#v: what is a lantern without its light

[lantern-lost]

tag dump...

[iniziare]

Re-tag drop: Yelan

[obsessedwrhys]

ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 .ᐟ WILD CHILD

ᯓ★ Your emo best friend fucks you in the woods. Both characters are 18+!! MDI!! Smut, cunnilingus, p in v, virgin reader, unprotected sex, smoking (reader is inexperienced), degradation, reader is a preppy girl!! (First smut so its not perfect)

ᯓ★

You found yourself standing at the front of his house. Apparently it's been a while since you guys have hung out due to your busy lives, so you two agreed to make time and meet up today to catch up.

You knocked on the door a couple of times and it took a couple of seconds before somebody opens it. A smile made it to your face when you saw it was none other than your best friend.

He was still the same.

Same black hair.

Same jeans and tees.

But he's gotten more tattoos and piercings.

Regardless, his lack of change was comforting in a way.

"Hi" He said, pulling his headphones off and despite the distance between you both, you could still hear the faint loud music playing.

"Hey, how have you been?" You said, deciding to start some small talk while he closed the door behind him before walking alongside you.

He shrugs.

"I've been good, what about you?" He barely looks at you, his eyes glued to the ground.

"I'm getting by... so where are you taking me exactly?" You asked, intrigued from his text that he sent you the other night. How he promised to take you somewhere special.

"The woods"

The woods?

The way he answered so bluntly made you chuckle a bit.

"Are you planning to kill me? Hide my body in the woods so nobody will find me" You joked and it was enough to have the corner of his lips twitch into a smile.

"Maybe? Who knows..." He said.

After a few moments of walking, you guys made it to the woods but now you aren't sure where exactly this special place is considering how you guys are already walking past so many beautiful places. Especially the stream you saw just now. Suddenly the path became bumpy, overtaken by rocks and roots that it took all your focus not to trip on it.

"Take my hand" He said, offering you his hand with his back turned to you. Without hesitation, you took it, feeling the familiar warmth and roughness of his palm.

Eventually you two made it to the place. There were multiple blankets on the mattress placed on the ground, a mini portable stove, and a lantern placed just nearby. From how he decorated it, it looked awfully cozy.

"Welcome to my spot, no one in my family knows where this is so I can be alone. I also do my homework here sometimes and this is also the place where I nap" He said and sat atop of the blankets. His eyes focused on you as he watches you still standing there.

"Sounds relaxing" You commented, looking around a bit before joining him on the blanket.

The second you made yourself comfortable, he pulls out a packet of cigarettes and a lighter. You watch as he lights one up before inhaling it. It was when he sees you staring so much that he hands it to you.

"Here, try one. They aren’t that bad once you get used to them" He lifts it slightly to urge you on even more. You hesitated... before taking it from between his fingers.

You examine it almost like it's alien.

"How do you use this?" You asked and he couldn't help but smile a little at how lost you are.

To him it's like watching a baby take its first step.

"Just put it between your lips and suck on it. You aren’t swallowing or blowing it out your nose. You just wanna breathe the smoke in and out of your lungs" He instructed but despite his guidance, you were still confused.

You put it between your lips and tried to inhale the smoke but it seemed that the heavy smell overwhelmed you to the fact you ended up coughing. He laughs at you as he took the cigarette out from your hand.

"Wow you really suck at this" He said, his hand being quick to rub your back while you continued on coughing.

Right before putting out the cigarette, he took one last drag and then tossed it away. Your eyes were clearly red and so was your face burning.

Then you felt movement of him laying down, you looked to see him patting on the empty spot behind you, signalling you to lay down as well. And you did just that.

"There you go, more cozy" He said.

And he wasn't wrong.

You could feel your mind being at ease from being present at the moment. It's like all your responsibilities are gone.

"I could fall asleep like this..." You uttered and he turns to look at you.

"Then you should come here with me more..." From the thought itself, you couldn't help but laugh at his words.

"My mom would kill me. She doesn't even know I'm here right now"

"Well, maybe I’ll help you do things your mom would kill you over someday. How about I help you experience life more?" He smiled and you weren't sure but you had a feeling he was being flirty with you when he said that.

Or it could just be the tobacco getting to your head...

"When did you even learn how to smoke?" You turned to your side to face him and he mirrors you.

He shrugs.

"I don’t remember. It wasn’t that long after my first breakup though. I stole a pack of smokes from my mom, it felt good the first time so I kept doing it. I also do other things to calm down but this is just my preferred choice" He said and your brows narrowed a bit by the mention of his ex.

"The girl who cheated on you?"

"Yeah... I don't really wanna talk about her" He sighs.

"I understand" You replied and he stares at you, a mischievous glint showing in his eyes. One that has gotten you into too much trouble during your years of friendship.

"Do you have an ex?" He asks and you scoff in disbelief.

"I wish but my mom says I can't until I'm 30 or something"

"Sheesh..."

He stares at you, again with the same look but his lips are now curving into a smirk.

"So you never kissed a boy?" He asked and the forwardness of his question made you go quiet for a second.

"No" You answered.

You weren't sure if it was just you but you could feel the tension in the air grow thicker, making it harder to breath.

"Do you know how to?"

"Not really"

He chuckles, almost finding your innocence adorable.

"It’s not hard, I could teach you if you want" He offered that for a second you thought you were hearing things.

"You're messing with me right?"

"Nono I'm serious, it's completely up to you if you wanna learn. You don't wanna embarrass yourself in front of your future boyfriend right?"

The way he said it with a snarky look made it so tempting.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to try"

You cleared your throat awkwardly when he moved himself closer to you. He looks at you, almost unbothered by all of this.

"How exactly do you kiss?" You asked and he thinks for a while.

"Eh... it's... better if I demonstrate it... you just do it like this" He places a hand on the back of your neck and you felt your chest flutter when he pressed his lips on yours.

It was so soft.

He kisses you almost in a gentle, yet passionate way. His piercing felt cold and tasted metallic against your lips. You felt your mind spin but the moment his teeth bit down on your bottom lip, you couldn't contain the sound you made from it. Your reaction causing him to grin as he kissed you longer before pulling away.

“Like that... did you get it?" He said but you were too busy registering what just happened.

Guilty enough, you really liked it.

Probably a little too much.

You slightly rubbed your thighs together, experiencing the same burning feeling you'd feel during those nights you had the house to yourself.

You were too caught up in your thoughts that you failed to notice the way he was staring at your thighs.

Fuck the sight alone made him excited.

"Are you... horny right now?" He asked, a cocky look on his face.

That's when you finally snapped back to thinking rationally.

Your mom would kill you if you did something like this!!

"Ah shit sorry—"

"No don't apologise. I'm also horny" He said, his voice getting quieter as he inches closer to kiss you on the lips again.

You couldn't help but whimper at how rough he was being with you. And he'd laugh, the sounds you were making just encouraging him even more. As the kiss progresses, he'd push you back a bit so that he was on top of you.

With your arms pinned above your head, his lips trailed down to kissing your neck, leaving bites and marks everywhere it landed on. The hardness of his teeth biting down on your skin made it harder to keep quiet.

You were embarrassed.

You never thought that your best friend would be pulling these noises out of you.

"Fuck... I want you so badly, do you want me too?" He asks, looking up at you as he nibbled on your shirt. His makeup making him appear undeniably irresistible.

The sight left you breathless that you could only respond by nodding to his question.

"Yes..."

He smiles hearing you allow him to continue.

"C'mon, let me get you out of your clothes. I'm gonna take good care of you, okay?" He grabs you firmly on the waist and you did as he told.

Carefully, he helped you strip off of your clothes until you were nearly naked. The bulge on his pants growing unmistakable just from looking at you.

"You're so pretty..." He'd mumble, pushing you back on the mattress.

Feeling like your heart's gonna explode, you watched as he trailed his fingers between your clothed folds.

You let out a soft moan, sensitive to his touch.

"You're already so wet for me..." He sighed, rubbing his now wet fingers together.

Growing impatient, he rolled your panties down your thighs until they were completely off. The sight of your pussy glistening made him swallow.

"I wanna taste you— can I?" He pleaded with his eyes begging for a yes and naturally you let him.

"Thank you" He'd say before kneeling down between your legs and lowering himself til he was face to face to the sensitive spot of your body.

You felt the warmth of his breath against you, sending a shiver of anticipation through your body. It feels like everything is happening so fast. You shut your eyes as you felt his hands grip on your thighs, gently spreading them wider to grant him better access.

"You've never had anyone eat you out right?" He asks almost dizzy from the moment alone.

"Never" You said and he moan softly at the thought of him being your first.

If anything it boosted his ego.

With agonizing slowness, his tongue slid along your folds, tracing the delicate contours. You arched your back, a soft moan escaping your lips as the sensations overwhelmed you. His lips sealed around your sensitive nub, sucking gently as his tongue danced across the bundle of nerves.

"Oh God!!" You screamed, your hands instinctively reaching for his hand.

He groans and the vibration on his tongue against your clit made you even more aroused.

The pace of his ministrations quickened, his tongue lapping and swirling that it had your hips bucked against his mouth, desperate for more. You were lost in the haze of ecstasy, your world narrowed down to the incredible sensations he was creating between your legs.

"F-Fuck— Feels so good" You cried.

His grip on your thighs tightened til his nails were digging in your skin, trying his best to hold you steady as he worked. The air was thick with the sounds of your shared gasps and moans. With how loud you were, it's a good thing he chose to bring you to the woods.

"Mm... you close?" He asked, the wet sounds beneath you making you draw closer to the edge.

"Mhm" You nodded with your eyes closed.

Suddenly his fingers dig into the soft flesh between your inner thighs, making you gasp. But before you could process it, his tongue swirled faster and the strokes growing more insistent as he pumped his fingers in and out of you. You felt the pressure building, a feeling thrumming through your body.

"I'm— I'm coming!!" You gasped, your chest rising and falling fast at the build up of your orgasm.

"Yesyesyes— let go for me baby" Your juices were now getting all over his chin and hand from his brutal pace but he loved it, he loved having himself coated in your scent.

You arched your back as your lips parted, you moaned and he moaned along with you, matching the volume of how good he was making you feel.

Your body convulsed with the intensity of the orgasm, wave after wave of blinding pleasure washing over you. But he didn't stop and continued his ministrations. Your vision whited out, the world shrinking down to just the two of you and the all-consuming bliss.

"Mmm..." He hums, lapping at every last drop he could get out of you.

When the aftershocks finally subsided, you lay there, boneless and spent, gazing down at your best friend who began taking off his shirt, revealing his defined chest and the ridges of his abdomen both covered entirely by tattoos. What fascinated you most was how he had his nipples pierced. Shamelessly, Your eyes then trailed down to the potent bulge of his arousal.

He palms himself once he catches you staring.

"You want this?" He teased, a smirk on his face. You look away feeling embarrassed at the position you're in.

"Why are you acting like you didn't just come from my tongue huh?" His fingers unbuttoning his jeans and pulling the zipper down antagonizingly slow.

Your pulse quickened, your breath catching in your throat by the time he finally stepped out of his jeans. His hand wrapped around his own shaft, his touch gentle as he stroked himself. The sight was mesmerizing, your gaze drawn to the rhythmic motion.

It was clear he was doing this to edge you on.

He wanted to hear you beg for him to put it in you.

"Ohhh fuck..." He groaned, running his other hand through his hair as he bucked his hips up to match the pace of his strokes.

It made you whimper.

"Please..." You blurted out the words without realising. He stops to look at you.

"Please what? Did I fuck you dumb now you can't speak properly?" He asks and you let out a shaky sigh at his harsh words, your excitement now growing more between your thighs.

"Please just... fuck me..." You uttered, wondering how you are able to face him after this.

He smiles seeing how shy you were getting...

He enjoyed the effects he was having on you.

"Anything for you..." He says, grabbing by your feet and pulling you down to him that you yelped at his strength.

He chuckles as he lines himself against you.

"I'm gonna be your first— you like that? You like getting fucked by your best friend?" He cooed, having the tip of his shaft circling and caressing your clit.

You shuddered at the delicious friction, another soft whimper escaping from your lips.

"Y-Yes" You moaned.

"Do you let all your friends use you or is it just me?" He whispers as he slowly pushed himself inside you, the thick head of his arousal stretching and filling you with a gentle pressure.

He groans, shoving his face into your shoulder and you couldn't control the erotic moans you were making.

"Answer me whore" He pants, his hands putting your legs over his shoulders to get a better angle.

"Just— you!!"" You sobbed pathetically as you fist the blankets underneath you.

The sensation was overwhelming, his girth and length stretching you in ways you'd never expected you could experience.

"Fucck— you're so tight," He cursed, his voice low and husky with pleasure.

"I'm going to make you feel so good, promise" He murmured.

As he bottomed out, his arousal buried deep within you, he paused, his chest heaving with exertion. The air was thick with tension, the only sound was the ragged breathing of the two of you, lost in the intensity of the moment.

Despite how badly he wanted to have you right now, he needed to make sure you weren't in any pain because that's the least that he wants right now. He leans down to kiss you but this time it's sweeter. You hum happily as you kissed him back.

Your hands were tugging at the wristbands that he still had on his wrists. He smiles looking down at the way you're playing with it.

"Adorable..." He purred, rubbing the side of his face against yours.

Just as he said that, he began moving his hips. His thrusts starting off slow but it was still enough to have you moan out of pleasure. The friction of his shaft rubbing against you made you lose your breath. You were sure you've lost any senses to think straight.

"Take off your bra... I wanna suck on your tits" He breathes out and in a swift movement, you unclasped your bra and threw it away.

Following his command like a puppet.

Without letting a second pass, he dips his head down, latching his mouth onto your perky nipple and sucking hard. You moan and pulled on his hair from how overwhelmed he was making you and your grip made him whimper. He swirls his tongue around the sensitive bud as he starts to pound into you relentlessly.

The obscene sounds of his cock sliding in and out of your dripping pussy mix with your loud moans and his own grunts of pleasure filled the woods.

"Mmm... yeeah— that's it, take my cock" He grunt almost animalistic.

His grip on your hips tightens as he picks up the pace, drilling his thick cock deep inside of you while letting out a guttural groan. At the same time he bites down lightly on your nipple, tugging at it before switching to the other one and giving it the same attention.

Everything was too much.

Too fucking much.

"I'm close...!" You whimpered and he could feel your walls start to flutter around his cock as he continues his relentless pace.

"Yeah? You want me to come inside you?" He cooed, slamming his hips against yours harder and faster.

You nod without hesitation, your brows furrowed from the intensity while your eyes are shut close.

One of his hands slides up your body to roughly grope at your breast, pinching and rolling your nipple between his fingers. You opened your eyes to see his makeup slightly smeared and his necklaces bouncing against his chest but that just made him look even hotter. You moaned when you felt that same pressure building again.

Your panting growing louder and your body twitching the second your orgasm rips through you. Your back arches and you let out a loud, shuddering moan, your whole body trembling beneath him. It felt like all of you were melting that for a second you swore you could see stars.

"Oh shit" He gasps, feeling the way your walls were clenching tightly around his throbbing cock.

With a few more desperate thrusts, he growls out as his cock pulses, shooting thick ropes of hot cum deep inside of your quivering pussy. His body loses strength that he ends up collapsing on top of you, panting heavily as the last of his orgasm subsides.

He hums as he buries his face into your hair. The two of you twitching uncontrollably and trying to catch your breaths.

He laid on top of you a couple of seconds before he pushes himself up, he rubs his nose, sniffing a bit as his eyes looked down to watch himself slowly pull his cock out, some of his cum already dripping out. You sigh at the absence of him inside you and he chuckles at your reaction.

"You did so good for your first time" He laid himself beside you and kissed you lovingly on the cheek.

"That felt... really weird... but in a good way..." You struggled to express yourself since your mind was still reliving what just happened.

He smiles.

"You know that makes us friends with benefits..." He scoots closer to you, engulfing you in his embrace.

"Meaning...?"

"You can call me anytime if you wanna do this again" He brushes your hair out of your sweaty face. You think over his words.

"Anytime?" You repeated and he nods.

There's a feeling that anytime might come sooner.

Shout out to @wveelr who convinced me to feed in to my addiction

[secret-fungi]

Pomegranate

Book: Thunderstorm saga Paring: Tai/ MC (Verena) Word count: 6000+ words Rating: M Warnings: sexual content, mentions of abuse, physical injury, bruising, and emotional harm. ooc characters.

He glanced at the thick, dark clouds that rushed like an angry tide. His room illuminated for brief seconds at a time with each strike of lighting. It cast his room in long dark shadows, making monsters out of chairs and enemies out of dressers. The once vibrant moon hid behind an opaque curtain. The chill seeped in through the stones and wrapped around him, and when the breeze hit his window, the curtains swayed and the candle’s flame faltered. Despite the hour and all the day's tasks, he lingered, taking a long sip from his glass he turned his eyes towards his desk. The letter with its seal broken sat lamely by a lantern. It was long overdue to sit on his desk, yet when it came, months too late, an indented line cut across her family’s crest, and the bottom of the page was torn. 

Once again, he set his jaw, letting out an aggravated breath before he decided to pick up the torn letter once more. For the first time since receiving it, he opened it. Neat letters, formal greetings, how training was going. Any touch of goodwill they had built together seemed to have cooled the farther she was. Or, at the very least, the parts he could read were formal. The tops of some letters peaked from the tear. ‘I’ ‘T’ ….. ‘V’ or maybe it was a Y. He tried to guess the sentences as he drank his wine. Maybe the other half of the jagged page spoke of missing him, or how she spent her days, if she enjoyed the local food and slept well in the mountain air, if she enjoyed her time and regretted having to leave– unlikely. Maybe the page told of her anger, and how she was glad to be so far from his entire family, a formal goodbye and nothing more.  

Whatever she wrote at the end of the page, the knowledge of it was kept far from him. Another flash of lighting, as he frowned he looked at the back of the letter. The shadows flashed once more. He set the letter down, tucking it between the pages of a book as thunder rattled the stones and the leaves trembled violently outside as he sat to pen a response. 

She would be concerned if he told her the truth, So he made up a lie, and responded to the rest, once again reminding her that she needn’t write to him so formally. He asked if she enjoyed the company if she was kept so busy that she couldn’t write, how she enjoyed the sights of the empire if only to picture how she’d sit and try and come up with a diplomatic response. He set it off with a wave of his hand before he fell asleep.

I don’t know what to write. I’ve written to my king, the princess and all, but it is different to tell you about those things. Are you hesitant too? It seems   Undo to write to you with trivial things. It’s fascinating to be here. It is much different than back home. Sha’arnez is an excellent teacher but he keeps me busy. I am too tired to think of anything worthy to tell you. There are flowers here, they remind me of home. I’m told you call them something different than we do, for us it is a windflower. – Verena ey Vedtree  

But the days continued without much to say, the storm calmed, and then a new one appeared, the cycle unbroken as he sat, leaned back in his chair as he read. Once more, the night had held him hostage, and again he found himself returning to his thoughts. The sun had fled once more, and rain slowly began to beat down on the glass roof. Still, he stayed, unbothered by the change as footsteps passed him by. He lingered in the space full of blossoming life despite the hour and the dinner waiting to be served. The rain pattered against the roof, and when the stars above gave no light, the lanterns around the room lit up, wine was brought, and the rain rattled on, and Tai returned to the letter that had been tucked between the pages, something to mark his spot, a hidden treasure, and a warning. 

He knew it was a warning. A lesson not to interfere, He knew. All it ever was, was a threat to tell him not to be too eager. All it ever was, was a cane to the back of his legs.

The storm had worsened, the sound drowning out much else, and for a while longer, he enjoyed that peace, swearing to himself that he would rise in just a moment, but the air whispered its command, the howling of the wind and the song of the rain, its plead to make him stay just that much longer. And so he did until he was interrupted once again. 

  “Greetings, Your Highness.” Sha’arnez greeted, with a bow as he tried not to disturb the figure in his arms, the dark, thick fabric spilled over his arms like a waterfall, and only then, when he heard a familiar voice did he look up, dark eyes switching from resting on the figure in the man’s arms or the man himself, with a raise of his brow the other quickly spoke up. “She fell asleep,” Sha’arnez explained. “Did she not ride herself?” “No, she got hurt and is unable to.” He replied dutifully as if the pair weren’t making a small puddle as the man stood before the prince. 

Tai stilled, furrowing his brows and glancing at the sleeping woman before he looked at the other. “You’ve brought her home injured?” Tai asked, a deep frown tugging at the corners of his lips before he parted them once more, only to be interrupted. “This is not my home,” Verena interjected for the first time alerting the men that she was awake. She looked directly at him as she spoke, firmly, offense edged every inch of her statement. The prince made a strange face like he chewed his words along with the emotions that rose with them before he straightened out. “My apologies, I meant no offense.” He relented before slowly looking over the mage. “Can you walk?” “Yes,” she said before the other could speak for her. She stood on her own, drowning in her soaked cloak in front of him. 

He stilled for a moment, as she looked at him with a challenge in her eyes and raised a brow. “Come, Send for the physician.” “I’ve already been seen.” “And you’ll be seen again,” he said. She glanced at the rider before he nodded. A silent conversation that seemed so loud as he stood outside of it. “Have her things brought to her room for her.” Tai instructed, “Is there much to discuss?” She asked as if it was foreign. But the prince only offered his arm, and with some level of hesitancy, she took it before bidding the rider goodbye. 

The walk was strange, a heavy, thick silence surrounded them as she held onto his arm, his pace was much slower as they walked, and the sound of their steps upon the marble carried throughout the halls. She looked around, as if for an enemy that was hiding in the dark edges of grand arches and around each corner. And whenever she thought she found one she’d press herself just that much closer to him. “Did you have a safe journey?” He asked. “Yes, I am afraid it was very tiring, I doubt I'll be much company at all,” she replied. 

“I won’t keep you long.” he promised, catching the thought that flashed across the other’s face. She pressed her lips together before she turned away from him. “Have you been well?” She asked, watching him from the corners of her eyes as if waiting for him to strike.

His eyes dropped to the floor before he nodded. “Yes, thank you.” at this, she twitched, finally turning to look at him properly as they walked. A specimen once more. Maybe she caught the edge in his tone, or the response came half a second too late. He wasn’t sure what caught her attention in his words, but it was caught nonetheless. She followed him as they walked through shortcuts and weaved through hidden parts before they made it to his room. Servants rushed about to set the table as the prince led her to the lounge. Verena looked exhausted as she sank into a chair, hardly able to keep her head from rolling. But she smiled, resting her head against her knuckles as he spoke. 

A fire crackled in front of them, the warmth trying hard to beat off the chill the storm had brought with it. Her knee bent, her foot tucked under her as she looked at him. She was cold, chilled from the rain and that chill lingered around her. “Welcome back,” he said once again. “Thank you, Your highness.” “Have you written to your people?” he asked. She gave him a strange look before she nodded. “Yes.” She replied slowly, her speech slurred slightly. His words didn’t matter, they drifted from her and hung between them like blossoms in a tree. 

But she watched him, still. Nodding as she slowly blinked, her frost reddened cheek pressed up from under her knuckles and just for a moment he wanted to reach and run his fingers against the rosy flush. A maid came into the lavish room, followed by a proud-looking old man, thin and stately. The physician bowed before smiling politely at the pair, awaiting what trouble roused him from his sleep.

"Make sure she has no lasting damage." The prince commanded. On his command, Verena was shown to the adjoining suite. The room had already been prepared for her, a neat folded pile of her clothes sat on the bed and a maid waited with a smile. She wasted no time at all to tend to Verena, ridding her of her rain-soaked dress and heavy boots. The maid, quiet and knowing helped her into a robe before the physician entered.

He urged her to sit before he looked her over. He applied balm on her wounds and gave her a satchel of herbs, with it, he told the maid how to prepare the tea and that the lady must drink it three times a day. He was polite and quick, turning around as she fixed herself up.  

He left, lingering outside her door as he recounted the information to the prince. His words leaked through the doors as the silent maid dressed her for bed.

By the time she came out, the table had been set with an overabundance of everything. Tai, who had been sitting before, rose to his feet before pulling out a chair for her. She looked at him for a while before she sat. She watched as he moved around, placing things on her plate before pouring her a drink and finally sitting himself. The odd uneasy air did not dissipate as they ate, it lingered. She took a sip of the wine, glancing at it deeply as ripples cut through the dark liquid.  "Is it not to your liking?" He asked. "No, it's rather different, I was wondering what fruits were used." she covered easily. He raised his brows at her before nodding. "It has blossoms from a very famous cherry tree." He informed. She nodded slowly, taking another sip before a frown tugged at her lips.

“Did you enjoy your time?” he asked before he took a sip of wine. Her eyes flickered from her food to look at him before she nodded. She ate with small bites and spoke calmly. She looked, truly like she couldn't stand on her own. He half expected her to fall asleep right there in her chair. But she carried on with the conversation. She glanced up at him as he ate, a tired plea curtained with each slow blink.

"Am I staying?" she asked as he chewed. He nodded, covering his mouth with a fine table napkin before he spoke. "It's necessary," he said. Verena pressed her lips together before she took another bite. "I see."

"It is nice to see you again." he said "Thank you, You look well." He narrowed his eyes at her as she took a bite. “Say it.” he urged with a small smile. She paused, a questioning expression crossing her features. "You want to say something, do it," he explained.

"I have nothing to say." She denied. His eyes shifted across her features as he ate. They took turns observing the other, both circling the other with each interaction. It was known, expected, and accepted. Of course, the dearest thing they kept to their hearts but they allowed the other to observe. It was an unspoken agreement outside of their working together; it said they could and should be known to each other.

It was this knowledge that made Verena's anger so very obvious. It was the way she pressed her lips and held her tongue, the way her eyes narrowed and as she ate she seemed to watch him as if he had set a trap. Her anger was as obvious as her longing for her home, maybe they fueled each other, but he wasn't quite sure. But it was to be sure that she was upset and wanted to leave.  

“Do they enjoy bathhouses as much in Esshai as we do here?”  He asked suddenly. She looked at him, a confused look striking across her features before she took a bite of her food, Humming softly as she watched him as if trying to find where under his clothes he had hidden the dagger. She chewed her food slowly as she blinked at him. “Bathhouses are fairly common, yes.” She said 

“It is common to bathe with your rival, as well. As a way to wash bad blood.” She adds. He raised his brows high before he asked “Does it work?” “It is likely the wine’s fault.” she admits, watching him with a tired smile. “We have many sayings, poems, and such on it.” She adds. Tiredness had loosened her lips.

He watched her eat, and every so often she’d look up from her plate and cut the piece she had already cut in half before she slowed down. “Then, let me fix my mistake.”  She giggled, an odd free sort of laugh before she realized, after some time, that the prince was not laughing with her. No, when she opened her eyes once more she found his expression serious and genuine, that telling expression that must’ve been a family trait as it said to all that you’d better listen to them. 

“Royalty do not often participate in this sort of activity.” she explained after her breathing calmed. He tilted his head to the side and arched a brow. “You could if you’re very close, but it is uncommon.” 

He nodded slowly, undeterred by her attempt as he cut off pieces of meat. It took, and placed it on the other’s plate. All of a moment for Verena to concede, a silent look of reproach as he took a bite. it took only him to fill her plate, and she relented. A small smile appeared on his lips as he continued his meal. “It will not wash the war from our hands.” she said “I know.” he replied “But it would be unfortunate if we were to dislike each other after all the time we must spend together, so it is best to solve issues quickly.” She watched him with that same strange look, as if he had been replaced and she was trying very hard to find the difference. 

She raised her cup to him and nodded. “Then, may the waters wash our anger, and the wine replace the blood we have drawn.” she said with an amused smile as if she was waiting for the moment he pulled away. It worked in his favor, to have to call upon a servant to have a bath drawn. By the way, her lips curled, it was obvious she thought she understood.

When the food was eaten and they had finished chatting, he showed her to the bath. Tall, painted ceilings and lavish furnishings, plants and pots, sofas, and a few ornate changing screens, they were heavy and edged with carved gold. The tub was large and deep, It wasn’t far off from a bathhouse used by nobles, and as a maid left a tray of wine on a lifted spot in the tiled tub before she left with a bow, closing the doors on her way. Verena glanced at the prince who looked rather resolved. “You can change behind the screen,” he said as she started to undress. She glanced at it sideways before she continued her task, watching as he made his way behind a screen.  They hardly spoke, the sounds of ruffling clothing and the thuds they made as they dropped. “Do you have a tradition like this here?” she asked.  “Not quite.” he admitted.  “Are you very uncomfortable?” She asks “You’re not the first woman I’ve ever seen.” He shot back. He could almost see the expression, but if she said anything, it was muffled. 

She didn’t wait for him to come from the screen before she stepped into the water, a loud, pleased sigh slipping from her lips as the warmed water enveloped her. By the time he had come out, a towel tied firmly on his hips, she was sitting with her arms outstretched and her head resting on the edge. She closed her eyes almost immediately, her travel-weary muscles relaxed at once. He hesitated for a moment, glancing at a fairly nasty bruise on her shoulder, it blackened her tanned skin and raised beneath it. When he joined her, she didn’t bother to open her eyes or dip deeper into the waters, she stayed as she was, covered only by the towering bubbles that grazed her chest, as with each sway of the waters, her cover lessened. 

She seemed to forget he was even there– that she was even angry with him in the first place as she rested her eyes, only when he moved did she open her eyes to catch him. A brief pause as her eyes lowered before they quickly snapped back to his eyes.  “Were you very busy?” She asked, “Not so.” He replied. She hummed.  

For a while, they just sat a safe distance from each other, letting the lightning fill the room briefly before the warm glow was returned by the fixtures that hung about the room. He glanced at her as she stared at the ceiling, following her gaze before he spoke up, soft and low as if he wanted to bring her close to make her hear. "It depicts King Alas' life as he fell in love." "The lover king," she muttered in response. He glanced to the side to look at her. "It was my favorite story." she explained, not moving from her spot. He smiled, "It's a pleasant one." He admitted. It was one you tell children, the king who had fallen so deeply that he had fought the world to make her his wife. Everyone knew them, their love and life. Parts of their letters are quoted more often than not. "Do you think you could do it?" she asked. "Maybe once," he said

"Lovers, what becomes your body if not food for trees? What becomes of your blood if not to dampen the trenches? Lovers, what becomes of your cries if your voice is not your own?" She recited softly, lamely. He nodded, realizing she wasn't looking at him to see his response he remained silent anyway. They sat and laid out as they told each other history and poems, hands waved in the air as tales were recounted, and laughter encased the room. He gave her a drink and took his own, and the more they drank the more tolerable the other became.

"You seemed offended that I didn't undress in front of you," he announced after the fair amount of wine had its effect on him. "Yes, It is a big part of this tradition, you show and are shown that the other hasn't brought any weapons,” she informed. He nodded slowly before he glanced at the wine. "What else do you do?" He asked. "This is enough," she said with a small smile. "Then tell me out of curiosity," he said. "You typically wash each other's hair." "Typically?" "Others choose something different," she said with a vague wave of her hand, laughing as he understood.

He nodded once, setting his glass down before reaching for a golden vase. "Sit up," he said. She rolled her head to look at his, her eyes dropping to the vase in his hands. She looked at him strangely but he only raised his brows. Relenting, she sat up, moving farther into the tub with him.

