#the lily of bangtan

[yearofinstitutionalization]

279/638 One Suga a day while he is away

[kpop-bbg]

[yoongikook]

i’m so proud of jungkook, i couldn’t resist making something to celebrate the release of seven! if you’re interested, these are available on my etsy

[namjooningelsewhere]

War Of The Hearts: #9

✽Pairing - OT7 x reader (DJ) and OT7 x Lily

✽Word Count - 7.8k

✽Ratings - 18+

✽Genre(s) - Mafia Au, Angst , Fluff, mentions of smut.

✽Trigger Warnings - Mentions of Death, Mentions of Trauma , minor alcohol consumption, mentions of torture and shootouts and mentions of bloodshed, Mentions of Drugs, Attempted Murder, A little manipulative behavior, A shootout, a lot of cursing, There is a little bit of torture in here so please please avoid this if this triggers you in any way.

✽Summary - You’ve been lurking in the shadows, protecting the seven of Bangtan even if it means you must give your own life. After all, that’s what you do when you are in love with someone irrevocably. That pain seems to be minuscule in light of their safety. But it was never about you, for all you are is a speck of dust in the universe they have created for them and their girlfriend. Your heart’s at war, but it’s fine, you can smile through the pain as long as it means they smile- for her.

✽A/N : Hello Everyone! I apologise I couldn't post the last time due to some circumstances and I literally couldn't find any time to get on Tumblr after the post. The 9th part is here now, And I hope you guys like it, And also my apologies if you find the writing a little over the place, Ive been in a slump with writing since a year and this is my honest attempt to get out of it. I would love it if you let me know what you think about it.

✽Taglist: @brimal @2ne1unni @shatzkrinslinzki @zae007live, @gukieater @tinyoonsblog @skylievin @2ne1unni @lovelgirl22 @euphakid @embrace-themagic @didi-9310 @loisje123 @iamhereforbts @silscintilla @2ne1unni @rp171198 @aboredboredboreduniverse @blaaiissee @top-crop @sa7kou @chhungi-bawihtlung @aquariushoesss @definitelythinkimanalien

7mer @babycoffeefire @emoskytime8 @hob3yw0rld@motivatedprocastinator @speedyqueendaze @sugajinny @thereaderwholovesyou @btspurplesky @skz-jeha @theestrangeddreamer @success1009 @militrybarbi @afangirllikeme-blog @celestialentitiesss @daydreambrliever @bibebts @dreamamubarak @kimsaerom @sa7kou @veronawrites @bt21chim @cutiepat @jooniebub @shadowyjellyfishfest @mageprincess7 @jiminbolala @impossibilitydesign @xtayxx​ @ cherryluvhobi @knjsbae @intoomanyfandoms15 @foreverddaeng

✽Part Eight - Here

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You chuckled at hearing a gasp from the Bratva’s side, Your request was very unusual for him. You knew that. You were sure he wouldn't be able to fathom why exactly you wanted Zakharov to visit you in Korea.         

“Bratva, we will speak when you get here. Right now all I am requesting is your presence here. Rest assured, This is going to be one hell of a trip.” Bratva obliged your request right away without questioning further. You looked at the men standing in the room looking at you with an expression that spelled curiosity all over their faces.

“They have agreed to come, Bratva will let me know sometime tomorrow when exactly they can come.” 

“You're in for a treat.” Borris looks at Jimin helplessly when he hears Jimin mock him. You shrug your shoulders when Borris looks at you expecting him to help him. He should have thought of that before they plotted against you and the Bangtan men. These were nothing but consequences of their actions.

If they didn't feel bad before using and treating you as a scapegoat, Then why the hell should you?

“What do we do now?” You take a moment to answer Taehyung’s question. How were you supposed to go from here? 

“Let's move him to my house, Mikhail will be taken care of by my men.” Nobody speaks up against your decision, Except for Borris. Who of course has a lot of comments to make. You ignore the pleas of the man and ask your men to take him to your house. You needed to keep a strict eye on the man lest there should be any other unexpected events. Should there be one?

It takes a little while after a screaming Borris is escorted out of the room, You take a minute to calm down. The way Borris kept screaming gave you a headache and you really didn't want to hear the voice of that man for some time. You needed some silence.

You sit in the room with the other men who seemed too quiet, Nobody spoke anything. They were all just sitting there. Some look at their hands entwined in their laps, The others look at the furniture in the room as if it were in some museum. These feelings sometimes were so difficult to express, That you had no idea what to do about it. You all had been played, and manipulated by Lily. And right now neither you nor the boys knew where you would go from here. “It's getting late, We should leave.” Everyone looked at Namjoon with somewhat of an expression of relief, The awkward atmosphere was getting too much to bear.

“I don't want to be anywhere near Lily right now.” Everyone seemed to agree with Yoongi. You looked at the seven men with a puzzled expression. Lily did not know they knew, And you did not have the slightest clue yourself of how the boys were going to face her, Let alone you.

“I think me and Namjoon will go to our house with Lily, The rest of you stay with DJ at her place.” Namjoon gave Jin a questioning look but did not speak. The older male seemed to gesture at something which did not make him question anything anymore.

“Boss, do you want us to come with you?”

“No, I guess let's call it a day. You guys have had enough for today as well.” The two men nodded and left first. You bid farewell to the two men who left for their house. You could feel the tension thick in the air but there was very little that you could do about it. You had no words to express the pain that you yourself felt when you saw the pain on the seven men's faces. They were feeling so many things at the same time, Yet there was barely anything that these men could do about it.

“Namjoon..” You pulled Namjoon into a hug when he looked back the moment you called him. His hands tightened around your waist and you just wished he could feel what you wanted to convey.

“It will be alright.” You feel his head nodding in a yes, You take a deep breath inhaling his scent, Which provides a sense of comfort. You let him go after a second, He gave you a weak smile and proceeded towards his car. You followed the five men to your respective cars to leave for your house.

The house seemed dead silent when both Jin and Namjoon walked in, The men wordlessly walked towards Lily’s room. She was still sleeping peacefully and totally unaware of her surroundings.

Jin took a seat near her and switched on the lights on the light side. The dimly lit room hid their tears very well. The soft light illuminated only the face of the woman they had come to love all these years, They couldn't have thought in their wildest dreams of the dark secret the woman was hiding.

Namjoon stroked Lily’s head softly, His fingers caressing her forehead in a way where a little force could break her. He let out a sigh and looked at Jin who had an equally gloomy expression on his face. The two men spent a good minute just looking at Lily, who looked like she was having the best sleep after a hard working day.

“You remember the first day we met her? She looked like she was seconds away from ripping your hair out?” Namjoon chuckled at that fond memory. For the first time ever in his life, he had someone walk up to him and yell at him. With every word she spoke, Namjoon kept controlling his laughter which ultimately came off the minute she took a pause. She still remembered the bewildered expression that came over Lily’s face when she saw them laughing his head off. The smile that came on her face after snatching his breath instantly threw him out of the laughing fit. The way her eyes crinkled when she laughed too was enough to have him swooning.

“I remember it clearly just like it happened yesterday. That smile was lethal.” Jin let out a small laugh at Namjoon’s mention, His first memory of Lily resembling something of Namjoon. He still remembered the way he had dragged Namjoon to see who she was. 

“Who knew she was hiding so many things.” 

“Never knew she could do something like this to us.” Namjoon withdraws his hands and stands up making his way to the window, The dark night looks better than the darkness inside him. His brain wanted to kill the woman who had used him and was probably very close to betraying him. But his heart kept refuting everything he had heard. Namjoon let out a frustrated scream and punched his hand on the window hard, shattering the glass into pieces.

“Are you fucking out of your mind? Show me.” Jin looked at the younger’s hand in pure despair, The shards of glass sticking to his knuckles made him bleed profusely.

“I will kill you if you do that shit again, il back in a second.” Jin rushed out of the bedroom to bring the first aid kit while Namjoon dejectedly took a seat on the chair placed right in front of Lily.

Jin froze in his steps and Namjoon suddenly stopped him with his hand. He got up and knelt down in front of Lily who was letting out small groans. She was waking up. Jin pulled Namjoon back and made him sit.

“I don't care if she is waking up, Sit down. Let's have a look at this first.” Jin’s stern expression got Namjoon sitting down like a small kid who was threatened with being grounded. Jin let small curses when Namjoon winced in pain and right at that moment he was thankful that he had the rest of them by his side. At Least they weren't going anywhere. They would always be by his side.

“DJ….” Jin paused his administration on Namjoon’s hand the second he heard your name, Really? She had the audacity to set you up and then utter your name like you were in some kind of distress. Namjoon tried getting up but Jin’s strong grip on his thighs didn't allow him to do so. 

“Funny isn't it, How she is the one who was setting up DJ, and hers is the first name she took when she's waking up.” Jin's grip didn't allow Namjoon to budge. The man could be as stubborn as a mule and nobody could do anything about it. 

“I wonder what she remembers.” Namjoon quickly shushed him, pointing a finger at the woman. Jin and Namjoon concentrated on the woman's movements which kept getting more restless and your name which kept coming out of her mouth like a mantra. Her movements signaled the men that she would be waking up any minute.

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“Namjoon.--

“Don't wake up, Just lay back down.” Namjoon placed her head back on the pillow, While Jin ran to fetch a glass of water. 

“Where is Dj?” Namjoon placed his finger on her lips trying his best to not shake her up and slap her for what she tried to do. 

“She's safe. You should get some rest.” He stroked her forehead and the woman fell back asleep. Jin gently held her head and helped her drink some water. Even before she could take two sips Jin popped the question he had been dying to ask her, What did she remember? The water spluttered out of Lily’s mouth and she began coughing violently. Namjoon gave a stern look to Jin while he rubbed her back, Jin just gave a blank expression. Maybe he knew what was about to go down. His mind wanted to see the extent she would lie, but his heart secretly wished that somehow magically she wouldn't have anything to do with all this.

Lily’s huge sobs brought Jin out of his thoughts and the little hope that was peeking its head inside his heart went away in an instant.

“He had his gun here, Right on my head.”Lily wept in Namjoon’s arms and the latter just stopped himself from giving her a piece of his mind.

“Sweetie, did you know who they were? Why were they after you?”

“I don't remember anything, They hit me so hard on the head. Maybe they wanted to hurt you guys and meant to use me like a pawn.” Jin clenched his teeth in rage, Really is this how this woman had been lying to their face all these years? What else had she lied about?

“Namjoon, Jin. I am too tired and weak right now. I want to sleep.” The two men placed her head on the pillow back again and pulled the comforter on her. 

“Sleep here with me please, I don't want to be alone.” The two men obliged unwillingly, What could they have given to not be there with her right now. For the first time ever, They did not want to be there by her side. They had the urge to run miles away from her, But there was so much to know and so much left to unveil, They had to play along.

Lily relaxed a little after she had the two men sleeping next to her side, She snuggled into Namjoons chest and prayed silently that everything was right at the place that it was supposed to be. For the life of her, she couldn't remember a single thing no matter what. While she decided to rest and hope that everything was fine, the two men stayed awake next to her, hating every second of it. This was going to be one hell of a long night. 

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You sat in front of the two men that had been locked in the basement, Your men stood guard outside ready to blow the heads of the two captive men if they tried something. Mikhail kept drifting in and out of consciousness while Borris sat terrified and roped to the chair. His eyes kept moving towards Mikhail and the fear of having the same fate as him and that fear in his eyes gave you a sick level of satisfaction.

“Why can't you just let us go?” You did not dignify Borris’s question with an answer,  You were not even sure anymore what were you even supposed to say to him? These guys came into your life from nowhere and turned it worse than up and down, for their own selfish needs. Tried to pawn you off like you belonged to them or some toy that they had bought. Lily should be thankful you still had not laid your hands on her.

“Will you say something?” Borris bought his voice several notches down, Still not sure of what you would do lest he pissed you off. Mikhail was right next to me, probably wishing he was dead. 

“If I hear one more word out of your mouth, Those worms from his thigh will be in your eyes.” Borris shrieked loud enough to induce another headache, One movement of your leg was enough to have the man apologizing profusely. 

You kept sitting in front of the two men, This time in peace. The entire day kept flashing in front of you like a film, The one you wouldn't even want to have a dream of. You had to plan ahead, Starting from Choi first. The bastard had answers to give.

“You had a long day, You should get some sleep.” You turn around to see Yoongi leaning on the door, His arms crossed and a blank expression on his face. 

“So did you.” 

“Just get up already, It's getting late.” You do not argue with him and get up and start walking with him. You had no energy whatsoever to have another argument with anyone. 

The men had taken their picks from their room as soon as they had walked inside your house, Nobody said anything. You didn't either. Everyone needed some silence to reflect on what they had gone through that day. You had walked straight to the basement to check the captive rats in your house. 

You and Yoongi just kept walking up the stairs, An inexpressible silence engulfing both of you. Maybe you just didn't need words, You didn't know for him but somehow deep down inside you were glad that you were not alone. “Mind if I stay here tonight?” Your hands paused for a fraction of a second before you silently nodded and the man followed you inside. 

“Make yourself comfortable, I'll just wash up.” You didn't wait for his reply as you went towards your bathroom and the said man made himself comfortable on the right side of the bed.

“Can't sleep?” 

“Yoongi?” You touched his shoulder lightly to which he flinched, You stepped back in surprise and placed your hands in the front where he could see them. He had to be too deep in thought for a light touch to be startling him like that.

“I'm sorry, I'm just….”

“No it's okay, I mean are you okay?” 

“Yeah, I'm okay—-

“Are you really?”

“No, I'm not. Hell, I'm not remotely okay. What the hell happened today?”

“I know its a lot to take in—-

“We loved her, you know? Like really really loved her. I don't think I've loved any other woman as much as I have loved her.” Your heart broke at the way he was speaking about Lily with so much pain. All of you were in the same boat, to be honest, You loved Bangtan, Bangtan loved Lily, Lily loved Borris and she didn't give two fucks about who she hurt in the process.

You were all part of a terrible terrible mess, And none of you could do anything about it. “Trust me, I understand how you all must be feeling right now.” Yoongi was visibly at a loss of words, You could see that. You quickly mumbled a quick sorry and switched off the lights to avoid any kind of awkward atmosphere. You had enough of it already.

“DJ…….”

“Hmm?”

“I am sorry.” 

“What for?” 

“I know we didn't know, And we couldn't help how you felt. But now I truly know how it feels when that person you love is not yours.” A tear rolled down your eyes, Though the scenarios were entirely different, but just him at that moment acknowledging that feeling gave you a different strength. They were not at fault, But just the mere thought of someone deeply understanding how and what you've been through healed something. Maybe you were being selfish, But at that moment you didn't give a damn about anything. 

You stayed in the same position facing away from the wall and Yoongi sat up, Leaning on the headboard. None of you said anything anymore. There was a very scarce chance that you would have gotten any sleep considering the way the day had unfolded. You made a feeble attempt to convince yourself that the lack of sleep came from the day you had, And had nothing to do with the man beside you who was already deeply heartbroken. 

You turned towards Yoongi, unable to resist the temptation. A part of you just wanted to pull him in a hug and hold him tight enough to make his pain disappear. Your heart broke into a million pieces looking at Yoongi staring at the wall with a blank expression on his face. 

A knock on your door brought you out of your thoughts, but Yoongi still remained the same. It looked like he didn't even hear it. You touch his hand lightly but upon receiving no response you let the man be and decide to open the door yourself. 

“Can I sleep here?” You make way for Taehyung, who stills for a second when he sees Yoongi on the bed. He quietly sleeps in the middle and places Yoongi’s hand on his chest. Yoongi looks at the younger male in surprise but does not react. You stand still for a minute looking at the scene in front of you. How you wish you had Jeh here. Just his being there made everything so much better.

“Are you going to sleep or what?” 

“Yeah I was going to—- 

“Then come.”

Taehyung’s hand snaked around your waist and you felt a strange sense of comfort. It was kind of a day where you wouldn't choose to be alone. You closed your eyes waiting for sleep to overcome everything you had been through today. You drifted off to light sleep, You ignored any moment that somehow kept happening beside you, Some sleep was all you wanted.

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You opened your eyes to the biggest surprise you had in some time. You could call it a good surprise but it was still a surprise. You were three people when you had slept but you were now waking up to a total of six of them excluding you in your bed. You did not have even the slightest clue when Jimin, Hobi, Jungkook had joined Yoongi, Taehyung, and you on your bed that was meant for two, a Maximum of three and a half. 

You carefully crept out of the bed, making sure not to make any noise because you had no idea when these men had managed to have some sleep. You walked down the steps making up your mind about if you should have woken those guys or if you should just leave them sleeping. You decide the latter and start thinking of the strongest coffee that you would need to make to help with your day better.

You had already made up your mind about half of the things that you had to do today, Choi was on top of it. You could swear you would make him regret coming behind you. 

You park your car in the private parking in the public administrator's building that Choi’s office was in. You make your way to the private entrance of the building which was specifically reserved for the VIP’s visiting the officials. The offices were quite exquisite considering they had special arrangements for the VIPs who didn't want to be seen when they visited the premises and every one of them had a special access card that let them access the building when they needed to.

You take the elevator and land on the floor Choi was located on, The waiting area was absolutely empty apart from the reception.

“Hi, Do you have an appointment?”

“No, But Mr.Choi knows me. Can you inform him of my presence?” The receptionist gauges your calm and collected face for a second and picks up the receiver. You were in half mind if the bastard would see you upon unannounced notice but you had other ways as well.

“I'm sorry but he is a little occupied at the moment, I can pencil you down for some time this week?” You laughed at the weak attempt he made to avoid you. 

“Is he now? Don't worry, that won't be necessary. He will see me in a minute” You send the picture that you had clicked of Mikhail on your phone and look at the camera with a smirk, You knew he was watching you. Ten seconds later the telephone rings and the puzzled receptionist guides you into his office.

“What the hell do you want, I don't know this man?” You laugh at the way the old man didn't bother giving it a minute, You walk towards the couch he was sitting on with a smile that was calm enough to boil his blood. 

“I didn't ask you anything old man, Why don't you give it a minute?”

“DJ, don't think you can fool me with your antics, I'm not bothered.” You let out a laugh listening to his statement, Really? And yet he had let you see him within ten seconds. Ten seconds was all it took you to break that disgusting piece of shit. 

“Okay let me take this picture to the circle then, Let them decide.” You get up and walk towards the door sure of the thing that this time was not your exit, The bastard had too much on the line.

“Wait—-

“You remember now?” 

“Just come back here.”

“Don't leave out a thing, Or else this man is going to be the reason why you will see your own end.”

“He came here because he wanted revenge because you wiped out his family.” 

“And”

“I gave him an idea that he should take down everything you love before you die, And that includes Bangtan.” Now this rang an alarm in your head, Why? Why would he want to go after Bangtan?

“And how did you get in touch with him?”

“You think only you know the people in the Russian mob? I knew it from the day you bought his father here, I tracked him down and led him here indirectly and when he was here I just helped him figure out the details. Since we had the same motives he readily obliged.” You were stunned by the information that the old man had just blurted out, You were still puzzled by how he had planned to use something that didn't involve him in the first place. 

“Why Bangtan?”

“I wanted them all gone.”

“Why?”

“Senior Jung was considering Namjoon to be the head of the circle.” Now this was something that you had no information about. The thought of Choi doing something like this only to eliminate the Bangtan because one of them was supposed to be the next head. You swore you would show him the consequences of it. 

“You did all this because you wanted that position for—

“My son.” He uttered the words rather feebly, Your expression darkened considerably, How stupid was this man that he had chosen to execute all this, and for what. The circle would anyways not have accepted his son, That brat was hopeless. 

You were furious about everything that had been happening in your life, You wanted to bury Lily deep in thorns, This was all because of her, She put you in a mess that was a literal swamp, the more you tried to get out, the deeper you kept going. 

You saw an expression of fear and confusion on Choi’s face. He didn't anticipate you reaching the root of his conspiracy, And probably wondered how you even managed to do this? 

You kept pacing behind his couch, half in a mind to strangle this bastard and chop his head off. You decided the former is a better option. You quietly picked the tie hanging in his coat stand, while the poor guy kept trying to look back trying to gauge your next move.

“Next time I see you playing such dirty tricks on me or either of the men in Bangtan I will make sure you regret the day you were born.” The old man struggled for a breath as you tightened the tie around his neck. How you wished you could choke the life out of this scum.

“I swear I won't” The old man managed to speak a few words in a matter of few seconds, You threw the tie away in disgust and walked out before you ended up killing him for real.

You walk out of the Choi office in a mixed sea of emotions, Anger, despair, and sadness. Those emotions just kept coming back, They kept getting washed to the shore in intervals leaving you in confusion about the way to deal with them.

You kept driving through the roads aimlessly trying to get a hold of your thoughts, You had invited Bratva and Lily’s ex-husband to Korea, That mere thought of Lily’s face when she would see them gave you another wave of sick satisfaction. Even though you were involved in a business that was not legal, and was deeply rooted in blood and conspiracies you never derived any satisfaction that soothed you to the bones, But ever since you knew about Lily’s intentions and her lies there was an evil satisfaction that coursed through your veins. 

The ringing of your phone brought you back to reality from your self-introspection. Seeing Bratva's name on the screen, You hurriedly park your car on the side and with a deep breath click on the answer.  

“DJ” Bratva’s heavy voice booms through the speakers sending a little shiver down your spine even though there was no reason to. 

“Bratva, How are you?” 

“I am good, But something tells me you are not okay, doc.” You almost feel your tears trying to escape through your eyes but you try to keep them in. At that moment you miss Jeh. You had only him in your life who could just by looking at your face, Could tell something was wrong with you. 

“Doch—

“Yeah Bratva, I am right here. Tell me”

“You tell me DJ, What has happened? Something doesn't feel right.”

“Before I tell you what has happened, You will be coming to Korea right?”

“Of Course, we are, What makes you think that I won't come if you call me? We will be there in a week, Zakharov is a little occupied right now. But we will be there for sure.” You smile at the remark reminiscing how you and Bratva had met versus the fondness in his voice right now.

“That's not a problem Bratva, I don't want to inconvenience you in any way— “That's nonsense, Do you want to tell me what happened?”

You narrate the entire event from the time you got back from Russia to Bratva and he listens to you with a stoic expression. The only way you can make the anger emanating from him is the stiffness of his expression and the clenching of his jaw. 

“That bitch” 

“I swear—

“I swear I will kill her when I lay my hands on her—

“Bratva, There is no joy in killing her, I have better plans for her.”

“You mean?” You chuckle at the way Bratva’s face lights up when you say you have a special plan for her, You always felt that this particular idea of putting someone in deep suffering would be ten times gruesome than killing the person and giving them an easy way out, And it was time that Lily tasted this special expertise of yours.

“Bratva, Let me get back to you for the details but for now know that she is in for a treat.” You hear Bratva’s booming laugh and that breaks a smile on your face.

She was indeed in for a treat.

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You open the door cautiously to your home and are immediately greeted by the loud voices in the living room. You could tell from a distance that all seven of them were present in your home right now. You stop at the door and contemplate for a minute whether you should go inside, But then you drive the idea away, This was your fucking house. 

The confusion was about your equation with the men of Bangtan, This was evolving with the speed of light. One day you were mere acquaintances, The next you were supposedly dating, The next you were friends, and now? That was a question you had no answer to.

The room quietens a bit when you enter the room. The sounds that you had been hearing somewhat gave you a hint that they were being joyous about something. 

“Did I miss something?” 

“DJ you won't believe what has happened.” Taehyung pulls you right into the middle of the room and in extremely close proximity to Namjoon, Who you were sure was the source of the good news because the smile on his face was something different than usual.

You were happy and a little relieved to see the boys joyous, Considering how their hearts had been broken and shattered yesterday.

“What happened?’’

“Well Namjoon is the new head of the circle, And that too starting next week. Can you even believe that?” You were genuinely happy for him, Namjoon truly deserved to be the next head, At Least with him being the decision maker, You could breathe in a sigh of relief some of the old traditions needed to be sent packing. With Namjoon, You were sure he would be doing great.

“Congratulations Namjooon, I am so happy for you.” You see a faint dimple appearing on his cheeks right before you experience another shock, He pulls you right into a hug and mumbles a thank you in your hair, You literally felt every syllable of it.

You lose track of how fast your heart starts beating once the woody scent of his perfume engulfs you in its serenity. You remain in his hold for a second, when you pull yourself out of his hold before you lose yourself.

“It's good to see you guys happy.” The boys visibly tense at your remarks but their expressions remain a little on the softer side. 

“It's not like we have an option.”

“Forget that, I think we should go out for dinner or something, I am still sick from yesterday.”

“And—--

“She doesn't need to know, DJ dress up. We leave in fifteen, Max twenty.”

“Wait—--

“Dress up please” Jimin pushes you towards the stairs and you give up on your effort to ask them about Lily. It was definitely strange the way Namjooon said she didn't need to know.

You stand under the shower thinking about everything again and suddenly an idea lights up your face. Namjoon had one week before he had to begin as the head of the circle, And there was also one week before Bratva and Zakharov arrived in Korea. A party would be the perfect opportunity to introduce the two parties to each other, And it would also be a perfect opportunity to stand by and watch the magic unfold.

