#up until now she had a reputation for being a picky eater

[sharper-than-a-serpents-tooth]

one headcanon I have is that Athy is a terrible cook, because she's a spoiled princess who never had to work a day in her life and in her previous life she never had enough money to buy cooking ingredients or time to do anything but heat up pizza and instant noodles, but Jennette still loves her food the most because her taste buds are fucked due to dark magic and overly sweet/spicy food is the only one that has flavor to her

Jennette devouring Athy's oversalted soup and her half-raw half-burned steak:

[weepingpussywillowtree]

big list of things that make sense about my childhood now that i know im autistic

not to be annoying, but this diagnosis makes so much click for me, and i need to get it down somewhere

i was an early reader, and a super advanced reader, but i had difficulty understanding complex emotional themes and characters in a way atypical for my age. on standardized tests, i couldn't answer questions like "what did character x mean when he said y"

i have aphantasia, and there's evidence that autistic people tend to exist on the extremes of the visual imagination spectrum (either none or lots)

i constantly got in trouble for 'rolling my eyes' and 'being a smart aleck'. the rolling my eyes was me flitting my eyes around because i couldn't make eye contact. the being 'smart' was me not understanding instructions or rules unless explicitly told. for example, i got in trouble at sleepaway summer camp (aka hell) for skipping a meal when i wasn't hungry, but i was never told i had to go sit in the lunchroom even if i didn't want to eat.

i was a picky eater. the only sandwiches i ate for the longest time were butter or honey sandwiches. for the record, sandwiches with plain white bread and lunchmeat still suck. bleh

i forgot about or ignored my biological needs. i used to wet myself and did it way later than my friends/peers because i either didn't realize i had to go, or i was so engrossed in whatever i was focused on that i ignored it

i had GI issues so severe as a young child, that i was put on prescription strength heartburn medication. GI issues aren't a symptom of autism, but they are one of the main comorbidities and i still have severe heartburn to this day.

I had meltdowns regularly when overwhelmed, over things my parents thought of as minor. like, coming home from a long day of school, or being 'late' to things we typically did at a certain time. this was described as me 'having a temper' or 'being dramatic'

i was extensively bullied and ostracized, for reasons i did not understand

i was taken advantage of in friendships, for anything from homework answers to being the fall guy for stuff i didnt do

when other children discovered they could make me 'explode' by pushing certain buttons repeatedly, they did it on purpose until i sometimes got violent. because of this, i was told there was something 'dark' inside of me that i had to learn to control.

the advice 'just be yourself' always did me more harm than good

i imitated the gestures, poses, responses, vocabulary, and tones of voice of my peers

i stimmed! all the time. i used to flap my hands and jump up and down, until that was bullied out of me. then i would pace back and forth while listening to my ipod

i monologued about my interests and couldn't tell when people weren't interested anymore.

i read fantasy books constantly, and couldn't tell when it was not appropriate to read.

i had an aversion to physical touch/affection, and even had a reputation in my family for it. they would try and goad me into giving them hugs. my mom said i was never comforted by it, even as a baby and the only way to stop me crying was to let me watch bambi over and over

i had terrible fine motor skills. i couldnt tie my shoes till 11 or 12 and couldnt use scissors until later

i couldn't stand certain textures of clothing, and any scented things at all. we always used unscented everything, and i wore a lot of boys clothes.

I had one comfort item, a stuffed lamb I took with me everywhere, and was distraught for close to a year when I lost her. she would often talk for me. as in, I would say what the lamb wanted or felt when really I was the one who wanted something or felt that way.

finally, i didn't play normally. instead, i arranged dolls, legos, horse figurines, or stuffies in elaborate scenes and then stared at them. often, i would do the same scene over and over for the same toys. i would pretend to do imaginative play or try to do it if some other kid was with me, but i could only really follow instructions.

In movie theaters, I plugged my ears through the whole thing even if I was enjoying it. I couldn't see IMAX films because they were too overwhelming, and would cry when I was brought to them.

I had inappropriate emotional reactions. I laughed at roadkill or at the can of smoke the priest would shake at my family's Catholic funerals, and often got accused of faking my emotions for attention when I was upset about something that other people said I shouldn't be upset by

[deejadabbles]

Spells of Defiance (Atem x Reader x Yugi) Chapter 7

Seven: Domestic

One //// Two //// Three //// Four //// Five //// Six //// Seven //// [Eight coming soon]

Summary: The Circle of Magicians protects the world from rogue, murderous fey. The police who keep bloodsuckers and flesh-eaters in check. You’ve hunted vampires for years, earning a reputation as one of the best magicians in that field; but what happens when an encounter with a particular vampire makes your already fragile loyalties split? Supernatural/Demon Hunter AU. Vampire!Atem x Reader x Incubus!Yugi (yes, a polyamorous relationship). Warnings for cursing, vulgar language, violence, and some sexual themes.

With new leads that may possibly go somewhere, you, the boys and, Anzu ate your greasy meals contently, the conversation taking on a much more casual air as the night went on. You learned a bit more about Atem and Yugi’s past with Joey and Anzu, both friends having been close to Yugi before Atem entered the picture. The stories were...embarrassing to say the least, Yugi had taken to hiding his now scarlet face behind his hand, and Atem found the ceiling very interesting as he avoided all the smirks and winks.

“You should have seen how smitten Yugi was after he met our vampire here,” Joey winked again before taking a swig of his beer, continuing once he set it back down with a clink. “I’ll admit, I was a bit suspicious of Atem at first. Was worried some old ass vampire was taking advantage of my best bud, but he proved he was a good one pretty quick.”

Anzu cut in with a smile, also thoroughly ignoring the blushing couple they were talking about. “I think what really convinced us was that they weren’t even dating at first, Atem just started hanging around Yugi- and us, at first and eventually it turned into something more between them. Still, we were ready if Atem broke Yugi’s heart, or worse.”

With a subtle shift in his seat and a scratch to the back of his head, Atem leaned a bit closer to you and whispered, “What Anzu is electing to leave out of her story, is that she threatened to perform a ritual on me that would repeatedly turn my insides to ash, should I ever hurt Yugi.”

You snorted into your drink, having to lean back and wipe your mouth with the back of your hand as your shoulders shook. Yes, there were some nasty curses a magic-user could place on someone, but you weren’t sure you had ever heard of one quite like that.

The witch in question simply shrugged with a smirk, “What can I say, no one messes with my boy and gets away with it.” She winked over at a blushing Yugi, who promptly covered his other cheek with the palm of his hand.

“And I do not blame you in the slightest, Anzu,” Atem conceded with a nod of his head.

“You know, I’m not some baby who needs protection,” Yugi mumbled, but the slight smile on his face gave his real thoughts on the matter away.

Once the conversation lapsed for a moment, Anzu, who had her interested gaze on you, took that opportunity to bring up an adjacent topic. “So what about your friends? I’ll admit I’m pretty curious how you met Mai, or did you just wander in here one day and slowly strike up a friendship with her?”

You took another long drink (now that your laughing fit was done) and contemplated the question. “Actually, I met her long before she got this place,” you started after swallowing. Everyone at the table had their eyes on you, interested given that none of you had heard about your past much, not even Yugi and Atem. Careful not to reveal anything that Mai might not want known, you continued. “Back when I was younger and still training under an older magician, I came across a vampire who...lets just say he had taken an interest in Mai, and wasn’t very picky on if she had any interest in him in turn. The vampire in question was off-limits to the Circle, something about him being an old and valuable contact to them, so when I brought it to their attention, they told me not to worry about it. Well, I didn’t like that idea, so I snuck out of the sanctuary in a disguise with a plan to protect Mai. When I caught up with her the vampire had already made his move on her- and she was actually kicking his ass as good as any human could with no weapons on her. I joined the fight and we apprehended him together. A choppy memory wiping spell later and Mai was free of the creep.”

Atem, who was once again wearing a bit of a stony face, looked as though he was going to chime in, but that moment was when Mai once again made her presence known with a flurry of golden curls as she took a seat beside the table. “She telling you about how we first met? That’s a pretty wild story, my girl here was only fourteen at the time- but she was like a lioness when she beat the crap out of that fanged creep!” Mai’s eyes glanced over at Atem with a lazy wave of her hand, “No offense towards you, honey.”

The vampire hadn’t looked at all offended- until she addressed him, which caused him to raise an eyebrow as Mai went on like the force of nature she was.

“I didn’t know anything about the fey world until that night, but being jumped by a vampire in the dead of night, then saved by a kid slinging fire kind of threw me into the deep end overnight.” Mai then wagged a teasing finger at you, “She told me to forget the whole thing ever happened, but I’m a persistent bitch and followed her for five city blocks, asking her questions until she finally caved and agreed to answer them over a midnight meal.”

“Don’t forget the part where you threatened to flag down a passing officer and tell him I was a runaway minor if I didn’t start answering your questions…” you amended dryly, though now the memory did amuse you.

“Hey, a girl’s gotta do what she’s gotta do,” Mai admitted with a wink.

Her eyes lingered on you for a moment, and you saw the way the emotion in them shifted a bit at the memory of that fateful meal. She was likely remembering how...troubling it was to meet a jaded fourteen-year-old who talked about killer vampires, coniferous demons, and child-stealing monsters as lightly as human girls that age would talk about boys or outings with their friends. You hadn’t understood at the time, the wrongful aspects of your upbringing still seeming rather normal, but through Mai’s friendship, your eyes slowly began to open. In many ways, Mai had taught you far more than you had ever taught her.

The lingering look only lasted for a moment though, before Mai looked back at the table at large and continued. “After that, I became pretty entrenched in the Fey scene, especially after my girl here gave me tips on how to handle the dangerous ones. Seeing how many other humans knew about the Fey world is what inspired me to open this bar, a place where everyone can get along, and if they don’t, well,” she flicked a blond curl over her shoulder with a smug grin, “you saw what happened with the minotaur.”

“That was pretty cool, I’ll admit it,” Joey conceded with a nod, though he quickly turned the conversation back a page or two, “So, what happened with the creep vamp? The Circle seems to ignore a lot more of them than I thought, considering what we saw at Pegasus’ place.”

Your eyes shifted back down to your drink, refusing to meet anyone’s gaze in the moment. It was true, there was a shortlist of vampires who had used their centuries of life to find the best ways to deal with the Circle, to get away with their dirty deeds despite the fact that magicians often persecuted lesser fey criminals- and persecuted them with a vengeance, you may add.

Finally, you said, “Remember how I mentioned a choppy memory wiping spell? I had originally intended to just wipe Mai from his memory, so he’d leave her alone- as well as forget that he saw me. Well, the spell wasn’t as precise as I meant it to be, and I wiped more than Mai from his memory. He wasn’t valuable to the Circle after that and he was thrown into a cell the next time he went after a human. I knew they suspected my hand in his...condition, but they never really bothered pursuing the issue.”

The table remained quiet, and another uncomfortable heat pricked across your neck as you continued to stare into your drink. After a few beats though, Yugi obviously took pity on you and moved the awkward moment along.

“At least there was someone in the Circle who cared about protecting Mai, and now look where she is!”

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw him smile brightly at the woman in question, and she flashed a smile back. “You know, I’m surprised I’ve never seen you boy's here before, couples like you are just my kind of clientele!” Mai said, also moving the conversation along as she leaned in and looked Yugi and Atem over with interest.

Yugi gave a nervous chuckle, “Well, bars aren’t really our thing, but now that we know about the place we’ll probably come here more.”

“Which brings me to why I wandered back over here- besides to chat, that is,” Mai cut in, always with that sure tone.

She pulled a flyer from her lap and set it on the table, aiming the colorful ad mostly towards you and Anzu, though the boys could see it as well. You heard Jonouchi give a splutter, choking on his drink just as your own eyes went wide and Anzu let out an amused giggle. “Boys Boys Boys!” was written in bold, pink text across the top, catching an onlooker’s eye only second to the image at the center of the page. Said image was of a horned man, wearing only a bowtie and a devious smile, his prominent muscles on full display as he flexed his arms and aimed his oil-slicked body in perfect view of the camera. The only reason the image wasn’t full-on pornographic was because his waist was cut off by the end of the page, just a hair short of revealing his...well...

“We’re having some hot male dancers here in about two weeks, and all of you are invited! But you,” she wagged her finger in your direction, “ have to come! I don’t think you’d know fun if it bit you in the ass! ...And, some of these hotties might do just that, for you.”

When she let out a laugh at her own joke you sank into your seat just a bit, ignoring Anzu’s humored smile. “...I know how to have fun,” you mumbled, feeling your face go hot.

Anzu’s look changed to one that might have been sympathetic, if it weren’t for the glint in her eyes. “Oh, don’t you worry, Mai, she’ll be there, I’ll make sure of it! I was already planning on taking her out for a girl’s night some time anyway.”

How Anzu already felt comfortable enough around you to drag you to a strip show was beyond you. But, you supposed you had no real objections. Even if you did say no Mai would just pester you until you agreed.

“Boys are free to come too,” Mai went on, eyes trailing over Yugi and Atem who were both staring down at the flyer as if they had never seen the likes of it before. “Though I’ll warn you, the dancing crew will probably try to recruit a cute little incubus like you, Yugi.”

The incubus in question flushed even redder under the comment, “They’d be wasting their time, I’m a terrible dancer.”

“Oh, hon, trust me, they wouldn’t be paying attention to your dancing, so long as you’re wearing tight pants,” Mai said with another laugh.

Yugi actually chuckled along with her, and you noticed him and Atem sharing a look, though you couldn’t quite read what passed between them. Your attention was soon caught up with something else however, as Mai said your name.

“You, me, and Anzu will definitely have to go shopping so you have the perfect outfit for the occasion!”

That actually made you grumble, “I can’t be going out too much. We’re still on the hunt for Marik, and the distractions should be kept to a minimum.”

“You’re allowed to have a life outside of hunting criminals,” Yugi said, tone laced in concern as his brows knitted together.

You shifted in your seat again and darted your eyes towards Atem, thinking that he might agree with you, but to your surprise-

“Yugi has a point. Spending time with friends is important, and our mission to end Marik can’t be the thing that consumes our every waking moment.”

You blinked almost owlishly at him, but he only gave you a small smile in answer. The smile actually surprised you a bit, he had been a bit swing-like with his mood that night after all. Not that you could blame him.

“It’s settled then!” Mai practically cheered, “We’ll get together sometime next week and go shopping.”

Joey, who had been rather quiet during most of this, muttered something about avoiding the bar on “crazy girl nights” before taking another drink of his beer. He jumped when Anzu gave his ribs a good jab for the comment, and he threw her a wary look as he scooted as far away from her as the booth seat would allow. The scene actually made you smile as Anzu ignored his reproachful looks.

Maybe some distractions from the investigation wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe.