He brought up a pitcher, his free hand tilting her chin up before he moved to shield her face from the water. The surprisingly gentle movement made the other giggle as she looked up at him. "What?" "It's much more intimate when you do it this way." She says. He raised his brows high "How else do you do it?" he asked "I dunk my hair in." She said with a grin. He paused for a moment before pouring more water on her. She reached out in front of her, grabbing blindly until she felt his arm, she held him, her nails sinking into the muscles in his arm as she cackled, the bubbling sound as she tried not to inhale the water.

Once she had stopped coughing he had already poured out some shampoo into his hands, he messaged the shampoo into her hair, it lathered and foamed, and as it did she let out a hum. "Lavender." he nodded in response, watching as her shoulders slowly dropped once again. She leaned into him as he worked, closing her eyes and letting a small, pleased smile grace her lips. He doubted that she knew that she was even smiling, but he made no moves to let her know. He watched her expression shift and change, how her thick lashes twitched and fluttered every so often. His eyes dropped down to her lips, her lips pressed together as if she were trying to hold in a smile. She failed at the corners. They twitched and kept turning upwards no matter how she tried, but she tried.

"You are willing to do much for diplomacy." she muttered "You too." He replied after a beat. She laughed a bit “Is that a demand?” “An observation.” His hands dropped to his side and she opened her eyes. She laid back and stared at the high ceiling once again. She didn't expect him to return, his fingers combing out the long dark ribbons.

Her head pressed further into his fingers as he massaged it. “Why are you angry?” He asked. She muttered, her voice low and unintelligible. “I’m not mad.” she said clearer. He hummed softly, its skeptical rhythm made the other smile softly. He lowered her head into the water, rinsing out the lavender wash. From her spot, flat on her back she looked up at him, watching as his tiredness looked much more severe when the lightning hit, but when the room was once again only lit by the candles, he was tired no more. She would not admit it, not even for a moment but, there had always been something melancholic about the prince’s appearance, something haunting in a strangely beautiful way, like a flame catching on a painting, a flower as its dried, darkened petals fell to the table. Something fleeting and out of reach.

She wouldn’t admit it, but there was beauty in the empire. 

She caught his eye, his brow twitching as closed her eyes again. There was beauty. But she would refuse to see it. Block her ears to muffle his words and close her eyes to hide from his. What beauty is there in devastation? Some morbid beauty, draped in a cloth soaked in the blood of all that she loved. Despite the blood streaking down his body, drawing lines across him– there was beauty in the empire. There was devastation in the empire. 

And What beautiful carnage He was.

"Prince?" She called. He hummed. "You don't have a tradition like this, do you?" she asked. He paused for a moment. "No." he admitted. He watched for her reaction, anger, amusement... anything. But she had none at all. She remained still for a while before she parted her lips again. 

“I’m going to die here, aren’t I?” she asked suddenly, tilting her head back to look at him. She watched as he stilled his face, his whole body frozen as if he tried to come up with a lie. She liked to pick out his expressions, guess what they meant. With each twitch of his lips, every raised brow, every subtle movement his eyes made, he gave away the thoughts he held on his tongue, and with each one she decoded, she felt an odd sense of victory, pride at somehow coming closer to the heart of him. But as she watched the truth still behind his teeth, no victory was found. 

“Peace is a sacrifice,” he replied. “In time, you’ll find something you like here.” He added. She frowned deeply, swallowing a few times before she let out a sigh, her lips moved subtly as she whispered a silent prayer. Then, she nodded, closing her eyes for a moment as he returned to washing her hair. That moment was all she took, and with the breeze, it was gone. 

She rose from the water before she took the vase from him, her eyes glancing at the top of his head before he nodded. He tensed for a moment as he laid back into the water, but as he stared at the ceiling for a moment it was nice. Hesitantly her fingers combed through his hair. She didn’t know what she expected to see when she looked at him as close as she was now, but it wasn’t him. At this distance… he was real. The warmth from his body crept up against her, his naked chest moved as he breathed, he was real, and with one strike  she could kill them both. Kill her friends. Kill her home. 

The sounds of the world were muffled by the water, and as he listened to its song he let out a sigh. When he had to return, he did so reluctantly, rising from the water before he sank to accommodate her. She watched the water as it made its path before she reached for him. Ignoring the way he raised his brows at her before he glanced down at her, he was much less ashamed, he didn’t rush or even hide his eye’s slow movements down her frame before just as slowly his eyes returned to hers. As if he teased her with doing what she hadn’t the courage to. She was less hesitant this time as she brought him closer. 

“You never wrote,” she said. “The letter was lost for a while.” At this she glanced at him again, studying his eyes as she scrubbed his scalp. “Was he angry?” She asked. Tai’s eyes fell to her collarbone before, and with a lazy blink, he met her eyes again. 

He hid the truth once more with a twitch of his brow that reminded her of their positions. He wasn’t sure why he did, truthfully. Everyone knew. All it ever was, was a lesson, he knew. Everyone knew. Even before he was called to meet his father, a smile on his lips as he asked if his lover had written to him. Even before he told the prince she only spoke of him in the presence of the emperor. It was a taunt, a show of arms. All it ever was, was a threat to tell him not to be too eager.

Don’t be too wise, too involved. Don’t step on his toes or look like you wish ill on him. But by the gods, don’t you dare slouch, boy. 

Maybe he wanted to pretend to be better than he was in front of her.  Prove that he’s more. 

But the truth was simpler; A king cares for nothing but power. But He was not a king, nor the emperor. But He could hold nothing of his own, and should he acquire something for himself, it belonged to the prince not the man under the crown.

She looked at him once more, meeting his eyes as she continued to wash his hair. She gave no reply, and she didn’t bother apologizing, she just kept looking as if there was something to find beneath his skin. He swallowed, fixed to his spot as she worked. 

It was still, just the sound of the water being pushed around softly, not a creak or scratch at the door, somewhere the word had fallen away. She forced him to slouch, as she scrubbed his scalp. He stared at her, his eyes moving around her features as she worked. It wasn’t exactly hatred that tugged at the corners of her lips— though it was there, it lingered between her brows and hung from her teeth. — But it wasn’t exactly fondness — that was quicker, it flashed in her smile and left with a blick, it settled in her eyes, before looking away. —  more a strange sense of curiosity as if she watched some form of torture be inflicted. 

His eyes dropped to the bruise on her ribs that disappeared under the water, his fingers moving on their own to graze the skin. She tensed under his touch, letting out a sharp intake of breath as she cast him a warning look, but despite it, she remained, letting his fingers settle into the dips of her ribs. “Does it bother you?” he asked, his voice low. “When I lay on it.” she replied, matching his tone. His fingers traced around the dark edge.

 “One of the oils added helps with it.” He said, watching her reaction as his fingers moved. “Did you ask for it?” She asked softly. He nodded. There it was. Almost fondness, he watched as it spread into her smile and flitted across dark eyes before it was gone. His fingers slid across her wet skin and her eyes dropped to his lips. She was drawn to him, like an idiot to a flame, like seeing a storm and waiting to see what it brought, a morbid curiosity that begged to watch him take hold of a weapon, and draw blood so she might see what he does next. Maybe it was curiosity, or maybe it was the devil’s hunger, but with all his curiosities, he interested her. 

So she let him slip closer. She put up no fight when his lips finally met hers. She straightened, her hands still in his hair. Firm. Insistent. Urgent. He pulled her closer. She flinched, pushing towards him to avoid him touching the mark on her back. A muttered apology was breathed into her open mouth as she stretched to meet him. In that half a second there was an agreement, an understanding of sorts. A silent agreement to leave the troubles at the door. The storm continued outside, and with each flash of light, each crash of thunder the pair didn't bother to part. Heavy breathing and splashing waters cut through the stillness.

His hand slid down her back like a feather, fingertips not truly pressing against the sensitive skin. It urged her forward. Hate and attraction seemed to fight within the mage. One moment she was demanding, her grip on his hair almost painful, her teeth on his lips just a touch too harsh, and the next she held him with a look she wouldn't have let him see if she hadn't drank. But he didn't mind, his grip on her only grew firmer as they dove deeper.

The already warm room seemed to only get warmer as the prince took a step back, retracting his hand to feel the step behind him before he pulled her to sit with him, his hand knocking over a glass of wine as they settled against each other once more. She chased him without parting, pressing herself against him, as they stepped. 

The change didn't bother the pair, continuing as if nothing had changed, her knees bracketing his legs as she sat, pushing into him until he was leaning fully on his elbows. This action did not make the smug smile fall from his lips, somehow, it grew. She could feel it, as her hand encased his cheek, she felt it in the curve of it. She could feel it as his hand rested against her hip. She parted from him, just enough for their noses to still be touching, enough to still breathe the other's air. She found his eyes already opened, half-lidded and smug. 

His heart beat rapidly against her roaming hand. Her eyes flicked from watching her hand’s movements to watching his expression. Daring, encouraging, longing. She didn’t go lower than his naval. He watched her as she made her exploration as he made his own. His movements were less based in curiosity than they were based in affection. His fingers ghosting over her clavicle before they started to dip down. She strained to keep silent, her back tense as his fingers trailed lower.

He looked up at her, as his fingers circled her navel, she had stilled against him, her hand curled against his chest. Her brows furrowed and deep frown pulled at her lips, despite her efforts she was given away by the soft trembling as his fingers moved up again, and the way his name started to form on her lips. 

He opened his mouth to speak but whatever it was, was swallowed as she kissed him again. She wouldn't let it happen again, once the wine wore off and she had left this would never happen again. Each moment was a tick in the clock. One second closer for the moment to end. If asked, she'd leave this part out of the story of her time in the empire, she'd deny it.  

Because beauty was one thing... But Tai was another.

He parted if only to catch his breath for a moment. For a while, they stared at each other, trembling and flushed. She blinked at him, long lashes fluttering as she did. Her mouth fell open as she heaved. He watched as a multitude of micro-expressions tugged at her features. He could almost read her thoughts spiral before he rested his head against his shoulder, his eyes flicking up to the painted ceiling. "If you gave me time, I could." He promised before she could regret it. She looked up, before with a sigh she looked behind him at the spilled wine before he looked lazily and shrugged. She opened her lips again but closed it softly.

He watched as if he already knew the thoughts in her head. He sat up again, dipping his head down to place soft, open-mouth kisses against her shoulder. "It's late." She said as he smiled against the top of her breast. "You should sleep." He said. “You don’t seem angry anymore, You said some prefer other ways?" he asked. She paused for a moment, gathering her scattered thoughts to understand what he asked, and when she did, she laughed heartily. "Yes. No," she said as she stood up from him. The absence of the other’s warmth was immediately felt, marked by an odd stuttery movement and fingers grazing a toned leg. A strange, out of mind sensation as they reach for each other in small barely noticeable ways before they return and carried on. The hand dropped and the woman continued to walk up the steps beside the prince. 

He watched her with naked interest as he pointed to the towels. He gave her a wolfish grin from over his shoulder as she dried off. “Then they do not sound like rivals.” She laughed. “No, back home we say they are lovers who are the last to know they are in love.”  He raised his brows high before the sound of his laughter filled the room, it wasn’t overly boisterous or anything of that sort, it was a low, soft sound. Like the rain against the roof. “I should work to anger you more often.” He said “You needn’t change a thing, prince.” she replied quickly. 

He gave a knowing look before he laughed again. “Then, until next time.” he said, his back still turned to her while her wet steps crossed the path to the towels.

she limped slightly, favoring the uninjured leg much more than she had when they walked together. He realized that she was either too tired or found it to be useless to try and keep up the facade now. 

His eyes followed the path of her towel before he nodded. “Esshai was right, with this tradition.” “I’ll make sure to tell the king of your approval, then.” “oh, I’m sure you will.” 

“Verena?” He asked. “Yes?” “Consider me.” No response came. He doubted a verbal one would. 

He stayed where he was, with his back to the edge. as she dressed and left for bed. He listened to each sound, the rustle of her clothing and the soft words muttered under her breath, to the sounds of her footsteps and the closing of the door. He listened for the second door to close and waited for her voice to carry to where he was, but she made not a sound for the rest of the night.

[asphaltsugar]

show me your teeth

gabriel van helsing x reader — 1.2k

extras: reader is a little confrontational? idk how to explain it; brief religious talk; no use of y/n; inspired by ‘teeth’ by lady gaga; definitely not canon from the movie and i took a few creative liberties but i do not care! oops; just a little treat for myself and any others with finals coming up! good luck y’all x

────────────── gif: @count-v-dracula

There was talk of a wolf.

Girls clutched skirts and locked doors, placed steel that caught weary light atop nightstands with just-lit candles. Boys stood with gaps in their teeth and stakes sharpened by an amateur and excited hand, the tips of their fingers going numb from the cold.

Everyone walked with their feet meeting the snow-kissed ground in steps barely that of a blink. Word was light, hushed; anything louder than a whisper would hide the snarl from its spit-slicked throat.

Inside the church, prayer in the minds of those kneeling with hands clasped was the sole conversation. Lips were sealed in the same manner of the fingers laced towards the point uplifting the cross to the evening sky. Blood freshly dribbled from wooden porches and lanterns creaking weakly in the wind and his steps were blatant in the snow—Van Helsing, the one who would cleanse the fear in beating hearts and panicked eyes, an answer to their worship, and a wanted one, though the town was so deep in the land word of mouth rarely reached the purity that lined the shells of their ears.

You were the only one that spoke with a volume to be heard, not guessed, and it was only to him, for his canines seemed a little too pointed, tears in his clothing too frequent in the candlelight of the hallways and gazes of saints. He said the weapons he kept at his thighs and waist were bound to snag the fabric, but wouldn’t a famed monster hunter handle such an issue to not be a worry? Killing wasn’t for those with a weak heart and thin blood, he told whoever fawned at his feet with wide eyes, and yet someone with a repertoire as grim as his would have perfected the act.

Did he think you were too naïve, maybe having been opened and toyed by those whose voices quivered at the mere mention of what lurked in the hours of the night with only the moon’s solace? Your living in the church certainly didn’t do any justice at your defense, the most holy place almost mocking your interest in those that couldn’t be described as such, leaving the implied lines of the town some nights prior and having heard his name with a threatened bark and bite.

The first time he arrived back in the early light of the morning, the oblivious demeanor of the town made itself known. You sat in front of him after having been told to offer care to his wounds, and you furrowed your brow at the fact; this was nothing. He must have had past scars deep to cracked bone, and yet they insisted you aid your guest. Scratches lined at his arms, and he had apologized at his rather taboo presence, what with his blouse bloodied and set aside from being in the way. You assured him bluntly that it was fine, justifiable; the statues looked much the same, to which he exhaled a dry laugh, agreeing with a shrug of a shoulder.

People said he needed more time. Days had passed, and he had not proclaimed the monster slain and the town safe. When he did come back to the church, you watched from sharp corners as red glass encasing restless flames—the only remaining light so late, the sun just barely coming to—pronounced the angles of his face. He brought with him a sweat, sticking and shining against his skin, dirt set into his nails, and weapons clean of blood or any struggle.

Admitting his defeat would, as ironic as it would sound, be just the thing to rid the paranoia now riddled in passerby.

There was an odd excitement in knowing you could be right, that the exact thing that was feared was invited without a second thought, though you had to confirm it. 

The moon was to be, like clockwork, a full mimic of the sun, its shape giving rise to what could not be seen in the latter’s company. He left with a nod at whoever he passed, and you sat in the room he had been so kindly offered that first day. (Of course he would come back with a mumble of defeat to whoever asked, because he would first have to announce his leave to those same folk.)

Hours passed. The heave of the door and his heavy footsteps were familiar to your ear at the time that the ornate hands gesturing to roman numerals told with gentle ticks. You quickly rushed to the window, peeking through the sliver of glass to eye the curve of moonlight that was to be set to rest—just enough for parts of him to still maintain their monstrous shape, tied to the presence of the moon like a desperation.

Muffled, his brief words of dismissal melded with the soles of his boots as he neared his room; you stood at the foot of his bed when he opened the door. His brows furrowed as he slowly took off his hat, snow melted into the brim, holding it at his chest.

His voice paired with a closing of the door. “I apologize, I did not expect you to be awake this early.” 

You crossed your arms, shrugging a shoulder with an innocent air. “Not early enough.”

A whistle of snow crawled along the exterior. “I’m not sure I follow.”

He watched your movement as you made the few steps to stand in front of him, glaring into delicate brown circling black; what did he see tonight? Anything to leave only his name behind?

“Show me your teeth.” A whisper, quick in its delivery, spitting from your mouth. It sounded similar to the prayer rushed tired in wary minds.

At the lack of a response, you continued. “What is there to hide, mister Van Helsing?” You placed a hand to the skin of his forehead before he could flinch. It came back slick, a shine left on your fingertips; you wiped it on the sleeve of his coat with disdain, not missing the dark bleeds. He merely stared with a crease still inbetween his brows.

You scoffed, grabbing the fabric in a fist, bringing him closer. It was still wet. “A man who kills what he is; this whole town unknowingly wants you dead, and yet you are still here.”

Something shone in his eyes then. Guilt, slight pride for having kept a façade—it was difficult to tell. He did not move from where you pulled him in, instead matching the disposition of your gaze.

He bit at the flesh of his lip. His hands clenched in the confines of his leather gloves. 

A knock at the door with a question of his name made his eyes dart to the engraved wood before diverting to yours once more.

They seemed a hint darker; maybe you hadn’t quite caught the color when he arrived. 

“If you are so eager, you’re welcome to join me to see for yourself.” He snarled, as if to echo what came from his throat hours prior, taking your hand clutching the blood smeared at his front in a rather delicate manner and pushing it towards yourself. 

He told whoever it was to come in; you muttered a curse under your breath, uncaring of it falling on saints’ ears; it wasn’t anything he hadn’t heard before.

[fishandships]

“I just want(ed) to make you smile.” for Andrew?

Smile prompts (always accepting, especially for IDV faves!) Universe: Identity V (What Was Said With Flowers AU) Pairing: Andrew/Rosario ⏳🕊️ Word count: 905

      The early evening air was thick and heavy with the promise of rain. With the moon hidden behind the curtain of storm clouds, Andrew took a moment to top up his lantern to ensure he would not be caught without a light. As he did so he could not help but heave a sigh. Was it not a curse enough that he was denied the light of the sun, that he must be bereft of even the moon’s light? 

      He lifted his gaze to the collection of gifted artwork on the wall. As his eyes drifted idly over the assortment of flowers and landscapes depicted in various media from simple charcoal sketches to more refined watercolor paintings, he immediately forgot some of his melancholy. Even in the gloomiest of weather, there was still another light in his life these days. Andrew wondered whether he would see the artist again soon. Kind, gentle Rosario. Just thinking about them made his heart pick up its pace. There were times he thought he might be able to live without the sun if only Rosario’s warmth and light were his own.

      With a slightly bolstered resolve he shuffled to the door. As he stepped out, he felt the first few raindrops on his face. He’d hardly noticed them before something else caught his attention: a familiar figure making their way up the path to his house. Immediately his heart began to race again. He called out to them. “Rosario?” 

      They waved, a big smile blooming over their face. They were carrying something, some kind of oddly-shaped bundle of brown paper. A massive thunderclap rang out, and suddenly the heavens opened in a downpour. Rosario jumped a little and quickened their stride. Andrew beckoned to them, an urgent instinct to shield them rising in his chest. “Come in, come in.”

      With a sheepish smile they bolted the last few yards up to his doorstep. “Whew! I was hoping the rain would hold out until— ah!”

      A little exclamation escaped them as they tripped over the threshold. Andrew automatically reached out to catch them, but was unable to avoid the package they carried being squished between his body and theirs. “I’m sorry!” Rosario said, righting themself. Their face was flushed, droplets of water shimmering like little crystals in their hair and eyelashes. “Oh dear, I got you all wet.”

      “That’s what my coat is for,” he assured them, his hands lingering just a moment on their shoulders to ensure they were steadied. “Are you alright?”

      “Yes, yes,” they replied, though they looked dismayed. “I hope your flowers aren’t damaged.”

      “My flowers?” Andrew repeated.

      Rosario removed the brown paper from their bundle to reveal a bouquet of such vibrant color that Andrew gasped aloud. Little blue chicory blossoms were scattered among much bigger golden sunflowers, so bright they almost seemed to glow in the lantern light. “I thought I would bring you some sky blue and sunshine on such a dreary day,” Rosario said softly.

      Andrew was speechless. He accepted the bouquet from them and stared at the lovely flowers. His chest ached so deeply he almost couldn’t breathe, but he was smiling. Finally he lifted his gaze to meet Rosario’s. “They’re beautiful,” he murmured. “But why? I mean, I— I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve this…”

      A hint of sadness crept into their expression. “It’s not about deserving, although I do think everyone deserves flowers now and then. To be honest…” They looked away, color rising to their cheeks again. “Part of it is that I…just wanted to see you smile. You have a lovely smile.”

      For several seconds Andrew was stunned. He managed to gather himself out of concern that Rosario might take his silence as disapproval. “Thank you,” he breathed, and his smile returned to mirror their own. He longed to reach out and embrace them, but stayed himself by instead gently pressing the flowers to his heart. “Thank you,” he said again. “This means…more to me than you know.”

      Rosario fidgeted. “I was thinking…perhaps it could be a habit. Bringing you flowers, I mean. If that would make you happy.”

      “It would make me happy,” he was quick to assure them. “Flowers, and the chance to see you.”

      He hadn’t meant to be so bold, but when Rosario looked up at him, their soft eyes wide and expression glowing, he had no regret. “Alright, then,” they said. 

      Another thunderclap made them jump. Their face fell, and they sighed. “I was so excited to give you the flowers, I forgot an umbrella on the way out the door.”

      Andrew had almost forgotten about the rain. He hated the thought of sending Rosario back out into it. “You don’t have to leave right away,” he said. “Stay awhile and dry off. When you leave, you can borrow my jacket again.”

      “I don’t want to put you out,” they said hesitantly. “I know you have to start work soon.”

      “Work can wait,” he assured them. “My charges aren’t exactly going anywhere.”

      Again he found himself speaking without thinking, but to his delight Rosario smiled wryly at his morbid little joke. “I suppose they aren’t.”

      Andrew put the kettle on and found a jar to serve as a vase for the flowers - his flowers. The downpour continued outside, but between the flowers and Rosario’s presence, what had started out as such a gloomy evening was now much, much brighter. 

[theceolacanther]

i LOVE arcane2 i think its so close to being insanely good but it felt rushed tbh

like the scene with ambessa and vi (where vi is locked up) where ambessa is gloating wouldve been a lot better if we had seen how ambessa had gotten comfortable with her knew tools. like if she was so confident with singes' weaponery that she feels invincible or smth

and i think they needed to both flesh out mels internal dialogue more so that we can see the conflict she feels towards fighting her mother. like if we understand why she tries to stop le blanc from trying to kill her or even if she like went "wait no!!" and looked distressed when le blanc imprisoned her. cause she kinda just did that and it felt kinda out of the blue really

dinger defo needed more time like it really felt like he had his character arc between season 1 and 2 like in season 1 he sees how tech can and should be used to better peoples lives now and how he cant wait decades to release something. but in season 2 you first see him and he is making things to make peoples lives better without that testing like iirc the turret was cluttering in a way that s1 dinger would not like. and also the fact that he kinda just dies* and then nothing more is said. like a scene with jayce and ekko mourning his disappearance or smth but instead ekko just lights a lantern for someone (supposed to be donger) in the final moments of the show.

caitlyn.... they massacred her so bad..... like she starts the season off soooo strong like forcing vi to pick sides and clearly demonising all zaunites for the attacks of 1 individual. at this point she had already spent time in the undercity and met people so the rage she was feeling was real and super juicy. like shes so mad at jinx that she is willing to SHOOT A CHILD AND GAS THE UNDERCITY. like vi says that they used the grey to clear the streets and remove civilian casualties but they still used the fundamental infrastructure of zaun against zaunites to commit acts of terror. i think this was implied to already be an intended feature of the undercity's ventilation but they still used it against the people of zaun. dont even get me started on cait ambessa.... like they almost had such a good thing going, the set up of the mother who lost her children, one physically and one ideologically (and also physically) and the child with too much power and too much grief was almost great. but like. cait just kinda stops that when she hears that vi's dad is alive she goes oohhhh ok well im with you now. we dont really see any turmoil hear her regret her actions or think shes taking things to far, although she does push back somewhat against ambessa's stoking, seen in the scene where ambessa is literally stoking a flame while trying to work up cait. we even see ambessa's influence on cait when cait an vi meet as cait uses the takedown she was taught to disarm vi. RAHHHH the fact that cait gets off mostly scot free is very annoying. i do love how she loses an eye tho i think that is v cool for both her character and her design. like she lost her eye because of how she turned a blind eye to what she had done. but even if her design reflects her mistakes her character doesnt :P

jinx vi viktor and jayce where all handled really well imo its 100% there show. like jinx's growth is shown very well, the way she starts helping both isha and sevika is super sweet, and the way that zaun put her up on a pedestal and how she hides from it because whenever something good happens to her she thinks she ruins it. and sevika and isha show her that she can do right and she doesnt always break things. the way that vi rejects her so hard because of all she has put vi through but she is able to like. work it out with her was very sweet.

i really really like the way that vi was handled, her reasoning for joining the enforcers was super good, the way she sees that the enforcers arent all bad when theyre defending against the attack on the memorial, too her realising that oh wait. actually these guys still suck. and then the way that she behaves when cait dumps her was super good, like she was always protecting something and then the last thing she had left pushes her away, so she falls into a depressive spiral. then to be brought out by jinx! and she learns to slowly trust jinx and through jinx's actions! very cool big fan.

i really loved the way they did jayce and viktor. i love how jayce cant let viktor die and so he does exactly what viktor didnt want him to do to save him, pushing him away. and then how viktor is so clouded by his new power that he cant comprehend what he is doing. like viktors followers arent people. sallo and that guy who is first converted become completely different people when transformed by viktor, and in the scene with sallo and jayce, sallo's breath doesnt show. hes not even breathing hes been reduced to a husk, and i dont think viktor even realises he did that. and then the way that when jayce pushes viktor away after what he experienced in the future and how that pushes viktor to curse the individual as a whole and completely strip all his followers of any individuality. ough.... the way that jayce and viktor are both fundamentally changed by the arcane.... its so scrommy yommy. i do think that viktors partnership with ambessa makes sense, if a little rushed. like she sees him as an army to crush her foes with and he sees her as a vehicle to unite everyone under him. but!! they really shouldve kissed in the scene where jayce rushes to viktor in dreamland like it really felt like they were going to and then they were told to change that. because like the way that jayce is just like "i just want you" and then rushes into him is like...... the way that it cuts through the facade that viktor has put up around him and how viktor responds... i wish they couldve been gay together. like not even dating! just like a qpr or something but those boys definitely wanted to explore eachothers bodies.

i think the side side characters are a mixed bag. like i liked than noxian guy (even tho idk his name) i think they showed very well his and ambessas relationship and how much they meant to eachother. i liked maddie aswell, she keeps saying all these dog whistles like telling vi shes "one of the good ones" and trying to make caitlyn continue the occupation of zaun. and her betrayal was very well set up you see her handling the bomb and then it doesnt go off later and you go huh??? then you see an enforcer (specifically the silhouette used when they were raiding zaun) take out vi and then shes holding vi at gunpoint and its like WOAW SHES EVIL. excellent

i didnt know lorres' name until i saw someone else talking about him online and then i had to google him

that vastaya was cool to show that piltover is a multicultural nation which attracts all sorts of people and accepts anyone unless theyre poor. wish they got a name or like. lines.

but yeah! i thought arcane2 was pretty good but it needed more time. like preferably another season but atleast another act sorry this was a bit rambly lol (im not)

*in league lore yordles (the thing heimer is) are like immortal fairies that when they die they kinda just respawn in another dimension (bandle city). also theyre very heavily shaped by their environments and their personality is very heavily influenced by the general vibe of where they live (in like a magic way not like a regular person (they kinda become super hard stereotypes of the culture that they participate in (kled<3)))

[brenbigs]

Zodiac Signs and their Associated Tarot Cards

Did you know that each zodiac sign has a paired tarot card to accompany it? Knowing these associations can make it easier to understand the meanings of astrology signs and tarot.

Although there are different perspectives on which zodiac is associated with which cards, listed below are the traditional pairings and the complementary energies. Find your zodiac sign(s) below and see if the associated card means something significant to you. I challenge you to think about ways the zodiac sign is similar and/or different from its associated tarot card, and how this may relate to you.

If you have a question, please feel free to ask! I am here to help. I also offer personal readings :)

Sincerely, Bren (they/them)

GIF by thewitchystuff

ARIES - IV The Emperor

Keywords: leadership, action

Aries is a cardinal fire sign ruled by the planet Mars and is known for being a leader as the first sign of the zodiac. Traditionally, the Emperor card features a powerful and confident masculine figure sitting on a throne. How this figure leads depends on the maturity of the individual. They can be wise in an instinctual manner, however, they can also be impulsive in selfish or destructive ways.

TAURUS - V The Hierophant

Keywords: tradition, rules, order

Taurus is a fixed earth sign ruled by the planet Venus and is known for its slower-moving nature and enjoyment of earthly pleasures. Like the Emperor card, the Hierophant card traditionally features a figure on a throne, however, the context is more of a religious authority than a "Kingly" type authority. They are the keepers of traditional wisdom which is essential, however, if they remain too stubborn, there isn't enough flexibility to allow for things to naturally change and adapt. 

GEMINI - VI The Lovers

Keywords: duality, choices, versatility

Gemini is a mutable air sign ruled by the planet Mercury, and is known for its talents for gathering and communicating information. The Lovers card features two people coming together in divine harmony. Compromise and understanding is necessary in relationships, and this card can bring to light what choices need to be made to create nourishing connections.

CANCER - VII The Chariot

Keywords: protection, direction of emotions

Cancer is a cardinal water sign ruled by the moon, and is known for its nurturing and emotional nature. The Chariot is a card of movement, ambition, and overcoming obstacles. Emotions are fluid and can evolve, and the chariot can offer ways to contain it to get you moving in the direction you want to go.

LEO - VIII Strength

Keywords: glory, confidence

Leo is a fixed fire sign ruled by the sun, and is known for its theatrics, warmth, and charisma. The strength card traditionally features a humanoid figure taming a lion - an act of bravery and strength indeed! Strength can be physical or mental. Much like a muscle that needs to tear to grow bigger, strength is created through overcoming adversity, trials, and struggles.

VIRGO - IX The Hermit

Keywords: wisdom, self-analysis

Virgo is a mutable earth sign ruled by Mercury, and is known for being detail-oriented, logical, and organized. The traditional Hermit tarot card is illustrated by a cloaked figure holding a lantern navigating the dark. Solitude, meditation, and deep reflection allows for the connection of one to listen to themselves, their bodies, and the earth around them that speaks without words. 

LIBRA - XI Justice

Keywords: balance, fairness

Libra is a cardinal air sign ruled by Venus, and is known for cultivating harmonious relationships by creating balance. The Justice card traditionally features a feminine figure on a throne holding a sword in one hand and a scale in the other. Diplomacy is a shared feature of both Libra and Justice, and this can be discovered through communication and compromise.

SCORPIO - XIII Death

Keywords: transformation, change

Scorpio is a fixed water sign ruled by Mars traditionally, and Pluto in modern astrology. Scorpio is known for their intensity, emotional depth, and secrecy. The Death card traditionally features a skeleton riding a horse in the aftermath of what appears to be some sort of violence. Though endings and change can feel uncomfortable, this can give way for new beginnings to emerge.

