had more to worry about than just yourself, and so you began sobbing, sagging against the worn-out cushion. Just like that, you were transported back to that fateful night in your bedroom, when Namjoon ignored you as you wept for many things outside of yourself.

[laurelsofhighever]

Just the Place

Have a piece of Alistair x Cousland fluff! This is pre-relationship, set between chapters 26 and 27 of my longfic, The Falcon and the Rose, so minor spoilers I guess? It’s not much to worry about. Just a day out escaping the pressures of nobility and skipping stones

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Alistair should have known better than to think a night’s rest against even the fluffiest of pillows would inure him to the uneasy feeling that had settled in his stomach the day before when he had first caught sight of Redcliffe’s keep through the trees. It was a place too familiar, too full of memories, of people who had known him before his title and even before he had made a name for himself under Teagan’s instruction, and before the sun had even poked above the hills he was driven from panicky dreams where Isolde laughed with the golden eyes of a witch. The connection his slumbering mind made to Flemeth unnerved him, enough that his valet remarked on his taciturn expression as he was handed his clothes to dress for the day.

Too queasy for breakfast, and unwilling to see the wariness and resentment in the faces of the servants who had once considered him little better than dirt, he took the guard route along the wall and down into the courtyard, thinking to head towards the stables. Master Dennet, Eamon’s horsemaster, met him with a nod of recognition but nothing more. Of all the people Alistair had known in his old life, Dennet alone had never bothered with propriety, or speculated about just whose bastard he was.

“Got no room for gawkers, Your Highness. Their Graces don’t much like being kept waiting for their breakfasts.”

“I’ll give you some help, if you like,” he offered, and got only a shrug in return. Still, it felt good to do honest labour, to use his hands for something other than swordwork or practicing his letters, and the friendly bumps the horses gave him as he doled out their morning feed made him smile.

Once they were all munching away, however, their contentment infectious and the quiet of their presence soothing, it only made him more reluctant to squeeze himself in between Cailan’s forced cheeriness, Isolde’s piqued formality, and Baudrillard’s determination to be a sycophant. Perhaps he should go to the village. It was unlikely he would receive much of a reception there, but as he stepped out from the gallery and through the gate in the curtain wall, the pre-dawn chill had already started to dissipate, the sky clear blue and cloudless. Birds would be singing among the trees, while the breeze that blew in off Lake Calenhad during every summer would keep the heat from growing truly unbearable. Sneaking a few hours of freedom couldn’t hurt, surely.

A thunderous bark stopped him in his tracks as he was walking under the shadow of the barbican. He turned just in time to stop himself go flying as a large brindle mass collided with his legs, with a rich echo of laughter following on behind. Cuno chuffed and turned to sit on Alistair’s foot so he would have better access for a scratch to the shoulder, his wide doggy grin and lolling tongue betraying his delight in the attention.

“Aw, who’s a good boy?” Alistair asked him. “Have you been for a walk?”

“We were just about to go on one.”

He looked up to find Rosslyn smiling fondness at her dog, with all traces of the previous days’ journeying scrubbed from her features and her usual attire traded out in favour of longer, more formal split skirts. Her gaze, when she raised it to meet his eye, skittered away in a blush and a self-conscious move to tuck a stray wisp of hair behind her ear.

He swallowed. “Good morning.”

“And to you, Your Highness,” she replied, with the note of mirth she reserved these days for the times they could not forebear an audience.

Alistair’s mind stumbled on how to keep the conversation going. He wanted to, but he had been careful to avoid thinking about her at all since waking, since their parting the night before and the hours afterward while the memories lingered, denying him rest. The skin of her hand had been so soft under his fingertips, and he had focused entirely too much on the hushed part of her lips as he had pressed a kiss across her knuckles. He had wondered, in the darkness, what she had been thinking in the moment, whether she would chastise him on their next meeting once the shock of his forwardness had worn off. Now she stood before him, still smiling – not trying to run him through – he decided to take it as encouragement, or at least approval.

The guard on the gate coughed, and he blinked.

“I didn’t expect to see you so early, Your Ladyship,” he said, trying to ignore the sudden flare in his cheeks. “I hope you slept well?”

She nodded. “Arlessa Isolde is very generous in her duties as a hostess – I’ve wanted for nothing.” The wry smile faded. “I went looking for you, actually – to tell you the army won’t be arriving until this afternoon.”

“Oh, I’m sorry you missed me.” Of its own accord, his hand reached up to run through his hair, his mind preoccupied with deciding if it would be a step too far to admit the real reason he had gone to the stables and all but lurked there until it became weird. Helpless, he gestured to the broad stretch of the road beyond the gates. “Just thought I’d stretch my legs, you know how it is.”

“You’re going without an escort?” she teased.

“Only to the village! And it’s not like I’m unarmed.” He tapped the sword hilted at his side, and smirked. “If you’re so worried, why don’t you come with me? You’re practically an army unto yourself, after all. I could… show you the village? If you’re not already busy, of course.”

She smirked. “A chance to see all your old haunts? Cuno would enjoy the exercise, I suppose.”

The dog gave an excited bark.

“That decides it – shall we?”

They stayed comfortably close but did not touch as they followed the road that wound from the top of the hill down to the village nestled at its base, passing idle conversation back and forth as Cuno trotted ahead with his nose to the ground and then came galloping back to chide them for being so slow to catch up. The day rose with birdsong and dappled sunlight, and Alistair had to keep forcing his eyes back to the road ahead. Rosslyn clearly noticed; she kept peering at him strangely whenever he caught his eyes lingering too long, but didn’t comment, and he was grateful. Though the bite in them could last against such a bright day, Flemeth’s warning still preyed on his mind, worse for the truth he saw in it.

