#welcoming innkeeper in a small town!

[avcdgrdn]

── .✦ [ FIC ]: can i really stay here? [ part five ]

[ part one ] & [ part two ] & [ part three ] & [ part four ]

mullet stanley pines x innkeeper reader

tags: fluff, sfw, a bit of suggestive talk

word count: 2029

˙✧˖° ༘ ⋆｡˚

the serene atmosphere of your sunlit bedroom was suddenly disturbed as you jolted up in bed with a gasp.

heart racing and head spinning, you sat there, stunned.

was it … just a dream?

your brow furrowed as you looked up and around the familiar space. there was your bookshelf, your desk, your chair … oh.

you rubbed your eyes to do a double take at your chair. sure enough, atop it laid the two-piece outfit you had worn out with stanley last night.

slowly, a wide grin spread across your face. as you began to get out of bed and prepare yourself for the day, memories came back to you one by one.

let’s see, then … when we got back here, we had that conversation in the car. i remember being really sleepy, and kind of stumbling into the inn.

you wandered into your bathroom, splashing your face with cold water.

then, we parted ways. he practically skipped away to his room.

the faucet ran as you laughed softly to yourself. a certain warmth filled your chest, spreading throughout your body: an uncontrollable joy.

who would’ve guessed? me, in love … i’m so happy.

suddenly, everything was peaches, unicorns, and rainbows. you felt as if the butterflies in your stomach were throwing a wild dance party, and all the world was invited. ecstatic, you danced around your room, putting on day clothes and taking extra care as you groomed yourself. yes, this called for three extra spritzes of your favorite fragrance. absolutely, it required your nicest jewelry. after all, you were on a serotonin high, and you never wanted to come down—the person that you love loves you back!

as you made your way out into the hallway, a part of you was tempted to slide down the staircase like mary poppins, but you quickly decided against it as you recalled your lack of magical gravity-altering powers. instead, you settled for a regular-paced descent, walking down both sets of stairs until you came out into the lobby.

you waved to one of your employees at the front desk. “good morning!”

“ah, good morning, boss. you sound cheery today. did something good happen?”

“wellll, yeahhh, you could say that …” you beamed, covering your mouth like a child with an innocent secret.

the worker laughed, shaking his head. “i won’t pry, although i do have a guess as to what it is. you’re all set to take your shift, by the way.” he walked out from the desk, and you took his place, watching as he disappeared to go on break.

just then, a hand touched your shoulder.

“boo.”

you jumped, whipping around to the source of the voice. a smug stanley stood beside you, laughing at the reaction he’d managed from you.

“haha! hey, don’t be scared, toots. ‘s just me.” he winked, giving you a small squeeze before letting his arm fall down to his side. “ya look cute t’day.”

“you look pretty nice yourself.” you hummed, giving him a quick once-over. that earned a small blush from stan, who stammered as he attempted to think of a comeback.

“oh—oh yeah? well you—uh … ahh, i got nothin’.” he grinned sheepishly, pleasantly surprised at the way you were matching his energy.

at that moment, the little entrance bell rung as the front door swung open. a new guest had entered the building. recognizing this, stan took his cue to back away and let you do your job.

the stranger approached the front desk, and you offered him a smile. “welcome to the inn! just a room for one today?”

the stranger, who appeared to be tall and blond, stared at you with piercing blue eyes. “yes … that was the plan. but i must say, you’re a charming little doll. you might just make it a room for two.”

you were taken aback. “sir—”

“hey, can you blame me? i’m in town for a tour, and i’m awfully bored … why don’t you humor me?”

*SLAM*

stanley’s rough hand hit the desk surface with force as he positioned himself between the stranger and yourself.

“you got a problem?”

his threatening words rumbled lowly, striking through the air like thunder.

“what’s it to you, lowlife raccoon? do you really think you’re scaring anyone with that attitude?”

the bulkier man growled, his eye twitching. “you wanna take this outside, punk?”

“yes, let’s. i’d hate for your little crush here to watch you get hurt.”

immediately, alarm bells went off in your head. “wait, what—”

stan began to walk towards the back door with the troublemaker. shooting a glance back at you, he mouthed ‘don’t worry’ before closing the door behind him. of course, that only made you worry twice as much.

a part of you longed to follow them and make sure nothing bad happened, but you knew that you couldn’t just abandon the desk during your shift. an anxious breath escaped from your lips as you craned your neck to try and see if you could catch a glance of them through the window.

mere seconds later, there was a distant crash. you startled, quickly running over to the back door and opening it to look for the two men. much to your relief, stanley came walking back over to you from around the corner, completely unscathed.

“guy ran off all scared after i knocked his tooth out. said sumthin’ about his ‘career being ruined’. tch, what a wuss.” he rolled his eyes, sliding his arm around your waist and walking you back towards the front desk. “sorry he said that stuff to ya. i took care of it, though, yeah?”

you flushed a shade of red at his arm around you and his close proximity. “y–yes. thank you, stan.”

the brunet puffed up with pride. “anytime, angel. if somebody tries anything like that again, y’ come get me. i’ll take care of you.”

looking this way and that, he leaned in and planted a soft kiss on your cheek before grabbing his car keys and walking towards the front door. “i gotta thing to do. see ya later, gator.”

you stood frozen in place, processing what had just happened. explosions were going off in your brain, and stan chuckled to himself as he left the inn.

some time passed, and it was finally your lunch break. you’d been thoroughly distracted all morning by the way stanley had been acting towards you.

he’s so … clingy. ugh, i miss him already.

his hair is so pretty … and his eyes … and that stubble …

you were slowly being pulled into daydream land—but the rumbling of your stomach snapped you out of it.

“urgh. time to eat.” you mumbled to yourself, making your way to your room. there were some leftovers in the fridge that were practically calling your name.

after retrieving the box of food and a clean fork, you turned around to return to the lobby, but stopped in your tracks upon seeing someone standing in the doorway.

“heya, toots!” stan beamed, his hands shoved into his jacket pockets. “yer never gonna believe what just happened.”

this was the most excited and happy you’d ever seen him. intrigued, you set down your leftovers on the table, giving him your full attention. “what is it?”

“i just landed a security guard gig for the theater down the street. they figured out i could throw a punch or two, an’ offered to pay me full-time to keep troublemakers away from their shows!”

your eyes widened as you realized what this meant. “then … that means …”

“i can stick around n’ actually have a chance at making the green i need!” grinning, he threw his arms around you. “i’ll stop takin’ up space here, n’ get a place for us—i mean, me—i mean—”

you laughed, squeezing him tightly and resting your head on his shoulder. “stan, i am so proud of you!”

hearing those words did something inside of him. his whole body tensed, then relaxed, overwhelmed with emotion. “you … you are?”

“of course! i love you too much to feel any other way, y’know.”

tears stung at his vision, and he hastily rubbed them away with his sleeve. “... heh, thank you.”

stepping back to look him in the eye, you rested both hands on top of his shoulders. “when you first got here … i could tell how unhappy you were. i hated seeing you like that.” you moved one hand to brush some hair out of his face. “and now look at you. you’ve come so far.”

stan melted into your touch, leaning his face into the palm of your hand without thinking. “yeah, i … i guess i have come a ways, huh?” he sighed, a tender smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “honestly, you were the one who caused it. ‘f it weren’t for all your help, i … i’d prob’ly be in an even darker place than i was before.” turning his head, he kissed the inside of your palm. “thank you.”

you blushed, your whole body warm with happiness, gratitude, and excitement. “well, i couldn’t just ignore you.” you pulled him into another embrace, unable to wipe the smile off your face. “stanley, you’ve captivated me, mind, heart, and soul.”

he hummed lowly, pushing your hair back to press another kiss to your forehead. “you did the same thing to me. i … just can’t stop thinkin’ about you.” he pulled his head back to gaze at you lovingly. “... ‘bout how lucky i got to find you.. my angel.”

“i love you.”

“heh– not more than i do, toots.”

“no proof.”

you were just inches away from a second-ever kiss when a knock on the door rudely interrupted, causing the two of you to jump away from each other and stare as it began to open.

“oh sh–” stan slapped his hand over his mouth, diving behind the sofa to hide. all you could do was stand there as normally as you possibly could, pretending like nothing important had been previously happening.

“uh … was there someone else in here, too?”

it was your coworker from earlier that day.

“NOPE! nobody. just me. why would you think that?”

he narrowed his eyes. “right … you know it’s your property, it’s okay if there was someone.” shaking his head, he remembered his initial purpose. “anyway, i just wanted to come find you to see if you wanted to go out to lunch with me and liz.”

“oh. well, uh …”

“... it would also be a nice opportunity to tell us about any … juicy secrets?”

you snickered, shaking your head fondly. “well, fine. i’ll tag along, then—with a plus one.”

“I KNEW IT! —i mean, uh, cool, good deal. we’re meeting in the lobby in ten.”

“i’ll be there.” you waved goodbye as he shut the door, and stan reappeared from behind the couch. the two of you simply exchanged looks, and started laughing.

so, you had a lovely lunch outing with two of your co-workers and a rather nervous stanley. he was surprisingly shy for the intimidating big-guy persona that he gave off, which was adorable. it didn’t take long for him to earn the approval of the others—they were both moved to tears after listening to his life story. jeff, the male of the two, kept complaining about how it wasn’t fair that you had such a good man just suddenly show up on your doorstep, whereas liz warned stan that if he ever hurt you he would have to deal with her. all in all, the whole group had a great time.

presently, you were sorting through a mail delivery that had come for the inn, making different piles for guests and employees who had received letters and other packages.

it was just then that something caught your eye.

it was a postcard … addressed to stan.

huh … i wonder what this could be about?

you stifled your curiosities and stopped yourself from reading his mail, and instead chose to slip it underneath his door.

oh, well. i’m sure it’s nothing important.

… right?

end

author's note:

*holds stanley so gently in the palm of my hand*

love this guy ... what a guy

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[ghostofbambifanfiction]

Fic Present!!!

Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays! While I am not posting it on AO3 until the whole fic is complete, I wanted to give you guys a festive gift, so please see below the cut for the first chapter of Heads Will Roll.

Siblings in Slaughter

1.

"When the wind blows from the East, expect the new and set the feast."

James Potter cleaned his dagger in the river when the deed was done.

His comrade-in-arms griped at him for it, but Sirius was right to complain. Neither he nor James were wielders of cheap steel, or the kind of workmanship which might deserve to be plunged into a river and shaken out to dry once removed. That particular dagger had been forged in the guild of the Hephaestans, who were the grandmasters of their trade. With an edge so sharp that it could cut iron and a blade imbibed with elven enchantments, it was entitled to the same attention that Sirius lavished upon his own weapons of a dry summer evening, when he would arch across his sword as if in prayer, applying oils and buffing indiscernible marks with the tender care of a parent who nurses their sickly child.

The more James relied upon rivers and lakes to cleanse his blade, the sooner he would find himself in need of another.

But they'd just slain a cockatrice, and an angry one at that.

The battle had worn on for what felt like an eternity and grew no easier once James had taken care of the beast's eyes to leave their way clear. Upon finding itself blinded, the sound it let out was bone-chilling, and it thrashed like hell unleashed, swiping viciously with its barbed tail and lunging wherever it heard sound. Its last earthly accomplishment, before Sirius lopped its galline head off with a clean swipe of his sword, was to gouge its rage into James's shoulder with a talon that was sharper than his wits.

The wound it left was not deep, and it would heal before the sun arose tomorrow, but his inertia had no immediate solution. The beast had taken a full day to track, and James was tired. Bone tired. Too tired to tend to the dagger, or his sword, or the silver tipped arrows that rustled in the quiver on his back. He made a shoddy attempt at wiping the mud from his boots and hauled himself atop his horse with Sirius's admonishments wafting over his head, too lethargic to properly hear them.

No doubt he'd repeat them tomorrow. He almost always did.

The ride back to Thorney Pass was a quick one, barely five miles, but sitting upright and awake felt like a struggle until they reached the inn, blood-stained but victorious, with a monster's head swinging from Sirius's saddle, and were treated to a hero's welcome by the small number of townsfolk who had remained there to wait—without much hope, perhaps—for their return.

"Bed," he mouthed to Sirius amidst the hubbub, and his brother nodded his understanding. It would be Sirius who collected their payment from the town elder and saw to it that the horses were settled for the night this time, while James retreated to their lodgings to rest. The inn was one of the nicer establishments in town, and their room a cosy space with two plush feather beds and a spacious copper bathtub, which the innkeeper—recently widowed by the cockatrice, whose head he would now mount upon his wall—was only too happy to have filled. Once alone, James divested himself of his weapons and clothing and sank into the steaming water with a grateful sigh, eager to scrub the stench of death from his body before turning in for the night.

When he awoke, what must have been hours later, the water he lay in was cold and he was shivering, while Sirius slept soundly in one of the beds, his slow, even breathing lending the room an air of peace that their occupation so rarely allowed them to enjoy.

He had cleaned and polished James's dagger and sword; they lay on the low wooden table beneath the window, next to a neatly-folded pile of clothes that James had earlier cast off and strewn haphazardly about the room.

In the moonlight they gleamed pristinely, vivid in their splendour, siblings in slaughter, alert like living things.

James needed, he reflected, to start taking better care of his weapons.

And himself.

He needed to take better care of himself.

*

"I've lined up another job for us."

"Another one?"

"In Upper Hangleton."

"The place with the library?"

"Yes, Upper Hangleton," Sirius repeated through a mouthful of blood sausage. He cleared his throat when he swallowed and ran his tongue along his top set of teeth, checking for imperfections. "About a day's ride from here."

The words were innocuous, even expected, but they curdled in the ear like sour milk.

The inn was bustling that morning, and while James would have liked to attribute that solely to the excellent breakfasts that the innkeeper had presented them with, he had lived this precise situation enough times to know that he and Sirius were the attraction of the hour. Word of the cockatrice's death would have spread overnight, as it always did, and the townsfolk were as curious as townsfolk always were, crowding the inn in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the mysterious, travelling heroes who had saved them from the beast who stalked their homes. The attention that surrounded their booth was palpable enough to run a blade through, and it was a tale as old as time itself after ten years on the road. The disbelief and uncertainty that greeted them at every new location would soon give way to grateful, ardent fawning, to cheers and gifts and victory feasts, even to fathers who offered their maiden daughters as brides, and saw not how they were monsters in a rather different sense. Each town to which they were summoned became a copy of the one that went before it, after a fashion. Only the beasts would vary.

James's mother had once warned them both that consistent adulation could ruin a man who wasn't prepared to nurture a healthy sense of shame, and while his younger self had paid her no mind, lapping up praise like praise alone could keep him breathing, the man that he had become felt as if those very same words were stitched into his soul.

He was tired.

Not in body. He was twenty-seven years old, in excellent physical condition, and a healthy sleeper.

But the rest…

"We can't take another job, we're going home," he reminded Sirius. This had been their agreement when they consented to take on the cockatrice.

"Yeah, I know," Sirius agreed, his demeanour unconcerned, "and Upper Hangleton is on the way."

"Give or take a detour of about thirty miles."

"What's thirty miles in the grand scheme of things?"

"In the grand scheme of things," James growled through his teeth, gripping his knife as he sawed through his breakfast with vigour, "you promised that we were going home after this job, and the job's done. Now is when we go home."

"We will go home. Mother and Father aren't shuffling off the mortal coil just yet, they can wait a little longer to see us."

"Maybe they can, but I can't. I'm bloody exhausted."

"The letter arrived this morning, while you were still asleep; they must have heard that we were here." From within an inner pocket of his aged leather overcoat, Sirius withdrew a shortened sheet of parchment and placed it in the centre of the table. "From the library's custodian, no less."

James spared the letter a brief glance and resumed his frustrated attack on his bacon, which was cooked so well it was almost burned black, resting on a slab of thick, warm bread and creamy butter which had been freshly churned—or so the innkeeper assured him—that very morning. Just how he liked it. "I don't want to see some silly library."

"A library that houses the largest and most diverse collection of books in the country is not some silly library," his brother coolly retorted, "and the letter—"

"I don't care about the letter."

"Just read it, alright?" Sirius slapped his palm down on the letter with such emphasis that their tankards rattled, and pushed it towards James. "Read it and then make up your mind."

There was very little arguing with Sirius when he got the bit between his teeth, and James could have stormed off, but his breakfast was the price he'd pay for his desertion, and this might have been the last good meal he'd get to enjoy for days. Not every inn they frequented served up food of such a high standard.

He picked up the letter with a hearty scoff and skimmed it, swiftly bypassing the usual pleasantries, the writer's apologies for having disturbed them, and his description of the town, until…

Hah.

He looked up from the letter and searched his brother's face for the punchline, incredulous.

None came.

"A hellbeast," he flatly read aloud, in case he had imagined such stupidity. "You think a hellbeast is on the prowl in Upper Hangleton?"

Sirius crossed his arms beneath his chest and smirked.

"Can't be," James insisted.

"Could be."

"It can't."

"You're no fun. What kind d'you reckon it is?" his brother asked, ignoring his scepticism completely. His eyes were alight with the kind of excitement that only an unknown, potentially undefeatable enemy could stir within him. "A Cerberus? A Cù-Sith?"

"Yeah, you're right, what would I know? Could even be a Black Shuck," James dryly suggested, more interested in his breakfast than in entertaining this nonsense. He put the letter down and pushed it back across the table without finishing it. "Or it could be an overdramatic murderer who disguises their kills as the act of one of the rarest monsters in existence."

"Yeah, it could." His smirk undiminished, Sirius tapped the bottom half of the letter with two fingers. "But there was a witness, so eat up and let's get moving, princess."