You hum a happy song walk out of the shower in your towel and stand in front of the mirror before you can spritz some perfume the door to your room bursts open and Jimin and Jungkook come barreling in, You stand shocked to see the two men rooted to their spots with their eyes open.

You clear your throat and gesture towards the door but it looks like it barely registered with them. 

“Out, The door is right behind you.” You try to speak a little louder, hopeful of getting through to them, And before you know it the guys scramble out of the room. You would have to double-check if you locked your room the next time.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

“I wanted to speak to you guys about something.” The boys pause their talks and divert their attention to you. You glance around before you begin to make sure you have everybody’s attention.

“I want to throw a party–

“For? The way all of us have gotten fooled, For that?” You throw a stern glance at Yoongi who surprisingly stays quiet and motions you to go ahead.

“I want to throw a party for Namjoon. He's the new head of the circle and it's a perfect occasion to celebrate.”

“DJ, That is not really req—-

“I am going to invite Bratva and Zakharov to that party too.”

“I'll help with the guest list.” You are quite surprised with the fact that Yoongi and Hobi said that at once, You feel relieved to have the confirmation, Now you are free to plan the party and Lily’s downfall at the same time.

“I would like to see her face. That lying— Taehyung stops himself from uttering the next word. You could clearly see the pain on his face, But there was very little that you could do.

The dinner passes by in a jiffy, considering the excitement the guys had earlier had died down considerably after you mentioned the party and the special guests. But what had to be done, Had to be done. There was no choice.

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A loud banging on your door jolts you awake, You rush to the door fearing the worst consequences when The six guys excluding Jin come rushing into your room, You stand at the door with your eyes and mouth wide open wondering about the reason for this rushed visit.

“She's here, She here.” Jimin points at the door, And for you, it takes a second to register who she is.

“But why are you hiding?”

“We don't want to face her, Not right now.” The panic in the guy's faces tells you that this is not the time to reason with them. 

“Alright, Let me close the door.” But before you could close the door, Lily comes barging in, and before you could say anything she pulls you in for a hug.

“I have been so worried about you, Where were you, DJ? I was so worried they did something with you.” The grip that she had been tightening on you was suffocating you to no end, Her lies just didn't seem to end.

“She's fine, Don't worry.” Lily looked at Hobi with a shocked expression, It was evident that she didn't expect this reaction out of him. You clear your throat at the intervention and move behind Hobi to keep a safe distance from her. You could totally understand why the boys were running away from her, Only you knew how you were resisting the urge to strangle her right there.

“I am fine Lily, Don't worry. They didn't do anything to me. In fact, I was worried about you.”

You could see an uncomfortable expression surfacing on Lily's face but she hides it like a pro. You look at the guys who keep making weird attempts to avoid her by looking everywhere in the room except Lily herself. 

“Where were you all?”

“We, We have been a little busy.” 

“Yeah, He's right. We were busy, In fact very busy.” Taehyung tries to make it sound as if what he is saying is super important but his attempts just go in vain. The poor guy couldn't lie to save his life.

“Tae, are you trying to lie to me?” 

“Actually they're all really worried about us.” You quickly jump in to save Taehyung and the only way you could do that was by turning the tables.

“Us?”

“We are—?” You throw a stern look at Namjoon, Which ends up working on Yoongi too. You could see he was about to say something. 

“Yeah, So what I was saying was, You know how you were kidnapped? I mean both of us were kidnapped? They're wondering who did it, you know? And what could be the intention behind the kidnapping? “ You feel the same satisfaction when you feel Lily tensing after every question, It has definitely worked.

“You don't need to worry you guys, I am fine. Absolutely fine.” Lily tries stepping back to make an exit, But you step right behind her and block her way. You were not done with her yet.

“Do you remember anything from that day Lily?” You feel Lily tensing up even more, The fun is about to begin.

“I—---

“Try to remember Lily, The guys are really worried about you–

“And you.” 

“Sorry?”

“We were worried about you both, I meant.”

“So Lily, Babe, do you remember anything at all? Try to remember.” Jungkoook steals Lily from you places a hand on her shoulder and begins walking to the other guys. Turn by turn Lily passed around like a little doll, And you could see the way she was feeling deeply uncomfortable. A few minutes into the sweet interrogation, She would be sure to sweat.

“Namjoon, Baby I am not feeling too well. Can you take me home?”

“Actually baby, Jimin and Taehyung will take you home. I have a meeting.” 

“Hyung—

“Take Jungkook with you.”

“Hyung,” It was Jungkook's turn to whine, Lily looked at them with a very confused expression. This probably was the first time when the guys must have been avoiding taking her home. Generally from what you saw, It was actually the opposite.

“Go please.” Namjoons stern voice drives the four of them out of the room in a jiffy, You breathe a sigh of relief. The stress that these few minutes had brought was immense. 

“Close the door please.” 

“Sure” You close the door with a confused expression, "They were going to be sleeping here too?

“That's my side, Pick somewhere else.” The way Yoongi pushed Hobi, brought a smile on both your and Namjoon's faces. 

“I will sleep here, I mean Sit here.” Namjoon points towards the sofa on your right and you nod in a yes. You take your place on the bed and the rest of them settle on the bed. 

“Where’s Jin?” You ask, Remembering that you had not seen him after dinner.

“He's gone for a drive, He ran away the minute he saw Lily coming. You laugh the way Hobi scowls, You turn off the lights, and the minute your head hits the pillow you feel sleep taking over you in a minute. 

You wake up with some light ruffling on the side, You turn on the lights to see Jin trying to make some space on the bed, The way he was mumbling something clearly indicated that he was drunk. There were multiple bedrooms in the house and all these men could find was your room.

“Jin–

Your eyes widen when Jin stumbles to your side and kisses the top of your head. Good night, It takes him a few stumbles to reach back to the spot he made for himself. He sleeps on his stomach and passes out faster than a second.

You take a look at Namjoon who was fast asleep, But in an awkward position. You quickly bring the spare pillow adjust his head and decide to go back to sleep. It was indeed a long night.

You had enough time for planning a party, You started with the major things by scheduling details for Bratva’s travel. They had agreed to be in Korea the following week. The guys keep staying at your place and absolutely refuse to return to their homes. Lily without a doubt kept herself occupied, Your guess was probably she was trying to figure out the whereabouts of her boyfriend.

The boys kept waiting for the day when Lily and the special guests would arrive. You kept yourself busy with your work, Party arrangements, and some last-minute deliveries. 

The guys kept hovering around you for one reason or the other, From receiving zero attention from them to having their attention on yourself was overwhelming, to say the least, And you definitely had a problem with the fact that the attention doubled in front of Lily, It sometimes looked like they were doing it on purpose. But you avoided saying anything to them because given what was going on from the past couple of days, You didn't want to create any more drama. 

You tried keeping yourself as away as you could from the cold war that was happening, Lily sometimes tried to stay over and it would end up with everyone in your room.

You decided to ignore everything for the time being, Your sole focus was making the party a huge hit, One for establishing a good image for Namjoon, And mainly was the grand reveal.

The only good thing that kept you sane was your calls with Marco and Jeh. Though Jeh was still unconscious you still made it a point to talk to him at least thrice a day. Marco made sure he let you vent your heart out, You had no idea how you could ever thank god for these two. 

While it was long back that Marco and Jeh had been in Malaga, all of that felt like it was yesterday.

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You walked around the hall greeting and speaking to guests with Namjoon, You had felt weird that Namjoon had asked you to be at his side at all times. You didn't say anything considering that it was a big day for him today. 

Lily kept greeting the other guests alone, you were sure it might have raised eyebrows but that was not something you were going to bother yourself with. You kept looking at your phone to check if Bratva and Zakharov had landed, You received a text message indicating that they had arrived safely, You felt your nerves starting to explode, The excitement, anxiety, and stress of everything had you gulping down flutes of champagne.

“You okay?” Namjoon asked as you finished your flute, You looked at him once and once at the door. There still wasn't any sign of the arrival of the guests.

“It's just the nerves.”

“Don't worry everything will be fine.” Namjoon holds your hand in a tight grip and that somewhat soothes the anxiety inside you.

You keep greeting the guests as they come, and when the beep sounds on your phone you breathe a sigh of relief, Bratva and Zakharov were here, And so were Mikhail and Borris. You had gotten both of them intentionally there, That was a twist you decided to throw in at the last minute. This was going to be epic.

Mikhail was obviously still in bad shape but you had made sure that he had been accommodated well in a wheelchair, And he was kept conscious deliberately to see how bad he had failed.

You kept doing rounds and once you were sure that all the invited people had arrived, You checked your phone for the latest update, And you saw a message from Jin. He had already taken Bratva and Zakharov with them backstage, Mikhail and Borris would be making a grand appearance with them.

The guys made sure Lily was with them once Bratva arrived, And turn by turn the guys wished you and Namjoon good luck.

You walk with Namjoon on the stage and take the mic to greet everyone, You and Namjoon keep arguing over who would introduce the special guests, But Namjoon ends up winning because apparently his vote came with seven other votes that refused to listen to anything. 

You saw the crowd waiting with a smile, It was finally happening. The nerves had calmed down considerably and you were more than okay to witness the spectacle.

“Hello Everyone! Thank You so much for attending today’s party, I am sure each one of you knows how much it means to us. It sure is a big day for Namjoon, Who is about to begin a wonderful tenure as the head of our circle. It is my greatest pleasure to be greeting you all and also host this special occasion. “ you ended the short note with a formal address to the crowd. You handed the mic to Namjoon who thanked everyone who attended the party. He held your hand when he was about to finish his speech, Indicating it was time.

“Now Ladies And Gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to our very special guests who have arrived here from Russia specially on our invitation. Please give it up for our very dear Bratva and Vladimir Zakharov and their friends Mikhail and Borris.” 

The color drained from Lily’s face visibly and in a fraction of a second, you saw fear flashing on her face. You and Namjoon walked down from the dice, Yoongi and Hobi made sure that there was no way Lily escaped from their grip, Even though she tried hard to make excuses they didn't budge saying they had to introduce her to the special guests.

“Bratva, this is the other members of Bangtan, This is Yoongi, Taehyung, Hobi, Jimin, Jungkook, Jin and this is the most special member of the group, Lily.” The guys one by one exchanged pleasantries with Bratva and Zakharov, While Lily tried to maintain her composure the sweat on her forehead and the constant effort to free her hand from Yoongi said otherwise. Her expression changed drastically after Zakharov turned to her and took her other hand to place a kiss on the back of her hand.

“Hello Ms.Lily, Or should I say My wife?”

[chimcess]

→ Chapter Twelve: All in Blue Pairing: Jimin x Reader Other tags: Werewolf!Jimin, Witch!Reader, Shifter!Reader, Shifter!Jimin, A/B/O Dynamics, Alpha!Jimin Genre: Supernatural!AU, Werewolf!AU, Angst, Mutual Pining, Fluff, Smut, Word Count: 21.2k+ Synopsis: Within the four realms of Lustra lay the Bangtan forest home to the Foxglove pack of the south and known as the “land of magic.” It is also home to the Bridd, a powerful witch from a cursed bloodline who is one of the sacred guardians of the forest. Y/N is the newest Bridd, a young girl who was given her position too early. Now a woman, Y/N is revered amongst the wolves as the most powerful witch they have ever known, but hiding under the surface is a woman who has to battle between her duty and her heart. Warnings: frenemies dynamic, PTSD, nightmares, guilt, shame, Bridd isn't doing very well mentally, bickering, I loved Lily, Lily is such a stupid jerk and I love her for it, near death experience, flashbacks, minor character deaths, violence, blood, strong language, everyone at this point needs a hug, homesickness, illness, major character injured, trauma bonding, they definitely have a big-sis-little-sis dynamic going on, sarcasm, everyone in the fic has my sense of humor and I'm sorry I'm not funnier, fire magic, this is one of the more "boring" chapters depending on who you ask, mostly traveling and small arguments, until something changes, I just really like their dynamic and wanted to showcase it a lot, psychosis, learning more about Lustra's history, dumb bird jokes because why not?, I think that's it, let me know if I missed anything... A/N: I'm super ahead for TTW right now, and because of the long hiatus I thought posting an extra chapter before the year was over was a great present to those who love this story as much as I do.

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The days blurred together as we trudged through the forest. I couldn't tell when one ended and the next began—just this constant rhythm of exhaustion as we pushed on toward the mountains. The trees stretched high above us, thick and ancient, their branches weaving into a dark canopy that barely let in any light. Everything below was muted in mossy green, an eerie half-light that felt alive.

Every step felt heavier than the last, the path twisting in ways that kept us on edge, making every mile harder to bear. The silence between Lily and me only made it worse. It was a silence filled with tension, our brief moments of peace fragile enough to break—and sometimes they did. We’d snap at each other, sharp and heated, until there was nothing left but the hollow feeling that came after a fight. Then we’d go back to walking, simmering with everything we hadn’t said, unable to let it go.

Lily was a hurricane. Fierce, chin high, baby blue eyes blazing—she threw words like knives when she was mad enough. Never below the belt, but always enough to sting. And I was no better. I met her glare for glare, word for word, each exchange becoming a contest we both needed to win. It was like striking a flint, both of us desperate to spark something—just to feel anything besides the numbness that the blurred days brought us. But when the arguments faded, I’d catch a glimpse of something softer in her.

If I had a cough, she’d make me tea from whatever plants and herbs she could find. When I was tired, she’d insist we stop and rest. If I got stuck, eyes glazed over, flames and screams dancing across my vision like I was back home, she’d ask me what color the sky was, and we’d play I-Spy for a few hours.

It wasn’t all bad, but I could say with almost complete certainty that we were two hotheads trying our best to bite our tongues before we started another round of bickering.

The forest only made the tension worse. Shadows seemed to shift around us, almost as if they were laughing at our arguments, at our hopeless journey. I’d wondered a few times if it was the fae and their games. It wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for them, and very few were able to come out of the Hollow Below without first being summoned. The thought of them laughing at us only made me angrier, and my irritation would rise.

Unfortunately for me, Lily was far better at quick-witted insults, and I’d end up stewing alone, back to the campfire, pretending to sleep.

Each night, we’d set up camp with an invisible line drawn between us, both unwilling to cross it. The fire would flicker in the gap between us—warm, but never enough to thaw the wall we’d built. Yet, in those rare moments, when she looked at me without the bite in her eyes, it felt different. Softer. Like maybe I wasn’t as alone as I thought.

I’d never asked her how old she was, but the few strands of silver in her black hair, the smile lines, and crow's feet told me she might be around Yoona or Thelma’s age. All of us lived long lives, witches the longest of the three, but I’d heard hybrids and shapeshifters had similar lifespans. Hybrids lived slightly longer since shifting took so much energy and strength.

I hoped that made Jimin and me evenly matched. I couldn’t imagine living a single second longer than him, and I was certain if I went first, he’d follow me soon after. Wolves couldn’t live without their mates. The thought of Jimin dying made me far more upset than I already was, so I pushed that thought to the back of my mind.

Finally, after days of endless trees and winding trails, the Ozryn Mountains appeared, jagged and dark against the horizon—so close, but still so far. Progress.

I looked over at Lily and found her already smiling back at me. Her smile softened her face, making her look so much younger. Her dimples shone prettily in the light, the diamond studs a soft baby pink. Her gold teeth hit the sun, and my eyes immediately locked on the two ruby gems on the other side of her mouth. Lily said she got them done as repayment for helping a jeweler’s family get their supplies back from a couple of thieves in Whopping. Reds and pinks were her favorite colors, and I thought they looked nice. She was a beautiful woman despite her scarring and less-than-appealing attitude.

“We won’t have much cover going through the desert,” she told me, her voice raspy. “We’ll need to stay vigilant. Keld’s Landing will be the next forest before we’re in the tundra.”

I nodded. “We’ll make it.”

Lily hummed and continued walking.

One afternoon, we came to a fork in the road, the trail splitting into two narrow paths. Lily glanced down one and nodded, her voice crisp and unwavering. “We take the left,” she said, pointing toward the path that disappeared into a curve. Her tone was clipped, like it wasn’t up for debate.

“No,” I said, feeling the familiar frustration build. I pulled out the map, unfolding it with more force than necessary. “The right leads straight to the mountains.” The paper crinkled loudly as I jabbed a finger at the marked trail.

The sun was beaming down, scorching the back of my neck. The desert wasn’t like the ones I’d heard of in Idris—not blisteringly hot, but with tall rocky cliffs, massive hills we had to climb through and around, and most of the paths covered in thick layers of red dirt and sand. We’d found the current path using the map in my hands, and it made Lily’s stubbornness even more frustrating. The map was obviously useful.

She crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing as she looked at me. “I’ve been this way before,” she said, her voice cold, dismissive. “The left is safer. Trust me.”

“And I’ve got the map,” I shot back, shaking it slightly for emphasis. We stood there, a silent standoff brewing between us, neither of us willing to back down.

I took a deep breath, trying to keep my voice steady. “The right is quicker. We’ll save time.”

Her gaze didn’t waver. “Maybe, but it’s a mess of dead ends and loose rocks. Do you want to make this harder? Don’t be naive, Y/N.”

My heart pounded, and my breathing grew shallow. I was going to explode if she kept this up. I wasn’t stupid.

“You were fine with the map before,” I argued.

“Because we weren’t sure where we were. I am now. The right trail is slightly faster, but there are rock warnings posted everywhere, and we’ll end up having to cut through even more dangerous areas trying to avoid the cliffs.”

I looked down at the map, doubt gnawing at the edges of my resolve. The lines blurred, exhaustion clouding my vision, and I glanced back at her, at her determined expression, her jaw set as if daring me to challenge her. Reluctantly, I felt my resolve waver.

“Fine,” I muttered, tucking the map away with a sigh. “We’ll go left. But if we get lost, it’s on you.”

A hint of satisfaction flickered in her eyes, and her tone softened. “We won’t get lost.”

The path was steep, lined with large, dead trees that closed in tighter as we moved. The silence still hung between us, but I could tell Lily was trying to soften me. She’d offer a hand when the trail got rough, and her voice lost a bit of its bite when she passed me a piece of bread. It didn’t help soften my resolve.

Call it pride or stubbornness, but I didn’t like being talked down to.

One night, we stopped to camp under a sky full of stars, the fire casting flickering shadows across the clearing. The cavern was still, the quiet wrapping around us, but for once, it didn’t feel heavy. We sat across from each other, tired and sore, but the silence didn’t press down on us the way it usually did.

The firelight danced in Lily’s eyes, and for a brief moment, there was no hardness, no anger—just the two of us, two people stuck together on a journey neither of us could make alone. It was strange, almost surreal, like some part of me had been waiting for this moment, for the quiet to settle between us without all the tension.

Lily’s voice broke the silence, softer than I was used to. “I can’t believe I’m doing this all over again,” she muttered, her hands busy stacking more firewood. There was something weary in her tone, a softness that hadn’t been there before.

I leaned back, feeling the ache of the day’s travel settle into my bones. “You’re better at it than I am,” I said, a faint smile tugging at my lips.

She shot me a look, her eyes narrowing, but there was a glimmer of humor there. “Flattery won’t get you out of it next time,” she said, tossing a log onto the fire. The flames crackled, sending warmth into the cold night air.

I sighed, settling onto my bedroll as the warmth of the fire seeped into me. The sounds of the forest surrounded us—leaves rustling, faint calls in the distance, and bugs chirping. It felt almost peaceful.

“Can I be honest with you for a moment?”

I rolled my eyes, trying to keep the ire from my voice. That always meant she was going to say something that pissed me off. And she knew it. It was why she always tried to pretend it was in the name of honesty.

Really, it was her catch-all phrase for saying whatever she felt like and then acting all high and mighty when I got angry.

“Why ask?” I couldn’t keep the bitterness out of my voice, no matter how hard I tried. “It’s never stopped you before.”

Lily’s voice came again, hesitant, in a way that caught me off guard. “Look, I don’t like arguing with you any more than you do,” she said, her gaze fixed on the flames. “We’re stuck together, whether we like it or not. So... I’ll try to cool it. But I need you to work with me.”

I scoffed, the words coming out before I could stop them. “You act like I’m the one who always starts it,” I snapped, irritation flaring up again. “Or should I remind you about how you caused this entire attitude issue you’re so mad about?”

Lily raised an eyebrow, folding her arms as her face hardened. “Oh, really?” she said, her tone thick with disbelief. “Care to explain that one?”

I felt the sting of her words, sharper than I wanted to admit. “You called me stupid,” I threw back, the memory still fresh and bitter. “I was trying to help, and you just... dismissed me. Didn’t even bother to apologize.”

She rolled her eyes, her voice sliding into that condescending edge that always got under my skin. “I did not call you stupid. I called you naive. There’s a difference. You’re out of your depth, and you’re too stubborn to admit it. If you’d just listen to me—”

“Naive, stupid—what’s the difference?” I shot back, getting to my feet, anger bubbling up. “You act like I don’t know anything, like I haven’t seen things, lived through things. You’ve known me for what, two weeks? You don’t know anything about me.”

For a split second, something shifted in her expression. The firelight flickered across her face, and her eyes softened, the harshness slipping away. “Then tell me,” she said quietly. “I can’t know if you don’t tell me.”

Her words lingered, raw and open, hovering between us. And for a second, I almost told her. Almost let it all spill out—the fears, the doubts, the parts of me I kept locked away. But the words tangled in my throat, too heavy, too real. I looked away, feeling the anger drain out of me, leaving only a dull ache behind.

“I need some air,” I muttered, turning before she could stop me, before she could ask me anything else.

“Wait,” she called after me, but I was already slipping into the darkness beyond the firelight, letting the shadows of the cliffs close around me.

A few minutes later, I was flying.

The days that followed were rough, each one feeling heavier than the last. Every step through that desert felt harder than the one before. We barely spoke, and when we did, the words were clipped, bordering on shouting each time we opened our mouths. Silence was easier than trying to find the right words—easier than pretending we were more than just two people stuck together out of necessity. It felt like a chasm had opened between us, growing wider each day.

But even in the silence, there were still those small moments that showed we still cared, even if we refused to say it. When the path got rough and I stumbled, her hand would still reach out, steadying me before I fell. When a fallen branch blocked our way, I’d offer my hand to help her over it. These moments were rare, but they were good reminders that we were still in this together. Whether we liked it or not.

The desert slowly began to give way, sand turning to dirt and mud, dying grass making way for glimpses of the Ozryn Mountains in the distance. They loomed closer, their dark, jagged peaks stark against the sky. We were getting closer, and I could already begin to smell the pine in the distance. We’d reach Keld’s Landing first, and then we’d finally be in the danger zone.

I was just as terrified as I was relieved.

Of course, the peace couldn’t last long. As we walked through the ever-thickening forest, I was thrown by the twists and turns the paths took—paths my map couldn’t always account for. I knew they were old, but how old didn’t really hit me until I found myself relying more on Lily’s judgment than the piece of parchment in my hands.

Then, we finally found a path that did line up with my map, and I was more than happy to jump at the chance to be useful. I stopped walking, looking up from the map. The path split into two directions, winding off into thicker areas of forest. We were still just barely on the outskirts, the aspens few and far between, many of them missing their pines. Lily stopped, studying the paths, her eyes narrowed.

I had a feeling we were about to have another argument and prepared myself to be willing to back off. Lily had been the bigger person during our last real spat, and I needed to learn to calm things down, too.

“Right,” she said firmly, her voice leaving no room for debate.

I took out the map, already feeling the tension coil between us. “This says left.”

She crossed her arms, her tone challenging. “I’ve been here before. The right path is safer.”

It only took a second for the argument to erupt, our voices bouncing off the trees, sharp and heated. But as we argued, something else crept in, a realization that was harder to ignore. We were fighting over nothing. I knew this map wasn’t the most reliable, and truthfully, Lily wasn’t saying anything to warrant my bad attitude. She was just trying to guide us—the only reason we were even traveling together. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to hold back the worst of my temper, even though I wanted nothing more than to tell her how right I was and how wrong she was.

Not to mention, we’d just had this fight a week ago.

“Fine,” I said, forcing the word out, each syllable heavy. “We’ll go right.”

She looked at me, surprise flickering across her face. “Thank you,” she murmured, her voice barely more than a whisper.

We kept moving, the path winding through the ever-thickening forest. The grass was becoming greener, the trees fuller and more closely packed together. We were still a few miles out of Keld’s Landing, but I had a feeling we would get through it soon enough. If we were lucky, we could stay inside the forest long into the mountains, as it crossed throughout the southern regions of Ozryn. We’d have to cut across and start heading southeast eventually, but the trees would help protect us from the harshest winds the mountains had to offer.

That night, we made camp as stars began to prick through the deepening dusk. The silence between us wasn’t tense or uncomfortable; it was just... quiet. The fight from earlier was forgotten, and honestly, I didn’t have the energy or the desire to rehash it. We were adults—we needed to start acting like it. Liking each other was secondary to our mission. The fire cast warm light over us, softening Lily’s face. She looked more tired than I remembered, and a pang of guilt settled in my chest for the way I’d acted sometimes. Especially when it really didn’t matter who was right or wrong.