When they rounded the last bend and the first buildings of Redcliffe came into view, the windmill on the stream’s edge and the pub leaning its gables over the road, they stopped for a moment to take in the view.

“Did you miss it?” Rosslyn’s voice was quiet.

“Would it make me a bad person if I said I didn’t?” he shrugged. “I guess I must have been happy sometimes, but I don’t remember much. The revered mother was always kind to me. And Arl Eamon did look after me.”

He noticed the way her lips thinned at that, true thoughts held back for politeness’ sake. To cover, he cleared his throat and looked out over the tiny collection of buildings that had once been the farthest reaches of the world.

“What do you want to see?” he asked. “There’s the chantry, the smithy, the docks – it’s not market day so there won’t be much to see in the square, but maybe –”

“Where do you want to go?” She had linked her arm through his, bringing her face close enough, tilted up at him, that if he were to just lean forward…

“Um.” He turned away. Through the fog in his mind, he tried to work on the problem, to think of something that might hold her interest somewhere where they wouldn’t be fodder for the gossipmongers. “I know just the place.”

With a grin, he slid his hand into hers and stepped off the path to lead her down away from the village. Curiosity lit in her grey eyes as he glanced back to make sure she was alright, the dog at her heels brushing past to scout out the trail ahead. Over the years the vegetation had crowded in and frost-cracked boulders had broken from the cliff above, leaving only narrow deer tracks winding through the trees. He couldn’t really get lost, but more than once they had to double back when the questing branches of saplings condensed into thickets rife with brambles.

“Where exactly are you taking me?” Rosslyn laughed when the ground finally levelled out beneath them. The path was wider here, more distinct, and he recognised the craggy face of the rock ahead, cut into the likeness of a horse’s head by the accidental work of time and weather.

He turned back and grinned. “Not much further.”

The last step was a steep climb down a narrow gully carpeted with old leaves, and a two-foot drop down a bank dotted with blue vetch and embrium. Cuno had already raced ahead and found the water, and was splashing through the curling edge of the small waves that washed over the shore.

“Well, what do you think?” Alistair asked as they made the final jump. “Do you like it?”

“It’s… Alistair, it’s beautiful.”

He beamed. The narrow strip of pebbled beach bled into sand towards the water’s edge, overhung with lush greenery that filtered the sunlight and offered hiding spots for the birds flitting along on their own business. Instead of the stink of fishguts that pervaded the village docks in high summer, here the scents of clean water and wildflowers filled the nose. A breeze stirred against his face and when he looked he found Rosslyn had turned her face into it and closed her eyes, a smile playing about her mouth. Their hands were still joined.

He ought to say something. Explain.

“I went exploring a lot. Being raised by dogs, you get a lot of slobbery love, but they’re not big on the child supervision. And sometimes the castle could get…” He had wanted to get away from thoughts of the castle, so he reached down and plucked a round, flat rock from the ground at his feet. “I used to spend hours skipping stones.”

“What’s your record?” she asked.

“Twelve.”

“Impressive.”

He tried to pout. “You can do better, can you?”

“Alistair, I grew up by the sea.” There was the flash of a smile as she let go of his hand and stooped to find a rock of her own. “I can certainly try.”

“Care to wager, dear lady?” he teased, to cover his disappointment.

With a lift of her chin, she closed the space, spinning the stone between her fingers as she weighed the challenge, but even though he tried to meet her gaze, he faltered when her tongue poked out to wet her lips.

“A drink in the tavern?” she suggested.

He managed to nod. “That sounds reasonable.”

Satisfied, she wheeled to face the water and took up a stance just shy of the waterline, wrist poised with the edge of the stone pressed against the tip of her first finger, but as she drew her arm back Cuno trotted over and butted his nose in polite enquiry against her hand, in case the stone was really just a treat for him.

“You know, it’s cheating if you wait so long I don’t even get a turn,” Alistair pointed out.

“So is distracting your opponent.”

“Are you being distracted by little old me?”

She merely rolled her eyes. A moment later, the dog went charging into the water after her cast stone, a great plume of white spray rising around him until he stood chest deep in confusion, trying to work out where his prize had gone. It made nine skips before being caught in the lap of a wave and sinking to the bottom.

“I do believe your technique is looking a little rusty, Lady Cousland.”

“Is my technique what you were looking at?” she asked lightly.

Alistair’s ears burned, but he ignored the flutter in his stomach as he stepped up next to her. “Among other things.”

He watched her reaction only long enough to make sure he hadn’t taken the comment too far, then let his stone loose with a flick of his wrist. Ten skips. When he glanced back, she was fighting to contain a grin.

“Well we can’t just go by a single result,” she said, as if it were unthinkable.

He laughed. “Perish the thought.”

Still smiling together, they turned aside to search for more stones. Most weren’t suitable, either too large or too thick or not circular enough, and so after a while the game became less about skipping than remarking on ones with interesting shapes or patterns, and throwing them for Cuno to hunt through the water.

“Alright, last one,” Rosslyn decided, lining up one final shot as the climbing sun loomed down almost directly overhead.

Alistair stepped close, one hand going to steady her lower back. “Go for it.”

She cast, and got fourteen.

“It looks like you win.”

“I don’t think I want to leave just yet,” she admitted, without moving away. “It’s nice here. The view is wonderfully free of Orlesians.”

“I always thought so – it does add to the charm.” He glanced further up the beach. “We could sit?”

Nodding, she followed him a little way to a bleached log that must have been deposited during a winter storm at some point after he had gone to Rainesfere, and together they made themselves comfortable against it. In the silence, the world surrounded them, the sound and smell of water and the slight dig of hard-edged stones against the backside.

“Is everything alright?” Alistair asked after a while.

“Hm?” Rosslyn blinked away from her contemplation of the horizon and sighed. “I was just thinking. This place reminds me of home a little. It’s not quite the same, but it feels familiar.” With a pink stain blossoming in her face, she ducked her head away. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

Her hand lay between them on the shingle.