The next morning Yugi woke early. Earlier than he usually would, but he wanted to make sure to get a head start of breakfast, after the pendulum of moods that filled yesterday, he wanted you, him, and Atem to start this day out right!

As Yugi stretched, rather cat-like, under the blankets, his eyes drifted over to his boyfriend and couldn’t help but smile. Atem looked peaceful as he slept, arms tucked under the pillows and half his face buried. At Yugi’s movements, the vampire shifted just a bit, mumbling something sleepy as he scooted over and pulled Yugi’s pillow closer. The incubus waited a moment, making sure that Atem was not only still asleep, but that him sneaking out of bed wouldn’t disturb his cozy vampire.

Once the snoozing Atem gave a sigh and pressed his face into Yugi’s pillow, Yugi smiled at the scene. Then he leaned in, placing the lightest kiss on Atem’s temple before starting the painfully slow process of slithering out of bed in a way that wouldn’t wake his boyfriend.

Once he was tiptoeing down the hallway he finally let out the long yawn he had been holding in and stretched his back even more as he entered the kitchen. A fruit bar with waffles, yes, that would be a perfect breakfast! Yugi hummed to himself as he searched the cabinets for his old waffle iron, however, just as he was about to flap his wings for the boost needed to reach the top shelf above the sink, he heard something that caught his attention.

Someone was in the backyard.

Curious, Yugi walked to the nearest window that overlooked the back porch and yard, recognizing the sound of grunts and some thudding as he got closer. He almost sighed with relief when he pulled back the curtains and saw you down below. Well, he was relieved, then a bit surprised to find you up so early. Another second of staring and he realized what exactly you were doing, apparently you thought it prudent to keep your combat skills sharp.

You were moving in hard, yet graceful gestures, hands cutting through the air in precise hits, body dodging an invisible enemy with fluid motions, and legs occasionally sweeping in powerful kicks. Your tanktop was a cut-off, revealing a chest and stomach that was well-toned for fighting demons, and the sweat covering said body said that you had been doing these exercises for a while now.

Yugi bit his lip at the way the lean muscles of your arms showed with every punch and how nice your legs looked whenever you gave another powerful kick. His eyes started lingering somewhere they really shouldn’t be, and he had just told himself to take his eyes off your rear when-

“Enjoying the view?”

The call from behind made Yugi’s heart leap into his throat. The incubus might never get used to how quiet his vampire was, and wondered how on earth he hadn’t sensed Atem looking over his shoulder.

“Don’t scare me like that!” Yugi scolded as Atem leaned back so he wasn’t burned by the rays of sun coming in through the window.

Atem smirked, “Better be careful, my love, she might get embarrassed if she catches you spying on her.”

Yugi flushed at the wink his boyfriend gave him, “I wasn’t- I mean I was just thinking about taking her something to drink. She looks hot.”

Yugi wanted to slap himself at the unintentional double entendre, especially when Atem’s smirk turned to a grin that flashed his fangs. With a scoff at his boyfriend’s silent teasing, Yugi turned and went back into the kitchen. He wasn’t lying, not really. After all, he had stared long enough to see that you didn’t seem to have anything to hydrate with, and if it wasn’t for being...distracted the thought would have come to him sooner.

Atem leaned against the counter as Yugi poured a tall glass of lemonade, “What has you up so early anyway, Aibou?”

“I was going to make us a nice breakfast. After the day we had yesterday I thought…” he shrugged, “I just wanted us to start the day nice. I thought even you would eat if I laid out the rest of the fruit in the fridge.”

He heard Atem give a small hum of appreciation, then take two steps, and suddenly arms were snaking around his waist.

“That’s very sweet, my love, I would adore some breakfast.”

Yugi let out a small noise akin to a moan as Atem’s breath ghosted across his neck, the vampire letting out a content sigh as he held Yugi a bit tighter.

“Or, if you’re hungry for something else, that’s okay too.” Yugi offered in a whisper and tilted his head just a bit so his neck was more exposed.

He felt Atem stiffen a bit behind him. “No, Aibou, you gave me plenty last night.” The vampire placed a gentle kiss on the spot where he had bitten Yugi the night before, a tender affection that no doubt helped ease Atem’s conscience. “You know I refuse to take too much from you, no matter how good you taste.”

“Does her blood taste good too?” the question was out before Yugi even knew it was on his lips. He wasn’t even sure why he asked it and felt his face getting hot as he felt stupid for the inquiry. Atem pulled away a bit and Yugi looked over his shoulder at him, “It’s okay, I saw the memory of you in the cell at the Sanctuary, when she let you feed on her so you’d have plenty of strength to escape.” Another beat of uncomfortable silence, then Yugi went on as he averted his eyes. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked, I don’t even know why I did. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

Atem’s views on drinking from live subjects were...messy, to put it simply. Yugi had spent the first year of their relationship convincing Atem that he didn’t mind the occasional bite, and even now Atem got touchy about the subject at times. Still, Yugi tried to shift Atem’s perspective on the matter, after all, Yugi technically fed from Atem every time they made love, and he thought it was only fair that he gave Atem a little something too. Not only that, but Atem had lived long enough to learn how to harness his blood lust. He knew how much animal blood he needed to drink to prevent any loss in his self-control, to prevent the blood of his loved ones- or even total strangers from looking too tempting to resist. That control, however, was likely a lesson hard-won.

“Yes.”

Yugi blinked at the reply, having assumed that Atem would move the conversation along like nothing had happened, as he sometimes did when uncomfortable topics arose. When Yugi again looked up at Atem, the vampire was staring at anything that wasn’t Yugi as his mind mulled over his next words.

“She...” his tongue darted out, licking his lips for the smallest second before he shook his head. “I hate thinking about it, but, her blood tasted like ambrosia to me…” Again Atem shook his head, more violently this time and he pulled away from Yugi completely, holding his face as he looked away, his other fist clenched at his side. “I’m disgusting,” he growled, “what kind of monster says that about a woman he admires so much?”

Yugi was by his side again in an instant, taking Atem’s paling fist in his hands. “Hey, hey, it’s okay,” he whispered tilting his head so Atem had little choice but to meet his eyes. “You’re not disgusting, Atem. And you’re not a monster. A monster would have killed her for her blood- or at least tried to. And a disgusting man wouldn’t think about anything besides her blood, he wouldn’t admire her for anything else- you do! You see so much more in her. You can’t...you can’t help how her blood tastes to you.”

“Aibou.” The word came out like a broken whisper and in an instant Yugi was pulling him in, wrapping his arms around Atem and holding him close.

Yugi had lost count of the times they had conversations like these, of how many times he had to tell Atem that he wasn’t a monster or some dangerous animal. But Yugi didn’t care, he would remind Atem that he was the opposite a thousand more times if he had to, he would tell him every day if it meant setting Atem’s mind at ease.

Sometimes even someone as old as him just needed some reassurance.

You were slowly starting to regret not bringing some water or other beverage with you, especially as a dry itchiness started to needle at your throat as you swiped at the air with another kick. Usually, you wouldn’t have been so careless, but, the idea of rummaging through Yugi and Atem’s fridge and taking something without their knowledge still seemed...wrong somehow. You knew they likely wouldn’t mind, given that they kept insisting you call their home your home, but you weren’t quite...there yet.

A somersault leading into an uppercut later, and you were debating on just going back inside period. You’d been out there for two hours or so, and the boys were likely awake by now. Yes, that would be best, you had built up enough of a sweat that morning.

As you straightened into a more natural posture and began stretching your arms to stave off any aches, you heard the back door to the house slide open. You looked over and saw Yugi, who was wearing an adorable purple apron, walking towards you with a smile and a tall glass of lemonade.

“What an angel.”

You instantly stiffened at the thought, scolding yourself while also wondering where the comparison even came from! Just because Yugi looked adorable and was carrying something that might as well have been a godly treat to you in that moment, you still had no right to think anything like that! Hell, you had no right to think anything akin to that of either of the men who had taken you in.

“You’re already working hard,” Yugi commented with the smallest chuckle, “You looked thirsty so I brought you this.”

“Th-thank you!” you winced at the too loud tone you answered with, feeling heat that had nothing to do with your exercises crawling across your face. Hurriedly, likely too hurriedly, you took the lemonade from Yugi and started chugging it, wanting to avoid further humiliation.

Yugi blinked at the display, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” you mumbled into the now half-empty glass, instantly regretting the quick drinking as your stomach clenched and ached. “Just tired. Had trouble sleeping last night.” It wasn’t a lie, the whole reason you were out here this early was to burn off some nervous energy.

The answer only made Yugi’s brow crease, “Are you sure you’re okay? If there’s anything you want to talk about, me and Atem are both good listeners. Or is the guest bed not comfortable enough? I think we have a different one in storage somewhere, we can-”

“It’s fine, Yugi,” you assured, wanting desperately to cover your hot face with your hands, “I’ve always had trouble sleeping. It’s nothing new, you don’t have to worry.”

The incubus stared at you for another long moment but must have decided to let the topic be and instead just nodded his head. “Okay, well, if you’re done out here, I’ve already started breakfast, I hope you like waffles!”

You took a second to think, “I don’t think I’ve ever had waffles, but if you’re making them I’m sure they’re good.” Still too embarrassed to smile at the comment, you just met his eyes and hoped this wouldn’t be another moment where he acted aghast by your lack of experiences.

On the contrary, he just answered you with a shy smile, “Well, not to brag but I’ve gotten pretty good at making them, so I know they won’t let you down.” He actually winked at you then and the heat in your cheeks kicked up a few notches even as he turned away and said, “Come up whenever you’re done, okay?”

Despite already having decided to go inside, you stood there in your confused, red-faced wallowing for a few more minutes after Yugi slid the door shut behind him. You’d had too many moments like this recently. Too many times when you faltered, became unsure of yourself and the feelings seeming to creep up from some unknown part of yourself. You told yourself it was natural, that your life had changed drastically not long ago. Still, this seemed to go deeper than even that…

You shook your head, trying to clear the suddenly deep musings. It wasn’t like you had time to analyze such things right now, so like all the times before, you stuffed them in a box deep within yourself, drained the last of your lemonade (ignored the twinge in your stomach) and started for the house.

By the time you made it upstairs the apartment was filled with a doughy scent and something else that was sweet. A tenseness that had been persisting in your shoulders seemed to ease a bit, especially when you peeked into the kitchen and saw the domestic scene. Yugi pouring batter into an iron of some sort, Atem at the opposite counter cutting some strawberries and bananas.

Atem glanced up from his work to smile at you, “Good morning. I hope you’ve built up an appetite.”

You couldn’t stop the smile that answered him even if you wanted to, “Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Nope,” Yugi interjected, looking over his shoulder at you, “Breakfast will be ready soon, just sit down and rest for a bit!”

It felt odd to sit while the other two worked, but you didn’t see much point in debating the fact, so you simply took a seat at one of the bar stools that peered into the kitchen over the breakfast bar.

“How long have you been up training?” Atem asked.

You shrugged, “About two hours I guess. I wanted to get plenty of practice in, still trying to hone my spell casting now that my magician’s seal is gone.”

“Is it hard to do without the seal to focus the magic?” Yugi asked, again peering over his shoulder at you.

“Not hard, really, just a little more...untamed I guess. Takes more concentration. I’ll get the hang of it though. There's only so much magic I can do without drawing attention over that fence of yours, though, so I spent the last hour or so out there just brushing up on my combat.”

“Yes, Yugi noticed.”

At Atem’s smirking remark, Yugi actually turned and gave the vampire’s back a wide-eyed look of incredulity. Atem paid no mind, and just continued his chopping until Yugi turned back to his own work with a mutter you didn’t catch. The comment only confused you, so you opted to ignore the scene as the moment passed.

After that, there wasn’t much talk while the boys finished the meal, until Yugi asked which items of their fruit spread that you wanted, piled your plate full of them, and slid a plate full of those and two waffles over to you with a bottle of syrup for the three of you to share.

When the boys had settled down with their own plates (you were again surprised to find Atem eating, though it was just a bowl of fruits with sugar sprinkled on top) Yugi asked, “So, what’s the plan for today? You said that ghoul friend of yours had more information for you?”

You didn’t bother correcting the implication that Bonz was anything more than a contact, not only was it not worth it, but you were far too engrossed with the fluffy treat you had just bitten into. You had to actively push through the distraction of the new taste to answer Yugi, “Yeah, he wants to meet me today. At first he wanted to meet at night, but I called him and told him to meet me in the afternoon instead.”

“So, you’ll be going alone?” Atem asked, and you noted that he was trying to keep his tone even and devoid of any particular emotion.

You nodded, “I thought it would be the best way to save time. If he does have something of value to tell me, we’ll have plenty of time to investigate it together tonight.”

Obviously despite himself, Atem’s expression seemed to relax a bit at your own attempt to include him and Yugi in anything more than meeting your informant. “That sounds like a plan. Hopefully he has something of value, and he won’t just be wasting your time.”

All you could manage was a garbled hum in response, having taken another full bite of waffle as well as a fork full of some fruit. “This is really good,” you said after swallowing most of the mouthful.

Yugi chuckled, gathering some strawberries on his fork, “I’m glad you like it, we’ll just have to keep making more food you’ve never tried before,” he was smiling over at you and Atem, something soft playing in his eyes before he chuckled again and turned his attention back to his plate.

You caught Atem smirking at the comment as well, though he had the grace to keep his gaze averted from yours as he continued eating as well. And with that, the rest of the morning passed quietly.

.

After breakfast, while Yugi prepared to open the shop, as usual, you decided to hop into the shower, washing away the tightness of the morning’s exercises with the refreshing waters. You had not been able to buy your own body wash or shampoo yet and continued to use the boy’s bottles until you could remedy that. You had a small sum of money left over from the Circle’s allowance and you would be out and about to meet Bonz later, maybe a stop at the local store would be in good order. After the meeting, of course, you wouldn’t look particularly intimidating carrying grocery bags, after all.

You were just toweling off your hair as you stepped out of the bathroom, fresh clothes and relaxed muscles ready to face the rest of the day. You headed for the main part of the house, pondering how to kill the next few hours before your meeting- when you saw Atem digging around in a closet.

Curious, you took a closer look and saw that he was bringing out cleaning supplies: a broom, mop, bucket, and some natural looking soaps. “Today’s chores, I assume?” you asked.

Atem nodded as he nudged the door shut with his shoulder. “Yes. As you’ve likely noticed, I tend to be up during the same hours as Yugi, and that gives me limited tasks to do during the day, given that I’m stuck inside. I decided long ago that keeping the house tidy is the least I can do while Yugi’s working. Doing my part, so to speak.”

Not surprising, you had taken notice of Atem's domestic tendencies the past few days, laundry, dishes, and other such chores seeming to not bother him in the slightest. You found yourself smiling, it was sweet, really.