He leaned back in his seat and threw a wink at some of the women who were watching them from the bar and in whom, James knew, he couldn't have been less interested, because that was just the kind of shit-eating git he was. Sirius wasn't interested in anyone, but they flocked to him in their droves, entranced by his pale, pouty-lipped beauty, by his inscrutability, and by the fantasy of capturing the heart of a handsome monster hunter. The most that anyone could hope to get was a night of indulgence in his body before he coolly sent them on their way, alongside their disappointed hopes. He had no appetite for romance and little capacity for affection; he loved the job, loved their parents, and loved James best of all, but that was all he had room for.

No more, no less.

But it certainly would have suited James much better if Sirius could love the job a little bit less.

"I need a break," he helplessly pointed out. There was no victory to be found here. Sirius would get his way, as Sirius always did. "We both agreed that we needed a break."

"But this is a hellbeast."

"It probably isn't!"

"And what if it is?" Sirius challenged. "And what would Mother say if she knew we'd ignored the summons?"

Knowing well what his mother would say, and not stupid enough to fall into that trap, James fixed him with a flat stare and shoved a hunk of bacon into his mouth.

"One more job. Just one. Then we'll go home for a few months," his brother wheedled, utterly unconvincing in his attempt to look sympathetic, so James continued to stare and chew and stare, and Sirius held up his hands as if in surrender. "We will, I mean it this time."

It was a pointless endeavour. An imminently wasteful journey.

There was no hellbeast in Upper Hangleton. Couldn't be.

But if there was…

Well, fuck.

Because what if there was?

"One of these days, Sirius," he sighed, slumping over his breakfast, weary with defeat. "One of these days I swear I'll kill you."

"Stop moaning," Sirius chided, and flashed his gleaming teeth. "You know you love it really."

James's response was to grumble wordlessly into his eggs.

*

As much as James would have preferred to return to London and sleep for a complete lunar cycle, whenever he committed to a job, he committed to that job.

There was no hellbeast in Upper Hangleton.

Of this much he was certain.

There was a beast to contend with, however, and it had claimed several lives, and that was enough.

So here he was, in Upper Hangleton, a small East Anglian town contained almost entirely within the outer fringes of a thick, expansive forest named Corvid Copse; a town so sleepy it was practically comatose; a town that had nothing of note to boast of but a library of some renown, and where nothing much of note had ever happened until now.

Here he was.

Committed.

The promise of a delicious supper from the widowed innkeeper had kept them in Thorney Pass for longer than expected, so they rode through the night and reached their destination the next morning, stopping first at the famed library to meet the man who had summoned them.

James came to realise, when they arrived, that he had expected quite a lot of the library without ever consciously considering it—marble statues or intricate paintings, or a great domed ceiling, perhaps, something grandiose to mark its reputation—and the medieval battlement that housed it was certainly imposing, but once inside, they found themselves confronted with a library that was a library in the most macabre sense, a library with thick stone walls, stone floors, and no windows to speak of. The crenelles which had been notched into the walls centuries back allowed for only draughts and meagre threads of natural light to struggle through, so fireplaces and long, tapered candles were doing most of the heavy lifting, and glass-encased lanterns were provided to those who wished to explore among the shelves, or stay and read a while.

It was with a low whistle that Sirius took one of the lanterns and promptly wandered off, leaving James to talk to the custodian. Speaking with the public was the only part of the job that Sirius didn't relish with a reverence that inched close to worship, but James could coax a conversation out of a tree if it took his fancy, and played the role of interviewer gladly.

The man's name was Remus Lupin, a tall and rather slight fellow with a closely cropped beard and light brown hair that fell to his chin. He looked to be around James and Sirius's age, which seemed young for a head custodian, but people had been saying that about them both since they first took up the sword at seventeen, so James was of no mind to assume that his capabilities were lacking.

Lupin also shared his scepticism in regards to the creature.

"I thought it all a bit far-fetched, to be frank, but Mrs Abbott insisted that she knows what she saw," he disclosed, having invited James to take a seat at his desk near the entrance. "There hasn't been one confirmed sighting of a genuine hellbeast in England in centuries, from what I could uncover, so at first I thought it more likely to be an Acromantula, perhaps even an Erymanthian boar, although goodness knows how one of those could have found its way to a place like this."

"You seem to know your monsters," James remarked, impressed.

"Oh, I don't particularly, this is all a result of some cursory research, after the first few attacks," admitted Lupin, shuffling through some papers that were littered across his desk. "Of course, that was when I assumed that the attacks would be more frequent, but as they are…" His fingers stilled over a sheet of parchment, upon which several notes had been written in a neat and precise hand, and he let out a short, sheepish breath of laughter. "My apologies, I forget who I'm talking to. You likely need my opinion on this matter about as much as I need yours on antique book restoration."

James grinned. "Is there much profit in antique book restoration?"

"I profit in spirit, if only that counted."

"If I knew how you could profit financially, I might have an opinion," James returned, with a laugh of his own. It was a shame that Sirius had wandered off; this bloke was sharp. "But I won't take offence if you want to share yours."

"That's quite alright, I shall leave the hypothesising to you, but I have written down the facts as I was given them, if that might prove useful." Lupin lifted his sheet of notes. "Unfortunately, there have been two more attacks in the time since I first wrote."

James reached out for the sheet of parchment and Lupin handed it over. "In one night?"

"One last night, another the night before, which makes for three consecutive attacks, the same as last time."

With a quick nod to indicate that he was listening, James read through Lupin's list of victims, leaning close to a flickering candle to better see.

First attack - Mr Clive and Mrs Elsie Bishop - night of May 4th or morning of May 5th - bodies discovered at Nethermere on the morning of May 5th

Second attack - Mr Aethelred Green - night of May 5th or morning of May 6th - body discovered at Nethermere on the afternoon of May 6th

Third attack - Master Alfred Nott - early morning of May 7th - attacked in the rose garden of Nott House, witnessed by Miss Margaret Nott from her bedroom window - the distance between the window and the rose garden is approximately 120 yards and the attack was witnessed in darkness - Miss Nott described the creature as dark and gigantic - body was left in the rose garden

Fourth attack - Mr Richard Abbott - night of June 3rd - taken by the beast while returning from the Old George, yards from his home on Thackery Lane, witnessed by Mrs Anne Abbott from the front door - witness described the creature as enormous and dark with sharp claws and glowing red eyes, claims that it was speaking in demonic tongues - creature used its mouth to drag the victim away as he struggled - body located at Nethermere on the morning of June 4th

Fifth attack - Miss Winifred Calvert - night of June 4th or early morning of June 5th - body discovered on southern forest trail to Nethermere on the morning of June 5th

Sixth attack - Mr Archie Faircroft - night of June 5th or early morning of

James looked up at Lupin, who was watching him closely. "This one is unfinished?"

"I was updating it as you arrived," he said, "but there wasn't anything new to report. It seems that every victim was taken whilst outdoors, despite the curfew we've enacted, because there were no signs of struggle in any of their homes, and the body was found at Nethermere like the majority of the others, in much the same state as the rest."

"And what state was that precisely?"

"Ripped apart." Lupin's voice was impassive, but one hand was resting sideways on his desk, and the fingers that curled tightly into his palm told a different story. Whatever he may have been feeling, he saw the importance of a dispassionate retelling of facts. Too often, James and Sirius were confronted with witnesses on the verge of hysteria, witnesses who misremembered and exaggerated their experiences. That may still have happened with Miss Nott and Mrs Abbott, but Lupin had at least attempted to condense them into a form that made logical sense. "Limbs missing. Chunks torn from flesh. Bloodless," he added, with a slight, barely perceptible shudder. "Completely bloodless."

"Can I grab that quill?"

"Go ahead."

James, who never seemed to have a quill on him, reached over the desk, plucked Lupin's from its inkpot, gave it a quick shake and scribbled some fresh notes in his own, untidy scrawl. Dismembered. Drained. Consumed. "And Nethermere is?"

"The lake. It's a popular beauty spot with the locals for fishing, bathing, picnicking and such—at least it was—located about a mile from here if you take the western forest trail."

"Does the southern trail also lead to the lake?"

"It does, although it takes a little longer."

"And Nott House." Common kill site. Den? Ritualistic? "Is that close to Nethermere?"

"Nott House is an estate in itself," Lupin explained. "The front of the house overlooks the lake, but from the opposite bank. Alfred was…" His jaw twitched, then tightened resolutely, and he directed his gaze towards something to the left of James's shoulder. "His death was a particular shame. He was only fifteen years old, you see. Had a sweetheart in town, Jenny Smith, and we think he may have been sneaking out to see her, which would explain why he was in the rose garden. He often brought her flowers."

"Are you close with the family?"

"In a sense," he said quietly. His efforts to curb his emotions concerning the child's murder seemed to have won out, but barely. "I was his tutor for a time, and the family trusts me—more than they trust the parish constabulary, in any case. The Notts are responsible for paying your fare, in fact. The constabulary is under the impression that it can get to the bottom of the matter without outside interference, but there isn't much confidence in their ability to do so, and the Notts want to know what killed their son."

James cast his mind back over his and Sirius's overnight ride to Upper Hangleton, and to the way the star-dotted, inky black sky had looked when Sirius pointed out Canis Major, as he was frequently wont to do.

He wrote one final note at the bottom of the page.

"So they asked you to hire us?" he asked Lupin.

"When the attacks began again and it became clear that the constabulary were out of their depth, yes, they'd learned that you were nearby and asked me to write, along with several other neighbours and friends."

"Right," said James, scrunching his nose to one side. "You seem to have a lot of people relying on you considering, well…" He gestured across the desk. "Unless you're a centuries-old alchemist with the secret to eternal youth, surely you're a bit young for all of that?"

Lupin's mouth twitched like he wanted to smile. "I had my twenty-seventh birthday in the spring."

"When exactly?"

"March."

"I had my twenty-seventh birthday in March."

Lupin pointed to his own chest. "The 10th. You?"

"The 27th," James returned, and they exchanged upwards nods in the way that people often did when acknowledging that common ground had been discovered, no matter how inconsequential the similarity might have been. "Mind you, I don't doubt your capability at all, but is it not a bit unusual for a man our age to perform duties that a town elder would usually take on?"

"Well, my father was the town elder for fifteen years," said Lupin, "and very popular, but he passed away in the autumn and afterwards it seemed to fall to me to shoulder his burdens, somehow."

"I see."

"They still haven't appointed another elder, so it seems that the matter is settled," Lupin continued, candlelight dancing across his freckled face, "though I'm sure that if they did, I'd miss the qualifying mark by a solid thirty years."

"The only reward for competence is more work," quoted James.

"I've never heard it put that way before, but you're quite right."

"Can't take credit for that nugget of wisdom; it's something my mother always says. I'm quite daft, really."

"Monster hunting expertise aside?"

"That aside, yeah. My genius is confined to killing manticores and ghouls." He patted the scabbard that hung from his belt. Contained within was his sword, buffed and polished with a devotion and expertise that James did not deserve any credit for. "We'll get rid of that problem for you easily enough, by the by. The last kill site hasn't been cleaned up yet, has it?"

Lupin's gaze lingered on the sword's pommel for a few moments, then he shook his head.

"No," he said. "The constabulary sent volunteers to clean during the first spate of attacks but the Notts have exerted their considerable influence to prevent that from happening, so you'll find the way clear for an examination."

"Perfect. We'll make our way there once my brother returns from his travels."

"Quite right," said Lupin tightly, his attention falling to the sword pommel once again. "I'm sorry to ask, but…is that Haphaestan-forged?"

He did look sorry about it, sorry and uncomfortable to have dared to ask a simple question, which was really quite funny, but James didn't want to insult his hospitality by laughing at him.

He bent forwards and placed the quill back into the inkpot instead. "My sword?"

"If that was rude, I apologise, I just—"

"Nah, it's not. Their guild in Tower Hamlets handles all of our weapons, actually. Well spotted."

"Ah," said Lupin on a breath. Possibly a relieved breath. "I thought I recognised the maker's mark."

"They're the best around."

"So I've heard. And is—is the blade inlaid with silver?"

"See for yourself, if you want," he said, rising to his feet to withdraw the weapon from its scabbard and place it lengthways on the desk.

He would not have done it if his new acquaintance hadn't seemed such a decent sort, and probably shouldn't have done it regardless—Sirius certainly would have told him off for it, were he not neck deep in dusty tomes in an attempt to escape human contact—but it felt like the right decision, and the immediate, almost childlike excitement that sprang up in Lupin's eyes from the moment the blade tasted air and he sprang to his own feet, leaning forwards to bring his face closer to the sword, his hands braced on either end of the desk, felt gratifying in the same way it was gratifying whenever James made his brother laugh so hard he spurted ale out of his nose.

More gratifying than killing something with it, in any case.

"It's a fine weapon," Lupin breathed, openly drinking in the sight of it. "Excellent craftsmanship. Damascened in silver, yes?"

James nodded. "Some of master Ollivander's finest work, that."

"What's the story behind the scene depicted?"

"No idea," James admitted, staring down at the central panels on the blade, which depicted a stag and doe together amongst the woodlands. "Ollivander doesn't take suggestions, he crafts a sword that 'best befits you' and won't tell you why."

"And it handles well? Good balance?"

"It handles beautifully." A rather reckless thought occurred to him. "D'you want to swing it at something?"

For a moment, Lupin looked up at James as if all his birthdays had come at once, but there was an ominous creak, and suddenly the library's entrance hall was bathed in brilliant sunshine. Someone had thrown the door open on the perpetual twilight which seemed to exist within this odd building, someone who snapped the custodian's spine into a ramrod straight position in an instant, as if the very desk he was leaning over had spontaneously burst into flame.

"Miss Booth," he muttered faintly, looking rather as if his face had burst into flame as well.

Ah.

The glance James tossed over his shoulder was rather pointless, as the sunlight made it impossible to make out much beyond the visitor's silhouette, but he didn't need to see her properly to know that she would be pretty. For most living, breathing mortals, there was no better distraction from an item of importance than that of a pretty face, though Sirius would claim otherwise and James had learned to form an immunity against silly romantic notions years ago. This Miss Booth proved his theory right within seconds by advancing upon the desk as the door creaked shut with a lilting, "morning, Remus," and a bust swathed tightly in a cunning yellow bodice, her dark hair falling to her waist and catching the candlelight like a waterfall of silk.

She was, as expected, very pretty.

And as for the custodian, he was fortunate that his blush was shielded by the return of semi-darkness, but the sword was quite forgotten.

"Good morning," he managed to return without a stammer. "What a pl—what a surprise to see you back so soon."

Miss Booth slipped a book—The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling—from beneath her arm and placed it on the desk. If she was taken aback to see a sword there, it did not show in her face.

"Oh, I know," she sighed her agreement, "but Mama simply couldn't put it down. I think it's these monsters that have been prowling about, you know? She can't sleep a wink for worrying, and when she can't sleep, she reads. Voraciously."

All of this she said without a whit of concern in her tone, as if her mother's panic was more ridiculous than it was relatable. Either she was naive enough to think she had nothing to fear from a creature that had already murdered seven others, or she was a seasoned monster killer herself, and she certainly wasn't that. James would have known her if she was.

"She'll rest easier soon, with any luck." Lupin gestured to James. "Our monster hunters have arrived."

James nodded at Miss Booth, whose coolly appraising eyes swept over his entire person before she smiled politely.

"Is there more than one of you?" she asked him.

He gestured towards the endless rows of dark and shadowy bookshelves in response. "He's looking at books."

"Well, you're both fortunate to have Remus as your guide to Upper Hangleton," she gushed, turning a much warmer, far more genuine smile on Lupin. Perhaps his obvious affections were not entirely unreturned. "He certainly made Mama and I feel very welcome indeed."

"You're a newcomer too?"

"Not so much a newcomer now," said Lupin quickly. "I don't think?"

"Mama and I moved here in March," she explained to James without looking at him, holding Lupin's gaze throughout. "We took that lovely old cottage by the wishing well at the end of Baker's Lane, though it was left in such a state that we've had quite a time fixing it up, but we're feeling quite at home now, and Mama loves the library, of course."

Lupin nodded along to every word she said. His whole body was as rigid as a board. "Does she want another book?"

"She would like another by the same author, if he wrote any?"

"He did, he did." He spared a brief glance at the scramble of papers on his desk and made a hasty attempt to sweep some of them into a neat pile, which must have been a hard job, given that he could hardly take his eyes off the woman in yellow. "I almost—I should have put it aside for you, really, but I didn't expect you for another few days, so I'll just fetch it now."

"Oh, no, I'm sure I can find it!"

Lupin stopped gathering his papers and held up a placatory hand. "No, please, I know precisely where it is, I'll be back in a tick."

"Only if you're sure?"

"I'm certain."

Miss Booth cocked her head to one side, practically preening. "You are such a darling, Remus."

With a couple more nods, some blustery words and an awkward attempt to move away from his chair without catching his foot behind the leg of the desk, or something equally disastrous, Lupin grabbed hold of a lantern and retreated in the same direction that Sirius had gone earlier.

"If you see my brother skulking around," James called after him, "tell him to get his arse back here, would you?"

The custodian waved a hand to indicate that he had heard this instruction, then he turned behind a bookcase and vanished into the dark. This left James alone with Miss Booth, who rocked a little on her heels and hummed Bessy Bell and Mary Gray under her breath, evidently quite at ease, so he picked up his sword and sheathed it. If Lupin couldn't fetch Sirius, James would sniff him out himself. It was high time for them to get going and inspect the murder site, which would potentially confirm if James's current suspicions were true.

"You're very handsome," said Miss Booth all of a sudden.

James stared at her.

She stared back in the same serene, appraising way in which she had first looked at him—not cold, but not particularly warm either—as if he were an antique chalice that needed to be valued. It was an observation, not a flirtation, and James had been told that he was handsome by young women quite a few times in his life, but never with what seemed to be so evident a design to gain absolutely nothing from the interaction.

"Er," he said. "Thank you?"