“You don’t need to thank me,” he told her. “I… you should get to be happy.”

The softness in her gaze nearly undid him, but then she dropped it to where his fingers had found courage to curl around hers, and his breath stilled in his chest as she pulled his hand into her lap, as her thumb stroked over his knuckles. She opened her mouth and drew in a breath. He waited, only for her to sigh again and shake her head in a self-defeated huff of laughter, and settle her cheek against his shoulder.

[kenzieam]

Not You - Chapter One

@jewels2876​​​​​​  @moonbeambucky​​​​​  @jeremyrennerfanxxxx123​​​​​​  @iammarylastar​​​​​​@captstefanbrandt​​​​​​  @badassbaker​​​​​​  @pinknerdpanda​​​​​​  

I know I’m forgetting people, sorry. If you want in, hit me.

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Rating: M

Warnings: Language, general nuttiness, smut, major angst, drama, potential infidelity

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FEEDBACK IS LIFE, Y’ALL

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So... I know I should be finishing my old stories...

But I’m not, lol. I keep getting new ideas.

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In this one, Bucky finds his dream woman, the one who takes his breath away but what if she’s already taken? What’s more important, your own happiness or the happiness of others, namely your friends? And, if you have to steal it, was it yours to begin with??

********************************************************************

Bucky turned away from the sink, nearly dropping the glass in his hand as his heart exploded into a frantic, startled tattoo.

The girl met his eyes shyly, looking quickly away and Bucky swallowed hard, hearing his pulse hammering in his veins. “Can I help you?” He asked, voice raspy. Christ, in all the time he’d been tending bar he’d never been so simply struck by someone before.

“Um, may I have a white wine, please?” Her voice was soft and cultured, sounding faintly European in the way she pronounced her consonants.

“New around here?” He inquired, if simply to keep from gaping at her simple perfection.

She gave him a guarded smile. “I guess so. I’m supposed to be meeting an… old friend, but there was a mix-up with flights.”

Bucky poured her drink, waved off her money. “On the house,” he pronounced and, this being the fourth double shift he’d worked this week as a favour to his boss and a co-worker with a family emergency, they’d better not squawk going over the receipts later.

“Thank you.” She murmured demurely, lids fluttering closed as she took a sip.

Bucky glanced across the bar, there was no one needing his immediate attention and the siren song of this woman was too strong to ignore. “I’m James.” Somehow his nickname wouldn’t fit the moment, he thought as he extended his hand to her.

She smiled softly, still shy. “Valentina.” She offered after a faint pause, reaching up and taking his hand, he felt her softness against his callouses, a faint tingle where they touched.

Bucky opened his mouth to continue, to ask her more questions about herself, an ember of attraction beginning to glow brightly in his chest. Did she feel it too?

“Hey!” One of the waitresses, Teagan, bellowed from down the bar. “I need four beers!”

It was on the tip of Bucky’s tongue to tell her to come around and grab them herself, but Teagan was a brat who’d either make a mess or take a bottle for herself if he didn’t watch her. Why the boss hadn’t skidded her by now was anyone’s guess, but Bucky imagined it involved a good oral game. At least she’d propositioned him at least once and he’d said hell no.

With an apologetic glance Bucky turned away, quickly filling Teagan’s order but then a crush of orders came in from individuals bellying up to the bar and he was tied up for far longer than he wanted. Finally, he had time and stepped in front of her, noting her empty glass. Valentina was texting, frowning at her screen. She glanced up and startled, an unguarded smile lighting up her face and making Bucky’s heart stutter anew.

“Another?” He managed to ask, voice cracking. Jesus, he’d never been so simply taken by a woman before and he’d spent enough time as a bartender to read her body language too. The feeling was definitely mutual.

“I’ll just have a water, please. My… friend will be done work soon; I should get going.”

Faint panic gripped Bucky’s heart but he made himself pour a water like a sane person. “I, um….” He licked his lips.

“I need an order!” The other waitress, a cougar named Lola, yelled. She would never go behind the bar, preferring to trying to chat up the nearest guy while she waited for Bucky.

Shit. He needed more time.

“I… can I have your number?” He blurted, feeling like a thousand different kinds of fool, mainly a lovestruck one.

Surprise flitted across the girl’s face, then a tentative smile. “I shouldn’t…”

“Please?”

“Hey!” Both Teagan and Lola were there now, hands on jutted-out hips.

“Just give me a minute.” Bucky pleaded, turning away from Valentina and rushing over, mixing drinks like a madman, throwing furious glances at the waitresses, who snapped gum and stared vapidly at his manic movements.

Finally, he thrust the last glass at Teagan then turned back to Valentina, an apology dying on his lips.

She wasn’t there.

He’d missed his chance.

Fuck.

********************************************************************************

Her skin was unbelievably soft, her scent a heady mix that made his pulse race and nestled deep in his soul. His body responded to her readily, heart hammering in his chest as he caressed her shoulder, pulled her down to meet his greedy lips. She moaned and writhed against him, grinding her core against his painfully hard cock.

Peeling off her shirt he kissed first one breast than the other, slowing down to lav attention to each when she moaned again, fingers clawing through his hair to hold him close.

“More, god Bucky-” she whimpered, tugging almost painfully at his locks.

“Fuck-” drawing out the curse, morphing it with a groan of need, Bucky rolled, pinning Valentina beneath him. Grinding his hips to hers he reveled in her gasp, her stuttered hitching breath.

He couldn’t wait any longer, pulling at her panties, a feral growl spilling from his lips when she matched him, yanking at his jeans, pushing them down over his ass just enough to free his cock and then he was pushing inside her, into her sweet heat and fighting off his rushing climax at the ecstasy found there.