“Let me help.” Your insistence was brought home when you flung the towel over your shoulder and grabbed the broom.

Atem actually blinked at you, “No, it’s fine, you don’t have to-”

“Atem,” you said, tone firm, if not a little amused. “I helped Yugi in the shop the other day, I can help you with chores today. Like you said, ‘doing my part’.” Indeed, if the boys insisted on you thinking of this as your home as well, and not degrade yourself to a simple guest, you would have to pull your own weight too.

That seemed to win him over, and he returned your small smile, “Thank you. You can start in the upstairs hallway if you wish.”

That made a little more than an hour pass, sweeping all the non-carpeted floors of the apartment while Atem mopped afterward. In all honesty, you had hoped that there was more to do in order to keep yourself occupied. Unfortunately, Atem seemed to divide his chores throughout the week and after you helped him dispose of the mop water, there was little left to do.

“What do you usually do when there isn’t a demon to be hunted?” Atem asked, a slight smirk pulling at his lips as he dried his hands off.

The question actually made something uncomfortable prickle across your skin. How to answer a question like that? “There’s always a demon to be hunted. They- the Circle, I mean, don’t really approve of...hobbies,” you answered, trying and failing to avoid his gaze.

Atem seemed to stiffen a bit at the blunt, matter of fact comment. Then, something shifted in his eyes, apparently regretting his question. The uncomfortable prickling was getting worse and you opened your mouth to say something to move the moment along, but Atem beat you to it.

“Come with me,” he said, tone so soft it made you falter. Well, his tone, as well as the fact that he took your hand in his.

Just as gently as his tone, he tugged you along, out of the kitchen and into the living room. Too stunned to ask what he was doing, you simply watched as he sat you down of the couch, then wandered over to the TV, regrettably having to let go of your hand to do so. You ignored the way your hand tingled with a different sensation at the loss of contact. A moment later, after turning the TV on, pressing a button on a device below it, and grabbing two objects, Atem returned to you, plopping down on the couch beside you.

“I’ll admit, for many years I widely ignored the advances of technology around me, unless it benefited me in some way,” Atem started, as a symbol of some sort flashed across the screen. “So, Yugi was quite shocked to find that I had barely dabbled in the world of video games when he first met me. By that point, the only time I had tried one, was when arcades first became popular, back in the 1980s.”

You managed to smirk at the comment, even you realizing how old that made Atem sound. Then, he handed you what you knew was a gaming controller.

“Now I find video games to be a nice pass time,” Atem concluded, as a menu board came to life on the TV. “Have you ever played?”

“Not really,” you admitted, though you had at least heard of gaming culture and knew a bit about it via cultural osmosis, “but I’m willing to try.”

With that Atem nodded and used his own controller to flip through the menus, “Let's see, I think a fighting game may be a good place to start. If you don’t take to that, we can try something more slow pace, like an Elder Scrolls game.”

The fighting game did turn out to be a decent place to start. Atem was patient when explaining the way the system and button pressing worked, though you seemed to take to it rather quickly. He let you go through a tutorial first, then fight what was called a ‘bot’, or rather a pre-programmed enemy, before he himself jumped in and played against you.

“You’re quite good for a beginner, I’m impressed,” Atem complimented, his voice practically tickling your ear as your character dodged one of his punches.

“Thank you. I’m sure Yugi was impressed with you too, not often you can teach an old vampire new games,” you quipped back, tone comedic enough to earn a chuckle from him.

“Oh, he was. Tonight we will have to show him your skills, I’m sure he’ll be impressed with you, too.” And with that, his character landed a powerful punch on yours, dropping your health bar to zero.

Oh well, at least you had beaten him once out of the three rounds. Not bad for a beginner indeed.

“I wonder if your skills in real-life combat help you any,” Atem mused as the character menu popped back on screen.

You gave a skeptical hum. “Doubtful. This is nothing like an actual fight. Real enemies are easier to read in combat, after you get their rhythm down, anyway. These programs are nothing like how actual people act. At least not most of them.” Your eyes then squinted at the screen, a bit annoyed with the image of your female character. “Not even the clothes make sense!”

Another chuckle that marred his reply, “Yes, the revealing nature of the clothes are unnecessary. Still, wouldn’t the tightness of her outfit at least help her combat style?”

You actually raised an incredulous eyebrow at him. “Perhaps. But they aren’t tight enough in the right places.” When he only lifted his own brows in question, you jabbed a finger at the character, or more specifically, her ample, heaving chest. “No woman would fight with those bouncing around. Breasts hurt when they move, and combat causes a lot of movement! ”

To your surprise, instead of a simple answer, Atem replied with a laugh. Not just any laugh, however, it was a deep, hearty one, not his usual chuckle at all. It was one that made him close his eyes, made him try and fail to hold it in for a moment, made him cover his face with his hand as it died down.

“That-” another huff of laughter, “I suppose that is true. I’m sorry game designers aren’t exactly practical or considerate, especially when it comes to their female characters.”

He smiled over at you then, his chuckles finally subsiding, and it was only then that you realized you had been staring at him. His laugh had softened his features so much, the way his genuine smiles often did, only to an even greater effect. That strange feeling persisted inside you again, a light fluttering starting as you thought of just how handsome this man was. Beyond even the typical allure most vampires had, it was deeper than that, his kind and fair heart showing through in his features, brightening him like the sun he seemed to miss so much.

Suddenly, you darted your eyes away from his, quickly covering the fact that your mind had wandered to places it shouldn’t. “W-well, at least the game is still fun, even if it is inaccurate. You and Yugi will have to show me more games sometime.”

A quick glance at the clock below the TV and your heart fell just slightly when you saw that it was approaching the time for your meeting with Bonz. A sigh, then you handed your controller to Atem.

“Time to go,” you said as you stood from the couch.

You heard Atem give a similar noise as you put your boots on, and you knew he wished the sun wouldn't bar him from accompanying you. Despite not minding the idea of company, you weren’t worried, it would be a short trip.

“Be careful,” Atem said, watching you put on your jacket from his spot leaning against the couch.

The goodbye was simple yet heartfelt, and you flashed him another reassuring smile as you grabbed the handle to the door, “Let’s just hope he actually has something worthwhile to tell me, he knows I don’t like having my time wasted.” You winked before waving goodbye, opening the door, and disappearing through it.

The forgotten buildings that were once ‘Parkway Apartments’ was not an unfamiliar spot. Bonz often preferred neutral locations when meeting, and, honestly, you did too considering the state his home was usually in. The complex was a rotting, boarded-up set of buildings in the slums of Domino and no stranger to far more nefarious dealings than yours. As usual, you wandered to the weed-infested, junk-filled space between the buildings that had once passed for a ‘courtyard’ of sorts, knowing Bonz would be there soon if he wasn’t already.

You kept your hands tucked in your pockets as you approached the center, your heightened senses already picking up the aura of your contact. “I’m here, Bonz, what do you have for me?” you called out, voice echoing up the cracked cement of the buildings walling you in.

From behind a tree that had sprouted out of the pavement decades ago, Bonz appeared, looking sweaty and sheepish. His eyes darted about as he stepped closer, his hand tugging at the front of his shirt.

“What’s wrong?” you asked, senses edging on full alert at his nervousness.

Bonz always sweated in your presence, past experiences with the Circle giving him a constant baseline of fear and worry. This though, this was different. Had someone in Marik’s cult threatened him?

At your question, the ghoul’s eyes darted back to you and refocused, “Eh- n-nothing. Just freaked out, is all. Already told ya, I don’t like the idea of getting near that nut job’s business, ya know?”

“If you need it, you know I’ll protect you,” you said, tone firm and assuring, though not a notch softer than you could afford. “Now, what do you have to tell me?”

Bonz’s eyes were still on you as he gulped audibly. Then, he took a step back. “I- I’m sorry. They didn’t give me a choice.”

Your eyes widened, inner alarms screaming at his words. You turned, ready to bolt- just as you sensed a spell being cast.

“Shit.”

You looked back to find Bonz hightailing it out of the way as a barrier rose from the ground, encasing you and the complex within it; a standard Circle tactic when dealing with dangerous fey, or spell casters like yourself.

You hadn’t been cautious enough. Sensing no other fey nearby had given you a false sense of security, failing to account for the fact that magicians could hide themselves when needed. Now you were trapped, the barrier would prevent you from teleporting out, as well as leaving by more pedestrian means. And unlike the seals at Pegasus’ club, this barrier would be impossible to break through.

There was only one magician you knew who could do this kind of work so fast.

“Hello, beautiful.”

An annoyed groan crawled up your throat as you turned towards the voice. A man, no older than yourself, stepped out from the shadows of the building, hefting a spellbook in his hand. A smile that had failed to win you over for years played on his lips, a face many considered handsome looking quite at ease with the situation at hand.

You sighed. “Duke. Really, they sent you to come after me?”

“Who else? Only my sealing magic is fast enough to counter your reflexes,” he answered, tone smug as his free hand started fiddling with his dark locks of hair.

You folded your arms at the comment, though you were still on full alert, feeling the area out for anyone else, for any more surprises. True, seals, sigils, and magic circles had always been an area where Duke excelled, but in fairness, you were the far better fighter, and symbols could only help a magician so much in an actual fight.

“No offense, but that isn’t exactly intimidating,” you drawled.

Long lashes closed over green eyes as he covered his heart with his hand, mocking a hurt noise. “Oh gorgeous, you wound me. You know I’ve actually improved a lot over the years, I’ve done a lot of growing since you saved me during final exams.”

The comment made you raise your eyebrow. Honestly, if he was going to try charm, he could at least get his events right. As far as you remembered you hadn’t done anything to help him during those brutal tests.

“I don’t have time for this, Duke, stand down and I won’t have to bloody up that face you're always so proud of.”

His expression actually fell a bit at that, though he was obviously trying to school it. He let out a breath. “I was hoping you wouldn’t say that. The Council knew I wouldn’t be able to go against you in combat-”

“That’s why I’m here!”

Panic surged, burning through your skin at the sound of a new voice so close! You sidestepped, turning full-force towards the presence behind you- only to find a glowing magician’s seal within point-blank range. It was too close, you couldn’t dodge before-

A crack so thunderous that it shook the walls around you sounded. Ears rang, blood spilled, and someone laughed. A laugh cold and cruel bellowed as you were thrown back, senses reeling and vision darkening as skin made painful contact with the cement floor.

A.N.  So, I had originally intended this chapter to include the next scene, but I blew past 10,000 words and still had stuff left to write in said scene. So, instead of making you all trudge through a 13,000+ long chapter, I'll just...leave you with this cliff hanger....... forgive me!

[thebiasrekkers]

Make It Right [BTS Mafia!AU]

Pairings: Jin x OC | Taehyung/Hoseok x OC | Yoongi/Jungkook x OC Genre: BTS Mafia!AU Warnings: Graphic Violence, Heavy Language, Angst, Smut, Slow Burn “It’s always darkest before the dawn…” It’s a dog-eat-dog world in Seoul, South Korea. One has to dwell in the shadows in order to reach for the light. What are you willing to sacrifice in order to feel the sunlight on your face? What will it take to drag you back into darkness? How long will the journey be to make it right?

AO3 | WP

Chapter 01:  Just One Day

"Out of all those words I had to swallow because of the excuse of reality, I’ll pick one and tell it to you for sure..."

Chapter: Prologue 1 2 3 4 5 6

Present Day Seoul – Cheongdam; Gangnam District South Korea

The nerves in Jungkook’s right fist tingled, his stance a picture-perfect representation of one who spent most of his life in brawls. There was a harsh scraping sound as his opponent’s shoulder slammed into the concrete. The spectators were small fry, standing on the sideline as they watched their senior attempt to go toe-to-toe with The Steel Claw of the Golden Jackals . They’d all tried to convince him that it wasn’t a good idea. Jungkook’s reputation preceded him and despite his youthful appearance, he had nerves of steel. Just like his fists.

His opponent struggled to sit up. Jungkook knew he’d won the fight, but he refused to relax his stance. Until he was sure that the guy was going to concede, he was prepared to strike again, and he would do so with a quickness that none would be prepared to see. His breath puffed out softly in the cold warehouse, the oil drums aflame barely heating the large space the group occupied.

Yoongi moved to stand beside Jungkook and he could feel the muscle at the base of his neck tensing up slightly. His eyes never moved, however, as they were still trained on the fallen gang member.

When it was clear that his “prey” would not be getting back up for another round, Jungkook’s stance smoothed out and he stood like normal. The gang member coughed out blood, staining the gray concrete beneath them. Jungkook shook his right hand out to chase the tingling sensation from it. Yoongi placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze, before moving to stand in front of him.

“How many times is it gonna take for you dogs to fucking get it?” Yoongi’s voice was cold and cruel. Even after all these years, Jungkook still wasn’t quite used to that sound. “Do we need to break all of your legs so you can go crawling back to your master? Hm?”

They all took a step back, the two who moved to help their senior back onto his feet freezing in their spots. Jungkook felt the muscle at his jaw tick, his brows furrowing harshly over his dark eyes. The thrill of the fight was over, and his adrenaline high was starting to come down, albeit slowly.

Yoongi cocked his head to the side, a distinctive crack sound resounding as he popped his neck. This caused a few to flinch and they shook their heads, realizing that they hadn’t answered his question. A scoffing sound huffed from Yoongi as Jungkook watched him shove his hands into the pockets of his slacks.

“Yeah, I didn’t think so. Now fuck off.” He snapped his fingers at them before they could make another move. “And tell your boss that this is Jackal territory. If he sniffs around here again, I’m coming to take his bone out personally. Got it?”

They all nodded, hefting their senior and all but hightailing it out of the warehouse. Yoongi turned to Jungkook and the other members that they brought with them. Jutting his chin out toward them, they all straightened their backs. “You’re dismissed. Don’t go around getting into shit.”

“Yes Sir!” they said, bowing their heads low before quickly vacating the premises.

Jungkook remained, lifting a hand to rest his palm along the back of his neck. “…Hyung, I’m hungry.”

Yoongi grinned, a gesture he knew he reserved for those closest to him. He ruffled his hair like he was still a teenager, but Jungkook didn’t have the urge to protest against him. “Then let’s go eat. You’ve earned a free meal from your Hyung.”

Jungkook gave him a lopsided grin and nodded, allowing Yoongi to usher him out of the warehouse. He already knew that Yoongi was going to take them to a street food stall, but he didn’t mind. It wasn’t like Jungkook was a picky eater and he knew this particular food stall was a favorite of Yoongi’s as well.

It served lamb skewers.