"Of course, a monster hunter really should be handsome, don't you think?" she pondered aloud, ostensibly to herself, toying with a pendant that hung from a thin silver chain around her slender neck. "There's a certain romance that lends itself to the profession—from the outside looking in, at least. I imagine the reality of the job is quite a lot of pissing in bushes and lurking around in swamps, no?"

If he weren't so used to the various shocks and surprises that the job she was describing entailed, James might have done a double take.

Young ladies—or at least, the young ladies he had met—did not talk to strangers about things like pissing in bushes.

"Rescuing pretty damsels in distress must be the upside to it all, however," she continued without waiting for an answer. "Are you fond of helpless maidens? I imagine there are quite a few of those here in town, should you wish to indulge your desires."

Amusement was rolling into her voice like an oncoming wave, her lips picking up slightly at the corners to form the barest suggestion of a smirk, as though she and he both were in on a joke together. Or as though she took pleasure in making others uncomfortable. James certainly didn't feel at ease with this sudden and familiar line of questioning.

"Not really my type," he muttered.

She barely blinked an eyelash. "Helpless gents, then?"

"I like maidens just fine," he stonily responded. What business was it of hers? Furthermore, why was he answering her questions? "It's the helpless part that doesn't really appeal."

Women who were in need of rescuing from every minor setback (or, as he occasionally encountered, women who pretended to be in need of rescuing) were considered quite a treat amongst many who took up the sword, but they'd never appealed to James because he'd never been given the chance to find them appealing. There had never and would never be a greater, more accomplished monster hunter than his mother, Euphemia, who even in her retirement was famous and revered, and she had trained him in her trade since he was old enough to walk. As a mother, James adored her, as a hunter, he strove for her approval, and as a woman, he admired her far too much to have ever sought out the opposite for himself. There was nothing to despise or disrespect about a girl who did not share his mother's strength and self-reliance, but the ones he'd fancied in his youth were never helpless. His mother was not helpless.

Maitane certainly hadn't been helpless.

Not until the end.

"That's very reassuring," came Miss Booth's enigmatic response, her necklace twinkling in the candlelight as she twisted it back and forth. "And here's Remus! That was quick!"

Her demeanour changed instantly as Lupin jogged back to the desk with a vellum-bound book clasped in his hand, her sly amusement melting away in favour of a warm, almost adoring smile, and with such ease that it set James's instincts to prickling. Something about this woman wasn't quite right, but it wasn't his job to worry over why people acted the way they did, it was his job to dispose of monsters.

Which he needed to hop to, once Sirius reappeared.

"You were so kind to get this for me, thank you," she cooed at the custodian, who pressed the book into her outstretched fingers a little breathlessly, as if he had run to fetch it.

"Not a problem at all. Your brother is choosing some books to borrow," he added for James's benefit as he set his lantern down, "and then he'll be out."

James harrumphed between his teeth. "Trust him to worry about books when we have a mass murdering monster to kill."

"More than one monster now, I suppose," Miss Booth airily remarked.

Both men stared at her.

"Well, didn't you hear?" She clutched the book to her stomach and blinked at Lupin with wide, innocent eyes when he shook his head. "Mr Pettigrew's been insisting that he saw a demon in the forest."

Lupin's brows drew together above the centre of his nose. "Peter's back?"

Miss Booth nodded. "He got back yesterday. Apparently he fancied a stroll to the lake and saw a demon performing some sort of sacrificial ritual on Miss Calvert's remains on his way there, so he ran the whole way back to his house."

"When did you hear this?"

"In the post office, not fifteen minutes ago. He's telling anyone who'll listen."

"I didn't—Peter is a friend, but he's been in York for at least six weeks because his mother was gravely ill," said Lupin to James, looking stricken. "I didn't know her address or I'd have written to warn him. I had no idea that he was coming home so soon."

James narrowed his eyes on Lupin's face. "He's not the type to hear of a beast on the prowl and let his imagination run away with him, is he?"

He could have asked if Lupin's friend was the type who made up lies for attention, because that was what he really wanted to know, but that kind of honest questioning generally didn't go down well with even the most helpful witnesses, particularly where their friends and loved ones were concerned.

A demon, of all things.

There was no demon in Upper Hangleton, just as there was no hellbeast. That didn't mean that Mr Pettigrew had not seen something else, but James was not particularly in the mood to waste his own time if all the man had seen was a nosy villager with an interest in grisly murder scenes.

But Lupin merely shook his head. "Quite the opposite, in fact."

Bugger.

"And he's in the post office now?" asked James, addressing Miss Booth this time.

She shrugged. Not even a trace of her earlier, burgeoning smugness remained in her attractive, olive-skinned face, nor was there so much as a whisper of worry. Apparently, demons and monsters both were no match for this peculiar woman and her teasing sense of humour. "I imagine he's left by now, but he mentioned to the postie that he was heading right home."

Lupin snatched his quill from the inkpot and turned over a sheet of parchment that was covered in notes of some kind. "Peter lives on Kings Road, about a quarter mile east of here," he said, sketching out a crude map of the area, hunching over the desk as his hand flew across the back of the parchment. "If you cross the bridge near the post office and head south, his is the house with the hawthorn tree in the garden."

After a moment or two he straightened up, folded the parchment in half and handed it to James, who took it from him and tucked it into his belt.

"My brother and I will talk to Mr Pettigrew before we examine the kill site, and we'll report back to you as soon as we can," he promised the custodian. "In fact, I should go and find him now, or else we won't see him again before daylight."

Lupin gestured for him to take up the lantern he'd laid down. "Good luck, and thank you for taking on the case."

"My pleasure." He picked up the lantern and nodded his polite farewell at the woman. "Mr Lupin. Miss Booth."

Miss Booth dipped into a neat little curtsey. "James."

He turned away and headed into the dark.

[wielderofmysteries]

A Vorthos Defense of Lukka

Sorry this response turned into a small essay (~1400 words) that doesn't really answer your question, but my Hot Take™ is that I don't think Lukka needs to be fixed.

I believe the problem doesn't lie in Lukka himself, but in the way both the narrative and the fandom treated him extremely unfairly. I'm not asking anyone to like Lukka. Personally, I don't even think anything about him is particularly likable. But I think as a character he deserves a lot more respect than he gets, and I'm tired of seeing other people hate on him without actually engaging with his story or understanding what his character is about.

Here's the thing: Lukka is basically the homeless veteran of planeswalkers.

He started his story in Sundered Bond (Ikoria ebook by Django Wexler) already successful in his military career, engaged to be married to Jirina, and having General Kudro's favor. He was a model citizen and his life was great. One day, a flying-hyper-murder-tiger killed Lukka's entire squad and people discovered Lukka was a monster Bonder because the tiger spared him. The rumors got to General Kudro, whose decision upon hearing Lukka might be a bonder was to have Lukka immediately executed.

Lukka didn't betray Drannith. Drannith betrayed Lukka.

Lukka escaped his execution and was rescued in the wilderness by Vivien, who traveled with him to the Ozolith, where a mysterious evil voice caused Lukka to unlock the full power of his monster bonding abilities. Through it all, Lukka still tried to hang onto his old life. His allegiance hadn't changed. At first, Lukka wanted to use the monsters he controlled to fight for Drannith, not against it. Lukka was convinced that the offer of a loyal monster army would be enough for the city to take him back, but he was no longer welcome in Drannith.

Lukka became increasingly unstable and spiraled into insanity because he had his life unexpectedly, completely ruined and wanted nothing more than to return home to his old life, but that wasn't possible because he now belonged to a class of people who were extremely stigmatized in Drannith's society. He had become an undesirable. Once the city's shining star, he was now the lowest of the low. He lost his loyalty and turned against the city when he realized Drannith didn't care about people, Drannith cared about keeping people in their places.

In Sundered Bond, Lukka loses literally everything. He loses his job. He loses all his friends. He loses his fiance. He loses his home. Everything. He even loses the cat. This all happens to him within like, a week.

Lukka experiences the same hostility in his second appearance, Strixhaven. At this point, he's still a new planeswalker, and he's been planeswalking blindly trying to find civilization again. He arrives on Arcavios thirsty and starving and tired and injured. When he finally finds a town, he visits an inn and asks only for food. But they don't give him any food! They won't allow him to wash up or to rest! This is a man who has nothing and has done nothing, and the townspeople are suspicious of Lukka and want to call the Dragonsguard –Strixhaven's magical cops– on him because he committed the crime of... existing near them while visibly having basic needs that are unmet.

=========

"Looking for something, stranger?" said the innkeeper, a round man with a head of robust curls.

"A hot meal," said Lukka. The innkeeper hesitated as though about to say something, then nodded and moved toward the kitchen.

"Haven't seen clothes like that before," came a voice behind Lukka. "You're not from around here, I imagine."

He turned. A tall man in the same rough clothing as the rest of the townsfolk had stood up from his table and was walking over.

[…]

He heard the man suck his teeth. The innkeeper still hadn't returned from the kitchen. Lukka was starting to doubt he ever would.

"Okay, Oriq, I think I've heard enough. We don't take kindly to meddlers in this town, or those who seek to disturb the peace. If we were a proper city, we'd get the closest, least busy Dragonsguard to sort you out. But we're just a small farming village—so we've learned to deal with strangers ourselves."

[Episode 2: Lessons - Adana Washington]

=========

Fans like to point at Lukka and make "ACAB" ("All Cops Are Bastards") jokes about him, but they don't understand that he's explicitly an anti-cop character. Lukka was formerly a cop, but he quit and fully turned his back on the entire concept of policing when he realized that the reason cops exist is not to protect people, but to rid society of undesirables like him.

=========

"These dragons," Lukka said, his voice a growl. "Those Dragonsguard. They've held power over these people for too long. They've made them fearful of every shadow, every unfamiliar face. What happens when it's not just the Oriq they're hunting down—when it's anyone who practices magic in a way they don't like?"

[Episode 3: Extracurriculars - Adana Washington]

=========

I know what many of you will say: "How can Lukka have such a based take when he's such a terrible person?" It's true– he is not a good person. He's an asshole and he's harmed / killed innocent people and animals. But he's been both a cop and a homeless man, and he knows that cops are far more dangerous. You don't need to be a "good" person to deserve food and shelter. It's cops who promote the idea that you can deny the basic rights of the people you think are "bad".

So on Arcavios, he's again forced out of civilization and back into the wilderness. His suffering seriously never ends. The way he was treated, it's no wonder he accepted when the Oriq kidnapped him and asked him to help attack Strixhaven. Why should he give a damn about society if they don't care about him? If their society is so fearful of others that they are unwilling to practice compassion, unwilling to provide for people's most basic needs even when they haven't done anything wrong, then doing wrong doesn't matter. They will share his pain. He will watch it all burn to the ground.

Lukka is an example of what happens when someone's basic humanity is repeatedly denied to the point that they can no longer feel anything but anger.

This line from the story Survival of the Fittest, by Roy Graham, expresses it perfectly:

=========

He had been a cruel man by the end, a villain in so many ways. But perhaps in his position, there was no way to become anything else."

=========

Lukka reaches out for stability and support and never truly finds it. He's a character who keeps getting punished over and over for having bad things happen *to* him, not because he *does* bad things. Most of the bad stuff he actually does is in response to others treating him like shit for no reason.

Despite everything, Vivien still cared for Lukka and wanted to help him get back on his feet. She thought Lukka's military expertise would be useful to the strike team against New Phyrexia, and she encouraged him to join. They both saw it as an opportunity for Lukka to regain some of his dignity and protect his home once more. How does the narrative reward him for his effort? By corrupting him, humiliating him, and having him be put down like an animal by the only person who showed him any compassion through all this.

What could Lukka have become if he survived to be rehabilitated? I guess we'll never know.

Unfortunately, there is absolutely no hope for a character who mistreats animals. Most fans will never ever get past that, and there's a part of me that honestly believes Lukka just got phyrexianized and killed off because the Magic narrative team realized they couldn't salvage his reputation and didn't know what to do with him. The fandom's overwhelming negative response to Lukka had irreparably damaged him as a character.

As my bespoke friend @xantchaslegacy said, "The only meaningful difference about Lukka and Gideon's cop-to-planeswalker journey is that the narrative let Gideon live long enough for other people to make him a better person. And Lukka got shanked before it could happen."

Again, I don't need people to like Lukka. I just want people to understand. I wish people were more willing to actually engage with the story and see the value in characters they dislike. There's no reason Lukka should've been treated like a punching bag the way he was. He was trapped in a cycle of being dunked on by the story and then dunked on by the fans, again and again. And people continue to push an understanding of Lukka that is just false.

The fandom reacted to Lukka the same way the strangers on Arcavios did: He'll never get a second chance because they wouldn't even give him a first chance.

[talesofthebastardbard-fiction]

Somg of damned Is a Wip historical fantasy set in 19th century Italy. This game is +18 due to somewhat heavy themes, including parental abuse(The parent/child relationship will be one of the big themes, so expect a lot of trauma on that), transphobia for trans MCs, death, blood, sex and religious themes. It also contains references to demonic possession and takes some liberties with Christianity. Also it's my first wip, so criticism when the demo comes out is welcome. Furthermore, the title is provisional.

Synopsis

Italy, After the Congress of Vienna.

Growing up in a convent without parents isn't exactly the most beautiful thing in the world. However, in your small town you are well known for your talent as an exorcist, which is viewed with admiration from some, like your master, and horror from others.

It almost seems like demons run away from you very easily, especially during an exorcism the demon seemed almost scared, so when you are called together with your superior to exorcise an important person seems to be everything normal. Too bad you don't know that it's a family reunion that could throw you into a cosmic chessboard.

Setting

Customize your MC, including personality, pronouns, gender, appearance and path. You will be an altar child or do you want to give up everything to go and fight the Austrians?

Choose your demonic lineage from the nine hellish lords/ladies, each with its own character, and shape your relationship with your parent of a customizable gender.

Explore pre-unified Italy and take part in revolutionary movements (perhaps even participating in secret meetings)

Choose a partner or keep your vow of chastity.

Choose whether to remain faithful to your oath as an exorcist or screw it all up and embrace your demonic nature.

Ro (under construction)

Maria/Michele:Your best friend, you have known each other since childhood as you both grew up in a convent. Their faith in the Lord and in human goodness is very strong, but what will happen if they discover that perhaps things are not as they imagine?

Nicola/Nicoletta:Young poet and children of impoverished nobles, their father would like to marry them off to good men to return to their old splendor. Romantic option who prefers people of their gender.

Teresa/Tommaso:Child of the mayor of the city where you grew up, they grew up in luxury and also very spoiled, knowing nothing of the world and with no regard for the poor. When their parent becomes possessed by yours and they have to face reality, will they be able to change their minds?

Vincenzo/Vittoria:Practical innkeepers, they manage their family's inn together with some friends and to increase their income they sometimes host members of secret societies against the Austrians. They are not believers, but when they discover everything and the possibility of becoming rich for life, they are willing to believe.

Mumiah: A former angel of heaven, they fell after failing to protect a person and have since traveled the earth drinking like a sponge and doing small delivery jobs. It's an asexual romantic option, but it is not aromatic.

Demo(Out)

[sanjoongie]

𝚂𝚞𝚗𝚜𝚎𝚝 𝙾𝚞𝚝𝚕𝚊𝚠

👢#CallMeDjango Collab with @mingsolo @daemour {Welcome to the Outlaw} & @flurrys-creativity

👢Pairing: Vampire! Outlaw! Yeosang x Bounty/Vampire Hunter! Reader (f)

👢Genre: smut, slight angst (happy ending)

👢Trope: monster/slayer romance, e2l

👢au: western au, vampire au, vampire hunter au, historical au

👢Warnings: mentions of blood, death, biting, all things vampire related

👢Kinks: flirty fighting, shaving is sexy, fang kink, sloppy head (m), blood play, penetrative sex with no barrier

👢Word Count: 5,472 (i apologize for the long word count, i got caught up in the world)

👢Summary: when a particular outlaw draws you to a town on the edge of civilization, you find yourself spiraling into the allure of a vampires wiles

👢Author's Note: we are not commenting on the fact that I swore off cowboy!teez and yet, here we are again. Title and concept inspired by Django lyrics of course~

You step off the steps of the hissing train, ignoring the ticketman’s aid down. Habitually, you checked your duel pistols, but they were still snug in their holsters. You had traveled here to hunt down a bounty. Sunset Outlaw, a new name on the list of outlaws, but still one that was dangerous. 

The town was bustling despite its existence at the edge of civilization. You pursed your lips in thought and moved down the line of the train to retrieve your horse. Once you had your gloved hands tight around Twilight’s reins and you mounted up, you made your way down the main drag. You noted that it was a busy enough town for its own saloon, bank, and even inn. You tied Twilight at the water trough and then made your way inside. 

“Can I have a room?” You inquired to the innkeeper.

She eyed you up and down. The look on her face said that she knew you were trouble but didn’t give a shit--as long as the trouble didn’t happen in her inn. “It’s a dollar for the night. Twenty-five cents more if you want hot water, but you have to go to the pump yourself to get it.”

The ‘lobby’, if you could call it that, had a few scattered chairs where the other guests were lounging. Your sense that told you more trouble was housed here went off. “I’m a bounty hunter,” you supplied. You ruffled around in your saddle bags until you found the poster you wanted. “Have you seen this outlaw? Kim Hongjoong? Miss…?”

“The townspeople call me Bluejay,” the innkeeper insisted. She casted a perfunctory look at your wanted poster but shrugged her shoulders. “Never heard of him. Sign here, and I’ll give you the key to your room.”

You signed ‘Red Hawk’ and plucked the key after placing down your money in rumbled bills. Just as the Bluejay opened her mouth, you interrupted her. “I don’t know how long I’ll be in town. Call that a downpayment on my room.”

“Be my guest,” she replied with amusement. 