SAGITTARIUS - XIV Temperance

Keywords: philosophy, higher thinking, managing extremes

Sagittarius is a mutable fire sign ruled by the planet Jupiter, and is known for their optimism, enthusiasm, and indulgent behavior. Traditionally, the Temperance tarot card features an angelic figure pouring fluid between two cups in either hand. It indicates the balancing act required to merge opposing factors to become one.

CAPRICORN - XV The Devil

Keywords: control, confronting limitations

Capricorn is a cardinal earth sign ruled by the planet Saturn. Caps are known for their seriousness, determination, and responsibility. Traditionally, the devil card features a larger-than-life devilish figure on a pedestal with two humanoids chained to the pedestal. This card invites us to question our relationship to the material world, our vices, and inner freedom.

AQUARIUS - XVII The Star

Keywords: inspiration, hope creating innovation

Aquarius is a fixed air sign traditionally ruled by Saturn and modernly ruled by Uranus. Aquarians are known for their uniqueness, sociality, and detachment. The Star card features a nude figure pouring out water from jugs in nature. This is symbolic of purpose, hope, renewal, and dreams coming true.

PISCES - XVIII The Moon

Keywords: imagination, possible delusions

Pisces is a mutable water sign traditionally ruled by Jupiter and modernly ruled by Neptune. Pisceans are known for their intuition, dreaminess, and compassion. The Moon card illustrates a dog and wolf howling at a sun/moon and a scorpion emerging from the water between the canines. This card emphasizes the dream state and how complex and illusionary they can be.

[miyukis-writings]

— Bound by Silk and Shadows. [VI]

pairing. ilumi zoldyck x (insert oc)

summary. In a quiet village, she runs a humble café, serving customers with a serene smile, unaware that she has captured the interest of one of the deadliest assassins alive. Ilumi Zoldyck, cold and emotionless, finds himself drawn to her—an anomaly in his carefully calculated world. She does not flinch under his piercing gaze, does not cower in fear like others do. And that intrigues him. What starts as silent observation soon spirals into obsession. He watches from the shadows, memorizing her every move, ensuring no one else dares to lay claim to what is his. Even Hisoka, ever the provocateur, finds amusement in Ilumi’s growing fixation. But Ilumi is not a man of patience. If she won’t come to him willingly… he may just have to take her. After all, a rare treasure should be kept safe—locked away, where no one else can touch.

tags. yandere ; kidnapping, manipulation ; friends to lovers ; eventual smut (will be tagged accordingly).

a.n. new header! also from my friend's art! i asked her to make ilumi looks buff bcs... why not? anyway, likes, reblog and follows are very much appreciated. xoxo miyuki

status. on-going // prologue, chapter I, chapter II, chapter III, chapter IV, chapter V

The hush of the evening settled over the room, thick as velvet, swallowing the distant sounds of the bustling district outside. A single lantern flickered in the corner, its golden glow casting slow-moving shadows across the tatami floor. The faint scent of sandalwood lingered in the air, curling like invisible silk ribbons, a quiet testament to the passage of time within these walls.

The door slid open without a sound.

A shift in the air. A presence—measured, quiet, inescapable.

She did not lift her gaze immediately. Instead, she continued the slow, practiced ritual of pouring tea, the delicate stream of amber liquid filling the waiting cup. The warmth seeped through the porcelain, into her fingers, grounding her in the moment.

Then, as if drawn by an unseen force, she finally looked up.

Their eyes met.

A current passed between them—silent, taut, unreadable.

Ilumi stood in the doorway, the dim lantern light casting sharp lines across his features, his presence as composed as ever, yet undeniably invasive. He did not belong to this place, yet the room seemed to bend to accommodate him, as if recognizing something in him that even she could not name.

Recognition bloomed in the space between them, slow and inevitable.

She knew him.

Not from this place, not from this moment. But from somewhere before. Somewhere distant yet close enough that the memory settled into her bones before her mind could grasp it fully.

The late hours of the night. The quiet clink of porcelain against wood. The flickering candlelight in a café that never truly slept.

He had been there.

Always at the farthest table, a silent observer a midst whispered conversations and lingering patrons. Always with another man—the crimson haired man who laughed too easily, who spoke in riddles that slithered into one’s thoughts long after he had left.

And yet, it was not his friend she had noticed most.

It was him.

The quiet one. The watcher.

Her fingers tightened subtly around the cup, but her expression did not change. Instead, a small, knowing smile ghosted her lips, fleeting but deliberate.

“Please,” she said, voice smooth as silk. “Come in.”

Ilumi moved without hesitation, the door sliding shut behind him with an almost imperceptible finality. He lowered himself onto the cushion across from her, his motions precise, effortless.

She reached for the second cup, pouring tea with the same practiced grace she had performed countless times before. The fragrance of jasmine and warm earth curled into the air between them, filling the space where words had yet to settle.

For a moment, silence.

Not an awkward pause, but a deliberate one—an unspoken exchange neither of them rushed to fill.

Finally, she slid the cup toward him, her fingers barely grazing the lacquered surface of the table. “A long night?” she asked, her tone light, conversational.

Ilumi took the cup, the warmth bleeding into his fingertips. He did not drink immediately. Instead, he watched her, his gaze unreadable, unblinking.

“I don’t get tired.”

A soft chuckle escaped her lips, the sound like the distant chime of a wind bell. “That must be convenient.”

She lifted her own cup, taking a slow sip, allowing the warmth to settle in her chest. And yet, despite the practiced ease of her movements, she was keenly aware of the weight of his gaze, of the way it traced over her features, assessing, calculating.

“You remember me.”

Not a question. A statement.

She set her cup down gently, tilting her head slightly. “Should I not?”

A flicker of something passed through his gaze—something almost imperceptible, yet not entirely absent.

She leaned forward just a fraction, resting her chin against the back of her hand, her expression unreadable. “You were always a quiet one,” she mused. “Even back then.”

A pause.

Then—

“You were always watching, weren’t you?”

His gaze did not waver, but something in the air shifted.

“How do you know that?”

She took another sip of tea, the moment stretching between them, delicate yet taut.

Then, with a small, enigmatic smile, she finally answered.

“Intuition.”

A single word, wrapped in quiet certainty.

For the first time that evening, Ilumi stilled. Not in the way a man pauses to consider his next words, but in the way a predator stills when confronted with something unexpected.

Intuition.

A vague answer, yet somehow more unsettling than the truth.

Because if she had known—if she had sensed him watching her, even then—

Then she was far more perceptive than he had anticipated.

And that, perhaps, was the most intriguing thing of all. The room was steeped in the quiet hum of presence, the space between them measured by the soft clink of porcelain and the flickering glow of the lantern. Ilumi held his tea untouched, the steam curling in lazy tendrils against the dim air, yet his focus had shifted elsewhere.

His gaze drifted, slow and deliberate, drawn toward a small, solitary object set apart from their table.

A Gungi piece.

It lay in quiet exile upon the low wooden counter near the far wall, away from the careful arrangement of the board itself. The polished grain of its surface gleamed faintly beneath the lantern’s glow, a silent sentinel left behind—forgotten, or perhaps deliberately set aside.

Ilumi’s eyes lingered on it.

A single piece, displaced from its battlefield.

There was something in the way it rested there, apart from the others, that caught his attention. An anomaly. A deviation.

His fingers tightened imperceptibly around the delicate rim of his cup, though his expression betrayed nothing.

It was a subtle thing, this quiet thread of recognition. But it was there, weaving itself into his thoughts.

Because for all the countless strategies and calculated moves one could make in Gungi, there was always something unsettling about a piece that did not belong to the game in play.

And yet—

She had left it there.

Not discarded. Not forgotten.

Placed.

His gaze flickered back to her, searching.

She had not yet noticed his observation—or if she had, she gave no indication. Instead, she lifted her tea to her lips, the delicate tilt of her wrist practiced, unhurried.

The moment stretched, the hush of the room deepening.

Ilumi shifted his focus back to the Gungi piece one last time, his mind turning over quiet considerations.

Then, without a word, he looked away.

And just as silently, the piece remained where it was.

Ilumi’s gaze remained on the lone Gungi piece, the lantern light casting a faint sheen over its polished surface. There was a deliberateness in its placement, an intention behind its quiet separation from the board. A piece without a battlefield. A soldier without a war.

His fingers, still wrapped around the delicate porcelain of his cup, barely shifted as he finally spoke.

“You set that piece apart,” he observed, his voice a measured cadence, devoid of idle curiosity. “Why?”

Across from him, she paused, her fingers resting lightly on the rim of her cup. A shadow of something flickered through her expression—not surprise, nor hesitation, but the quiet acknowledgment of a question she had expected.

Her gaze followed his, landing upon the piece where it sat in patient exile.

“The game is only as strong as the hands that guide it,” she murmured, tilting her head slightly. “A misplaced piece can change everything—sometimes by accident, sometimes by choice.” Her fingers tapped once, absentmindedly, against the ceramic. “That one never belonged to the board. It has no role in the current match. But I keep it there… as a reminder.”

Ilumi’s attention remained unwavering. “A reminder of what?”

She let out a breath, thoughtful. “That even a piece left behind can still alter the game, given the right moment.” Her lips curved, the faintest ghost of a smile. “It only takes one move to change everything.”

Silence stretched between them, thick with an unspoken weight. The flickering candlelight cast shifting shadows across her face, across the delicate silk of her sleeve as she reached forward, plucking the abandoned piece between her fingers. She held it lightly, turning it over in her palm before extending it toward him.

“Would you like to play?”

Ilumi did not immediately respond. His eyes flickered from the piece in her outstretched hand to her face, searching for something unseen. There was no nervousness in her offering, no hesitance—only the quiet confidence of someone who had played this game countless times before.

And for a brief moment, he wondered if she had been playing a different kind of game all along.

Finally, he set his cup down with a muted clink. Without breaking eye contact, he reached forward, taking the piece from her fingers.

“Very well,” he said, voice as smooth and unreadable as ever.

And so, the game began.

--- The quiet clatter of wooden pieces punctuated the silence between them, each move deliberate, each placement a quiet statement of intent. The Gungi board lay between them, its grid a battlefield of calculated strategies and unspoken wagers.

Her fingers moved with practiced grace, the soft brush of her sleeve against the lacquered surface the only whisper of hesitation before she set her piece down. She played intuitively, not relying solely on logic but on a deeper, instinctual understanding of the game’s rhythm. Her movements were fluid, almost effortless, yet laced with an unmistakable purpose.

Ilumi studied the board, his expression betraying nothing, yet the sharp gleam in his eyes revealed his analytical mind at work. He was a tactician, his every decision precise, his every action honed for efficiency. He did not simply move pieces—he dismantled possibilities, deconstructed patterns, unraveled intentions before they could fully form.

For a time, neither spoke.

The air between them was thick with the quiet tension of competition, of two minds feeling their way through the intricate dance of the game. The flickering lanterns cast elongated shadows over the board, stretching across the polished wood like ghosts of moves yet to be made.

It was her who finally broke the silence.

“You play as though every piece is disposable,” she mused, watching him reposition a knight with an almost surgical precision. “Sacrifices come easily to you.”

Ilumi did not look up. “Sacrifices are necessary.”

Her lips curved slightly, a knowing smile threading through her features. “Only if the victory is worth the cost.”

A pause.

For the briefest of moments, Ilumi’s fingers lingered over his next move. It was an imperceptible hesitation, one that most would not have noticed. But she did.

She tilted her head, amusement flickering in her gaze. “You’re considering my trap.”

Ilumi finally met her eyes. “You think it’s a trap?”

“I know it is,” she said simply. “The question is whether you believe it’s worth springing.”

A challenge.

The moment stretched between them, neither blinking, neither yielding. The air hummed with the tension of something far deeper than the game—an understanding that extended beyond the board.

Then, without another word, Ilumi placed his piece.

A bold move. One that disregarded the obvious play in favor of something unpredictable. Something dangerous.

She blinked, then let out a quiet laugh. “Interesting.”

She turned her attention back to the board, the smile lingering on her lips as she considered the new possibilities that had just unfolded.

The game stretched between them, each move a careful balance of aggression and restraint. She played with an almost poetic fluidity, her pieces moving like flowing ink across the board, while Ilumi's approach was surgical, calculated. Every turn he took was a dissection, peeling away at her defenses with the precision of a blade.

Yet, no matter how ruthlessly he cornered her, she never faltered.

The flickering candlelight cast shifting shadows over the board, the glow illuminating the sharp angles of Ilumi’s face, the quiet confidence in her gaze. The room itself seemed to shrink around them, the world outside dissolving until only the two of them and the wooden battlefield remained.

Her fingers hovered over her next piece, her nails barely grazing the polished surface. She allowed herself a breath—deep, measured—before making her move. A single, decisive placement.

A quiet checkmate.

Ilumi’s gaze flickered across the board, analyzing the inevitable. His fingers rested against the edge of a captured piece, but he did not move it. Instead, he merely stared, silent.

She studied him, her expression unreadable. Then, with a slow blink, she tilted her head, amusement threading through her voice.

“You let me win.”

Ilumi’s eyes lifted to meet hers, dark and unwavering. “Did I?”

A silence passed between them, taut and humming with unspoken meaning. He had seen her trap. He had recognized the moment when she had begun tightening the noose. And yet, he had not stopped it.

She exhaled a soft laugh, reaching for the ceramic teapot beside them. The porcelain was warm beneath her fingers as she poured fresh tea into Ilumi’s cup. “A strange habit for someone who believes sacrifices are necessary.”

Ilumi watched the steam curl from the cup, his fingers tapping idly against the lacquered table. “Only when the sacrifice is my own.”

She paused at his words. For a brief moment, the weight of them settled in her chest like an unfamiliar stone. But instead of prying, she merely set the teapot down, her gaze returning to the board.

“Gungi is an art of patience,” she murmured, trailing a finger lightly over the captured pieces. “You can control the flow of the game, but if you only play for efficiency, you’ll never see the beauty in it.”

Ilumi’s expression remained unreadable, but something in his gaze lingered on her longer than before.

“You play beautifully,” he said at last.

She smiled. “And you play as if you’re always hunting something.”

At that, Ilumi leaned back slightly, regarding her with quiet interest. His presence was heavy, deliberate, like a shadow refusing to be shaken. Yet, despite the weight of him, she did not shrink beneath it.

Instead, she lifted her cup to her lips, eyes never leaving his.

“Well,” she said softly, the candlelight flickering between them. “Did you catch what you were hunting tonight?”

Ilumi did not answer immediately. Instead, he studied her—the way her fingers curled around the porcelain, the way the dim lighting softened her features, the way she sat across from him with an ease that felt both foreign and familiar.

Then, finally, he reached for his tea, lifting the cup in a silent toast.

“Perhaps,” he murmured, the ghost of something unreadable flickering behind his gaze.

And with that, the game ended.

As the final embers of their game cooled, the weight of silence settled between them. The candlelight flickered, casting elongated shadows across the wooden walls, the quiet hum of the wind beyond the paper doors whispering through the cracks.

Her victory still lingered on the board, but Ilumi’s expression remained unreadable. He traced a finger along the smooth edge of a Gungi piece, his touch light, contemplative.

For all her patience, for all her careful observation, she did not see it.

She did not see the exact moment she had sealed her fate.

She had only meant to be polite, to fill his cup once more before their evening came to a close. But as she reached for the teapot, she felt it—the subtle shift in the air, the quiet way Ilumi straightened, the way his eyes darkened, like a predator lowering itself into the grass.

She had won the game.

But the real hunt was only beginning.

“You’re still staying here tomorrow, aren’t you?” Ilumi asked, his voice smooth, absent of curiosity—as if he already knew the answer.

She hesitated for a fraction of a second. “Yes,” she admitted, pouring the tea with steady hands. “There’s no other place I can go to. I’m stuck here throughout my whole life, anyway.”

Ilumi lifted his cup, watching the delicate ripples in the liquid. “Do you think this is where you belong?”

The question caught her off guard.

She blinked, searching his face for some hint of his intent. “I’m not sure how to put it,” she said lightly. “I guess, I can call it my home now.”

Ilumi did not respond. Instead, his fingers curled around the Gungi piece he had been toying with, lifting it between them. The candlelight reflected off its polished surface, the carving of a commander’s insignia etched into its side.

Then, without a word, he slipped the piece into his sleeve.

She frowned. “You—”

But before she could protest, she saw it.

The shift in his posture. The dark, endless void of his gaze locking onto hers.

Something primal clawed at the edges of her awareness, an instinctive, breath-stealing realization—this was not a man who let things go.

The tea in her hands suddenly felt heavier, her fingers tightening around the cup.

Ilumi studied her reaction with quiet amusement, setting his own cup down. The sound of porcelain meeting lacquer felt eerily final.

“You’re a difficult piece to place,” he murmured, as if speaking more to himself than to her.

She exhaled softly, willing herself to keep her composure. “I’m not a piece at all,” she corrected, forcing a small smile. “The game ended, remember?”

Ilumi tilted his head slightly, considering her words. Then, with a slow, deliberate ease, he leaned forward just enough for her to feel the weight of his presence.

“Not yet.”

And then—nothing.

A blur of movement. A breath stolen mid-inhale.

The teacup slipped from her grasp, shattering against the floor in a spray of porcelain shards and amber liquid.

The candlelight flickered wildly, but Ilumi had already vanished from his seat.

And she—

She was gone with him.

[ikaroux]

Zhongli: The Dragon Dance. (Part 1) (EN)

Version française

f!reader

Aaaah Zhongli, my sweet Zhongli, writing about followers is really painful in itself given their longevity... I didn't come here to suffer, okay! *crying in a corner*

Les Ost pour ce chapitre :

Broken Hero Onmyoji

Rabia Honkai impact

Masterlist

The port city of Liyue was abuzz with excitement as the New Year's Eve celebration took place. The streets were brightened by the laughter and chatter of passers-by and lit by paper lanterns decorated with cut-out designs of dragons, maple leaves, herons and more. Various flowers from the region decorated every part of the city, right down to the ponds with golden carp. You could see dancers strutting a flexible dragon figure in the image of the Geo Archon in the streets. Street vendors shouted at the top of their voices, selling the merits of their goods or the deliciousness of their food. Everything seemed beautiful and magical.

You had come from Mondstadt to spend the end-of-year celebrations here, with some friends who lived in the city. They had suggested that you go and see the fireworks which would take place later in the evening, but your curiosity led you to walk through the streets of Liyue alone before joining your friends.

This year the festival organisers asked the inhabitants of Liyue and their guests to wear a mask which was offered to them by the city. You knew that the festival was to end with a kind of masked ball that would take place all over the city, with musicians placed here and there, sometimes in the corridors overhanging the streets or in the harbour by the sea.

The organisers of the ball wanted everyone to be able to enjoy a moment of joy and happiness without fear, without fear of the gaze of others.

You would walk along the wooden quays, your fox mask partially covering your face. You gazed at the reflection of the city lights on the surface of the water, a smile on your face. The street was crowded but you loved it, the atmosphere was so similar to your beloved city.

As you turned your gaze to observe the quay parallel to yours, you noticed the refined figure of a tall man. His posture was refined and elegant, he stood upright with his arms crossed behind his back and his eyes fixed on the horizon. He wore a long coat that matched his build perfectly, his hair, tied back in a simple tail, swayed in the sea breeze. He wore a golden mask with the image of a dragon.

The man seemed to notice your gaze lingering on him, turning his face towards you. The masks only hid the upper part of the faces, so you could see the soft smile on his lips. Embarrassed, you ran away, slipping through the crowd of people enjoying the shops on the harbour.

As you reached the centre of the city, the sweet sounds of the typical instruments of the region echoed through the streets. You could recognise the erhu among all the instruments that were playing.

Men, women and children began to dance happily, some laughing, others giving each other longing looks.

Seduced by the warm and loving atmosphere, your lips stretched into a wide smile before quickly disappearing as a large gloved hand reached for yours. You quickly turned to see who had surprised you, thinking at first that it was one of your friends who had found you. You opened your eyes wide when you recognised the man in the dragon mask. He pulled you to him, placing his free hand on your hip, he began to dance with you, guiding you perfectly to the rhythm of the music. You were mesmerised by his amber eyes watching you intently under his mask, the soft smile on his face making your cheeks warm.

You gradually began to relax in his arms, laughing out loud as he twirled you around before pulling you back against him, a husky laugh gently rising from his throat at your adorable reactions. After several minutes of energetic dancing, he moved his hand up your back, pulling you closer to him in a slower, more sensual dance. He gently placed his cheek on the top of your head as your face rested on his chest, breathing in the lily scent that wafted from him. As you swayed gently on your feet, he picked up a silk flower that decorated one of the columns that littered the street, supporting the upper floors of the houses. He placed the little pink button in your hair (colour), admiring how well it suited you.

Your dance was suddenly interrupted when the dull sound of fireworks was added to the melody of the musical instruments, your attention instantly turned to the play of light in the sky. Your pupils shone with a new brilliance at the sight.

Dazzled by the beauty of the fireworks, you glanced at your mysterious escort, hoping that he was enjoying the show as much as you were.

Your cheeks turned a deep red as you noticed his eyes were fixed on you, your hands still linked together. He moved his face closer to you, pushing a few strands of hair out of the way.

"Thank you for the evening. "he whispered in your ear.

Without giving you time to answer, he brought the back of your hand to his lips and placed a tender kiss on it. He reluctantly let go of you before stepping back, giving you one last look before disappearing into the crowd.

"No, wait... don't go... your name... give me your name!"

But now he was out of your sight, regret tainting your heart. Why didn't you ask him before?

"(Y/N)! "

Hu Tao's voice called to you in the distance, bringing you out of your thoughts. She was accompanied by Xiangling, Chongyun and Xingqiu who waved their hands at you, their faces lit up with big smiles. Taking one last look at the place where your mysterious date had disappeared, you finally joined your friends, ending the evening with them.

Zhongli was sitting on the terrace of his flat, a steaming cup of tea in his hands. His gaze was lost in contemplation of the liquid in its container.

He was still wondering why he had left without asking your name. Even after living for thousands of years, he still felt a little foolish.

Perhaps he should have invited you to share a cup of tea with him? Perhaps he should have taken off his mask and introduced himself to you properly?

Zhongli had rarely had regrets in his long life and today was one of those rare moments. A sigh escaped his lips, from the moment he had met your gaze on the docks, you had intrigued him. He had immediately noticed from your manner that you were not from Liyue. From Mondstadt perhaps? That's what your clothes suggested.

For some reason, you dodged his gaze when he turned his attention to you, running away from the platform that separated you from him.

Curiously, Zhongli couldn't help but follow you, speeding up to avoid losing sight of you. Eventually he caught up with you, admiring your wondering eyes for a few seconds. He would have liked to take off that fox mask to better admire you, why? He didn't know. What he did know was that at that moment he wanted to share an intimate moment with you, wanting to create a peaceful and sweet memory with a stranger whose smile was brighter than the most precious of diamonds.

Zhongli had felt an intense happiness arise in him as you relaxed in his arms. He savoured the breath you projected on him as your head rested on his chest, your warmth comforted him, your laughter fascinated him, your eyes (colour) captivated him. Why was he gone? Why had he left? He might never have the opportunity to see you again. Zhongli knew, after accumulating 6,000 years of knowledge and wisdom, that feeling desire or attraction for a mortal could become something painful for both you and him. Zhongli might not be the Geo Archon anymore, but he was still a follower with a long life expectancy...

Yes, he knew... but knowing didn't stop you from hoping.

You had a hard time to wake up, the evening of the new year having been rather animated. After the fireworks, you all went to Xiangling's house to have a last drink, without alcohol for some of you, Hu Tao, Xingqiu and Xiangling taking care of the atmosphere of your little party. You were able to talk with Chongyun about your evening, the magic that the stranger in the dragon mask had worked on you still haunting you. Chongyun had listened patiently before suggesting that you might try to look for him in town tomorrow, and even though the mask had prevented you from seeing him, his presence remained intact in your mind.

So you slept at Xiangling's house. When you woke up, she was preparing breakfast with a big smile on her face. Xiangling had prepared a home-made hangover remedy for you with your meal made of blue lily of the valley flower, sweet flower and apple juice extract.

"Thank you Xiang, it's delicious."

"You're welcome (Y/n). And you have to be in shape for today!"

"Fit? Why?"

"Didn't Hu Tao tell you? We're going to show you around the city today. And then..." -She walked over to you, her hand covering the side of her mouth as if to tell you a secret. You moved closer to her.- "We need to find your handsome stranger in the dragon mask!."

You choked on your food.

"H-How did you...I didn't...!"

"Chongyun told me about it last night before he left! He didn't like seeing you so sad so he thought we could look together today."

You sighed, desperate. You couldn't blame Chongyun, after all you hadn't told him to keep it to himself and besides this boy was far too adorable to be sulking.

After you finished eating you went to take a shower before changing your clothes, combing your hair and finally applying some light makeup to your face. Hu Tao met you downstairs at Xiangling's flat, finishing his discussion with an elderly lady who greeted you with a brief nod before leaving.

"Good! (Y/n) it's time we took care of your case."

"My case huh..."

Hu tao grabbed your arm, leading you into the sparsely populated streets of Liyue. She showed you some shops while you described your dance partner's appearance to her.

"A tall, elegant and polite man with a long coat you say? Eeeeh... Reminds me of someone."

Hu Tao paused for a moment to think before being interrupted by the deep voice of a man calling out to him.

"Hu Tao there you are, I have a small... favor..."

His amber eyes met your eyes (colour), a long silence settled between the four of you, Hu tao and Xiangling swinging their eyes towards you and then the newcomer. The man did not take his eyes off you, his mouth slightly open. It was him, you were sure, it was him!

Zhongli looked at you without saying anything, too amazed to find you so easily when he had just come to Hu Tao to ask for his help. He had recognised your eyes from the moment he saw them.

He cautiously approached you, forgetting everything around him. He took your hand in his, a gentle smile appearing on the delicate features of his face. You were even more beautiful than he had imagined. He could feel your fingers trembling with emotion in his hand, tightening it to soothe you.

"Ah- I, you..."

Zhongli paid no attention to Hu Tao and Xiangling's curious looks. He was focused on you, only on you. Drawing you to him, his hand again on your lower back, he began a few dance steps to assure you that it was really him. Your tears rolled down your cheeks as a smile lit up your face. Several minutes passed before he stopped twirling you around to the beat of his heart.

"What is your name?"

"(Y/n)"

"(Y/n), what a beautiful name." -He brought your hand still buried comfortably in his to his lips, placing the most delicate of kisses.- "Zhongli. May I invite you to drink tea with me?"

"With pleasure."

Zhongli knew that forging bonds with a mortal could be painful.

He knew but... he would take that risk.

[reilliane]

Voiceless ✤ Chongyun

V o i c e l e s s

A/N: Sequel time! I love these kinds of angsts, pretty self-indulgent these are, sometimes. I find ways to make me cry- whydoesthatsoundmasochisticthoughiswearimnot

✤ she/her

Words: 3.4k

➸ Heartless (Prequel)

This format means it is from a letter

"This format with quotation mark means it is a dialogue in flashback~"

≿————-　❈　————-≾

I’m not sure how to pen my thoughts

“Leave me for now, please.”

Xingqiu reluctantly glances at his crestfallen partner, the silence between them suffocating him without mercy. Their entwined hands become loose as the former abides, his feet dragging him away—before he stops with a sigh.

“At least seek some shelter before it rains.” quietly pleads the swordsman, molten gold eyes staring in distress.

The dark skies rumble, forewarning those below of its future spilling of water.

But I’m going try

Upon receiving no response, Xingqiu sighs once more, tightly clasping his partner’s hands before departing with a heavy heart.

Though his heart weighs nothing compared to the one left behind.

Chongyun’s head lowers further as he heaves, wringing his hands together as if it will be able to console the storm in his chest. He doesn’t pay attention to the faraway figure of the person who left him behind upon his own plea, unable to see anything but the image of the letter penned to him.

Albeit he doesn’t have it on his person, he can imagine it whenever he looks at his hands. He is always reminded of how he trembled and cried until Xingqiu followed him inside the bare house, only to hold back his own guilt.

My apologies won’t take away the pain I caused you

It is without a doubt that both of them are drowning in their own guilty conscience, but can they be blamed…

When all that they did is to love each other?

Of course there is no mistake in loving, loving can’t be a mistake—the mistake was breaking apart the heart of the girl who loyally waited to be loved again.

The mistake was dragging on the dead relationship.

The mistake was none other than his own actions.

But I sincerely hope for you to find peace

Chongyun has never felt this vacant before.

What was meant to be a momentous occasion for him—letting go of [Name] so he can freely love someone else—is rather pyrrhic.

He had been granted of his wish, but at what cost, exactly?

Isn’t this what he wanted?

Isn’t this what he wished for?

We were friends before we were lovers

At long last, the heavens start to weep, hearing his inner cries and shedding water in his stead. It starts as a small rain shower, barely soaking him further in the cold he is used to.

It’s not too long until it strengthens, however, later drenching him in water. He stays sitting on the cement slab near the steps of Liyue’s Adventurer’s Guild, though, despite the hydro seeping in through his lightweight clothing.

He watches others scurry into the warmth of their homes, the orange and yellow light coming from lit lanterns making his heart cold.

Just how long ago is it when he could return to a home with someone waiting for him? He is welcomed in [Name]’s abode for as long as he can remember, but now that place once filled with the same warmth of the lanterns in others’ houses, is barren.

Xingqiu always offers him shelter in his own humble residence, but the exorcist feels out of place, shy, hesitant, and shameful. He is intruding in a place he can’t call home.

So can I selfishly ask…

The rain pours harder, the large droplets attacking his still figure as he leans on his arms that are placed above his knees, uncaring of the stares that are sent his way.

What exactly is he waiting for? Why doesn’t he duck under some roof?

Why is he sitting out beneath the rain?

To be honest, he doesn’t know, too.

He just wants to be alone.

If we can still be friends?

There lies some subtle pain in his throat, stifling his voice box. Getting rid of it is impossible even if he swallow time and time again.

≿————-　❈　————-≾

“What are you doing, Chongie? You’re going to get sick!”

Chongyun watched as the [c]nette hurried his way, the waters splashing with each of her steps. Yet, even if her shoes were matted with wet grass and dews clung to her clothes, the smile when she reached him never once faltered.

“I need to train under harsh weathers, too, [Name]. I need to get used to it! What if I encounter a spirit under such weather?”

“This is a storm!” his lover gawked, tugging at his wrist. “I understand that you got to train, but let's at least wait until the downpour gets less harsh?”

She pulled him closer so he’d be under the cover of the umbrella, a shy yet bright grin coming to her face when he has consequently stepped closer to her space.

The exorcist’s chest flooded with warmth, both in fluster and thanks as he nodded.

“Alright, you can hurry back, I’ll just collect my stuff.”

He took the spare umbrella in his partner’s grasp with a grateful curve of his lips, “Will I see you waiting in a warm home later?”

[Name] laughed, returning the loving look in her eyes.

“You will.”

≿————-　❈　————-≾

It’s difficult for me to write this,

Why is it that he remembers that… now?

His breath comes out shaky as he holds his hand out, palm facing up, collecting the mass droplets of water that fall onto him. His hand quivers.

He hasn’t realized that he has gotten so cold to the point that he’s rattling in place.