The walk took about ten minutes, the two men not really indulging in any kind of conversation. It was typically like this after having to handle business. Jungkook didn’t care about the lack of chit-chat. A moment of silence, even amidst the busy Seoul streets, was welcome after having exerted himself. He made sure to match Yoongi’s pace, remaining at his side the entire way.

When they arrived, Yoongi ordered two bottles of soju, two bowls of jampong, an order of chicken feet, and six lamb skewers. The woman who owned the tent house greeted them warmly, telling them to sit anywhere and so they chose the usual table near the back. The plastic blue chairs were worn from use and the two of them fell into them easily. The soju was the first to arrive to their table, along with two shot glasses. Yoongi picked up Jungkook’s glass and began to pour for him.

“Hyung, wait —" Jungkook began to protest.

Yoongi sucked in air through his teeth before clicking his tongue to the roof of his mouth. “When are you gonna quit actin’ up?”

Jungkook’s eyes lowered to the table. “Yoongi Hyung…”

He watched him finish pouring the soju into the shot glass before Yoongi moved to pour some into his own. “You’re a good kid, Jungkook-ah. Let your Hyung reward you every now and then, hm?”

He gave a slightly sheepish nod. He was twenty-seven now, but around the others Jungkook still felt like a kid. Not that he minded it too much. As the group’s maknae , it was expected. Even so, he sometimes wondered if he was a burden or if there was more he could be doing. Being the Steel Claw of their group had its merits and he’d certainly earned the title, but there were times when he wanted to do more but assumed it wasn’t his place to ask or even worry about such things.

“You’ve got that look on your face again.”

Jungkook’s head immediately lifted, his eyes meeting Yoongi’s as he watched the man lifting the shot glass to his lips. Reaching out with both hands, he picked up his own glass of soju and turned away from the table to drink in tandem with him. Once finished, he placed the glass back on the table and had to resist protesting a second time when Yoongi began pouring him another shot. He curled his hands into fists at his knees instead.

“What look?”

Yoongi grinned at him from across the table as he finished pouring him another shot. “That ‘I don’t think I’m doing enough for my Hyungs’ look.” Jungkook blinked, watching as he tipped the shot back with ease while making a satisfied sound from the drink. Yoongi raised a brow at him. “After all these years, you’re still thinking like that, Jungkook?”

All Jungkook could do was sigh. It wasn’t like Yoongi was wrong and it shouldn’t have surprised him how observant he was. Yoongi was known for being able to spot things a mile away and this situation was no different, it seemed. He hung his head a little, both from shame and embarrassment. He hadn’t meant to have his feelings exposed so openly and he certainly hadn’t meant to cause any worry for any of his brothers.

Hands reached for the shot glass, cradling it between his fingers, but Jungkook made no move to drink. He heard the clink of glass to glass and he knew without looking that Yoongi was pouring again. The lady brought their food to the table, along with two steaming bowls of rice and a fresh pot of barley tea. She handed them their utensils and they thanked her while also saying they would enjoy the meal.

Out of habit, Jungkook waited for Yoongi to begin eating first before digging into his own food. The loud sounds of smacking and slurping were a momentary reprieve from the heaviness that had been hanging over the table just moments prior. But Jungkook knew that this conversation was far from over.

Yoongi set his chopsticks down so that he could pour himself a cup of tea. “You’re doing enough, Jungkook-ah.”

The spoonful of rice that he was about to shovel into his mouth hovered near his lips. His eyes widened slightly before he lowered the spoon back down to the bowl. “Hyung…”

“I mean it,” he reassured him, raising the steaming cup of tea to his face, “so stop looking like that. You’ve been way too hard on yourself these days.”

“It’s just that…” Jungkook paused, biting his lower lip as he contemplated whether he wanted to continue. Yoongi gave him a look, urging him to go ahead. “Well, Hoseok Hyung seems like he’s more stressed out than normal. Jin Hyung and Namjoon Hyung look just as on edge and —"

“Stop.” Yoongi interrupted him, holding a hand up. “Stop right there.”

“Huh?”

“That’s not anything you need to be worrying about.”

“But Hyung!”

Yoongi sucked in a harsh breath between his teeth, quickly silencing Jungkook. A handful of seconds passed between them before he continued. “The three of them are just trying to figure out the best way to expand our territory and wondering just how much danger they’re willing to put us in. But that’s to be expected, what with the amount of reach we’re wanting to gain.” Yoongi sighed, his expression relaxing a bit as he tried to ease Jungkook’s worries. “It’s something the three of them need to worry about. That’s their roles, alright? There’s no sense in you beating yourself up over something that isn’t your job in the first place.”

Jungkook remained silent, his brows knitting in concern.

“Trust your brothers, okay? What they decide on is almost always for the best.”

He nodded, resuming his meal. He hadn’t intended for the conversation to turn sour or even stressful. He knew that Yoongi had his own worries that he didn’t exactly voice, but he was better at keeping a level head than most of them. Even though they’d all grown up together, Yoongi was still the hardest to read. If an expression was readable, it was because Yoongi allowed it to show. Generally, though, he was seemingly impassive.

Jungkook admired that about Min Yoongi the most.

“So, how are things with that girl you’re talking to?”

A choking sound came from Jungkook in mid-sip of his tea. He stared at Yoongi with wide eyes. He watched him nonchalantly picking up one of the lamb skewers.

“W-What?”

Yoongi pulled off one of the pieces of lamb and chewed before pointing the end of the skewer at him. “You know,” he said with his mouth full, “the one called ‘Stubborn Tiger’ in your phone. You’re always texting and calling her.”

A lump formed in Jungkook’s throat and his mouth dried out almost instantly. He hadn’t realized he’d been that obvious. Nothing was solid yet and she was so damn stubborn. But so was Jungkook and he wasn’t about to give up when she got under his skin so thoroughly.

He coughed a few more times before setting his teacup down. “I mean, I dunno.” Jungkook shrugged. He wasn’t sure how much he wanted to divulge. “It’s not like we’re a thing.” He frowned. Yet…

Yoongi canted his head slightly. “You two aren’t even dating?” Jungkook shook his head. “…then how did you get her number?”

“I stole it.” He said it automatically and instantly regretted it. He watched Yoongi blink at him before he started laughing. “I mean, I made her give it to me!”

He continued to laugh. “You made her , huh?” Jungkook watched as he shook his head. “Well, that certainly isn’t like you at all.”

Jungkook hung his head and groaned. “I know…”

“Does she know what you do?” Yoongi’s laughter died off, but the amusement was still in his voice. Jungkook nodded. “Good. That’s good.”

“Huh? How come?”

“It’s good she knows and is still willing to talk to you, even if she’s being stubborn about it.” Yoongi reached for his shot glass, lifting it to his lips. “It’s better to be honest from the start. Relationships should never be built on lies, Jungkook.”

“Hyung…”

“If she can see you for who you are and still care about you, hold onto her.” Jungkook saw a look in Yoongi’s eyes that seemed to be a mixture of regret and something else. Something he couldn’t quite place. “No matter what.”

[lins-fandom-hub]

HPHM Profile: Clara Lin

Template by @hogwartsmystory​

Identity

Name: Clara Xing-Hui Lin (林星慧）

Gender: Female

Age: 17 as of May 31, 1990

Birth Date: April 25, 1973

Species: Human

Blood Status: (Pureblood, Half-Blood, Muggleborn)

Half-Blood? Both her parents are Muggleborn and were chosen by magical institutions to study magic.

Sexuality: Heterosexual.

Alignment: Lawful Neutral

Ethnicity: Chinese

Nationality: English? She’s born in England after all.

Residence: Oxford, England

Myer Briggs Personality Type: ESTJ

The Mage

1st Wand: Acacia wood with Unicorn Hair, 12 inches, pliable

A very unusual wand wood, which I have found creates tricky wands that often refuse to produce magic for any but their owner, and also withhold their best effects from all but those most gifted. This sensitivity renders them difficult to place, and I keep only a small stock for those witches or wizards of sufficient subtlety, for acacia is not suited to what is commonly known as ‘bangs-and-smells’ magic. When well-matched, an acacia wand matches any for power, though it is often underrated due to the peculiarity of its temperament.

2nd Wand: Ebony wood with Dragon Heartstring, 11 and a quarter inches

This jet-black wand wood has an impressive appearance and reputation, being highly suited to all manner of combative magic, and to Transfiguration. Ebony is happiest in the hand of those with the courage to be themselves. Frequently non-conformist, highly individual or comfortable with the status of outsider, ebony wand owners have been found both among the ranks of the Order of the Phoenix and among the Death Eaters. In my experience the ebony wand’s perfect match is one who will hold fast to his or her beliefs, no matter what the external pressure, and will not be swayed lightly from their purpose.

Animagus: Chinese Li Hua (a type of tabby cat found in China)

Misc Magical Abilities: (Legilimen, Seer, Parselmouth, Obscurial, ect)

In the canon story, Clara is a born Legilimens, first practising the art with a wand and under Snape’s tutelage before perfecting the art on her own time without the pressure of the final Curse on Hogwarts and without a wand. It made reading the minds of her family much easier, especially when it came to how they felt about Jacob’s return and the downfall of the Lin reputation all those years ago. In a way, she tried to use it for good.

Boggart Form: 

Considering that Clara’s got as many fears as the typical human being, it could take the form of knives coming her way, or a puddle of blood turning into a torrential flood around her ankles. But her biggest fear, and hence her Boggart, was hearing her friends and family say that she was hopeless, worthless, and useless. Backstabbers, to put it concisely. Her Boggart would be in the form of her friends and people she trusted coming in at her, spitting out those words she didn’t want to hear.

Riddikulus Form: 

If said Boggart appears before her, Riddikulus would make their tongues all tied and saying such pure nonsense that it’d make her laugh. Why would she feel bad about imagining them affected with the Tongue Tying Curse, anyway? They’re not real.

Amortentia: (What do they smell like?)

If anyone was to smell Clara’s scent, they’d smell jasmine, burning wood, and a hint of orange juice. Okay, don’t ask about the orange juice. Something citrussy goes well with something sweet.

Amortentia: (What do they smell?)

Clara would smell petrichor, fresh linens, and an aromatic sort of wood--pine, maybe? Not sure? Something that calls her to the woods.

(*cough cough* totally not *cough* Barnaby’s *cough* scent *cough*)

Patronus: 

Clara’s Patronus is a unicorn--a pure creature with a sole intent to protect, it can outrun any danger and face it head on.

Patronus Memory: 

You mean her happiest memory? Seeing the stars one summer with Jacob and her little sister, Em, one summer. Feeling the close ties of her siblings was what made her happy.

Mirror of Erised: 

In the past, she would have seen herself surrounded by all the people she loved, just being happy together. This image used to include Rakepick until she revealed her true colours in the Buried Vault--since then, her image had been forcefully shunned.

Following certain events in year 6 that caused Clara to lose her friend, the reflection had now changed to an image of Clara and Rowan, both sitting together and laughing together like they used to in old times. The sight of their smiles would have been enough for Clara to just sit in front of the mirror without any sense of time. If only she could have done something to save her best friend...her tree twin...

Specialized/Favourite Spells:

Reparo (and yes, she is fully aware that this does not heal a broken heart)

Incendio

Stupefy

Protego

Appearance

Faceclaim: N/A

**I haven’t thought of a face claim at all when making Clara, as she’s literally based off of me, appearance and personality wise. So we’ll say I’m her face claim? Though I’m not that comfortable allowing a picture of myself to circulate around Tumblr, so I’m going to leave this part out.

Height: 5′7″

Weight: I mean, she’s not overweight but not underweight? Does that count?

Physique: Somewhat slender figure, overall an average build

Eye Colour: Dark brown

Hair Colour: Black

Skin Tone: Pale

Body Modifications: N/A. She does wear glasses, though.

Scarring: N/A

Inventory: (what do they carry on them?)

a lucky Knut from her sister

her textbooks

her quills

her ink

two silk bookmarks

her wand

a couple pieces of miscellaneous candy

Allegiances

Hogwarts House: Gryffindor

Ilvermorny House: Pukwudgie

Affiliations/Organizations:

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Gryffindor House)

Auror Office, Ministry of Magic, London

Chinese Wizarding Task Force, Beijing

Professions:

Auror

Free-lance Magizoologist

Free-lance Curse-Breaker

Free-lance pianist/musician

Hogwarts Information

Class Proficiencies:

Astronomy: E

Charms: O

DADA: O

Flying: E

Herbology: E

History of Magic: E

Potions: O

Transfiguration: O

Electives: Care of Magical Creatures (O), Divination (A), Arithmancy (E)

Quidditch: Gryffindor Chaser from year 3 to year 6 at Hogwarts

Extra Curricular: 

Frog Choir

Music Club

Duelling Club (on occasion)

Favourite Professors:

Professor Minerva McGonagall

As Head of Gryffindor House, Clara looks up to her a lot and always turns to her for troubling issues arising. Well, it wasn’t solely based on the fact that she’s Head of Gryffindor that she felt so connected with her. She had a strict air but it was not always for the worst circumstances. In some ways she reminded her of her mom. 

Professor Filius Flitwick

As Jacob really loved Professor Flitwick, Clara always tried her best to make Flitwick proud of her Charms work. In a way, though, she always felt like he was encouraging her to do her best every time, almost the same way Jacob might have if he was still present with her. Besides, Flitwick was an insightful person when it came to certain magical phenomena she didn’t understand.

Least Favourite Professors:

Professor Sybill Trelawney

There was something a little off about the way Trelawney presented herself to her Divination class, and honestly it made Clara question her legitimacy in her pursued arts. However, she did well not to question it openly, as she knew Trelanwney would do more than challenge her.

Professor Severus Snape

She knew she could trust him, but his sullen disposition still scares her and makes her very wary about him. Truly, she couldn’t find herself entrusting him with even the most serious of her secrets and problems. Nothing good would come out of their interactions, even if he did show a sliver of care for the girl.

Relationships

Brother: Jacob Pan-Hui Lin

Jacob Lin is her closest sibling and the one person she knew she would always stand by no matter what. After all, they were close when they were kids, despite him being 6 years older than MC.

In the olden days, he used to tease her a lot on her potential music career. It wasn’t bad, of course--just something for lighthearted fun.

Jacob’s known to be quite the fashionable neat wizard in his old days. He was really picky about what he wore and how his hair looked before heading out for the day. Eventually those thoughts faded away with time.

When he attended Hogwarts, Jacob was Sorted into Gryffindor.

Most of his time at Hogwarts was a mystery, but few people who came in after his expulsion knew that he wrote in a private notebook, had a chamber where he sorted all his information and gathered clues about the Cursed Vaults, and left in his wake a rather...interesting mix of emotions.

Jacob didn’t want to be a Curse-Breaker at first, but the Cursed Vaults kept luring him in that direction until he eventually accepted its calling. Well, with severe consequences, of course. 