Red Hawk was your moniker as a bounty hunter. When you were young, the man you loved was killed by a bandit right before your eyes. You had wept over his dead body. As a consequence, your hair had been dyed red by the blood of my dead love. After you dried your tears, you hunted down that bandit and killed him yourself, with your dead lover’s guns. That’s when you officially became Red Hawk.

After settling your affairs at the inn, you went straight to the bank. That was the last known location of the Sunset Outlaw. You interviewed the few witnesses that there were, more notably, the main banker. Choi San had a large body for such a small countenance. He flinched when you flashed your badge at him, and he stammered through his encounter. 

“He t-took everything. He had a g-g-gun but he never shot it or anyone. Although he did…” San chewed on his bottom lip anxiously, looking down at the floor.

“I need all the information I can get, Mister Choi. In order to catch him,” You prodded him.

San nodded his head, but it seemed like a motion he was going through, not that he actually understood you. 

You sighed and closed your notebook. “Even if it sounds weird. You never know what kind of clue will help me,” you encouraged him.

San’s eyes met yours, but they were shaky at best. “We had one client at that time that was depositing some money. A lot of money, so he demanded we open the bank for him during the night, when no one else was around. He just finished a deal with a farmer. Bought the land while the farmer was recovering from his family being murdered. He wanted out quickly. The outlaw seemed to imply that our client had sent the bandits that murdered the farmer’s family. Then--” San’s pupils blew, and you tried not to sigh again. You got this a lot in your line of work. Well, your other line of work. 

San breathed in deeply, as if he were gathering up his courage to speak. “Then, the outlaw grabbed the client intimately, and he bit him!”

You cursed. “Did you bury him here in the town’s graveyard?”

San’s eyes were wide with fear. “No. The outlaw took the body with him. It was the oddest experience I’ve ever had.”

You patted San on his somewhat broad shoulder. “I hope you never have to experience it ever again.”

Your bounty hunter career was actually a cover for your true calling: vampire hunter. When your family migrated over from Europe, it had been the family business. When it wasn’t just humans that moved over to the Americas, it seemed that your family would need to continue with their work. 

In the next couple of days, you continued to gather intel. Just one fanciful encounter from a scared banker wasn’t enough to condemn a man. Except the more you learned about this supposed outlaw, the more you were starting to get some grudging respect for him.

The Sunset Outlaw was a modern-day Robin Hood. He stole from the rich and gave to the poor. There were at least a couple more instances of the outlaw robbing a train cart of government gold, only for it to wind up under the beds of failing businesses in the county. A recently widowed mother found a herd of cattle on her land after a group of bandits were horribly murdered in the middle of the night. The list went on, but no innocent lives were taken. The outlaw just happened to be pissing off the wrong people in power. 

You were, however, not getting a clue of where the vampire was holding up. No one could see what the outlaw looked like because he wore a bandana over his face whenever his crimes occurred. Even San said that the outlaw's face was obscured by the man’s neck he had been biting. You were starting to think this hunt was going to end in a dead end for you.

You sat in the local saloon after a long day of investigating. You nursed watery beer, not in the mood to spend more money on something harder. You were going to have to stay here until the outlaw committed another crime, hoping to be able to catch him in the act. 

One of the whores that worked in the saloon sighed heavily, causing the one beside her to flutter her fan. “Do you think Mister Kang will come tonight? He sure is a sight for sore eyes.”

“He is the most beautiful man I have ever had the delight of laying eyes on,” the other whore agreed. 

You were about to zone out from the conversation when something the first whore said peaked your interest. “Odd for him to only come out when the sun set though, hmmm?” 

The fan fluttered and then snapped shut by the second whore. “I know plenty of men like him, hun, it’s not so odd.”

The first whore was clearly newer than the second one, so she persisted. “But even the man at the general store insists he only sees him at night too. He makes a special exception for Yeosang. He buys more food than one person could need. I wonder if he’s supporting a family at home.”

“If he is, that means he’s cheating on his poor wife with us,” the second one reminds the first. 

That began your digging into this Kang Yeosang. The locals said he had recently purchased a plot of land that was far from town. He didn’t come in often, and when he did, it was always after the sun had set. Which, for a majority of the settlers that woke and slept with the sun rise, was considered quite odd. 

“Must be old money,” the general store owner mused out loud. “One of those first settler families from New York. He dresses well, that’s for sure. Never a speck of dust on that man’s clothes.”

“Pays his tab,” the bartender informed you at the saloon. “Even if he drudges up a tab while buying the whole room a round, he always pays up the next time he’s in.”

“I’ve never seen a man so pale,” An elderly lady told you when you stopped her in the middle of the road during a stroll. The sun was so strong for her that she held a parasol above her. Ironic, considering her take on Mister Kang, but even so. 

You were beginning to think that you needed to set up a meeting with this Kang Yeosang. And that perhaps it might lead you to the Sunset Outlaw.

After acquiring some less than solid directions from the general store owner, you took Twilight into the dusty beyond. Even though you left fairly early, the townspeople were not joking that Yeosang lived far from the settlement. Around midday, you stopped at a farmer’s plot of land to beg for some water for your horse. 

The farmer was handsome and called his wife ‘sparrow’ which would have been sweet if you didn’t find the domesticity of it exhausting. You had never known a life like that, so it simply did not appeal to you. But the couple seemed happily in love. The wife even delivered you a cup of coffee, laughing when you pulled a face at the bitter brew. You thanked them for their generosity and moved on. 

The long hours in the saddle were starting to get to you, so you pulled out your pile of outlaw wanted posters. You had a sneaky suspicion that the innkeeper had been lying about knowing the outlaw Kim Hongjoong, but that was a problem for another day. You were contemplating where you would move on next if you happened to take out the Sunset Outlaw. There was one known simply as ‘little eagle’. She had a similar background to the Sunset Outlaw, it seemed. Helping out some natives from keeping their land didn’t sound like a crime to you, but it sure did from the people she had stolen the deeds from. 

You were about to turn around and set up camp for the evening at a copse of trees that grew next to a boulder when at last a house came in sight for you. “Finally!” you said, pulling your hat off and fanning yourself. 

You hopped off your horse and guided Twilight to the fence. Not a lot of people took kindly to you walking on their land. Yeosang had sounded like a gentleman, but you weren’t one to take someone at face value, although everyone had painted him as beautiful beyond comparison. Most people also use the same descriptors for vampires.  

The sun was still up, but it seemed to be setting. Not a great time to come accusing someone of being a vampire IF they were a vampire, but you had no choice. You did, however, have your crossbow strapped to your back and your quiver at your hip, along with a few recently sharpened steaks, and that would have to do. And if it turned out Yeosang wasn’t a vampire, hopefully, you wouldn’t have to use your pistols on him. 

“What's a delicious bounty hunter like yourself doing so far out of town, Red?”

You narrowed your eyes at the front porch of the homestead. The sun was low, and it cast a long shadow over the covered outcrop. “Apparently introductions are not in order,” you drawled. 

“Why, of course I’ve familiarized myself with the new face in town,” Yeosang said charmingly. “Especially since such a pretty face has been asking all about little ol’ me.”

You chuckled mirthlessly. “That’s a mighty fine compliment coming from a man they describe as a perfect statue.”

“But my real question is why is a bounty hunter interested in someone of my high standing? Why, I’ve never even stolen as a child. I pay my tabs on time. I even buy a round of beer in the saloon when I’m feeling good. I’m an outstanding citizen, if I do say so myself.”

“Then you would know that I’ve been asking everyone in town about the Sunset Outlaw as well. I figured since you were new in these parts, you would offer a different perspective.” You stared right into the eyes of the devil himself. Now, would he take the bait?

“Since you rode all the way out here and the sun is setting, I would be remiss to send you back out. You should stay, have supper with me and I can answer all your questions.”

You hummed and opened the padlock to the fenced area. “Don’t mind if I do, Mister Kang. That’s very nice of you.”

The inside was as normal as one would expect. It was decorated with taste, and there were a few pieces, including the grand piano, that would have cost a pretty penny. Now, an outlaw might be so inclined to spend his money that way. Or a vampire that had already lived a few centuries might have brought it over, still attached to their material possessions from their human life. 

“So, Mister Kang, what brings you to this bustling little town at the edge of civilization?” You wondered, putting down your crossbow and leaning it up against the coathanger.

Now that you were inside and Yeosang out of the shade, you could truly be struck by the beauty of the man. The provincial townspeople had not been telling tall tales about the new man in town. His nose, his jawline, his almond shaped eyes, everything supported how gorgeous he was. His face contrasted with his larger figure, but you figured the body was to dissuade others from picking a fight with him. Although most vampires preferred to appear helpless, which lured in their prey, this vampire seemingly played by a different set of rules.

“Please, call me Yeosang,” the mysterious man insisted.

“Why, that’s awfully informal of you,” You said, meeting his eyes. 

The brunette cocked his head flirtatiously. “I do enjoy a lady calling me by my name in my house.”

You snorted under your breath. “I am far from a lady.”

Yeosang eyes traveled over your shirt and vest, dipping into every curve and valley. His eyes seemed to light up as they flowed over your tight pants. “So I see. We’ll have to fix that.”

You cocked an eyebrow at him. “Excuse me?”

Yeosang rubbed his chin. “I don’t have a lot of visitors, and as you have learned from the townsfolk, I don’t go into town that much. I would be much obliged if you would help me shave before supper? So I can appear as gentlemanly as one can assume to be in a desolate landscape that we live in. I have a dress upstairs for you to change into. Wouldn’t it be nice to pretend in an uncivilized place such as this?”

“I can help you with your shaving.” You jumped on the opportunity to have Yeosang at your fingertips.

“How lovely,” Yeosang replied. His eyes held a dark light that belied something mysterious. Then again, vampires did love their mystery.

The mysterious man who invited you into his house gave you a brief tour, which included lingering near his bedroom when he announced whose room it was. Then he brought you back to the main floor, to the dining room.

Yeosang had set up a bowl with hot water, and the soap was in a tin with the appropriate brush. He handed you a towel before taking a seat at his dining room table. He had already tucked a towel into his shirt to protect it. “I do appreciate you doing me this favor,” He smiled serenely.

“Call it payback for supplying me with dinner,” You replied coyly. 

Yeosang tipped back his head, and you took that as your cue to begin. You lathered up the soap and took the brush, using broad strokes to apply it liberally on his face and neck. You firmly grasped his head to hold it in place

“I don’t suppose you’ve been around when the Sunset Outlaw has been committing his crimes?” You asked your first question. One stroke of the brush up his neck had you admiring the sharpness of his jaw.

Yeosang rolled his eyes up to regard you. “No, I have not had the pleasure of meeting him.”

“But you have heard the town gossip,” You pursued.

“Of course. The townsfolk appear to adore this Sunset Outlaw. He does help them where no one would,” Yeosang offered.

Yeosang was finally completely covered in soap, so you procured the razor from the table. Yeosang wasn’t going to be able to talk during this period as any movement might cause you to cut him, so you took your chance to seemingly gab about what you had learned.

“I will tell you something interesting I garnered from all his stories, however,” you began. The razor glided along Yeosang’s skin easily, and you knew it had nothing to do with how good the soap was. “For some odd reason, the Sunset Outlaw, living up to his name, never does his good deeds while the sun is up. It’s almost like he’s allergic to the sun! Funny, right? But I do find it interesting.”

You paused to wipe the razor of the soap that had run up the blade while you shaved Yeosang, and he took the moment to speak up.

“That is interesting,” He said, his eyes sparkling with interest. “It’s almost like you’ve come to some conclusions yourself.”

You leaned in as if you had a secret just for his ears. “My family is from Europe, you see. So these accounts sound very familiar to me. There are myths of men drinking blood from other men.”

Yeosang’s eyes widened. “A vampire?”

You narrowed your eyes at Yeosang. He was a good little actor. “Heard of them, have you?”

Yeosang’s lips curved into a knowing smile. “I’ve been known to crack open a book from time to time.”

“You two have a lot in common,” you drawled.

Yeosang laughed, and it rang disingenuously throughout the dining room. “Me? An outlaw? My genteel upbringing surely doesn’t call for it.”

“Why am I here, Yeosang?!” 

Yeosang chuckled dryly in the back of his throat. “Why, you're helping me shave right now?”

Your hand tightened on Yeosang’s forehead and the razor at his neck. “I don't feel one grain of a stubble under this soap, Partner, so, try again.”

“You're not like the rest of them, are you?” Yeosang drawled, a crooked smirk pulling one corner of his lips.

“No, I don't suppose I am,” you agreed. You continued to shave Yeosang, but it was more threatening now. “But neither are you, are you, Yeosang?”

“Whatever do you mean, Red?” Yeosang faked ignorance.

“Well, none of the townsfolk have seen you while the sun is up, for one thing,” you pointed out.

“I just like staying up until the sun rises,” Yeosang said, a merry twinkle in his eyes.

“And the box your bed is on?” You pointed out.

“Why, I like sleeping raised off the floor, just like everyone else,” Yeosang offered.

You tucked the razor into your pocket after cleaning it and then folding it in half. You took the towel over your shoulder and then began to use it to touch your neck. You pulled aside your hair. “Is it just me, or is it getting hot in here?” You murmured.

Something poked against his lower lip and his tongue came out to play along the top line of his teeth. His light eyes took on an almost predatory gaze. “I don't feel the heat like I used to.”

“And the unnatural white skin and long fangs?” You said in a deadly tone.

“Oh no, Hawk, it seems you've triggered the animalistic side to me,” Yeosang purred. “That, I'm sorry to say, is simply encouraged by your alluring scent. You smell like you would taste divine.”

“If my blood smells that good, why don't you bite me?” You prompted.

“Because that would be bad manners, darlin’.”

“Don't you darlin’ me, Mister Vampire,” You finally accused. 

“What will you do?” Yeosang wondered. “Your crossbow is propped up at the front door. That razor isn't going to do a lot, but piss me off. Unless you've got something else tucked into that tight little getup of yours. I really wish you'd wash up and put on the dress I laid out for you. Darlin'.”

“I’m done with you toying with me, Yeosang. I'm putting this game to an end,” you declared.

“How quaint. Do you really think you’ll kill me before I can kill you?” Yeosang questioned.

One minute, Yeosang was sitting in the chair, and the next he was behind you. His hold on your head to pull it back mimicked the way you had been holding him as you shaved him. You shuddered as his fangs scraped against your skin. You could feel his cool breath on your neck. 

“I believe this is check,” Yeosang snarled, making a chess reference. Educated fucker.

“Is it?” You said through gritted teeth. 

You had also pulled the stake that you kept strapped to your upper arm, pulling it stealthily from your folded up sleeves. It was now pointing at Yeosang’s heart. “Let's test your earlier question. It can’t hurt, right?”

Yeosang sighed, his breath causing you to acquire goosebumps all along your skin. “I don’t want to kill you, but it seems you are most determined to kill me.”

“You are a vampire; a monster. An aberration from the evolutionary line of humans. You need to be eliminated before you kill more humans.” You shivered, but it wasn't because of fear.

“But I’m only killing the bad ones!” Yeosang insisted, frustration coating his tone. “Didn’t you discover that during your investigation?”

“It doesn’t matter what your reasoning is!” You yelled. It felt good to yell; to battle against rolling your hips back against his body.

“Surely it does, though? Outlaws can’t go around and kill innocent people because that’s against the law. But you’re allowed to kill outlaws. You protect the good humans from the bad. You KILL the bad humans to protect the good ones. Aren’t I doing the same?”

You froze, Yeosang’s words, causing your world to come crashing down. “You’re wrong,” you spat even though you were lying through your teeth.

“I’m right,” Yeosang insisted. “Only, you can’t handle that.” The vampire's grip tightened, the firmness of his body suddenly tighter against you. Your stake pressed into his flesh. “You can't handle any of me.”

Your pulse stuttered and your pussy throbbed. “What are you doing to me?”

Yeosang’s lips brushed against your sensitive skin as he spoke. “What am I doing to you?”

“Stop that.” You had meant that as a command, but it came out as a whine.

Yeosang peeked down your body and his deep chuckle set your libido on fire. “I can see how hard your nipples are from here, Darlin’.”

There was nothing worse than having a sexual reaction to your mortal enemy. “Let me go before I stab you.”

“I can't let you go. I'm awfully hungry,” Yeosang purred. “I might have to be balls deep in you while I drink from your breast.”

Excitement flared through your body and you cursed at it betraying you. “You wouldn't dare.”

“I would dare, the way your body is screaming for me to do all the debased things I don't dare do with the whores in town.” 

Somehow, in your pursuit of triggering Yeosang to bite you and put the final nail in his coffin, so to speak, you had passed over the fence that separated hatred into lust. You desperately wanted what Yeosang was offering. You would be at your most vulnerable if you allowed it to happen, but perhaps it would give you the chance you needed to finish this battle. You had to at least try; Yeosang was a hard nut to crack.

You let your body melt into Yeosang’s hold, letting the arm that you held your stake to Yeosang’s heart fall to your side. “Am I a bad human then? Will you kill me?”

Yeosang let go of his hold on your head and turned you around. “Haven’t you been listening? You and me? We are the same. Our character is morally grey; doing bad things for the good of the world.”

Your throat tightened. Hadn't you been grappling with the same question since you began to kill? Vampire or human, you had wondered if you were becoming one of them; one of the monsters.

Yeosang tipped your chin to meet his eyes. You immediately avoided direct eye contact. As a vampire hunter, you knew never to look him directly in the eyes. He might hypnotize him otherwise. A throaty, knowing chuckle left Yeosang’s pretty lips. “Let me bring you up to my bed. Let me prove to you that people such as us can get along.”

You nodded, and Yeosang threw you over his shoulder. With the speed of a vampire, you were transported to Yeosang’s bedroom. The vampire threw you gently to the bed, and you bounced with the impact. 