“God, baby-” he gasped, hips thrusting helplessly, hopelessly caught in sensations and pleasure. Never before had he felt such bliss, been so ensnared in the web of a woman.

Valentina moaned, arching up to pull him deeper, legs wrapping around his hips, tangling with his jeans still bunched there; her voice broke as she whimpered his name, clawing at his face to pull him down to her mouth again, her desperate kiss stealing his breath with it’s intensity.

He could feel his orgasm rising dangerously fast, but he didn’t care, couldn’t and wouldn’t stop such a freight train of heavenly sensations, he only wanted Valentina to crash into the abyss with him.

And then she tensed, walls tightening around him as her own climax hit, crying out his name and dragging him right down with her. With a roar he surrendered, giving into his release with a shudder, face twisting as his cock throbbed almost painfully inside her, spilling his seed in thick pulses-

Bucky startled awake with a gasp, hand still gripping his shaft, the waves of his powerful orgasm still crashing over him and, even as the shudders of pleasure skated across his skin and through his body he winced, feeling a thick, creamy mess pooling on his belly.

Jesus Christ.

He hadn’t had a fucking wet dream in years, and yet ten minutes contact over a bar-top with a beautiful stranger had him spilling in his sleep like a teenager.

Groaning, he glanced down at himself then cursed. Fuck, he had laundry to do now too, he hadn’t shot so huge a load in a long time; fuck, this woman had him all sorts of tangled up.

And all he had was her first name. Not even a goddamn phone number.

Still grumbling, still wincing and cursing himself, Bucky rolled from the bed, used the already soiled sheet to wipe his belly clean then pulled them from the bed and piling them in the corner to launder later, storming nude to the bathroom he and Steve shared in their two-bedroom apartment, not caring whether his oldest friend got an eyeful or not.

Only once the water grew cold from the scalding he’d set it at did Bucky emerge, toweling off and striding back to his room to pull on sweats and grab a coffee. Steve had set some brewing before leaving for his morning run and Bucky needed a hit of caffeine like he needed air.

He’d just taken a sip when the front door opened and Steve walked in, glistening with sweat and still breathing hard.

“Morning,” Bucky grunted.

“Hey, Buck. How’s your morning?”

Trust me punk, you don’t want to know. “Fine.”

“Got to sleep in at least, that your last double shift for a while? What was that anyway, four in a row?” Steve moved past him, pouring an ice water from the fridge, and swallowing half the glass in one go.

Bucky grunted in answer, but Steve had always been the more loquacious of their duo.

“Work tonight?” Steve continued, reaching for a box of cereal.

“Nah, night off.”

“Good, Sam wants us to come over. His girlfriend’s moved back, and he wants us to meet her.”

Bucky frowned, trying to remember. While he was friends with Sam, it was Steve who worked with him and was the closer of the two. Then he remembered, she’d grown up with Sam, gone all through grade school with him, just like him and Steve, and they’d been roommates all through university, also like him and Steve. Apparently, they’d started dating after graduation and, when she’d been offered a special project in Europe almost two years ago, they’d gone long-distance, her moving across the ocean and Sam moving here, becoming immediate friends with Steve when they started working at the same job together.

“What’s her name again?” Bucky asked, not really caring. His mind was still stuck on the mysterious Valentina, not on Sam’s girlfriend, whom he wouldn’t even know from a hole in the ground, he’d never even seen a picture of her before.

“Lev?” Steve replied, quirking a brow. “Something unique like that, yeah… Lev, Sam calls her Levi.” He pronounced it like ‘levee’, shrugging.

Bucky nodded absently, Valentina’s hypnotizing violet eyes holding his attention. God, she’d had the most beautiful eyes, slightly upturned at the corners, long and full lashes; and her hair, an auburn shade like he’d never encountered. Either natural or the best damn dye job he’d ever seen, she’d stood out from the crowd with her looks alone, not even counting the magnetism and aura she gave off…. Christ, he was in trouble.

“You there?” Steve’s amused voice broke in, his punch harmlessly bouncing off Bucky’s powerful shoulder.

“Huh?” Bucky rolled his shoulders, shrugging off the hit. He hadn’t had much of a chance to hit the gym this week, what with working so many doubles in a row, and he needed to go; blasting away all his frustrations and anger lifting weights and hammering at the heavy bags kept him level and calm, soothed the latent edginess of his soul, which had, upon reflection, gone strangely serene last night when he’d laid eyes on Valentina too.

“You’re a million miles away, jerk.”

“Oh, yeah, sorry. Just-” he broke off, wiping his mouth with his hand and shaking his head.

“A girl?” There was genuine interest in Steve’s voice; while he didn’t begrudge his oldest friend’s continued one-night stands, he’d always wanted Bucky to find someone to share himself with, someone to soothe the man’s seeming natural-born vulnerability and loneliness that not even close friendships could compensate for.

Bucky felt a thrill at the thought. Yes, this was about a girl. The first time he could honestly say that. His reddening face answered before his mouth could and Steve hooted, slapping him on the same shoulder he’d just punched.

“Really?” The blonde’s eyes were sparkling. “Tell me.” He snagged the milk from the fridge and poured some over his cereal, overfilling it in a way that always made Bucky nervous. The man’s milk to cereal ratio was whack.

Bucky hesitated, struck with the sudden incongruous thought that speaking her name aloud would somehow puncture the spell, convince the universe to rip her away, make her all a figment of Bucky’s imagination.

“Her name’s Valentina.” He couldn’t help a quirk of his lips when Steve let out a girlish squeak and clapped his hands, as if this were the best news he’d heard in years.

“And?” He prompted, leaning against the counter, picking up his bowl of cereal and lifting the spoon to his mouth, brow raised in question.