Misc Siblings:

Little Sister: Emily Wen-Hui Lin

Emily, often nicknamed little Em by the two older siblings, is 5 years younger than MC. She was very young when Jacob disappeared, thus she had very little memories of her brother.

There were only a few moments little Em could remember when her parents were actually peaceful and at ease. Most of their time, though, was spent fighting, and...well...let’s just say she tried to ease the rifts but with no luck.

When she eventually entered Hogwarts, while her older sister is in sixth year, she got Sorted into Hufflepuff, making her the only sibling in the family to be Sorted in a different house apart from both her siblings.

Upon her graduation, Em went on to become a professional herbologist and potioneer, working closely with Penny and Chiara in her endeavours

Father: Sueh-Yen Lin

Sueh-Yen was born in China and attended Mahoutokoro at the age of 7. Following the end of his magical education he began to pursue his passions in herbology in London, where he met Clara’s mother, Renee Tao. After he became a family man, he began to work as a landscaper, helping other people design and nurture their gardens both Muggle and magical. Following Clara’s fourth year, he began to work at the Ministry of Magic in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes.

Mother: Renee Lin (nee Tao)

Renee was born and raised in America, attending Ilvermorny and being sorted into the Horned Serpent house. While she was at school she developed an interest in psychology and the mind, and so she began to take up studies in such areas and continued to branch her studies further after her graduation. She attended a Muggle university in England then, majoring in psychology, and eventually she met Clara’s father. She began to write books for both Muggle and wizarding communities after she became a mother, her topics focusing on proper child discipline for parents. Following Clara’s fourth year, she also took up work at the Ministry of Magic, in the same department as her husband.

Love Interest: Barnaby Lee

Before Clara’s third year, Barnaby was an insignificant student whose name had been mentioned once or twice by her peers. Then she knew of him in his third year, and at first they couldn’t stand each other. At least, Clara couldn’t stand him. Eventually they warmed up to each other through an uneasy, almost awkward, interaction in the Three Broomsticks following a duel. Well, you can find all the information on their relationship here. 

Best Friends: Rowan Khanna, Penny Haywood, Nymphadora Tonks, Tulip Karasu, Jae Kim, Charlie Weasley, Diego Caplan, Liz Tuttle, Badeea Ali

Rival: Merula Snyde

Enemy: Rakepick, R, Voldemort

Dormmates: Rowan Khanna, three other female Gryffindors

Pets: Clara was allowed to take Wagner (her owl) and her cat (Chopin) home after every year at school. As for the other pets in her dormitory, she would give them all to Hagrid every year before leaving Hogwarts for the summer.

Closest Canon Friends: 

Rowan Khanna

Nymphadora Tonks

Penny Haywood

Tulip Karasu

Charlie Weasley

Closest MC Friends: 

Sarahi Silvers (@dat-silvers-girl)

Aleksia Aries (@aleksia-aries-hogwartsmystery)

Aisilng Baskerville (@elefseija)

Helene Adler (@heleneplays)

Carewyn Cromwell (@carewyncromwell)

Kyril Vasiley (@kyril-hphm​)

Cato Reese (@catohphm​)

Xia Howlett (@ljthebard1​)

Katriona Cassiopeia (@mcnullychaser​)

Montague Donohue (@montaguehphm​)

Septimus Crowe (@brothergrimm71​)

That’s all for now unless you want me to add your MC to the list...

Flavio Ceccere (@sirfluffig​)

Alvina Arcane-Zheng ( @oneirataxia-girl )

Background/History

Born on April 25, 1973, Clara was surrounded by love from her first cry

Okay, well, you know how it is--babies cry the instance they’re born, so don’t shun me for saying this

Clara first witnessed her parents’ occupations watching them work at home when she was young. She always loved interacting with the plants whenever she helped her dad in the family garden, and she saw her mom’s growing success with her expertise on child discipline translated into writing

When her little sister was born, Clara and Jacob both loved her dearly, but as she was too young at the time they relied on each other for many things

Clara began to take up playing the piano when she was around four years old--she first learned from a teacher just down the street for about five years, then she continued learning on her own

Her interest peaked when she was young and she saw some street musicians performing on the streets. She took up said instrument as a hobby, and eventually developed a gift for music through her education.

Clara got glasses when she was seven years old due to prolonged exposure to tiny notes on the paper. Yes, that’s a valid reason for people to get glasses. Since then, she had to go to yearly eye appointments every summer just to make sure her eyesight isn’t getting worse.

Jacob went to Hogwarts, and soon Clara saw his transformation due to his slow growing obsession with the Cursed Vaults

Eventually, when Jacob went missing in the beginning of June 1984, it was the family’s last straw

Clara’s parents both began to row over every single little thing now, leaving poor Em almost traumatized and scared of arguments

Em had been told at the time that Jacob was on vacation, thus she didn’t understand why her parents were arguing so much

Clara’s mother had resigned from writing another book after Jacob’s disappearance, having received so many negative reviews from critics (and she had been bombarded by owls with such slander)

The family gardens almost completely wilted in her father’s negligence, and had it not been for little Em the garden would have withered completely

The events of Hogwarts Mystery unfolded

Following Clara’s graduation, she began to work as an Auror in training alongside Tonks and Talbott

She and Barnaby, her love interest, got a place of their own, where they lived happily for a while

Three years into living together, Barnaby and Clara got engaged

In the summer of 1995, shortly before their initial wedding, Clara was called away for about a year and a half to China

The dark wizards expelled from Mahoutokoro have now started their own band and began to infiltrate most of China by the time Voldemort had risen once more. Clara was dispatched to Beijing, China, at her own will, and with the help of some other wizards and witches in the group they trained together and began to take down these Japanese foes

During this time, Clara stayed with her maternal grandmother (her grandfather passed away during her fifth year), occasionally visiting her paternal grandmother once in a while to make sure everything there was okay

The training with this task force was very different from her training as an Auror given the circumstances. Clara had to learn to work not only with her wand, but also in martial arts (notably taichi, taekwondo, and kung fu). She was also given a magic carpet to travel from one place to another in place of her broom.

Clara only returned to the United Kingdom when she heard of Dumbledore’s death, and attended his funeral. However, she had to return to China shortly after as the dark forces there got so strong that the task force could not hold them back without her. 

Clara returned to the UK once and for all on May 1, 1998, and fought alongside her friends in the Battle of Hogwarts and survived. She married Barnaby following the end of the war, but not before they and their surviving friends first paid tribute to the fallen.

The Chinese Wizarding Task Force disbanded upon Voldemort’s fall.

They eventually had three children--Melvin and Milo (twin boys) and Sylvia--and they lived in peace ever since.

Personality

Clara’s a very well-rounded person who understands that life is all about taking risks and making mistakes along the way

Okay, well maybe one shouldn’t solely focus on making mistakes. She just acknowledges that not every person is made perfect and so she embraces everyone’s different personalities, understanding every flaw that made them who they are.

She’s analytical in many circumstances, always stepping carefully in every interaction and situation to avoid any sudden flares of attacks

She’s studious in academics, and friendly around many people, to put it in short

She won’t hesitate to help anyone, but if they knew they lied, she could never find it in her to forgive them

If someone tries to double cross her, though, she’d get really angry and wouldn’t hesitate to show her opponents how powerful she could be.

Misc

Clara’s not a very good cook. It wasn’t until her detention in fifth year when she was asked to make a simple sandwich, and from there she began to work on her rough cooking talents--almost none when she first started, and still basic when she left, but it was enough for her to sustain a simple meal.

Professor McGonagall gave Clara a room for her to practice piano at Hogwarts if things became too stressful. Not many people stumble upon this room except for one particularly curious person...

Though Clara’s dorm was decked in red, her favourite colour was actually purple. And blue. No, she couldn’t choose between the two.

Clara would always have a mug by her bedside so that whenever she had a nightmare she would make herself a mug of hot chocolate (and yes, in the middle of the night--don’t ask)

Clara could speak somewhat fluent Mandarin. She eventually continued to hone that skill when she was in Beijing working with the Chinese Wizarding Task Force.

More facts to come...

[shenanigumi]

Kazasen. How did that not come up yet?

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WELCOME TO HELL, I’M ALLEY, YOUR TOUR GUIDE, AND TODAY I’LL BE PUTTING KAZASEN IN THE CONTEXT OF NATURE/NURTURE SINCE IT’S A READY-MADE SCENARIO

General:

Rate the Ship: Awful | Ew | No pics pls | I’m not comfortable | Alright | I like it! | Got pics? | Let’s do it! | Why is this not getting more attention?! | The OTP to rule all other OTPs

How long will they last? Longer than anyone thinks, mostly on account of their mutual stubbornness. All contentious emotions aside, for the sake of their people and all of demonkind, they can and will stay together indefinitely. Don’t test them. (They’re doing that on their own already.)

How quickly did/will they fall in love? Do they think of one another as physically attractive? Of course; they do have eyes. Do they respect one another? By now, yes they do. Do they understand one another? No, but they’re both making a conscious effort at this point. Okay, so that means they’re at least learning to love each other even if they’re not there yet, right? Absolutely not!! How dare you imply such a thing!!

How was their first kiss? Surprisingly soft, but immediately followed by another, different, more intense first. Figures.

Wedding:

Who proposed? Kazama, for the good of both their people… after rejecting Sen’s own proposition to bear him a child out of wedlock. In light of her less-than-favorable circumstances and Kazama’s generosity, Sen had little choice but to accept.

Who are the best man and groomsmen? Not applicable given the style, but Amagiri was in prominent attendance.

Who are the maid of honor and bridesmaids? Not applicable given the style, but Kimigiku was in prominent attendance.

Who did the most planning? Sen and her people, because Kazama and his family didn’t want anything to do with a wedding. The ceremony was held in Yase as a result.

Who stressed the most? Definitely Sen. This wasn’t her idea, and she was incredibly wary of Kazama’s possible ulterior motives, to say nothing of his personality as a whole.

How fancy was the ceremony? Back of a pickup truck | 2 | 3 | 4 | Normal Church Wedding | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Kate and William wish they were this big

Who was specifically not invited to the wedding? Kazama in particular would have liked to exclude Shiranui, but they couldn’t afford to give offense. He didn’t show up anyway, so it was all good.

Sex:

Who is on top? Initially Sen, much to Kazama’s indignation and fury, until she trusts him enough to let him have a turn. It is currently much more equal.

Who is the one to instigate things? Usually Kazama.

How healthy is their sex life? Barely touch themselves let alone each other | 2 | 3 | 4 | Once or twice a week, nothing overboard | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They are humping each other on the couch right now

How kinky are they? Straight missionary with the lights off | 2 | 3 | 4 | Might try some butt stuff and toys | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Don’t go into the sex dungeon without a horse’s head

How long do they normally last? Not too long, but more because they don’t see a reason to prolong such interactions if they are both satisfied. Their frequency makes up for it, anyway.

Do they make sure each person gets an equal amount of orgasms? Absolutely. Even in the very beginning, Kazama is sure never to leave Sen unfulfilled, to her utter astonishment.

How rough are they in bed? Softer than a butterfly on the back of a bunny | 2 | 3 | 4 | The bed’s shaking and squeaking every time | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Their dirty talk is so vulgar it’d make Dwayne Johnson blush. Also, the wall’s so weak it could collapse the next time they do it.

How much cuddling/snuggling do they do? No touching after sex | 2 | 3 | 4 | A little spooning at night, or on the couch, but not in public | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They snuggle and kiss more often than a teen couple on their fifth date to a pillow factory.

Children:

How many children will they have naturally? Two.

How many children will they adopt? None.

Who gets stuck with the most diapers? Sen, but she makes Kazama pitch in now and again, ignoring his complaints about how he isn’t a nurse. There’s no way she’s taking care of everything all by herself, and no princess of Yase delegates raising her successor to a nursemaid.

Who is the stricter parent? Kazama, but Sen makes sure to balance him out as much as she can.

Who stops the kid(s) from doing dangerous stunts after school? Both of them, but Sen is more concerned about the child’s well-being, and Kazama is more concerned about how those actions reflect on their reputation and character.

Who remembers to pack the lunch(es)? Sen, though she is not the one to make them.

Who is the more loved parent? Sen. Kazama doesn’t have the first idea how to express familial love, so he comes across as somewhat distant despite his best efforts. (But make no mistake, he is making an effort.)

Who is more likely to attend the PTA meetings? Kazama, if they existed in this setting. And no one would dare dismiss him if he brought up a complaint.

Who cried the most at graduation? Sen, if that was a thing, but Kazama got a little teary-eyed himself.

Who is more likely to bail the child(ren) out of trouble with the law? Both of them, but Kazama would be the one to act on it. No human law can keep him from his children.

Cooking:

Who does the most cooking? Neither of them; that’s what servants are for. Sen would be more willing to try.

Who is the most picky in their food choice? Sen, actually, but she knows better than to complain about anything she doesn’t like. It is unbecoming of a demon.

Who does the grocery shopping? Servants. Sen would be more willing to try, though she wouldn’t know what to look for or how to find it.

How often do they bake desserts? They are not responsible for making them, but they have desserts every now and then. Sen has something of a sweet tooth, which she does not like to admit.

Are they more of a meat lover or a salad eater? Their cooks ensure that their meals are befitting of their status as proud demons, so they both have a pretty balanced diet.

Who is more likely to surprise the other(s) with an anniversary dinner? Kazama is more likely to have one made. If he tried it himself, the results would likely be disastrous.

Who is more likely to suggest going out? Sen. She is used to going out in Kyoto and actually likes associating with humans, if only tangentially. Kazama absolutely hates things like that, but he might soften eventually if she gives him enough incentive.

Who is more likely to burn the house down accidentally while cooking? Kazama, if he ever tried it. Good riddance, he’d say.

Chores:

Who cleans the room? Servants. Sen would be more willing to try.

Who is really against chores? Both of them, though in Sen’s case, this is more because her servants are employed for that reason than out of a sense of entitlement. The same cannot be said for Kazama.

Who cleans up after the pets? They don’t keep pets.

Who is more likely to sweep everything under the rug? Kazama. As far as he’s concerned, the servants can get it later.

Who stresses the most when guests are coming over? Both of them are concerned with reputation and appearance, though Sen is typically the more flustered since they are staying in her village.

Who found a dollar between the couch cushions while cleaning? Sen. She left it as a tip for the servant whose job she did.

Misc:

Who takes the longer showers/baths? Kazama. They relax him, which is something he could stand to do a little more of, and he loses track of time while thinking.

Who takes the dog out for a walk? They don’t have one. There are some stray cats in Yase, though, and Kazama likes hanging out with them more than he cares to admit.