The vampire watched you with dark eyes as he began to unbutton his shirt and remove it. You followed his lead, removing your vest. When you tried to take off your own shirt, Yeosang was on top of you on the bed, halting your progress. 

“Allow me,” He murmured.

His deft fingers undid the buttons, eyes watching as your bosom was revealed, pushed high from your corset. “All rough on the outside, but still a woman under it all,” Yeosang mused out loud.

You felt your cheeks heat up at that statement. “It’s simply for function,” you muttered under your breath.

You helped Yeosang wriggle you out of your pants, and soon you were only in your corset, pantalettes discarded already. 

Yeosang knelt between your legs, fangs scraping over the sensitive flesh of your thigh. His nostrils flared, and his eyes flashed red. “Your scent is tempting. Your blood is beckoning to me.”

You swallowed loudly. How could you be so weak for this vampire? You flipped the two of you so that you were straddling Yeosang instead. 

“Focus on the task at hand,” You insisted. 

You rubbed the heel of your hand on the imprint of Yeosang’s cock against his tight pants. Yeosang moaned and then his eyes widened. You lowered yourself to undo his belt and take him in your mouth. Men almost always forgot about being lubricated when entering a woman. Yeosang bit down on his forefinger, drawing blood with his fangs, as you gave him sloppy head, in order to prepare his cock for yourself.

His hands shredded the bedding below him before he growled and changed positions again. “Who’s proving what to whom?”

You were both knelt on the bed, Yeosang’s legs inside of your own, and your back to his chest. “Enough games, we both know who’s in charge in this situation.”

You let out a soft cry as Yeosang entered you from behind. Once he was completely sheathed inside of you, one hand slid over the curve of your hip and, the other hand, pulled your hair out of the way. 

“Wa-wait,” You stuttered as Yeosang’s hips swivelled and his cock moved in and out of you slowly. 

“Oh, I’m not going to bite you immediately,” Yeosang laughed quietly. “But you did shudder for me so deliciously when I did this earlier. I can’t help myself.” Those delicate fangs ran along the slope of your shoulder, and you closed your eyes as you enjoyed the feeling once again. 

Yeosang worked himself in and out of you, slowly but surely, nearly driving you insane. He wasn’t like the quick fucks that you were used to. The type where men spilt their seed and you missed your orgasm once again. It was almost like Yeosang was looking for you to attain your high first. 

“Yeo…” You moaned his name wantonly.

“Careful, Red,” Yeosang said as he clasped his hand over your mouth. The same hand that was bleeding. He wiped his blood over your lips sensually. “You might appear eager for me.”

Your muffled noises of pleasure randomly escaped Yeosang’s gag. You could feel your pleasure building, and it was only a matter of time before it spilled over. As you moaned with your release, Yeosang bit down on your neck. He pumped himself in and out of you, drinking your blood, and found his own orgasm. He growled against your neck, spilling himself inside of you. 

You both collapsed onto the bed in a tired pile, both satiated in one way or another. Facing each other, you both panted as your highs slowly slipped away.

But, as with most men, Yeosang found himself indulging in pillow talk. 

“You asked me earlier what I’m doing here on the edge of civilization.” Yeosang brought up in a voice that was deep from having some great, mind-blowing sex.

“It was a rhetorical question,” You mused.

Yeosang dragged a finger along your bare shoulder, playing with some stray hair, the red ends beginning to fade out. “I’d like to answer it, nonetheless.”

You pursed your lips. It was bad enough that you had already started to feel like Yeosang was one of the good guys the way he treated the locals. Even worse, you’d let the very monsters you hunt fuck you. But to listen to his reasons why, surely there was a limit? “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Yeosang chuckled low mirthlessly. “Afraid you’ll start seeing me as a human?”

You stiffened as the accusation hit its target. “You are an abomination. You’re like an animal that’s upset the ecosystem. You haven’t been human for a very long time.”

“You’re right.” Yeosang smiled tightly and then it was gone. “But that ties into why I’m here.”

You sat up, pulling the sheet with you to keep you covered. Unfortunately, that took away from the sheet covering Yeosang, and it pooled at his waist scandalously. You swallowed loudly and pointedly looked away. “Trying to make up for lost time?” 

“Something like that.” Yeosang smiled slowly. “Like what you see, Darlin’?”

You cleared your throat. “Don’t you have to go to sleep soon? I’m sure the sun will rise eventually.”

Yeosang folded his arms behind his head and shook his head. Unfortunately for you, it only showcased his arms and upper body that much more. “That’s a myth. I never sleep. I simply can not allow the sun to touch my skin.”

“Yeosang.”

“I know. I’ll have to leave. Disappear for a bit until the bounty dies. But I will continue to help people who need it. This place is desolate and it needs some hope.”

You didn’t know what to say, truly. “I hope… I hope I’m not still doing bounty work when it comes up again.”

Yeosang’s light eyes flick over to your hunched body. “What will you tell your family?”

“I’m not sure. If I say I didn’t kill you, someone else will come looking for you, Yeosang.”

“Don’t go back?”

You shook your head. “I can’t do that. There are more vampires out there, killing innocent people. I won’t stop protecting them. It’s my calling.” You rub your hand over your chest, feeling pain in your heart. 

“Then…let me come with you.”

Your head whipped backward so fast you gave yourself whiplash. “What?”

Yeosang’s eyes remained on the ceiling above, but you could tell he was holding back hopefulness and bracing for the worst. “What better place to hide from the enemy than with the enemy?” Yeosang’s eyes finally found yours. “Besides, I could help people with you.”

“You’d help me kill your own kind?” You demanded with bewilderment.

“I’d help you,” Yeosang clarified. “I also don’t want innocent people dying for no reason too.”

“You’re awfully dedicated to atoning for your sins,” you mentioned.

Yeosang’s lips tightened. “I have a lot of sins to atone for.” And he left it at that.

You laid back down, using Yeosang’s arm to pillow your head. “I guess I won’t be leaving at sunrise after all.”

And that was the last that was heard of the Sunset Outlaw. Some surmise that he retired after helping out so many people in need. Some believe he never existed in the first place. But other’s swear that the outlaw took up with the likes of a bounty hunter, playing Maid Marian to his Robin Hood. Now wouldn’t that be an interesting story indeed.

[cal-tastic]

Two Shots Down

Pairing: arthur morgan x fem!reader

Wordcount: 1,600+

Synopsis: a one-night stand after meeting in a dusty saloon.

Warnings: mdni!! porn with plot, one night stand, rough sex, unprotected sex (don’t be silly, wrap your willy!), dirty talk, alcohol consumption.

____________________________________________

The parlor door of the saloon rattled as footsteps approached from the entrance. Alert, as always, your eyes shot up to the door, watching as an unfamiliar face made his way to the bar.

“What can I get you, Mister?”

“Nothin’ just yet. Just takin’ a rest before I head back South.”

The man, clad in traveling clothes, pulled the stool in front of him out before taking a seat. It wasn’t long before his gaze met yours, causing you to look in the opposing direction.

“Evenin’..”

His breath was a pungent whiskey— bourbon, perhaps; the kind that burns your throat. You were certain if this man kissed you it would burn yours, too. Maybe that’s what was so enticing.

“Evening. Haven’t seen you around before.. Small town, I remember a face once I see one.”

He gave you a shrug as he took his hat off, setting it on the countertop. “I’m just the same, Miss.. my first time comin’ round these parts.”

He had a stature unlike anyone you had met before— he held himself with certainty, like he had seen it all before

“Welcome to Valentine. You got a name?”

“Arthur.”

He took a look back over to the bartender before turning his attention back to you. “You drink?”

“I’m at the bar, aren’t I?” You said, nodding to the place in which you both sat.

Arthur shook his head, laughing under his breath. Even his laugh was gruff. He placed two coins on the bartop, sliding them over to the bartender. “Two shots of Brandy.”

The man placed a shot in front of each of you, Arthur taking his while you took your own.

The two of you downed the spirits, placing the glasses back upon the counter for the worker to gather.

“Do you live in town?” He finally asked

“Not at all. I don’t live in any town, to be quite honest with you.”

“Is that so?”

“Yessir. I’m a travelin’ gal, I don’t belong to no town.”

He seemed to get a kick out of that— a low chuckle leaving his lips as he leaned against the bar. “We’re just one in the same, aren’t we?”

“S’ppose so.” You grinned, admiring the man before you. Something was so different about him, so unique, yet you just couldn’t place it. Being on the road, you never had time to find attraction to anyone, but sitting here in this bar, you found yourself entertaining the thought.

“You got a wife, Arthur?”

“Never had time to marry. Nor the interest.” He admitted with a shrug, tapping his fingers against the wood of the counter.

You weren’t sure what had come over you, whether it was the booze or the fact that you hadn’t gotten laid in months, but something was nagging at you to give it a shot with this man.

“There’s a hotel just next door.. I’m certain neither of us will be here in the morning.”

“What are you implyin’, Miss?”

“Let’s just say we could save a little cash if we shared a room.”

He reckoned with his thoughts for a moment before glancing back to you. “I don’t uh.. I don’t usually do this, but I’m sure once wouldn’t be no harm.”

A fire burned at your core with just the idea. This wasn’t like you at all.

As you stood to make your way towards the parlor door, so did he, revealing to you just how much larger he was than you. Even in your boots, he was still nearly a foot taller.

He followed behind as you led the way— it was clear that he was surveying the area for trouble. Before you could even reach into the pocket of your skirt, Arthur placed a coin on the table in front of the innkeeper. The man gave you a key to your room, Arthur leading the way up the stairs. With each step closer to the room, a slew of nerves and desire washed over you. By time he finally got the door unlocked, you grabbed him by the collar, pulling him down to kiss you. Whether it was the shock or the need that got to him, you weren’t sure, but it was enough to cause him to holst you up, resting his hands under your thighs as your legs wrapped around his waist.

He stumbled back towards the bed, your figure settling in his lap as his kisses become hasty.

His hands danced along your sides, sliding from your waist to the outer edges of your legs, squeezing them gently as a low groan left his lips. Beneath you, his groin rushed with blood, hardening with each slight movement you gave.

Arthur breathlessly broke away from the kiss, his eyes half-lidded as he met his gaze with yours.

“You sure ‘bout this?”

“I’d be damned if I’m not.” You laughed, your hands resting on his shoulders.

Without another question about it, he kissed you once more. It was as if he had been starved— deprived from the touch of another.

His hands worked to undo the buttons of your blouse, pulling it open. It was a matter of seconds before he opened the front of your corset, pulling it off of your frame.

Arthur cupped your breast with his large hand, leaning down to kiss your neck tenderly. You felt as heat grew between your legs, a timid moan slipping out of you as he squeezed your breast. You were quick to undo the buttons of his shirt as he kissed down your shoulder. By time you had undone his shirt, he flipped the two of you over, your back now resting on the bed.

He slipped your skirt down, eager to take you in. Once he finally discarded your undergarments, he pulled away, admiring you stripped down before him.

“Jesus..” He grinned, taking in the sight.

“What? What is it?” You asked, sitting up slightly.

“Nothin’ at all, Miss.. Just haven’t had a look at a woman in a long time.. ‘Specially not one of your caliber..”

He leaned down, pushing your legs over his shoulders as one of his hands gripped your hip. “Look at that.. All a mess, just for me..”

Finally, he brought his lips to your heat, pressing a kiss against the mound just above your swollen clit. He swirled his tongue slowly around the bud, his free hand finding its way to your folds, slicking his fingers with your arousal. Your hips bucked forward with a whine, your hands grasping his hair in a clenched fist.

He hummed against your cunt, his fingers slowly pushing past your entrance. He thrust his fingers into you, a slur of moans leaving you as your back arched.

He kept a steady rhythm, his tongue working to please you just the same.

As he picked up the pace, you yearned for more— his fingers weren’t enough. You needed to feel him inside of you.

“A-Arthur.. I need you..”

He was so lost in the moment of pleasing you, that he couldn’t pull himself away. You pulled his hair back, forcing him to look up at you. “I need your cock.. C’mon, baby, I need it..” You begged.

It was clear he needed you just as bad when he sat up, undoing the belt of his pants, pulling his trousers off, his briefs tugged down with them. His length sprung out, hardened and engorged.

“I’ve got to warn you, Darlin’.. I’m not too gentle..”

Quite honestly, that was the least of your worries. You needed him any way you could get.

You leaned back against the bed, your legs spread for him as he settled himself between them. A low groan left his lips as he pushed his girth into your opening. He gripped your hips as he slowly pushed himself in farther. “Fuck..”

You gripped his biceps as he began to thrust into you, his hips rolling forward. Yet another moan escaped you as he grew faster in pace

“So tight.. and so goddamn wet.” He murmured, his speed increasing as his grip tightened on your sides. Just as you felt yourself getting lost in the pleasure, he slipped himself out of you, flipping your body over against the mattress

Without warning, he slammed himself into you, causing a loud yelp from you

Your hands gripped the sheets of the bed as his thrusts became relentless, his hands holding your hips.

“Such a good girl..”

The harsh thrusts of the man above you were enough to leave you speechless, nothing but small whimpers leaving your mouth.

Arthur reached up, his hand grabbing the bedpost to stable himself as he fucked into you. He took a handful of your hair, pushing you down into the pillows

“H-Harder…f-f..fuck..”

Sure enough, he listened.

As your hand reached down to circle your clit, he pounded into you harder and faster than ever before, his own moans edging you closer and closer to finishing.

A wave of pleasure shocked through your body, breathless moans leaving your lips as your legs began to shake

It wasn’t long before Arthur slipped himself out of you, his warm seed coating your lower back as a low moan erupted from him.

You laid below him, too fucked out and tired to move as you caught your breath. When he finally overcame his climax, he reached for his hankerchief, cleaning his essence from your skin.

“Goddamn, woman.. You’re somethin’ else..” He huffed, collapsing beside you. He pulled you close to him, his skin glistening with sweat.

“You weren’t wrong when you said you were rough..” A breathless laugh followed your statement as you leaned into his touch. Someone who had just been so vigorous was now so gentle, pulling you close to him and kissing your forehead gently.

You knew this wouldn’t last, but you’d give anything for just one moment longer.

[j-richmond]

Welcome to Tunnel Town! The Magical Land of Yeld is full of unique locations and strange communities. What’s the deal with Tunnel Town, anyway? Tunnel Town is a small settlement hidden inside the infamous Oracle Caves. The town’s few structures are made from mud and reclaimed wood, or carved into the cave’s stone. One is just an oversized tent. Almost every Tunnel Town resident is a young Hydra, with the exception of the Fairy Innkeeper. Tunnel Lord is the unanimously elected Mayor of Tunnel Town and a teenage Hydra. Tunnel Lord plays a parental role for her many younger sisters who inhabit Tunnel Town, and has grown up much faster than the others because of it. Tunnel Lord really wants her town to grow and prosper under her rule. She is a daughter of the Vampire Prince, after all! Ruling is in her blood! Maybe, if she does a good job with Tunnel Town, she can get a shot at running the whole Kingdom some day. Running a town is pretty hard, but luckily Tunnel Lord learned a lot while visiting other towns across Yeld. Whether or not she uses that information wisely, however, is anyone’s guess. Welcome to TUNNELFEST! A Yeld Holiday!

TUNNELFEST! is a three day Winter Season Holiday taking place in Tunnel Town. Explore the newly redecorated Oracle Caves. Eat tasty Tunnel Town treats. Participate in the Poetry Slam and Mud Sculpting competition. Check out the free Martial Arts demonstration. Get your fortune read by a Serpent Oracle. Mosh in the Mud Pits to a live band! Each day of TUNNELFEST! has unique events that the Friends can participate in. Better get there on the first day if you wanna do it all!

Tunnel Mummy Costume Contest! The citizens of Tunnel Town have to deal with Tunnel Mummies all the time, so they know what a quality Mummy looks like. Dress up in your finest moldy cloth wrappings, let out your scariest Mummy moan, and show off your most convincing undead shamble.

Mud Sculpture Competition! An art competition judged by the Fairy Innkeeper Broth and his 2 young Hydra protege, Chowder and Bisque. Broth is a phenomenal mud sculpture artist, and has helped Chowder and Bisque develop their own unique styles. Contestants won’t have long to sculpt, and dirty tactics come with the territory. May the best sculpture left standing win! First place receives the recipe for Broth’s famous Cave Mushroom Tortellini.

Hissy Elliot’s Midnight Poetry Slam! A Poetry Slam orchestrated by Tunnel Town’s very own Hissy Elliot. As a young Hydra, Hissy only recently learned how to read and write, so most of her work is spoken word only. Her sisters swear she’s really good, though! Usually the Hydra aren’t allowed to stay up past midnight, but TUNNELFEST! is a special occasion. The Poetry Slam has no first place prize or trophy. Only the mad respect and lyrical envy of your peers.

Fortune Telling Booth! Get a psychic reading from a self proclaimed “Serpent Oracle”. This young Hydra claims she can see into the past, present, and future. She’s only mildly convincing, but really adorable. Best not to hurt her feelings.

Oracle Caves Painting Party! All attendees are invited to grab some paint, find a wall or ceiling, and paint their favorite moments from TUNNELFEST! all over the Oracle Caves. With everyone’s help, Tunnel Town and the Oracle Caves can become a warm and inviting place.

A Muddy Mosh Pit Dance Party! Special musical guest Goblin Hit Squad closes out TUNNELFEST! with an excellent performance and three encores. Friends can sit and enjoy the music or join in on the mosh pit.

Find out more about The Magical Land of Yeld here!