Closing his fist, the exorcist buries his head back in his arms, mentally asking, is this how cold she felt when she was alone?

It is terrible. So, so terrible but he knows—he knows that this measly downpour cannot compete to the coldness he gave her. But still, he seeks to repent, and if this is the closest way he can feel the numbness within her, then so be it.

But no one likes seeing someone suffer.

But I’m sure you’ve had an even more difficult time just tolerating me alone

Or, to be specific, someone doesn’t like seeing him suffer.

Suddenly, albeit it is still wintry, he doesn’t feel the stormy rain on him anymore. It is as if the torrent of hydro has ceased its punishment once it heard how he willingly went under the rain as penance.

But rains don’t stop as quickly as this.

When he lifts his head, he sees a silhouette of a blurred umbrella and his heart pounded once.

“What are you doing, Chongyun? You’re going to get sick.”

The familiar statement prompts him to lift his head more, his fingers twitching and his lips parting upon the feel of a [c] gaze staring down at him.

Will you really.. leave me?

Water is still streaming down his face at the sight of her—she’s right there… !—near him.

And they both know that the water dropping to his chin isn’t from the rain, but from his own tears. All of a sudden, the vacancy in his chest swells and he feels a tad complete.

“[Name]..” he murmurs hoarsely as he stands up, it is so unlike the usual smoothness of his calm voice that the [c]nette visibly flinches at it.

When the female snaps into reality, she shakes her head and flicks out a familiar white envelope with blue accents. “I came because I got your letter,”

“And I’m here to say that you shouldn’t think of me any longer. I am not the one that should be in your mind now. I don’t want to inadvertently hurt Xingqiu because you are sorry over me, because that hurts,” she swallows, licking her lips and looking away.

“And I don’t want someone to feel the same pain I did.”

The exorcist lets go of his resigned exhale at her wordings, knowing that she’s right and he is hurting his current partner just by having someone else in his head. But he can’t help it.

A pair of [c] eyes lock firmly against his once more and he doesn’t know where to focus; her eyes that stare or her hands that wrap his own around the base of the umbrella she is providing him with.

“So forget about me like I wasn’t there in the first place.” she sounds hurt, but her voice is steady. “It has always been the two of you. I just came in between—we were… we were never meant to be.”

If I had loved you and you alone…

Chongyun’s mind forces his limbs to move when he realizes that the [c]nette is walking away for the second time in his life, only this time, with no intent to return—and he gasps...

You hear the sound of something dropping harshly onto the ground, followed by a cry of panic—then you are almost tripping forward.

If not for the arms that wrap themselves around your waist and how you are desperately flushed onto the exorcist’s chest, you would have fallen.

“Wait- please.” his head is buried on your side, on the space between your shoulder and neck and archons, how you hate that you still care and love—so you don’t move away.

How could you? It’s not like you can easily drop out of loving someone you still hold dear.

“Don’t- don’t leave anymore, please.. !”

His voice trembles along with his hold and you throw your head back, the pain on your features fortunately not seen by him. How can he be so selfish? But you’re not exactly out of it either.

Do you think you want to leave? No, of course not.

Liyue is your home.

“Stay.”

But the sole person you can also call home is no longer yours.

Would the ending have changed?

“I’m not mad at you, Chongyun. I don’t blame you, and I don’t hate you.”

I love you.

“There is just no more reason for you to think about me anymore.”

It hurt saying that.

His hold tightens—as if that alone tries to refute your statement.

Your voice is becoming unsteady and you don’t think you can keep this strong facade the longer you stay enclosed in his arms.

“So why are you like this?” you whisper, gritting your teeth. “Why is that when I’m leaving… is the only time you start caring?”

You hear him take a sharp intake of breath.

“I’m sorry.. I’m so sorry… please,”

It’s unfair. You want to scream. You’re so unfair to me. You want to cry.

“Don’t go anymore. It hurts.”

The racing of your heart is as fast and heavy as the storm unloading itself from the heavens, soaking the two of you in its cold and watery embrace. But his hold is warm, his touch is home, and although you like it—you cannot stay.

So you break free, trying not to think much of the desperate wail that tears out of him when you escape his hug.

Would you have forgiven me?

“Why?” your voice finally cracks and he stops moving, eyes wide.

“Why are you pleading for me to stay? Answer me.”

Because maybe… you gulp. Maybe if you admit that you still do need me around, even if I’ll remain here as a friend, even if you don’t love me anymore…

His blue irises are dilating, the sporadic rising of his shoulders an indication of his troubled breathing. Uncertainty, desperation, and panic all freezing him in place.

Maybe I won’t leave.

But Chongyun can’t find it within him to speak.

She is right where he wants her, he can just answer. He can admit it for once, he knows that by the look in the girl’s [c] gaze, there is a part of her that wants to stay.

And he will say it—he is about to. But then his sight spots another approaching figure within the accumulating mist coming from the downpour. The sight of familiar teal eyes freezes his tongue.

And then… he can’t speak.

“Didn’t you had an umbrella before?” the platinum blond calmly asks, his gentle voice mesmerizing even if it’s stifled by the rain.

The exorcist watches with a vacancy in his chest as [Name] blinks out of her stupor, bewildered by the shade of another umbrella sheltering her. “Ah, Albedo..”

It’s the same person who… the bluenette looks down, the rain mixing with his tears. Who provided her company when I was… not there.

“Well, Chongyun?” when he looks back up, he finds not only the stare of [Name], but from Albedo, as well. There is no ounce of enmity in that teal stare, it holds nothing, but the Cryo-user is able to identify a trace of care when it lands on the female.

It squeezes his chest.

Would you be at peace with me?

You know it was too good to be true.

Or maybe there is some kind of force disabling from speaking anything, no one knows but him. All you know is that you’ve granted him enough of your time.

Albedo seems to be aware of that, because with a gentle usher, he is turning you away from the perpetrator of your heartache, and back into the comfort he—the Alchemist—will grace you with. Whenever you want it, whenever you need it.

But then someone seizes your shoulder—and Albedo nearly turns to glower when you pat his arm gently.

Turning, you find Chongyun with the most painful expression you’ve ever seen on his face. It almost has your knees buckling.

Would you not forget me?

But you manage to question him, “What are you doing, Chongyun?”

His grip on your shoulder quakes at the lack of the endearing nickname and you purse your lips, battling the stubborn frown.

Although the rain is heavy, you know him so much to the point that you can see that his optics are still leaking with waterworks.

“I..” he breathes shakily. “I need to do this—I need to get used to it.”

You catch his words reminiscent of when you would always catch him training under the rainy weather, and your facade almost breaks apart. Although he has omitted a couple of words, you can never mistake what he is trying to imply.

This is it.

It is our ending.

It hurts writing this—but it can never amount to the pain I’ve caused you

Albedo gives you a look, indirectly asking if he should take you away this instant, but you shake your head.

Upon collecting your composure, you respond slowly, your hand caressing the one on your shoulder.

“This is a storm,” Chongyun sluggishly lifts his head in surprise that you’ve managed to comprehend what he wants to hear, and the fact that your hand is so gently holding his own.

Like how you used to.

I’m so sorry, [Name]

“I understand that you need to do this… but can’t you wait until the downpour gets less harsh?”

And now, you will never do it ever again.

Because once this rain has ended, I will no longer be with you. Your eyes seemed to say, and the exorcist whimpers at it.

I’m so selfish—I’m so lost

“Al.. alright,”

He chokes out a response, finding his voice tiny. Feeble. Afraid.

“You can- you can hurry back..”

I don’t want you to go. It doesn’t leave his lips.

Maybe… just maybe

Chongyun wants to stare at you longer but at the same time, he doesn’t want to. But since he knows that this is the last meeting you two will ever have again, he firmly engages in eye contact.

Savoring the last bit of adoration that stayed in your eyes until it fades.

“Will I…” he swallows.

He doesn’t want to say it.

In someplace different, where my heart can only beat for one

He doesn’t want to ask it. You are certain of that, but you stand still, hand remaining on top of his as if it’s your last act of consolation.

Albedo is patiently waiting, bearing witness to the unfolding angst he has been trying to wring you out of but couldn’t. He knew that you wanted this closure after receiving the letter, so albeit reluctant, he allowed you to go on the condition that he tags along.

The Alchemist hears a silent sniffle coming from you and furrows his brows, taking one look at the exorcist who got the gist.

Stalling will do you both no good. Albedo mouths.

And it’s true.

The both of you know it.

I’d like it to beat for you alone

Finally, Chongyun is able to get it out of his system.

“Will I-”

He sniffs, the hiccups at long last leaving his lips, disrupting his speech as his voice grows even tinier. He swears he is almost voiceless.

“Will I see you-”

Your hand tightens its hold and his throat constricts.

Even with the outcome of things, I still do greatly care for you

“Will I see you waiting in a warm home later…”

His cries begin once more, so full of pain and resignation when your hand clasps his own to remove it from your shoulder.

“.. For me?”

The last contact has him sobbing, his eyes shutting for a moment as he endeavored to relish in the fleeting warmth in your quivering fingers that are entwined in his.

He hastily opens his lids back open, however, when he remembers that this is the last he’ll see of you.

He wished he didn’t.

The expression on your face is of equal resignation.

Mutual riddance, with a lingering touch of love as a tear slips from your eye and you reply the last few words that will close the curtains to your once linked stories.

“You will.”

You let go of his hand.

I only wish that you can believe that, at the very least

At the very end of it all, Albedo turns you away from the exorcist, allowing you to shed the tears you didn’t want the latter to see.

Walking away from Liyue, walking away from your home… felt twice as painful than from when you escaped quietly.

You make the subtle mistake of looking back at him—how can you ignore how hurt he’s crying out for you?—only to see him on his knees.

He had looked small when you approached him a while ago, but he looked the smallest now.

The sight of his tears turning into frozen crystals almost has you rushing to comfort him on instinct, but Albedo holds you close to him, whispering. “You will hurt yourself.”

So you don’t.

And finally, you leave, but not before passing by someone’s abode.

Meanwhile, Chongyun’s fists are as white as snow, the void in his chest bigger than ever—but it is closing. Recovering, although slow.

His wails ring out and he feels so cold, his Yang energy completely depleted and nothing under the wintry closing of his relation to the girl he had failed to love properly.

So he welcomes the painful freezing of his tears as they roll down his cheeks, kissing his skin with a bite of frost.

He hates how he still can’t say it.

I need you…

He hates how she’s there and he’s voiceless about it.

“Chongyun!”

Someone kneels in front of him and he caves into the comfort of his present partner, who had tears of his own not only upon seeing the broken shell of the exorcist—but the [c]nette who willingly left in order for a different love to bloom.

Chongyun whimpers at Xingqiu’s chest, loud and filled with despair.

I still need you..

≿————-　❈　————-≾

Dear [Name],

I’m not sure how to pen my thoughts

But I’m going try

My apologies won’t take away the pain I caused you

But I sincerely hope for you to find peace

We were friends before we were lovers

So can I selfishly ask… if we can still be friends?

It’s difficult for me to write this,

But I’m sure you’ve had an even more difficult time just tolerating me alone

Will you really.. leave me?

If I had loved you and you alone…

Would the ending have changed? Would you have forgiven me?

Would you be at peace with me? Would you not forget me?

It hurts writing this—but it can never amount to the pain I’ve caused you

I’m so sorry, [Name]

I’m so selfish—I’m so lost

Maybe… just maybe

In someplace different, where my heart can only beat for one

I’d like it to beat for you alone

Even with the outcome of things, I still do greatly care for you

I only wish that you can believe that, at the very least

Sincerely,

Chongyun

≿————-　❈　————-≾

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　To the Scrying Glass　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

≿————-　taglist　————-≾

@lehra @melkxsh

[vannahfanfics]

Dawn and Dusk Part V

Before you read, here’s Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part IV!

Category: Romantic Fluff, Angst

Fandom: Yona of the Dawn

Characters: Soo-Won, Yona

Requested by: @lilc77​ (Tumblr)

Hey, friend! I hope you’re ready for more YonaWon! This is for the first of the batch that you requested for the theme “sexual tension and desire.” I thought it would fit perfectly within my ongoing “Dawn and Dusk” series of oneshots, so I hope you enjoy the latest installment!

The study echoed with gentle flip of pages. Yona sat among the towering tomes, her legs tucked primly underneath her so the thick, leather-bound book could rest on her thighs. Her dawn-colored eyes scoured the printed words carefully, though in the back of her mind, she doubted that a biological survey of Kouka Kingdom’s bird species would prove fruitful in her endeavor. Though she knew nothing would be hidden in the text, she entertained herself for a few moments more with the detailed illustrations of the songbirds and descriptions of their behavior. She got like this from time to time, looking for escape in the useless paragraphs after yet another day of finding nothing. 

Her fingertips skimmed over the inked drawing of a finch, its feathers painted in brilliant watercolor hues. The “sunrise finch,” it was nicknamed, not only for its brilliant red and yellow plumage, but also its propensity to be the first of the indigenous birds to rise. It awoke in the mere minutes before dawn to herald the oncoming sun with sweet tunes of the morning. Yet as the golden sun spilled across the trees, it would fall silent, its beautiful song swallowed up by the dawn chorus of other birds. Brief and fleeting, like the sunrise it worshipped. 

Yona wondered if that was her fate, to be brief and fleeting like the dawn. 

Sighing, she closed the book and replaced it on the shelf. Rather than grab another from the small stack beside her, she sat there a moment, reaching back to massage the flesh of her shoulder. Though soaking in the bath— however brief that was thanks to her surprise encounter with Soo-Won— had improved the strain significantly, she still found it twinging throughout the day. Perhaps I should retire early and give it some rest, she wondered, but looking down at the books next to her, Yona knew that would not happen. She had to keep searching, searching for any clues to the puzzle that existed between herself and Soo-Won. 

She turned to the window, where the moonlight streamed in to bathe the study in white, at least where the soft yellow light of the lantern beside her could not reach. She wondered if there was a bird that also called to the setting sun and rising moon. Did it mourn the loss of the sun, or did it welcome the appearance of the stars and night sky? Perhaps there was no bird at all, but a king’s fanfare is close enough, she supposed. Dusk had ruled this land ever since her father’s death, as the pale moon sat upon the throne, merely reflecting the light of the sun. A false light, but, did that mean it was no less worthy? She wondered that as she gazed at the sliver of moon hanging low in the sky. Dusk, dawn… It was all light, wasn’t it, chasing away the darkness? 

Who am I to truly say which is better? Yona thought with a sigh, looking back down at her lap. She felt her eyes begin to burn with the familiar sensation of salty tears brewing in the ducts. She often got this way when the watchful nights closed in, cast in light only by her flickering lantern. Everything was still so confusing; she knew not what path to take, what she should do for her people. It was maddeningly frustrating. She really only knew one thing these days, and that is that she still loved Soo-Won, achingly so, despite everything that had happened. 

The first tear slipped down her cheek just as the door to the study opened. Yona quickly swept it away with the sleeve of her kimono as Soo-Won walked in, a look of mild surprise on his face. 

“Ah. You’re still here? It’s awfully late.” 

“I could say the same to you,” she said, but not icily. “I wanted to look through another book or so before finishing up for the night. What about you?” she asked as he navigated through the stacks upon stacks of volumes covering the floor and sat at his small desk. He picked up his quill with a tut, uncapping the inkwell and dipping the pointed tip of the writing utensil into the black muck. 

“I have some reports that I have not yet read or signed off on,” he explained, skimming the contents of the first page before scribbling his signature on the bottom. He set it aside for the ink to dry, then began reading the next. 

Yona looked back to her stack of books, knowing that she should pick one up, but her desire to investigate any further had suddenly vanished. She looked back to the shelf, then stood to retrieve the book of bird species. She flipped back to the page about the sunrise finch, then slowly walked over to Soo-Won. He glanced up when she approached, then looked down at the open book in her hands. 

“Soo-Won… Have you ever seen this bird?” She turned it around so he could see the illustration. He studied it for a moment, then nodded. 

“Yes… They actually nest in the palace gardens,” he explained, and looked up when Yona gasped in delight. How had she never known such a gorgeous bird had a home in the plants right outside her window? Well… It wasn’t exactly often that she found herself up before dawn. However, that would soon change. She would wake up first thing tomorrow to catch a glimpse of this bird. 

“Thank you. I’ll leave you to your paperwork,” Yona said, then looked down at the bird and its brilliant sunrise plumage. She wondered if it would be as stunning in person. She was sure it would be. The anticipation brought a smile to her face, and so she replaced the book on the shelf. The sooner she got to sleep, the sooner the dawn would come. 

Soo-Won spoke as she headed to the door. 

“You were crying.” 

She stiffened. He had seen? She’d thought she’d been slick. She could feel his aqua eyes boring into her back, making warmth spread all over her back. His stare beckoned her like a siren call; she was helpless to his song, causing her to turn slowly around to face him. His expression wasn’t judgmental, not that she had expected it to be in the first place— it was sad, or guilty, even. 

He turned in his chair so he could hold his hand out to her. Entranced by that silent magnetic melody, Yona’s body moved of its own accord; she crossed the room to take his outstretched hand. His touch was soft as his fingers moved over hers, giving just the slightest tug to pull Yona until she was standing in front of him. He reached up with his free hand to brush over the tear stains she’d thought she’d scrubbed away, ghosting over the slightly reddened skin with a heartbroken look. 

“How is your shoulder?” Such an innocent question so at odds with the way his fingers skipped down to her shoulder, fingertips inching under her kimono to brush over the skin. She tried not to twitch at the electricity that shot through her nerves. Her body was stunned, electrified by his ministrations, but her tongue seemed to work just fine. 

“It’s better.” 

He didn’t say anything, just tilted his head while continuing to massage the top of her shoulder. Her heart thumped against her chest as her kimono sleeve slipped fully off her shoulder, exposing her upper arm and even the barest hint of the curve of her breast. Soo-Won’s eyes flickered up to hers, inspecting the minute twitches of her fate for discomfort. He didn’t find any, because why would he? By now, he knew the depths of Yona’s feelings, the way she yearned for his touch despite everything that had happened. 

When did his other arm snake around her hips? It had circled around her without her knowing, so she gasped when she felt him pull her forward until she bumped against his knees. He quirked a brow— a silent invitation. She bit down on her lip, debating. 

Would any good come from yielding to her desires? She should focus on ferreting out his plans for her kingdom, not yielding to her more base compulsions. Yet as Soo-Won’s aqua eyes met hers, she felt her inhibitions melting away as easily as that silk had slid off her shoulder. With a breath of his name, she climbed onto his lap, pressing every inch of their bodies together that she could. Soo-Won’s hands pushed into her dawn-colored hair with a reverent sigh, prompting her to crane her head back into his palms. 

He pressed his mouth to the column of her throat in an open-mouthed kiss. He lingered there for several moments, and then murmured against her skin, “I’m sorry. Ever since we met again, I have caused you pain.” 

Yona’s throat bobbed against his lips as she swallowed. Her eyelashes fluttered to fight back the tears, but they came anyway. Soo-Won must have felt the tears dripping down into his hair, because he sat up to press wispy kisses over her ruddying cheeks to catch the salty streams. “My selfishness has caused you pain,” he murmured against her face. “I tried, but… Yona, I love you so…” 

“I know,” Yona said with a shuddering breath. “I know. I love you too, Soo-Won, though it vexes me.” She curled her neck so she could bury her face into his hair. She inhaled deeply, and the scent of him flooded her nose— parchment, rose water, and a crisp coolness she could only characterize as moonlight. She wondered if she smelled like the dawn, spicy and warm? 

Soo-Won kissed the junction of her neck and shoulder, drawing her out of her thoughts. Just as a small bit of lucidity returned to her, he began a path up her neck and over her chin to claim her lips in a steamy, hungry kiss. Yona perched on his lap while his fingers roved up and down her back, leaving sparks in their wake. She tangled her tongue eagerly with his, and he tasted like cool moonlight, too. Her mind clouded over like it was filled with cotton as heat built up within her, like she was a pot filling with steam. 

Just as she felt ready to burst, he pulled away. Cool air rushed through her, chilling the warmth inside of her, and she exhaled shakily. Soo-Won petted her cheek with that sad look on his face again. She still trembled atop him, not sure how to feel. These short, passionate moments between them had become such a regular occurrence that it was hard to feel guilt or shame anymore. 

“Soo-Won,” she murmured, and his fine eyelashes fluttered when he looked up at her. They’d just exchanged some very passionate kisses, but she still blushed when she meekly asked, “Would you… Would you show me the sunrise finch tomorrow morning?” 

He seemed surprised by her question, his eyes going wide. Then, his face relaxed into a sweet smile. 

“I would love to. It has been a while since I’ve seen them myself.” 

When Yona prepared to get off him, his hands tightened around her hips. 

“Stay?” he asked, quietly, pleadingly. Yona tensed at first, then slowly relaxed when she saw the way he was staring down at his desk— so sadly, so miserably. Yona knew she ought not to, but she draped herself over him anyway, nestling her head on his shoulder. He held her against him with one arm while he turned to resume tending to his documents. Yona closed her eyes, focusing on the feeling of his chest rising and falling against hers, his heartbeat thumping against her sternum. It didn’t take long for hers to synchronize with his. Lulled by the melody of their tandem breaths and heartbeats, Yona found herself drifting into a comfortable sleep. The dawn would come eventually, and Yona would have to tend again to her priorities. However, for at least a few sweet hours, she would allow herself to bathe in the cool white light of the dusk— in Soo-Won and his deep, unconditional, heart-wrenching love for her.

Enjoy this oneshot? Feel free to peruse my Table of Contents!

[whereisten]

I Know What You Did Last Summer

Part 1 | Part 2 Preview | Part 2

Summary: After a fun-filled graduation night, your heart is torn between your two best friends, Ten and Lucas. A fire is ignited between the three of you that isn’t as easy to calm as it was to start. And this lustful fire, just like any fire, spreads and seeks to destroy anything in its path, for there is no telling what Ten will do for you, or rather, to you.

Pairing: King!Ten x female reader (as well as Prince! Lucas)

Genre: Royalty!AU, love triangle, angst, smut, fluff

Warnings: manipulation, possessiveness, blackmail, cheating!, character death, mention of blood, mention of self-harm, alcohol use, smut!: threesome, unprotected sex, penetration (v and a), oral sex (m and f), hand job, fingering, fondling, c*eampie, biting, bdsm (paddle use, choking, rope use), orgasm denial, overstimulation, semi-public sex.

Word Count: 20.9k

Taglist: @suhweo @5shotsamericano @alreadyblondenow @khiphoptrash-0 @adorejaehyn @08skrr @ateez-babygirl @cherriesaries @suhfluffy @starlightdustsposts @agnessvaltersen @krispysun @montersloth @galadrielbeth @cafe-lectura @Jiyoungiejae @labelleetoilex3 @ceruleanskies @neo-cult-ure @goldensky @verasloggia @jaewalking @hhaechann @commentgirl @uwusofties @toffee-reads-and-writes @generalkpopwhore @kawaiimusiccollection @ainigmatikos-posts @kkuljungwoo​ @kaiwatabe​

A/N: PART TWO is HERE!! Thank you all for your support for part 1!! We appreciate it so much! We hope you enjoy part two, the finale to this adventure. We are so excited, once again, for you guys to see what happens! We had so much fun writing this and would love your feedback💕

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[JANUARY 1896]

It’s the night of the Chinese festival. Kids run about the town as folks put up their decorations and line up delicious and colorful foods for all that walk by. The air is light, with everyone laughing and talking as they enjoy each other’s company.

Friends meet from all over the land, as all kingdoms come together to celebrate the turn of the new year. 

You’re dressed in a beautiful red dress with gold adornments, leaving Ten’s mouth agape once he opens the door of carriage to help you out. Seeing you in your bright and dazzling outfit under the lantern lights makes his heart flutter. Your gold eye shadow brings out the depth of color in your eyes, the ones that looked around nervously.

“You look amazing, my love.” Ten states as you take his hand and fall onto his chest lightly.

He gives you a light peck on the cheek, but you move away and let go of his hand soon after, hoping that you didn’t move too quickly while in front of the other attendees.

The last thing you wanted was for everyone to be able to see or even speculate that your marriage was in trouble.

You walk slightly ahead and force a smile to the onlookers.

“Hello, hello.” You say to everyone that bows while standing poised with both hands in front.

Ten also forces an awkward smile as he is left behind.

You look over the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of the tall man that neglected to speak to you for the last few months. Oh, how you missed him and his letters. You missed his warmth, for Ten’s coldness only grew to annoy you more and more as your time together increased.

You start to frown slowly, but in an instant, you see his bright smile. He holds Rosé’s hand and reaches for a lantern from a store owner. He hands the beautifully detailed lantern to her with the brightest smile on his face and wide eyes.

You heart begins to shatter. You wished you could have that moment with him, you wished you could be the one to kiss him when the fireworks went off later that night. Rosé was so lucky, she had no idea.

Ten quickly steps forward and takes your arm into his hand from behind, guiding you to the left and distracting you.

He knew you had spotted Lucas so he took you away as fast as he could.

“This way, honey.”

You and Ten enjoy some of the food provided by local chefs. It’s the finest food you’ve ever had, as they worked diligently to provide for you two, the highest royals in the land.

But you can’t focus on the flavors, you still think of Lucas’ face. Even with the loud drums and strings that play throughout your entertaining dinner set, you can only see his smile.

“What’s wrong? Are you displeased? Waiter! This food is no good! Can’t you see how upset my wife-?” Ten waves over the servant.

“Ten! No! It’s great, amazing actually.” You put your hand over his and turned to him, your eyes big as you try to stop him.

“It’s fine, calm down..please.” You whisper to him.

Ten frowns. “Then what’s wrong? You look like you’re unhappy. It’s not good for us or for the people.”

“It’s nothing..I was just lost in thought Ten, I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize, sweetheart..I love you.” He forced a smile and brought his fingers to your chin. A moment passes when you look into each other’s eyes.

His calm demeanor shifts at your hesitancy.

“Do—you love me?”

“Of course..” you turn your head away from him and look back at your food.

“Then say it.” He holds your chin again, this time placing his thumb on it to bring your attention back to him with a little more force. 

His eyes are dark, his tone is low as he speaks through gritted teeth.

“I—have to go to the ladies room.” You stand up instantly.

Ten exhales loudly. “Seulgi! Please escort our Queen to the nearest bathroom.”

Seulgi walks up to you and quickly places her hand around your arm to guide you, but you pull it away. 

“I don’t need..your assistance. I’m not a child.” You look from her and back to Ten, who knew what he was doing. He wanted her to watch you and make sure that you don’t find Lucas.

“You look a little ill, darling. She’ll go with you to make sure you don’t fall out. I know you and corsets don’t exactly get along.” Ten flashes a small smile when he sees your look of disbelief and nods towards Seulgi.

You turn to leave but Ten calls you again.

“Oh, and my love..”

You turn back to him. 

“Yes, Ten?”

“Hurry back before the fireworks.” he winks and takes a sip of his wine.

The two of you walk slowly to the bathroom as you think of a way to escape her. That’s when you see a dance going on between a group of teenagers. They hold hands and move in a tightly knit circle around a large dragon.

You take this as your opportunity to scurry away from Seulgi, ducking under the joined arms quickly and putting yourself by the large dragon in the center.

The immense dragon spins around quickly and moves up and down to the music and cheering.

“Your majesty!” You hear her call out, but you duck again and shimmy around the dancers.

When you look behind you, you see that she’s looking for you on the opposite side of the circle so you run underneath the linked arms again and away from her.

About five steps away, a store owner hands out decorated dragon masks, so you swiftly grab one and bow.

You place it onto your face by pulling the string  around your head. Luckily for you, the town is crowded with thousands of people so you’re able to slip away and into any corners without anyone really noticing you, the Queen.

You walk around, searching for Lucas while avoiding Ten, Seulgi, and the rest of the servants. It’s difficult to breathe behind your mask, but you’re not focused on that, you’re focused on finding him.

You eventually see what looks to be the back of Rosé’s head, but you don’t see her giant counterpart. So you step closer.

Suddenly, you’re snatched up by the arm and dragged into a dark alleyway.

Shit.

“Hey!” You yell as the large hand squeezes you.

You try to identify the man but he wears a mask similar to your own.

“How dare you hold me, the Queen, like this? Unhand me right now!” You have a fit as you believe that it’s one of Ten’s men that has dared to touch you.

“Shhh!!” The man pushes you into the wall and tears his mask off.

Your heart drops when you recognize the beautiful brown eyes that look into your own deeply.

You take your mask off slowly and stare at him for a moment. He bends down towards you, keeping you locked in between his strong arms with his hands placed flat against the wall.

“Lucas..where have you been? Why have you been ignoring me? Wait, how did you even know it was me?”

“Shhh..just kiss me.” He leans down and places his lips onto yours, drawing you into a kiss full of passion and longing.

His tongue traces over your bottom lip as you lean into him more.

You wrap your arms around his waist to pull him closer to you, your shoulders raising as your eyes shut.

His face leaves yours, steamy breath decorating your bottom lip as he looks into your eyes.

“Lucas..that’s not enough..you ignored me.” You lick your lips.

Lucas still stares at your lips. “What do you want me to do, y/n?”

“I want you to write letters to me..tell me..”

“Tell you what?”

“Tell me..you love me” you look into his eyes as your heart races because of his close proximity.

“I could write a million letters proclaiming my love for you, y/n. But it wouldn’t matter. You still belong to him. We aren’t meant to be together, can’t you see?”

“I..I don’t care. I need you, no matter what happens, I’ll always need you.” You hold the side of his face as you whisper.

“Please..y/n. I love you, but we can’t do this anymore. One of us will get hurt.” Lucas pleads, but looks out to the side, carefully watching for anyone that walks by and peaks in. He looked worried, like he was contemplating spending any time with you.

And the truth is, he was worried especially after Hendery’s threatening visit. Hendery topped it off with a challenging duel to assert his devotion to the King, but as hard as Hendery fought, Lucas overpowered him. Nonetheless, Lucas wouldn’t tell you this as he wouldn’t want you to worry.

“It’s best that we stop this.” He exhales.

But you want him so badly. You want to feel him hold you in his arms again. You want that feeling of sunshine running through your veins as you make pure love.

“Fine. But first put my heart at ease, Lucas, don’t just ignore me. Look at me and tell me you don’t care, tell me you don’t love me and that you want this to end. Tell me that your heart does not tremble as mine does when I’m with you.”

He turns to you and looks into your eyes, his mouth falling open but no sound comes out.

He shakes his head slowly and closes his eyes while sighing. “You know I can’t do that.”

So you kiss him again. Your arms circling around his neck this time as you press your lips into his hard. Your teeth clash as the kiss becomes messier, your lips becoming red.

The two of you kissed as a feeling of frustration filled your bodies. You couldn’t be together honestly, yet you couldn’t be away from each other. Lucas tried to ignore you unsuccessfully. It tore him apart when he had to stop writing letters to you. He tried to distract himself by hunting and fulfilling his duties, and by being a good husband to Rosé and giving her happy nights. But at the end of it all, he always missed you.

Lucas stopped the kiss, pulling away to look into your eyes filled with tears.

“I missed you.” He says before giving you the softest smile.

You feel your face become hot. “I missed-“

“Has anyone seen the Queen?!” You hear a man shout.

“Put your mask back on.”

He states before putting his on.

“W-what?”

Lucas only takes your mask out of your hand and places it onto your face then tying it for you.