How often do they decorate the room/house for the holidays? Always, but only subtly; most holidays are human in origin and have no prominent place in demon culture, even in Yase. And it’s mostly the servants who do the work, in any case.

What are their goals for the relationship? Produce a child, but not before learning to live with each other and get along, as per Shiranui and Amagiri’s unsolicited advice.

Who is most likely to sleep till noon? Kazama. Noon is rare, but of the two of them, he sleeps more, and usually later.

Who plays the most pranks? Neither of them, but Sen has more of a sense of humor, so she is more likely to be facetious. Whether Kazama gets her half-jokes on the first bounce is open to interpretation.

[arkhevia]

MUTANT VERSE: Codename: The Vila

Caoimhe Maribel “Kee” Darner, age 32, was born in a tiny town in northeast Missouri to god fearing, mutant-hating parents. As a child, she took up their prejudiced beliefs and behaviors, as she was an aggressive child and needed a way to lash out as much as she needed to fit in. Her childhood was tumultuous at best, full of lying, stealing, and picking fights, not to mention the abuse her parents put her through as well, and it hardened her into a deeply unpleasant adolescent.

When she was just barely ten, however, a strange substance leaked from a nearby storage plant, polluting the air and mutating the DNA of about half the human population. Most individuals didn’t suffer too terribly -- some had unusual irises, some unusual ridges in their skin, but most bore easily concealable mutations.

Kee was not so lucky. She was given incredible strength, able to lift about four tons, and ingest and digest anything and everything including poisons and shards of glass. Along with this, she grew a pair of beautiful, crystalline-feathered wings measuring at 23 feet across – a mutation entirely impossible to hide.

Her parents attacked her, bruising and burning her, but the worst of the pain was endured when they ripped out a few of her feathers, permanently stunting her ability to fly. (It could have been worse, of course. With all the damage that’s been done, she can still make up to mach 1.28. It’s just nowhere near her original speed of mach 2.25.)

Kee fled. She stole a car, and drove away, vowing to never return home. The issue, of course, was that she could hardly drive, much less fly with her bleeding wings, and wound up in a wreck just three hours outside of town. From what she remembered, she was all but dead on impact, and was left there for hours, screaming, suffering, but unable to die.

Until a shadow descended. A tall, shadowed man took her in. He wore a long dark coat and glasses and had no hair and told her she was ill, but he would heal her himself. She, and fifteen other half-starved children, used and abused and strapped down to chairs where they would ritually experiment upon them to see if the source of their mutation could be removed. Electroshock therapy, brainwashing, biopsies. Bound her wings. Worse.

For nearly eight years, Kee maintained a reputation as the wannabe leader of the pack, though she always fell into a close second to a boy nearly twice her size, with scales on his skin, the both of them being sent to bed with bruises and chipped teeth. It was a miracle the the clinic even bothered with the dental. Especially considering the other horrors he put her through.

Unspeakable. Painful. The worst were the ones that didn’t even hurt. Softness and gentleness became synonymous with fear and disgust, and haunts her even now. Finally, finally, she had enough. She wouldn’t just try to run away this time. She wouldn’t just flee.

She would get her revenge.

She started with the man in the long dark coat and his long gentle hands. She tore his hands apart, and then tore his head from his neck. It was brutal, and it was intimate, and it was everything she needed to do worse.

Next came the scaled boy. He didn’t deserve it. She did it anyway. And then, taking down a few orderlies in her wake, Kee ripped the steel bindings on her wings and forced herself into the air.

The rest of it would be left for the other children still there. They could take care of themselves, for all she cared.

In the years to come, she suffered a massive amount of anti-mutant prejudice and fetishization, leading her to hate humans far more than she used to hate mutants. As a way to cope, and to survive, Kee turned to petty theft, prostitution when need be, and every now and then a mercenary job, so long as the target was someone she didn’t mind killing. Of course, the standards for that weren’t very high, so it wasn’t a huge problem in the end. 

She was found by one of the X-Men and given a second chance at the academy, but it did nothing for her behavior. She couldn’t cope, suffering too many memories to live there peaceably, and found herself to be just as much as an outcast here as she had out in the world. The students had good reason, of course -- she was a murderer and deserved to be put behind bars. Kee didn’t feel the need to defend herself against them either -- if they chose to dislike her without getting to know her, why should she fight for their respect?

As she grew into her mid- and late- twenties, it became suffocating, and she turned back to her old ways. Donning a dramatic costume and mask, she became a woman to fear, either taking jobs as a contract killer or simply leaving as much destruction in her wake as possible to make sure the world knew just how much she had suffered -- and how much she would make it suffer in turn. 

If she had the drive, Kee could do far more, causing wind disruptions, taking down buildings, and more, but she never cared much for big time trouble. As long as she had a stiff drink or some petrol, and someone to take to bed at the end of the day, she wasn’t going to be one to complain.

Miscellaneous Facts:

Name is pronounced QUEE-vah (quee as in queen, vah as in van), or KEE-vuh (kee as in key), depending on the individual’s accent.

Kee’s usual outfit while out as the Vila consists of a thin black mask, a leather leotard, fishnets, combat boots, and a leather jacket. Perfect for getting scraped up and dressed down immediately after a fight.

She has attempted suicide by ingestion many times, sometimes in earnest and sometimes just to see how far she can go.

Kee’s physical strength limit is 4tons or 8,000 lbs. She can easily carry up to 1.8tons (36,000lbs,) which is the weight of an average helicopter unless google lied to me

Despite her ability to digest most foods, she’s still a picky eater and has gained incredible cooking skills

Kee has been pregnant twice in her life. The first time, she was fifteen, and told herself it belonged to one of the boys at the clinic. Kee snuck out to find a planned parenthood clinic nearby, but could only make it to a back alley location. It was far from kind. But the second time, she was found out quickly, and was forced to carry the child to term, and saw it taken in by one of the orderlies and raised as one of the other children in the clinic alongside her. It died before it said its first word.

Kee wanted to become a ballet dancer. Despite her attitude and supposed lack of discipline, she would have flourished in a proper ballet studio, with structure, constant movement, and a drive to be better than she was. Every now and then, she’ll try a few moves on her own, but she lacks the basic knowledge and skills to perform them properly, so she gives up in a matter of seconds.

[bangchanshehe]

The Orphanage (pt. 3/?)

A/N: The plot will be reflected more through out the series from here on out. Here you go, hope you enjoy! As always leave me feedback and love! 

Genre: Angst/smut/mafia

Pairings: EXO (ot12) X Reader

Word count: 2.4k

Dinner was soon brought up to you by a tall man with curly hair and a giant grin.  You felt awkward not knowing who all lived in the house and every time that you had to do introductions you felt a little more desensitized to your whereabouts. He walked over to you at the desk and sat the tray down. As soon as his hands were free he was waving them at you and introducing himself.

“Hello, my name is Chanyeol.”

You nodded your head at him and eyed your dinner plate. There was a small bowl of rice, grilled veggies and chicken.

“I hope you like chicken, we seem to eat almost nothing but chicken, but if you don’t like it Kyungsoo can make you something else.”

“No, it’s okay I’m not a picky eater. Thank you for the food.”

Now it was Chanyeol’s turn to nod his head. He was about to leave when he noticed the drawings that you’d done on some stray pieces of paper. He squinted to get a better look at them but wasn’t able to see clearly what you’d made. He gestured down to your drawings, physically asking if he could see them. You looked down at your drawings wondering why he was interested in your scribbles and handed the papers over to him.

He looked at your drawings with skeptical eyes and his lips were pressed into a firm line. He spent a few minutes going over every detail before he returned it back to you.

“You’re pretty good at drawing. You do draw often?”

“Thank you, and yeah I’m an artist” you admitted, happy that he had commended your skills

“Oh man! What’s the name of that place” he snapped his fingers and looked at the ceiling as if waiting for it to give him the answer. “Ah! Eugene’s! There’s an artist there named y/f/n. A couple of her pieces are there and your drawings reminded me of them.

You chuckled to yourself. You were baffled that this goofy boy had taken an interest in art, specifically yours. What were the chances that you’d run into him, and here of all places. And what were the chances that he’d know enough about your art that he recognized it.

“Well allow me to introduce myself, I’m y/f/n. It’s nice to meet you!”

Chanyeol stood there with his eyes wide open. He gulped and then reached for your hand, you took his and he immediately started to shake yours wildly.

“Oh my gosh, it’s so nice to meet you. I’m a big fan of your paintings.”

You laughed at his over enthusiasm and waited for him to let go of your hand. He was still holding on to It tightly when he continued his praise.

“Really, I go to Eugene’s every month to see if any of your new art has been added to the exhibit.”

“Well, thank you for appreciating my art. It means a lot.”

“No, no, no. you’re an amazing artist. Who would have known that you’d be …kidnapped and living in my house…” his voice dropped off at the end of his sentence as he realized how fucked up your situation was.

The room had grown awkwardly quiet and Chanyeol began to play with his hands not meeting your eye contact.

“When you’re done with your food you can bring it down to the kitchen, or if you’d feel more comfortable staying in your room then you can leave it out by the door and I can come back later and pick it up for you.”

“Thank you Chanyeol.”

He bowed to you once before making his way out of the room, and back down to the kitchen where the rest of the members were. He shook his head, still in disbelief that you were the artist that he’d grown to become obsessed with. He’d always wanted to meet your or get a glimpse at a photo of you, but you were always absent at the gallery, or at special events. Chanyeol had always taken the time to appear on nights when artists would be at such events in hopes of someday being able to introduce himself to you. He laughed to himself at just how bizarre these circumstances were that he was finally able to meet you. Although the circumstances were not the best and you were probably at the house for less than desirable reasons, Chanyeol was going to use this opportunity to get to know you better.

He walked back into the dining room and saw that all of the members were present and asked.

“Do you have any idea of who we kidnapped?” he said generically for anyone to answer.

“Who y/n?” LuHan questioned

“Yeah, but do you know who she is?” Chanyeol asked again with a smile on his face.

“Not really, why?” LuHan asked

“You know the local artist who I really like?”

Almost all of the members nodded their heads and waited for Chanyeol to continue.

“Y/n, she’s that artist!”

“no way!” Baekhyun gasped with a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

“Yeah! I recognized one of her free hand drawings that she was working on and she confirmed that it’s her!” Chanyeol’s voice was getting louder and louder the more excited that he was becoming.

Baekhyun shook his head in disbelief, laughing and the rest of the members looked around at each other with a knowing look on their faces. Minseok in particular was no exactly too thrilled to see Chanyeol so excited about you. If there was one member who he would feel threatened by it would be him. Chanyeol had a reputation for being a womanizer, and he lived up to it well.

Chanyeol took a seat next to Baekhyun and continued to rant about how cool it was to finally meet you, and Minseok looked over to Suho when he called for his attention.

“So hyung, what do you plan on doing with her?” Suho asked and Minseok looked at his leader with a blank look on his face, unsure of how to answer.

“I don’t know quite yet, but I do know that I intend on keeping her for a while.”

“Just remember the rules. If she acts up, or pisses anyone off then she’s a goner. Also don’t forget to take care of the old lady.”

Minseok could never forget about Mrs. Kim. He got up and excused himself from the dining room, dropping his plate off in the sink and making his way up to your room. He sat in front of the door for a while pondering if he should go in or not. He didn’t want to disturb you in the middle of your meal, but he was anxious to see you again. Finally he knocked on the door waiting for you to allow him to enter.

“Come in” you yelled.

“Sorry to disturb you, but I’m done with dinner and I did promise that once we were done that I would take you to see Mrs. Kim.”

You pushed your plate back and shot up from your seat, ready to go. Dinner could wait a little longer.

“I’m done too” you wiped your hand across your mouth to get rid of any stray crumbs and walked towards Minseok.

He waved his hand and turned walking back out of the door. You followed quickly with a skip in your step, trying to keep up with his fast walking pace. You followed him through the hallway and down stairs into a dark basement that was lit up from the light peering in from the window in the door of another room.  You walked up slowly to the window expecting to see Mrs. Kim beaten and bruised. You had imagined in your head countless times of all the horrible things that these men probably did to her. But, when you finally looked though you saw her sitting on the bed reading a book with an IV in her arm. You were shocked by how natural she looked sitting there doing such a normal thing. It must have shown on your face how shocked and yet relieved you were because Minseok was quick to pick up on it.

“She’s fine.” He said watching Mrs. Kim turning the page of the book, completely caught up in her own little world, “Other than some limited rehabilitation, she’s perfectly fine.”

You sighed in relief, thankful that she was all in one piece still. You felt like you could breathe now that you knew that she was still okay for the time being.

“What about her debts?” you asked and Minseok looked over at you momentarily before focusing on the small old woman again.

“You being here is paying them off.” He said flatly.

“So is she free to go?”

“We have to sign and agree upon a contract and if she agrees then yes, but if she refuses…” he didn’t finish his sentence knowing that you knew what he meant by it.

You nodded your head and hoped and prayed that Mrs. Kim would be smart enough to not try to fight with these men.

“Can I speak to her?”

“I can’t let you speak to her, and I shouldn’t have brought you down here either, but I knew that It would make you feel better to see that she is okay.” He said and you lightly scoffed.

How could he dare speak about making you feel better, when you knew that you were never gonna get out of this place alive.

“Now that you’ve seen her let’s go.” He said turning around and heading back upstairs, not waiting to see if you would follow him.

“How long will it be until she can go back to the home? She has to take care of all of those kids and there’s no one else there to help her.” You asked trailing just behind him.

“There’s a few older kids in there that can take care of the rest of them, so don’t be worried. They’re fully capable of handling things.”

“How could they do that? They’re just kids!” you yelled back at him for his dull response. He spun on his heel and pushed you in the shoulder backing you up against a wall.

“I was an orphan too, I know how these things work. So I’m telling you, they’re more than capable of taking care of themselves.”  

Minseok was getting annoyed at your constant pushing for answers. But not mad at you, more so at himself because he knew that he’d answer anything that you asked him. It seemed to be one of his weaknesses and he hated it. He lost his will of control when he was around you.

The rest of the way back up to your room was quiet and you didn’t dare say anything else to him since you’d already managed to anger him.

He pushed your door open and walked over to the desk that you were eating at to collect your plate, when he noticed your sketch on a piece of paper. His eyes went wide when he noticed the familiar image of a boy sitting under a tree with an umbrella. He’d seen this image before but he couldn’t place where. He put the plate back down on the table and traced the ink on the page with his fingers, trying to remember why this image haunted him.

“What is this?” he asked just barely above a whisper

“What? That drawing?”

“Yes, what is it from?”

“It’s a sketch of one of my paintings. Do you recognize it?” you asked wondering if you had another fan in the house.

“No, I mean what is this image from?”  He didn’t know why but his heart was beating sporadically and his breathing was becoming more and more labored. There was something about this image that was just too familiar.