We were both going to the same place, and she was right—I was being naive and stupid if I thought I knew everything about surviving out here.

“Thank you,” I said quietly, each word carrying more weight than I intended.

“What for?”

I turned to look at her, her eyes staring into the flames. I wondered what she saw in them. I knew what they did to me. Some nights, I’d have to sleep as far away from the smoke as I could or else I couldn’t sleep. Cordelia would visit me in those moments, her eyes far away, that awful look on her face. Then I’d start to smell blood, and I’d need to get as far away from camp as I could without worrying Lily. I hoped nothing as horrible as that haunted her.

With the way she spoke about Duke, though, I wasn’t so sure.

“For putting up with me,” I sighed. “I’ve always been difficult and hard-headed. I’m just sorry you’re the one who has to deal with it.”

She glanced up at me, her eyes warm, a soft smile spreading across her face. “You don’t have to thank me. Let’s just get through this. Together.”

I nodded, and in that moment, something shifted inside me—a tiny ember of hope, barely there but undeniably real. It wasn’t much, but right now, it was enough.

“No need to apologize either,” she rasped, turning her gaze back to the fire. “I’m responsible for my own behavior, and I know I’m not the most accommodating. We’ll learn to get used to each other.”

“Don’t think we really have a choice.”

We both laughed softly.

The fire burned low, casting long shadows, and the forest around us was quiet, a peace settling over it that matched the calm between us. As Lily drifted off to sleep, I stayed by the fire, watching the embers glow in the darkness.

I thought of home, the wet grass and how it tickled my feet in the spring. The first time I met Yoongi. He was so small and tiny back then. A late bloomer, Aldara had called him. I couldn’t have been more than six at the time, and Yoongi was eight or nine. He’s only two years younger than Wendy and Jin, but at the time you’d have sworn we were the same age.

His hair was long, almost to his mid-back, puffing up in frizzy waves that floated everywhere. He was always shyer than me, but I remember the moment we locked eyes and how quickly I knew he’d be in my life forever. I chuckled to myself.

I had liked him when we were younger, but between Wendy and Nixie, I knew I didn’t want to push the boundaries of our friendship. The older I got, the more I saw him as a brother—the same way I saw Jin. Jimin’s reappearance in my life helped too. It was impossible to be in love with anyone else when those eyes locked on mine for the first time since that Yule night.

Yoongi knew, of course. Yoongi always knew everything. We talked about my crush and both came to the same conclusions. It was easy to fall in love with someone when you didn’t have any other options. That’s when he first told me about him and Delta. I never would’ve guessed Yoongi liked boys, but I also never would’ve thought he’d sneak around with Wendy’s sister behind her back.

God, the entire circle was so messed up. I hoped everyone was alright. I always kept them in check, and without that balance, I worried about how Jin would handle things.

Staring at the sky, I rolled my eyes. That boy…

He was like my little brother despite being four years older. We met when Hyolin came to the house to introduce herself to me. Jin always treated me like a pest back then, but that changed after I brought Wendy around a few years later. Things started with him using me to get closer to Wendy, but our friendship became more genuine than any other relationship he had. He had a bullying streak with Yoongi at the best of times due to his jealousy, and he was known to be selfish and immature even when he swore he wasn’t.

Wendy brought out the worst in him.

She always said it’s why she couldn’t stand being his girlfriend for more than a few weeks. He was suffocating and so hyper-fixated on the past that he couldn’t see what they had. When we were younger, in our teens, I laughed in her face and told her there wasn’t a past if she was still in love with Yoongi. Now, I felt for her more than I ever thought I could. They were both insanely selfish and put Yoongi in the middle of everything, but Wendy had always been clear and firm when it came to Seokjin. He just didn’t know when to quit, and she went out with him because it was easier than breaking his heart.

Love always had its way of complicating even the strongest of friend groups, and ours was no exception. It was a shame, really. We were always so good with one another back then...

When I left, it seemed like things were better between them this time around, but I knew things neither of them did. Things that would tear everything apart if they even heard the slightest whisper of it.

I didn’t know if Wendy could forgive Yoongi and me for keeping it from her, and I knew Jin would pick her side if it meant keeping her around. Nixie’s marriage could be at risk since many humans still held to the tradition of a woman being a virgin when wed, and Delta would be in a tight spot if word got out about him being gay. If it got back to his father, he’d risk losing his home.

Syrena was one of the least progressive parts of the magical world next to Foxglove. Even Viridi Gramine had more progress, and wolves were known for being as misogynistic and homophobic as they come. I hoped Yoongi was staying safe.

And Jimin, and Taehyung, and Callisto, and Mi-Jeong, and Hoseok, and Hyuna; and Yoona, and Enver, and Thelma; and...

I sighed, turning on my side. I needed to stretch my wings. My head was too crowded right now.

As the sky deepened into purples and golds, I got to my feet, drifting away from the fire until the shadows of the forest swallowed me up. I glanced back once, just to be sure—Lily was already asleep, her breathing steady, her shoulders rising and falling in a calm rhythm that was, oddly, comforting. A small smile tugged at my lips—part relief, part guilt. It was better this way, safer for her not to see this part of me.

It wasn’t that I thought she’d run off into the forest screaming, but I knew if she saw what I could do, she’d figure out what I was immediately. I was supposed to be dead, if the whispers from our time in those small human towns throughout Clarcton were anything to go by, and I wasn’t sure what an enemy would be able to get out of her if we were separated. I wasn’t ready to risk that. She didn’t need to know yet.

Maybe later, when things were calmer and we were closer to the mountains, I’d let her know. Out here, I was too afraid of who or what might see us together. Even if I didn’t particularly care for her, I didn’t want anything bad to happen to her either. Secrets were safer. I think she’d understand. I was sure she had a few of her own.

With the moon high in the sky, I walked further and further away from camp. My heart felt heavy, and I didn’t really feel like doing much of anything, but I hoped feeling the breeze against my feathers would help soothe my growing headache. Finally, when I looked back and found that I could no longer see Lily, I relaxed and closed my eyes.

The transformation started slowly, like a ripple through my bones, a tingling that spread over my skin, a strange sensation that felt both sharp and ticklish. My bones felt like they were hollowing out, my skin prickling as feathers began to push through, soft and light, spreading across my arms as they stretched out into wings. My senses sharpened—the night seemed to grow brighter, the scent of the forest more vivid, the air more alive around me. The world grew bigger as I felt myself shrinking.

It felt so gentle and soft compared to the torturous process it used to be. It felt freeing.

Then, in an instant, I shifted—wings stretched wide, reaching into the night, ready to lift me. With one strong push, I took flight. The wind rushed past me, cool and crisp, and I kawed loudly into the silent night sky. So far, we hadn’t seen many birds in this area, and I wasn’t in the mood for socializing.

The first few flaps were exhilarating, my wings catching the air as I ascended higher, the forest below shrinking until the trees looked like tiny clusters of dark green. I let out a long whistle of joy, the sound escaping me unbidden, a sound so colorful and filled with so many different calls and notes that I wasn’t sure any passing bird could understand what was happening. The moon hung above me, round and silver, lighting my path, and I felt weightless, the cool night air rushing over my feathers as I twisted and turned. The stars above seemed close enough to touch, like a blanket of glittering diamonds spread across the sky, and I reveled in the vastness of it all.

I swooped low, skimming the treetops, the tips of my wings brushing the highest branches, sending a few leaves fluttering to the ground below. I darted upward again, spiraling in a lazy circle, my wings catching the wind and carrying me higher, spinning until the world blurred beneath me in shades of green and silver. There was a wildness in my heart that matched the thrill of the wind beneath my wings, a giddy kind of joy that I hadn’t felt in a long time.

I raced the wind, diving down, then soaring up again. I glided over a small clearing, the grass glowing faintly under the moonlight. The air was cool, carrying with it the scent of pine and damp earth, and I breathed it in deeply, filling my lungs, feeling the cold in my hollow bones.

It didn’t bother me. This body could handle the chill better than my human one. I whistled again and dove down.

I darted between the trees, my wings folding close as I twisted through narrow gaps. There was nothing like this—nothing like the rush of the air against me, the world opening up beneath me, limitless and wide. I spun and twirled, playing with the wind, my heart soaring with every beat of my wings. For this moment, nothing else mattered. I was alive, and the world was mine.

Then, without warning, I glanced back up at the moon and thought of silver hair, and all that joy began to ebb.

My thoughts began to drift, unbidden, to Jimin. I could almost see his face in my mind—his laughter, the way his eyes crinkled at the corners, that soft smile that always seemed to hold so much warmth. I thought of the way he’d hold me, his arms strong and comforting, his voice low as he whispered dreams of a future that now felt so far away.

The ache was sharp and hollow, and as the wind carried me higher, it seemed to grow, pressing into my chest until it was all I could feel. I missed him—missed him so much it hurt. I missed the quiet moments, the simple comfort of just being by his side. I let out a cry, sharp and raspy, swallowed by the wind as I banked, gliding above the treetops. I wished, with every part of me, that I could turn back to him, fly straight into his arms, tell him I loved him one more time.

But I couldn’t. Not yet. Not while there was still so much to be done. I thought of the others—of my family and friends who I had left behind without much thought on that night. They had trusted me to take this path, to do what needed to be done, and I could only hope they understood—that they didn’t see my absence as abandonment. I was sure Yoongi and Wendy would understand. The elders as well. It was Jin and Taehyung I worried most about. They were both too sensitive and took most things to heart—even when they didn’t need to.

Jin would grow angry and revert back to that childish and angry boy I knew when I was fifteen. Taehyung… it was difficult to say. I knew him well enough, but I didn’t think anyone would allow him to wallow and cry for very long. It was unbecoming for their new Chief, and I had to imagine how frustrated and alone he would feel.

His mate went behind his back. His friend left him without much of a goodbye. The only reason people wanted him to come back was to make Sol happy. There was much on his plate, and I worried no one was there to hold him up. At least, no one he would really want to be there for him right now.

I hoped, at the very least, he and Namjoon were able to make up.

My wings beat steadily, carrying me over the dark expanse of the forest, the grass stretching endlessly below. I flew on, my heart heavy, the weight of longing pressing down on me. And yet, even in the sadness, there was something else—fierce determination. I would find my way back. One day, I would fly not just for the joy of it, but to return home, to the people who meant everything to me.

That one day came closer with each step we took towards those mountains.

With a sigh, I turned, folding my wings and gliding back toward our camp. The ground rose up to meet me, and I landed softly, feeling the transformation reverse itself—feathers vanishing, bones solidifying, skin reforming. I took a deep breath, letting it settle. But as I straightened up, I froze.

Lily was standing at the edge of the clearing, staring at me, her eyes wide. For a second, neither of us moved, the forest around us holding its breath. My heart pounded in my chest, a mix of fear and something else I couldn’t name.

“You’re... a Bridd?” she whispered, her voice barely a murmur, filled with a mix of disbelief and wonder.

I swallowed, panic clawing at my throat, but I forced myself to stay calm. “Yes,” I said quietly, almost apologetic. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

“It’s fine,” she whispered back, her eyes still wide. Her hair was down now, her hood tossed aside, exposing her ears. Looking at them now, it felt silly to keep this part of my life away from her. Even if she was captured—the elves would be more excited about her death than mine. I was a threat because of my magic. Lily was an abomination of nature according to their laws. Guilt ate away at me like a rabid dog. “Why didn’t you say something sooner? This is…”

She trailed off, not finishing her sentence.

“It’s... not something I share easily. Or ever. Everyone I’ve ever known was aware. It didn’t feel all that important,” Then, because I knew I was partially lying, I threw in the real reason. “And I was nervous about one of us being captured. Didn’t think it would be good for you to see me.”

There was a silence, thick and heavy. My heart was lodged somewhere in my throat as I waited, bracing for whatever reaction might come. I couldn’t help but notice the way Lily’s black fox ears twitched, peeking out from beneath her hair, her big, fluffy burnt orange tail slowly unfurling behind her as she processed what I had said. Her eyes, wide with a mix of awe and curiosity, never left mine.

Her expression softened, awe giving way to something else—something almost... respectful. She took a step closer, her tail swishing slightly, her gaze unwavering.

“That’s... incredible,” she said, her voice filled with genuine wonder. Her ears perked up, her usual guarded demeanor slipping away, replaced by something far more open and intrigued. She moved a little closer, her curiosity evident.

“How does it work?” she asked, her tone brightening with interest. “Can you just... shift whenever you want?”

I exhaled, letting go of some of the tension that had built up inside me. Her ears twitched as she waited for my answer, her tail swaying in slow, steady arcs. “Yes,” I replied. “It wasn’t always like that, but... yeah, I can shift whenever.”

Lily nodded, her ears tilting slightly as she took in my words. She seemed thoughtful, her eyes still wide with wonder. “But…How? When?” She shook her head, stepping closer to me, her tail wagging. “How?”

“It’s a long story,” I scratched the back of my neck, moving towards the fire. It was cold out here, and I no longer had feathers to insulate my body. “But the shortened version is I died and came back to life.”

“I can’t imagine…,” she murmured, her gaze softening. Her fox tail brushed against her leg, the fur catching the moonlight as she shifted her weight. “You had to be desperate. Are you alright now?”

I looked away, feeling a tightness in my chest as the words slipped out before I could stop them. “It’s been hard,” I admitted, my voice quieter. “I can admit I don’t know much about being normal, but I’m trying. I apologize for being a bad partner. It’s hard to trust someone who isn’t being honest.”

Lily was quiet for a moment, her ears flicking slightly, her gaze fixed on the ground. Then she looked up, her eyes meeting mine, steady and sincere. “I get it,” she said softly. “I don’t know if I’d have reacted well before. I-” She paused, her voice growing even softer, almost gentle. “Thanks for trusting me now.”

A smile tugged at the corners of my lips, small but genuine. “Thanks for not freaking out,” I said, my voice carrying a note of humor.

She laughed quietly, her fox ears flattening slightly with amusement, her tail giving a small flick. The sound was a soothing balm to my frayed nerves, easing the tension I hadn’t even realized I was still holding. “Freaking out’s usually my first instinct,” she admitted, a hint of laughter in her eyes. “But... I think I’m getting better at this whole ‘not panicking’ thing.”

Her honesty made me laugh too, the sound light and freeing. Just like that, the tension that had hung between us for so long seemed to ease. It wasn’t gone—not completely—but it felt like we’d crossed a line, moved a little closer to something like understanding.

“Still haven’t quite gotten the hang of the bitch part, right?” I joked back.

“No,” she chuckled. “Don’t think I ever will. Unless you fix it first.”

I laughed, stretching my legs, bending down to touch my toes. Shifting always made me so stiff. I looked at the hybrid through the space between my legs.

Lily’s ears perked up again, her blue eyes glinting in the moonlight. She took another step closer, her tail swishing behind her, and I could see the genuine fascination in her gaze. “Do you ever get tired of it?” she asked. “Being able to shift, I mean. Or is it just... always like magic?”

I considered her question for a moment, my body snapping back upright. “It’s both, I think,” I said eventually. “Sometimes it feels like the most natural thing in the world. Other times, I hate being reminded about all of the responsibilities it gives me. Who I have to be because of it. But when I’m up there, when I’m flying...” I trailed off, a small smile touching my lips. “It’s worth it. It always feels like magic then.”

Lily nodded, her gaze softening. “I think I get that,” she said quietly. Her ears twitched, and she gave me a small smile. “I’ve always wondered what it would be like to fly. I had a friend who shifted before, and she could fly. I used to envy her. Always wished she could pick me up and take me with her.”

“Well, I’m a raven,” I said with a wry grin. “So unless you want to shrink down to about a tenth of your size, I’m afraid you’re a bit too heavy for me to carry around.”

She laughed, her ears tilting back slightly as her tail swished. “Yeah, I figured. Besides, I don’t think I’d trust you to fly straight if you had me dangling from your talons.”

I laughed too, the image ridiculous enough to make the tension in my chest ease a little more. “Fair enough. But maybe one of the dragons could give you a ride one day,” I added, my tone playful. “You know, if Khione ever decides she likes us enough not to drop you halfway through the sky.”

Lily snorted, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Oh, Khione?" she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "The ice dragon who'd probably freeze my tail just for looking at her the wrong way? Yeah, I'll pass."

"Come on," I teased, nudging her arm lightly. "She can't be that bad. She's just... selectively friendly."

Lily shook her head, her ears twitching with laughter. "Right. Selectively friendly. I'm sure she'd love to have a hybrid hitching a ride on her back. I'll stick to the ground for now, thanks."

We both laughed, the sound echoing softly in the night air, mingling with the rustle of leaves and the distant chirping of crickets. It was rare that we were so open and honest with one another since that first day together. But in that moment, it finally felt like we were in this together as friends. Her black fox ears flicked again, catching the light from the moon above us, and her gaze met mine, her eyes softening with a warmth that made my chest tighten, but in a good way this time.

"You know," she said after a moment, her voice quieter, almost as if she wasn't sure she should say it, "I'm glad you told me. It's like... I feel like I understand you a little better now."

"Yeah?" I asked, my own voice coming out softer. It wasn't easy for either of us to admit these kinds of things.

She nodded, her fox tail swishing slowly behind her, the big fluffy thing moving in gentle arcs. "Yeah. I mean, we're all carrying something, right? Secrets, fears... it's just part of who we are. And I guess it's nice to know I'm not the only one."

I smiled. "You're definitely not the only one," I said. "And I'm glad I told you too. Even if I thought you might freak out."

Lily rolled her eyes, her ears flattening in mock annoyance. "Oh please, I'm not that bad. Just because my first instinct is to act like a complete and utter diva doesn't mean I would have gone all psychobitch. I bite, but not that hard, jeez.”

I laughed, shaking my head. "Right, right. Totally calm and collected, that's you."

"Hey, I've gotten better," she shot back, a grin tugging at her lips. "Besides, you're the one who kept this big secret. Who knows, maybe I'm the one who should be freaking out that my supposed partner is actually a shapeshifting bird woman—who, by the way, is also one of the most sacred beings in the country. If not the world. Just a normal Tuesday."

"Not just any shapeshifting bird woman," I corrected, pointing a finger at her, unable to keep the smile off my face. "A Raven."

"Right, a raven," she teased, her eyes glinting mischievously. "I've seen ravens steal shiny things, you know. Might have to keep an eye on my stuff."

I snorted, shaking my head. "I can promise you, your belt buckles are safe from me."

Lily gave a mock sigh of relief, her tail swishing again. "Good to know. I'd hate to have to fend off a raven attack just to protect my piercings, crow brain."

The banter between us felt natural, easy, and the tension that had been there for so long seemed to fade into the background. There were still things we hadn't worked through, but in that moment, it felt like we were a little bit closer to being real friends.

Later, as we sat by the fire, the flames crackling and casting flickering shadows across the clearing, a more solemn mood seemed to settle between us. The warmth of the fire wrapped around us, and I could feel the chill of the night slowly being pushed back. Lily stared into the flames, her ears twitching slightly as she seemed to be lost in thought. Finally, her voice came, softer than usual, almost hesitant.

"I'm sorry," she said, her gaze fixed on the flames. "For everything I said before. I judged you without really knowing you. And I guess... I was scared, too. I didn't know if I could trust you."

I sighed, feeling affection for her growing in my chest. It wasn't easy for Lily to apologize—I knew that. She was stubborn and proud, and hearing her admit her mistakes made me feel like maybe we really were making progress. "I was being difficult too," I admitted, my eyes following the dance of the fire. "I’m sorry, and... I forgive you."

She glanced at me then, her ears perking up, and a real smile lit up her face, one that made her eyes crinkle at the corners. "Then I guess I forgive you, too," she said, her voice lighter, more like her usual self.

"Wow, forgiveness all around," I said, unable to resist the urge to tease. "Who knew we could be so mature?"

Lily snorted, her tail flicking behind her. "Don't get used to it. I'll go back to being a bitch tomorrow."

"Good to know," I said with a grin. "Wouldn't want things to get too friendly around here."

She gave me a playful shove, her smile widening. "Shut up. You're lucky I don't bite."

"Oh, I'm terrified," I replied, my voice dripping with mock fear. "Please, spare me, oh mighty fox warrior."

Lily rolled her eyes, but her laughter came easily, and it was a sound that made me feel lighter. The fire crackled between us, filling the silence that followed with warmth and a sense of peace I hadn't felt in a long time. There was a long road ahead, filled with challenges and dangers waiting for us both, but for the first time, I felt like we had a real shot. We could face it together—not as reluctant allies, but as something closer to friends.

The night stretched on, the stars twinkling above us, and the fire slowly burned down to embers. We sat there, the silence comfortable, the teasing smiles lingering on our faces. And as I looked at Lily, her fox ears twitching slightly as she listened to the sounds of the night, her tail curled around her, I felt something inside me settle. There was still so much left to do, so many obstacles to overcome, but at least now, I knew I didn't have to face it all alone.

"You know," I said after a while, my voice softer, almost thoughtful, "if we ever do find Khione and she doesn't try to freeze us, I think you should ask her for that ride. I'd love to see her face when you ask."

Lily snickered, her eyes glinting mischievously. "Oh yeah? And what makes you think she wouldn't drop me from the sky the first chance she gets?"

"She might," I admitted, unable to hide my grin. "But think of the look on her face. It'd be worth it."

"You're so bad," Lily said, shaking her head, though there was laughter in her voice. "But maybe I'll do it. Just to see if you're right."

"I'll be cheering you on from a safe distance," I replied, and she laughed again, her ears flicking with amusement.

We settled back into a comfortable silence, the warmth of the fire and the glow of the embers surrounding us. The challenges ahead seemed a little less daunting, the road a little less lonely. And for the first time in a long time, I felt like we really could make it.

After that night, something between Lily and me softened. It wasn't sudden—no big moment, no dramatic shift. But it was there, a quiet sort of peace that settled over us. An unspoken truce.

We still argued, of course—there was no miracle fix for our tempers. But the fights felt different. Less about tearing each other down, and far fewer insults being hurled on either side. We were just stubborn and headstrong about our beliefs, and had a hard time looking past that. We were both making efforts, however, to see the value in our differences, learning how to exist side by side, and shutting up when we didn’t have anything nice to say. That was probably the best improvement we made thus far.

One day, we were navigating a particularly tough stretch of the trail. It was treacherous, the rocks slick with dew, the path steep and full of traps. Lily was ahead of me, her jaw tight with focus, when her foot slipped, her boot skidding over loose stones. Instinctively, I reached out to steady her, but she jerked her arm away, a fierce look in her eyes.

"I can do it myself," she snapped, frustration evident in her voice.

I let my hand fall, but I didn't look away. I had to try very hard not to yell back, but I knew underneath her attitude and anger was something gentle and sweet. I had to get better at being understanding. I took a short, quick gasp of air and hoped I softened my voice enough to not give away how irritated I felt inside my chest.

"Lily, you don't have to do everything alone. That’s why we’re doing this thing together—convenience."

She froze, her gaze locked with mine, and for a moment, I thought she'd snap again. My stomach coiled with anticipation. A part of me wanted her to. I had more than enough steam to blow off from the stress of everything. But then she sighed, the tension in her face melting as she reached out, slipping her hand into mine. I helped her up, her fingers holding tightly onto mine.

When we reached the top, I smirked a little, trying to lighten the mood. "See? Teamwork," I said, teasing but gentle.

She rolled her eyes, but there was a hint of a real smile there. "Maybe you're not entirely useless," she replied, her tone softened, almost playful.

That was just one thing that told me we were on the same side now. When the path turned steep or the rocks were too slick, one of us would offer a hand without a word. Lily didn’t even blink an eye at the contact anymore. At night by the fire, the silence wasn't stifling anymore; it was comfortable. We had even started sharing stories, things I hadn't expected to tell her. Things I would have never thought she’d tell me. It was a strange twist of fate—the only person I had ever admitted to not liking had become my favorite person I had ever (save Jimin and Yoongi) talked to within a week’s time.

Lily’s stories were so fascinating and out of the realm of anything I had ever heard before. Most of my friends and family had never known a life outside of Bangtan, Moland, or the southernmost parts of Clarcton. Never had much interaction with humans, and if they did, they rarely had good things to say. Lily, however, had seen almost every nook and cranny of Lustra outside of Alcona Island. Dragons didn’t like non-dragons, so it wasn’t really a possibility for her to get there unless she wanted to be burnt to a crisp.

From the ports of Whopping, to the monasteries in Idris, outfoxing goblins in Bangtan, fighting with Bunyips in Moland, and all the way to the smallest farming towns from Leeside and the capital of Northorn—Lily’s feet had touched the soil there. She earned her gold teeth when she was a teenager and still living with Duke. She’d left that life behind after meeting Dina, but had a few moments since her death. Money was valuable outside of the forests, and barding only stretched the coins so far. Her normal way of money-making lately had been through bounty hunting, but with the elves back, that well had run dry. No one had any money and were too afraid of risking being seen with someone who so obviously stood out from the humans. The tattoos and piercings were a dead giveaway that she was from the east and would draw suspicion from the elves.