[noona-clock]

Fourever 🍀 Sad Ending

Genre: Small Town!AU, Innkeeper!AU, Exes to Lovers, Angsty with a happy ending

Pairing: Dowoon x You

Warnings: Mentions of loss, death, and illness

Words: 4,907

Welcome to the Show 🍀 Happy 🍀 The Power of Love 🍀 Get the Hell Out 🍀 Sad Ending 🍀 Let Me Love You 🍀 Didn't Know

The moment the magic unraveled You spat out, "Where's the love?" This love’s expiration date has already passed Whenever you see me, you always look happy With pretty lips that smiled at me I can't believe you told me "Being with you doesn't make me happy anymore" Love was scratched by a single word Shattered out of control

You weren't sure what was throwing you off more at the moment: the fact that you were back home or the fact that your parents had just dropped you off at The Driftwood Inn.

Honestly, there wasn't an obvious answer.

You hadn't been home in years, and that was by design. When you'd left your incredibly small seaside hometown for University in a huge, bustling city, you'd never looked back. Somehow, you'd managed to successfully avoid even one single trip back home by persuading your parents to spend every single holiday at your apartment (probably because your dad couldn't resist a good road trip, and your other dad couldn't resist good shopping and food. Plus, they'd wasted almost no time in turning your old bedroom into a crafting workshop, so you wouldn't have had a place to sleep if you had visited them here).

Well, you wouldn't have had a place to sleep besides the Driftwood Inn.

And that leads us to the main reason you hadn't been home in years: Dowoon.

Dowoon's family had owned this inn since long before either of you had been born; it, and the whole family, occupied a huge place in the heart of this town.

Dowoon also happened to be your ex-boyfriend.

Sure, the two of you had dated in middle and high school. You'd been babies! But the relationship had lasted for seven years, and you'd been completely and totally in love. When you'd gone off to University, Dowoon had stayed here, and you'd broken his heart by deciding that long distance just wasn't going to work.

To be honest, you'd broken your own heart, too. You may have been a tiny bit unnecessarily cruel when you'd broken up with him, and only later on -- years after -- had you realized you'd been lashing out because of anger and sadness and confusion. Dowoon had wanted to stay here rather than go with you. As a teenager, you'd viewed that as him choosing his comfort zone over you. But as an adult, you recognized that you'd basically done the same thing: you'd chosen your sense of adventure over him.

To add to it, your dads had passed along the news to you a few years ago that Dowoon's parents had tragically passed away in a boating accident. While your heart had ached for him, you had ultimately decided that seeing or hearing from you could only make things worse for Dowoon.

So, yeah, you'd avoided coming home so you wouldn't have to face all those uncomfortable feelings and conversations.

But now here you were. Back home for the first time because your dad had recently received a pretty scary diagnosis, and you'd known immediately upon hearing the news that you couldn't be anywhere else (at least for the time being).

You hadn't heard a single word from Dowoon after you'd left all those years ago, so you assumed he had moved on from his life here, but still. Standing in front of The Driftwood Inn immediately transported you back in time, and the jury was still out on whether or not it was a good feeling. It was nostalgic, that's for sure, but it also still hurt. In a way, you almost wished Dowoon did still live and work here so you could make sure he was doing all right.

In a very, very small way.

With a sigh, as you heard your dad's car sputtering away from the inn, you grabbed the handle of your suitcase and headed up the familiar brick pathway.

Although, it wasn't exactly familiar because some of the bricks looked a bit crumbly, and there were some overgrown weeds here and there.

Whoever bought it after the death of Dowoon's parents didn't seem to be doing a fantastic job with the upkeep.

And now that you were closer, you could see the faded paint of the door, the cobwebs in the windows and bushes, and a few pieces of rotting wood on the siding.

It had looked all right from far away -- the same as you'd remembered. But now that you saw how much things needed to be repaired and cleaned up, it broke your heart a little bit.

But, really, wasn't that just like life, in general? Things seemed okay from far away, but when you looked closer, you could easily pick out the cracks and broken pieces.

The front door stuck a little as you turned the handle and pushed it open, and you had to press your shoulder against it, using just a bit of your weight to get it unstuck.

But then, suddenly, the door offered no resistance at all, and you toppled inside.

Right into someone's chest.

"Oh, sorry!" you gasped at the exact same time the person said, "Are you okay?"

And you immediately froze.

Because you knew that voice.

And, as it turns out, you should've known the chest you'd just fallen into. You'd hugged and cuddled it many, many, many times.

But, apparently, all those years had changed him physically enough so that the feeling of his arms around you didn't instantly make you feel warm and safe and secure.

Or maybe you had been the one to change.

Your heart began to pound against your ribcage, and you knew if you didn't move in the next two seconds, things would get infinitely more awkward than you knew they were already going to be. So, you used the handle of your suitcase to regain your balance and stood up, your arms burning where his hands gently gripped you.

And when you pushed your hair out of your face and locked eyes with him, you saw the shock swiftly overtake his features.

"...Hi," you greeted, and honestly, the look on his face perfectly matched the way you felt inside.

"Y/N," he breathed. "What... what are you doing here?"

You chuckled awkwardly, shifting your weight as you tried to manage your internal anxiety and discomfort. "I'm staying here."

Dowoon's forehead wrinkled, but he made no other movement just yet. "I saw your dad made a reservation, but I figured it was for your grandparents again. I didn't realize..."

There were so many ways you could've responded to him. You could've apologized -- for so many things! You could've kept it professional and asked him to check you in. You could've just laughed awkwardly!

But, no.

For some reason you may never figure out but certainly not for lack of trying (this very moment would absolutely pop into your head while you were trying to go to sleep one night about five years from now), you said, "Surprise!"

This love No matter how much I try to think about it and try to fill it up It keeps shrinking It’s all leaking out The happiness that I wanted If it's bad for you Let's end it all Let's kill it all I'll take it all I'll be the only one who's sad No matter how much I try to build it up while fighting It keeps cracking It just crumbles down If my despair If it makes you happy Let's end it all Let’s kill it all I’ll take it all Ending where you're the only one smiling With your cold expression You spout out, "Where’s the love?" My heart was thrown away As if rotten

Dowoon had never been one to wear his emotions on his sleeve, but you'd gotten to know him well enough as a teenager to expertly interpret his facial expressions. And right now, he was not happy to see you.

"I'm sorry," you blurted out as you followed him to the front desk. "I didn't realize -- And I didn't think you were even still -- I promise I wasn't trying to --"

Okay, obviously you weren't going to be able to get out a complete sentence.

So, you simply repeated, "I'm sorry."

"No, you're good," Dowoon murmured as he tapped away on the keyboard, his gaze focused on the computer monitor.

You knew that wasn't even close to the truth, but pushing him about it would only lead to increased awkwardness. You were in town indefinitely -- which meant you were staying at the Driftwood Inn indefinitely -- so there was going to be plenty of time to hash everything out.

"You'll be in room two just down the hall," Dowoon told you, handing you an old-fashioned brass key and nodding toward the hallway to your right. "I'll be around, so let me know if you need anything."

"Sure," you replied.

And with that, Dowoon walked away from the desk and headed outside without another word.

You let out a very deep sigh before gripping your suitcase handle and heading down to your room, unlocking the door clumsily (you were used to electronic locks in this day and age, okay?). As soon as you stepped inside, another wave of nostalgia hit you. You'd already noticed that the lobby and front desk hadn't changed, and now you saw the rooms themselves hadn't changed, either. Everything seemed to be exactly the same as it had been when you'd spent almost every waking minute here with Dowoon.

In a way, you were glad because it brought back so many fond memories. But it also broke your heart because you couldn't fathom how Dowoon was able to live and work here without his family. Seeing the paintings his mom had picked out decades ago and hung on the walls made you want to cry -- how did Dowoon handle it?

Okay, thinking about Dowoon's family only introduced thoughts of your own family and the reason you were here in the first place. If you thought about either of those things too much, you would most likely have an emotional breakdown. So! After wheeling in your suitcase and leaving it by your bed, you headed back out into the hallway, locked your door behind you, and walked straight to the back porch.

Just as you'd hoped, the firepit was already up and running, and there was still a scattering of plush armchairs around it. You plopped down onto one of those armchairs, pulling your legs up and hugging your knees to your chest. The warmth from the firepit touched your feet first before it gradually spread to the rest of your body, and it took no time at all for your gaze to fall to the flames, your vision blurring as you tried to empty your thoughts.

Some time later (you honestly couldn't be sure how long it had been since you'd come out here), the sound of the back door opening broke into your vacuous mind. The flames came back into focus, and you glanced over your shoulder to see Dowoon standing in the doorway.

"Sorry," he muttered before taking a step back.

"No!" you exclaimed, much louder than you'd anticipated. "No, it's okay. You don't have to leave. If there's something you need to take care of, I can --"

Dowoon's forehead wrinkled slightly. "I was going to put out the fire."

"...Oh."

"I'll come back later."

"Dowoon, wait," you called out before he could leave. And then you heard yourself admit something you hadn't even realized was true: "I could use some company right now."

He hesitated, his expression uncertain, so you added, "We don't have to talk, I just... don't really want to be alone right now."

Dowoon's face softened slightly at your words, and he stepped onto the porch, letting the door gently close behind him.

You waited until he had taken a spot in another armchair before you relaxed again. You could already feel the tension between the two of you, but at this moment, it was better than being alone.

There was silence for a good five minutes before Dowoon said quietly, "I heard about your dad. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but I'm really sorry. If you need anything..."

You wanted to point out that he was already doing something for you -- you'd already needed company, and he was helping you at this very moment. You wanted to thank him for being so thoughtful. You wanted to tell him that you were scared and the anxiety of so many unknown variables was weighing on you.

But what you found yourself saying instead was, "How can you say all that after not hearing a single word from me since I left? Your parents died, and I didn't even bother sending you a text much less coming here to see you and offering to help. You should be angry at me! You should be petty and disgusted and -- and -- and angry! Because that's what I deserve!"

Unsurprisingly, tears had welled up in your eyes as the words had spilled out of your mouth; you roughly swiped at your eyes to try and stop them from falling.

"Y/N, please," Dowoon whispered. "We don't have to --"

"I'm a coward, I know!" you interrupted, even though you knew the smart decision would have been to keep quiet. But Dowoon's thoughtful words and quiet voice only reminded you of how absent you'd been. "I didn't want to reach out to you because I was afraid of bringing up all my feelings and the hurt I caused. I knew you were going through something so horrific, but I put my own discomfort ahead of your tragedy, and that was so selfish but you still want to help me?"

When Dowoon had opened that back door, you never would've guessed you'd end up saying all of this to him with tears streaming down your face. But here we are.

"Yes!" Dowoon answered, his voice louder than normal. "Yes, I do still want to help you, okay?! Because I know what you must be feeling, and I know that it sucks to have no one be there for you. Was I hurt that you didn't reach out? Of course I was! I've hurt every day for the past ten years or however long it's been since you left. But that doesn't mean I don't care about you! Even if you don't care about me anymore, I still care about you, and that's just the way it is!"

Before you could say anything, he got up and went back inside, letting the door slam shut after him.

There's only a handful of hope It turned into ashes It's spreading away uncontrollably This love No matter how much I try to think about it and try to fill it up It keeps shrinking It's all leaking out The happiness that I wanted If it’s bad for you Let's end it all Let's kill it all I'll take it all I'll be the only one who's sad

There was absolutely no way you were getting any sleep tonight.

First of all, your dad had called you just after you'd brushed your teeth to tell you about your other dad's doctor's appointment tomorrow. You were not looking forward to it and were also preparing for more bad news.

Second of all, you kept going through what happened on the back porch. You wanted to crawl into a hole and never get out when you thought about everything you'd said.

And that desire to crawl into a hole only led you to remember how you felt after you'd broken up with Dowoon -- you'd felt exactly the same way. You'd lost count of how many nights you'd spent lying in bed in your dorm room, the words you'd said to him echoing in your brain.

"No, don't worry, Y/N," he had said. "Our love is strong enough to handle the distance, I know it."

"It's not just about love. It's about the relationship. I'll be busy with school, you'll be busy here at the inn. We'll never get to see each other!"

"Yeah, but we can call each other."

"You hate talking on the phone."

"But not to you."

You had simply raised your eyebrows at him.

"So, what, you're breaking up with me because I don't want to call you?"

"No!" you'd cried.

"Because being long-distance will be too hard? You just want things to be easy?"

"That's not --"

"So, are you just going to start dating the first guy you meet in your classes because you'll get to see him every day?"

"What?! No! Dowoon, that's so not --"

"Then why do we have to break up?!"

"Because I want to be free!"

Just as you had earlier today, the words had just blurted themselves out. You hadn't even known you'd been thinking them.

"I don't want to be tied down and feel like I'm obligated to come visit during school breaks," you'd continued.

Dowoon had simply stared at you for a few seconds, his expression stern but, ultimately, unreadable -- even for you.

"Got it," he'd muttered. "I didn't know you felt like you were obligated to be with me, but I --"

"No, stop putting words in my mouth!"

"You just said that! You just said you don't want to feel obligated, and if that's how coming home to see me would make you feel, then I guess I've been in love on my own! I guess you can leave and live your life, and I'll be the only one who's sad about this ending!"

You'd already felt guilty for what you'd said to him, and then hearing his words was more than you could take. You'd left without another word.

You'd loved him back then. Deeply. And, if you were being honest with yourself, you hadn't felt that way about anyone else since.

But the idea of living here, in this tiny little town, for the rest of your life? The idea of settling down and getting married and having children and running the inn had terrified you. You'd wanted to see more and do more and be more than what this place had to offer. Dowoon hadn't. So, you could've either stayed together and tried long-distance only to realize that you didn't want to come back after graduating and broken up then or you could've done what you ended up doing and broken up before you left. In your mind, there hadn't been a door number three, and you'd chosen the path of least resistance.

Looking back, you knew you'd made the right decision, even if the way you'd gone about it hadn't been perfect.

Your time at University had been life-changing. You'd met so many new people, you'd experienced so many new things, you'd visited so many new places. You wouldn't take any of it back if you were given the chance.

But now that you were here, and now that things had turned out the way they'd turned out, you were slowly coming to the realization that being around the people you loved was actually the most important thing in life.

It only made you angry with yourself that it took the possibility of losing one of your parents to make you understand this, but... it is what it is. You couldn't change the past, and you couldn't even really change the present.

But you could change the future.

It's dark now The curtain has come down Our story It became a tragedy No matter how much I try to think about it and try to fill it up It keeps shrinking It's all leaking out

When it became clear that you weren't getting any sleep, you threw your quilt back and swung your legs over the side of the bed, feeling around on the glossy hardwood floor for your slippers.

You silently shuffled to the door, opening it as gently and slowly as you could in case Dowoon hadn't replaced the hinges. Once you'd successfully made it into the hallway, you turned the handle before you closed the door behind you so you could close it just as quietly as you'd opened it. There weren't any other guests, so you didn't bother locking it behind you, but you still didn't want to wake up Dowoon.

As soon as you arrived at the kitchen doorway, though, you discovered your plan had been for naught. The very person you were trying not to disturb was sitting at the kitchen table with a steaming mug of something.

Dowoon straightened up when he noticed you, but he didn't say anything.

"Sorry," you mumbled. "I couldn't sleep, and I didn't think you'd still be up."

Dowoon lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "I couldn't sleep either."

You wrapped your arms around yourself, partly as a coping technique but also because it was much colder than you'd first realized. "What have you got there?" you asked as you peered into his mug.

"Hot chocolate," he replied, the barest hint of a smirk tugging at his lips. "...Do you want some?"

"Oh, I can make it," you assured him.

But he had already stood up from his chair and was making his way over toward the stove.

"No, Dowoon, I can do it if you just show me --"

"Go sit down," he ordered gently. "I got it."

It was simply too late to argue, so you did as you were told and slid into the chair on the opposite side of the table.

Just a few minutes later, Dowoon set down a mug in front of you, and the delicious, comforting scent of cocoa and milk filled your senses.

"Thank you," you grinned before lifting the mug to your lips and taking the tiniest sip.

Of course, it was far too hot to drink right now, so you set your mug back down, wrapping your fingers around it to keep them warm while you waited.

As you sat and Dowoon softly slurped his own hot chocolate, you knew that you couldn't let yourself blurt anything out this time. That never led to a happy ending.

But you needed to say something.

"I'm sorry," you began, avoiding his gaze by staring at the mini marshmallow beginning to melt in your drink. "For everything. And please don't say that I don't need to apologize because I do. I'm sorry for the way I ended things. I'm sorry for the things I said. At the time, that was how I felt. I was scared of living here forever and never experiencing everything I'd read about and seen on TV. I didn't want to be one of those people who just got married and settled down fresh out of school even though... I loved you. I really did, and I've never felt that way about anyone else, so please don't ever think that I don't care about you."

When you glanced up, you saw Dowoon was doing exactly what you had been doing: staring at the contents of his mug. His brow was furrowed deeply right now, and he was biting the inside of his cheek -- you knew that was his way to stop himself from crying. And that, of course, made you want to cry.

"I do care about you, I just... I was scared to come back here and see you. I was scared to reach out to you because I -- I didn't know what to say. I didn't feel like there was anything I could say, not after what I said before I left. I wasn't even sure you wanted to see me. Trust me, I've regretted it for a long time."

"Regretted what?" Dowoon croaked. "Breaking up with me or never reaching out?"

You had to swallow down the lump of emotion in your throat before you could answer. "Both," you answered.

Dowoon let out a deep sigh, and you took the opportunity to sip at your hot chocolate again.

After a minute or two, he said, "How long will you be here?"

"I'm not sure," you admitted. "It all depends on..."

"Right," Dowoon nodded. "Well... do you think... we can at least become friends again?"

For the first time in a long time, you felt your heart flutter. And for the first time since your dad had called you to break the news about his illness, you felt the tiniest bit of hope blooming in your chest.

"I think so," you replied.

The day you'd left The Driftwood Inn -- and Dowoon -- for the last time, and just about every day since, you'd tried to come to terms with the fact that the curtain had come down on your relationship. You'd closed the book, you'd turned the lights off, you'd shut the door and thrown away the key.