“Oh, well…” you noticed his strange behavior and were cautious with your next words, “it was inspired by a book cover.”

Just then it had clicked in Minseok’s head. The shapes, the trees and the umbrella were all the same from the cover but you had created a much bigger picture than just what was the cover photo. This was the cover of his favorite book that he read in high school. He would read it often around the house and used it as a shield so he could watch you. He turned to look at you while you continued speaking.

“There was a boy in the orphanage that was constantly reading this book. He had to have read it millions of times, because every time that I saw him he was reading it.” You paused for a moment to think about the boy in the orphanage who stuck to himself. “He didn’t really have any friends in the orphanage, but he was constantly reading books like it was his own little secret escape.” Now you were smiling. “My art is that way for me too, an escape. So in a way he inspired me to create this piece.”

Minseok’s heart was beating so hard he was sure that you could hear it from where you were standing. Every inch of his being was screaming at him to get out of that room before he lost his cool.

He was starting to feel like he needed to touch you and feel your skin beneath his. It wasn’t out of lust but pure amazement. He had no idea that you had any clue who he was or that he even existed. You seemed so preoccupied in the house that he figured you had no interest in him, but you had admitted that he inspired your artwork. You didn’t know that it was in fact himself who had inspired your artwork but he did. He needed to touch you to know that this moment was real and he wasn’t dreaming.

He walked over to you and pulled you firmly into his chest and hugged you. he wrapped his arms firmly around you caging you in his embrace.

You stood there shocked by his hug, but not scared of it. You didn’t hug him back, but patted his back hoping that he’d release you from his intimate hold on you.

Minseok cursed himself for what he was about to do, but he didn’t want to hide it any longer. He held the back of your head gently with one hand and whispered ever so lightly.

“And what if I told you that was me? That I was the boy with the books.”

NEXT PART

[lyralumina]

ღ GIVE ME THE AZURESHIPPING

Who’s the first to wake up in the morning: Seto wakes up earlier than Anzu. He has to get to work early. He takes his work seriously but once Anzu has to go to ballet practice at a ridiculous hour in the morning, they wake up at the same time. They do not dilly dally in the morning, they do what they must do and get out the door and start their day and treat each new day brand new. Its not odd but, Seto and Anzu love seeing the morning sun rise. Seto gets a wonderful view of that from his office room and Anzu gets her view while she walks to her early morning ballet class. 

Who’s the one to make breakfast: Anzu does, Seto just helps by setting the plates and all the silverware on the table and will sometimes help Anzu with some cooking. But yeah, Seto can cook eggs he can certainly help Anzu cook scrambled eggs.Seto can cook pretty well, he can cook just fine and he hardly ever burns anything. 

Who’s the one to serve the other breakfast in bed:

Seto. Oh absolutely Seto. Seto likes to surprise his wife a lot and will do all the cooking. He will skip the eggs and bagels, he will bake her a nice breakfast fruit tart and some coffee. Seto is surprisingly a great baker and that’s probably from what Mokuba taught him when they were younger or even from his mother. Anzu appreciates it so much.

“ This all looks absolutely divine my love, thank you so much. “ 

Who would suggest a quickie in the morning before work:

No one honestly because they get up at totally different hours in the morning. The last thing Seto wants to do in the morning when he wakes up is have sex with Anzu, he has to get to work but if I had to pick someone, Anzu would.

Who suggests they both ditch work to lay around all day:

Anzu suggests it because Seto honestly looks like he needs days off but he protests to her that he cannot do so, he has a huge corporation to manage and a huge reputation to keep but Anzu would secretly peep on her husband when he wakes up, how he would grumble under his breath and look so dead, his blue eyes dimmed and not full of life. She hated seeing him like that and only once did Seto even notice her peeping at him and they talked for a few minutes about it and it hurt Anzu so much to know that she could not bring her husband to bed with her for just a few more hours of sleep. 

Seto sighed as he cupped her warm, tear stained cheek, he looked into her eyes before pressing his forehead to hers. It earned Seto a small hiccup from his wife who was struggling to keep the tears in her eyes from escaping. They did escape, they rolled down her cheeks, they wet his hands but he did not care. he cared more about his wife more than some salt water. He closed his eyes,“ You worry to much about me my dear. Please, do not cry for me, I promise I will leave work early today to make up for all of this pain I must leave you today. “

- 🎶 Have you ever listened to Best of Wives and Best of Women from Hamilton? That  song can sum this up pretty well. 🎶 -

Who chooses the movies:

Anzu. Seto is so used to his wife picking musicals and sappy girl flicks while Seto just wants to watch Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. When they do end up watching that they both compete against each other and try to find out/guess the ending to the story and whoever is right gets to pick what they will do for the next date night. Seto usually wins because he is just too damn good and Anzu gets so stubborn and Seto has to kiss her on her cheek to calm her down and she just ends up a flustered mess when he does that and she just whines as she hides her face in her hands. 

Who initiates kissing during the moving, thus distracting the other from the movie all together:

Seto. Its always Seto but once Anzu tried doing so and they slammed their heads together because coincidently, Seto was about to do it to Anzu. Anzu laughed as her husband rubbed his forehead that was in slight pain. 

Who orders lunch:

Anzu. She knows her own dietary needs as well as her husbands like the back of her hand. She knows what he likes and what he dislikes. She knows what seems too much or too little.

Who steals food from the others plate without asking:

No one. They eat less than the normal/average human would and it scares a lot of people and yes it raises concern but that is just who they are, if their body cannot handle excess food then why fill it with more junk? Often at times they both will just pick at their food like a bird or just eat slow, Seto is the slowest of the two though since he is just really picky with what he eats. 

Who curls up next to the other and falls asleep due to a full tummy:

Anzu does this, Seto is usually up reading a book or on his laptop doing some work. Anzu is dead asleep and she tosses and turns quite a bit and Seto uses his peripherals to watch her.

Who distracts the other from trying to work at home:

Anzu. Like I stated before. She wishes for her husband to one day just set his pen down, to close his laptop and take a break. To let those tired eyes ease, to let those strained muscles relax. All she begs for him is to relax but it is so hard when all he knew from the beginning is to work till he cannot function anymore. She will beg her husband to set down his pen by placing her hand on his own and kiss her husband on the cheek and whisper into his ear to ease himself. That work can wait. This method always works. Seto cannot say no to her kindness really, her heart is too good and it’s like he doesn’t deserve her.

“ Please my love, Take a break. “ She whispered into her husband’s right ear in a soft and calm manner. She watched with those pristine blue eyes of hers as her husband slowly placed his black fountain pen down. She then smiled sweetly at that. Seto then removed her hand from his hand and sighed, his voice raspy. “ You win my dear. “

Who asks to go get ice cream like a five year old:

Anzu does. Strawberry and Mint chocolate chip is her favorite while Seto’s is Green tea (Matcha).

Who takes pictures of their partner eating ice cream:

Anzu does and she loves it when Seto actually does not notice her taking a picture because the vibe from the pictures when he is looking away is so serene and so mellow. It’s practically childlike and Anzu has some photos of this on her phone and she will show them to her husband once in awhile.

Who makes a sexual joke about the dripping ice cream on their partner’s face:

Seto does but only when he is drunk which takes a while for him to even get drunk because he drinks quite a lot before they married so his tolerance is quite high. 

Who cooks dinner:

Anzu does. Anzu also does the grocery shopping since Seto is far too busy at work to even go grocery shopping. They both have strange diets as stated before, they eat so little and it’s for so many obvious reasons. Seto went through a vegan phase before he married but stopped doing so but he did get some healthy tips and habits out of it. For example he no longer drinks cow milk, he only drinks soy or almond milk. He will have meatless meals and substitute meat/poultry for tofu. Anzu has ditched eating white rice and instead eats brown rice or quinoa while her husband will eat white rice but it depends on what Anzu cooks that night. If there is no white rice then he is not having white rice, it’s as simple as that. They both hate extremely greasy foods and hate junk foods quite a lot. They only eat it if they now they can burn off the calories quite easily or if there is no other option. Seto is the picky eater of the two to be quite honest.

Who cleans up the kitchen afterwards:Anzu does. Its her mess so she cleans it up, she knows that Seto comes home quite exhausted from being at work all day. Last thing she wants to add to his plate is clean up work, if he wants to clean up then she will let him but its mostly her cleaning up. 

Who stays up until 2 reading:

Seto does, Anzu is usually fast asleep. Seto only gets a few hours of sleep but it is the price he paid for being at the top and for owning such a grandiose corporation.

Who stares at their partner while their sleeping:Both do. It will usually be Seto as stated before since Anzu falls asleep before her husband but Anzu will do so and will sometimes smile sweetly at her husband who is fast asleep, lean in, and kiss his forehead and head back to sleep. She loves the man she married and nothing will ever change that.

Who kisses their partner while they sleep:

Both do, Anzu is stated up at the top but for Seto’s case, It is only when she is facing him and looks to be fast asleep, He will crane down and kiss her on her forehead or cheek. Only once did she giggle and it spooked Seto because, she should have been asleep but she was not and she opened her eyes. She then proceeded to kiss her husbands cheek and forehead so many times Seto actually let out a genuine laugh to her and it made her morning because it was 1AM by that time.

[jejublr]

Super!Mingyu

A/N: Hi guys~ This is my first AU! This was inspired by posts by other amazing writers and prompts so I decided to make a bunch of them. This one is a mash between Best Friend!AU and Super!AU and is quite long so buckle up! Be sure to be on the lookout for upcoming Super!Seventeen posts and thank you for reading! Enjoy! :D

P.S. Many fart jokes. Mentions of gummy bears. 

 lmao ok where do we even start with this guy

You've basically known Mingyu from kindergarten

He's a pretty low key kid tbh, you never would've thought he's a super

So the story starts when one day, in kindergarten, in the middle of the finger painting class, you farted ya it's gross, get over it. Kids only eat, sleep poop and cry while farting inbetween.

So you’re kind of the silent-killer type of farter ok aka no sound but deadly

There's another kid in class who's infamous for having farting episodes 

So the whole class plus the teacher was like "ugh not again Kevin wstg we have enough of ur sh**" and are accusing him of this crime poor Kevin

Nobody suspected it was you ('sorry Kevin')

B U T  T H E N

You feel a tap on your shoulder and turned around to see this one kid with a bad haircut and trail of snot on his face

And you can't help but zone in until he said

"I know it's you"

Lol you’re f***ed.

Your know you gotta do something before he reports you to the teacher and you can’t have your entire kindergarten career and reputation just crumble into dust over a fart 

So what did you do?

"I'll share my gummy bears with you but you will n e v e r tell a soul"

"Ok" 

Well that was easy

Anyways

From that day on Snotty aka Kim Mingyu follows you around like a lost puppy and sits with you during snack time for the sake of gummy bears kid knows his priorities

Everytime you won’t share your candies with him, he blackmails you by threatening to tell the teacher that it was you who farted that One Faithful Day

You kinda regretted it now that you have to sacrifice your gummy bears but h e y, better than getting your reputation ruined and get called Ms. Fartsfor the rest of kindergarten amirite?

So fast forward to elementary school

Surprise surprise you're going to the same school as Mingyu 

He still follows you around btw

Also, you outgrew him so you call him Shorty now instead of Snotty

“How’s the air down there, Shorty?”

“Walk in traffic, Y/N”

Still asks for gummy bears during lunch period

Tbh it's getting annoying at this point bc whenever you whip up your lunch bag he'd go nuts

"Is that spaghetti I smell?”

“Bring your own lunch, Mingyu.”

But then it starts to happen every time

He'll know what you bring for lunch even before you unbox it

You're getting suspicious

Is he half dog or something? How does he even know?

And then things get weirder

So basically Mingyu becomes the class guard aka that kid that stands in front of the classroom when there's no teacher to inform the class when the teacher is coming

People starts complaining because Mingyu would come in and be like "The teacher's coming ! !" but there's nobody in the hallway?? so Mingyu pls explain???

"No I swear! She's coming!!!"

Ofc nobody believed him and the class was in utter chaos when the teacher finally came in

"Mingyu, how did you know?"

"I heard her walking" 

And you're like "lol what"

Anyways

He also becomes that annoying kid in class 

He'll say that the class is too hot/too cold when it's totally fine?? 

And when a teacher raises their voice he'd cover his ears

Also there was a time during a math test you and thought that you were going to ace the test because you're top in class at least in elementary school if you’re bad at it lmao but surprise surprise Mingyu aced it too

But later during the day he comes up to you and apologized and said that he copied your paper

And you're like ???? 

"Mingyu you sit two seats behind me how is that even possible???"

 He'll be the first to know when it's pizza day ("I can smell the pizza lol")

But brings his own lunch to school

Claims that the cafeteria food smells and tastes weird

he never eats the food from school bc he claims that it smells weird and because he’s a picky eater

But basically Mingyu is physically hypersensitive to everything and people think he's just whiny and annoying so the only friend he got is you

So you kinda took pity in him and you started to enjoy his company anyways so you let him hang around

 As long as he has his hand sanitizer with him at all times

 Fast fast forward to middle school 

Yayy time for puberty and hormones! fun fun fun 

Except it isn't fun

Puberty is as fun for supers as it is for normal teenagers

It’s terrible enough to suddenly have a bazillion of zits appearing on your formerly-smooth face

But the fact that Shorty had a major growth spurt over the summer and is basically a f***ing tree now 

“Who’s short now, Y/N?”

And brags about it every time he has the chance

It’s also around this time that Mingyu has been acting even stranger

He’s easily distracted by a background noise, even if others don’t seem to hear it

He’d jump right out of his seat whenever the bell rings or any loud noises really 

At one point, a teacher got so angry and started shouting and when you looked at Mingyu he’s cowering in his seat with his hands low key on his ears, wincing every time the teacher raised their voice

He also becomes more secluded

Leaves the classes right after the bell rings, decided to take his lunch to a more quieter place under a tree at the school yard, avoids group projects..

You’re really concerned for him although you’re a bit hurt that he seemed like he’s keeping something from you

So you decided to ask him one day

"Mingyu are you ok? Is there something you're not telling me?"

"Hahaha w-what makes u say that" 

You gave him a pointed look and it's scary and he got reminded that time during elementary school you bit Sarah in the arm for cutting the queue

If that's what ppl get for cutting your queue then what would happen if you find out that he's different

He’s scared that the only person he’s been friends with for years would abandon him when they finally realize that he’s a freak

At that point of time, he just wishes that he could be like the other kids

But he also remembers that you've been there for him after all these times

You (kinda) tolerated all the times he sneezed in your hair 

“One more time, Mingyu and I will cut you.”