Lily was barely surviving when we met. She had just completed a hit on a man who had stolen away a young girl from her father’s home. She was originally meant to be sold off for money and a goat, but the man hadn’t made good on his promise. The wedding never happened, but the girl had gone missing just two days later. When I asked her why she kept calling the bride a ‘girl,’ Lily turned to me and said.

“The peasants in Northorn sell their children so they can get by. The girl was 14 and the man who wanted her was rich enough to give her a large home and a small farm with a goat.”

“But why would anyone do that?” I nearly shouted, the thought of anyone so young being married off foreign. “It would hurt her. She’s so vulnerable to death giving birth to a child. What were they thinking?”

Lily’s look had turned to pity. That moment reminded me that she was right—I was naive and clueless. Nothing about this world made sense, and no one around me was informed enough to know anything different. If they were, they never told us.

“The only people who can afford to eat in Northorn are the nobles and monarchs,” her tone had taken on a softer tone, like she was explaining this to a small child. “Been like that ever since King Edward came into power. He and his queen enjoy the finer things in life, spoiled their children rotten, and stopped taxing their court money. Those who were already struggling turned to less… savory means of staying alive. I know a few boys who were sold to the church and… castrated so they can sing higher. They don’t allow girls into the theater there.”

I never asked about the children in Northorn again.

We weren't perfect. We still stumbled, still clashed. But there was a difference now—we realized we liked each other when we were fighting all of the damn time. And as we pushed onward, the peaks of Ozryn drawing closer each day, I felt the hopelessness I carried with me when I was flying to Clarcton fading away. We had come so far, and Lily seemed confident about our odds. I allowed myself to believe her.

I can’t remember what Yoongi said—if he even said anything—but I remember his voice. Or at least, something pretending to be his voice. I couldn’t remember anymore. It was wrong. Stretched, warped, shredded into something that didn’t fit. It filled the air, filled me, with a kind of terror I couldn’t shake. It wasn’t him. It couldn’t have been him.

I tried to run, but my legs wouldn’t move. The ground seemed to grab at me, holding me back, as if it knew I wasn’t supposed to get there. And he was there, but not there. His face was empty, his eyes hollow—erased. His body jerked unnaturally, like a puppet on strings, and when I reached for him, it was like trying to grab smoke. He slipped right through my fingers, no matter how hard I tried to hold on.

There was screaming—his, mine, I don’t know—but the sound ripped through me, splintered into pieces that never made sense. I think he shouted my name, begged me for something, but all I can remember is the way it sounded: broken. His voice cracked and splintered, sharp and desperate, and I wanted to say something back. I wanted to tell him I was there, that it was okay, but my voice was gone, frozen inside me, useless.

His hands. God, his hands weren’t his anymore. They were claws, tearing at his face, his skin, his eyes. "I can’t see!" he screamed, but it wasn’t even a scream. It was… other. I tried to stop him, but I couldn’t. My hands wouldn’t move. My legs wouldn’t move. I was stuck there, paralyzed, watching him disappear into a million little, bloody pieces.

Everything spun after that. The world tilted, and I couldn’t keep up. I kept trying to reach him, to grab hold of anything, but there was nothing. Just the thick, black smoke swallowing him whole. I don’t know if I screamed, if I begged him to stay, but I felt like I did. The ache in my chest, the burn in my throat—it had to mean something came out of me, right? But I can’t remember.

Then it all shifted, blurred into something worse. Smoke burned my lungs, stung my eyes. My feet stumbled over something I couldn’t see, and my name was being called—soft, urgent, but so far away. And that’s when I saw her.

Cordelia.

Her face is the only thing I can see clearly now. Gray and lifeless, her eyes staring at nothing. Dead. She was pinned under something heavy, and I—I tried to pull her free. My hands shook, clawed at the rubble, but it was useless. My strength was gone, and the weight of her stillness crushed me. I screamed her name, but it caught in my throat, tangled with the smoke and the tears. I knew she was gone even before I stopped trying. She was cold, heavy, already slipping away.

Hands grabbed me—pulled me back—but I fought them. Kicked, thrashed, anything to stay with her. I couldn’t leave her. I couldn’t. But they were stronger, and my body was too weak. And then I was holding her, somehow. I don’t remember how, but she was in my arms, and she wasn’t there. She was just… gone.

I don’t know what happened next. The shadows swallowed everything, and I was falling, slipping, screaming inside myself because I couldn’t do anything else. And then there were arms around me, warm and steady, holding me together when I was sure I’d shatter. I didn’t know who it was. I didn’t care. I just clung to them, because they were the only thing keeping me from falling completely into the dark.

"Y/N.”

My head snapped up. Without a word, Lily moved closer, her shoulder brushing against mine.

I am Y/N. The elves are gone. Foxglove is safe. Everyone is safe.

Not Cordelia. She was dead. My best friend’s mother was dead and I wasn’t there for her. I left. I let her die. I killed Cordelia. If I had been there, I could have stopped it. If I had spoken sooner. I am a guardian. I failed. I deserve to—

"Did you know that Bangtan used to be called something else?"

I blinked, snapped from my thoughts.

"No," I replied, robotically, eyes still staring at the dancing yellow and orange flames.

It should have been me.

It should have been me.

It should have been me.

It should have been me.

It should have been me.

It should hav—

"Before humans were here and the land was filled with elementals, they all lived in harmony within their homeland. They didn’t believe in borders the way that humans do. They just used words to describe places."

I made a non-committal sound. I couldn’t manage much more. Lily continued as if I hadn’t said anything at all.

"Virdi Gramine was Lysander, and many of the water elementals lived there. Ozryn had always been home to Khione. Conláed named it. He was the only thing Khione ever respected more than Naida. He died during the war.

"Whopping is named after the human who conquered the east. Liam Whopping," Lily scoffed, her disdain for the man coloring every syllable of his name as she spoke it. "Conláed named it after his wife, Agni. She was a water nymph who lived in the northeast before the fae were sent to Hollow Below. She died of an illness, and he never left her grave. At least, not until the war. The elves enslaved him and the rest of the dragons, but Conláed was too powerful to be kept alive. They beheaded him and paraded it through the streets like some kind of trophy for the others to see. Disgusting."

Lily grew quiet. I could feel the anger rising in her, simmering just beneath the surface. She must've known that getting heated wouldn’t help when I was already feeling this way. She wasn’t exactly wrong either, so I kept my mouth shut. We sat like that for a long time—just the two of us, the fire crackling, the cool night air wrapping around us like a heavy blanket.

“Agni and Lysander,” I muttered, my voice weak, barely more than a whisper. “Is that it?”

“No,” she whispered back. “Ancola was Ryuu. That’s where the dragons originally came from. Conláed was the first and the most curious, so that’s why he ended up in so many stories. Northorn was the quietus kingdom of Betsalel. Briar Glen Beach was called something else before, but I don’t remember what. It’s a memorial site for King Omar Briar Glen. King Edward's great-great-uncle. Keld lives there.”

“Keld? Like Keld’s Landing?”

“Same guy—well, dragon. The humans enslaved the dragons to ride them, and Keld was given to King Omar. They grew close, and when Omar learned that the dragons could turn into people… he couldn’t let the torture go on. He helped start the dragon revolution with Keld and a few others. That’s the only reason Lustra won—when the dragons got out. Omar died. Keld didn’t want to leave him, so he’s estranged from the other dragons. No one goes there anymore. It’s a death sentence.”

“What about Bangtan?”

“Moland and Bangtan were fae territory, so less is known about them since the Hallow Rift, but I believe Witrial is what Hydra called it.”

“Who’s Hydra?” I asked, laying down and curling into a ball. Sitting up was taking too much effort. Lily watched me, her eyes squinted, reading my mood. She knew I was upset but chose not to call attention to it. I appreciated the effort.

“She’s Lindon’s guard. She’s the only person who can let people in and out. I’ve known her for a few years now.”

“Does she do ice magic?” I asked.

“No. Only the royal guard knows how to do that. She’s a water wielder.”

“Will she like me?”

“You’re impossible to dislike.”

I thought of Ji-Hyun and frowned. “That’s not true.”

“Well, whoever doesn’t has a few screws loose.”

Finally, I smiled.

“Thanks, Lily.”

“You’re welcome, Y/N.”

As the stars spun slowly overhead and the fire crackled down to embers, I felt a strange, tentative peace creep in. The visions were getting worse, and I knew Lily was losing sleep because of my nightmares, but we’d never really talked about them before. I could feel myself slipping away each time, and every time I’d close my eyes, I’d wait for everything to stop. When my soul felt like it was five feet away from my body, watching everything from up above—that was the only time the thoughts stopped anymore.

Flying didn’t help.

Ignoring it didn’t help.

Food didn’t help.

Jokes didn’t help.

Nothing did.

It should have been me.

I hoped the nightmares would stay away tonight. I knew they wouldn’t.

We settled down in a small clearing that night, a patch of ground just large enough for the two of us and the small fire Lily had built. The trees rose up around us like silent witnesses, their branches catching the moonlight and splaying shadows over the mossy floor. It smelled like damp earth and pine sap, and every now and then you could hear a distant owl calling out, or something small scurrying through the brush. For a moment, I tried to focus on those sounds instead of the noise in my head. I tried to notice how the flames sent tiny sparks upward, how they danced into the darkness and disappeared. I thought if I could just pay attention to these details, maybe I wouldn’t get pulled back under—pulled back to that place where I heard the screams and felt the ground crumble under my feet.

Lily was by my side, close enough that the tips of our boots almost touched. She’d been watching me quietly for a while, giving me the kind of space you give a wild animal when you’re not sure if it’s going to bolt or lash out. After what felt like forever, she finally spoke.

“What are you thinking about?” she asked, her voice soft but steady. She curled a bit closer, arms around her knees, as if to show me she was no threat. “I always wonder where you go when you get so quiet.”

My heart twisted painfully. I knew she deserved more than a brush-off. This was Lily, after all—the person who’d pulled me out of the rubble more than once, who’d kept watch on nights I couldn’t sleep, who’d patched me up and told me that I’d make it through somehow. But I didn’t know how to put words to the ugly tangle in my head. The grief and guilt felt impossible to explain, like every time I tried, I’d end up showing her something so awful that she’d never see me the same way again.

“Just… how far we’ve come,” I said. The lie tasted bitter. I knew Lily could hear it in my voice, see it in how I stared into the fire instead of at her. I tried to swallow, to force the lump in my throat back down where it belonged. The night pressed in around us, too quiet, like it was holding its breath.

Lily shifted closer, her eyes never leaving my face. “You’re lying,” she said gently. There was no anger or disappointment, just this calm certainty. “Didn’t we agree not to lie to each other anymore?”

I closed my eyes for a second, remembering when we’d made that promise. We’d been tired and sore, leaning against a fallen log under a red sunset, swearing that if we trusted no one else in this world, we’d trust each other. If I broke that promise now, after all we’d been through, what kind of person did that make me? But telling her the truth felt like cutting open a wound that hadn’t healed right in the first place.

My voice came out small and shaky. “I have a past… things I’m not proud of.” I could feel the weight of the words pressing on my chest, making it hard to breathe.

She didn’t flinch or roll her eyes or tell me to stop being dramatic. She just looked at me, those brown eyes like steady lanterns in the dark. “You don’t have to hide,” she said, her voice sure and quiet. “I’ve done terrible things, remember? I told you all about them. I’m not going to judge you.”

I pressed my hand against my thigh, grounding myself. She was making it sound simple, when I knew it wasn’t. “I—” My throat closed up again. I had to force the words out, bit by bit. “I made mistakes that got people killed. People who trusted me. People who…” I swallowed hard. “People who should still be here right now.”

The fire crackled in front of us, sparks whirling upward, and for a second I could almost see their faces in those sparks: Cordelia’s tired smile, Jimin’s kind eyes. I remembered the day I promised Thelma that I wouldn’t let anything happen, how certain I’d been. And then I remembered how it all fell apart.

Lily’s voice was steady, warm with understanding. “Keep going,” she said, touching my hand lightly. She didn’t push hard; she just let me know she was there.

I stared at my boots, because if I looked at her face I’d cry. “I… I thought I was doing the right thing. I really did,” I said. “I thought if I made this one decision, if I stood my ground at this one crucial moment, I could save everyone. I pictured this perfect outcome, where I’d come out a hero, where everyone survived, and we’d laugh about how tense it got. But that’s not what happened. Instead, I ended up watching everything crumble. They… they died, Lily. A lot of them.”

My voice cracked on the word “died.” The silence after that felt heavy, like a rock pressing against my chest. I rubbed the heel of my hand against my eye, trying to keep the tears in. It felt selfish to cry about it now, when they were the ones who’d lost their lives. What right did I have to weep when I was the one still breathing?

Lily reached out again, this time wrapping her fingers around mine, and I let her. Her hand was warm and a little rough, the hand of someone who’d wielded knives and swords, who’d known violence intimately. There was comfort in that, oddly. She wasn’t some gentle innocent who couldn’t understand darkness. She’d lived through her own nights of regret.

“I’m sorry,” she said finally. “That must weigh so heavily on you. I know what it’s like to carry that blame around. It changes the way you see yourself.”

I nodded, feeling something tighten in my chest. “Jimin and I fought a few days after everything settled,” I said quietly. “He didn’t want me to come here. He said I had lied to him and everyone else and was trying to play hero again.  He never said he hated me, but I could see something different in his eyes. Like he was just… empty when he looked at me. Or disappointed. I can’t forgive myself, and I’m pretty sure he can’t either.”

The memory of Jimin’s face stung. The way his shoulders slumped, the way he turned away from me. There had been this terrible silence, broken only by the wind, as if he was afraid that if he said a single word, he would break completely. And then I left. He never followed. I’d never known if he placed the blame on me or if I simply placed it on myself. But either way, I’d never shaken off the feeling that I deserved his anger.

Lily squeezed my hand, not letting go. “Forgiveness can take a long time,” she said. “Sometimes it never comes. But you’re doing what you can now, aren’t you? You didn’t run away. Even after all of that you’re here trying to save that village. That means something.”

I swallowed hard. She was trying to give me something to hold onto—some piece of grace I couldn’t give myself. “They’re still gone,” I managed, voice barely more than a whisper. “Sometimes I think I’d give anything to go back and change what I did. But I can’t. And at night… at night I can’t sleep. I see it all happening again. I see Cordelia’s eyes, empty as the life drained out of her. I see the others, crushed under debris or struck down by those monsters, and I keep thinking, ‘If only I had listened, if only I’d moved sooner, if only I’d been stronger.’ I keep thinking it should have been me down there, not them.”

I felt my shoulders shake. Saying it out loud made it ache more, but also felt like I was lancing a wound, letting the poison out. Lily moved closer, until our knees touched. There was no pity in her eyes, just a steady sympathy that made me feel anchored. “You tried,” she said gently. “You thought you were doing what was right. No one can ask for more than that. The world threw something terrible at you. The blame doesn’t all land on your shoulders.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but I couldn’t find the words. All these months, I had run the scenario in my mind. If I’d just drawn a different line in the dirt, if I’d told them I knew something was coming, if I’d allowed the others to carry the burden with me for a little while, maybe the outcome would have changed. Maybe not. But I would never know, and that not knowing haunted me.

“It doesn’t make it hurt less,” I said finally, voice thick. “But it… I don’t know. It helps to say it out loud, I guess. To know I’m not talking to a wall. To know someone else can see me as more than just… a killer.”

At that, Lily’s mouth tightened, and her eyes glinted in the firelight. “You’re not a killer,” she said firmly. “We’ve both done things that will haunt us. But here you are, heartbroken and torn up, wishing you could have saved them. Doesn’t that tell you something about who you really are?”

I forced myself to meet her eyes—really meet them, bracing for a flicker of disgust or something worse. But there was none of that. Just Lily, looking worn and earnest and so completely herself, as if she’d never considered seeing me as anything but a human being who tried her best. She let her hands rest on my shoulders, her grip gentle but steady, like she needed me to understand this. All of it.

“You didn’t kill anyone,” she said softly, and I could feel her words more than hear them—warm little sparks in the dark. “Aladia and her troops did that. Gawen set the men on Foxglove. And one day, when it happens again, it’ll be General Khiloas carrying out her orders, and Aladia controlling her. This was always going to be awful, no matter what you did. Once those women reach the shorelines, there’ll be blood. Thousands, maybe. Even Etelin’s most loyal don’t really get what’s coming.”

The wind chose that moment to sigh through the branches, sending a scattering of sparks into the night. I watched one drift upward, glowing for just a second longer than seemed possible, before winking out. Somehow, I still felt like the same knot of nerves and regrets I’d always been—but I could also feel something else blooming underneath. Gratitude that Lily hadn’t looked away. Relief that maybe I didn’t have to wear every bad choice around my neck like a chain.

I leaned a fraction closer to her, letting the warmth of her palm ground me. “Thank you,” I whispered. It was all I could manage, but it felt real and big enough, right now.

Lily just nodded, letting the silence spread out between us. Not the tense, suffocating quiet I was used to, but something gentler. Something that said we’d both been hurt, both done things we’d carry around forever—yet here we were, still breathing, still trying. The fire’s glow brushed my face, and Lily’s presence felt like a reminder that while I might still be lost in my own guilt, I didn’t have to be alone in it.

That was enough, at least for tonight.

In the days that followed, I tried to convince myself that I could breathe again. The night Lily and I had sat by the fire, my voice raw from finally letting all my secrets out—well, I’d been certain I’d never say those things to anyone, ever. But I did. I told Lily everything, and she didn’t spit at my feet or turn away. She stayed. She told me it wasn’t all on me, that I wasn’t carrying the world’s sins alone. For the first time in forever, I didn’t feel like I was drowning in guilt.

But “lighter” was such a small thing. It was like going from a hundred-pound weight in my chest to ninety-nine. The burden was still there. Every quiet moment, every sudden rustle of wind, let the memories slip back in, dragging their claws along my spine. I’d breathe in, and the ghosts of those who died would breathe out, lingering right behind my shoulder. I could almost feel their eyes on me.

I kept hearing their voices in my head—tired, helpless whispers from the past. Over and over: Why didn’t you save us? You could’ve done something different. And I’d agree, my stomach twisting into knots, my brain screaming that I should have died instead. At night, I’d press my face into the crook of my arm and try not to shake too loudly, afraid Lily would hear and feel obligated to fix me when I knew no one could.

We went deeper into the forest anyway, step by cautious step. The trees grew taller and closer together until it felt like they were eavesdropping on us, branches stooping down to listen to my pounding heart. Everything was damp and quiet, the sort of silence that makes you feel like you’re trespassing, like nature will punish you for being there. I wanted to shrink into myself, to go unnoticed—my existence felt like an offense.

I kept my head down, watching the patches of sunlight drip through the leaves. My heart was still heavy, even if Lily’s words had loosened a few knots. I’d learned something that night: there was no off-switch for this kind of guilt. All I could do was try not to let it swallow me whole. But that was already harder than I’d imagined. My mind would catch on a memory—Cordelia’s eyes, the way they’d gone empty when I failed her—and I’d start unraveling again, feeling the panic bubble under my ribs. Was I shaking right now? Was Lily seeing it?

The forest got quieter the further we went. That was the first sign. The birds stopped fussing. The breeze barely breathed. I felt it before I saw it—some terrible tension like a string pulled too tight. Lily slowed, her hand drifting to her dagger, and I stiffened, every muscle screaming that something was wrong. My stomach flipped. Whoever was out there, they were watching us, and I was already picturing them dead at my feet, because that’s what always happened, right? Everyone who got close to me ended up twisted and broken. It was a sickening thought, hot tears threatening to blur the trees around me, but I swallowed them down, forcing myself to stay steady. Lily needed me steady.

When the five figures stepped out of the shadows, I bit down on the inside of my cheek hard enough to taste blood. They spread out, circling us, their eyes cold and hungry. One man stepped forward, scar slashed across his cheek, holding a blade that looked old and mean. He sneered at us like we were nothing more than a sack of potatoes he planned to haul away.

“Two little travelers,” he said. His voice was thick with mockery. “Far from home, I’d wager.” My heart was thumping so loudly I was sure everyone could hear it. I remembered the last time I’d faced men like this and how people who mattered had ended up dead. My fault, my fault, my fault. My knees threatened to buckle. I had to be strong, or Lily would pay the price. But what if I messed up again? What if I hesitated or said the wrong thing and the forest ended up soaked in blood?

I risked a glance at Lily. She was tense but focused, her shoulders back, her jaw set. She looked strong. I wanted to be that strong. But the roar of memory was deafening inside me—voices telling me I’d fail again. I felt sweat trickle down the back of my neck. Another death, another regret. Could I survive adding more ghosts to the legion already haunting me?

“Hand over your packs,” the leader said. “Or you can join the wolves’ dinner menu, your choice.”

Behind me, Lily’s breath caught, and I wondered: Should I just give them everything? Would that save Lily this time? I was already imagining how wrong it could go. I was remembering someone else’s blood on my hands, and my chest tightened so hard it hurt. I was seeing Cordelia again, the way her head lolled, how I’d knelt beside her and begged her not to die—but she did anyway, leaving me behind like an unwanted afterthought.

“Please,” I managed, my voice cracking. My throat felt like I’d swallowed briars. “We don’t want trouble.” I hated how pathetic I sounded, how easily I showed my fear. But maybe showing it would help? Maybe they’d see how pathetic I was and decide I wasn’t worth killing. Or maybe it would just make them laugh. My nails dug into my palms, and I pressed my lips together to keep from crying. Don’t cry. Not now. Not when Lily needs you.

They closed in, slow and deliberate. I could smell their sweat and old leather. The leader flicked his blade, and the scrape of metal turned my bones to ice. In that moment, I was sure I’d fail again. That people would die on my watch���maybe Lily, maybe me—and it would all be my fault. The realization made me dizzy. The forest spun. I couldn’t seem to catch a full breath.

Lily looked at me, and in her eyes, I saw that she still believed in me. She must’ve seen something in my face, in the way I trembled, because she shifted closer, her elbow just brushing mine. It was a tiny point of contact, but it grounded me, reminded me that not everyone was gone. Not yet.

But I could feel my grip on reality loosening, like I was holding onto the edge of a cliff with just my fingertips. My whole body wanted to fold in on itself and disappear. The leader barked something I didn’t quite catch, and the men laughed—harsh and hollow. Lily’s knuckles went white around her dagger’s hilt, and I tried to do the same with my own weapon, but my hand was shaking too much. I could almost hear Lily’s voice in my head, telling me I could do this, that I wasn’t alone, that I’d done what I could before. But I couldn’t tell which of us was lying.

The world shrank to this circle of strangers, this moment. No one coming to save us, no mercy in their eyes. I realized, with a sick kind of certainty, that this forest was about to rewrite everything I’d tried to believe since Lily and I left that last clearing. I’d thought I could carry on, thought maybe I was worth something after all. But right now, I couldn’t see how any of this ended without more blood on my hands.

“Listen,” I said, voice trembling, “can we—can we just talk about this?” My own words sounded thin and desperate. The leader smirked, as if this was exactly what he’d wanted. More prey cowering and begging. Maybe he collected pleas the way other people collected coins.

Lily tensed, and I knew it wouldn’t be words that got us out of this. It’d be action, and I’d have to take it. If I failed… if I messed up again… the thought made me nauseous.

In that breath of silence, I could feel my heartbeat throbbing in my ears. I tried to remember the warmth of Lily’s hand on mine the other night, tried to believe it still mattered. Maybe I could fight for that feeling. Maybe I could get us both out of here alive, and if I did, maybe that would mean I wasn’t a monster. Maybe.

It was all I had. And it would have to be enough.

“Now!” the leader barked, his voice slicing through the dark like a razor, and I moved.

At first, it wasn’t even me moving—it was something else, something buried deep inside my chest, something coiled and waiting. My heart slammed against my ribs, pounding so loudly I couldn’t hear anything else. Heat flared beneath my skin, and I felt sparks hiss at the ends of my fingertips, bright and wild, like they’d been waiting for this moment of pure panic.

I blinked, and suddenly they were everywhere—these men blocking our path, their eyes hungry and hollow. I knew they weren’t elves, not really, but my mind wouldn’t listen to reason. I saw pointed ears where there were none. I saw cruel, pale faces with that smug sneer I could never forget. Elves had taken everything from me—my home, my friend, my life. They’d stolen my future and left me holding the wreckage. And now, facing these strangers in the dark, my mind insisted they were the same. The same as the ones who made me watch Cordelia die. The same as the ones I failed to save anyone from.

It should’ve been me who died. It should’ve been me pinned underneath that debris, crushed and silent, not Cordelia. The weight of that thought pressed against my lungs, making it hard to breathe. I was supposed to protect everyone—and I didn’t. I couldn’t. I’d watched them fall, and I’d watched the light go out of Cordelia’s eyes, and now that memory clawed at me, shoving itself right into the present. Every scream I’d heard that night echoed in my skull. Every time I blinked, I saw her face.

I swore I’d never hesitate again. I swore I’d never let anyone hurt me or the people I cared about without burning the whole damn world down first.

So I let the fire loose.