He takes your hand and leads you out of the alleyway. 

“Hold your head down.”

You both hurry past the crowds, working your way to wherever Lucas was taking you.

People gather to the river where they will get the best view of the firework celebration that is to happen soon.

But the two of you move in the opposite direction.

After about 10 minutes of brushing past hundreds of people and into an empty area outside of the market, you finally reach a gazebo.

It just the two of you there, everyone has gathered over a thousand feet away and towards the river where music is playing while people cheer and dance.

Lucas tears his mask off and sits down onto the bench in the gazebo. You take your mask off too as he holds your waist and brings you down onto his lap.

You resume your kiss, breathing heavily as your body moves back and forth onto his growing bulge.

He reaches under the many layers of your dress, laughing out as he struggles to find your thighs.

“I know..it’s a lot.” You laugh.

He smiles widely. “But it’s beautiful...you’re beautiful.” He looks into your eyes while pressing his fingers onto your slit.

You hiss at the contact, your hips instantly moving faster.

He fixes his pants down his legs as you lift yourself up slightly. His free cock now presses against the skin of your inner thigh. You wish you could see it or even touch it, but you had to move fast. Surely, Ten and his men would be combing through the crowds now looking for you or even Lucas.

“Fuck.” Lucas whispers through a staggered breath as you lower yourself onto him.

You kiss him hard as you grind down on him, his fingers gripping your legs hard, pressing into the soft skin.

He licks your neck and kisses it softly, careful not to leave any marks. He would tear your dress off and decorate every part of you with kisses if he had his way, but he knew it was impossible for tonight.

Just being close to you for this moment was enough. Red made you look gorgeous and the night lights and makeup you wore made you look like an angel that graced the earth.

You moved up and down faster, your mouth falling open as that familiar feeling started to return.

Lucas brought his hands onto your ass now, pushing himself deeper and deeper into you as you cried out.

“Shhh.” He tried to shush you as your moaning grew louder. No one was close by, and the commotion would’ve covered any noises the two of you made but he had to be sure.

He grunted into your ear, his teeth lightly grazing your neck as he also got closer, his pre-cum spilling into you.

He places two fingers onto your clit, rubbing it slowly. Your chest falls and you can’t hold back any longer.

“Yes..” you cry out, moving faster. Some of your hair falls out of your bun, you can’t form coherent sentences as Lucas dick commands your wet flower, pushing against your sweet spot repeatedly.

You begin to make out again, your lips covered in spit as your tongues dance.

“Lucas!” You moan loudly, but the sound of the fireworks booming through the night sky covers your noise.

Your eyes shut tightly.

He curses as he releases into your trembling body, holding you down onto his hips.

The fireworks still blow up and out into the sky while you relax.

Your heart rate normalizes and you pick yourself off of him. You sit beside him, legs weak and chest still heavy.

He fixes his pants and clears his throat.

“I love you, y/n. I love you so much. I would never abandon you.”

Lucas contemplated telling you about Ten’s demanding letter, but it wasn’t the right time.

“We must be careful, should we continue.”

You smile and kiss him once more. Nothing mattered in that moment. You just wanted to enjoy the fireworks with him, for you knew that the fireworks were meant to bring good luck to any couples that stood beside each other as they went off to bring in the new year.

Maybe you would receive a blessing. Maybe..the two of you could end up together.

After several minutes of enjoying each other’s company, you both decided to head back to your spouses, departing in opposite directions.

You made sure to wipe yourself clean in a restroom, then fix your lipstick and hair before heading out towards your carriage.

People started to disperse as the celebrations calm down after the fireworks. They made their way back to their own carriages, smiling and laughing, but you heard a commotion as you got closer to your grand carriage.

You flinched as you heard a screeching scream. You picked your dress up and walked faster, your smile fading from your face.

“What’s going on?” You asked a man in the crowd that circled around your carriage.

“Oh!...your majesty, excuse me.” The man stepped out fo your way as did several other men that stood in front. 

You heard the thunderous crack of a whip and another screech followed by a woman crying.

You looked closer and saw that someone kneeled on the ground, their back was naked and littered with red slash marks.

“Oh no..” you ran forward when you saw Ten watch as one of his men pulled his arm back to deliver yet another blow to the poor girl.

Your eyes widened when you saw who the person being attacked was.

Seulgi.

“Stop!” You threw your body over hers before the man could whip her once more.

“Halt!” Ten called to stop the man.

“And there she is..” Ten says softly, a smile creeping across his face as he watches you hold Seulgi, her blood staining your expensive dress.

You start to cry, looking into her cherry-red face wet with tears. “I’m so sorry, please forgive me.”

“What are you apologizing for? She’s the one that’s incompetent and cannot complete a simple task for her king.” Ten raises an eyebrow. 

You become furious. He took his madness out on someone innocent and in front of many people. He humiliated and hurt her all because they could not find you.

You snap your head up to look at him through angry eyes. “Have you lost your fucking mind?”

The crowd gasps and Ten’s eyes grow, but his face still displays an evil smile.

“How dare you talk to your king like that!” You hear his mother yell.

“You wretch! You should be punished!” She steps forward.

“Mother..calm down..shes our Queen after all. She’s allowed to express herself.” Ten speaks calmly.

He walks over to you and crouches down.

You hold Seulgi tight, covering her body as she sobs into her hands.

“It’s my fault, your majesty, I shouldn’t have abandoned you. I failed you, please, I must receive the lashings as punishment for my incompetence.” She says in between sniffles, her body shaking out of fear and immense pain from her burning wounds.

Your heart breaks at the sight, you’re the cause of all this. You were the one that abandoned her. “No..no, it’s not your fault, I was the one that slipped away, I was the one that lost you. I’m so sorry.” 

“Go away!” You yell out at the people that still crowd you and watch the drama unravel.

They quickly disperse into all directions and leave.

“And where exactly did you slip away to for all that time, y/n?” Ten turns to you.

“I got lost, there’s thousands of people here, Ten..but how could you do this?”

“And what about Lucas?”

You look up at him slowly, a moment resting between his question and your answer, but you are quickly interrupted by a soft voice.

“He was with me, your majesty.” Rosé walks quickly towards the three of you, Lucas following behind.

She lied to protect you, or rather, to protect Lucas.

Ten stands up straight and looks past Rosé and onto Lucas.

“That’s good to hear..it seems he understands the importance of being beside one’s spouse once the fireworks light up the sky on this special night.”

Ten smirks and turns back to you. “Get up, we have business to tend to back home.”

You obey his order as to not piss him off any more. You don’t dare spare a glance to Lucas but you can feel his eyes on you, how sorrowful they must look.

“Irene! Get her cleaned up and out of my sight!” Ten says before squeezing your arm and taking you to the carriage.

He helps you inside and sits beside you before the two of you endure a long and silent drive back home.

Once you get back home, Ten takes your arm and practically throws you inside. You quickly turn to him and close your fists tightly.

He pushes you into the wall, pressing his body into yours. “Do you take me for a fool? Huh?! After all this time, do you think I’m just some foolish schoolboy still?”

“I think you’re crazy! Wait, no, I KNOW you’re crazy!” 

He takes your jaw into his hand and brings his lips to yours, forcing a kiss onto them.

You slap him and watch as he backs away.

“You expect me to love you after that? You embarrassed an innocent woman, Ten! And on the night of the Chinese festival of all nights, how can I love you?! You keep me caged like some kind of animal! I can’t take it anymore!”

Ten rubs the spot you slapped him and grows furious, fire roaring through his veins.

“You were supposed to come back to me! We were supposed to kiss as we bring in the new year together!”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t find my way back, but you have to understand, I didn’t do it on purpose. It was an accident.”

“I know what it is..” Ten exhales and walks around the foyer.

“I’ve been too lenient, I’ve been too giving. I am not a king, I am a weak fool that falls for the same person over and over. The person that never stops taking advantage. The person who I just can’t say no too.”

“Ten..” you shake your head.

“But I know what I’ll do..I’ll release you..I’ll let you go, like the caged bird you feel like you are. You will be free.” Ten swallows hard..he walks into the guest room and sits down. You follow him and watch as he pours himself a glass of scotch.

“You will no longer be Queen, you can leave me..”

Could Ten possibly be letting you go? Could you be with Lucas after all?

You sit down on the chair adjacent to his.

Ten gives you a moment to protest, but once you don’t, he begins to grow angry again. He thinks that you do in fact want to be free from him since you do not call him a fool for saying such outrageous things. He knew he’d never let you go, but seeing your eyes grow with hope made him irritated.

“You can be relinquished of all royal titles and live as a beggar, you’ll never see your family again, but that wouldn’t matter, right? Just as long as you have Lucas..”

Your eyes flicker up to him.

“Ten..”

“But poor Lucas and his family, they’d have to live and eventually, die in poverty..hmmm so sad.” Ten downs the liquid and slams the glass onto the table. He gives you a sarcastic smile.

“I...despise you, Ten.” You stand up and head for the door, but Ten rushes after you spinning you around before grabbing a fistful of your hair.

His lips smash into yours once more as his hand pulls your hair pin out, your hair falling loose.

You kiss him back, biting his lips on purpose but not pushing him away as you did before. 

He bites into your neck as he listens to you whine. Your hands scrape at his back, scratching him through his shirt as he groans.

He breaks the kiss off and tears away the fabric of your dress, revealing your breasts and exposing them to the cold air.

“Do you want to know what I was thinking when I watched her be punished?”

“What?” You say before he sucks your nipple as the two of you stand in the foyer, angrily embracing each other.

“How badly I want to punish you in ways you’ve never been punished before..”

Ten flips you around, pushing you into the wall so your back is against his chest.

He kisses you from behind, but quickly bites into your shoulder while grabbing your hair and pulling back roughly.

“And the way you spoke to me in front of all those people..that was the icing on the cake, sweetheart.” Ten’s gravelly voice enters your ear.

He unlaces your corset and slides down what’s left of your dress with one hand while his other hand holds both wrists tightly and over your head.

He then presses his fingers onto your clit, immediately rubbing circles into it as you cry out his name.

He bites harder into your shoulders, breaking the skin to draw blood.

“Fuck!” You moan at the mixture of pain and pleasure.

He fingers you as his cock presses against your ass, your head falls back, you close your eyes and focus on the way his fingers stretch you out so wonderfully.

Ten pinches your nipple with his other hand, but continues to suck hard onto you shoulder.

Your essence runs down your wavering legs. You can’t think or even speak straight.

“Yes..T-Ten..right..there.”

You’re so close, you clench around him but he takes his fingers out and spins you around to face him.

“Did you really think it would be that easy?”

He kneels and gives you a smirk as he looks up at your disappointed face.

Ten was never like this, he always made sure you came no matter what, but now he was denying you. 

You lock eyes as he sucks his fingers clean.

“You’re cruel.” You whimper.

He chuckles and runs a hand down your abdomen, adoring your soft skin and the way you fidget.

“Oh, you have no idea.I’ll show you crazy, my darling. Yes, tonight, I’ll drive you mad, just as mad as you’ve made me.”

He holds your legs by the crook of your knees and places them over his shoulders, his head now in between them and hot breath fanning over your soaking entrance.

He licks slowly as he watches you moan.

Your hand goes to the back of his head, and runs through his hair.

“Oh, my love. I would be a fool to let such a sweet thing go.” Ten whispers then licks in between your folds.

His kitten licks drive you crazy, you can’t help but grab onto his hair tighter.

“Please Ten..”

But he continues to go slow, watching you above him as you play with your nipple and mutter out curse words. He won’t push in further, but he allows the tip of his nose to tickle your bud.

He flattens his tongue, working his way past your folds as you shake.

You’re needy to the point of tears, but Ten doesn’t budge.

“Oh fuck.. let me cum please.” You whine again.

He finally dips his tongue in, swirling it around as he kisses your slit. You move your hips against his face, feeling the bridge of his nose press onto your bud.

“Yes..” your head falls back.

Ten applies pressure to that one spot he knows will make you go crazy, and just as you’re about to cum he pulls his face away from your pussy, kissing your thigh while your chest falls.

“You don’t deserve to cum.”

He yanks your arm and drags you upstairs to the bedroom.

“Do you..remember..the first night we fucked sweetheart?”

“How could I forget?” You breathlessly let out, your legs still weak from being close to your climax not once, but twice.

“The safe word..what was it?? Ah yes, gold.” Ten pushes you onto the bed.

“On your stomach, hands behind your back.” You turn over as he demands, your ass up and ready, but little do you know what Ten has planned for you.

Ten takes silk rope that was placed inside 

the nightstand and ties both of your wrists together.

You squeal as he tightens it so tight, you know that you won’t be able to shimmy out of it if you tried.

Ten holds the back of your neck as he leans down to whisper into your ear.

“Ass up at all times, if you falter, you’ll be like this all night.”

You nod. You’d do anything to cum at this point.

Ten then ties two silk ropes around your ankles, each rope leading to your wrists. You can no longer separate your legs from your arms. You’re open for him and restricted, unable to close your legs or move your arms. The ropes are right, you can feel the blood pressure increases, but a part of you likes it. 

The image of Ten over your bound body only makes you ache for a release even more. You want to feel him inside you, running his veiny cock against your walls.

Ten rubs his hand over your ass teasingly, just barely touching it to trace the roundness of it.

He pulls his pants down and pushes into you in one swift move, you can’t adjust in time and whine loudly at the sudden penetration.

Your body falls forward, but he grips your wrists and brings you back to him, grunting as he reaches your depths and runs his length along your soothing walls.

“Ahh!! Ten!”  You scream as he pushes into you again, ramming his dick into.

“Don’t be so surprised, sweetheart, I told you I would punish you. But you’re so fucking wet, I’m beginning to think you’re enjoying this.”

Ten pulls out slowly, groaning at the way you clench and twitch around his length.

Your feet and hands go numb, the tight rope digging into your skin to leave a mark.

“You look so pretty like this, all tied up for me. If i could have you like this all the time, I’d be overjoyed.”

Ten growls then slams into you once again, this time, letting your body fall onto the bed while you moan.

He pulls you by your hair and whispers into your ear, pinching your nipples so your eyes fly open.

“I hope it’s not too much for you.” He states in a mocking tone. 

He pushes your head forward into the bed again, drilling into your body as his skilled hips fail to miss a beat.

The sounds of skin against skin and your moans fill the air, making you feel weak. The tingly feeling in your stomach just begging to be eased.

“Ten..please..I’m almost-“ you say through staggered breaths.

“I’m gonna..”

“Do you want to end up like Seulgi? Don’t you dare cum without my approval.” He growls and moves even faster.

It’s hard to hold back, but you’re not exactly sure what Ten is capable of anymore. You follow his orders as tears run down your cheeks. You bite your lips and try not to cum as he coats your walls with his own essence and holds you fast against him.

He pants and lays his body on top of yours.

He pulls out, but replaces his dick with his fingers, pushing the cum that has leaked out back into you.

He looks at the side of your face as he fingers you, looking into your eyes before giving your cheeks a light peck. His hair has fallen into his face, his exposed shoulders shining in the dimly lit room with sweat. He’s incredibly gorgeous, even when he’s angry.

“Don’t cry, sweetheart. A king never disappoints his obedient queen at the end of it all.”

Obedient being the key word.

“Ten..baby, please.” 

“Shhh...it’s too late to beg, stay here.”

Ten leaves the room, your body still on the bed, aching in your strenuous position.

He comes back in not too long after, however, retaking his position behind you.

“Ahhhh..my beautiful queen, how will I let the world...” he takes a breath before continuing, traces of sarcasm echoing in his tone. “And any other man..know that you are mine?”

You breathe heavily. 

Then feel a sharp slap to your butt. A wooden paddle sends you into the bed, your voice letting out a crackling cry at the unexpected hit.

“No..no..keep your body up, sweetheart.” He puts his arm under you and brings your body back to its original position.

He then smacks you again, but with less force.

“See? Here I go, going easy on you again.”

Another smack, you shut your eyes tightly and feel your slick run down your legs.

“Look at you..getting turned on by this.” He swings the paddle onto you again, but with as much force as he did the first time.

He grabs you by your hair before you can crash into the bed.

“Oh my god, Ten!” You cry out.

He slaps you again.

“There we go..now we are getting the reaction that we need..your skin is magnificent, especially in this bruised tone.”

You sob, but you won’t give him the satisfaction of saying the safe word.

He delivers another blow as you yelp.

He becomes hard again at the sight of your entrance dripping and ass irritated.

He moves behind you and places the paddle down. His fingernails dig into your hips as he drags your ass towards him, this time he pushes into your asshole slowly.

“Ten!”

He grunts then pushes into you all the way. “So tight. Just like the first night.”

He moves in and out at a steady pace, your breath leaving you with each thrust. You whimper and struggle against your restraints, but he feels amazing, you don’t want him to stop.

He leans forwards and pushes two fingers into your mouth, his hips increasing in speed.

“Ahhh..fuck.” Strings of cum enter you once again.

That night, Ten teased you endlessly, playing with your body like it was a toy for a spoiled child on Christmas. Keeping it in weird positions as he fucked into you over and over. Choking you while denying you of release, your makeup was smudged and messy as you cried from over-sensitivity. He took his frustrations out on you all night and you wondered how he was still so energetic.

And when he finally let you experience your long awaited orgasm, your hands loose and scratching at his back, your ankles over his shoulders as he pushes into you from above and kisses your lips like he needs them to survive. You came hard, your eyes rolling into the back of your head. Shortly after, you fell asleep as he cleaned you up.

The next day, you couldn’t walk. Your bum, wrists and ankles were littered with painful bruises. Your neck and chest also had too many love bites for you to count. It was safe to say you’d be in the house for a while. No one could see you like this.

Your eyes squint as the sunlight burns through the thin curtains.

Ten walks into the room. “Good morning.”

He gives a small smile then scoops you off of the bed.

“W-where-?” You rub your eyes.

“Is a man not allowed to take his wife to the bath?” Ten looks onto you with furrowed brows.

He places you down into the bath filled with water and rose petals. Usually, your maids helped you bathe while Ten was out of the room, but here Ten was being the caring husband he should be.

“That was the hardest I’ve ever gone, darling. You are clearly fit to be my wife after all.” He says as he washes you down. He sits on the side of the tub and massages your body with warm water, and expensive soap he created far away in the mountains just for you.

You moan and bite your lips. His touch is soothing, his hands move over your breasts and your abdomen slowly, and soon, the apex of your legs.

“Ten-“ you draw in a sharp breath.

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“Join me..please.”

And so he joins you in the oversized, luxurious tub, making love to you once more as water splashes onto the floor, your legs around his waist, your hands running along his soft back. Ten moans as he feels your fingers delicately trace over the scratch marks you gave him last night.

“I’m so happy you’re mine.” He whispers as you drift into sleep again.

————

[MARCH 1896]

Ten holds your hand tightly as the two of you walk into a tea shop.

The store owner immediately bows to both of you. “Your majesty, welcome! Allow me to provide you with the finest tea in the land. I would’ve been more prepared had I known of your visit, I do apologize.”

“No need to apologize, thank you for welcoming us.” You cut in before Ten can make a snarky comment like he always did to people below him.

The two of you sat down to enjoy delicious tea from all over the world. Some spicy, some incredibly sweet, and some so refreshing, it felt like you were drinking liquid happiness.

“Which ones do you prefer, my love?” Ten turns to you as you wipe your mouth with a napkin.

“I like..the Wuyi Narcissus..” you breathlessly let out, suddenly becoming weak and dizzy. Your heart beats rapidly, almost like it’s threatening to burst through the cage it’s in.

Blood rushes to your head as you lean over, your vision blurring and hands releasing the tea cup you held.

A crash sounds as the fine china splatters all over the floor, a commotion follows.

“Y/n? Y/n! What have you done to her?!” Ten holds your body and shakes you lightly, but you’ve already passed out completely.

Later that day, you wake to find yourself laying on your shared bed. Your eyes flutter open to see a man with glasses and a small smile over you.

“I don’t care if no one has ever been sickened by his tea before, I want that man dead by sunset!” Ten yells outside of the room.

“What-what happened?” You ask the man that seems to have just taken your temperature.

“Sweetheart! You’re okay..” Ten rushes over beside you.

“I promise that man will not see another morning for hurting you like this.”

“Ten..what are you talking about?” You still feel very weak, your hands and feet are numb.

“Bring him in!” Ten yells outside of the room.

Two guards drag the tea shop owner inside your bed room and make him kneel at the foot of your bed by kicking the crook of his knees.

“Ahh! Your majesty, I did not poison you! I swear by it! I would never-“ the old man cries, his eyes are bruised, swollen and blood runs from the corner of his mouth.

“Shut up!” Ten slaps the man hard with the back of his hand, making him fall forward and cry louder.

“Ten!” You cry out and reach for him.

“Please..please don’t.” Youre voice is barely above a whisper as you still struggle to breathe normally.

“this bastard poisoned you!”

Ten walked back towards you.

“Actually, that may not be the case.. your majesty, now that you are awake, may I ask you a question?” The man with the glasses beside your bed cuts in.

“My name is Kun Qian, I am the royal family’s physician.”

“Hello, Doctor. Yes, you may ask me anything.”

“When was the last time you experienced menstruation?”

Your eyes widened at the doctor asking such a private question, but then you really thought about it. You hadn’t seen your period for some time.

“It-it’s been quite a while, doctor.” You look up at him and nod your head.

“As I suspected, based on your temperature and low blood pressure, it seems as though you are pregnant.” He gives you a smile and looks back at Ten. 

“A heir is on the way!”

Your mouth falls open as anguish covers your entire body. You weren’t ready to be a mother, you didn’t think you could even carry a baby. Hell, it was only the first few days or so and you had already fainted.

Your brows are knitted as you stare at the doctor, then look back at Ten.

He smiles from ear to ear, then leans down to pull you into a big hug.

“My love! We are going to have a baby!” He exclaims then pulls away to see your reaction. You still look dumbfounded, clearly not as excited as he is. 

Ten frowns slightly, then turns back to the men in the room.

“Leave us!” He yells and they quickly scurry out of the room.

He turns back to you. “Well, don’t look so thrilled, sweetheart.” A sarcastic smirk falling over his face now that the room is empty.

“I..I am excited..I’m just nervous.”

“Please don’t worry, my love..” he rubs a hand slowly on top of the blanket covering your belly.

“I will ensure that you receive the best care throughout this pregnancy and after. As well as our dear child. They will be the most spoiled baby on Earth. Do you trust me?”

The answer was no. Ten was aggressive sometimes and words were just words. You weren’t sure what he was capable of.

“Darling?”

“Y-yes..I do.” You nod, and give him a reassuring smile to ease his concern.

“I would like to rest now, Ten.”

Ten nods before kissing your hand and leaving the room. He felt like he was on cloud 9, he ran through the house like a child that was just gifted a dog to chase and play with.

You rested your head onto your pillow and stared at the ceiling, thinking all sorts of things.

The night of the Chinese Festival..it had to have been then.

But which man was the father of the baby growing in you?

Ten believed it was his, but you weren’t sure, for little did he know, you too had been unfaithful.

————

[MAY 1896]

You sit and have tea with Ten’s mother.

“How do you feel?” She asks, faking concern.

“Well..I’ve had better days.”

She sighs and takes a sip from her cup.

“I don’t understand what my son sees in you. You can barely handle a pregnancy, how can you handle a nation of needy people?”

“You’ve said that before. How do you expect me to react?”

“I don’t expect anything from a weak girl like you, I know I’d only be setting myself up for disappointment. You came into his life out of nowhere. Your family barely has a respectable lineage. He could’ve gone with someone like that gorgeous Yoona from the Im Estate. But instead...he’s fascinated with you. And why? I’ll never understand.” She shakes her head.

You place your tea cup down loudly and exhale. “Why do you hate me so much, mother?” You say with venom in your tone. You’ve just about had enough with her for she always treats you like you’re less than Ten. She practically threw her hatred in your face since the day you met her.

“Oh, is it that obvious?” She chuckles then takes another sip.

“Well, quite frankly, y/n..I knew you were a lustful wretch from the minute I met you by the look in your eyes..even at your young age, I knew you wanted to corrupt my son, my baby. I knew you were gonna enslave him with your body, taint him and make him forget all that he’d learned.” She spits out while leaning forward.

You stare blankly and look at the table, trying to calm your nerves.

“You’re a whore, y/n, and I just know you fucked that fool, Lucas. That mistake of a man that was birthed by a disgusting prostitute. She threw herself onto my husband in order to take his money. And you’ve done the same to my naive Ten because you are just like her..a whore.”

You chuckle and leaned forward as you remembered catching her son all those times, in the stables, in the library.

“The only whore in this house is your son! He’s just like his father, your cheating bastard of a husband. All he does is stick his penis into anything with a heartbeat! And yet the King ended up with you! A hateful and downright evil bitch! Bless him for being relieved of your presence finally in death!” You lash out.

The queen backhand smacks you so hard, you placed your hands flat onto the table to hold yourself up straight.

The queen gasps and shoots up from her chair. She huffs. “If you ever dare open your foul mouth and speak to me like that again, I’ll see to it that your tongue is removed and fed to the wolves! I can’t kill you, for your death would ruin my son, but I will hurt you, child. Do not..mess with me.”

Seulgi runs over and helps you up from the table after the queen leaves.

Your back aches in pain as you stand up from the dining room table. You press your hand into the small of it and wince. 

Your belly was so huge, you couldn’t even walk 10 steps without the need to stop and take a breath.

“I believe you should rest in your room, your majesty.” A maid helps you up the stairs and towards your bedroom. She was the one to always hold your hand and help you through any cramps you felt. You rarely saw Ten. He was always away for some trip or completing tasks in town, writing orders, or even hunting with other men.

You found it quite odd that he promised to give you the best treatment, but neglected to even check in with you on some days.

“Where..is my husband, Seulgi?” You move up the steps slowly.

“I-I am not sure, Miss, I believe he is out of town at the moment.”

You sigh. “Of course he is.”

“A letter came for you today, your majesty, I have placed it onto the desk in your study.” Seulgi changes the subject quickly, for she knows of Ten’s true whereabouts. She knows that he is actually in the very same castle that you’re in, only, he rests in a room far away on the other end of the large mansion, laying in bed with his favorite servant, Jade.

She knew that your pregnancy would be in danger if you ever discovered this.

“I would like to go there now, I will rest later.” You tell her. You put Seulgi in charge of collecting letters and hiding the ones that were  closed shut with a distinct label. She didn’t know who the letters were from, but even if she had her own assumptions, you knew you could trust her of all the maids to stay quiet.

“Yes, your majesty.” 

Once in the study alone, you open the letter from your beloved Lucas.

Your mouth widens into a smile as you read it and rub your irritated cheek.

Dear y/n,

I am delighted to know that you are doing well. Please continue to rest, eat, and sleep well. I wish I could be there to hold you and feel the subtle kicks of our child. I can imagine how cute it will be already, with your beautiful eyes and my dimples. The baby is so loved , it does not even know. We will provide it with everything that it needs and more. It will have the most caring parents known to man. Once the delivery is successful, I will pick you up and we will run away from this place together, raising our child in the sunniest place for the rest our lives. We will finally be together, my love. All three of us. I promise to see you soon.

                                       Yours Always,

                                                    Lucas

A tears drops onto the paper. Your heart swells with joy when you think of finally living your life with your true love, Lucas. Carrying a baby was painful, but knowing that he loved you and planned to take care of you made it easier.

You wouldn’t have to deal with your careless, self-centered husband, you could finally be happy.

You clutched the letter to your chest and brought it with you to your room, holding it tightly as you fell asleep with a smile on your face.

————

[One Day Later]

“Your majesty...” Jade rushes into Ten’s study.

“What are you doing?! You know we can’t meet here!” Ten quickly stands up and walks close to Jade. 

With shakey hands she lifts up a piece of paper to him.

“I am so sorry, your majesty, but I was cleaning the Queen’s quarters when I came across this letter. It was under one of the pillows on the bed!”

“Shhh..quiet down, you’ll wake her.”

Ten grabs the paper from her and looks into her eyes sternly. “And what gives you the right to read through our Queen’s personal documents, Jade?”

“I-I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help but recognize the name at the bottom.”

Ten raises an eyebrow, but then proceeds to read through the note. 

His face grows angry, his grip on the paper tightens as his knuckles become white as snow.

‘Our son.’

The audacity of this man. Ten thinks to himself. 

“How dare he..” Ten scoffs, he begins to lose it slowly, he can’t even form coherent sentences or words to express how upset he is. So many thoughts run through his head. Had you and Lucas really fornicated that night when you disappeared at the festival? 

Lucas wouldn’t be a fool to call the baby his child if this wasn’t the truth, for this was the only time that you had slipped out of Ten’s sight.

How dare he. Ten thought Lucas would’ve stopped it all. He thought he would’ve been a decent friend and left you alone like he asked, but he disobeyed his order and still continued to keep in touch with you.

How dare you. Oh you...you lied to him. His sweetheart, the one he loved so dearly with all his heart. He gave you everything, the world, and anything else that you could possibly ask for. You took advantage of his kindness, you took him for a fool once again.

And the worst part is, he still loved you. You could stab him in the chest with a sword while daunting an ice cold expression, and he’d still adore you.

And the fact that the two of you planned to run away together made everything worse. The child that he was so excited to welcome and raise into the world with you, would be snatched away from him by his own best friend.

He doubted that even being murdered by you was worse than what he felt right now.

“What will you do?” Jade whispers.

Ten sighs, his eyes narrowing. He knew better than to lash out like some sort of maniac. So he decided to stay cool and calm, he was notorious for that. No matter how difficult a situation be for him, he always remained calm. He was feared by all for this very reason, his silence and unreadable smile made him nothing short scary.

“It seems..Lucas and I will need to have a talk.”

He hands her the paper. “Put this back where you found it, then wait for me in the room at the end of the hall.”

Jade nods quickly and takes the paper from him before turning around.

“And Jade...I have no patience today, if you’re not naked and on your knees in five minutes..I will have no choice but to punish you..again.”

“I understand, your majesty.”

————

[JUNE 1896]

Ten gives your cheek a light kiss as he leaves your side.

“I’ll be gone for a few days, sweetheart, try not to miss me too much.”

“You’re always gone, Ten. I stopped missing you a long time ago. Now, I’m just used to it.”

“Ahhh, darling, don’t be so harsh. You know how it is for the King.” Ten straightens his arms out as his servant cleans his uniform of lint.

“I have to be here, I have to be there..the kingdom needs me.”

“And what about me? I’m carrying your baby, some care would be nice, what if I need you?” You were irritated at Ten today and couldn’t control your emotions as the contractions kept you up all night.

“My baby?” Ten quickly caught himself. “Don’t you mean our baby?”

You roll your eyes and lay back down in the bed as Ten smirks.

“I’ll have Seulgi bring you some tea for the pain.” He says as he exits the bedroom.

————

[JULY 1896]

“You have another letter, your majesty.”

You quickly take the letter from Seulgi and wave her off. “Thank you, you are dismissed.”

It was the first letter that you received from him in about two weeks, so you were more than excited to read it.

Dear y/n,

I apologize for taking so long to follow up with you. I have successfully escaped the Park Estate. Do not be worried, my love, for I only ran away to get settled before the baby arrives. I have taken several trains to get to where I am right now. It is beautiful, perfect even. I cannot think of a more suiting place for our family to thrive. I look forward to taking you here and being with you all the time. I am far enough so that no one will recognize me. Please promise me one thing, if Princess Rosé sends for me, do not tell her or anyone else in the kingdom where I am or about the letters that I send you. You are the only one that knows of my location. My mother and brother do not know and likely will not be asked for me, but when you get here safely, I will, of course, inform them as well. I am beaming with excitement. I cannot wait to see you again.