Bucky let out his breath in a rush, not able to hold it back anymore. “And she’s fucking perfect, man. I mean, I saw her, and it was like… fuck, I mean she just… grabbed me.”

“Like literally?” Steve grinned, milk dribbling off his chin when he gave Bucky a smartass grin.

Bucky rolled his eyes and continued. “No, but Steve…. Her eyes, Jesus, and her smile? I… I didn’t know what to do, it was like I’d just ran into a brick wall or something.”

“And her? What was she like? Was she hit too?”

Bucky nodded slowly, replaying her actions in his head. “Yeah, I think so.” A huge grin split his face and he was suddenly struck with the urge to throw his head back and roar.

“What’d she say? Did you guys talk?”

Bucky shrugged. “We didn’t get much of a chance, I had Teagan and Lola last night-” he threw Steve a look because Steve knew as well as Bucky how useless both waitresses truly were.

“Bummer.”

“Yeah. I asked for her number but then got busy and… fuck man, when I turned back, she was gone.”

“Shitty.” Steve commented, shaking his head.

“I know.” Bucky felt a moment of real panic but forced himself to breathe.

“You want to skip Sam’s tonight? Go over there and see if she comes back?”

He was torn, he really was. Would she be back? For all their pretend animosity, Sam was a real friend to him though, and he hadn’t seen the smirking bastard in a few weeks, he needed to go. “Nah, I should go see Sam, it’s been awhile.”

Steve noticed his struggle and considered. “Chap working today?”

“Yeah,” Bucky replied.

“Ask him to keep an eye out. If she shows, he can give her your number. He owes you.”

He did. “Yeah…. Okay. I got a bunch of errands to run today anyway, I’ll stop by.”

“You want me to wait until you’re back to go to Sam’s?”

Bucky shrugged, they only lived a floor apart, Sam being one down from them, its not like Bucky would get lost, but he appreciated his friend’s consideration. “Yeah, thanks.”

“No problem. I got a few things to wrap up too, see you later?” Steve had finished his cereal and was already walking towards his bedroom. He and Steve had been roommates, in one apartment or another, for years but this was far and away the nicest, a pre-war building neither would be able to afford alone and, until a few months ago, Sam had been in the same boat, but his roomie, a quirky, somewhat eccentric kid named Tony, had left. It was good timing that his girlfriend was moving back now, almost fated.

“Later.” Bucky called, then forced his mind away from Valentina. He’d get nothing done today if he let her stay there.

*******************************************************************************

Later that night, Bucky followed Steve absently down the flight of stairs to Sam’s floor. He’d gotten all his errands done, convinced Chap to keep an eye out and had even had time to fantasize about Valentina in the shower, groaning her name in release as he’d stroked himself to completion, pulsing his thick seed onto his fingers and the shower floor. He’d leaned his head against the tiled wall, breathing heavily and wishing feverishly for the real thing before straightening with a growl and finishing his shower, body still aching with want.

Steve knocked and waited; usually they’d just knock once and head on it, but neither wanted to walk into something they didn’t want to see.

After a moment, the door was thrown open and Sam’s familiar face split into a huge grin. “Hey!” Always a happy, personable guy, there seemed to be an extra level in him tonight, no doubt finally having his girl back with him. “Sit down,” he pointed to their usual perches on the couch and armchair. “Lev will be right out.” He focused on Bucky. “How you been, man? It’s been a while. Steve says you’ve been pulling doubles down at the bar?”

“Yeah,” Bucky answered, leaning back in the chair, and getting more comfortable. “Chap’s mom fell down and banged herself up some, I took his shifts so he could go help her for a few days.”

“You’re too nice, man.” Sam grinned, shaking his head. “Steve said Teagan and Lola were there? Christ, what a pair.”

Bucky quirked his brow in agreement. “Yeah, it was special all right.”

“Sam?” A female voice called.

“Yeah, baby?” Sam leapt to his feet. “Lev’s pretty jet-lagged, she was sleeping most of the day.” He explained as he disappeared down the hallway. Quiet voices too low to make out floated back but Bucky caught something that sounded like ‘you look fine, baby girl, before Sam reappeared, his huge grin back. He glanced over his shoulder, pulling gently on someone’s hand, then turned back to his friends.

“Steve, Bucky, this is my girlfriend, Lev. Lev, this is Steve and that’s Bucky.” He pointed to each man in turn, but Bucky’s eyes were locked on Lev.

What the hell?

What kind of cosmic fucking joke was this??

Leaning into Sam’s side, nestled into his one-armed embrace but staring at Bucky with shock equal to his, was a heartbreakingly familiar face.

Valentina.

[casspurrjoybell-32]

Taken - Blue Moon Series - Chapter 7b

*Warning Adult Content*

Lakota Bateman

"How about lunch, are you hungry?"

As we sat down Connor handed me the menu.

"Pick whatever you want," I took the plastic paper in my hands but I just stared at it.

We sat silently for a moment when suddenly there was a scrap of chairs at our table.

Looking up I saw Gale and Cyrus making themselves comfortable.

"How did you find us...?" Connor started to say but Cyrus interrupted.

"Just followed my mates scent," Cyrus said stiffly gazing into my eyes intently.

I blushed looking back down at the menu.

"My brother over heard that the two of you were taking him. I'm surprised you two didn't inform us that you were going to take him for the day."

He motioned behind him where his brother Nicholas standing outside, his back against the window.

"Well I didn't know we had to," Connor bite back.

"I don't know how you wolves are with your mates but a vampire would like to know where our other half is when they are taken off the premises without a word."

"You sound like an old time movie," Cyrus scoffed lounging back in his chair.

Gale only gave him a slight glance before focusing back on Connor.

"We are his family... we have every right to take him with us."

"I don't mind him being with family... I just would have liked to know that he was leaving the house, is all."