It roared out of me, lighting up the forest, painting our attackers in harsh, flickering gold. For a second, I thought I saw Cordelia’s face reflected in the flames, and my throat tightened. Guilt and fury tangled in my chest, and I threw my hands forward, sending a bloom of fire rushing straight into the leader’s path. He screamed—a raw, ragged sound that I felt in my teeth. The smell was awful, searing my nose and making my stomach lurch, but I couldn’t stop. I didn’t know how to stop anymore. This violence felt like the only way to keep my head above water, the only way to make sure I never failed again. They would never take anyone from me again. Never.

I barely registered the blow that slammed into my side, only that suddenly the ground tilted and my vision blurred. My ribs ached, and I sucked in a jagged breath, coughing on smoke and sparks. Through the haze, I saw Lily—her dagger flashing, her hair whipping around her face as she fought. She looked like some kind of fierce angel, her eyes narrowed in determination. She was fighting for me, for us, even when I was half out of my mind.

I tried to focus on her, tried to ground myself in the curve of her shoulder, the set of her jaw—but then another attacker loomed over me, swinging a fist that landed hard against my cheek. Pain burst behind my eyes, bright spots dancing in my vision. My mind started to drift, sliding into that place where the past and present tangled up. Was this the night Cordelia died? Was I back there, helpless and screaming and begging the elves to show mercy? I’d never found a way to rewrite that story. It always ended with everyone dead but me. I always ended up alone.

My hands shook as I tried to gather the sparks again. I tasted blood in my mouth. It was metallic and hot, and it fueled the fire inside me. Another man charged, and I lashed out with flame, watching him vanish into a screaming silhouette of light and heat. This time, I didn’t flinch. I didn’t allow myself to feel sorry. They were all elves to me now—all monsters who wanted me broken, wanted Lily dead, wanted to rip apart everything I still cared about. If I stopped, if I softened, if I hesitated, I’d fail Lily the way I failed Cordelia. I’d lose someone else. And I couldn’t survive that. Not again.

I could feel myself unraveling. Every scream sounded like Cordelia’s. Every face twisted in pain reminded me of my own failure. I wanted them gone. I wanted them all gone. Better them than me. Better them than Lily. Better them than anyone I might still be able to save.

The flames danced higher, brighter, and I let them feed on my fear and rage until the men were just ashes on the forest floor. The fight ended as abruptly as it began, leaving the night stained with smoke and something darker—something I couldn’t quite name but felt staining my lungs.

My knees buckled, and I sank down, gripping the dirt with trembling fingers. My side throbbed, my chest heaved, and the smell of burnt flesh clung to my clothes. I’d done it again. I’d survived. I’d kept Lily safe. But at what cost? Was I any better than them? What was the difference between my violence and theirs?

My thoughts were spiraling, and I couldn’t catch my breath. The trees swayed overhead, the stars winking in and out, and I felt like the world was tilting on its axis, about to throw me off. I pressed a hand to my side, feeling something wet and warm. Blood. My blood. Pain shimmered behind my eyes, and I tried to focus on that sensation—at least it was real. At least it meant I was alive.

“Hey,” Lily’s voice reached me through the smoke and fear. She knelt beside me, her expression unexpectedly soft. She pressed her hands against my wound, trying to stanch the bleeding. I hissed, pain slicing through me, but I was grateful for it in a weird way. Pain was honest. Pain didn’t lie, didn’t trick me into thinking I could’ve saved Cordelia if I’d just tried harder.

Lily’s eyes met mine. Gone was the warrior who’d been dancing through blades and fire. Now she looked worried, human, her brows pinched together. She said something like, “Stay with me,” and I tried to latch onto her words, to let them anchor me here and now, and not in that horrible memory I kept reliving.

But my head felt heavy and full of static. My vision blurred at the edges, and I could hear my heartbeat echoing in my ears. You failed them, it whispered. You always fail. Cordelia’s eyes were everywhere, accusing me, asking why I survived when she did not.

“I’m sorry,” Lily said, and her voice cracked just a little. I wondered what she was sorry for. Maybe she could see that I was disappearing inside myself, slipping into the old fear and shame. Maybe she knew I was too far gone to claw my way back. She pressed harder on the wound, her touch firm but careful, and I tried to focus on that, on her voice and her hands and the fact that she was still here, that we were still here.

I closed my eyes. The world faded to the sound of Lily’s breathing and the throb of pain in my side. I was drifting, lost between past and present, guilt and survival. My mind screamed that I should’ve died back then, that I should’ve traded my life for Cordelia’s. My heart thudded, reminding me I was still alive anyway, still sucking in smoke-filled air.

I thought I felt Lily’s hand in my hair, gentle and strange. For a moment, it felt safe, like a lullaby humming at the edge of a nightmare. I tried to hold onto that feeling, tried to believe that maybe not everyone I touched was doomed. Maybe Lily would be okay. Maybe I hadn’t destroyed everything yet.

I tried to speak, but I couldn’t form words. My body was too tired, my mind too battered. I let the darkness take over, sinking into it with the taste of blood and ash on my tongue, Lily’s voice echoing in my memory. And as I drifted, I could still see Cordelia’s face, just beyond the flames, whispering something I couldn’t make out. Something that might’ve been forgiveness—or maybe just the wind in the trees.

When I opened my eyes, the night had settled into something deeper and quieter. The sky was a dark, velvety blue—so rich it almost looked soft—dotted with stars that felt hand-stitched into the fabric of the universe. The campfire flickered at my side, its glow tugging at the edges of the shadows, and I blinked, trying to coax my eyes to focus in the dim light.

Lily was pacing near the fire, arms folded across her chest, her boots scuffing at the ground. She tossed another log on, muttering under her breath, “Can’t believe I’m stuck doing this again.” She sounded annoyed, but it was a different brand of annoyance than before—less feral, more… familiar. Almost like an inside joke, if we’d ever bothered to share one.

I managed a dry cough that was supposed to be a laugh. “You’re better at it than me,” I croaked. My throat felt like it had been sanded down, but I was smiling. Actually smiling.

She turned to face me, one eyebrow arched, her mouth curving into something that didn’t quite reach the level of a grin but was way friendlier than a scowl. “Don’t get too pleased with yourself just because you survived a stabbing,” she said. There was a teasing lilt in her voice, like maybe she wanted to be mad but couldn’t quite commit to the part. “Think you’re hilarious, don’t you?”

“Hilarious is my middle name,” I said, wincing as I tried an actual laugh. It hurt—everything hurt—but it was still better than silence. Funny how pain could feel like progress after the last few days. At least now I was here, alive, making dumb jokes instead of drowning in old ghosts.

Lily moved closer, settling down next to me. She kept one eye on the tree line, but the other eye—a warm brown, crinkled a bit at the corner—lingered on me. “You’re tougher than you look,” she said, nudging my arm lightly, as if that could be considered a kind of compliment.

I looked at the fire, felt its warmth creep up my cheeks. “Maybe I had a decent teacher,” I said, and I hoped she heard the gratitude in my voice, even if I didn’t say thank you outright. Somehow, “thanks for saving my life and also maybe my sanity a little bit” felt too big to say out loud right now.

A hush settled between us, not the sharp kind of silence we used to wade through, thick with all the words we weren’t saying. This was different—easier, like we’d earned it. We just listened to the night: the pop of the fire, the gentle sway of branches, distant whispers of something wild and green.

“You know,” Lily said at last, eyes still on the flames, “you did well today. Didn’t back down. Even when it got ugly.”

I swallowed, remembering sparks, screams, and the way my chest tightened at the memory of Cordelia and all the what-ifs. My heart felt heavy, but I tried to breathe past it. “I had to,” I said softly, meaning a thousand things. I had to save Lily. I had to prove I could still stand my ground. I had to not crumble into pieces again.

She nodded like she understood—maybe not everything, but enough. “We do what we must,” she said, and her voice sounded gentler than I’d ever heard it. It made me brave enough to glance at her, to meet her gaze. For a split second, something passed between us: understanding, respect, the kind of quiet warmth that comes from surviving something horrible together.

“Are you alright?” she asked, voice low and genuinely concerned. It caught me off guard—the directness, the compassion. She tilted her head, eyes narrowing on my bandaged side. “How’s the wound?”

I tried to shift, but pain flared. My body complained about every single movement. “It hurts,” I admitted, feeling strangely proud of myself for the honesty. “But I’ll live. Today was… a mess.”

That made her snort softly. “Understatement of the year,” she said, but the corners of her mouth twitched upward. “We made it, though.”

When she looked at me like that, all the lines of her face softened, and I realized how relieved she must have been that I was awake, talking, breathing. She reached for the canteen and held it out, her touch careful as she checked the cloth bound around my torso. Her fussing felt different now—like it was allowed, like maybe we were on the same side of something intangible.

“You’re the bird everyone’s been talking about,” she said quietly, her voice dipping lower than the rustle of the leaves. “The one who… who died without an heir, right? The one the elves celebrated killing?”

I nodded, my throat too tight to add anything else. It was still strange hearing it put so plainly, my whole story condensed to a few ugly facts.

Lily studied me, her expression complicated. Then she offered a small, crooked smile. “Well,” she said, “dead or alive, you’re stuck with me.”

I let out a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding. “I guess I can live with that,” I said, and for the first time, the words didn’t feel like another wall going up. They felt like a small door opening, letting in a bit of light.

She went quiet, staring off into the trees. The fire sent shadows dancing over her face, making her look both younger and older at the same time. I couldn’t figure her out, but maybe I didn’t have to, not tonight. Tonight, it was enough that she was here, that we were both breathing and bruised and not running away.

I eased back, my body protesting, and let the hush surround us again. The stars overhead were brighter than I remembered, scattered like crumbs of light. The forest hummed softly around us, like it approved of this fragile peace we’d built. Lily glanced up at the sky, and for a moment, she looked almost content. Almost hopeful.

And me? I felt that tiny ember of hope I’d guarded so carefully flicker warmer, brighter. Maybe we didn’t have all the answers, and maybe tomorrow would be hard and strange and violent again. But in this moment, sharing a quiet fire and the barest hints of trust, it felt like the world could be kind for a while.

I closed my eyes, letting the ache in my bones remind me I was alive and not alone. We were friends, or something close enough to count. And that, right now, was everything.

I woke up feeling worse than before, which I hadn’t thought was possible. Everything felt heavy and out of place—my body, the night air, even the quiet forest around us. The trees, usually a comfort, seemed distant and unimpressed. My skin prickled with fever, and my clothes clung uncomfortably to my sweat-dampened skin. I tried to swallow and found my throat scratchy, dry as old paper.

The fire was low, just a faint orange glow, and Lily was sitting on the other side of it, arms crossed, staring off into the trees. She must’ve heard me shift because she turned right away, her eyes narrowing in concern. She looked tired—like she’d been waiting for me to wake up and hadn’t gotten any sleep herself. Her hair was a mess, her cheeks smudged with dirt, and something about seeing her this unguarded made my chest tighten.

“Hey,” she said quietly, getting up and coming over before I even tried to speak. She crouched next to me, her hand hovering over my forehead, like she was worried she’d hurt me just by touching. “How are you feeling?”

It took me a second to find my voice, and even then, it came out cracked and too quiet. “I’m fine,” I said, because that’s what you’re supposed to say. But we both knew I wasn’t. I could see it in the way her mouth tightened. My stomach twisted with guilt for lying, even though I wasn’t fooling anyone.

“You feel like a furnace,” she said, pressing her palm to my forehead anyway. Her hand was calloused and cool against my skin. I wanted to lean into that coolness, let it chase away the fever burning behind my eyes. “You’ve been out for a while.”

“Sorry,” I managed, though I wasn’t sure what I was apologizing for. Maybe for making her worry, maybe for needing her help.

She shook her head, then grabbed the canteen from where it lay near the fire, unscrewing the cap. “Don’t be stupid,” she said, but there was no bite to it. She slipped an arm under my shoulders and helped me sit up just enough to drink. The water tasted slightly metallic, probably from the canteen, but it was cool and wet, and I almost sighed out loud with relief.

“Better?” she asked, her face close enough that I could see the lines of exhaustion around her eyes. The night smelled like damp earth and woodsmoke, and now that I was upright, I noticed my entire body ached, like I’d run ten miles or fought off a bear or something equally ridiculous.

I nodded, though my head felt floaty. “Thanks,” I said, and I meant it. She was being gentle, careful. This was Lily, who so often spoke in clipped words and sideways glances, who’d killed men without flinching. Now she was tucking a blanket around my shoulders, like I was something fragile.

She settled back on her heels, assessing me. “You’ve got a fever,” she said plainly. “You need to rest.”

“I have been resting,” I pointed out weakly. It came out sounding like an attempt at humor, and her mouth lifted at one corner. A smile, almost.

“Yeah, well, do it more,” she said. She looked over her shoulder at the forest, scanning for threats, I guess. When she turned back, there was something careful in her expression. “I’ll keep watch.”

It hit me then that she was worried about more than just my fever—she was worried about us being vulnerable, about someone stumbling upon our little camp and finding me half-dead. That protective edge in her eyes, it settled something in my chest, made me feel less alone. Less like a burden.

I tried to relax, but my muscles felt tense, my side hurt, and my mind kept drifting, half-awake, to jumbled images I couldn’t quite piece together. I kept seeing faces—people I’d lost—blinking in and out of my memory like fireflies. It made my heart ache. I pressed a hand to my chest, tried to focus on something real, something solid.

Lily noticed. She leaned in and took my hand—not in a dramatic way, just kind of scooped it up as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “Don’t go all strange on me,” she said softly, and I thought I heard a hint of teasing in her voice. “You’re allowed to be sick. You’re allowed to feel bad. No one’s judging you here.”

I exhaled, the sound shaky. “I don’t want to drag you down,” I admitted. It felt silly as soon as I said it, but it was true. I hated feeling useless. She’d done so much—fought, protected, fussed over me like some cranky nursemaid—and I was just lying here, sweating and shaking.

Her eyes softened, the fire’s light catching flecks of gold in them. “You’re not dragging me anywhere,” she said, giving my hand a squeeze. “This is what people do. They help each other. Besides, you’d do it for me.”

I thought about that. Would I? Yeah, I would. Even before we’d trusted each other, something about Lily made me want to step up, to be braver. She had that effect—pushing me toward the kind of person I wanted to be. I swallowed, tried to muster a real smile. “I would,” I said.

She nodded, like we were settling an argument I didn’t realize we’d been having. Then, as if deciding I looked stable enough not to keel over, she released my hand and reached for a piece of cloth. She dipped it in water and pressed it to my forehead. The coolness was heaven, and I closed my eyes, letting it soothe the heat pulsing beneath my skin.

In the quiet that followed, I felt the night envelop us. The distant chirps of insects, the gentle rustle of leaves, the slow crackle of dying embers—it all threaded together into something calm and steady. And Lily was right here, close enough that I could feel the warmth of her arm when she leaned forward to adjust the cloth, close enough that I could smell the faint scent of sweat and travel and fire smoke that clung to us both.

“I owe you,” I managed after a few minutes of silence, my voice a rasp against the hush of the woods.

“No, you don’t,” she said. Not snappy or sarcastic—just kind. Like maybe this was what she’d needed too, to know she could be here for someone, and they’d actually let her in.

It was quiet for a long time after that. Not tense quiet, not that uneasy hush where you’re both looking for an exit. More like a kind of gentleness neither of us wanted to ruin. The fire popped softly, and a stray ember danced up into the night. I could hear my own breathing, and Lily’s too, and it felt like we were sharing something personal without needing to say it out loud.

After a while, I swallowed and said, “Tell me more about your daughter.” My voice sounded small, but not timid—more like I was stepping carefully, out of respect.

Lily’s expression changed the moment I mentioned her daughter, like I’d just turned on a light in a dark room. Her face softened, and the set of her shoulders relaxed. “She’s seventeen now,” she said, running a hand through her tangled hair. “Seventeen and convinced she knows everything, and maybe she does. She’s... unstoppable. She was trying to climb trees before she could walk, you know?” She shook her head, a tiny smile tugging at her lips. “Stubborn as hell, thinks the world exists for her to explore. She reminds me a lot of myself, and that’s both wonderful and terrifying.”

I tried to picture it—this stubborn, fearless kid. “She sounds… intense,” I said softly, hoping that came across as admiration and not judgment.

Lily snorted softly. “Oh, she is. She never stops moving. Always pushing back if you try to hold her down.” Her voice had that warm, proud note that parents get when they talk about their kids doing something that both annoys and impresses them.

I let the silence settle for a beat before asking, “Where is she now?” I didn’t want to pry, but I also felt like we were onto something real here, something I wanted to know more about.

Lily’s gaze drifted away, and the brightness in her face dimmed. “Up north, with some friends. Good people who know how to keep her safe and grounded.” She licked her lips, as if choosing her words carefully. “I couldn’t… I couldn’t give her that stability. Not with the way I live. I wanted to, but I just…” She shrugged, her voice catching. “She deserves better than what I could offer.”

I nodded, my chest feeling heavier. I knew that kind of regret, the way it tastes bitter on your tongue. “You did what you thought was right,” I said quietly. “That’s all anyone can do.”

When she looked back at me, I saw something in her eyes—something vulnerable and honest. She gave a small nod, and though she tried to smile, it didn’t quite reach her eyes. Still, it was real. “Yeah,” she said, voice low. “I hope so.”

We let the night hold us for a while, the fire shrinking down to glowing coals. In that silence, I felt like we understood each other more than we did a few minutes ago. Not in some big, dramatic way. Just... better.

I cleared my throat softly, almost reluctant to break the quiet. “What about you?” I asked, my voice gentle. “You’ve been all over. What’s that like?”

Lily’s gaze moved up, past the trees, like she was searching the stars for her memories. “It’s been a lot of things,” she said, voice going distant. “Exciting, lonely, dangerous. I’ve seen places so beautiful they made my chest ache, and I’ve seen things I wish I could erase from my mind. I’ve met people who changed me, people I still miss, and people I’m glad I never saw again.” She let out a short laugh. “It’s not always glamorous, being rootless. It can wear you down.”

I tried to imagine that life—never staying still, never letting anyone in too close. It must’ve felt like carrying a heavy pack you could never put down. “Any fun stories?” I asked, hoping to give her a moment of pride, something that didn’t hurt.

A real smile flickered across her face. “There was this village up north. They were dealing with these bandits—nothing but bullies, really—and I decided I’d had enough of them pushing decent people around.” She shrugged, trying to play it off, but I saw the spark in her eyes. “I cornered their leaders, made them see reason.” She paused, then snorted. “They ran off so fast I’m surprised their pants didn’t catch fire.”

Despite everything, I grinned. “You’re kind of a badass, you know.”

Lily rolled her eyes, but I could tell the compliment landed somewhere good. “I just do what needs to be done,” she said. But there was a gentleness in how she said it this time.

The fire cracked softly, and I could feel something hanging between us, something heavier. I took a breath and asked the question that had been on my mind. “You mentioned someone once—your first love. What happened?”

Her whole body went a little still, and I almost regretted asking. Almost. But then she started to speak, voice quieter now, like she was talking around a lump in her throat. “We were kids, basically. We had all these plans... We thought nothing could touch us.” She looked into the coals, as if the answers were there. “But life took a turn. She died. Just like that. And I was left wondering how I was supposed to keep breathing when half of me was gone.”

My own throat tightened at that. It was such a simple, brutal truth. I reached out, placing my hand over hers. She didn’t pull away. “I’m sorry,” I said, because what else could I say?

Lily nodded, staring at the fire, her eyes wet but not spilling over. “I never really got over it,” she confessed quietly. “I told myself it was safer not to let anyone in. That maybe I wouldn’t hurt so bad if I kept everyone at a distance.” She swallowed hard. “But sometimes, especially when it’s quiet, I wonder if I made a mistake. Maybe I could have found happiness again, if I just… tried.”

The pain in her voice was so human, so recognizable. I’d carried a different kind of loneliness, but I knew the shape of it. “It’s never too late,” I said softly, hoping she could feel how much I meant it.

She turned, meeting my eyes. I could see the battle going on inside her—the old habits telling her to slam the door shut, the new hope telling her to leave it open. Then she let out a breath and her shoulders relaxed a fraction. “Maybe,” she said, and I believed her.

I asked about Tinka’s father, not to pry, but because it seemed like something else she needed to say. She shrugged, a little embarrassed. “Just a fling. I found out I was pregnant after he was gone. I raised her the best I could, alone. Told myself we didn’t need him. And we managed. But…” She sighed, looking at her boots. “Sometimes I wonder if I robbed her of something. If I should’ve tried to find him.”

My heart ached for her, for the weight of all these what-ifs. “From what you’ve said, Tinka’s strong and fearless. She’s going to be okay. And she knows you love her, right?”

Lily looked at me then, and something in her eyes eased. “Yeah,” she said, voice just above a whisper. “I think she does.”

We walked on for a while, not needing to fill the silence. The sun had started its slow descent, turning the fields and trees a softer shade of gold. A warm breeze brushed over us, carrying the smell of wildflowers and hay, as if the world was trying to tell us it wasn’t all bad. And maybe it wasn’t. Maybe there were quiet moments of kindness, even when everything else felt impossible.

I kept sneaking glances at Lily, noticing how her posture eased as we settled into the quiet, her shoulders not quite as tense. Without the fire or the night sky, without the urgent need to survive hanging right over our heads, I could see her more clearly now. She wasn’t just scars and stories or that wary look in her eye. She was a person who’d been hurt—and who’d kept going anyway. It made me feel protective and in awe, all at once.

She caught me looking once, and I half expected her to roll her eyes or make some snarky comment. But instead, her lips curved into something that might’ve been a smile, just shy of it, like she didn’t know if she was allowed to feel okay. I smiled back, just a small tilt of my mouth, letting her know I wasn’t judging, just glad to be there.

Eventually, the questions I’d been dancing around couldn’t stay quiet anymore. I took a breath and asked about the scars—softly, carefully. I didn’t want to poke at old wounds, but I wanted to understand. I wanted to know the things that shaped her, the memories that echoed when she was quiet.

Her answer came slowly, like it hurt to push the words out. A wolf shapeshifter, a fight in the woods, someone named Dina who she tried to save and couldn’t. Her voice was quieter than I’d ever heard it, and each syllable felt like it carried a weight of its own. She didn’t look at me while she talked, and I understood why. This wasn’t just a story, it was something lodged inside her, something raw and personal.

I listened, not moving, not daring to break the moment with some empty reassurance. The way her voice trembled on Dina’s name said more than I could ever fix with words. I knew what it was like to carry that kind of regret, to hold someone’s memory too close.

When she finished, I found myself speaking just as softly. “I’m sorry.” It felt like the only thing worth saying, because it was true. Hearing about Dina—and about the scars and what they stood for—made my chest tighten. I thought of Aldara, and how I’d never really healed from losing her, either. The loss just learned to sit quietly inside me, like a passenger I’d stopped trying to kick out.

Lily turned to me, her eyes meeting mine this time, and I saw something there that hadn’t been before. Maybe recognition, or understanding. Maybe just relief that she wasn’t the only one who knew what it felt like to fail someone you loved. We didn’t talk about it much, but in that look, we said everything: I know it hurts. I know you’re still carrying it. Me too.

After that, the heaviness between us changed shape. It wasn’t gone, but it was shared now. We walked a bit farther in silence, letting the quiet settle. The birds kept singing, and the sun kept dipping lower, and the world didn’t stop because of our grief. Somehow, that made it easier to keep moving forward.

At some point, I tried for a smile, something small and hopeful. “If we ever run into trouble again,” I said lightly, “I’ll do my best. I may not be the best fighter, but I’m stubborn enough to slow something down, at least.”

That coaxed a snort of amusement out of her, and I realized how much I liked the sound. “You’d better,” she said, her tone almost playful. “I’m counting on you to distract whatever’s out there while I do the hard work.”

I chuckled, shaking my head. The banter felt good, like stretching a sore muscle that was finally starting to heal. We kept walking, side by side, our shadows growing long across the dirt road. The fields swayed gently, the forest rustled softly, and somewhere in the distance, the sky was folding itself into dusk.

We didn’t have all the answers. We didn’t know what tomorrow would look like. But right now, we were here, walking together. And that felt human in all the best ways—imperfect and hopeful, painful and comforting, all at once. It made me think that maybe, against all odds, we were going to be okay.

We kept walking, the sky turning all those colors I used to love back home—pale oranges, warm pinks, the kind of colors that make you feel like everything might be okay, just for a minute. I don’t know what made me speak up then—maybe it was the quiet, or maybe it was the way Lily felt like someone who could actually hear me. But suddenly I was talking, my voice soft under that wide-open sky.

“I miss my friends back home,” I said, surprising myself with how raw it sounded. The words came out quieter than I intended, like I was testing them in the air. Lily glanced over, and I could feel her attention land on me, steady and kind. She didn’t push, didn’t rush me. Just waited, the way a good friend does.

So I told her about them—about Yoongi, who was like the world’s most reliable anchor, keeping me steady when everything else felt like it was slipping. About Jin, who could find the funny in anything, who could make us laugh even when we were scared or tired or heartbroken. And Wendy—bright, restless Wendy with her wild ideas and big plans, always dragging us off on some adventure. I could almost see them as I spoke, like they were walking beside me again, their laughter drifting on the breeze.