                                      Yours eternally,

                                                      Lucas 

———————

[AUGUST 1896]

You’re resting in your chambers, a heat flash making you too dizzy to even comprehend what time it is. You wish you could see your mother and father, but Ten’s mother has kept them from entering the premises, claiming that they would only add stress for you.

Ten sent your parents away to a different district where they would be in charge of finances. You thought it was unnecessary for them to be hours away from you, but Ten deemed them the right and only fit for the job.

A servant enters the room and calls out to you.

“Your majesty..”

“Yes..” you say groggily, squinting as the sun flight hurts your eyes.

You rub your belly and wince. “What is it?”

“Princess Rosé has come to see you, she says it is urgent.” Seulgi states with a look of worry.

“Let her in, please.” you sit up straight, preparing yourself for what is about to ensue.

Rosé comes rushing into your room.

“Your majesty! I cannot find Lucas!”

You furrow your brows. “What?”

Rosé sobs. “No one has seen him in two months...I thought he was visiting another city, but it turns out he never showed up. Your majesty, what if something’s happened to him? I am so worried..I.”

“Shhh...please, sit on the bed. We will find him, I’m sure he’ll be back from whatever trip he has taken soon enough.”

It hurt you to lie to Rosé like this, but it’s what Lucas asked of you.

He made you promise not to tell anyone the truth.

“It’s just..he’s never done this before, he’s never left and not even written a letter to me..oh, your majesty, I miss him so much.” Rosé cries hard into her hands.

You lean forward and rub her back. “He’s okay, Rosé, perhaps he needed some time away.”

She looks up at you. “You’re right, I think I left him too often. What if he doubts my love for him? He’s been so sweet to me, what if I’ve broken his big heart?”

Your eyes tear up as you think of the man you and Rosé both knew. Lucas loved everyone so deeply, he was a tall glass of love ever flowing, brightening anything and anyone he came into contact with.

It was a pity that someone as nice as Rosé would have to be hurt by both your actions.

Ten struts into the room. “What’s the matter?”

“I can’t find Lucas, I think something has happened to him, it’s been two months!” Rosé cries harder.

“Oh no..oh dear.” Ten steps closer before locking eyes with you, as if to ask if you knew anything about Lucas’ whereabouts.

You shrug your shoulders and shake your head as you pat Rosé’s back.

“Lucas, my dear friend. I’m sure he is hiking somewhere, going on some grand adventure like usually does. But do not worry, I will send out any and all of my men in search of him. We will speak to the countrymen and ask if they’ve seen him so we can trace his steps. We will search far and wide, even outside of the kingdom, Rosé. We will find him.”

“Oh, your majesty, I am forever in your debt.” Rosé stands up and bows to Ten.

But Ten watches your eyes, anxious to see how you react to his words. You wipe your eye of a tear and mouth “thank you.”

—————

[SEPTEMBER 1896]

“Doctor Qian...I might just rip this baby out myself..he dances like his father, and my belly is blessed to be the dance floor.” You wince as another contraction sets in.

The doctor lifts the stethoscope and his head from your stomach.

“Well, your majesty, I’m afraid you don’t have just one dancer in there.”

Your eyes grow large.“W-what?”

“There are, in fact, two heartbeats coming from your belly.” 

“Doctor..what are you saying?”

“It looks like you’re in a considerable amount of pain because you’re pregnant with twins.”

He gives you a big smile.

You gasp. “Oh..my God.”

Ten walks into the room, fixing his pants as he steps in.

You scan him up and down while he smooths his hair back and breathes heavily.

He never made it to your appointments on time..even if he was already in the very castle that they occurred in.

“I’m sorry I’m late, any news doctor?” He says as he walks to your side of the bed.

“Yes, I was just informing your wife of her pregnancy with twins, your majesty.”

“Twins?!” Ten gasps, he immediately smiles from ear to ear, new found hope flooding his head. Could you possibly be pregnant with his child also?

“Yes, that is why she is in so much pain.”

“Sweetheart, that’s amazing.” Ten bends down to give you a kiss, but you turn your head.

“Doctor, when is the delivery date?”

Ten’s smile falls and he stands ups straight before rolling his shoulders.

“Late October or Early November, your highness.” The doctor snaps his briefcase shut, turning to bid you and Ten a farewell.

When the room is empty, you turn to Ten.

“Where were you, Ten?”

“Doesn’t matter, darling. I’m here now.” Ten shimmies off his jacket and sits on the edge of the bed.

“It does matter, because while the doctor is informing me of my health and the health of our CHILD, you’re off doing God knows what!”

You grip the sheets to hold in your anger.

“I can smell that bitch on you!” Your voice raises.

Ten moved over to you quickly, grabbing you by the throat and squeezing it slightly. His eyes full of pure anger.

“You’ve got some nerve, woman! I’ve given you everything you ask for, yet you lay here on the most expensive bed in this continent and all I hear from you are complaints! Be grateful for once and I may just want to spend time with you!”

He releases his grip and stands up before smoothing his pants.

You stare at him in shock. You contemplate tearing him apart with words, but you calm yourself. You needed to rest and keep your heartbeat stable to ensure the safe delivery of your babies, the ones you would soon raise with Lucas.

Ten walks to the door.

“You should rest and make sure my children are healthy..”

He looks at you over his shoulder. “Because if they aren’t...I’ll have your head put on a stake.”

—

Later that week, you receive another letter from Lucas. He tells you once again that he is safe and doing well, and is longing to see you.

You reply with a letter.

My dearest Lucas,

The doctor has informed me that I am pregnant with twins! Oh, how excited I am for you to meet them. They will have your laugh, your smile, your warmth. I love you, I wish you were here to take care of me. Ten has been absent on most days, leaving me to endure this pregnancy alone, even on the most painful nights. I know that if you were here, you’d be beside me through it all. Nonetheless, I pray that you are prepared for the twins. I will do my best to ensure their safe arrival. I look forward to reuniting with you soon and running away from this dreadful place, you will relieve me of my ties to this insane man and bring me to a paradise filled with true unconditional love, and we will live happily forever. My love, I need you..more than ever. Please be safe.

                                        Yours Truly,

                                                  Y/n

After sending your letter off to a post office Lucas had given you the address of in another letter, you decide to walk about the castle for a while. The doctor advised you to take walks every now and then, but to not pressure yourself.

You head to the planetarium that Ten had built in just for you about a year ago. Back when Ten was caring and genuinely sweet, he did things for you just to see you smile. He knew you loved to look into the sky when you rested under the cherry blossom tree together, so he’d decided to get you a room where you could gaze together and hold hands just like you did in the old days.

You sit there and gaze at the stars, silently praying for a safe delivery that both you and your children would survive.

When you’ve spent an hour or so in the room, you finally get up and walk back to your room. You stop just after you pass by one of the rooms in the hallway. A loud groan escapes the door.

You lean in close and hear the whimpers of a woman as well. Your brows furrow. Surely, your servants wouldn’t be fooling around in your house.

You slowly turn the handle of the door and peak into the room.

Your heart drops at the sight and sound.

Ten makes love to Jade on the bed, thrusting his dick into her as her head falls over the edge of the bed and her legs spread further

apart. He sucks her neck and moans while a male servant enters him from behind, holding him by the waist as he pushes deep into your husband’s ass.

The man doesn’t see you as he throws his head back and looks to be on the brink of his climax.

A hand flies over your mouth, falling open.

You don’t make a sound, but Ten feels a gust of wind when the door opens up a little more.

He looks up at you, locking his dark, lustful eyes with your teary ones as you stand there in shock. Their bodies are naked, sweaty. Their moans and groans flood your ears.

But unlike the first time you caught him, he doesn’t stop. He pushes into her harder, still keeping eye contact with you.

He grabs her neck and begins to choke her, however, you just can’t seem to stop watching it all happen.

Her face begins to turn red, her eyes fly open and when she gets the upside down image of you in the doorway, she only chuckles.

Her voice gets louder as she cums. 

“Oh! Oh, yes! Your majesty! Yes!” Her body shaking on the bed. Ten cums soon after, choking her harder as he watches you and grunts. The man behind him slams into Ten one more time before releasing into him and gripping onto his waist with his fingernails.

The audacity of them all. You clenched your fists, then slammed the door shut.

You wiped your tears with one hand and held your belly with the other. You tried not to cry too hard, for you didn’t want to stress yourself out, but Ten really ruined you. He didn’t care for you or love you, he only lusted after you. He only wanted to possess you.

That night, you kept yourself from crying by re-reading Lucas’ letters and dreaming of your wonderful life with him.

Ten had the nerve to bring breakfast to you the next morning.

You took the tray and threw it on the ground.

“Do you really think I’d eat something from you? You’re a revolting liar!”

“Oh? Revolting? Nice. Haven’t heard that one from you yet.” Ten sits on the edge of the bed.

“Yeah..well you really brought out my creativity after what you did yesterday.”

“What’s wrong? Are you jealous? You looked like you liked it..did it remind you of the first night?”

Ten taps the blanket with his fingers, slowly pushing them into the apex of your legs. “the night when Lucas and I played with your body? Ah, yes, we took turns entering and filling it up with our seed? It’s a shame he’s not here for us to do it again..”

His voice is laced with lust as he gazes at your swollen breasts.

“Don’t TOUCH me!” You move your leg and brush him off.

“So what? You’ll never let me touch you again? You’re my wife, darling..I have to touch you..kiss you..fuck you.” Ten gives a sadistic smile that you wish you could erase from your memory forever.

“You will NEVER put your dick in me again.”

“Then what good are you as my queen? We have to create a family..even after this pregnancy, there should be more, no? That’s what the people want, my love.”

“And if I leave you?” You say through gritted teeth.

Ten chuckles loudly. “Leave me? The king? I guess our children will be motherless, how sad. ‘Til death do us part,’ sweetheart, did you forget?”

“Why do you keep me around? You have people that give you what you need, because clearly, I am not enough..why do you hurt me?” Tears start to fill your eyes, making his apparition blurry.

“They’ll never be you..I love you..I need you, you’re mine and I’ll die before I let you go.” Ten runs his finger down your neck as he whispers.

“It feels amazing..having you here..to myself.”

“You’re pretty when you cry.” He wipes a tear.

“I hate you, Ten.”

Ten takes your hand and kisses it, laying it on the side of his face as he pouts.

“I love you too, sweetheart.”

————

[NOVEMBER 1896]

You hold Ten’s hand tightly, letting out another blood-curdling scream. Your hips feel like they will shatter at any moment as you deliver your children.

But after several hours of grueling contractions and labor, you deliver two beautiful girls. Ten let you choose the names so you chose Yīngtáo for Cherry and Kāihuā for Blossom as Lucas had suggested in a letter to you once.

Ten rocks one twin in his arms as he tears up. You rock the other in your arms and smile at her.

“Oh, y/n..they’re beautiful.” Ten sobs.

You smile. “I know..”

Your nurses take the babies away and into their care room, where they are bathed and fed. The doctor also checks their vitals to ensure that they are healthy.

It’s just you and Ten in the room after it’s been cleaned up.

Ten lays down beside you, pulling you into his arms. You’re too tired to push yourself away from him, so you welcome his embrace by relaxing your body.

Your head rests on his chest, rising up and down slowly and steadily. 

“You did well, my love.” Ten says softly.

“Yeah..I guess I did, even after all the shit you put me through.”

Ten chuckles lightly then sighs. “That night of the Chinese festival..it was so long ago..and look at what has happened. We have been blessed with not one, but two healthy babies. How can we tell which is which?”

“Well, I’m sure it will be easier to differentiate between the two as they get older..”

“No, my love. How can we tell which child is mine..and which child is his?” Ten says slowly.

Your eyes open as you sit up straight and look at Ten.

“His? What are you talking about?”

Ten runs his fingers down your back and the look on his face makes your skin crawl, his eyes low as he daunts a proud smirk.

“I know about everything, my love. I know what you did last summer. I know that you had sex with Lucas several times...even on that same night that I lost you.”

Your mouth falls open, but Ten doesn’t give you a chance to speak, his hand still running up and down your back.

“And..I want you to know...I forgive you...whether or not they’re mine..I forgive you.” He kisses your cheek.

“I will raise them as my own, for you have just made me the happiest man on Earth.” He whispers into your ear.

“Ten..” your eyes still wide after the shock. Ten knew that you and Lucas were engaging in and affair, and he didn’t tell you until now. How was it that he was so calm? Why did he keep you alive after learning of your whereabouts that night? 

“Everything is all right now. I love you, my darling. I love our children.” Ten nuzzles himself onto your neck and pulls you closer to him as he drifts off into sleep quietly.

Your eyes fill with tears, but you quickly wipe them away and remind yourself of the last letter Lucas sent you. 

He said to meet him at the cherry tree next week at a specific time. That is when he will come to your rescue and take you and your kids away. You smile and close your eyes, dreaming once again of your love.

————

[One Week Later]

It is after midnight when you creep out of your chambers. Ten had once again disappeared but you didn’t care where he was. In fact, you are beyond thankful for his neglect tonight of all nights. This evening you and your babies would run away with Lucas.

The palace was basically dead. The servants were working downstairs on the first floor. Normally, you and Ten had the top floor to yourselves for the evening. If you ever needed to call for a servant, there was a bell that could be rung that could be heard across the residence. 

It was the last thing you needed. You didn’t pack much into your small bag. You removed your sleepwear and put on a pair of pants and a loose-fitting shirt. You put a cloak over yourself and bundled your sleeping girls up in your arms. You prayed they stayed peacefully asleep. You ran away quickly, knowing it would be stupid to leave Ten a letter.

You run towards a servant’s exit to the gardens that were right outside of your bedroom. You knew that no one would cross paths with you up until this point. You let out a sigh of relief and looked down at the babies. They still slept peacefully. You smile down at them and exit through the gardens. 

You enter past the schoolyard you once frequented, amazed and saddened at the sour turn your friendship with Ten and Lucas had taken. You spot the cherry blossom tree in the distance and see a man leaning against the back of it, a baby stroller right beside him. Lucas was already waiting for you and your heart swelled with happiness. 

You say, “Lucas…”

As you get closer and closer, Lucas slowly turns over and you see…

Wait.

“Darling,” Ten starts with a wide smile on his face, “Fancy seeing you here of all places in the middle of the night. Quite careless of you to expose the girls to the elements so soon.”

You back away. What is he doing here? How did he know you were-

Ten clicks his tongue. “Were you expecting someone else?”

You are stunned to silence. You couldn’t think straight. Where was Lucas, you thought. Perhaps he was late. What if he was still on his way to the rendezvous point? And now that Ten was here, you wouldn’t be able to get away with Lucas. You hope Lucas is stealthy and he avoids detection. You could arrange another meeting time. Find another way to escape.  

You try to make up an excuse. “I-”

Ten raises his arms. “Your arms must ache from carrying both of the girls. Allow me,” he says as he takes Yīngtáo. 

He cradles her and continues, “What brings you here, y/n? You have one chance to answer honestly.” 

His nurturing smile at his daughter fades as he looks at you. “Don’t test me.”

You sigh as you cradle Kāihuā. “I’m leaving, Ten.”

Ten laughs. “You are? Are you walking on foot with my daughters to the next town?”

You sigh. “Enough, Ten. I’m leaving. With Lucas. You have kept him and I apart for too long. This,” you say, “Is not a true marriage. If you loved me at all, you would let me go.” 

He caresses your cheek. As quickly as you flinch, he removes his hand from you. “Oh, sweet, foolish y/n. How do you explain my presence in the cherry blossom tree? Exactly at midnight.”

“You must’ve followed me…” You start.

He smiles. “‘You will relieve me of my ties to this insane man and bring me to a paradise filled with true unconditional love, and we will live happily forever’.”

Your heart sinks as he reads the words you wrote to Lucas. Ten found one of your letters. Did that mean he got it before Lucas could receive it? But how, you wonder. 

He pouts. “Insane? Me? Is that how you really think of me?” 

You are tempted to snap at him but don’t want to alarm your babies. You take a deep breath and reply, “What would you call an unfaithful spouse who won’t let you go?”

He laughs. “You’re one to talk about infidelity.” He then coos as he looks at your daughter, “You are just as flawed as I am. That is why we are a perfect match, y/n.” 

You scoff. “We are not meant to be, Ten. I’m leaving with Lucas. No matter what you say. Have us banished from the kingdom. Tell everyone you banished me. I’m sure your mother will be thrilled.” 

Ten shakes his head. “Oh, no, no. That just won’t do. Where will you go?” He fakes concern in his voice. 

“You don’t have to worry about that,” you say. 

Ten continues to mock. “Well, it will be hard for you to go alone. Especially since Lucas won’t be joining you.”

Your stomach churns. “What are you talking about?”

He beams. “He will remain in the kingdom. In the most permanent sense, sweetheart.”

You frown in confusion and fear. “Ten, what-”

He continues, reveling in what he will share with you. 

He recites, “‘Once the delivery is successful, I will pick you up and we will run away from this place together, raising our child in the sunniest place for the rest of our lives. We will finally be together, my love’.”

Ten also got a hold of Lucas’ letters to you. How long had he kept this hidden, you wondered. And your eyes widened at another realization. 

Ten says, “Ah, y/n...y/n...You underestimate me. I must admit that hurts me deeply. Did you really think this charade would go unpunished?”

“Ten…What did you do?” You ask shakily.

————

[Flashback - JUNE 1896]

Lucas brushes Hazel’s mane at the Park Estate’s stables. 

“Your Highness,” one of the servants calls to him.

He looks up at the servant and freezes up at the sight of Ten beside him. 

“His Royal Majesty Ten Lee seeks an audience with Your Highness,” the servant says.

Lucas nods stiffly. “Thank you. You are dismissed.”

The servant departs and Ten stands there, an unreadable smile on his face.

“It’s been a long time...brother,” Ten begins.

Lucas steps away from Hazel and approaches his half-brother. “Your Majesty, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

Ten replies, “I’ve missed our friendship.”

Lucas scoffs. “Have you now?” 

Ten shakes his head. “Remember that I am your king, brother. I won’t tolerate you speaking down to me.” He nods his head over to his team of guards, which included the ever-hostile Hendery. Hendery flashes a condescending smile at Lucas. 

Lucas was still nursing the cut under his chin that Hendery gave him from the first time he visited. Lucas chose not to mention anything to arouse suspicion from the Parks. When they inquired, he said that it was from a sparring incident and they all left it at that. 

Ten continues, “Let’s go hunting.”

Lucas begrudgingly accepts and joins Ten and his men to go hunting in the nearby forest that Lucas was most familiar with. The two brothers take their bows and arrows to hunt for deer. It is a tense and quiet walk. 

When they finally see targets, Lucas eases up and is thankful for the distraction. 

Ten shoots at a deer in the distance but misses. The deer scurries off. He hisses. 

Lucas can’t help a chuckle. Hunting was never Ten’s strong suit.

Ten turns to Lucas. “Something funny, Lucas?”

Lucas shakes his head, smiling. “You’re still terrible with a bow and arrow.” 

Ten recalls the times he and Lucas went hunting when they were kids. He laughs. “I’m afraid so.” 

Lucas had his reservations about Ten. He resented him for marrying you, cheating on you, neglecting you during your time of need, and keeping you away from him. But deep down, he still had affection for his best friend. That connection didn’t just go away, especially since they were actually bonded by blood. And part of him ached for Ten because soon, you and Lucas would leave and never see him again, your friendship permanently severed. 

Lucas does his best to put on a good face. He and Ten regale about their adolescence and their shenanigans in the palace. Ten asks about Rosé and his time in the Park Estate. Lucas asks about the kingdom and how his reign is progressing. He even politely asks about you, acting like you two hadn’t spoken to each other since the festival. Ten replies that you are well and are expecting to deliver the baby sometime in October or November. Lucas pretends to not know this information.

“Congratulations, Your Majesty. A royal heir,” Lucas starts as he aims his arrow in search of a target. 

Ten only watches Lucas now. “Indeed, y/n has made me the happiest man. The baby is just the beginning for us, Lucas.”

Lucas evens out his expression so Ten doesn’t catch onto his irritation. However, Ten knew what he was doing. 

Ten continues as he readies his bow and arrow. “I think I’ve found my first kill for the day, brother...” He turns to Lucas, whose back is to him. Ten positions his arrow against the bow.

“Oh?” Lucas asks, oblivious, focused on finding deer. 

“Take a look,” Ten says quietly. He closes one eye shut and focuses his aim. 

As Lucas turns to face Ten, Ten releases the arrow, striking Lucas. 

Very near to the heart, as Ten anticipated. 

Lucas groans as he falls down to his knees. “What have you done?!” He quickly falls on his knees, blood seeping out of his wound. Lucas loses even more energy and falls to the ground, face first. 

Ten walks over to Lucas. Lucas slowly crawls away, attempting to evade his hunter. “You know, I had my doubts about today. Coming to see you, inviting you to the forest, and making you the prize of this hunt...But I can’t take any chances, Lucas. y/n belongs to me. It’s time for you to know that. Soon, she will see it, too.”

Lucas gasps heavily, “Help...me…”

Ten laughs. “Do you think anyone here is on your side, bastard?” 

Lucas feels faint. He is about to lose consciousness, knowing that he is very near to his end. He was torn between wishing to be saved and ending his suffering. But through all of this, he could only think of you and his child. Tears fell from his eyes. He had to fight until the end. He continues to crawl but he is fading with each passing moment. 

Ten barks, “Hendery, Doyoung, pick him up.” 

Ten’s guards appear. Lucas can only see their shoes. Hendery and Doyoung pick Lucas up off of the ground. Hendery quickly pushes Lucas against the nearest tree. Lucas loses his breath at the harsh contact. 

Hendery quickly pulls the arrow out of his chest and Lucas yells in agony. Hendery can’t help himself, pulling out a dagger and stabbing Lucas right in the heart, turning the dagger slowly and torturously. 

Ten shakes his head. “You were supposed to wait for my order, Hendery.”

Hendery pulled his dagger out of Lucas’s bloody chest. He lets go of Lucas’s body. It falls to the ground like a chopped down tree, heavy but lifeless.

Hendery backs away and bows to Ten. “My apologies, Your Majesty.” 

Ten nods. “Doyoung, prepare the crate. We’re going home, gentlemen.” 

————

[Present - November 1896]

The twins slept in the carriage now. 

“What did you do to him?” You whisper loudly, hot tears streaming down your face. You knew it in your gut that Ten got to Lucas. 

“What had to be done, dearest,” Ten says. 

“Where is he?” You ask, dreading his answer.

“Right underneath us,” Ten says as he looks down at the grass.

You slowly process his words. You look down to the ground and realize Lucas was buried right underneath the tree that started it all.

You stumble and fall to the ground. “No…”

Ten continues, “Lucas is dead, y/n.”

You shake your head. “Ten, you wouldn’t…”

He responds, “You were straying. I had to intervene.”

You refuse to listen. “You...are many things. You are not a killer.”

He finishes, “I would do anything for you, y/n.”

Images and memories of your true love flash into your mind. Lucas’s welcoming smile when he meets you the first time. The horseback riding. The first time you made love before Ten entered the room at the party. The days in Wanderlust. Your last night together at the festival.  You sob, trying to control your volume. “No, no, no. Please, God, no...Ten, what-”

“I did it for us, angel,” Ten says as he bends down and raises your chin to look at him, adoring your gorgeous face as you weep.

You pull away. “You killed him...Ten, that’s an act of treason. You can’t get away with this.”

“I can. And I will, y/n.” He gets you up off of the ground. “Come along now. The girls will soon need to get fed again.”

You pull yourself away from Ten. “Don’t touch me. I will never let you touch me again.”

Ten laughs. “You would be smart to obey me, y/n. Or I will take the twins away from you.”

Tears staining your face, you grasp the stroller handle and your knuckles turn white. You want to lunge for your monstrous husband but know that regardless of your status as queen, Ten always had the last word. You knew he could take the girls away from you. He was as good (well as evil) as his word. 

Ten leads you back to the palace. He offers to handle the stroller but you refuse to let go of your babies. They were your reason to continue living this never ending nightmare. It was up to you that they didn’t grow up to be like their “father”. 

————

[DECEMBER 1896]

You silently mourn the death of Lucas, cursing at the heavens for taking away the most heavenly creature from you. The Park Estate and the Kingdom of Hearts have continued their search parties across the continent for Lucas. Ten, unironically, was at the forefront. He made sure they looked everywhere. The last place they would look was where Lucas’s remains laid: the cherry blossom tree. 

The search teams were losing hope and Princess Rosé was inconsolable. Your heart ached for her as you knew the truth. So you did what you could and listened to her when she came to visit. You could not leave the palace under your concerned husband’s orders. You theorized that the pressure of becoming king overwhelmed him and he ran. That at the very least he was safe and starting a new life. You and Rosé knew that was a load of bullshit. Lucas would have at least sent a letter, apologizing. That was the kind of person he was. 

You continue to nurse the babies. You channel all of your energy in taking care of them, checking in with Doctor Kun daily. You drink the best herbal teas. Your diet is consistent. You couldn’t starve yourself. Even if every bite of food was no longer savory, you continued to eat. You had to sustain yourself for the sake of your children. Ten is thrilled that you have invested all of your time as a mother, as you should’ve from the start. 

If you allowed yourself to think about anything besides the well-being of your children, you knew your mind would wander to a dark place. 

You are reading a book on motherhood in the library one day while the babies are napping. Seulgi comes to you.

“Your Majesty, a letter has arrived for you,” she says.

You shoot Seulgi a look as you take the letter. “Did His Majesty get a hand on this?” 

Seulgi’s eyes widened at your hostility. “Your Majesty…”

You sigh. “I trusted in you, Seulgi...Ten got his hand on my personal letters. And I know he got to you.”

Seulgi panics. “I am so sorry, Your Majesty. I wanted to protect you but the king threatened the safety of my family.” Tears well up in her eyes. “If it were up to me, I would be fiercely loyal to you. Only you. But as long as the king reigns, I have no choice.”

You get up from your chair and put your hands on Seulgi’s forearms. “I know.”

Seulgi hiccups. “Your Majesty?”

You say, “I understand. You don’t have to worry. I know that you are a good person. You have always stood by me. You’ve taken a beating for me, for heaven’s sake. I still carry that with me to this day.”

Seulgi shakes her head. “I would do it again, Your Majesty. You have always been kind to me.” She had worked in the palace for over ten years, ever since she was a little girl. “Without you, the palace would be hell.”

You smile at Seulgi, “I appreciate that. And there’s no need to worry. The personal letters have ceased so if His Majesty inquires about the letters, you can hand them over…” You have given up on keeping secrets from Ten. He was right. You truly underestimated how vile he was. 

Seulgi shakes her head. “His Majesty has not seen this letter, Your Majesty...And it’s better that he does not.” She bows. 

You realize what she says and quickly dismiss her. You open the letter. 

Dear y/n,

I am so sorry to write to you as you are still nursing your children. I congratulate you and your husband for the safe delivery of your daughters. I implore you: if you know anything that the palace has not admitted to the public about Prince Lucas’ whereabouts, please tell me. I fear that something terrible has happened. He wouldn’t have run away. He was committed to staying with the princess. He wouldn’t have disappeared without sending us a letter after the fact at the very least. I await your response.

Many blessings,

Kahei

Lucas’ mother and the rest of his family were also kept in the dark. Ten forbade you from reaching out to them again. It was a part of his threat to take the girls away from you. And even if you dared send them a letter, you feared for their safety and yours. You wondered just how long Ten would keep the charade up. He could easily have Lucas’s remains moved and found anywhere he commanded. Why keep everyone in the dark about his status? He was a sick man. 

You complied with Ten’s orders but refused to lie in bed with him. You were thankful that the twins needed to be fed every few hours throughout the night, as well. Ten was displeased but he couldn’t deny you from protecting his daughters. For they were his daughters. Soon, they would be weaned and you two could get back on track, he thought. You needed time to forget Lucas and you would, he firmly believed. 

Ten continued his affairs throughout the palace. It was a game to him: a game of where can I sleep with the help without my wife knowing. But he got sloppy sometimes as his lust overtook him more times than he could count. You caught him several times without detection and simply resumed your day. Ten fucked Miss Oral in the kitchen at 4 AM? Okay. Ten had an orgy with nine other servants in the garden? Ambitious. Ten kept that little tart Jade on after so many months? You were disappointed but not shocked. 

It infuriated you but it wasn’t like you didn’t know the truth. 

And then, the next blow was delivered.

————

[2 Weeks Later]

You finish eating dinner alone in your chambers. The twins are being bathed by the servants. Ten is away on another useless search party. It was like a pageant for him. The public would say, “The honorable king is unrelenting when it comes to searching for his lost childhood friend.” A touching story. You resisted the urge to punch a wall. 

Seulgi hands you another letter. She bows and quickly leaves you to read in private. 

My dear daughter,

I pray this letter finds you well. I don’t know if you have been receiving my letters as you have not responded. In case they have disappeared due to the distance, I should tell you that His Majesty has transferred us to the Western continent and we only just caught wind of your delivery. How we wish to meet our grandchildren. How your father wished it more than anything. y/n, I am so sorry to say this but your father has passed from tuberculosis. I miss him so much and I wish more than anything for us to be together to mourn him. We have buried him the day I write this to you. Please, if you receive this letter, send for me. Or come to me, if you can. I miss you and love you, always. Many blessings to you and my beautiful granddaughters. 

Love,

Your Mother

You fall down to the floor and wail. Seulgi and Irene quickly run into the room, having been nearby cleaning the other rooms. 

“Your Majesty, what’s wrong?” Irene asks. 

Seulgi rubs your back. “Your Majesty…”

“My f-father,” you say between sobs, “H-he’s gone.” You shake yourself off of the two women. You shake your head as you look down at the two women.. “Did you two know?!”

Irene shakes her head. And so does Seulgi. 

“Seulgi...Did. You. Know?!” You demanded as you took the glass pitcher of water and threw it to the ground, the glass shattering all over the marble floor. You stand there, barefoot. 

“Your Majesty, don’t walk over the-” Irene starts. 

You don’t care. Nothing could hurt as much as the pain you feel inside. Not only did you lose the love of your life. Your freedom. Your happiness. You lost one of the only people in your corner who had been stripped from you because of the king and that crone’s orders. You walk over the glass, the shards piercing your feet. 

Seulgi runs over to you. “Your Majesty, stop. Irene, get the first aid kit immediately!” 

Irene runs off to get the kit. Seulgi tries to put her arms around you.

You shrug her off and say quietly, “My father was dying and you mean to tell me no one knew?” 

Seulgi shakes her head. “King Ten was always there when I collected your mail and I could never deliver their letters to you. That is the truth. Please, Your Majesty, you have to believe me.” She cries again. “If I had known...I would’ve told you. I-”

“Of course,” you stop her, “Of course, my beloved husband knew. That witch of a mother of his also knew...Those two will really stop at nothing to strip every person I love away from me.”

More servants rushed to your chambers.

You yell. “Leave! Get out! Run along and tell the king his queen is acting up if you haven’t already. In fact, I demand his presence. So go get him up from whatever bed he lies in and yank his dick off of whatever pussy it resides in.” 