"I agree," Cyrus voiced suddenly.

I saw a small smirk rise on Gale's face before it was gone.

Sighing I looked back at the menu.

Connor frowned at me tilting his head and Teagan just sat with a straight face acting completely indifferent towards what was going on around him.

"What is it?" Connor asked.

"Would you like for them to leave you alone today?"

"What would you suggest?" I muttered placing the menu down on the table.

"Huh?" he frowned.

"For lunch?" I asked.

"Oh, uh... maybe the chicken fettuccini Alfredo... it sounds pretty good," Connor said looking up from his menu.

"Okay... I'll have that then."

I pushed the plastic menu away from me when someone came up to our table.

"What can I get you this evening?" the waiter asked looking at all of us.

Connor sprouted off a bunch of things as the person wrote it all down.

"Water," Cyrus said while Gale shook his head.

"Very good. I'll be back with your waters in just a moment."

The waiter said before he left.

It was then when I noticed an interesting scent... it was almost like a spring rain falling on a bed of flowers.

It engulfed the whole room and completely intoxicated my senses and I found myself feeling light headed as I leant towards the smell.

"Lakota?" I heard Gale say causing my eyes to snap open.

I was leaning over the table in their direction... Cyrus was giving me a penetrating stare... his bright blue eyes intense.

While Gale's brown eyes watched me with a frown.

"Are you okay?" Cyrus asked.

"Y-yeah," I cleared my throat sitting back up straight.

"Here's your water," the waiter came back placing water on the table.

"I'll be back with your food shortly."

The moment the food arrived it gave us all a reason not to talk.

I knew that I was acting weird around both of them but today was supposed to be a break from all this, a day to forget and maybe get a new look on the whole thing but with them here it was an ever pressing situation that demanded an answer.

I knew I would accept them... it was impossible not to but it was the process of them accepting each other.

I've said it before that it was not normal for a wolf to have more than one mate and to have two was bizarre but with another species altogether... So it was all up to me to decide without any help or advice from others with experience.

I placed another fork full of delicious creamy noodles up to my mouth when someone's cell-phone rang.

Glancing up I saw Cyrus reaching into his jacket.

The creamy cheesy taste of the sauce exploded on my tongue and I had to prevent myself from moaning out loud.

"Okay," Cyrus's deep voice sounded at the table.

"We have to go back," he said suddenly looking towards me and Gale.

"Wait, Lakota is with us today."

Connor frowned placing his utensil down.

"I get it but that was the Head Elder," Cyrus said tilting his phone in his hands and Connor closed his mouth unable to argue.

"Right, well. Let's go then," Gale said standing up and reaching a hand over towards me.

I frowned with my fork sticking out of my mouth.

He took hold of my hand... pulling me to my feet but all I could do was look at my plate longingly as he hauled me away.

Cyrus quickly swooped up my food and walked out of the restaurant.

Sitting in the car next to me Cyrus handed me the plate back.

"Here I know you're hungry."

Blushing I took the fork out of my mouth and stuck it in my pasta.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"It's about time I saw you put something in that mouth of yours," Gale spoke from the front seat of his car.

"Excuse me?" Cyrus questioned as dark look crossed his face.

"It's just, when he was at my home he refused to eat anything. I was afraid he was trying to starve himself."

I closed my eyes in dread as I could just feel Cyrus's eyes on me.

"Is this true?"

I started to swirl my fork around and around refusing to look up at him.

"Lakota?"

"Yes, it's true," I murmured.

The feel of his rough warm hand found its way in my hair, caressing the strands caused me to look up.

"Why would you do that to yourself? Did you not think I would find you?" there was hurt in his voice.

I shook my head.

"It had nothing to do with that. It was just that I am tired of captivity. I would have rather died then be imprisoned ever again."

"Oh Lakota."

He wrapped his arm around my head and pulled me close to lean against his chest.

The car was silent as we drove back to the pack house.

Gale sat very still and Nicholas who sat in the passenger's seat just quietly looked out the window.

********

We pulled up to the pack house to see the Head Elder standing with the Sky Ravens Alpha, Jim and Elijah on the porch.

"What's wrong?" Cyrus asked helping me out of the car as I held my plate close to me.

"We may have a way to find your parent's pack," Heath said looked from me to Teagan, who was standing a few feet away from me.

"And why are you telling us and not finding them yourself?" Gale voice staring at his dad.

"Because it has to be done by your mate and his brother."

"What's that mean?" Connor asked frowning.

Alpha Avery stepped forward towards his son.

"There is a creature that can find anything and anyone."

"That's great," Gale exclaimed.

"Yeah but it has its drawbacks."

"Like?" Cyrus asked.

"Well we can't go because you have to have the blood or DNA of those who you wish to find," Heath added.

I felt the groups behind me freeze.

"That would mean that the only ones who can go are Teagan and Lakota," Connor said.

"Correct, they are the only ones who can deal with them," Jim added.

"So does that mean we have to stay behind?" Cyrus growled behind me as he closed the small gap between us.

His heat surrounded me all of a sudden.

"No, the three of us have to stay because we cannot afford to leave our positions at this time. We just declared war on a rogue pack. The word will spread and we could be under attack in a short time but we need you six to go," Elijah voiced his opinion.

"If you think that they will come to attack what's the point in finding this mysterious person," Gale said.

"Because who knows how long it will take for the word to spread that far and for them to take action," Heath responded.

"So where can we find this person?" he asked.

"We will give you all the information tonight."

"Because that's when you're leaving," Alpha Avery announced.

Murmurs of agreement swept the group, it seemed everyone was okay with going out on a mysterious trip to who knows where to find who knows what...

"Who or what are we tracking if you don't mind me asking?" I asked voicing my thoughts.

There was a paused before Heath finally spoke.