Lily nodded at all the right times, and when she smiled, it didn’t feel forced. “They sound like a pretty unforgettable group,” she said softly, and just hearing that was enough to loosen some knot in my chest.

I tried to paint the picture for her: the bonfires on the beach near Syrena, the nights we stayed up way too late teasing each other and making grand plans. There’d been complications, too—Wendy’s unreturned crush on Yoongi, her eventual relationship with Jin—but somehow, we always found a way through. I told Lily about how our families and covens intertwined, how the celebrations felt like home in a way words couldn’t really describe.

My voice caught a little when I admitted how much I missed them. “Do you think they remember me?” I asked, my gaze dropping to the gravel road under our boots. It was a silly question, maybe, but I couldn’t help it. The world felt so different now, and the idea that maybe I’d faded in their memories hurt more than I wanted to admit.

Lily nudged me, her shoulder against mine. “They haven’t forgotten,” she said simply. “People don’t just forget someone they love. One day you’ll see them again, and it’ll feel like you never left.”

I looked at her, and there was something about the way she said it—so matter-of-fact and sincere—that made it easier to breathe. I smiled, small but real. “You think so?”

She grinned, a soft twinkle in her eye. “I know so. Besides, you’re kind of hard to forget.” She winked, and I laughed, feeling lighter.

It was like, for a second, I could let myself imagine that future—coming home, stepping back into my old life, picking berries in my garden, laughing with Wendy, teasing Yoongi, rolling my eyes at Jin’s jokes. It didn’t feel so impossible when Lily said it out loud.

Then I told her about Taehyung, how he hid at my cottage for a summer after his pack rejected him. How he’d become like family to me, full of jokes and life, shrugging off pain like it was nothing. And Jimin—just saying his name made my throat tighten. I whispered how much I missed him, how I hoped we could be together again someday, even though I was scared I might not live long enough to see that day come.

Lily’s hand found my arm, a gentle, human touch. “You’ve made it this far,” she said quietly, “you can keep going. And I’m right here.”

That did something to me—put a crack in the walls I’d built to keep the fear in. I nodded, my eyes stinging a little. Her belief felt like a gift I didn’t know I needed.

I let myself talk about Cadoc, the air elemental who’d helped me escape when things got bad. How he was distant and weird and not really what I’d call a friend at first, but when it counted, he showed up. It made me ache in a good way, remembering all these people, all these pieces of home.

“God, I’m homesick,” I muttered, pressing a hand to my chest like I could hold the feeling in place. The fields and forests around us were beautiful, sure, but they weren’t mine. They weren’t my cottage, my garden, my friends. They weren’t the place where I felt safe and seen.

Lily understood—at least, as much as anyone could. She nodded, her expression softening. “I get it,” she said. “But you’re not alone right now. You’ve got me, and I’m sticking around.”

I smiled at her, gratitude swelling inside me. It felt strange and comforting at the same time, to find a friend here and now, on this dusty road far from home.

So I told her more. I described my cottage in the woods, the tiny garden where I grew strawberries and herbs, the little bird named Patto who sang at my window every morning, and the doe, Delinah, who sneaked in to nibble at my plants. I tried to show Lily that part of me—the quiet mornings, the light filtering through the branches, the feeling that maybe the world wasn’t such a hard place after all.

She listened like it mattered, like these details helped her understand me. “It sounds perfect,” she said softly, and I could tell she meant it.

“I just want to go back,” I admitted, my voice catching. “I want to feel that peace again, sit in my garden, and just… be home.”

Lily’s hand on my shoulder again, a small squeeze. “We’ll get you there,” she said, her voice steady. “I promise.”

I looked at her, tears threatening at the corners of my eyes. “You should come with me,” I said impulsively, imagining how she’d fit into that picture—Lily talking to Wendy, bantering with Jin, rolling her eyes at Yoongi’s calm demeanor. “You belong there, too. Or at least… I’d like you there.”

She raised an eyebrow, then smiled. “I think I’d like that. Someone’s gotta keep an eye on you, right?”

I laughed, and it came out easy. For once, I didn’t feel like I had to carry every burden alone. The sun dipped lower, its light softer now, painting the world in gentle hues. We kept walking, our pace unhurried, the road stretching ahead. And as the day gave way to twilight, I realized something: I wasn’t just hoping for home anymore—I was starting to believe I might actually find it. And when I did, I wouldn’t be alone.

We walked in a kind of hush that wasn’t uncomfortable at all—just quiet, like the world around us was catching its breath. The trees arched overhead, the sky softened into evening, and somewhere a bird was singing a last, sweet note before settling in for the night. When Lily spoke, it was almost surprising, but not unwelcome. It felt like we were in a safe place now—somewhere we could let the past peek through the cracks.

“You know,” she said, her voice low and thoughtful, “I had a place like that once. Not quite a cottage, but… it was an old cabin by a pond. More like a shack, really. Dina and I used to hide out there, away from her mother. We’d fish in the mornings, sit by the fire at night, and pretend the rest of the world didn’t exist. It wasn’t fancy, but it felt like ours.”

I glanced over at her, half expecting the usual guarded look, but what I found was something gentler. Her gaze was distant, aimed somewhere past the horizon. “That sounds amazing,” I said softly, meaning it. I could almost picture it: the quiet water reflecting the sky, the hush of two friends passing time without any hurry. “Do you ever think about going back?”

Lily’s shoulders lifted in a small shrug. “Sometimes. But it’s not the same without her.” Her voice had that quiet tremor people get when they talk about someone they lost long ago but still miss every day. “I just keep the memories now. They’re easier to carry than trying to hold onto the place itself.”

My hand reached out almost on its own, my fingers brushing her arm. The contact felt real and kind of important, but also so normal. “I’m sorry,” I said softly, not wanting to stir up old pain. “I didn’t mean—”

She shook her head, a sad but understanding smile on her lips. “It’s okay. It’s been a long time. And places like that—they never really leave you, you know? They get inside you. Like your cottage is inside you, shaping who you are.”

I nodded, something tight in my chest easing a little. “I think so, too. Those places become part of us. They give us strength when everything else is falling apart.”

She looked at me then, really looked at me, her eyes less distant now and more… present. “And maybe when this is over, we can find new places. Make new memories. Together.”

I smiled, feeling the warmth of that word—together—spread through me like a gentle flame. “I’d like that,” I whispered, almost too quietly, but I knew she heard.

We kept walking. The road stretched out and out, but it didn’t feel endless in a bad way anymore. More like a promise than a threat. I thought about my old home, and about Lily’s cabin, and about all the strange, in-between times that had led us here. Maybe somewhere ahead there was a new home waiting for both of us—one that smelled like fresh earth and summer flowers, where laughter and conversation felt effortless. Maybe Tinka would be there, too. Maybe it’d be bright and warm, the birds singing in the trees, and maybe it’d be summer so we could celebrate Litha together, the way old friends and new friends do.

The sky was sliding into night, one star after another winking into place. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something flash across the darkness, quick and bright.

“Look,” Lily said, pointing up. “A shooting star.”

I tilted my head back just in time to catch the tail end of it. I closed my eyes and made a wish—several wishes, actually. For home, for peace, for the life I longed to return to, and for a future where Lily and Tinka could settle into my old cottage while I moved into Jimin’s place nearby. Where the hybrids would live close enough to visit for dinner, and the birds would sing every morning. Where the first Litha we spent together tasted of smreka and hope. I held those wishes close, like seeds I wanted to plant in my heart.

When I opened my eyes, Lily was watching me with a half-smile. “Did you make a wish?”

I nodded, a small grin tugging at my lips. “Yeah, I did.”

“Good,” she said, turning her gaze to the sky, her voice lighter now. “I made one too. I have a feeling they’ll come true.”

And just like that, the world felt a bit kinder. We walked on, guided by starlight and the quiet certainty that we weren’t walking alone anymore. The future still felt big and uncertain, but I had hope like a steady pulse in my chest. I had Lily’s hand close enough to reach for if I stumbled. I had the memory of my old home inside me, and I had the promise that maybe we’d find something just as special in the days to come.

Taglist: @greezenini @adventures-in-bookland @kthstrawberryshortcake-main @zae007live@jimin-neverout @nikkiordonez12 @canarystwin @yamekomz @chimthicc @michiiedreamer @amorieus @mima795 @yunki-yunki-yunki

© chimcess, 2024. Do not copy or repost without permission.

[shinyasahalo]

Top 100 AO3 Ships (All) May 1, 2024

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[jikookficsdiarry]

Hello loves!! It's been a while... Sorry, I've had a chaotic weekend with studying and back to work prep today:) but I'm here and I just wanted to say that I was unable to read new fics the past couple of days but I did re-read one of my favourite fics for comfort. It heals me every single time and it's single parent a/b/o au!! you know I'm going to love them🤍 and yes there are misunderstandings and you'll feel the pain in the beginning...but you'll also heal in the best way. Trust me, jikook here just need a hug🤍

Please do read tags and give it a chance🤍

[caseylovefics]

Sinking Water Lilies (3906 words) by CaseyLove Chapters: 1/4 Fandom: 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Jeon Jungkook/Park Jimin Summary: “Your destined mate…is Jungkook." Jimin's stomach drops. Did she just say– “Jeon Jungkook of the Jeon Pack," the seer nods. This must be a joke, he thinks. His destined mate was Jeon Jungkook? Jimin’s life-long nemesis and rival since childhood? The asshole alpha who stole his fathers job, threw Jimin out of the hunting pack and humiliated him? That Jeon Jungkook?

[dhr-ao3]

List of shameless acts Israel have done and lied about

List of shameless acts Israel have done and lied about https://ift.tt/1TEJYZN by Pizzapozzzey I’m trying to spread as much awareness as I can, please get yourself educated on this and support the people of Gaza! Don’t believe the news outlet and the propaganda Israel have spread. I will be writing and updating the list of israel propaganda and the sources! And also I will be linking to tiktok & instagram accounts you need to follow for more information. And I will also be including brands and celebrities to boycott (they support Israel and donating to Israel.) Please genuinely educate yourself! Don’t stay silent for the people of Gaza! FREE PALESTINE 🇵🇸 Words: 938, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: Haikyuu!!, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia (Anime & Manga), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS, ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 | JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken | JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan, 呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen (Manga), 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV), 天官赐福 | Heaven Official's Blessing (Cartoon), 天官赐福 - 墨香铜臭 | Tiān Guān Cì Fú - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù, Marvel Cinematic Universe, 原神 | Genshin Impact (Video Game), 崩坏：星穹铁道 | Honkai: Star Rail (Video Game) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Categories: Multi, F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Other Characters: Raiden Ei | Baal, Scaramouche (Genshin Impact), Sirius Black, Regulus Black, Jeon Jungkook, Miles Morales, Peter Parker, Tony Stark Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Miya Atsumu/Sakusa Kiyoomi, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy/Hermione Granger, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Bakugou Katsuki/Midoriya Izuku, Bakugou Katsuki/Kirishima Eijirou, Bakugou Katsuki/Todoroki Shouto, Midoriya Izuku/Todoroki Shouto, Midoriya Izuku/Shinsou Hitoshi, Midoriya Izuku/Uraraka Ochako, Kirishima Eijirou/Midoriya Izuku, Takami Keigo | Hawks/Reader, Bakugou Katsuki/Reader, Draco Malfoy/Reader, Cedric Diggory/Harry Potter, Kong | Aether/Xiao | Alatus (Genshin Impact), Kong | Aether/Tartaglia | Childe (Genshin Impact), Kong | Aether/Scaramouche (Genshin Impact), Ying | Lumine/Zhongli (Genshin Impact), Tartaglia | Childe/Ying | Lumine/Zhongli (Genshin Impact), Ying | Lumine/Yoimiya (Genshin Impact), Tartaglia | Childe/Zhongli (Genshin Impact), Kong | Aether/Tartaglia | Childe/Zhongli (Genshin Impact), Scaramouche/Tartaglia | Childe (Genshin Impact), Getou Suguru/Gojo Satoru, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Regulus Black/James Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, Jeon Jungkook/Kim Taehyung | V, Jeon Jungkook/Park Jimin, Jeon Jungkook/Kim Seokjin | Jin, Kim Taehyung | V/Park Jimin, Kim Namjoon | RM/Kim Seokjin | Jin, Jung Hoseok | J-Hope/Min Yoongi | Suga, Peter Parker/Tony Stark, Jeon Jungkook/Reader Additional Tags: Fluff, Angst, Enemy Lovers, One Shot, Sharing a Bed, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Hogwarts Eighth Year, Post-Canon, Pre-Canon, Established Relationship, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Arranged Marriage via AO3 works tagged 'Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy' https://ift.tt/lzeCjPK November 22, 2023 at 07:02PM

[ao3feed-kiribaku]

List of shameless acts Israel have done and lied about

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/kjYhG2f by Pizzapozzzey I’m trying to spread as much awareness as I can, please get yourself educated on this and support the people of Gaza! Don’t believe the news outlet and the propaganda Israel have spread. I will be writing and updating the list of israel propaganda and the sources! And also I will be linking to tiktok & instagram accounts you need to follow for more information. And I will also be including brands and celebrities to boycott (they support Israel and donating to Israel.) Please genuinely educate yourself! Don’t stay silent for the people of Gaza! FREE PALESTINE 🇵🇸 Words: 938, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: Haikyuu!!, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia (Anime & Manga), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS, ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 | JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken | JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan, 呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen (Manga), 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV), 天官赐福 | Heaven Official's Blessing (Cartoon), 天官赐福 - 墨香铜臭 | Tiān Guān Cì Fú - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù, Marvel Cinematic Universe, 原神 | Genshin Impact (Video Game), 崩坏：星穹铁道 | Honkai: Star Rail (Video Game) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Categories: Multi, F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Other Characters: Raiden Ei | Baal, Scaramouche (Genshin Impact), Sirius Black, Regulus Black, Jeon Jungkook, Miles Morales, Peter Parker, Tony Stark Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Miya Atsumu/Sakusa Kiyoomi, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy/Hermione Granger, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Bakugou Katsuki/Midoriya Izuku, Bakugou Katsuki/Kirishima Eijirou, Bakugou Katsuki/Todoroki Shouto, Midoriya Izuku/Todoroki Shouto, Midoriya Izuku/Shinsou Hitoshi, Midoriya Izuku/Uraraka Ochako, Kirishima Eijirou/Midoriya Izuku, Takami Keigo | Hawks/Reader, Bakugou Katsuki/Reader, Draco Malfoy/Reader, Cedric Diggory/Harry Potter, Kong | Aether/Xiao | Alatus (Genshin Impact), Kong | Aether/Tartaglia | Childe (Genshin Impact), Kong | Aether/Scaramouche (Genshin Impact), Ying | Lumine/Zhongli (Genshin Impact), Tartaglia | Childe/Ying | Lumine/Zhongli (Genshin Impact), Ying | Lumine/Yoimiya (Genshin Impact), Tartaglia | Childe/Zhongli (Genshin Impact), Kong | Aether/Tartaglia | Childe/Zhongli (Genshin Impact), Scaramouche/Tartaglia | Childe (Genshin Impact), Getou Suguru/Gojo Satoru, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Regulus Black/James Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, Jeon Jungkook/Kim Taehyung | V, Jeon Jungkook/Park Jimin, Jeon Jungkook/Kim Seokjin | Jin, Kim Taehyung | V/Park Jimin, Kim Namjoon | RM/Kim Seokjin | Jin, Jung Hoseok | J-Hope/Min Yoongi | Suga, Peter Parker/Tony Stark, Jeon Jungkook/Reader Additional Tags: Fluff, Angst, Enemy Lovers, One Shot, Sharing a Bed, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Hogwarts Eighth Year, Post-Canon, Pre-Canon, Established Relationship, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Arranged Marriage read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/kjYhG2f

[behind-the-screen-of-bangtan]

Layover (part 2)

(←Layover part 1)

Slow Dancing

(end of the section, see part 1 for the rest please)

Several artificial details seem to hint the beach scene are a virtual reality created by the animator character we already saw in "Rainy Days" (cr.).

We notably have Yeontan's face in the trees (cr. #1, cr. #2), all the people being replaced by V on the polaroid (cr.), as well as a constellation made of the swimmers and representing a dancing couple (cr.).

The snails and jellyfishes we see throughout the video tell the same story : we have references in V's workroom, virtual templates on the TV and the actual rendition in the summer scenes.

Bangtan Greenhouse identified the flowers eaten by Quique (daisies, possibly chamomile) (Quique mentioned in an Insta story that he was called "flower-eating guy" in the script) as well as the ones in V's workroom (peace lily).

The scenes on the sailboat were filmed in the bay of Palma, aboard the Rafael Verdera, Spain's oldest functioning boat (website).

Slow Dancing (FRNK Remix)' Official MV

This MV features B-shots of the other MVs as well as snippets from 1930s cartoons:

Circus Capers

Tom and Jerry: The Tuba Tooter

Felix the Cat: April Maze

The Booze Hangs High

Mighty Mouse: Wolf! Wolf!

Santa and the Three Bears (1970, at 27:27)

Note that another scene from the Mighty Mouse episode could be seen in "Rainy Days" MV.

Blue

Release date: 13 September 2023

Teaser 1, Teaser 2

Lyrics

The MV was also filmed in Carabanchel.

Bangtan Greenhouse identified the plants appearing in the MV here.

For Us

Release date: 16 September 2023

Teaser

Lyrics

Fanchant

The MV is a mix of several behind-the-scene videos for Layover.

Promotion, interviews, and performances

W Korea Vol. 9: announcement, tweets, Instagram reels #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, digital content schedule, V's Instagram post, interview, Q&A (transcription)

POP Magazine: Instagram post #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, V's Instagram post

Weverse magazine: "V’s vocals evoke a world of fantasy"

Layover Introduction

Rolling Stone: "V Shares The Journey That Led to Layover – And How His BTS Members Helped Get Him There"

NME: "V – ‘Layover’ review: suave sophistication with a twist"

Weverse magazine: "V the visualist"

Spotify: tweets, "V makes it rain at Spotipoly", "V makes V poses and the world is good again | UNBOXING SHOW"

NAVER POP: teaser (eng), tweets, day 1 performance, day 2 performance, 'Slow Dancing', 'Love Me Again', 'Rainy Days', 'Blue'

230910 Inkigayo: "Slow Dancing", "Rainy Days"

슈취타: EP.18 SUGA with V

IU's Palette🎨: 'V'egin Again (With V) Ep.24

230914 M Countdown: teaser, "Love Me Again", "Slow Dancing", Yeontan Fancam, "Slow Dancing" behind

230915 Music Bank: "For Us", "Slow Dancing", Winner's ceremony

Tiny Desk Korea: tweets, performance, V's Instagram post

The First Take: tweets, performance

V's 20 second LIVE @ Gangneung

Band session: 'Love Me Again', 'Slow Dancing', V's Instagram post, Band & Dance Practice Behind

[globalcubic]

BTS V   [ KIM TAEHYUNG ]

Bts v is the member of the biggest and most  popular  boy band  BTS [ bangtan sonyeondan] . He is also the world's most handsome man of 2020. He is a singer, an artist, songwriter, music composer , dancer and an actor.  

DID YOU KNOW WHO IS THE IDEAL WOMEN OF BTS V ?????

Although in an interview BTS V revealed his favorite Hollywood actresses are Rachael MCadams and Lily Collins . But as he comes from a farmer’s family he wants his ideal type of woman who will use his money wisely and also cares for him . Also he wants a girl with long hair and a great fashion sense but also a good warm hearted woman from outside.

 Also Did you bts v was the last member to get the stage name ????? 

Yes bts v is the last member to get the stage name which is bts V in which V stands for Victory . and also he proves his name that its the actual victory .

Unknown facts about  BTS V 

There are so many facts about bts v but here are top 10 interesting facts that you should know about being an bts army .

1.Bts V never dreamed of becoming an idol

2. He was born in a farmer’s family

3. His love for strawberries

4. Friendship Goal

5. V was the last member to get stage name

6. Chocolate over coffee

7. The photographer : Vante

8. His dad his role model

9. V was kept under wrap before his debut

10. His ideal woman

And for dashing bts v pics check out his instagram handle - thV

Also if you wanna read about his BFFand also a bts member JEON JUNGKOOK then click here -BTS Jungkook For more such interesting post visit website - globalcubic.com

[myheartfanfics]

Archive Of Our Own (AO3)

BTS

Kim Seokjin/Kim Namjoon

Woooow one of the best Namjin romance I ever read!!!! A lot of Angst but the ending gave me a nice feeling 🥰

[namjooningelsewhere]

War Of The Hearts: #8

✽Pairing - OT7 x reader (DJ) and OT7 x Lily

✽Word Count - 10.5k

✽Ratings - 18+

✽Genre(s) - Mafia Au, Angst , Fluff, mentions of smut.

✽Trigger Warnings - Mentions of Death, Mentions of Trauma , minor alcohol consumption, mentions of torture and shootouts and mentions of bloodshed, Mentions of Drugs, Attempted Murder, A little manipulative behavior, A shootout, a lot of cursing, There is a little bit of torture in here so please please avoid this if this triggers you in any way.

✽Summary - You’ve been lurking in the shadows, protecting the seven of Bangtan even if it means you must give your own life. After all, that’s what you do when you are in love with someone irrevocably. That pain seems to be minuscule in light of their safety. But it was never about you, for all you are is a speck of dust in the universe they have created for them and their girlfriend. Your heart’s at war, but it’s fine, you can smile through the pain as long as it means they smile- for her.

✽A/N : Its been a while since i updated isnt it? I know, But work has been crazy and a lot is happening at that front. But yes i ended up writing it while i was waiting for my flight. It may or may not be a little unedited, So please forgive me. But im still struggling with the writers block so, This update made me so happy that finally i wrote something. So we are near to the end, Two more parts to go and one more character entry. please do let me know what you think about it, Your comments and asks literally mean the world to me. Let me know if you want to be added to the taglist.

✽Taglist: @brimal @2ne1unni @shatzkrinslinzki @zae007live, @gukieater @tinyoonsblog @skylievin @2ne1unni @lovelgirl22 @euphakid @embrace-themagic @didi-9310 @loisje123 @iamhereforbts @silscintilla @2ne1unni @rp171198 @aboredboredboreduniverse @blaaiissee @top-crop @sa7kou @chhungi-bawihtlung @aquariushoesss @definitelythinkimanalien

7mer @babycoffeefire @emoskytime8 @hob3yw0rld@motivatedprocastinator @speedyqueendaze @sugajinny @thereaderwholovesyou @btspurplesky @skz-jeha @theestrangeddreamer @success1009 @militrybarbi @afangirllikeme-blog @celestialentitiesss @daydreambrliever @bibebts @dreamamubarak @kimsaerom @sa7kou @veronawrites @bt21chim @cutiepat @jooniebub @shadowyjellyfishfest @mageprincess7 @jiminbolala @impossibilitydesign @xtayxx​ @ cherryluvhobi @knjsbae

✽Part Seven - Here

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ 

The events that had taken place today had left you with a lot of questions, But more than you it seemed like the two men with you had the most questions. Hoseok and Tae seemed a little off after a while when the adrenaline had worn off.

Lily had been safely put in the backseat of Hoseok's car and the two just stood a little distance away from the car, their bodies present physically at a distance. But mentally it looked like they were both inside with her. You observed the two men from far away. There were no words being spoken to each other, but they knew what the other wanted to say.

You debated for a few minutes about going and talking to them but you couldn't exactly gather the courage to do so. You were still in the dark too. Everything that had happened so far was too vague. You had no idea why she did all of this. What were Ivanovs doing in the equation? And more importantly, what was the story between Yulina aka Lily?

You decided to ignore your doubts for the moment and go to the two men who had now moved onto the hood of the car. Taehyung stood beside Hobi with a blank expression and the older male just sat on the hood of the car. He looked deep in thought and a pained expression on his face.

You touched Hobi's shoulder and the man flinched but settled quickly when he saw it was you. "You okay?" He nodded his head in a no and you took a seat beside him. Taehyung was beside Hobi in a fraction of a second when he saw him saying no. You placed your hand on his shoulder and that kind of broke the barrier for him. Tears started streaming down his face and you and Taehyung placed your hands on his. For the first time in a while, you felt the courage to hug him and the strong feeling of strangling lily started growing in your mind the way hobi hugged you back. You could feel his tears streaming down your neck and you couldn't even begin to imagine how hurt the two men must be right now.

"Now that you're safe, Everything just hit me, you know?" Taehyung kept rubbing his hyung back silently assuring him that it was okay. Tae's eyes were filled with tears too, you knew he was the most emotional one out of them. He wouldn't bat an eyelid when he was in pain or if something troubled him. It was the exact opposite when it came to the people he loved. He couldn't see them sad, not at all.

"I can't say I understand what you're going through but I understand the pain. We will find out why she did this."

"I don't know how Namjoon is going to handle this once he knows." This was something that even you hadn't thought of yet. Everyone else.

"I have no idea but I feel we should have the details first before we think of anything."

"She's right hyung, I want to know why the fuck would she do something like this?"

"Alright then, Let's find out. DJ, you have the location right? We will follow you."