A couple of servants run to get the king, astonished at your behavior.

Seulgi and Irene quickly disinfect and bandage your feet. “We will call Doctor Kun to tend to your wounds this evening,” Irene says.

Ten returns, his hair disheveled and bites apparent on his neck.

You look up at your husband, who stands at the door in shock at the sight of you.

“Husband! How nice to see you!” You said as you laid your bloody feet up on the bed.

Ten only looks at you in dismay. “What happened to your feet? Who is responsible for this? I will have them-”

“Oh, shut up,” you start, “I did it.”

Ten looks at you in shock. Your eyes looked so lifeless, so defeated. He almost didn’t recognize you. “Why?” He asks, pathetically.

You show him the letter. “I got this letter before anyone else could get to it. I wanted to see how my parents were doing. Since you and your mother have moved them away from me, I figured it was about time I got an update, no?”

Ten sees the letter in your hand and turns to Seulgi.

“Do not take this out on any of our servants. This is between you and me. Now, I’ve received news of my father’s passing. That’s interesting...Do you know why? Probably because I never got news of his sickness, much less that you transferred them to the fucking western continent.”

Ten pushes past the servants and his shoes crush the broken glass into tinier pieces. “y/n, I was going to tell you but I wanted to ensure your safe delivery first and-”

You raise your hand. “You took them away from me. My parents. And now my father’s dead. You just couldn’t be the only one fatherless, could you?!”

“y/n, I will not allow you to-”

You cut him off. “I’ve had enough of your games, husband. I have been so damn complacent. Meanwhile, you’ve probably fucked every maid in this room…”

The female servants, apart from Irene and Seulgi, couldn’t meet your eye, confirming your thoughts.

“Am I a joke to all of you?” You ask everyone in the room. “If it weren’t for me, you would all be rotting in the dungeon because of His Majesty’s intolerance for ONE miniscule mistake.” You grab the glass of water on your nightstand and break it. You hold one sharp piece of glass. 

Ten tries to calm you down. “y/n, I-”

You hold the piece of glass in your hand, quivering. “You will send for my mother and for my father’s casket. We will give them a proper burial in the kingdom. It is the least you can do, Your Majesty.” 

Ten relents, fearing you for the first time. You simply needed time to digest the news and he would give it to you. He would abide by your wishes and bring your family back to the kingdom. 

————

[JANUARY 1897]

Ten gave you the distance you needed. You didn’t give a damn where he was so long as he left you alone. Your mother arrived, along with your father’s casket. Your father was given a proper royal burial. Your friends of the family attended. Ten stood beside you and your mother. The crocodile tears were provided by Ten’s mother. 

You were able to see your mother more as she moved back into your childhood home. She helped you take care of the twins. 

The time apart from Ten gave you more time to think. 

Perhaps you weren’t as trapped as you thought. 

Your animosity faded for you still had appearances to maintain. Ten believed you to forgive him for his indiscretion with your father. Like there was nothing else to be forgiven. 

Ten continues lazing around with the servants but his favored servant remains to be Jade. Jade slowly gets it into her head that she can one day get rid of you and take your place. Ten never planned for that. You were number one in his heart. 

Ten and Jade lie together in a bedroom in the first floor west wing of the palace. 

“I love you, Your Majesty,” Jade whispers into his ear as she snuggles herself closer to him. 

Ten only grunts, imagining you to say those words again. How he longed to hear your words of affection directed towards him again.

Suddenly, his heart and abdomen grow bigger. “J-Jade, I...I feel ill. Hand me a glass of water,” he starts. 

Jade gives him a glass of water and he downs it. The pain he feels only worsens. It felt like he was being eaten from the inside out. All over his body. He starts roaming his hands all over his naked body, trying to feel for what is gnawing at him. 

“Ahhh,” Ten yells out in pain. “Jade, there is something wrong with me.”

“Your Majesty!” Jade yells as she gets out of bed. “I will call the doctor.”

Jade runs out the door. Ten lies in bed, his body burning from the gnawing sensation he feels inside. What was wrong with him, he thought. An hour or so passes and Jade still has not returned.

“Jade!” Ten calls out. “Anyone!” His voice has fallen weak. He cannot move because the pain is too agonizing. 

The door opens and you enter. “Why, hello Ten.”

You look absolutely radiant. Better than you have looked in months. You are beaming with a joy he had never seen you have. You wore a green ball gown, like you were ready to tend to visiting royals. You hadn’t dressed up this nicely since you conceived the twins. 

“I ran into that little tramp of yours and she told me you were ill so I thought I would come tend to my poor, poor husband…” You coo, mimicking the way he patronized you for so long. 

“Darling! Please help me, I am in pain. Get the doctor,” he grunts out word for word. 

You sigh. “Now why would I do that?” 

He looks at you with wide eyes. “Wh-”

You sit on the bed beside him, increasing his discomfort at the sudden movement of the bed. “Now if only Jade was around...She would’ve called the doctor for you. She would do nothing short of murder for you if you wished it. But...Jade is indisposed. In the most permanent sense, sweetheart.”

“y/n-” Ten starts.

“You two enjoyed rolling around in the hay so much...So I thought it fitting that she’d die the way she would enjoy most.”

Ten looks up at you in horror as you ruffle his hair.

You finish, “Consumed by the earth itself.” 

Ten cries out. “y/n, help...me...Please…”

You quickly get off of the bed. “It hurts a lot, doesn’t it?” You ask. 

Ten is furious but his pain overpowers any emotion. He only cries. He doesn’t have the words. 

“Are you familiar with the Gu poison?” You ask, softly. 

Ten’s eyes widen at the word “poison”.

You continue. “It is incredible how it’s created. You see, venomous snakes, scorpions, and centipedes are collected into a jar. They have to fight each other for survival and ultimately devour each other. The last creature standing holds a concentrated toxin. The toxin has no taste so someone can easily slip it into your supper and you would never know it was laced with poison. It takes up to ten days for it to act. And look now, on our dear old friend Lucas’ birthday, the poison has taken effect. It was meant to be this day.” 

“You bitch-” Ten spurts out.

You check your nails and shut the curtains. “Do you really want our last moments together to be so full of hatred?”

You tie one of his silk ties around his mouth. He thrashes about but you overpower him. You take the other silk ties and tie them around his arms. 

“You must want to know what it feels like to be tied up, don’t you? You certainly loved doing it to me,” you continue.

Ten continues to writhe in pain. He feels himself slowly fading. It was torture. He would much rather get stabbed in the heart. Any death must have been better than this feeling: he felt like he was being eaten alive. Tiny little creatures were gnawing at him from the inside. He wanted to rip his flesh open and take the critters out.

You sigh. “My father’s death was the final straw, Ten. I wanted to kill you the moment you told me Lucas was six feet under the cherry blossom tree but you had me under your thumb. I’m not going to take it anymore, dearest.”

Ten cries. “y/n, please...I will do anything...Please save me…”

You say, “You promised a lot of things to me. But you failed me. Time and time again. Fucking anything that moved. And I can’t take this anymore. I was ready to leave. You could have let me go and still laid with any woman you wanted. But no...You wanted to possess me...like some doll. And you killed Lucas, the true love of my life. You and your mother have pulled the strings of our lives for too long. This is the end.”

Ten manages to say, “y/n-“

“I have had it, Ten,” you say. “I know where the antidote is but I’m afraid it is impossible for me to get it now.”

Ten cries. “No…”

You sigh. “It’s buried with that harlot. Such a pity. She really left you in the lurch, didn’t she?”

That was how you planned to spin it. Jade, the jealous servant, who wanted to take your place, threw herself into a jealous rage and poisoned the king. You had her confession letter prepared very nicely. You wondered if you hired the same scribe who Ten hired to imitate Lucas’ handwriting. Either way, that scribe kept their mouth shut when they saw the fire in your eyes. 

Ten cries loudly but his screams are muffled by the silk tie. 

“Now, I would be with you during your final breaths but that wouldn’t look good for me, would it? You certainly wouldn’t want me to take the fall for a crime that the commendable Jade committed?”

Tears stream down your face now as you finally release your suppressed emotions. “You brought this on yourself, husband. All of this. You’ve brought me to this point with each betrayal. Now accept the consequences.” You walk out of the room, not a servant in sight. 

Ten lies in bed and thrashes around, his eyes red and teary with angry veins as he screams loudly. Unfortunately, no one hears him because his rendezvous points with his multitude of lovers were always away from the majority of servants.

All he felt was agony. Surely, any death would’ve been better than this. His heartbeat dwindled and his last thought before he succumbed to his death was of you being taken by him the very first time at the graduation party.

————

[Three Days Later]

The Kingdom of Hearts was once again in mourning. The people mourn the death of King Ten. He was a strong presence, just like his father. The young King was destined to expand the kingdom and its wealth, but his life was cut short due to poisoning. Found by you, his dead body was found in the west wing, tied up. You found a letter from one of your servants, confessing to the crime. She was in love with His Majesty. She quickly disappeared with the night. Now, there was a bounty for her head and her family was under watch in case she returned or made contact with them.

His Royal Majesty is survived by you, his wife, the Queen, and your twin daughters, Princesses Yīngtáo and Kāihuā.

The funeral procession was beautiful. People from all over the continent gathered to pay their respects for the fallen king. Flowers from all over the continent were tossed over his casket. He was laid to rest in the Royal Cemetery beside his father.

Ten’s mother was inconsolable. She lost her husband and her son. You were also inconsolable. You wept and wept. Nothing was holding you back from mourning who you've lost.

You lost a lot in a matter of months. You lost Lucas. You lost your father. Hell, you lost Ten a long time ago. Nearly everything you once treasured vanished in the blink of an eye. 

You could finally let it all out and it worked to your benefit. No one would dare suspect you of foul play. Not even former Queen Lee.

You had tea with her after the procession.

“y/n, you really loved my son,” she says between sniffles.

You sip your tea, feeling calmer now. It took her so long to realize that you weren’t the wretch she thought you to be. But maybe that was just her spiked tea speaking. She would probably return to hating you, tomorrow

Or would she?

You are the sole ruler of the kingdom now. Until you marry again. Then again, who said you had to marry again? There was no official law that mandated you to. 

The queen was complacent now because you were in charge. It was in her best interest to be on your good graces.

But after years of enduring her insults and for her hand in omitting to tell you about your father's illness, you were afraid that that was no longer an option.

“Mother,” you begin, “You should know that the little slag Jade was not responsible for your son’s death.”

Ten’s mother nearly drops her cup of tea as she shakily puts it down.

She openly glares at you now. “What are you saying, y/n?”

“Do you really think Jade was smart enough to get the poison to put into Ten’s supper? There is only one thing she excelled at and it was fucking your son. He loved to fuck her like the little whore he was.”

The queen got up from the table and was about to grab you. “You take that back, you little wretch.”

You refused to cower away from this crone. Her baby boy was no longer there to shield her now. You had the power. 

She is about to slap you but you grab her arm. She tries to wriggle out of your grasp. 

“I poisoned your son, Mother. I exterminated that beast before he hurt me again. He fucked all of the servants behind my back. He killed Lucas. He lied about my father.”

“You’re the damned beast,” she says as she spits in your face. She bawls. “My baby...What have you done?!”

You don’t flinch. You take a napkin and wipe away the spit from your face. “It is not in your benefit to defy me, Mother…”

“Shut up, you insolent wench,” the Queen removes herself from your grasp and attempts to lunge for you. You trip her to the ground.

You continue, “I have to wonder...how much you knew…”

Ten’s mother opens her mouth and closes it immediately. It is all in her eyes. 

“You hag,” you say, “I’ll take that as a confirmation of my suspicions.”

You place your foot over her back so she can’t get up. “Does the term Gu poison ring any bells?”

The queen’s eyes widen in shock as she looks up at you.

You add, “I believe you tried to poison Lucas’ mother that way once upon a time…”

“How did you know-“

“Surely, Ten brought you up to speed on my visits to Wanderlust. In fact, I’m sure you were the first person prepared to set the town ablaze so long as Kahei burned, didn’t you?”

“Don’t mention that whore’s name in my palace!” Ten’s mother pushed herself and yanked you by the leg so you stumble.

Seulgi runs in. “Your Majesty, are you alright?”

You regain your footing and you kick the woman’s legs away.

The former Queen barks at Seulgi. “You were outside this whole time, girl? The queen is at her wit’s end. Someone needs to detain her!”

Seulgi stands there, awaiting your orders.

Ten’s mom grabs Seulgi by the arm. “What are you doing, you worthless fool? This woman poisoned the king. She admitted it. Arrest her.”

Seulgi shakes herself off of her. “You must be hearing things, madam. It must be from your age.”

Ten’s mother was an irritable crone. One of her biggest triggers was any mention of her age. 

“Girl,” Ten’s mom begins again about to yank Seulgi by the hair. She quickly backs up.

Seulgi speaks up, “I’ve served this household since I was thirteen years old. You have never called me by my name. You have beaten my mother more times than I count. You have paid my family insufficiently. Your abuse and condescension made you an unfitting Queen. Your son was the spitting image of you in terms of how he treated the staff. The minute news came of his passing, I breathed a sigh of relief. Because Queen y/n is now in charge. She cares about her people and her servants. Unlike. You.”

Ten’s mother yells, “Insolent vermin, you are!”

Seulgi bows. “I will be outside the door if you need anything, Your Majesty.” She leaves you with the Queen.

Ten’s mother grew more livid. “You have turned the help against me, have you not?”

You shrug. “A little kindness goes a long way, Mother. It’s unfortunate neither you or your son have possessed it.”

Ten’s mother is about to lunge at you again when she clams up and clutches her chest. 

“y/n...my heart…” Ten’s mother falls over. You simply stand there.

After a few minutes, you tell Seulgi to alert the servants that the queen suddenly died of a heart attack. It was sudden and as you and Seulgi tried to get her up, it was too late.

————

[February 1897]

Ten and his parents were united in death. Now that they were out of the picture, it was time to announce the findings of Lucas’ remains. It just so happened that you found a letter in Ten’s study, confirming his instructions to bury Lucas under the cherry blossom tree.

It turned out the scribe you hired before had indeed worked with Ten. The scribe had also imitated Ten’s handwriting rather well.

Princess Rosé was beside you as the servants uncovered Lucas’ remains. 

Lucas’ body was decomposed a long time ago. But specialists confirmed that his body was severed into many pieces, like he was a piece of meat. 

You and Princess Rosé cried together. You felt some of your guilt leave your body. Now Rosé could move on, just as she rightfully deserved. 

You two had dinner and then walked around the palace grounds together.

“I don’t know what I would’ve done without you, y/n,” she says as she sniffles.

You squeeze her hand as you walk together. “Thank you for everything, Rosé. You’ve been my rock throughout this whole process.”

It was true. Although you and Lucas had cheated, you never harbored any negative feelings toward Rosé. She didn’t know that you and Lucas were in love when he entered the arranged marriage with her. She was never malevolent. She trusted her husband and believed the best of him. She protected him at the festival when she knew he had run off God-knows-where. It was unfair to her. 

You wished you could keep your distance from her because you didn’t want to keep living a lie with her.

“I know you and Lucas met the night of the festival, y/n…” She admits as you walk through the rose garden.

You stop in your tracks. 

Rosé hasn’t let go of your hand, even after admitting this. “Originally, when he disappeared, I thought he’d run away to meet with you…”

You listen to her, afraid to say something that will anger her.

But Rosé, ethereal and gentle, looked at you, calm. There was sadness in her eyes. “I know he loved you.”

You cry, about to apologize like you wanted to for so long. “Rosé, I-“

She says solemnly, “I know…When I realized you never ran away to meet him, I realized that something was wrong. As much as you two hurt me, I...couldn’t stop loving Lucas. When we were together, he was so kind, y/n. He just pulls you in with those eyes and that smile. You know this more than anyone.”

You nod shyly. “I do.”

“I would’ve let you two run off. You would’ve had to evade my vengeful family for all of your days but at least, you would’ve been together.”

You weep, astonished at Rosé’s kindness. “You...I don’t deserve your kindness.”

She shakes her head. “You don’t. But you need it more than ever.”

You two hug and continue your walk. You make it to the weaponry room near the stables where you overhear some of the guards drinking.

“A toast to our fallen king,” a man begins. 

“To our fallen king,” the other men continue. 

“Now we are subject to the whims of His Majesty’s unhinged wife,” the first man continues.

The men matter and some laugh, making derogatory comments about you. How they would still bed you, regardless of how insane you were. 

You and Rosé eye each other in confusion and quietly move closer. The men sit at a table with a box of spirits. 

The first man you recognized as the head of the army, Hendery. “At least, the Queen cannot fuck that prince again. His Majesty saw to it.”

Your heart clenches as do your fists. 

The guards clink their bottles together. “Hear, hear.”

Hendery continues, “And I ended him with that final blow, didn’t I?”

The guards cheer. As you hear this news, you carefully scan the room. You recognize all of the guards. None of them appeared to be shocked at the news. You wondered how many of these men were present the day of Lucas’ murder.

Rosé scares you then. Her complacent nature had completely shattered. She grips the wood of the room tightly as her knuckles whitened.

You still didn’t have the full details of what happened the day Lucas died. But it seemed the Lord had smiled down at you and decided to give you the truth.

Hendery commands the room, only stumbling every now and then from how inebriated he was. “His Majesty shot him like any deer in that forest. Very near to the heart. His Majesty had improved greatly in his archery skills. He was able to put it to practice, at the very least.”

He continues as the men’s cheers become all muttered and incoherent from the alcohol.

“And then Doyoung and I picked up his body and pushed him against a tree. And I stabbed him really neatly in the heart. And now, no more Lucas.” He laughed.

Rosé pulls you away now. “y/n, he must be punished.”

You open your mouth in disbelief. “What?”

Rosé retorts, “I know you had a hand in Ten’s death. So why should this be any different?”

“What?” You ask her. How the hell did she figure it out?

“Lucky guess.” She shrugs. “Your reaction was the confirmation I needed.”

Sweet Rosé was not to be underestimated you thought. She could be as cold and calculating as the next person. 

“Come on,” she goaded, “You want to end his pathetic existence as much as I do.”

Of course you did. It was all you could think about the minute he admitted to fatally stabbing Lucas. 

You shake your head. “You can be better than me, Rosé. I can do this on my own.”

Rosé takes your hand and leads you to the stables. “Your hands already have enough blood on them. Let me take some of that burden.”

You protest more but Rosé won’t have it. The gears in her head were moving a mile a minute and you had no idea what she had in store for Hendery.

A few hours passed and the men slowly left the weapons room. Hendery, to your and Rosé’s luck, remained behind. 

A sad excuse of a human being, you thought. He was a bully in high school. Belittled the women around him. It blew your mind that he married and procreated. 

You would see to it that his family is taken care of when he is gone.

Princess Rosé awaited him. “Commander,” she began.

Hendery stumbles and upon seeing Princess Rosé, he gives her a lewd smile. “Your Highness, what are you doing here alone so late at night? It’s dangerous for a princess to be unattended.”

She plays him. “I’ve never felt so safe, having the commander of the royal army with me.”

Hendery slides his arm around her, groping her bottom. Rosé flinches and hides her distaste. 

Hendery replies, “Allow me to escort you back to the palace.”

Rosé shakes her head. “Actually, there is one place I wanted to go. With you.”

Hendery smiles wide, like he’d successfully gotten the biggest kill in a hunt 

Rosé leads him to the stables, where you wait in the shadows. 

You trip Hendery as he walks in. “Wha-“ He starts.

He groans in pain as you quickly tie rope tightly around his right leg. 

“What are you-who is that?” Hendery asks, dazed.

“It’s His Majesty’s unhinged wife, of course,” you say, echoing his words back at him.

Hendery sobers up as you bring a lamp close to your face. “Y-your Majesty?!”

Rosé takes the other end of the rope to an occupied stable, where Lucas’ horse Hazel resides for her visit. 

She greets Hazel quietly and Hazel nuzzles her, trusting her completely. It seemed Hazel had added Rosé into her circle of trust. Rosé ties the other end of the rope around Hazel’s left hind leg.

“Alright, girl,” she whispers, “We’re going to go for a ride.”

Hendery panics as he sobers up even more. “What are you doing?”

You swiftly bind him with rope so he can’t use his arms. “That’s for you to find out, commander.”

Hendery is about to speak up by you bind his mouth shut as well. 

Rosé gets up on Hazel. “y/n, will you join us?”

You nod. “I’m ready.”

You get up on Hazel and sit behind Rosé. She spurred Hazel forward with her heels. Hazel starts off slowly, moving out of the stables.

Hendery feels his body move forward as the rope pulls him. 

You and Rosé ignore Hendery’s protests. Rosé beckons for Hazel to run faster. You make it to the grassy field where the horses can ran freely. Hendery already suffers burns from the traction. Hazel has trampled him a couple of times now. He is losing consciousness. 

Rosé pulls her last trick and pulls the reins back to stop Hazel and Hendery’s body slips right under and she steps right over him. Spooked, she tramples him even more. 

“Well?” Rosé asks you.

You get off of Hazel and check on Hendery.

His body lied there, bruised, lifeless. His right leg was positioned awkwardly having broken a mile back, at the very least.

“He’s dead,” you confirm.

You and Rosé already planned to pin the murder on Doyoung, for he was just as responsible for Lucas’s death. Doyoung wanted to overthrow Hendery for a while and the guards confirmed it when questioned. 

Doyoung was sentenced to death by decapitation. 

Rosé returned to the Park Estate. You both continued your friendship, retiring from your murderous tendencies. As you have avenged the man you loved.

————

[June 1897]

Months have passed and the kingdom celebrated their beloved Queen’s birthday. You were still in mourning but everyone was relieved to see your enchanting smile again. The kingdom had a strong and capable leader in you.

As the citizens adored you, the palace staff grew to respect you. No whispers of “simpleton Queen” ever slipped from their mouths again. Most respected you. The skeptical ones feared you. No one dared to defy you now so long as they treated you with respect.

Seulgi had always been your most loyal servant so you elevated her position in the household. She and her family could live comfortably, as well. You made sure all of your trusted servants received fair payments.

You tracked down Miss Oral and the other servants who Ten fucked around with. Just as they themselves were loose, their lips were even looser. You dismissed them all from the palace. As for Jade’s family, you pardoned them for they didn’t sleep with your husband multiple times.

As for the guards who knew about Lucas’ murder, you had them dishonorably charged from the army. Most of them were slackers anyway, uncommitted to protecting the kingdom. They only cared about their titles. You needed to hire truly honorable men for the army and you knew just the right person to lead the new wave.

You welcomed Kahei and her family to move into the kingdom. They lived next to your mother and became friends. Only you and your mother knew of the actual identity of Lucas’s family. To everyone else, you claimed them to be distant relatives that you looked out for. Kahei and her family were also given the royal treatment. In a matter of time, you would let them join you in the palace, where they rightfully belonged. Beside you.

Yangyang was in the running to be the next commander of the royal army, outranking several of the other guards, much to their dismay. You knew it was a matter of time before he was given the official title.

Rosé visited you from time to time. You have become close friends, much to the shock of the public. It was believed that mourning the loss of your husbands brought you closer together.

If they only knew the true hell you both endured.

You had no plans to remarry. Your heart remained with Lucas. Even if there were only memories left. Lucas was buried, per his family’s wishes, in his summer home in Wanderlust. You told Rosé about Lucas’ true origins and instead of punishing you and his family, she befriended all of you. You, the twins, Rosé, and Lucas’ family went to visit Lucas’ grave and decorated it with flowers.

It was a bittersweet summer. You were in Wanderlust with Lucas, just not in the way either of you had hoped for. You knew he was with you in spirit and just like Kahei told you the first time you visited her, you two could meet again in the next life.

Hopefully, without the menacing presence that also lingered in your memories. Ten must have been an evil incubus that escaped hell, but you hoped that you sent him back to suffer, eternally.

Fin.

[mooswords]

Home

Pairing: kuroo tetsuro x reader

Word count: 3k

Tags: red string of fate au, historical au

Ramblings: part of the lost collab, all based on the prompt ‘only when you are lost does the red string of fate appear’ organised by the lovely @yacoka​​ who is a wonderful writer and an even better friend 😚 also a big thank you to remy for beta-ing <3

---

You stare in exasperation as the red string fades into sight, the familiar warmth wrapping back into existence around your finger. It was only visible when one of you was feeling lost, and you certainly knew where you were. Tetsuro was only meant to be coming home from town - how did he get lost? 

You pluck at the string.

Seriously?

An answering pull against your pinky. 

Shut up.

Rolling your eyes, you turn back to the horse in front of you.

“That man, eh?” You scrub the brush along a thick-boned leg, scrunching your face away from the cloud of dust that puffs out. “Probably one of the smartest people this side of the island, knows the stars like the back of his hand, but can’t even find his way across his own fields.” You huff, watching as the string disappears again. “The cows know their way home better than he does, honestly…” 

Bess rattles her head, mane flying, and you sigh. “Ahh, you’re right, I guess we love him anyway.”

“You guess?”

You start, twisting at his sudden presence. 

“Stop! Doing that!” You huck the brush at him and he ducks, grinning. 

“Hear that Bess?” he sings, sidling up to the horse and scratching her forehead as she noses at his pockets. “She loves me.”

“And I married him too,” you lament. “What was I thinking?”

“Something I ask myself every day,” he says softly, eyes alight. You mellow, as you always do for him, and wonder if you will ever get sick of that look. 

“How’s town?” You ask instead, snagging a new brush.

“Good. Got offered a job.”

“Oh, who with?”

“Nekomata.”

You hum. “Down at the docks?”

“Not... exactly." You flick a look up when he doesn't elaborate, only to find him determinedly pulling Bess' forelock into a crude braid. 

"And?" you prompt.

"He wants me as the navigator." He swallows, fingers still twisting in the coarse hair. "For an expedition.”

“Really?” You scrub at a particularly stubborn splatter of dried mud. "I thought he had given up on all that. What’s he planning?”

He doesn’t reply for another long moment. 

"Depends on how quick the ice melts." 

You tear your eyes away from your work; he looks wary. "But with what he mentioned to me, we’d be away… a year? Maybe longer?"

“Oh,” you breathe. Really, for a sailing expedition, that’s short. But it’s still a year. You're thinking of money, and supplies, and who will take over teaching his students while he’s gone, and he’ll definitely need a new coat, and oh that's such a long time-

“I don’t have to decide immediately.” You pull your gaze back into focus. He still looks nervous, but you know him - he might not always be the most expressive person, but he wears his passions with pride. And there are few things your Tetsuro loves more than the stars. 

“You should go."

“Really?”

“Yeah.” You bite your tongue and start sweeping the brush along Bess’ broad back again. It’s not till he gently pulls your hands to a stop you notice how they shake. 

“I don’t have to go,” he offers softly.

You sigh, not quite able to focus any higher than the hollow of his neck. “No. You should.”

His fingers are light under your chin, and you reluctantly let him draw your gaze up. 

“Are you sure?” 

And you are. Despite your reticence, you are; because at heart, he’s always longed to explore the world. You remember sitting with him in the summer, feet dangling in the creek and listening to his rambling dreams of travelling to the far corners of the world. He loves teaching - weaving stories from geography homework, gently coaching the younger kids through their sums - but you’ve caught him many a time just staring out at the sea, eyes unfocused and longing.

"I’m sure," you tell him with a genuine smile. "It just means I'm going to have to do all your chores while you're away."

He tsks, but there's already excitement building under the mock-glare. Giving Bess a final pat, he meanders back to the house. You listen to his cheery whistling and tell the pang in your heart he'll be fine. 

He always comes home.

--

“Have fun. Don’t kick Yaku overboard, OK?”

“What’s this, huh?” The string hums as he twirls a finger through it, his voice low and amused. He twists it into a bow around a lock of your hair, an achingly familiar action that has the string glowing brighter against your skin. “You can’t be lost without me if I haven’t left yet, sweetheart."

He frowns, and you etch the image into your memory - it will be months till you see that pout again. 

“Oh, hush you.” 

Eyes bright and fond, he grins down and pulls you into his chest. For once, you stop thinking about tomorrow and just enjoy this final moment with him; the gulls’ cries tearing across the sky, the winter sun across your back and stiff breeze sweeping through your skirts. He is constant and unshakable, heartbeat steady in your ear, his chin pressed against your hair.

You draw back and poke him in the cheek.

“You come home, you hear me?”

The string continues to flutter between you, dancing in the seaward breeze as he presses a sweet kiss to your lips.

“Always.”

--

The second plate stares back at you. 

Right. Of course. 

You press your lips together and return the other plate to the shelf for the third time this week. Your lonely plate looks pitifully small on the uneven table, and the red string that sinks down to drape across it only adds to the ache in your heart.

You grip the string tight and try not to cry.

--

The drumming rain is muffled as you duck under the barn’s eaves. Shaking the water from your eyes, you peel off your now sodden coat. In the flickering lantern light, you can see how the heifer is huffing, swollen belly already heaving.

Crooning to her, you run a tired hand over the heifer’s rough hide and crouch down.

You shove wet hair off your face and sigh. The late nights and bad weather were only exacerbating an already stressful time of year, and of course this had to be the year your entire herd was calving. You wearily draw a pail of water and tsk as you grab the last towel off the side of the stall - it seems tomorrow will have to be a washing day too.

There’s a wet nose. There’s also a tail.

“That’s… not right.” you mutter, stumped. 

It hits you a moment later - twins. She’s having twins.

“Ohh… uhh…” You know you can’t panic, but your thoughts just continue to speed up, desperately flicking through your memories because you know how to deal with a breech birth, but twins? Where do you even begin? There are two calves in there, and that's twice the number of things that could go wrong. Think. It’s only a few minutes over the hill to the Kagayama’s, maybe they-

The gentle tug at your hand startles you. The string is there, looped around one of the cow’s ears and floating out into the pouring night. Another tug comes, a little firmer this time. 

You suck in a breath.

You send him a grateful tug back and get to work.

It’s messy and stressful, and the deep ache in your arms will definitely be worse tomorrow, but there's a pile of knobby legs and liquid eyes in your lap that more than makes up for the pain. You snag the old towel off the straw and gently wipe the nose of the first calf before helping it struggle to its feet. The cow blinks around and lowes softly. You grin and quickly swipe at the other calf, blowing gently on its nose till it snorts.

Your eyes are heavy, and you are already compiling a list of the thousands of things to do tomorrow. But with pride singing through your tired bones, you are content to sit, half-wishing he was here with you to listen to the rain beat down on the tin roof and proudly watch the calves take their first, wobbling steps. 

--

“Endeavor."

“E-N-D...” Natsu scrunches her nose and you nod encouragingly, “E…”

The string appears. It’s sudden; not the usual fade-in of realization, but a tidal wave of colour that has it crashing into existence all at once.

“-A-V-O-R. Endeavor.”

You clear your throat, pushing past the lump. “Correct. Let’s have an early lunch everyone.”

The clatter of chairs is immediate, and you wait for all the kids to race out the door before sinking shakily back against the desk. You rub the string between your fingers - it’s hot and trembling, swaying drunkenly as if buffeted about by the wind.

You pull at it, questioning.

You pull at it again.

Again.

There is no reply but it stays, curling in the corners of your vision for the rest of the day.

--

The next morning it is still there. You bite your lip and bundle his old coat around you to go collect more firewood. 

--

Day four. You stare into reflected, apprehensive eyes for too long before shakily wrapping the everpresent string into a bow around your hair. For some reason, it doesn’t feel the same as when he does it.