"The Seer," his voice dripping in disgusted.

There was a collective gasped behind me and two subtle growl to follow.

Which left Connor, Teagan and I all frowning in confusion.

What the hell was a Seer?

[teaganmyrick]

TIMING: Current

SUMMARY: Teagan protects the carbuncles at a deadly cost.

WARNINGS: Head Trauma

“Hello, wee one,” Teagan cooed at the carbuncles she had just rounded up after a tussle with a few amateur spellcasters. She figured they were as such due to their inability to do too much damage in the face of danger. Still, it was disheartening to kill anyone that appeared as young as them, even if they were human and attacking innocent creatures. There was still time to change their minds, to shape them and shift the perspective they had sadly developed. No more though, it was too late for them.

“You’re safe now.” She spoke again, not knowing if the carbuncles could even understand. If anything, it would help shape her into an even friendlier being in their eyes. “Go on and hide while I get cleaned up.” The spellcasters’ blood was all over Teagan’s hands as she sat by the lake and monitored the area while she washed her body.

The water soothed the burn of the crimson, and she sighed with a smile, peering around the rocks at the bodies she had piled by the edge. Once she was done cleaning off, Teagan had plans to drag them to the bottom of the lake and ensure they were never found. That plan would have to wait though. A voice broke through the silence, calling out a name the nix didn’t recognize but assumed it was one of the descendants laying in the silt.

In an instant, Teagan shifted completely, preparing for the next phase of the fight she thought was over. A nix’s work was never done, she supposed. She scanned, registering the new opponents as older magic wielders, a bigger threat. Ffyc. It was her hope that with it only being two, that it would be just as easy to take them out. Her instincts though, told her she was in for a real fight. Especially with the female caster.

“After her! Kill her! She killed Tracy, Evan, and Will!” The woman’s voice dripped with a mixture of sorrow and uninhibited bloodlust, sending a shiver down Teagan’s spine. She was going to be a real danger, unlike the first few that dared attack. As if to prove it, the nix was thrown back with incredible force, straight into rocks that stabbed and bruised her back repeatedly. She let out a silent squeak of pain each time, quickly standing up to charge and tackle once the barrage was over. Her claws sank into the spellcaster, attempting to dig deeper, but finding she was only clawing into ground. “W-what?” Teagan hadn’t tackled anyone. The woman laughed behind her, amused that her illusion had worked.

With red frustration, Teagan spread the color all over the ground with one swift movement, throwing her knife right at another spellcaster’s chest. He fell with a thud, screaming and pulling out the blade. And much to Teagan’s dismay, he smiled once his screams halted. He dug into the wound and began to utilize his own blood as he chanted in a language the nix could only guess was Latin. Ffyc. Ffyc!

Before the man could finish, Teagan threw her last knife at him, striking his throat with a satisfying gurgle. His spell couldn’t be completed, and that gave her enough of a reprieve to stand and run toward the treeline. She whistled in a pattern, one that she and the other inhabitants of the lake settled on. Over and over again, she repeated it until she heard the woman’s voice again, confirming what she needed: that she was following and steering away from the lake. “Hurry and follow me! She’s getting away!”

Teagan wasn’t sure who she was talking to, but she didn’t have time to look back. Not that it mattered anyway. The familiar force from only a few moments ago returned, pulling her to the ground with enough power to force the air out of her lungs. It burned, like a fire igniting as she pushed herself to stand. Again, she was taken back down, a body straddling her a second later as the female caster finally caught up.

“Your kind don’t like iron, do they?” Teagan tried to drive her head forward for an attack, but couldn’t move. Her widened eyes caused a bark of laughter to escape the caster, the sound growing louder as she pressed the iron blade slowly into Teagan’s side. She cried softly, not willing to give the satisfaction of a true sound of pain. Her vision was beginning to blur, her body already aching incredibly at the amount of damage she had sustained in such a short amount of time.

When the hilt finally reached her skin, the woman tore it out, the sudden rip refocusing Teagan sufficiently to find control of her limbs. With the last bit of energy she had, she caught the caster’s wrist just before it plunged into her chest, twisting it with a crunch and sending it back to its wielder. Instead of making its original mark, Teagan had successfully given it a new one, allowing it to find home in the caster’s throat. She met a similar end as her friend, which was poetic in a way, but with a new set of voices incoming, Teagan thought it would be best to move on.

She ran, ignoring her exhaustion, the way her body begged for her to sit still and rest. If she were to make it out alive, she couldn’t listen, she had to shut her ears off and use every last bit of energy to get to that one door. The only place she could think of, the one that she felt safest.

Patricia’s door, that brown Teagan had grown so fond of came into view, and she knocked frantically. “P-Pa…! Patricia…!” She gasped, choking and sputtering as she collapsed, gripping her side. The blood covered Teagan’s stomach and leg, and she felt her eyes growing heavy just as her body met cold tile harshly when the door opened. The last thing she saw were those velvet eyes she adored. Even if it was the last thing she saw, she was happy with that fact. She didn’t have to be alone. Not this time.

[bitter-sweet-farmgirl]

All Fun & Games

Teagan plays a joke on Arthur and freaks him out.