And the times he broke your toys after not realizing his own strength 

Also that dark time during elementary school when Danielle and her group of friends verbally bullied him for being “weird” and “different”

You stood up to them for him

You got yourself suspended and your parents called for punching the bullies in the face

That night you came to his house with a bag full of gummy bears and both of your favorite movies and you guys just hung out in his room

That when you said “Mingyu, I know you can’t even hurt a fly so if you need me to punch someone in the face I will”

Wow when did you become such a violent kid

But he knows it’s just your way of saying “I’ll always be there if you need me”

And honestly, you're already a knight in shining armor to him the second you broke Danielle Davis’s nose

So he decided to tell you

How he knows what you’ll have for lunch

Why he’s so distracted all the time

And why he’s such a sensitive kid

He has heightened senses

*silence ensues*

He can’t help but starts to sweat as you stare at him, unblinkingly 

He wanted to strangle you, to force you to talk, to just say something

And then you do

“Wait ok so in kindergarten, you knew it was me who farted because of your super senses?”

lol. ded.

He just looked at you disappointedly “Seriously, Y/N, that’s the first thing that pops into your mind?”

“Well I’m sorry I can’t help it. But really can you really tell who farts in class. Also I’m really sorry for you, dude, smelling farts in HD must’ve suck.”

Ok but you’re kinda offended and sad why he kept it away from you for such a long time but soon realizes that people are judgmental jerks who’d just label Mingyu as an outcast if they find out

But basically, Mingyu is super duper relieved that you’re totally cool with it and you guys moved on from it

Fast forward to high school

*Achievement Unlocked: You got an S/O*

It’s not Mingyu ok

You met your S/O the first day of high school

They’re really sweet and caring and overall a nice person

Mingyu was more skeptical and protective when you first started to date but took the backseat when he realized that you can take care of yourself (lol remember Sarah and Danielle?)

Cheers you on your relationship and becomes your confidante and go-to person to talk about your relationship

He doesn't mind at all.

He’s just happy that you’re happy what a cinnamon roll ;A;

Until one day he saw your s/o at the mall, hanging out with some girl he doesn’t recognize

They seemed pretty close and their arm would ever so often casually hangs on the girl’s shoulder

Mingyu’s general perception of your s/o has been good so far so although he was kinda surprised to see them hanging out with a girl that’s not you, he just thought that she might be their close friend or a family member or something so he brushed it off

He checked with his superhuman hearing and it’s not like they’re talking about anything suspicious or anything

But Mingyu being Mingyu, he was curious and wanted to look out over you

So he figured, if your s/o was up to no good, he’d have to find out himself

So he began to stalk investigate your s/o

You kinda picked up and would jokingly said “Don’t you dare steal them from me” and he’ll be like “No, no its not like that!” (lmao also he wouldn't dare ofc)

But then Mingyu found out that your s/o has in fact, been cheating behind your back with a girl from school

He’s so surprised and more importantly, enraged that they would even do that to you

What have you ever done to deserve such trash of an s/o??? You deserved to be served and taken care of like royalty

That evening he went to your house to break the news to you

“Y/N, I have something to tell you”

You don’t believe him. You don't want to believe him.

Your s/o has been such a caring and thoughtful person. They wouldn’t do that to you right?? 

So you do what you thought was right.

You got angry and told Mingyu that he was just being jealous, that he’s just mad that you now hang out with someone else. You told him to make some friends so he can get over it.

Mingyu got even angrier over the fact that you chose to defend your s/o and is hurt that you wouldn’t believe him, your best friend

But at that exact moment he also had an epiphany

He was jealous

He was sad that you now have someone else to hang out with

He was sad over the fact that you might drift away after all these years

He also realized that he cares so much about you

So so much that maybe it’s not the friendly kind of caring anymore

He realized that after all this time, he might be in love with his best friend

But he’s so angry so he decided to storm off and have you find out yourself, knowing how stubborn you can be

You don’t talk for the next few weeks 

He decided to avoid you completely and would change seats if you’re in the same class as him. He wouldn’t even spare you a glance in the hallways

You sit alone at lunch, with nobody to eat your gummy bears

This is the first time you guys had a fight this big

One day, during class, you decided you had enough and you made a mad dash out of the classroom to find Mingyu and tell him you were sorry (Teacher: kids these days smh.)

Otw there, you passed the janitor’s closet and heard some noise

You decided to be a snitch and took a peek

And there they were, your s/o and a girl, making out in the small cramped space, unaware that you're watching

At that moment, all you can feel is your heartbreaking

You feel tears well up in your eyes, your body grows rigid and cold

You felt so so betrayed and lost that you don't even have the energy to barge up to them and beat them yourselves

So you took a detour to the nurse’s office, your mission long forgotten

You laid down on a cot for a good half-an-hour before you heard the curtain being opened and at first you thought it was the nurse who decided to kick you out but then you felt a large hand brushing the top of your head ever so gently

And by God, nobody was allowed to do that to you except for

“Y//N, I came as soon as class is over, are you feeling ok?”

You looked up and there he was, looking at you with concern and yet with the softest face

And it felt so sincere that you broke down completely in front of him

He just held you as you cried into his shirt, blabbering nonsense and being a snotty mess

When you were much better, you told him what happened

And then he had a look in his eyes

He kissed your forehead and just left 

You’re confused because Mingyu?? what are you doing m8???

You didn't heard from him until later in the afternoon

He got suspended

For punching your s/o smack in the face

You didn’t know what to do. Should you thank him??? be concerned???

Since when did he become so violent?

lmao he learned from you

But later in the evening, you came to his house, a bag of gummy bears in one hand and your favorite movies in the other

Neither of you said anything at first. You didn't need to.

You both just climbed up his bed and started eating and watching the movies

Halfway through the movie, you glanced up at him

“Thank you”

He didn't take his eyes off the screen “He deserved it. Should’ve know what was coming for him.”

You’re not satisfied so you sat up and took his face in your hands and his eyes finally finally met yours

And oh how lovely you looked in you sweatpants and oversized t-shirt, and yeah looking up kinda hurts his eyes because of the light but it’s casting a soft halo around you and when he met your gaze, it’s fierce and determined

Your eyes are still a bit red and puffy from all the crying earlier but to him, at this very moment, you're perfect.

You said “I’m sorry for not listening to you. I’m sorry for being such a jerk. I’m sorry for saying those hurtful things to you-”

But he cuts you off, his lips ascending onto yours into slow searing kiss

You lost your train of thoughts and while you thought that he’s the one with the heightened senses here, at that very moment it’s as if you had it too

Everything felt so warm and you don’t even know whether it’s from the close proximity, your body heat or the room. Your heart went overdrive and you're scared that he might hear it He totally could

But most of all, it felt right

You know maybe you should’ve been aghast or the very least, disgusted, that you’re actually kissing your own best friend but it doesn’t feel like that with Mingyu

You can feel all his emotions in that one kiss and nothing ever felt so sincere and so warm

You didn't know but at that very moment, Mingyu was experiencing the exact things, although everything is thrice more intense

After what felt like an eternity, he finally pulled away and there you are, gazing into each others eyes, breathing fast, cheeks flushed

“I’m sorry I did that.. and no! before you kill me, you’re just the most beautiful person I’ve ever met and you deserve someone who can see that and appreciate you and take care of you with all his hea-” he said before you pulled him up for another kiss

“I love you, too, you giant idiot.”

And at that very moment, you realize that after all, you might been in love with him

You remembered the kid with the weird haircut and snotty nose who caught you farting back in kindergarten and thought: “Who would’ve thought?

[equilibriumstories]

The Reaper's Reunion Part Two: It's In The Details

The day was long. In search for the demon’s whereabouts, the crusaders had taken their newest ally into the field in hope that she might allow for an easier hunt. Regardless of her power, Cassiel failed to sense any demonic presence among the sea of people congregating within King’s Valley. They had spent years masking their whereabouts, blending in with humans in any way possible to make themselves appear mortal. Their powers had grown tenfold throughout two centuries and they fed off of the sin of man like it were fresh fruit from an bottomless bowl. So, because of this, Cassiel was about as useless as any other beggar woman walking the streets of the valley. Her angelic powers were fueled by the faith of the crusaders – at least, what little faith was left. Even they could not satiate the needs of an ethereal being to allow for any kind of growth. After having departed from Gabriel, Mattias, and Prisca, Cassiel walked through the dense crowds alone. Though they’d sworn to remain within the same district, the sun was setting and the darkness was creeping. “Pity, pity...my dear, Cassiel.” Samael’s voice snaked out of the darkness, his figure slowly emerging from the viscous abyss. “I seemed I have stumbled upon a most vulnerable prey.” The demon came forth, stopping inches behind Cassiel, who seemed frozen. His warm breath drew across her naked neck as his chin lowered in a purposeful act to taunt her. A hungry sigh pushed past wet lips, his chest heaving like a predator. “Standing alone in the length of a busy street, devoid of her defenses. One wonders who is more foolish?” Cassiel remained still throughout his taunting. With her arms lax at her sides, her instrument absent, she remained focused on her senses. Heavy concentration pushed her through a fear that ignited within her chest. The longer she remained within this mortal body, the more attuned she would become to her humanity. Fear, anxiety, disgust, and anger grew in inklings for Samael, but she wouldn’t allow him the pleasure of knowing. Her eyes darted across the many faces in the crowd, though none looked interested in the woman and her visitor. “No? You have no answer for me?” The Light Reaper continued, pushing his advances further by allowing himself to lay hands on the angel. Impatient fingers wrapped around the curve of her waist, while his other hand enthusiastically went for her face. Samael drew closer, slowly closing the gap between their bodies, as his fingers drew lines down her face from her brows to her lips. His fingertips caught the skin beneath her eyes, pulling as they retreated and slowing once they felt the wetness of her lips. Cassiel could hear him sigh again, his breath shuddering with pleasure. Her eyes continued to search the crowd. No one stopped, no one cared. Or perhaps they couldn’t see what was happening. Similarly to before, though this time encapsulated in a much smaller space, there seemed to be transparent walls around the demon and the angel. They could see out, but no one could see in. The mortals walked around the shape of the invisible barrier as if it were natural to do so. “What are you doing here?” Samael asked, his head leaning over her shoulder. “Did you think you were safe here? Or perhaps the Reaper Angel has given up. So soon?” Though in truth, it had been weeks since they last saw each other. Encountering last at the courtyard near King’s Bridge, Cassiel had done well to stay away from the inner workings of the city. The fear that struck her upon seeing him last left a deep impression and she made the conscious effort to stay away from known demonic territory -- at least while alone. Samael’s lips drew nearer until his nose hovered just above her shoulder. With one long inhale, Samael engulfed himself in Cassiel’s scent. His nose traveled the distance from her shoulder to her earlobe, shuddering once more as he released the air from his lips. There was a pause, then low laughter. “Oh, Cassiel, is that a human I smell?” This time, he pushed his nose into her hair, his lips smiling against the back of her ear. The fingers gripping her waist tightened, his other hand sliding away from her mouth and around the shape of her throat. His fingers dangled on the edge of dangerous territory, “How could you allow a mortal man to soil such a delectable meal?” The saliva pooling in his mouth made his words wet. "No matter,” he pushed his face past her ear and traced the bottom of his lip with his tongue, “I’m not a picky eater.” “Cass?” Gabriel’s voiced flew above the heads of the crowd, echoing in the empty air above them. This prompted Samael to stop, ceasing any and all movement as his eyes flickered past Cassiel. The crusader was not in sight, but heavy footsteps searched the grounds for the angel in the form of a foreboding aura. ”Cassiel?” He called once more, his voice a little closer. “Was it him?” Samael’s fingers tightened around her throat, this time provoking a response. Cassiel’s body jerked beneath his grasp in a poor attempt to get away, but the demon’s hold was too strong. His fingers pressed into her windpipe, squeezing relentlessly. “No, no, it couldn’t have been. This scent is old.” He smelled her again, his nose knocking against her as she thrashed, neurotically searching for answers within the ancient’s aroma. Cassiel struggled, one foot stepping forward as her body tried to pull itself away from Samael. The fear was settling in. Cassiel continued to push forward, straining her muscles as Samael’s fingers tensed strongly around her waist and throat. In this instance, she cursed her mortal form for being so weak. The body was not strong enough to withstand her magic, so in fear of ripping her human shell apart, she could not fight him at her fullest. “Gabriel.” Cassiel’s voice called to the crusader, her aura brightening enough for Samael to notice. The demon laughed, pulled his arm close to her chest and locked her against his frame. As Gabriel came closer, unable to see the captive angel, Samael’s grin grew wider. He wrapped one arm around her abdomen and held her there, forcing her feet to slip on the ground. Air was no longer reaching her lungs and the angel gasped, her hands clawing at his arm as he slowly lifted her from the earth. "Gabriel,” Her voice called once more, reaching deep into the void in search of his ears, “reach out your hand.” Eyes fluttering, breaths staggered and harsh, Cassiel choked beneath Samael’s grasp. He continued to laugh, his volume increasing as the life drained from Cassiel. The large crusader drew nearer to the pair, his brows furrowed in frustration. It was clear that he could hear the woman calling, but he was puzzled by her instructions. He cursed, shaking his head in response. After spitting about it, the man reached his monstrous hand out into the crowd. It was inches away from Cassiel, though aiming in the direction of Samael’s face. The demon’s eyes grew wide at the sight of a small, wooden cross sewn against the fabric of his glove. Samael was just as trapped within the barrier as Cassiel was. He knew that if he took a step back, the illusion would break, and his questionable position would cause a ruckus amongst the crowd. It would put a mark on him, which was less than favorable. He knew that despite the crusader’s lazy reputation and lack of faith in the divines, they were well equipped to track a man down and more than prepared to slaughter a demon. Snarling at the sight of the cross, Samael caved. He released Cassiel from her bonds and from the illusion simultaneously, though he remained under cover. As Cassiel’s feet hit the ground her knees buckled, and she fell into Gabriel’s arms. Stunned to now be cradling a woman who’d appeared out of thin air, Gabriel wrapped his arms under her shoulders and pulled her to her feet. A circle formed around the pair. Prying eyes spied upon the crusader and the exhausted woman as they stepped around them, careful not to get in the way. Expressions of confusion and annoyance were thrown in their direction, though Gabriel’s attention was solely focused on Cassiel. Several thoughts went through his head; it seemed impossible for an otherworldly being to appear so fainted and it was absolutely impossible that she’d appeared right before his eyes. On top of this, that was the first time he’d heard her voice. ”Cassiel?” His deep voice made the effort to lower in volume, quietly calling for her as she slumped against his chest. After a long bout of silence, he shook his head and swept her legs beneath his arm. The crusader took one last look across the crowd, searching for any clue that might give him insight into what had just happened. He could sense a dark presence about them, but the scenery was nothing beyond the ordinary.