--

Yachi reads you off your total and you freeze, hand clutched around the small bag of flour. She looks at you oddly as your hair falls free around your shoulders.

There is a soft tug against your finger, faded by distance and ringing with reassurance, as the string finally, finally disappears from sight after the longest eight days of your life.

“Is everything OK?” she asks, mystified.

You dash the tears and drop the coins into her hand with a smile.

“Everything is perfect.”

--

The string fades in for the third time today and you snort. You’d like to imagine you can feel his annoyance even halfway across the world.

You give it a sharp tug for good measure.

Lost again, huh? 

He pulls grumpily back, and you bite back a giggle.

“How’s that pain-in-the-ass husband of yours doing?” Ukai Jr. asks from behind the bar.

The string bleeds away.

You think of a ship navigating the perilous ice, of unknowable depths and old sailor's tales, of the maps you watched him plot that stretch into expanses of blank parchment.

You think of jokes thrown across candle stubs and empty plates, of a crew that have become more of a family than either of you have ever had.

You think of the furrow he gets between his brows when he’s puzzling something over, his poorly hidden glee at the sight of the open sea.

The string fades in again, and there’s a pull from his end before you can do anything.

Don’t.

You grin. “He’s doing just fine.”

--

You wake to birdsongs. The sun is just peeking over the hills, the red string curled quietly on his pillow. You send three tugs, watch the string ripple out the window and imagine it stretching out, out, out across the seas to him.

Today was usually a day just for the two of you; no chores, no work. Just sunshine and bad jokes and the simple enjoyment of being together. One time he had pulled you along to the neighbouring town's county fair. Last year, you had taken him to the waterfall for lunch.

It was meant to be his choice this year.

You twine the string around your fingers as you wait. It glows softly in the morning light, a physical manifestation of how deeply lost you feel on this special day. He's not gone; he's still here in the scuffed shoes tucked under the bed, in his notes piled high on the desk, but they're not quite the same as hearing his hisses from the kitchen, or being able to sink into warm arms at the end of a rough day.

His returning tugs are delayed, aching and soft - one, two, three.

Sighing, you force yourself out of bed - the cows aren’t going to feed themselves.

Happy anniversary, love.

--

Most days the string isn't visible at all. And that's fine. Really, it is. It means he's not lost, and no news is good news, right?

Anyway, you’ve become quite content in your own company. He’s been gone long enough that you’ve found your solo rhythm and it's by no means easy, but you manage to keep busy enough.

And yet, the string is a double-edged sword - a reassuring and tangible connection between the two of you, but one that fills you with longing heartache all the same. There are days when you so keenly feel his absence; days of no special importance, but days where his company would just make the monotony more interesting. The mundane days, where you find yourself wanting a hug and instead having to settle for imagining the blur of red in your periphery.

You can lose minutes simply staring at your hand, trying to will the string back into colour. Wishful thinking isn’t something you can afford to indulge too often, but some days, if you focus hard enough, you think you can feel the invisible string pressing around your finger. 

Some days, wishful thinking is all that keeps you going.

--

“Hello, sorry.” You ignore the cheeky pull of the red string. He knows how you hate admitting you need help. “I’m a bit lost. Do you know where the blacksmith is?”

The man points up the road, explaining you need to go up past the post office and take a - twitch goes the string - and then follow the path that - another pull - and you should be there. Oh, but don’t - tug - because that will take you out of town.

You bite your tongue and thank the man, fond exasperation simmering in your chest. You might desperately miss him and his stupid antics, but you had almost forgotten how relentless his needling could be. 

As you lead Bess away, you pull sharply on the string. Much to your dismay, it doesn’t deter him in the slightest - an incessant barrage of tugs pull against your pinky, singing with his amusement from half a world away. Huffing out a sigh, you carefully flip the string around your hand. It’s smooth in your grip as you wind it around your palm and close your fingers over it-

And yank the string sideways.

Silence.

A single, pouting yank back.

Pushing down the smile tugging at your lips, you stop infront of the woman sweeping the front step of the post office.

“Hello, sorry. I’m a bit lost. Do you know where the blacksmith is?”

--

A laugh is pulled from you, glee ringing through the air. Hinata’s hand is sweaty in yours, and you grip it tighter as you swing round and round to the music echoing across the field. The wedding party is still holding strong, even this late into the night, and the chatter and music is rvight at home in tonight’s warm summer breeze. 

The song ends to cheers and you yell with them, high, unfiltered joy singing through your body. You drop into a chair, watching Hinata pull a giggling Natsu off the sidelines and head back out as the band striking up another well-loved tune.

The ever-present twinge of sea salt mixes with the sweet scent of the apple blossoms floating over from the orchard and you are content. The food was fresh and plentiful, Kiyoko looked gorgeous. And, you think smugly, Suga had cried before Tanaka did, so now Kinoshita owed you a beer. 

The music slows, and your finger aches at the sight of everyone else partnering up. You had promised yourself you weren’t going to let memories overshadow your fun tonight. There’s too much love around for you to fully feel his absence anyway, but you still catch yourself missing him above the crowd, searching for the wink he’d send across the room before returning to his own conversations.

Someone clears their throat. The string curls and sways between bodies as Takeda smiles down at you, eyes crinkled in understanding. 

“May I have this dance?”

--

You push hurriedly through the crowd, ducking between market stalls and wagons. There’s no string to follow, but you don’t need it to find him today. Asahi scrambles for the bolts of cloth you knock into and Suga yells something that gets stolen by the wind as you continue to run heedlessly towards the docks. 

Lev is on the dock already, only just visible through the small crowd gathering. Yaku yells directions from the ship, and you can see Shibayama sitting up on the boom, Kai pulling the jib down, so where is-

There.

He’s talking with Nekomata, gesturing up at the mast. You know it’s probably important, that there are things to be done on the ship before the crew can leave, but he’s been gone 402 days and you’re calling his name before you can stop yourself.

He twists around, and for the first time in over a year you watch his face split wide. The crowd parts for you as you’re darting forward and he vaults over the side of the ship. 

There are yells and whistles behind him but you couldn’t care less as you are swept into a tight spin, stumbling with him as you laugh. His salt-crusted shirt is coarse under your fingers, and when he kisses you he tastes like the sea; like salt-spray and dry rations and freedom. 

As soon as your hands find his cheeks you pull back sharply. There's a scar, a puckered pink line that cuts across his cheek and up into his hairline. He watches you carefully as you trace it with a feather-light touch.

“I thought I told you to have fun,” you admonish gently. 

“Who said I didn’t?”

You tsk. “What am I going to do with you?”

He grins, wilder than you remember, twisted a little by the scar, but full of familiar trouble. “Kiss me again, hopefully.” 

(How you’ve missed that grin.)

“Can’t imagine why I’d do a silly thing like that,” you say, even as you press your own grin to his.

Maybe he’s still a little wobbly on his feet, and he’s definitely thinner than when he left, but when he twines your hands together - no string in sight - your heart settles. 

He’s home, and you can’t really ask for anything more.

[tartarusdwelt-a]

five times kissed / tankswap meeeee 👉👈

five times kissed // accepting | @disaeric​ In which I completely forsake my regular formatting because this got TOO LONG.

i. you dare to goad the consequence, it devours you.                                                                                   ul’dah, the golden city.

THERE WAS A GIRL ON EITHER ARM — colour her unsurprised. They fluttered in like butterflies, like moths to a flame, and he burned so brightly. Pretty things with pastel dresses and bright eyes; in their whispers and drab flirtations she found herself watching, an alienation that bothered her only when she paused to consider it.

Not of a desire for him. No, no, that would be ludicrous. But that he should be desired and desire in turn — that his waking moments should be defined by the want that another person held for him. She did not know the sensation, nor the touch. A feral, mangy, disgusting thing; she was defined by the word of others, and held their assessments of her in cruel regard.

“aye, who should want you? fucking idiot girl, y’not worth the food I put into your mouth.”

“You know it’s rude to stare.” His tankard of ale clinks against the bar top, and she jumped at the sound. Amber eyes met golden brown, unabashedly unafraid at how she glared, and he grinned.

“I am trying to drink in peace,” she answered, her expression worsening at how he laughed, “Not watch you tongue fuck every available woman in the room —”

"Are you jealous, Koret?” She hated the arrogance in his voice, how it managed to burn colour to her cheeks without conscious thought. In a fool’s attempt, she brought her ale to her lips and hoped it would hide her expression; only to near choke on his next words. “I could kiss you if you want.”

There was a pause. She lowered her drink, smoothed her fingers against the lacquered wood, and turned to look at him only when she was sure she wasn’t pink. “I could think of nothing worse.”

“You wound me,” he answered, though she knew her words inflicted no injury. If anything they were an invitation; a test to see if her bark had any bite. Foolish; he should have known a creature raised on harm would fall to a gentle hand. They found stiffness, but not resistance, and the red of her hair tumbled like blood over his fingers as he drew a soft ascent from her jaw to her cheekbone. He held her — tender, despite his previous teasing — and when he brought his lips to meet hers they were not intense, but gentle. Nothing like she’d seen when he’d kissed the others. She told herself that was what made it worse.

A hand on his collarbone. Her fingers in divot. She pushed him back, incredulous at her own weakness, and embarrassed she let herself entertain the notion. “Stop, go kiss the tavern girls!” she snarled, the back of her palm pressing to the skin of her bottom lip.

He was radiant. She wanted to kiss him again.

ii. there is a poltergeist in your veins, it wants to watch you burn.                                                                                            the castrum, alight.

TWISTED, METALIC ASH FELL LIKE SNOW against her hair, blistering exposed skin as Garlean engineering groaned and melted in the fires wrought by great Ultima. The pain, however, was secondary. There was an animal in place of a girl; an instinct; a desperate claw for life as the inferno wreathed its way down the narrow passage and the cool night air felt distant as oxygen was sucked from the tunnel. Yet even still she carried on; one hand on his back, the other on the control stick, and it was all she could do to push the magitek forward out of that forsaken place.

Thancred — how stupid she was to miss the signs. Lifeless, his body draped over Maggie as they ran, and unlike her as she coughed and spluttered he uttered not a peep. That fact was more frightening than the fire; greater than the ascian she tore from his body: the truth that she had missed the signs, and it might cost him entirely.

Her scream ripped through the air as they burst free, fire spewing behind them like dragon’s breath, and a sudden turn sent them both tumbling from Maggie’s back. Kor landed hard on the wet earth, tasting blood in her mouth and feeling the gashes in her bottom lip. She struggled to push herself up, to drag her body to his even when she could see the blurred vision of her companions and hear them yell at her that she was safe.

“No, he —” Her throat was burning, her voice cracked and horse. He had not moved from the place that he had fallen, splayed a marionette flung by a ruthless child. She reached for him with muddied hands, smearing dirt across his face, and pressed her forehead against his.

Please do not be dead. Please do not be dead. I cannot bear to lose anyone else. Please don’t be dead.

The tickle of breath against her hair. Shallow, barely there, but he was alive. A gasp of relief — a laugh. Without even thinking she leaned up and kissed his forehead, caring not for the bloodstain that remained.

iii. ours are the bodies of graveyards, our hearts a mausoleum.                                                                                            dravania, in grief.

THE SUN. She was the sun. Her gentle light a comfort; her warmth a welcomed friend. How deep the shadows ran when she departed — how cold was the world was in her absence. It reflected in her guardian. It cheated the mirth from behind his eyes and stole the revelry from his teeth. He stared ahead with catatonic dullness, his thoughts a tempest of what if’s and if only, and the dark circles and weighted shoulders were an unintended weakness to the reality of his grief.

Which was worse — the mirror or the reflection? That she should stare into a reality she knew all too well, or that she had once projected it? Grief was intruder who slipped past her doors and made a home at her table; he had stolen her innocence and took more than a pound of flesh. It defined her, the loss of her sister. She could only imagine how Minfilia’s would define him.

Without much thought she came to sit beside him, not minding that he didn’t pause to look. The fire, as it crackled and twirled on charred logs, was a good enough distraction — she was familiar with the disassociation. To speak was to admit. To act was to give in. There was violence in the vulnerability. She knew, she knew.

Her head lay gently against his shoulder, feeling it a pitiful comfort. Yet he reached for her all the same, his hand resting on the top of her head, and they sat in the quiet for a time.

“Thancred.” When she spoke her voice was quiet, thick with an emotion she didn’t fully understand, and when she finally looked up at him she wasn’t even sure what she should say. I’m sorry. I know. It never gets easier. I wanted to die, too. It will live in you — poison you.

Instead, with lips slightly parted and the flutter of her hand against the back of his neck, she leaned in to kiss him. A foolish distraction, one she full expected him to reject, but he did not. His lips moved against hers, his tongue a delving dance, and as he twisted himself to meet her the hand that pressed itself to the small of her back cradled her as he gently lowered her to the grass.

iv. they play requiems in your honour; it is an insult.                                                                                the rising stones, alone.

SHE HATED THE FLOWERS PLACED BY HIS BED. Dead — he wasn’t fucking dead — but it was as if they had left him to die. Their scent was a mockery; their withering blooms a reminder of the time that ticked idly by while he lay unmoving beneath the oil lanterns of the Scion’s headquarters. Though he breathed he did not wake, and the smooth lines on his face did little to soothe her knowing his last expression was of agony.

Gone. He was gone. Dead, but not gone. How was she supposed to rationalise that? If he were dead at least there would be a funeral, but the flowers that wreathed him shed petals in the coffin of his bed. It was absurd. She picked one from his cheek and let it flutter to the floor.

“Come back to me,” she pleaded. But like every time her voice did not reach, nor did her actions have any effect. She took his hand, curled his fingers around her own, and pressed them to her mouth. “I love you. Please, please come back.”

He was silent. 

She did not expect anything less. 

Choking back her own despair, she willed herself the gentleness to lower his hand before the anger exploded.

The vase shattered into a thousand pieces against the wall. Wet hands pressed themselves to her cheekbones, hoping the pain would stop her grief, but it ripped itself from her lungs all the same. 

She fell to her knees.

v. golden, she burns like atoms. you cannot protect her.                                                                                     the first, sacrosanct.

AH, SO THIS IS HOW SHE WOULD DIE. Not by her own hand, but the light. In holy radiance she would be purified from the inside out. Incinerating her, she would become beautiful and clean.

It burned. Gods, it burned.

She didn’t realise she was screaming until his hands were steady on her shoulders, uttering soothing placations she knew neither of them believed. Five years on his side had changed the man she knew, but even in the depths of his weariness the familiarity remained. He was a fixture; her fingers wrapped around his arms an anchor; and even as she choked and vomited the burning light he did not peel himself from her side.

“It hurts, it hurts.” Kor didn’t mean to sound so vulnerable — so small. She was the Warrior of Darkness, she could not show weakness. But it poured from her like a fount and dripped off her skin like holy water, and as she cried he kissed her head and kept her steady in her fight.

“I’ve got you,” he assured, even know she knew neither of them believed it. Even if it wasn’t enough. “You’re going to be okay. I’ve got you.”

[wing-ed-thing]

Cabaret (Might Guy x Reader, Chapter IV)

Oop here it is. Reminder that Cabaret is a rated M fic and this is about where we get more into that rating.

Summary: You can't stand Might Guy. Honestly, how could anyone be so boisterously unaware and sickeningly positive? Your heart sinks as the both of you are teamed up to infiltrate and collect information from the Hidden Sound's gritty underground. Maybe losing yourselves in the dark of the the Sound’s nightlife will help you both come to an understanding.

Word count: 3,268

Chapter I Chapter II Chapter III Chapter IV Chapter V Chapter VI Chapter VII Chapter VIIIChapter IX Chapter X Chapter XI 

Warnings: Foul language, alcohol, implied alcohol abuse, minor sexual assault and harassment (a booty is grabbed without permission)

You reached your temporary residence on the outskirts of the Hidden Sound by nightfall. Weary from your journey, you hardly remembered getting up the stairs of the complex. You stumbled through the door, tossing your bag on the floor before you collapsed on the bed. You placed a pillow over your eyes and sprawled your limbs across the sheets.

A rattle came from across the room.

“Did you even look around the place?” Guy’s voice resounded in your ears. You let out a string of curse words, too exhausted to move from your position on your bed.

“Why?” you lamented, “Why are our rooms fucking connected?” You moaned into your hands. You knew you didn’t have much time before you had to set out again, you just hoped that that time would be spent in peace. Sitting up, the pillow fell into your lap. You took in the small living area where Guy leaned against a very discrete door. If it had not been ajar, you wouldn’t have seen it at all. Only the lock at the very bottom revealed its location.

“You’re supposed to be a young, available bachelorette. It defeats the illusion if I’m seen leaving here all the time.”

“Who says you’ll be here all the time?” you snarkily snapped. Guy quirked an eyebrow. You huffed, moving to pick your bag off the floor. “Yeah, yeah, teamwork, I know…” You began to lay out your belongings on the bed. “Also, for the record, I’ve always been a ‘young, available bachelorette’, I don’t need to pretend to be one.”

“I know.” Your head snapped up from your meticulously folded clothes.

“What’s that supposed to mean, Eyebrows?” You hissed, putting one hand on your hips. Guy moved farther into your temporary apartment. He leaned against your couch, a hand on the back of it.

“Remember that time Genma asked you out as a dare in the academy?”

“You remember that?” you groaned.

“He had a black eye for a month.” Guy chuckled. “I think everyone remembers that.” A smile cracked on your face.

“He deserved it though!” You insisted, waving a makeup brush at him. “I didn’t even know it was a joke, I just thought he was being an idiot.” Guy let out a jolly chuckle.

“Well, you’re not wrong there.” You moved to the bathroom a few feet away from Guy, carefully storing your neatly organized cosmetics. You went back to your bed, gathering more items. Your partner stood, migrating to lean against the doorframe, watching you work. “So tell me, what is all that anyway?”

“These?” You looked up, a few airtight bags in your hands, “Wigs?”

“All of it.” He laughed bashfully. You hummed, tinkering with the cabinets.

“Um, it’s a lot of things really. Wigs, brushes, latex. They’re all kinda for different things so I couldn’t really tell you without going on about it all.” You held the small bottle in your hand. You hesitated. Glancing up to Guy, your eyebrows wove together. “Why are you asking?” You squinted your eyes at him before tending to your items once more.

“Well, I’m curious and I think you do good work.” Those words stopped you once again. You blinked a few times, squatted on the floor. You twirled a hairbrush in your hand as you stood.

“Oh.��� You moved past him. Your heart pounded in your chest as you attempted to think of something better to say. The words didn’t come to you. You reached for your now empty pack, kicking it under your bed. You stood in front of the mirror. Giving your faux hair a brush, you glanced at Guy who was still leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom. Leaning forward, you looked at him with a muddled expression and reached around the frame to switch off the light.

“Aren’t you going to go get ready?” You signed, returning back to the mirror. A stick of lipstain rolled over the rim of your mouth. You stood up straight, adjusting your shoulders. “Because that would be a better use of your time rather than staring at me doing my makeup like this morning.” Guy seemed to snap out of his thoughts, striking his classic thumbs-up pose.

“Yes, I am!” You rolled your eyes as he bounded to the small door, closing it behind him as he left.

You considered the wardrobe next to your bed. Your outfits hung up neatly and you plucked out a red dress. You slipped it on and zipped it up yourself, feeling the fabric hugging your frame and coming snugly around your neck. Your hands ran down the lace, smoothing it down your thighs. A pair of fine gloves rolled up your hands as you grabbed a small bag, slinging it over your shoulder. You checked your cosmetic touch ups once more in the mirror. Satisfied with your appearance, you exited the small living space.

Guy was waiting for you in the hall. He fiddled with his sleeves, rolling them to the elbow, showing off his well built forearms. He adjusted his leather suspenders over his shoulders. The black button up tucked into simple slacks. The buttons strained, giving way to the muscle that was outlined by the fabric’s thinness. He cleaned up nicely. You turned away, attempting to appear ever aloof. Guy’s face lit up as he opened his mouth to compliment you. You held a hand up and cleared your throat.

“Let’s go.” You offered curtly before Guy got a word in. Guy accompanied you down the stairs and down onto the street. His stare lingering on your figure as he trailed somewhat behind. Guy glanced back up at the back of your head, quickly shaking himself out of his trance. He’s not about to objectify you like that. You would surely murder him if you caught him anyway. He strolled leisurely at your side in contrast to your determined walk as you made your way down the street.

It was almost odd to see that the Hidden Sound Village looked like any other village. From what you heard about it, it was not what you expected, not that you would share this goofy thought with Guy. The buildings were the same as in the Leaf. They had the same wooden structure, the same thatched roofs. The few civilians that milled around the residential area wore similar robes dyed with locally sourced pigments. One main road bisected the neatly laid out districts which made it simple for you and Guy to navigate. The streets were lit with lanterns. As you traveled, the lights multiplied as the city morphed from community storage to bustling downtown businesses.

Dubious characters littered the street but you pressed on. If there was one thing that the Sound lacked, it certainly was not night life. You paid little attention to the whistles you got as you passed. Neon signs and flashy displays form boisterous bars seemed to now exclusively light the streets and one shone brightest. For a moment, you and Guy took in the outside. You took in your new place of work with a deep breath in. The name “HEAVEN” swung out onto the avenue and  radiated in bright neon on the outside of the establishment. On the building, the outline of a woman in a short dress practically lit the whole street. The halo on her head blinked on and off. You straightened your shoulders and entered.

You stepped into a world of plush walls. Your kitten heels clicked against the hardwood before sinking into the velvet carpet that led to the maître d'. Ornate traditional Japanese decoration ordained the larger woman’s European features. She took you in with questioning eyes. To both her sides existed space that opened into the main lounge. You could only see the front bits of it from where you stood. The wall behind her obscured the rest. The lady inspected you over. It must be rare for a woman to pass through here.

“We’re here to speak to Shima-san.” She took you in, closing the large book that rested on the podium. “We’re your new hires.” The woman’s glasses slid to the end of her nose.

“Ah, yes. You must be the new girl.” She narrowed her eyes at you before glancing up at Guy. She seemed more comfortable with your partner’s presence. “It will be nice to have a competent bartender from what I am told of your skills. Come with me.”

Her embellished robes flowed behind her as she led you into the lounge. Your eyes adjusted to the low lighting. Panels hung from the ceiling and modern lamps glowed around the tables. The chique fixtures tastefully placed around make for a modern ambiance. Low circular booths embellished with plush adorned the large space where groups of men sat with their arms around elegant women. Two hostesses in evening gowns occupied the small stage in the center of it all. Their sultry voices filled the room.

Strips illuminated the rim of the bar counter and the back bar glowed. A blond woman worked behind the counter in her evening gown, scrambling with tears near the edge of her eyes as she shuffled from one side of the bar to the other. The woman who met you at the entrance led you past the struggling bartender into a back hallway on the right. The woman knocked on the door that lay at the end of the hall and an energetic voice could be heard from the other side.

She opened the door for you and Guy to reveal a small office. Papers scattered across the mahogany desk, frames tilted crookedly on the mahogany paneling. A man sat in the middle of the chaos, rubbing his goatee. His eyes lit up on seeing his guests.

“Ah! Come in, come in, I have been awaiting your arrival!” the man sitting behind the desk exclaimed. He came around in front of his desk, glancing up at the woman. “Thank you, Mama-san.” She closed the door, retreating back into the hall.

“Thank you for having us, Shima-san.” Guy remarked. The two of you bowed to your new employer.

“Please, call me Daisuke! You must be Aoki-san.” He reached for Guy’s hand, giving it a rigorous shake. Guy was momentarily shocked before he returned the energy. Daisuke turned to you, grabbing your gloved hand, he gave it a kiss. “And you must be Takeuchi-san. Gorgeous, even more beautiful than described!”

“You’re too kind.” The owner waved you off. He motioned to the two plush chairs in front of his desk before maneuvering around to the other side, pulling out a file as he settled back into his seat.

You and Guy sunk into the chairs. You took in the man across from you with poised posture. You learned against the arm of your chair, sitting on the edge with your wrists and ankles crossed. Daisuke did not look young, but not necessarily old either. Fifties? Sixties? You would have to consult with Guy as to your best guesses later. Wrinkles showed around his eyes as he smiled at the two of you. Guy leaned back in his chair, lounging in stark contrast to you.

“ I have heard a lot about you two!” Daisuke flipped through the pages. You resumes, supplied by the informant, you guessed. “Very talented professionals, we are happy to have you here! I was surprised, though, as to why two such talented folks such as yourselves would want to make the trek from the Leaf all the way over to this dinky ol’ place!”

“No, no not at all, Daisuke-san.” You gave a jovial laugh. “Trust us, the journey is well worth it!”

“Just being here in the Sound is like a breath of fresh air,” Guy crossed his legs, the ends of his mouth upturned, “The Leaf takes itself too seriously, it’s like living in a police state over there! I can’t speak for Takeuchi-san, of course, but I’m excited to start my life over here.” You smiled politely at Guy.

“My words exactly, Aoki-san.” You chirped.

“It’s kismet!” Daisuke exclaimed animatedly, slapping the edge of his desk as punctuation which made him chuckle louder. You noted how easily he became pleased with an audience.

“As for getting down to business,” Daisuke shook his hands in a dramatic fashion. “I was hoping that you two could start tomorrow. As much as I’ve been hearing great things, I would like to see you both in action. We didn’t get a chance to have an interview in person and I’d like to see your skills!”

“Why, of course, I feel that’s only logical.” You nodded.

“With beauty like yours, you’ll be a hit in no time, gorgeous Takeuchi-san.” Daisuke turned to Guy. “We haven’t had an actual bartender in a while either! Needless to say, I’m not expecting to be disappointed.” He stood from his chair and you followed suit.

“It was very nice meeting you, Daisuke-san.”

“Come an hour or two before we open tomorrow so you can get an idea of the place.” Daisuke stood from his chair once again.

“Wonderful idea.” Guy remarked. Opening the door, Daisuke showed you out of his office after polite farewells. You maintained your pleasant exterior, even as the door shut behind you.

You were more focused on getting back to your room than anything else. It would be nice to break character and go to bed. You traveled back down the hall, past the blond bartender, the businessmen with their arms around hostesses, and out of the range of Mama-san’s stare. She nodded in acknowledgement at your presence as if to bid you farewell. Guy flashed her a smile, lagging behind you. You stepped back into the plain of neon lights, marching back the way you originally came. Maybe you’d make yourself a small meal before going to bed.

An arm snaked around your waist and a hand on your rear. You didn’t register it at first, but when you did, you slowed, stopping in your tracks. You immediately thought, hoped to Kami, that for some odd reason it was Guy. You looked over your shoulder, locking eyes with him as he was just coming out the door of “HEAVEN”. You looked up at the man with his arm around you. His slender face contorted into a sleazy smile. You tore away from him. Your face scrunched up in anger.

“The fuck are you trying to pull, you fucker?” The man said nothing. Guy came between the two of you. The man puffed out his chest as if to try to size him up. Guy looked at you, silently telling you to continue forward. You huffed and Guy followed, keeping an eye on the stranger. You seethed for the rest of the way back. Guy was silent, giving you space as you boiled.

You both entered your rooms separately. You flung your heels off and tossed your gloves on the floor. You tugged at your hair, feeling the rip of the glue against your skin. The wig flew onto your nightstand along with your cap. You’d take care of it when you were in a better mood. You took a wipe to your make up.

“I could have taken him, you know.” you snapped, standing in your bathroom.

“You could have, I have no doubt.” You heard Guy remark from somewhere in your living area. You tossed the wipe in the trash, storming out into your studio where Guy sat on your couch.

“I could’ve fucked him up,” You surged, zipping an oversized sweatshirt over your dress. You wriggled the red garb out from under it in a swift movement, tossing it on the bed. “I should’ve-... I should’ve made him fling himself off a bridge, that’s what I should’ve done!” You paused, taking your partner in. “What are you doing in my room?”

“Something told me that you needed to decompress,” He unbuttoned the top button of his shirt, “And what kind of partner would I couldn’t help with that.” Guy winked at you. You rolled your eyes at his thumbs-up. You stomped to the kitchenette, wetting a paper towel. You tapped your foot against the floor as you rubbed the wig glue out of your hairline. Guy brought a bottle to his lips.

“Where did you get beer?” You stopped mid dab. Guy held another one up with his other hand. Not looking back, he placed it on the couch next to him. Enveloping the paper, you scrambled over to check the fridge. You could’ve cried. “Please remind me to kiss the envoy if we ever meet him.” You threw the wet wad away, reaching over the couch to grab the bottle. You cracked it open on the doorframe to the bathroom before sitting next to Guy. You immediately started downing it, not coming up for air until the liquid had disappeared halfway. He took a long glance at you, chest rumbling as he laughed.

“Slow down there! I brought this to you to take the edge off. I thought you’d sip it.” Guy scratched his temple, the smile fading from his lips. “Can’t do this every time someone gets handsy, right?”

You hummed in question, having downed half your bottle. “Get angry, then drunk?” Guy glanced down at his almost full portion, then back up at you. He crossed his legs, tilting his head. He blinked.

“You’re planning on getting drunk?” You sighed, taking another long swig.

“I’m pissed.”

“You can’t get drunk every time you’re upset.” Guy told you slowly. His eyes nervously shifted.

“Are you saying I shouldn’t be pissed at a dude grabbing my ass?” You arched a brow, placing your now empty bottle on the table. “Not being able to do anything about it?”

“Not what I’m saying. He deserved to be knocked into next week and under normal circumstances I wouldn’t get in your way.” Guy set his drink on the table as well, still full. He leaned back again. “But you’re working as a hostess now in order to gather sensitive information. Unfortunately, you can’t drink every time you get unwanted attention, as much as they deserve a swift punch to the mouth.”

“I don’t like being touched when I don’t want to be touched.” You reached for his beverage. Guy quickly put up a hand to stop yours.

“Well, you also signed up to take missions.” You shrunk into the back of the couch. “You knew when you entered the academy that you might be called to do less than savory things in your career.”

“I was also, what? Seven?” You breathed. You fiddled your hands in your lap, throwing your head back. Guy shifted in his seat, turning more towards you. He wore a serious look on his face. Guy glanced down, trying to choose his words. “I get it, we’re on a job.”

“(Y/N), I don’t really know much about what you do, but I do know that you’re the best at recon. I’m just saying to prepare yourself, watch your back.” You snorted.

“I thought that’s what you were here for-” His wide eyes met yours. The back of the couch still supported your neck as your natural hair sprawled out behind you- “to watch my back.” You missed the red that sprinkled his cheeks.

He opened his mouth, taking just a second to snap out the shock.

“No, uh… I mean yes, but I meant-”

“I know what you meant, don’t worry about it.” You cut him off. Guy looked deeply at you.

“I was assigned to protect you. You know I’ll back you up.” You let out a snicker to yourself.

“I’ll allow it.”

Notes: I want to make it clear that I do not condone sexual harassment or assault. If you find you yourself on the receiving end of this kind of treatment please do not be afraid to speak up and advocate for yourself because chances are that you’re not an undercover ninja trying to collect intel from jerks. It’s also tempting to try to drown your feelings in something else but please try to find healthy outlets and find someone to talk to. 

Also, I’ve been doing research on hostesses/cabaret girls. It is inherently a dark and adult topic (as much as it would be easier for the world to be like Ouran). I do not intend on writing triggering material, but I will continue tag warnings.