But now maybe you had reason to believe it wasn't quite the end. Maybe you'd simply finished a chapter and were now moving on to the next.

No matter how much I try to build it up while fighting It keeps cracking It just crumbles down If my despair If it makes you happy Let's end it all Let's kill it all I'll take it all Ending where you're the only one smiling

One Year Later

You couldn't quite believe it, but you had to admit it to yourself as you stepped out of the car: it was good to be home.

After spending six months here while your dad had received treatment, you'd been able to move back to your apartment in the city once things were looking fairly optimistic -- but only temporarily. During those six months, you'd decided it was time to leave your life in the city behind and live as close to your loved ones as possible.

And, hopefully, that would include Dowoon.

Unsurprisingly, the two of you had, indeed, grown closer during your time here. There had been nothing romantic because neither of you had been in the right frame of mind for it. You'd been focused on being there for your dads, and you'd come to realize that Dowoon was still grieving his family. Not only that, he keenly felt the pressure from the rest of the town to keep the Driftwood Inn up and running as it had been for decades -- the slight disrepair and lack of updates had made sense after he'd admitted that.

So, you'd gently pushed him to see a therapist. You'd offered to help him paint and order materials to spruce things up. More importantly, you'd urged him to spruce things up the way he wanted to. It was his inn now, and he could do whatever he wanted. If he wanted to keep it the same as it had always been to feel closer to his family, that was fine. If he wanted to change up everything to fit his personality, that was fine. Whatever he chose, you would support him.

Of course, there had been a great number of times you'd wanted something to happen between you and Dowoon. You'd spent many late nights drinking hot chocolate together and many early mornings watching the sunrise on the beach. Too often you'd imagined the sweet, marshmallow-y taste of his kiss. The warmth of his embrace against the ocean breeze. The way your head would fit perfectly into the curve of his neck as you sat side-by-side.

Alas, you knew the timing hadn't been right.

But maybe now...?

The moving truck had just left your brand-new house, and the first thing you'd wanted to do didn't involve unpacking your mountain of boxes. You'd borrowed your dad's car and headed right to the Driftwood Inn to see Dowoon.

You'd kept in touch via text after you moved back to the city, of course, but Dowoon had been suspiciously quiet about anything having to do with the renovations, so you had no idea what the inn would look like. (You'd also been suspiciously quiet about your decision to move back here, so Dowoon most likely had no idea you were coming.)

When you pulled up to it, the outside was pretty much the same -- just better. The brick pathway had been replaced, new flowers had been planted, the siding, trim, and roof all looked immaculate.

After you opened the front door (which didn't stick this time), you saw the inside also looked mostly the same. There'd been some paint color, furniture, and decor changes here and there, but if you had walked in blindfolded, you still would've known this was the Driftwood. Dowoon had managed to keep the essence of the inn alive while still adding his own touches.

In other words, it was perfect.

Except for the fact that it was totally empty. Dowoon wasn't at the front desk as he normally was, so you called out his name.

A few seconds went by with no answer.

You headed down the hallway to the back porch, and you were greeted by a roaring fire in the shiny, new firepit -- but still no Dowoon.

Just as you were about to get your phone out to call him, you noticed a figure standing on the beach. It could only be one person -- the very person you were looking for -- so you slipped through the porch door, tiptoed over the wooden bridge connecting the inn to the beach, and took off your shoes to trudge silently through the sand.

Before you could reach him, though, Dowoon turned around and saw you.

"Aw, man," you chuckled. "I was going to surprise you."

The look on his face clearly showed that you still had. He'd jumped a little, his eyes widening at your presence.

"Y/N," he said, equally confused and excited. "What are you doing here?"

"Well..." you began as you came to stand right in front of him, the wind blowing your hair across your face.

Dowoon delicately reached up to tuck the loose strands behind your ear, and you truly almost broke down and kissed him right then and there.

"I'm back," you answered simply.

"I can see that."

"No... I'm back. For good."

Dowoon furrowed his brow, his initial confusion fully taking over. "What do you mean?"

You bit back a smile and, taking a breath to fortify your courage, you reached out and gently grasped his fingers, intertwining them with yours.

"I'm home," you said softly, allowing your smile to fully curve your lips as you locked eyes with him.

He seemed to finally understand; his forehead smoothed out, and a smile to match yours appeared on his mouth. He squeezed your hands, and that's when you knew.

Dowoon had been -- and would always be -- your past. Not everything about it was worth remembering, but a lot of it was.

But now you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was also your future. And just like the past, you were sure some things wouldn't be worth remembering. The two of you were still messy, complicated, fragile human beings, after all. You would argue and have bad days and experience loss of every kind together.

But you would have each other. And that's all that really mattered in the end.

[wulvercazz]

Beach Days🏖️

Another chapter for Open World~! 💕

// smut

It was truly a thing of fate that Thirteen would meet Marina at the time they did, she'd strolled into town about a week earlier; bubbly and happy to chit-chat with the town's people who remembered her warmly. "You're new around here, aren't you~?" She'd startled them one time at the local pub behind the inn where Thirteen was staying in exchange for work. "I'm good with faces." She explained. She was easy to talk to, open to share about a small-town life and small trips that her Father had slowly allowed her to envoyage on more and more often. And she listened with curious wide eyes to all of Thirteen's recent travels, how they'd woken up without memories, how much trouble they'd gotten into, how Chromo at the post office keeps them entertained with long tasks in hopes they won't stray away and get lost again. That was five days before the trip. Then the innkeeper suggested Thirteen do more things their own age; travel places not filled with dangers and mystery, but somewhere safe and fun. The beach of Luna-aqua was her honest reccomendation, full of wonders for a curious soul as theirs, but surrounded by friendly townspeople they shouldn't find themselves in trouble with so easily. Even provided them with a map and time to finish their chores before the trip. But Thirteen's yet to learn how to follow a map. It was fate that they met Marina, hit it on so effortlessly and even found themself with her back at the inn. Frotting over their clothes after a couple warming drinks at the pub, handsy on her soft breasts and with hers tangling all over their hair. Cut short when Thirteen gave her answers about their plans in panted messy words; straightening back in surprise. Her hair messed up and top down at her waist where it made it hard to not concentrate on her pretty green-blue nipples; puffy after a round of playful pinching. "That's my town!" She'd exclaimed, "if you really want to go, I can take you when I get back home in a couple days~!" Thirteen remembers agreeing with much enthusiasm, before Marina threw herself back on them with an excited giggle. Remembers getting to know each other even closer, getting sweaty and loud until the innkeeper knocked a few times on their door with a flustered cough. Two days later, and they're on their way, Marina chatty with stories about her hometown, her family, her boyfriend (who she made a point to clear out was informed and ok with her having fun with other people, after Thirteen's eyes widened in comical panic) and her friends. "Ah! You can see it there~! She pointed suddenly, after seven or so hours of a rocky firebull-pulled wagon that had Thirteen green in the face for a good half hour after parting ways with the kind merchant and a long walk between mountains and cliffs that slowly grew sand and salty in the air. Colorful foliage and palm trees welcoming them and a view that has Thirteen almost forgetting how bad their feet hurt.

[lettersfromaphrodite]

«Protect Me, My Aurora.»

― pairing : Hongjoong x Seonghwa ― content warnings : angst, smut, fluff, pirate au, royals au, slowburn, unprotected sex, fantasy au // mentions of Jongdae and Baekhyun because they're my beta's faves // yes, yes "The Bitter Dahlia" is exactly the one mentioned in «it’s high tide, baby.» ― word count : 28k

― notes : this fic looks familiar? it is! I’m reposting ALL my works on this brand new blog and therefore please, bear with me! as always, askbox is open and feedbacks are always welcome 💌

― summary :

«You’re a pirate aren’t you? Then steal me! Is that so much to ask?» Seonghwa concluded, lightly squeezing Hongjoong’s arm, his voice full of hope. He was talking a bit too loudly for his standard, but now, convincing Hongjoong to take him with them was more important than respecting the label of the peaceful sovereign. «What do you have that I would want?» Hongjoong curiously challenged him, raising an eyebrow and leaning closer to the King.

Seonghwa sighed while tightly fixing on his head the hood hiding his identity, as bittersweet memories of the past flashing through his mind.

He was crowned King when he was in his twenties, reigned over a wide Kingdom and his country loved him for he was a caring and humble man. Seonghwa also dearly loved his wife, which was a rare thing to happen during an arranged marriage whose only purpose was to unify reigns who were in prior conflict. However, the Queen had been seriously ill.

Seonghwa absently played with the familiar rings on his finger, as he reminded how quickly his wife’s life slipped away, murder caused by a group of conspirators leaded by the Governor himself. They made it appear as if it was in fact the King’s will to poison his own wife, so that he could get married once again and furtherly extend his Kingdom without recurring to wars.

“Things change fast.” Seonghwa thought with a dejected sigh. The originally small group of conspirators quickly gained members, and Seonghwa was forced to leave everything and hide. The Governor was now occupying the King’s throne, exactly as he planned.

As the former King, well, he was now part of the Resistance.

«Come on,» Jongdae, the Resistance’s leader interrupted the whirlwind of his thoughts, «they’re probably waiting.» Seonghwa absently nodded at him as they walked towards a familiar inn, their footsteps echoing in the dark of the night.

“The Bitter Dahlia” was the inn that had been hosting their secret meetings for months; Seonghwa knew that Jongdae and Baekhyun - the innkeeper, were brothers and therefore, he quickly understood how their group was constantly informed about any kind of news going around town. The strong smell of alcohol mixed with loud chatters and laughters filled their noses and ears as they quickly got in and closed the door behind themselves, before quickly taking place in front of the counter and ordering something to drink. 

«There are big, unexpected news tonight,» Baekhyun nodded at his brother and at the young King, as he finished filling their chalices, «Pirates.» he whispered, slightly nodding towards their directions with his head; Seonghwa’s eyes drifted to the group of young men talking and laughing loudly, not minding whether they were disturbing other people around them.

There were six of them, he noticed. Only one of them was particularly tall - probably the same height as him, currently busy discussing with his crew mates while partially comfortably sitting on the wooden table.

The King studied them for another minute, trying to remember as much as he could about their appearance and their faces, in case he ever happened to run into them in the future.

However, only one of them caught his eyes; he didn’t look particularly tall, and for what Seonghwa could notice in the mostly dark environment of the inn, his hair seemed to be dark blonde, styled in a mullet. He was the one who was talking less, always looking at the others with a smug grin, sometimes admonishing them with a “stop fucking screaming”, and Seonghwa assumed that he was probably the Captain.

«Come back to us unworthy peasants, your Majesty King Seonghwa.» Jongdae joked as he drew Seonghwa’s attention back on the original topic while gently nudging against his elbow. 

«I told you not to call me that in front of other people.» The former King hissed, harshly placing his chalice on the counter; Jongdae murmured a quiet apology and Seonghwa nodded with a sigh, before he eventually got up and bumped shoulders with a tall boy, his hair bright red and a black eyepatch on his left eye.

«Sorry, buddy!» the boy cheerfully apologized «I drank too much and I lost my balance for a moment.» he chuckled, absently checking how much of the drinks he was carrying he actually spilled; Seonghwa smiled as he politely answered not to worry, before immediately following the Resistance’s leader through the back door, disappearing behind it.

Seonghwa obviously could not see how the young boy’s expression instantly turned serious as he headed straight to the Pirates’ table, referring the small dialogue he just overheard to his Captain.

The meeting proceeded steadily; Jongdae announced that unexpectedly many people from other villages joined the Resistance, dejected, frustrated and unhappy with the Governor’s laws and too strict politics.

Months had passed since Seonghwa had to leave everything he had in order to run away, and during these months, he learned that there were many groups of rebels all around the Kingdom who firmly believed that the former King was still alive. Moreover, the rebels’ main goal was to wait for the perfect occasion in order to get rid of the unfair and selfish Governor in favour of another magnanimous King, just like Seonghwa was.

Hearing those words, a dejected sigh escaped from the young King’s lips. The Governor reduced the Kingdom on the verge of war and hunger, erasing years of efforts made by both him and his father in order to keep the people in his country as peaceful and satisfied as possible.

Both Jongdae and Baekhyun knew about Seonghwa’s real identity, but they swore to keep it a secret, and if needed, to refer to him by a fake name.

Once the meeting came to an end it was already late at night, and there were barely any costumers in the front of the inn, and Seonghwa decided to get straight back home. His right hand reached to play nervously with both his and his wife’s wedding rings on his left hand; he locked himself inside the small room he was renting and sat on the small table opposite the bed, studying the familiar map speeded on the wooden surface.

There was only one thing that could prove he was King Seonghwa, and unfortunately, part of it was still safely hidden in the depths of the Castle. However, he highly doubted the Governor managed to find out the location of the small labyrinth hidden in the middle of the dungeons that for years hid the documents who contained the proofs of the royal lineage, especially because this information had been secretly passed from a King to another, since anyone who was in possess of these documents could claim the position of King.

Seonghwa was honestly scared of this option, and his feelings only urged him to proceed faster on his lone mission that he meticulously kept hidden from the only friends he had; even though he tried to tell them about it few times, they always dismissed the idea.

«It’s too dangerous!» Jongdae would immediately cut his sentence with a stern grin.

«He’s right, what would we do if you got caught?» Baekhyun would add, his eyebrows furrowed in evident worry.

Anyways, Seonghwa knew what he had to do, and as he folded the small map and hid it under the mattress, he definitely made up his mind: the following night he would have paid a visit to the Castle.

However, as Seonghwa comfortably fell asleep few minutes later on the comfortable mattress of his small room, he was absolutely unaware of the two men who had followed him from a safe distance, well hidden in the dark night.

The next day passed in a blur, since Seonghwa was too busy preparing for his secret mission to leave his room in the first place; he was lucky that the old lady which was renting him the room was gentle enough to deliver him some food for breakfast and lunch, otherwise Seonghwa wouldn’t have eaten at all.

As he carefully got dressed, he made sure to keep a knife well hidden in his boot, just in case he had to fight and his sword was snatched away; although he spent years training and learning sword fight, he wasn’t as skilled nor as strong as the men which were recruited as Royal soldiers, but thanks to the many lessons he took when he was a Prince, he learnt how to fight to defend himself. Being part of the Resistance meant constant sword training but still, Seonghwa wasn’t sure he’d be an actual challenge for a group of skilled soldiers, even thought he was very agile.

At sunset, he secured his hood on his head as he quietly left towards the Castle, the long dark cloak hiding his identity from curious eyes. Seonghwa didn’t have any trouble in finding a way to enter the Castle without being caught, he has never been a troublemaker, but when he was younger he loved sneaking out to spend some days with commoners, in order to feel closer to them. Ordinary life had always fascinated him, and his father always told him that in order to be a good King you would need to see directly your people’s lifestyle without them knowing you were around.

As silent as the snow falling on the ground on a winter night, Seonghwa quickly walked through the numerous corridors illuminated by the dim light of the moon and some torches, trying not to mind all the things that the Governor changed in what once was his home, fists clenching every time he saw a painting of the wicked man hanging on the walls.

Occasionally hiding from the guards on their night patrol, Seonghwa made his way through the labyrinth; the more he got close to it, the more he was sure that the Governor had never took actual interest in it, merely paying attention to its cold stone walls.

The thing was, it was more than a bunch of assembled walls, there was a secret chamber containing few of the most important treasures of the Kingdom, and the documents he was looking for.

Whoever owned it and exhibited it would have been recognized as the rightful King; in case someone were to unfairly occupy the position of sovereign, the King in need to prove his identity could find official documents in this labyrinth, and also a map that would lead him to a place where to find an object only the King could recognize, due to the secrecy of this information.

“Left, right, left, left-” he thought as he swiftly moved between the corridors, remembering his father’s words. “You’ll find your destination next to the black stone,” his step slowly led him into another corridor; from what he has been told, he had to look for a black stone in a wall covered with pebbles of various shades of grey.

“It could be anywhere,” he thought, dejected by this unexpected turn of events; he grabbed a fire torch from the wall, and started meticulously looking for said stone while trying not to make any noise.

Minutes passed, and Seonghwa was increasingly growing both frustrated and impatient; as he was about to give up, he found a small different stone – perfectly round shaped, as he was crouched on the floor.

His father never told him what he had to do once he found it, so he tentatively tried pressing on it, sharpening his ears in case anything happened; he pressed on it again, but nothing changed.

Seonghwa sighed, impatiently placing the palm on his hand flat on the stone while trying to rotate it, hoping that this would actually work because he didn’t have any other idea on what to try with a stone, and hoping for the last time that no one else found out about this labyrinth.

When all the hope he had was about to vanish, something clicked behind him, and Seonghwa immediately turned around to check the opposite wall. Some of the cold stones moved towards the inside, indicating there was the secret room his father once told him about, and Seonghwa only needed to push on it to get inside.

With a tight grip on the torch, Seonghwa pressed against the wall, the newfound door opening with a brief creak; the room was small, humid and full of dust; the ceiling was not too high either, he could have touched it if he raised an arm, and there were big and heavy coffers full of treasures arranged along the sides of the walls.

What actually caught Seonghwa’s attention was the simple wooden table exactly in the middle of the room, looking too ordinary compared to the jewels and gold that partially filled the small room. Seonghwa’s steps warily reached the table, where he found exactly what his father told him: the royal documents and the map.

“Isn’t it too easy?” Seonghwa thought while furrowing his eyebrows in doubt, as he placed the torch in a metal ring hanging on the wall next to him. He cautiously reached for the papers, his movements slow and calculated, fearing to remain trapped inside that small space as soon as he touched anything.

As soon as he realized that nothing was going to happen if he touched and lifted the documents from the table, he quickly folded both the map and the documents, safely tucking them in the inner pocket of his jacket.