"Cool, What about her?" You point to the backseat where Lily was unconscious and sleeping peacefully absolutely unaware that her cover was blown.

"Let her be there, She is unconscious and given the dose she would be out for another couple of hours." You nod your head in an okay and walk towards your car, You take your phone out and send Hobi the location in case they lose you in transit. Traffic could be a bitch sometimes.

You start the car and start driving towards the pin location, A lot of thoughts plague your mind. Some selfish, some questions, and the rest of the whys which hadn't stopped coming to your mind since you had found out about Lily's setup.

For a fleeting second, the thoughts of what would happen once lily is out of the picture to change your equation with the bangtan kept coming to your mind, But then you drove them away once you were sure about one thing. You had been thrown into the seven men and Lily's mix because their woman wanted to be a part of them, But if the said woman was only out of the picture then where would that put you?

You were mentally preparing yourself to be out of Bangtan 's life once everything would come to light, Maybe they would end whatever complicated relationship they had with you too. And you would be ready for it by the time that happens, which could possibly be in a matter of a few days. You were determined to find out what the story behind Lily was, You definitely were. The way that woman had set you up was infuriating and the fact that she had done so without an ounce of guilt, made you want to put a bullet right through her skull.

Hobi's incoming call jolted you back to reality, where you were driving with your head very high up in the clouds. You cursed at yourself for being so careless, just in case something would have happened.

"Yeah Hobi."

"DJ listen, Something has come up. Namjoon has asked us to come back immediately."

"What happened?"

"I don't know if something happened. It's work-related, he said. So we are going home."

"Okay, I'll see you at home.Bye."

"Hey wait." You pulled your fingers back from the screen when you heard Hobi shout out of nowhere.

"You're not going alone DJ, I know you're always up to something. You.won't.go.alone." A laugh escaped when you heard the way hobi punctuated each and every word. Tae's voice rang out before you could even speak further.

"He's right, Don't you dare go alone. I am warning you, DJ. There could be a danger." The two men keep justifying the number of dangers there could possibly be and desperately try to find a chance where you could convince them to let you go alone.

"Okay fine you two. I'm not going." The two men stop rambling once they hear you assuring them.

"Don't try anything funny DJ, You need to be careful. This is not over yet."

"I know Hobi, I won't be okay. You go home first, I'll see you at home sometime."

"Wait, Where are you going?"

"I just have to finish some work at the warehouse, Don't worry ill be fine."

"DJ–

"Taehyung, Hobi. No funny business. I'll be home sometime. I promise."

"You better be home, We are waiting." You end the call and take the next exit toward your warehouse. You had obviously lied to them. You had nothing to do there. You had built your empire in a way where the work would be going on irrespective of your presence. You had spent a good amount of years putting your business on autopilot.

The only question was- Should you or should you not go and catch hold of Mikhail and Borris right now.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽ ✽ ✽ ✽

You head to your warehouse in the same confusion. Once you throw your stuff on the table you settle further down in your chair and put your legs on the table. The confusion still runs wild in your mind. See you had no problem going there and you were confident enough to take the entire mob down if needed but this time it was Hobi and Taehyung who had asked you not to. You mindlessly play with your gun, your coping mechanism after years of dismantling and assembling the weapon again and again until your mind comes to a conclusion.

"Ugh, why does this need to be so hard? Fuckkkk." You bang your fist on the table hard when an urgent knock snatches your attention.

"Boss, is everything okay?" One of your men peeked his head inside nervously, You motioned the man to come inside.

"Yeah, everything is okay." You speak the words with an expression that reflects sarcasm and the man seems to take a hint. He wasn't so close to you, There were only a few people whom you had somewhat given leverage to be involved in your personal orbit, But the said man definitely wasn't one of them and you were not sure yet if you could bare your thoughts out to him.

"You definitely don't look okay." You look at the man with a confused expression, Were you that obvious when something was troubling you. The man takes the opportunity to sit before you and it amuses you. He had never done something like this before in the past five years that he had been working with you.

"And how would you know mister?"

"Not that I can speak about it completely sure, But over the years all of us here know when you're in two minds about something?"

"Really now, I did not know I was working with a bunch of detectives." The man laughs nervously and points towards your hand, mindlessly as if you were still playing with the gun. You stop for a moment and give the man a pointed look.

"You play with your gun, That was the sign Jeh told us to look out for if we did not want to be dead meat." You couldn't help but laugh at his words, Jeh was always close to everyone. And everybody liked him, Literally everyone.

"That brat." The man gives a light smile and the confusion eases a little in your mind, Suddenly Jeh takes up the entire space in your head. How you missed your best friend. You would give anything in the world to have him back at your side at the moment.

"What is it? If I may ask?"

"Well someone told me not to do something. Now I'm confused about whether I should do it or not because someone asked me not to." You did not know if you were even making sense at this point. But you couldn't help it either, That was the way the words came out of your mouth.

"Then you should do it." You look at the man sitting before you in confusion, How could he be so sure?

"And how are you so sure about it?" The man took a second to respond, but the mischievous smile that he was trying to suppress so hard gave him out. That was the second you knew it was definitely something to do with Jeh. The brat had said something to them.

"Jeh had said, " You specialize in doing the things that you are very explicitly told not to do."

"What–

"It's because he always told us that you won't be at rest unless and until you don't find out something you want to, And there is no use stopping you." You look at the man with eyes as wide as saucers, You knew this was Jeh. Only he could say something so perfect about you. The guy knew you better than himself.

"Looks like Jeh has trained you guys well."

"Well won't say train per se, But yes he always told us a couple of things to look out for so that we could be careful about, And in turn, they could not cause any troubles for you."

"What would I give for that guy to be right here?"

"We miss him too. I'll take your leave now. And you should definitely do what you think you must do and not wait because someone asked you to wait. Jeh would have said the same." The man leaves and a tear escapes your eye, This was exactly what Jeh would have said, or even better, He and you would have been right now nabbing Mikhail under different circumstances.

Quickly get up and load your gun and keep some extra bullets in case, if you need some. You were about to enter blind territory. You could use everything you could get. You walk out determined to have Mikhail and Boris at your feet sometime.

The minute you punch in the location in the GPS, the alarm bells start going off in your head. This place is somewhere very close to your home. Very very close. Now the area that you lived in was no piece of cake to get in. Only VIPs lived there. You could easily call it one of the most heavily guarded neighborhoods in Seoul. Politicians, actors, Diplomats, and Mafia. You could name it and you could find one of them there.

How did he get there or who actually was helping him stay there gave you an itch in your hand to kill that person yourself.

All the doubts floating in your mind stopped the moment you arrived at the exact location, Choi Min Lee's house. So this was where he was staying. Your head started weaving multiple theories as to how and why did Choi Min Lee's residence become a house to Mikhail, The fucker wasnt even a local, Then how.

You knew the neighborhood like the back of your hand, you knew everyone who stayed there. Choi Min Lee's house had been empty for quite a long time. The Choi's had moved into another locality ever since he had started getting more involved in politics and it had been a while since they moved. The newfound information about the possibility of the members of the circle's involvement gives you a hint of what kind of people were involved in this game.

The Circle was a place where there could be no politics, The rules were clear. The circle was established for a reason. No manipulations were allowed and no matter what the disputes among the circle were to be sat down and discussed not by any other means. But here another matter of fact was there was no solid reason as to why you could be a target.

You were on cordial terms with Choi and you had not come in between anything that could be a problem for Choi. The lock on the main gate grabs you out of your spins in your head and your eyebrows scrunch in confusion. What the hell was this?

You looked at the gate of the mansion, The gate was a very clear sign of no visible movement. And besides, the neighborhood was fairly populated. Everybody would know if someone is coming and going from the front gate frequently.

"What the fuck is this? Are you sure he's here?" You massage your temples when you hear the absolute surety in the voice of the person at the other end. You look at the two men and they wait for you to respond. The gates definitely looked like they had not been opened in a long time, the rust making it evident plenty. You keep the phone back in your pocket and start the car once again.

There had to be a way, Of Course, there had to be a way. The location had come from a source that was rock solid. It couldn't be wrong in any circumstances or else it would have happened in the first place. And this was too short of a notice to change locations.

The idea of the back gate hit you like a truck, you cursed internally to forget such an important detail. Your own house had one, but that was heavily guarded. Even your mansion had a back gate, And so did every other house in the neighborhood.

If they wanted to be in hiding why would they choose a place where anybody could see them? The back gate was well isolated and entering from there had a better chance of not being seen.

You turn the car and head towards the back gate which is only a couple hundred meters' drive from the turn. A smile lights up on your face when you see the back gate. It was in use. You drive a little further and park the car. You take your gun and put it in your pocket and wait silently to watch for any movement.

You quickly dial the number of the person who was supposed to be delivering Mikhail's special gift, The person receives it before the second ring is complete. You instruct the person at the location to deliver the package and hang it up while keeping a watch on the gate. You couldn't be too sure when it came to such things.

A little while after the package is delivered, you see another car driving by and stopping at the same distance from the gate as you. Not too little, Not too far. You quickly deck down in case the person from the car notices you. You keep yourself only high enough to see the view in a hidden way, Your eyes go wide when you see your own two men getting down from the car. The said men walk carefully towards the back gate and stop when they see your car.

Rage courses your veins when you find your own two men in enemy territory, They weren't asked to come here. You quietly exit the car and in three swift steps, you reach the two men. The second man turns around just in time and you grab him by his hands and twist it and turn him making him powerless all of a sudden. The first man is caught off guard all of a sudden and takes a second to register what just happened.

"You little—-

"Boss, wait. It's not what it looks like." You scoff at his words, You did not think of any other explanation for what you were seeing in front of you. No one knew where you were headed, you did not tell them. The only possibility they were here invoked too many questions in you.

"Really? Tell me what it is then." The man in your hands yelps too loud, sounding like he is about to cry.

"God damn it, Just tell her already Lee." You twist the man's hand a little by force and he almost lets out a pitiful cry.

"Boss, Wait. At Least listen to me."

"You have ten seconds before I shoot him."

"Okay, Ten seconds. Okay."

"You've wasted three already you bastard, Just fucking tell her."

"We came for you."  

"Me?"

"Boss we came for you, We really did." The man in your hands shouts with a shaky voice, That throws you off guard for a second. Why would they come here for you?

"Explain yourselves, Or else you're dead meat."

"You said someone had asked you not to do something, Yet you came. I know I said that's what you should do. But after you left it suddenly struck me that what if there was some danger?"

"Yeah that's the truth, I swear boss this is the truth." The struggling man took advantage of the fleeting second that you had been surprised after listening to their explanation. You pressed a little harder and the man went silent, giving up any chance of freedom from the grip that was on him.

"You expect me to believe this bullshit?"

"Boss, if I were lying, I would have attacked you in return when you caught Min-Ho."

"As if–

"Boss we are telling the truth, Leave me before you break my hand." You left the man's hand a little reluctantly, They did not sound like they were lying. They were definitely caught off guard, you could give them that. But apart from that, there were no visible signs of them lying.

"Do you have a death wish?"

"I don't, But he has. He got me to follow you."

"You followed me?''

"Umm sorry boss, I was worried that's it."

"And why so much concern all of a sudden?" You asked with a raised eyebrow. This was something entirely new. Your men were an integral part of all your missions, they definitely were. But this was a first that some of them had turned because they were worried for you.

"Is it bad to be worried?"

"Suddenly, yes." The man looks confused but you pay no heed to him and push the two men aside and peek through the gate. There was no moment in the backyard.

"Go back to the warehouse, I will be fine on my own." You order the two men who just stay rooted to the spot. You give them a questioning look and the two men look at you hesitantly debating if they should say it or not.

"Boss, let us be with you."

"What for?"

"Boss please, I swear we won't get in the way."

"That was an order."

"Boss please." Lee's tone increases a notch and you give him a questioning look, The other man looks at him with a horrified expression.

"Boss, I told you he has a death wish." He begins pulling the other man away, but the latter just remains rooted to his spot.

"Is it so difficult to accept help?"

"What did you just say to me?"

"What the fuck is wrong with you? You really want to die?" Min-Ho hits Lee's shoulder and you try your hardest to figure out what is going on. What was on with these men?

You ignore the two bickering men and cautiously move inside the gate, The two men break out of their banter and follow you. You look around cautiously to catch any movement or watch out for any kind of movement, But you surprisingly find none.

Given the situation, you had expected some heavy amount of guarding for the two men inside, you walk towards the back door and find it ajar. The two men gasp behind you, Finding no security was one thing but leaving the door open was another level.

You move the door wordlessly and the men behind you rush forward inside without any warning startling you in the process.

You tip-toe inside the house, your senses still very much alert to counter any attacks that could come out from anywhere. You unlock the gun and the two men do the same. The two men walk in front of you shielding you from the view. You stop for a second and look at the two cautious men walking ahead of you. You needed to devise a plan in case there were some of Mikhail's minions lurking behind the door to the passage.

"Listen up, Min-Ho you cover Lee, Lee you cover me and I'll cover you in case there are too many people inside." The two men nod and walk again as they did previously. Covering you up entirely.

Lee walks ahead and places his ear on the door while you and Min-ho look at him with a question, He checks twice and turns around with a puzzled look on his face. He nods his head in a no and you and Min-ho look at each other. Everything that's happening right now is downright crazy, but when did anything ever normal happen to you?

Going inside maybe would have been a foolish part, but you were very confident that you and your men could have handled it. Lee opens the door out of nowhere aiming his gun inside the room. The three of you remain rooted to your spots when you finally reach inside and see the state of the house, dead silence and totally empty.

"What the ---" you shush Lee when you hear a somewhat muffled voice somewhere close by. You could hear something, It was light but it was there. You couldn't exactly put a finger over it. The two men start looking at the side they stood on and you move to your side of the doors. You start checking with the doors on your side to find out if there was something there.

"Boss, There there." Lee's harsh whisper from behind startles you. When you peek your head out of the room you were in, you see Min-ho walking towards the room Lee came from. A huge smile lights up your entire face when you enter the room. There was definitely someone there- Borris.

"Oh my my, Look who we have here." Borris' eyes widen in fear when he sees the three of you entering the room one of the other. You knew that expression all too well. The expression that screamed doom. You looked at the beaten-up man tied up in a chair looking like he was pleading with his eyes to spare him.

Min-Ho pulls off the strap on his mouth violently and a cry escapes Boris' mouth. The man begins to trash violently but stops as soon as Lee puts the gun on his head, You quickly sprint to the door to see if all the trashing drew any attention of anybody else present there. The empty hall looks just like it was before and you breathe a sigh of relief.

"Listen, I did not do anything, Mikhail is upstairs." A laugh escapes your mouth as the words leave Borri's mouth. So that's where he was. You grab him by the hair and look directly into his eyes and the said man cowers in fear. The fear that flashes in his eyes gives you a sick satisfaction and some twisted part of you wants to tear his head out but you hold it out for the sake of the seven back home. He was theirs to deal with.

The one that you wanted to tear his head off was waiting upstairs.

"How many people are here in this house?"

"No one, Just the two of us." The three of you look at Borris in nothing short of a surprise, He was in a foreign land and he was all out on his revenge mission and there was no security. Either Mikhail was way too smart or way too foolish. You would find it out anyway.

"What? You expect us to believe this bullshit?"

"It's true, I heard Mikhail talking to someone that you would never find out about him." You scoff at borris statement, you have drawn a conclusion. Mikhail was an overconfident fool. True that you would have to go the extra mile to find out about him, Probably a few punches too. But believing that you would never find out about him was a stretch.

"Trust me on this, he's right upstairs somewhere."

"Well, we will see about that."

"I get that bastard." Min-Ho catches your arm the moment you turn back to walk away, He releases it and takes a step backward once he sees your raised eyebrow.

"Let us come with you."

"You guys stay here with him, I'll get that bastard."

"He's already tied up boss, He won't be able to do anything. We are coming with you." The two men don't wait for your approval and walk in long strides and exit the room leaving you surprised. You throw a warning look at Borris silently warning him not to try anything funny.

"Let's go."

"After you."The two men move aside for you to start walking up the stairs. You look at the two men incredulously, Their manners were certainly amusing. They kept appearing and disappearing time and again.

You walk up the stairs cautiously again, trying to be alert in case Mikhail appears out of nowhere. A loud voice suddenly reaches your ears the moment you reach the stairs. You recognize the voice immediately, Mikhail. You had already heard enough of that. The voice was extremely loud giving a loud and clear indication of the room it was coming from.

You gesture at both of them on each side of the door while you stand right in front. Mikhail's voice stops the moment you put your hand forward to push the door open. Another loud thud reaches your ears and you retract your hand for a moment. You place your ears on the door to hear any kind of moment but you find none.

"I think he must have entered another room in there," Lee whispers loud enough for you to hear, You nod and push the door ajar. You find no one in the room apart from the faint sound of water running in the bathroom. You open the package and carefully remove the injection you had specially gotten customized for Mikhail, along with the worms.

"Out of the room until I call you." The two men look at you surprised when you ask them to get out of the room but looking at the firmness in your tone, they wordlessly move out. You position yourself on the side of the door to have a proper attack on Mikhail's back of the neck when he comes out of the bathroom. You wait patiently for the man to come out to you for the most wonderful surprise that you had prepared for him.

You wait for a solid five minutes before you hear the sound of the water disappear, And a minute before the door opens and half-naked Mikhail walks, wiping his head. The second tower blocks his sense of any other presence in the room and that gives you the advantage you require. You make one solid move to his neck and before the man could sense anything you have the syringe right where you want it.

Mikhail turns around and looks at you with his mouth wide open, You place your palm on his chest to prevent him from falling forward and wave your other hand in a hip. No words come out of his mouth when he tries to say something and the anger simmering in his eyes gives you a twisted happiness.

The two men come running once you call out to them, They arrive right in time as Mikhail's leg gives out and the tall sturdy man collapses on you. The two men pull him back and drag him to bed complaining about how heavy he is.

"Go find some rope in the room Borris is tied up in." Min-ho runs away quickly once you give him the orders, Lee throws Mikhail on the bed and looks at him with suspicion. The only movement that Mikhail could do was his eyes for the next hour. You had gotten him a permissible amount of light dose of a neuromuscular blocking agent, A vecuronium.

Lee positions Mikhail's head on the pillow and you walk over to the other side of the bed and sit right beside Mikhail's head. A smile appears on your face when you remember the first time the bastard had sneaked inside your house. The positions were the same, just the people reversed. A sick sense of satisfaction ran through you when you saw the way Mikhail's eyes were trying to convey his thoughts. Full of resentment and full of anger.

"Here boss." You throw one of the ropes to Lee and order the men to tie Mikhail's hands to the sturdy frames of the Mahogany bed. They would hold him down once the injection would wear out.

"Why is he not moving?" Min-ho wonders out loud and you silently point your finger at the injection laying on the floor.

"Huh, What's this?"

"A neuromuscular blocking agent."

"A neuro what now?" Lee quickly fishes out his phone and googles the words and both the men take turns looking at the newfound information. Both the men look at you with fear in their eyes, You just raise your eyebrows and silently warn them not to ask anything further.

A groan snatches your attention to the man tied up right in the center of the bed. You move over to the man and look again to see if any chances of the injection wearing down, which you were sure it wouldn't. But you could never be too sure of these things.

"Lee, Min-Ho bring our other friend up here. Let's have a chat with him until he's capable of speaking." The two men nod their heads and sprint down to get Borris, while you walk across the room to get the special gift for Mikhail.

"I told you to never get caught." You sing while cutting the second box inside the box with your swiss army knife, You make straight eye contact with Mikhail whose eyes keep navigating between you and the box that you were cutting open.

You smile when you see the wiggling worms inside the jar, You carefully place the jar near the bedside table and bring your knife close to Mikhail's naked thigh. A tear from his eye escapes when you lodge the knife deep inside his thigh. The white bedsheet turns a deep shade of red as soon as blood starts trickling down his thigh.

"This is for Chongbin, You shouldn't have killed him." You unscrew the bottle and open another blunt blade from the set, You carefully scoop a couple of worms from the jar keeping it at an angle where he could see, and place it exactly on the wound that you had made on his skin. Mikhail's eyes widen in fear when he feels the worms start wiggling on his thigh trying to locate the flesh that they could devour. Sweat starts forming on Mikhail's forehead when he sees one worm sliding inside the wound, Groan after groan escapes the man's mouth when he feels the other worms start sliding inside.

You watch the man with a pure look of satisfaction not only on your Face but also from deep inside you. This would serve him right. The one hour that he could not move or scream would give him the closest encounter with the pain he could ever feel. You had promised yourself to give him back the pain that he gave to Chongbin ten times more.

Every time the pain pierced through his system, you could see it on him. The two walked into the room, Mikhail's hands hanging loose on each of their shoulders. The two men froze for a second when they saw the scene in front of them.

You grab Borris from the two men and with all your might push the man down, Borris yelps in pain as soon as he hits the ground and you grab him by his hair and hold him up.

"Start talking Borris." The man cowers in fear but you just tighten your hold on his head and he lets out an ear-piercing scream.

"I'll tell you everything, Promise me you will let us both go." You laugh hard at his demands, IT was funny how he thought he was in a position to demand.

"Making demands now, Are we?"

"DJ please, Please." The man pleaded with a sob but you couldn't care less at this point, you had to know.

"I said to start talking."

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽ ✽ ✽ ✽

"What the fuck happened?" The five men waiting for Hobi and Tae rush to them when they see the two men walking inside their home with an unconscious Lily in Hobi's arms.

"Let me just quickly get her to her room, Tae tells them." Hobi moves away swiftly leaving Tae behind to answer all the questions the five men had.

Hobi literally throws Lily on the bed, his anger making it impossible for him to act rationally. He respected women, he could swear he did. But right now he had nothing but resentment inside him for the woman he had loved for the past three years. Lily was the only woman with whom he had fallen in love, to unimaginable depths. Depths that scared him sometimes.

He makes no effort to straighten her out And walks away slamming the door with all his might. He is greeted with a painful silence and tears in the eyes of all the other members when he walks down. Nobody looks up at him, but he could already tell by the silence in the room what they felt.

"Since when?"

"I haven't known Joon for a long time." Namjoon throws the vase on the table with all his might, the breaking of glass making no difference to the atmosphere.

"All these years, She has been lying to us?" Jimin looks at Hobi and Taehyung, who had walked up to his hyung to stay by his side.

"I said I don't know." Taehyung quickly holds his hyung the moment he raises his voice, he knew this reaction too well. Out of all of them, Hobi's anger could be the worst, And right now they did not need that to come out.

"Those three years, They were a lie," Jin speaks, his head still down but his voice loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Everything, fucking thing was a lie?"

"Jungkook, Kook listen to me calm down. Please."

"Hyung.." Everybody's heart breaks a little when they see the youngest breaking down like that in Jin's arms. The sobs that he was letting out were making Namjoon's blood boil to a point where he wanted to just march upstairs and put a bullet straight into Lily's head.

"Jungkook." Jungkook pays no heed to Namjoon's voice and continues sobbing, The other members gather around the youngest and try to console him but all their attempts go in vain.

"I said stop it." Namjoon's extremely stern voice stops the sobs from the youngest, Namjoon walks up to his study in long steps and returns back in a moment with a gun in his hand. Everybody's eyes widened when they saw what he had in his hand. They already knew what his next steps were going to be.

"I'm going to end this once and for all." Namjoon pays no attention to the others, shouts for him to stop, and walks angrily towards the stairs. All the members rush towards him, but it becomes difficult for everyone to catch up to the tall man who had reached the top even before everyone could reach the middle.

Namjoon barges inside the room and shuts it, The others remain outside banging on the door frantically literally begging him to stop. Namjoon's hands freeze when he aims the gun at the unconscious woman. Tears start rolling out of his eyes furiously when the time literally flashes in front of his eyes.

Lily's eyes, her smile, her laugh everything crowds his mind at once and Namjoon drops to the floor pulling his hair in frustration. Why did she have to do this? Why did she have to break their trust like this?

"Hyung let us inside, Please don't." Jimin's voice brings Namjoon back to his senses, And the defeated man just gets up and walks to the door. Everybody hugs him the moment he opens the door, his long arms are nearly enough for everyone. Loud sobs echo in the room when the men just cry their hearts out, the gun automatically falling out of his hands onto the floor.

Everybody just sits down where they were standing, The dead silence in the room weighing heavy on everyone. Nobody had anything to say. There were no words that they could even think about to word Lily's betrayal.

"Is DJ alright?" Taehyung's head suddenly quips at Yoongi's question. He gives Hobi a look and the latter just looks at everyone with a blank expression.

"She's at her warehouse, Though I highly doubt that. She must be already plotting her way to that guy."

"She certainly seems to be that way." The room is suddenly lit up with light laughs from everyone. You definitely were of that kind, they kind of knew you wouldn't listen to anyone.

The seven men spent another hour in the room, recalling the times they had spent with Lily in the past three years. Namjoon had not killed her for a reason, He loved her. He loved her from the bottom of his heart, but the logical part of him wouldn't give her an easy death.

"She has messed with the wrong people, I thought she knew that." Yoongi laughs at the way Namjoon put the sentence together. He agreed one hundred percent with that, Lily had gotten on the wrong side of the wrong people. This was the talk of the town, nobody messed with Bangtan and lived another day to tell her the tale.