MASTERLIST

OC Used:  Teagan

Word Count:  1,310

~~~~

“…10, 11, 12…”  Arthur’s deep voice rumbled across the rippling water like thunder, making it easier for me to hear how much time I had left before he came looking for me.

Extreme hide and go seek was one of our favourite pastimes out on the ocean shores of Maine.  Since Arthur and I were both able to swim like fish, it occasionally got a little crazy.  That was why we called it ‘extreme hide and go seek’ in the first place.

“…24, 25, 26…”  The count neared thirty, our agreed stopping point.  I scrambled behind one of the big, sharp boulders settled out in the ocean, about fifty feet out from the shore.  The waves had done their best to smooth out all the jagged edges, but there still were a few serrated spots left.

“Ouch!”  I hissed, fully aware that Arthur’s voice had ceased to travel over the frothy waves.  I hadn’t heard any unusual splashes, so I assumed he was searching the shoreline first, before heading out into the ocean.

Since we were both such adept swimmers, we rarely made any sound out in the ocean, which made it more difficult to change hiding places if you didn’t know exactly where the seeker was; and even though I was almost positive Arthur was out on the beach, I didn’t dare peek out from behind the rock.  Not until I knew if he was actually on the beach.

Time passed by, and I began to relax a little.  We didn’t usually travel so far out to sea, perhaps Arthur wouldn’t think to check this small outcropping.  

I leaned back against the black rock, which was sun-bleached and streaked with white.  Probably seagull droppings, I mused silently as I watched a boat go by.  The small craft sped along, kicking up froth as it bounced through the waves.  

A breeze stirred against my face, sharp and refreshing.  Ocean air was the best on earth, I was sure of that.

The boat was coming much closer to the rocks than most boats usually traveled, and the sight gave me a devilish idea.

Tugging back my loose black hair—which was now streaked with blue from the saltwater—I tied it up on the nape of my neck.  

Things were about to get crazy.

Crouching down on the boulder in a diving position, I waited for the boat to get nearer to my hiding spot.  Once it drew even with my location, several hundred feet away, I let out a sharp scream and dove smoothly into the water.

Once I was submerged, I quickly swam away towards a group of rocks closer to the shore.  The ocean water was clear and cool, allowing me to see everything.  

Small red fish were darting through the plants on the seafloor, and even a large sea turtle sedately making its way through a kelp forest off to my left.  

Smiling at the familiar scratches on its shell, I recalled the time it had washed up on the beach, severely injured from a nasty collision from a boat propeller.  With Arthur and I’s care, the turtle had quickly healed up and returned to the ocean where she belonged.  But nothing would erase the unique scars she carried on her shell, which allowed us to identify her.

The memory ended as I reached the rocks and surfaced, picking a smooth rock that allowed me a clear view of the outcropping I had just left.

The boat had left the area entirely, becoming only a small spot on the horizon.  But Arthur was clearly visible, agitatedly swimming through the rocks.

“Teagan?  Teagan!”  I could hear him calling frantically from my vantage point.  

At first thought, the idea of screaming and disappearing had seemed funny; a good prank.  But now, now that it was actually happening, I wasn’t so sure; Arthur seemed very frantic.  

Unable to stand his torture any longer, I swam out from behind the rocks, making my way through the blue waters towards him.  

In his search for me, Arthur paid no attention to his surroundings, allowing me to easily come up behind him.  

He paused suddenly in his search as I neared, back still towards me as his heaving shoulders slumped.  His dark-haired head hung down, landing in his broad hands.

Coming up silently behind him, I wrapped my arms around his waist, hugging him from behind in the deep waters of the ocean.

“Boo,” I said, my tone light and teasing.  But at my touch, Arthur jolted and let out a very high-pitched scream that I never would have expected to come from his 6’4’’, burly frame.  

Whirled out of my grasp, he turned to look at me, golden irises wide in disbelief.  “Teagan!  Tia, I thought you had been hurt or—”

I cut off his breathless words with a laugh.  “You scream like a girl.”  I snickered, looking up at him.  An injured expression appeared on his face, replacing the previous lines of worry crisscrossing his brow.

“I did not scream like a girl.”  He defended, crossing his muscled arms across his equally muscled chest.  

His denial made me laugh even harder, tipping my head back as I shook with merriment.  After a long moment where my laughter and the sound of the waves crashing on the rocks were the only noises, I was able to tame my amusement enough so I could speak.  “Well,” I started, then a giggle slipped out.  “Sorry, but you sure did a high-pitched scream.  No offense.”  

“I did not scream,” Arthur defended again.  Even though I had silently vowed to stop laughing at  

him a second ago, a chuckle somehow slipped between my lips.  Arthur glared at me; the sight terrifying to anyone who didn’t know him.

But I knew him better than anybody else, which was why I continued teasing him about his scream.  “Oh yeah?  So, what did you do?”  I asked, mirroring him, and crossing my arms.

Arthur lifted his bearded chin, looking down at me.  “That was me merely trying not to have a heart attack with a little dignity.”  He stated solemnly, but I was still too amused by his uncharacteristically high-pitched scream to take him seriously.

“Aww, did I scare you, Mister ‘King of the Oceans’?”  I cooed in a honeyed tone, trying to milk this situation for as long as I could.  I would never let him live this down…

As he looked down at me, Arthur’s piercing golden eyes softened as they took in my lithe figure standing in the waist-deep water--well, waist-deep for him; the water was about mid-chest on me.  My long blue hair—no longer entirely black, only streaked with it—hung down my back, floating on the surface of the water, which had calmed from the frothy waves down to a glassy surface which undulated gently.  

“Yes, you did.  I thought you had been hurt or dragged down…”  He murmured in his rumbling tones, reaching his tattooed arms out to pull me in for a hug.  His chin rested on the top of my head as he gently rubbed a hand up and down my back.  “I’ve never been so scared in my entire life, Tia.”  

Remorse began to fill me as I leaned into his embrace.  I’d realized earlier how terrifying that trick might have been for Arthur, but that was only after I had done it and watched him search for me.  “I’m sorry, Art.  I didn’t even stop to think about it, I just did it…”  I mumbled, fidgeting in his embrace as his beard scratched at my forehead.  “It seemed funny at the time, but now that I think about it—”

Arthur’s chest rumbled with laughter.  “Tia, Teagan…  I love you.  Don’t change, my sweet Queen of the Ocean, don’t change.”