"I don't know how DJ is going to deal with her.?"

"That would be an interesting thing to see."

"I don't want anybody crying after this, We got work to do," Namjoon speaks, rubbing his eyes and standing up, The rest of the guys follow suit and they leave the room.

"Everyone in my study, Now."

Jungkook takes one last look at Lily who was blissfully lying unconscious in the middle of the bed. He wipes his eyes and closes the door and follows his hyungs. He wanted answers and he was going to make sure he would get them. He stays by the door to wait for a moment to let the others go into the study. He quickly dials you in and sprints down the stairs when you pick up.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽ ✽ ✽ ✽

"I had a call with all the members of the circle today." The room goes into a silent zone as soon as Namjoon speaks. Hobi and Taehyung look at Namjoon with surprised expressions. When did this happen and most importantly why? What had they missed out on?

"What happened?" Taehyung asks eagerly, He already had enough of everything today. He did not have the capacity for another unfortunate news or an event right now.

"Joonah what happened?" Yoongi asks anxiously as Namjoon still keeps fidgeting with the phone on his desk. He had called everyone to discuss a new development in the circle. But after what Tae told and the state that the two boys bought Lily in, that took a back seat.

"I received a call from the circle today. To be precise, from the head." Everyone looks at Namjoon curiously, they never received direct phone calls as such. It was weird that the hot-headed old man called Namjoon himself.

"What does he want? Did something happen?" Namjoon thinks hard for a second trying to find better words to word his sentence upon Yoongi's insistence. He zeros down on relaying the words as it are.

"There are two things, One he is suffering from a critical illness and he has one month on his hands, And second he feels im more than capable than his own son to head the circle."

"What—-

"Wait—-

"What on earth–" Namjoon leaned back in his chair to watch the wide range of emotions that were being displayed on the boy's face. The broken words coming out of their mouths and the shock were making it difficult to establish if they were surprised or shocked about the new information.

"Hold on, So you will be the new head of the circle?" Jin asks comically his mouth now wide open, The others were not far behind too.

"Looks like it." Everyone just gets up from their respective seats and rushes towards Namjoon to give him a congratulatory hug. They take turns hugging him, expressing their happiness for him. The entire matter about Lily took a back seat for now. That could wait. This was big news.

"This is huge, Absolutely fucking amazing." Hobi sits down with a huge smile on his face, the others still trying to contain their happiness.

"I am still concerned about Lily though." Namjoons words threw the room into a similar silence once again, the dreaded atmosphere returning. All the happiness goes down several notches.

"What about her?" Taehyung asks

"I don't know, I was this close to blowing her head out, But." Namjoon shows the closeness with his fingers, while the others breathe a sigh of relief that he didn't. See now Namjoon was a rational man. They knew him like the back of their hands, He was the most rational one out of them, But there were certain things that did not allow him to act sensibly, and Lily was one of them.

"I think we should wait for DJ, She definitely has something on her mind." Namjoon looks at hobi with a thoughtful expression. He was onto something.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, We can go with DJ tomorrow to hunt those two bastards down."

"Strange that she is waiting until tomorrow," Yoongi says giving Taehyung a questioning look, As far as he knew you he didn't think so.

"Wait– Everyone pauses as Jimin looks around frantically. Before anybody could say anything, he rushes out of the room. He ignores everybody's calling out to him. He had another important task at hand. He ran around the house shouting like a madman for Jungkook. He couldn't find him anywhere.

He rushes to the stairs again to check on their floor once, By the time he reached down again breathless, He could see all the boys already waiting for him with concerned expressions on their faces when they saw how breathless he was, His face all red.

"Yah jimin what happened?" Jin asks him to pull him by his hand, and Jimin just puts his hand forward to catch a breath.

"Jungkook, Jungkook. He is not at home." Suddenly it registers in their mind that Jungkook, The rest of the members began looking at each other in alarm. Where did the boy go?

"He was here just a while ago, where did he go?"

"Call DJ."

"DJ, Why her?"

"Just do it already, I have a feeling he is with her."

Yoongi dials you frantically, If hobi was confident then he was too. He lets out a frustrated scream when you don't answer, Hobi starts rummaging through his pockets for his phone. He suddenly remembers he left it in Lily's room when he had gone there.

"Give me a minute." He ignores the loud yells of the boys asking him about where he was off to and rushes inside the room. He finds his phone and sprints back down to where the others were waiting.

The loud commotion in the room fills Namjoons mind with rage, What the fuck was even wrong with everyone. So much was happening today. He felt like he would burst with rage at the speed at which everybody was speaking, Altogether.

"Shut up." Namjoons thunderous voice fills the room with silence. Everyone knew this was the time when they had to do as said. He was a force to be reckoned with when Joon was angry.

"Hobi, Speak up. Why do you think Jungkook is with DJ?"

"I think he is with her, There is no other place he would go to right now. The only person that isn't here is DJ. There is a probability that he would take DJ to find those bastards to kill them himself."

"Do you know where she could be?"

"I have the location, But I'm not sure if she has gone there. Though I feel she must be there."

"There, There. Where is the fuck is that there?"

"She dropped me a pin. Let's go and check there."

"Everyone, Move." Namjoon walks swiftly towards the door in frustration, He was worried sick about you and Jungkook. He knew how impulsive and emotional the youngest could be. He needed you both to be safe. He wouldn't know what he would do if anything went haywire.

"Wait."

"Does someone need to stay with her? What if she wakes up?" Namjoon gives Jin a disapproving look. He just couldn't bring himself to think about Lily. His main priority was you two for now. And for the rest, he couldn't care less.

"She would be out for a couple hours more." Nobody waits for any further talks as soon as Hobi gives a confirmation of her being out for some more time. The men quickly get into their cars, while Hobi shares the location with everyone else.

Everyone was just hoping, that you two were safe.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽ ✽ ✽ ✽

"I said start speaking. Are you deaf?" Borris yells loudly at the sting of the slap that you threw at his face. You hold his hair even tighter and the man just yelps. The man was stubborn in making a deal, but you were stubborn enough to not give him that too. Beggars could never be choosers.

"I said you have to promise me, You will let me and Lily go. I'll tell you everything." You sigh in frustration at the boldness of this man. He dared to negotiate as if you wouldn't find the information you needed any other way.

You slap the tied-up man thrice and suddenly Jungkook appears in your mind. You had received his call a while ago and the man sounded urgent. The trembling in his voice told you something was wrong, The first guess that had come to your mind that he knew.

He probably knew by now, what Lily had been doing.

"You know what, Don't tell me anything. But don't blame me later when something happens." You could visibly see Borris' expression changing on his face. Fear crept up on his face when you mentioned something happening later.

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh about that, I have a special guest over." You smirk when you see the fear going up exponentially on the man's face. There! There you have him.

You had already explained to Jungkook, how he needed to come and which way he needed to use it. You could expect him anytime. You had instructed Lee and Min-Ho to keep a strict watch on the front door and the back should there be unexpected appearances.

"I am ready to tell you, aren't I? All I am asking is to just get me and Lily safe out of here."

"And I already told you, You are in no position to make demands."

You check Borris once who seemed to be writhing in pain, The effect of the dose was coming down visibly. You could see the pain that he was in and the twisted part of you loved watching him like that. IT served him right. He should have thought twice before deciding to go behind your people.

You wait by the window to see the surroundings. You wanted to wait for Jungkook. There were one hundred ways that you could have used to get the information you required out of Borris, but something inside was telling you to let Jungkook have a go at him first.

The room that Mikhail was in gave a very clear view of the back gate, maybe that is why he had chosen this room. He needed to keep a watch on that gate rather than the front.

You see a car light in the distance, It stops right somewhere near the place where your car had been parked, Jungkook calls you as soon as he switches the engine off and you guide him the way to the door.

"Your gift is here."

"Wait, What gift?" You just laugh at his question. Soon enough you hear the heavy sound of footsteps which you were sure were Jungkook's. You could recognize the sound of those heavy chunky boots even in your sleep.

Jungkook storms into the room and you could visibly see the red in his eyes and the white on Borris's face.

"Who among these two is him?" You point towards Borris and Jungkook covers the distance in two steps. The rage radiates strongly within him when he picks Borris up by his bloodied shirt.

"How dare you?" Jungkook does not get to finish his sentence as Borris starts thrashing around and pleading for him to spare him. Maybe he knew that if ever the men of Bangtan lay their hands on him, he wouldn't live another minute.

You stay silent as Jungkook beats Borris up, He makes no effort to control himself and neither do you. He deserved it, and so did Lily. They had no right to set people up and play with someone's life as they did.

A loud crash startles both you and Jungkook and instinctively you both take your guns out. Both Lee and Min-Ho come rushing inside with panic written on their faces.

"Boss, Some men are here."

"DJ, you cover the back door, And I'll take the front door. You two cover one of us each." You three nod your heads to Jungkook's instructions. Jungkook sprints back to Borris and lifts his chin up with his gun and gives him a dead look.

"And you, I'm not done with you. No matter who came to save you, You will die by my hands." Borris' sudden laugh infuriates Jungkook and the latter slaps him hard across his face.

"You think someone would come to save me?" Borris laughs evilly and spits the blood pooled in his mouth. You and Jungkook ignore him for the time being and run out of the room with Lee and Min-Ho following you closely behind.

You get down the stairs and the front door bursts open making you four hide behind the sofa. You freeze when you hear similar voices. You and Jungkook stand up together surprised.

"Hyung?" The six men looked at Jungkook with thankful expressions, Namjoon rushing forward to hug the boy. You are surprised out of your wits when he pulls you in a hug after he lets Jungkook go.

"Wait– What?" Your mind fails to form coherent sentences with Namjoons arm around you. You could feel his breath on your neck and your ears were right over his chest. You could hear the loud beating of his heart and you couldn't help but wonder what had happened.

The others coddle you and Jungkook turns by turn leaving both of you extremely confused, Jungkook shrugs his shoulders when you try asking him what exactly was going on. You lead the men upstairs after a ton of effort, And a grim expression takes over their faces. They see the state those two men were in.

Mikhail screams right at that moment, The man gets up and tries to free himself, But the mahogany keeps the ropes in place. The seven men let out an evil laugh once they saw the useless efforts Mikhail was making, they rounded up around the two captive men.

Jungkook resumes his assault on Borris who just keeps screaming in pain, You pull Jungkook back this time. He had had enough. He was well on his way to killing Borris. He couldn't die yet. You needed to know how exactly you had gotten in the middle of all this.

"Do you see them? Do you want me to hand you over to them? They won't spare a breath for you." You hold Borris by his hair again and the expression on your face translates well to him.

"Fine, I'll tell you everything." The room calms down considerably when Borris agrees to tell you everything. The men gather up around you, ignoring Mikhail who was thrashing and yelling.

"Me. Me and Lily we met when we were just kids." Hobi slaps Borris, and he just looks at you helplessly.

"Just tell us since when have you guys been messing behind our backs?"  

"Tell us everything you fucking bastard."

"I and Lily have been in love with each other since our childhood Until Ivanovs married her off to Vladimirs." Your eyes almost popped out at the new information. Lily was married? The rest of them were in no different position. The look on each one of their faces screamed surprise except for Namjoon who stood in a corner with his face calm and his fists clenched.

"She's... She's married?" Borris nods his head and another wave of shock runs through the room.

"Her name is Yulina, She's his half-sister." Borris points to Mikhail and Mikhail who just seems to be too immersed in his pain. His screams kept echoing through the room but they were all tuned out considering how the information was unfolding bit by bit.

"Wait, They're siblings. Then why was he behind her life ?" Taehyung interrupted the man curiously, Mikhail screamed another time and Borris looked at him in a fearful way. You sighed in exasperation. This was taking way too long. You quickly walked over to Borris and blocked his view of Mikhail

" I worked for the Ivanovs, Yulina was brought to their residence when she was fourteen when Ivavons mistress Evija died. We fell in love a couple years after that, but Ivanovs and Mikhail found out about us shortly before she was about to be married. They held me captive and made sure I wouldn't escape so that she doesn't too. She was married off to honor a deal between the Ivanovs and Zakharov. But Yulina ran off within six months and both families got on the worst terms with each other. So when Yulina ran off she said she would make some arrangements to free me from there, but the situation got so bad that I failed no matter how hard I tried. She kept running from them for four years, but she stopped here in Korea because she met you."

"Because she met us?" Yoongi breaks borris monologue when he hears about Lily staying back in Korea because she met them. Borris looks at Yoongi hesitantly before answering his question. One look from the guy had him shrinking back.

"You're one of the big guys here and no one would mess with the mafia. She thought she would be well protected here until she figures out a plan for us to get away from everything together, And start a new life."

"You fucking– You and Yoongi stop an extremely angry jungkook, He charged towards Borris with an intention that looked like he would kill him.

"So she used us basically?" Borris's head bows down in shame when Taehyung asks this question with a trembling in his voice. Hobi punches the wall next to him hurling courses along with it. You are still miles away from processing this information. Your mind kept reeling in the reactions of the guys, They were absolutely shattered and heartbroken. As a spectator you could easily tell all these years, How much the guys loved Lily, They were absolute goners for her. And the fact that she had an agenda infuriated you.

You couldn't imagine how the seven men must be feeling, Their entire relationship was based on an agenda.

"And what about her?" Namjoon, who seemed unfazed earlier, seemed to be on the edge. Borris took a hot minute to respond to Namjoon and the leader got words flowing out of his mouth the minute his hand enveloped his throat. You tap Namjoon's shoulders lightly, Silently attempting to warn him to not kill Borris, Yet.

"She was a replacement?" You dragged Namjoon aside And held Borris by his bloodied collar. Namjoon repeated the action of tapping you lightly on your arm to stop you from ripping the man apart. How dare he? You and a replacement?

"Lily had known after the party that she had been in love with you all for a lot of years so he came up with this stupid idea of getting you guys to fall in love with her." It took every ounce of you to not split open his throat at the mention of just replacing you with some kind of an object. How far did she even go to plan things like this?

"She had thought once she would bring DJ into your lives, DJ would automatically eliminate her and take her place."

"What the fuck I never did any such thing."

"That's why she planned to get you to move in with them so that they would see you are sincere and end up falling in love with you and forget her, And in turn, we get our way." You looked at the guys in utter shock, The expression that you had on your face was visible on theirs. What was this woman?

"So for you two, we are all some sort of machines that you could program the way you see fit?" You seethe in anger, Were these two for real? How on earth could someone be so manipulative?

"Everything was going fine until you killed Ivanov. We had planned to flee out of the country but the moment Ivanov died everything crumbled into shambles. Mikhail got to know Lily was here. He caught me right before I was about to escape from Russia. And he got in touch with Lily."

"And when did you meet Lily again?"

"I had come to Korea with Ivanovs, They got me here for god knows what. But I ended up running into Lily one day. And that's when we decided this time we would not let go, No matter what it took or who died in the process. But Mikhail just complicated everything."

No one said a word for a long time after Borris was done speaking. The extent to which Lily aka Yulina had gone was insane. For the first time in your life, you had felt like you were some kind of a prop that was used as deemed fit. You had a weird feeling about the lengths that Lily was going to get you mingled with the boys But to this extent? This was insane.

None of the people in the room could speak even if they tried, everything was too weird. You walked up to Mikhail to see what state was the bastard in, but it turned out that he had fainted a long time ago. You check for the pulse and find a light one, You quickly instruct your men to arrange for your doctor, Mikhail couldn't die. Not right now. You had different scores to settle with him.

That was after you were done with Yulina.

There were still some gaps in the story, but you were sure once Mikhail woke up he would fill them for you. Starting with what the fuck was Mikhail doing in Choi's house. How was the old man involved here? And once you had those answers, you would make sure Choi would regret his entire life.

"What was Yulina's husband's name?" You had planned the perfect scare for Lily, To word it better you had plans for the most wonderful surprise for her. She deserved this, every bit of it.

"It's Vladimir Zakharov." You pull out your phone and dial Bratva, He was the only person who could help you in arranging this wonderful event to come together in one piece.

"Bratva, How have you been?" The seven men and Borris gasp in surprise, Not expecting the phone call.

"Wait, What is she doing?" Borris asks the men in utter panic and none of them respond, each of them holding a smirk of their own. Maybe they had a fair idea of what you were about to do.

"Bratva, I would like to invite you and Vladimir Zakharov to Korea."  

[ao3feed-ateez]

The Return of the Mayfly Order

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/KMHmA90 by MemoreM Seven years after his family home is destroyed by mortals, Bang Chan finds himself in a nightmarish world of his father's sinister creation. Will he be able to save Sanctuary from its fate, or will his hopes and dreams come crashing down around him? Words: 5539, Chapters: 1/26, Language: English Fandoms: Stray Kids (Band), ATEEZ (Band), BTOB (Band) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Categories: Gen Characters: Lee Taemin, Park Jinyoung | JYP, Bang Shihyuk, Kim Yonghwan | Eden, Lily Morrow, Lee Taeyong, BamBam Kunpimook Bhuwakul, Jeon Soyeon, Monsta X Ensemble, TOMORROW X TOGETHER Ensemble, Dreamcatcher (Korea Band) Ensemble, Bangtan Boys | BTS Ensemble, Day6 (Band) Ensemble, SEVENTEEN Ensemble, xikers Ensemble, Byun Baekhyun, Seo Jungkwon | Tiger JK, Lee Mujin, Ahn Hyejin | Hwasa, NCT Ensemble, Matthew Kim | BM, Hannah Bang, Stray Kids Ensemble, ATEEZ Ensemble, BTOB Ensemble Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Bang Chan/Han Jisung/Hwang Hyunjin/Kim Seungmin/Lee Felix/Lee Minho/Seo Changbin/Yang Jeongin, Choi Jongho/Choi San/Jeong Yunho/Jung Wooyoung/Kang Yeosang/Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa/Song Mingi, Choi Jongho/Kang Yeosang, Choi San/Jung Wooyoung (ATEEZ), Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa, Hwang Hyunjin/Kim Seungmin/Yang Jeongin | I.N, Jeong Yunho/Song Mingi (ATEEZ) Additional Tags: High Fantasy, War, Inspired by Castlevania, Inspired by the Diablo franchise, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Trauma, Suicidal Thoughts, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Mental Health Issues, Grief/Mourning, Racism, Poverty, Homelessness, Abduction, Torture, Abandonment, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Major Character Injury, Character Death, buckle up this is gonna be a long one, I am not nice to my characters get ready, Found Family, Genocide, Codependency read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/KMHmA90

[shinyasahalo]

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(M/M) Bakugou Katsuki/Kirishima Eijirou (My Hero Academia) 33,247 fics

(M/M) Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood (Shadowhunters TV) 32,471 fics

(F/M) Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy (Harry Potter) 32,024 fics

(M/M) Will Graham/Hannibal Lector (Hannibal TV) 31,749 fics

(F/M) Original Female Character/Original Male Character (All Fandoms) 30,852 fics

(M&M) Peter Parker & Tony Stark (Avengers/Marvel) 30,793 fics

(F/M) Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren (Sequel Trilogy/Star Wars) 30,688 fics

(M/M) Jeon Jungkook/Park Jimin (Bangtan Boys/K-Pop) 30,488 fics

(M/M) Min Yoongi | Suga/Park Jimin (Bangtan Boys/K-Pop) 29,607 fics

(M/M) Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson (Stranger Things TV) 28,662 fics

(M/M) Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Munson (9-1-1 TV) 28,539 fics

(F/M) James Potter/Lily Evans Potter (Marauders/Harry Potter) 28,531 fics

(M/M) Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov (Yuri! On Ice) 28,115 fics

(M/M) Original Male Character/Original Male Character (All Fandoms) 27,071 fics

(M/M) Midoriya Izuku/Todoroki Shouto (My Hero Academia) 24,964 fics

(M/M) Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead/Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic (My Hero Academia) 24,605 fics

(M/M) Kim Namjoon | RM/Kim Seokjin | Jin (Bangtan Boys/K-Pop) 23,996 fics

(F/M) Pepper Potts/Tony Stark (Iron Man/Marvel) 23,683 fics

(M/M) Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF) 23,683 fics

(F/M) Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley (Harry Potter) 22,581 fics

(M&M) Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF) 22,356 fics

(M/M) Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion (Witcher TV) 22,326 fics

(F/F) Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor (Supergirl TV/DCU) 21,704 fics

(M/M) Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru (Haikyuu!) 21,587 fics

(M/M) James T. Kirk/Spock (Star Trek) 21,430 fics

(M&M) Sherlock Holmes & John Watson (Sherlock TV) 21,342 fics

(M/M) Blackbeard | Edward Teach/Stede Bonnet (Our Flag Means Death TV) 20,544 fics

(M/M) Hinata Shouya/Kageyama Tobio (Haikyuu!) 20,352 fics

(M/M) Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel (Glee TV) 19,326 fics

(M&M) Bakugou Katsuki & Midoriya Izuku (My Hero Academia) 19,241 fics

(GQ&GQ) Aziraphale & Crowley (Good Omens TV) 19,185 fics

(F/M) Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley (Harry Potter) 19,005 fics

(M/M) Harry Potter/Severus Snape (Harry Potter) 18,630 fics

(M/M) Levi Ackerman/Eren Yeager (Attack on Titan) 18,539 fics

(M/M) Jung Hoseok | J-Hope/Min Yoongi | Suga (Bangtan Boys/K-Pop) 18,504 fics

(M/M) Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou (Haikyuu!) 18,473 fics

(M/M) Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier (X-Men/Marvel) 18,370 fics

(F/F) Original Female Character/Original Female Character (All Fandoms) 18,350 fics

(M/M) Dan Howell/Phil Lester (Video Blogging RPF) 18,104 fics

(F/N) The Doctor/Rose Tyler (Doctor Who TV) 17,388 fics

(M/M) Armitage Hux/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren (Sequel Trilogy/Star Wars) 17,165 fics

(M/R) James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader (Marvel) 17,142 fics

(M/M) Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minha | Lee Know (Stray Kids) 17,136 fics

(M/M) Keith/Shiro (Voltron) 16,965 fics

(M/M) Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich (Shameless TV) 16,923 fics

(M&M) Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester (Supernatural TV) 16,650 fics

(F/F) Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan (Once Upon a Time TV) 16,323 fics

(M/M) Regulus Black/James Potter (Marauders/Harry Potter) 16,130 fics

(M/M) Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier (IT Movies) 16,071 fics

(M/M) Kim Taehyung | V/Park Jimin (Bangtan Boys/K-Pop) 16,031 fics

(M/M) Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto (Naruto) 16,028 fics

(M/M) Getou Suguru/Gojo Satoru (Jujutsu Kaisen) 15,906 fics

(M&M) Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF) 15,718 fics

(M/M) Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki (Actor RPF) 15,671 fics

(M/M) Tartaglia | Childe/Zhongli (Genshin Impact) 15,588 fics

(M/M) Jeon Jungkook/Min Yoongi | Suga (Bangtan Boys/K-Pop) 15,511 fics

(M/M) Loki/Thor (Marvel) 15,431 fics

(M/M) Rodney McKay/John Sheppard (Stargate Atlantis TV) 15,258 fics

(F/M) Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) 15,170 fics

(F/M) Fox Mulder/Dana Scully (The X-Files TV) 15,031 fics

(M/M) Gabriel/Sam Winchester (Supernatural TV) 14,992 fics

(F/M) Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin (The 100 TV) 14,923 fics

(M/M) Harry Potter/Tom Riddle | Voldemort (Harry Potter) 14,193 fics

(M&M) Technoblade & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF) 13,939 fics

(M&M) Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead & Midoriya Izuku (My Hero Academia) 13,911 fics

(M/M) Miya Atsumo/Sakusa Kiyoomi (Haikyuu!) 13,892 fics

(M/M) Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade (Sherlock TV) 13,689 fics

(M/M) Levi Ackerman/Erwin Smith (Attack on Titan) 13,550 fics

(M/M) Frank Iero/Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance) 13,473 fics

(F/F) Clarke Griffin/Lexa (The 100 TV) 13,265 fics

(M/M) Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones (Torchwood TV/Doctor Who) 13,232 fics

(M&M) James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers (Captain America/Marvel) 13,213 fics

(F/M) Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov (Avengers/Marvel) 13,142 fics

(M/M) Steve McGarret/Danny "Danno" Williams (Hawaii Five-0 TV) 13,137 fics

(M/M) Nico di Angelo/Will Solace (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) 12,995 fics

(M/M) Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield (The Hobbit) 12,994 fics

(M/M) Enjolras/Grantaire (Les Miserables) 12,927 fics

(M/M) Loki/Tony Stark (Avengers/Marvel) 12,903 fics

(M/M) Dabi | Todoroki Touya/Takami Keigo | Hawks (My Hero Academia) 12,900 fics

(F/F) Amity Blight/Luz Noceda (The Owl House) 12,874 fics

(M&M) Castiel & Dean Winchester (Supernatural TV) 12,869 fics

(F/M) Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak (Arrow TV/DCU) 12,715 fics

(M/M) Bakugou Katsuki/Todoroki Shouto (My Hero Academia) 12,679 fics