Pleased with the outcome and seeing that he wasn’t going to get trapped inside the small room if he decided to touch anything, Seonghwa took few minutes in order to curiously look around the room, since he has never been there and moreover, he had always been curious about what could the many treasures safely hidden from indiscreet eyes be.

A coffer on the right side of the room caught Seonghwa’s attention, and he curiously approached it: it was the only one containing only gold coins, and on top of them, there was a bright brooch studded with diamonds and colourful precious stones.

As he was about to reach out in order to take a closer look to the brooch, a low whistle made him stop in his tracks.

«Well, who would have guessed?» an unfamiliar voice chanted, and Seonghwa immediately turned to face the intruder, fearing for the worst.

Leaning against the door frame there was a man dressed totally in black, from his hat, to his gloves, to the mask covering his face, to his clothes.

Seonghwa instantly understood who was standing in front of him, and a shiver froze him in place; he recognized those clothes, since the only Pirates who actually dressed like that were the crew called “ATEEZ”, a group of infamous, cruel Pirates that took no side in political matters but only lived following their morals, not minding if they had to shed blood on the way to get what they wanted. They hid their identity only during assaults and robberies, so that the majority of people would not mind about them during every day’s life.

“This is why no one paid attention to them at the inn,” Seonghwa thought, even if he could have never imagines that the loud Pirates he saw were in fact one of the most dangerous Pirates crew in the world: Seonghwa’s hand instinctively placed on the hilt of his sword, but however, he did not intend to unsheathe it, not yet.

«I came to rob this place, but…» the slim man started walking towards him, due to the space being limited, he almost immediately stopped in front of him, «I never thought I’d find out that the former King became a thief.» although the Pirate was wearing a mask, it was as if Seonghwa could feel the smug grin on the other’s lips as he pronounced those words, and before he even managed to think about unsheathing his sword, he found a short blade pressed against his throat.

The cold metal made Seonghwa fear for his life, and since Pirates were generically unpredictable, he decided to not fight back, his arms going limp on his sides in a clear sign of surrender.

«How do you know that?» Seonghwa asked, as he tried to identify the eyes - the only thing he could see, of the man standing in front of him; although he was shorter than him, his threatening aura made the young King settle for the decision of not to move.

«You never know who might overhear your secrets, your Highness.» the Pirate’s voice exuded superiority, and Seonghwa clenched his jaw. He could not be the man he bumped into at the inn; he was taller than the one standing in front of him.

Unless, that man might have reported what he heard to his crew mates, and if luck was on his worst side, the one threatening him was the Captain of the loud group he saw the night before.

«What do you want from me? I’m not in the position to-» Seonghwa’s words were harshly cut off as the Pirate chuckled and removed the blade from his neck.

«Relax, I’m only interested in stealing some of these.» he said, curiously walking around from a coffer to another, examining coins and various jewellery, while Seonghwa still did not dare to move from his spot.

Since the door was still open, Seonghwa realized that he could run away if he wanted, he could even lock the Pirate inside the room if he wanted to, but truth was he was petrified in fear; he studied as the other put the most interesting jewels or those that seemed to be more expensive in a leather bag attached to the belt he had tied at his waist over his refined jacket.

“Didn’t Pirates dress in a scruffy way?” Seonghwa absently thought as he stared at the other’s clothes that seemed to be made of an unexpectedly good fabric.

«What were you doing here, anyway?» the Pirate asked without paying too much attention to the young King, as he was focused on checking another diamond.

«It’s no one of your business.» Seonghwa answered firmly, clenching his fists; truth was, he wasn’t sure how to feel about this whole situation. He was in the middle of what once has been his Castle, his home, looking at a pirate stealing a treasure that he couldn’t call his own anymore, so he didn’t have any right to scold him; especially, because in this very moment he was technically stealing the Governor’s assets, and not his.

«Well, true, but-» the Pirate’s sentence was abruptly interrupted by a series of distant screams followed by the sound of numerous bells ringing frequently and following the same familiar rhythm, and both men exchanged confused looks before staring at the door.

«Intruders.» Seonghwa briefly stated, frowning.

«We have to go, and quickly.» the Captain mumbled as he closed his leather bag and grabbed the other’s elbow, urging him towards the door.

They both rushed out, Seonghwa hastily closing the secret room’s door and running towards the Pirate, who was slightly leaning out from the wall, peaking at their surroundings while making sure the way was clear; from what they heard, the guards were still far from them, but it was better not to risk making avoidable mistakes.

«Did your men get caught?» Seonghwa whispered, lowering the hood if his cape further on his forehead as he started feeling distressed, since if anyone were to see him in the Castle, he sincerely doubted he could actually survive.

«No,» the Pirate mumbled quietly, shaking his head as he started walking, gesturing to the young King with his fingers to follow him, «each one of us was robbing a different place tonight, and they’d never betray me. It’s can’t be us, either.» he finished explaining as they both got out from the labyrinth and almost reached the entrance of the dungeons, an unexpected comfortable silence between them.

Seonghwa knew the Pirate couldn’t have possibly memorized the way out so, sometimes he’d find himself stopping the Captain’s quick steps by tugging on his sleeve, leading him to the opposite way.

«I knew that, I wanted to see if you were still paying attention.» the Pirate would answer every time, obviously lying.

They cautiously retraced every corridor, the noise created by the soldiers and the bells’ ringing getting louder as they stepped closer to the gate that separated the dungeons from the stairs leading back into the castle.

Seonghwa’s steps halted in the middle of the wide circular room surrounded by metal cells, anxiety getting the best of him, and the Pirate stopped few steps further, noticing he was now walking alone. He quickly spun on his heels, turning towards the taller man, a silent question hanging from his lips as he walked back to place a hand on Seonghwa’s elbow.

«Why did you stop?!» he hissed, «The worst part starts now!»

«What if we get caught? They’ll hang me – they’ll hang us, if we get caught!» Seonghwa muttered as he forced his breath to come out as even; despite part of the young King’s face was hidden, the Pirate managed to catch a glimpse of the panic in the other’s eyes staring at the floor.

The Pirate sighed, his hand leaving Seonghwa’s left arm; the young Captain reached behind his ears in order to untie the mask that covered the lower part of his face, and then he tugged Seonghwa’s hood to remove it.

The King’s gaze locked with the Pirate’s, confirming his assumptions about the previous evening: the boy who admonished his loud companions, the same handsome boy who had caught his eyes, was precisely the Captain.

Seonghwa’s eyes were filled with confusion and hidden curiosity as the Pirate’s fingers secured his own mask behind the young King’s nape, before quickly lifting the hood back on his head.

«It’s okay now, we can go.» the Pirate’s unexpected gentle voice seemed to unexplainably soothe Seonghwa’s distressed soul, and the Captain’s hand returned on the King’s elbow but this time, he noticed, the touch was a little bit gentler. Although he was still urging him around, at least he wasn’t squeezing his arm as tightly as before; they began to run, taking advantage of the unexpectedly empty hallway they found, as they sprinted towards the door that would lead them in the garden.

If Seonghwa hadn’t been so scared of something possibly go wrong, he would have thought this situation was paradoxical; he was running almost hand in hand with a Pirate who first pointed a blade to his neck and a few minutes later tranquillized him by lending him his mask.

He genuinely started to doubt the veridicity of the rumours about them, since not only they were helping each other, but the Pirate was also being nice.

They opened the heavy Castle’s door enough to sneak out, not bothering to close it behind them; outside the door that connected the Castle to the Royal garden, there were two rows made up of three wide white columns on each side, meant to support the large balcony above their heads. Quickly, they took shelter behind one of the pillars, their back pressed against each other, carefully examining the situation; there were at least ten groups of soldiers, which meticulously sought in every part of the garden, meaning that it wouldn’t take long before they were found and therefore, they had to act quickly.

The Pirate scoffed, shaking his head and slightly turning around in order to glance at Seonghwa.

«I came from over there…» he whispered, not finishing his own sentence as he pointed towards the canopy on top of the bushes the soldiers were meticulously examinating; Seonghwa immediately nodded, understanding what the Pirate was trying to say.

That part of the garden was way too crowded with enemies and way too distant to reach without alarming everyone in the garden.

«Come with me.» Seonghwa mindlessly took the other man’s hand as he led him towards a familiar oak tree; he briefly explained there was a hole in the wall safely hidden between its leaves and branches, and he always used that as an exit when he sneaked outside the Castle to go to town. Easily climbing on the oak tree and through the hole in the wall, they left the Castle, climbing down the identical oak tree that they found on the other side of the wall.

The young King let out a loud relieved sigh as he let himself slide down the wall in order to sit on the ground, and the Pirate chuckled in response to the young King’s action.

However, the loud screams of the soldiers and the noisy bell kept signalling them that they didn’t catch the intruder, yet.

«I suppose I should thank you?» Seonghwa tried as he untied the mask, handing it back to the Pirate.

«Captain Hongjoong, at your service,» he playfully winked and did a small hint of a bow, as he gently took his mask from the King’s gloved hands, without bothering to wear it again, «and no problem, I feared I had to drag you out of there myself and well, our body proportions aren’t exactly on my side.» Seonghwa gladly took the hand that Hongjoong stretched towards him in order to help him get back on his feet; they had just escaped a rather dangerous situation, it’s true, but they were standing right in front the Castle’s walls in the middle of the night while soldiers were looking everywhere for intruders, so they had better start walking away.

The pale moonlight illuminated their path as they stared walking through the sleeping town, leaving the Castle behind their shoulders; much to his surprise, Seonghwa noticed the other man was indeed a friendly person, and not as ruthless as the rumours said.

“That’s probably because I’m not on his bad side,” Seonghwa deduced as they were busy making small conversation; they began to part ways in front of the inn, Hongjoong heading towards the port, and Seonghwa heading towards his room.

«Oh, by the way!» Hongjoong abruptly stopped and Seonghwa instinctively turned around, noticing that they weren’t particularly distant one from the other.

«Here, catch this!» the Pirate cheerfully said as he threw something at Seonghwa, and the young King frowned as soon as he felt the angular consistency of what he had just caught in mid-air. Slowly and curiously opening his hand, his eyes widened at the sight of the brooch he was staring at in the dungeon was now shining brightly in his palm, illuminated by the pale moonlight.

Seonghwa’s head snapped towards Hongjoong, who was staring at him with a wide knowing grin.

«I owed you one, I could never imagine there were so many hidden treasures in there.» he answered the King’s silent question, eyes not faltering from his confused expression.

«How did you know-»

«I’m a Pirate!» Hongjoong immediately interrupted him, as he was stating the obvious.

With a final wave, the Captain turned around, disappearing in the dark of the night.

Seonghwa woke up in the middle of the morning, and for the first time in a while he slept soundly, satisfied to have stolen the biggest treasure of the Castle right under the Governor’s nose.

Memories of Hongjoong’s gaze flashed through his mind and he sighed, wondering which one was the truth about him: was he really a ruthless and heartless man or was those only exaggerated rumours? Not that he was that interested, of course.

«He can’t be that cold hearted,» he quietly mumbled to himself as he sleepily rubbed his eyes, «and I should stop thinking so much about it.» Seonghwa got up with a sigh, easily getting rid of his own thoughts as he walked to the small bathroom attached to his room.

After taking a warm bath and wearing a clean change of clothes, he sat at his room’s desk and took his time to study the map he found the night before.

The map was made up of well-defined contours of explored territories and of curious drawings of mermaids and sea monsters. Seonghwa traced with his fingers the outline of what was once his Kingdom, a feeling of rage slowly made space within his heart; he was determined to take back his throne, he was determined to end the continuing injustices that common people had to suffer.

Towards a corner of the map, surrounded by boundless sea and curious drawings of apparent dangers, there was a solitary island circled with a bold mark made with black ink. As Seonghwa spreaded the sheet in order to try to get rid of the wrinkles that covered the name below the drawing of the island surrounded with fog, and that name instantly triggered his memories: The Mist.

Seonghwa remembered that when he was younger, his father used to tell him about a mysterious island full of treasures that no one dared to approach, but for all they know, the entire existence of the island was shrouded in mystery.

According to the legends, on that remote island there was an ancient cave, containing the greatest treasures of all the Kings who had ever reigned on his kingdom. However, the thick fog has always prevented adventurers - Pirates and onlookers, from approaching; although many souls blinded by greed had challenged their fate in order to find that incredible amount of accumulated wealth, no one had ever returned.

The more time passed, the more that island became a simple legend passed from generation to generation. Apparently, like every legend it hid a fund of truth.

«The Aurora shard…» Seonghwa whispered, knitting his brows in confusion. Could it be his father was unconsciously pointing him the way to redeem himself?

His father’s stories spoke of a cave; a huge hidden cave full of all kinds of treasures, coins, weapons, precious jewels, diamonds. In the midst of all this, only the true King would have been able to recognize the true and most important treasure of all: the Aurora shard.

«I can’t tell you what shape or what colour it is, since I don’t know myself,» his father’s authoritative but gentle voice had said, «all I know, is that it takes a King to recognize it.»

Seonghwa sank back into his chair, feeling dejected, what if it was really only a legend? Moreover, even if it was real, would he really be able to recognize the Aurora shard? In addition, the most important thing: how was he supposed to get there?

A familiar face followed by a dangerous plan popped into his mind, and he shook his head as if the gesture could have made the idea disappear.

Seonghwa left his room in the late afternoon, quickly heading towards the inn; beside the Resistance’s meeting, he knew he had to face both his only friends about his decision.

The familiar chatter accompanied his short journey to the inn which, being earlier than usual, still did not have much clientele; although some tables were occupied, it was still very quiet.

«Look who decided to show up!» Baekhyun lively greeted him from behind the counter with a bright smile, «I was starting to believe you ran away!» he added, faking to be offended.

Seonghwa nervously swallowed, looking away; he politely greeted him, as always, as he made his way to the counter. «Where’s Jongdae?» he asked, looking around and finding himself looking for someone else’s presence as well.

«He’ll be here soon…» he started, and gradually leaned closer to the King over the counter. «Have you heard about the Pirates?» Baekhyun smiled, satisfied to have finally obtained the interest of his interlocutor; Seonghwa pretended not to know by quickly shaking his head.

«Apparently yesterday night, seven rich residences were robbed,» Baekhyun stated in a low voice, «and one of them was your beloved Castle.» he finished, studying Seonghwa’s facial expression.

«That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about. I was-» Seonghwa sighed, but before he could finish his sentence, a strong arm wrapped around his shoulders.

«Here’s our favourite King!» Jongdae joked, not loud enough to be heard by anyone else beside them, since they were the only three people standing at the counter.

«Oh, Jongdae! You have the worst timing!» Baekhyun playfully hit the other with one of the rags he used to dry the caliches he had just washed up.

«As I was saying,» Seonghwa urged «I know it was Hon-ATEEZ, because I met one of them in the Castle.» he said, closing his eyes, his heartbeat quickening as he was waiting for the worst. However, he was met with utter silence and Jongdae’s arm tensing and tightening around Seonghwa’s shoulders.

«YOU?! WHAT?!» Both brothers shouted at the same time, drawing attention of the few costumers towards them; however, they quickly lost interest as soon as they saw it was them, since they were used to see both brothers loudly playing around.

Seonghwa sighed and told them everything as he nervously played with the wedding rings which adorned his finger; he told them about the night before, about his meeting with Hongjoong - even tho he didn’t confess them his name, he told them that the Pirate actually helped him get out of the Castle, and most importantly, he told them about the map.

They both listened carefully to every word with attentive eyes and furrowed eyebrows; however, neither of them did anything to hide their disapproval on their friend’s dangerous and irresponsible decision.

«So, you’re going with them?» Jongdae inquired.

«He didn’t ask them yet, why don’t you listen?» Baekhyun immediately answered his brother with an exasperated sigh, the rag was using before long forgotten on the counter and Jongdae shook his head; Seonghwa simply settled for watching them, since he already knew that they would react this way, not that he could blame them.

Seonghwa averted his gaze as Jongdae sighed in what the King would call disappointment, and he headed towards the back door; he silently followed the young Leader, waiting for the others to show up at the Resistance’s meeting.

As soon as the meeting finished, they all walked back into the main hall of the inn, instantly surrounded by the loud familiar laughter and chatters that filled the place; by that time, the inn was finally crowded, so that no one actually would notice a group of people casually walking out from a back door.

Not that they would mind, actually the Resistance’s group who lived in the city knew very well that the citizens would defend and hide them, in case of danger.

Seonghwa’s glance moved towards a familiar table in the corner of the room, who was once again occupied by seven familiar faces. They were laughing about something while one of them looking particularly flustered; Seonghwa deduced that they were probably celebrating the success of the previous night since, after all, no one apart from him knew their real identity.

Hongjoong was sitting facing the back door and exactly like the first time he saw him, he was looking at the others and laughing along with them, sometimes admonishing their too loud voices; instinctively, Seonghwa softly smiled looking at them, the conviction that after all they couldn’t be so evil was inexplicably growing inside of his mind.

Still, he could swear that as he passed by their table to reach the counter, he saw the Captain winking at him; he instantly averted his gaze, ignoring the faint blush that covered his cheeks, and hoping that no one would notice but as his eyes locked with Baekhyun, he knew it was already too late, since the boy was looking at him with a smug smirk and malice in his eyes.

«Don’t.» Seonghwa mumbled, interrupting and preventing any kind of commentary from his friend as he sat on his favourite stool.

Even if the room was crowded, the rectangular-shaped counter remained empty; people always opted to sit comfortably at one of the many tables, rather than alternate between standing and sitting on high and not too comfortable stools, Seonghwa noticed.

However, he has always preferred to occupy one of the side spaces of the counter, distant from prying eyes and without being in the way of those who approached to order drinks.

Seonghwa sat in his usual place, his back facing Hongjoong’s table; with an amused smile, Baekhyun placed a small glass of rum in front of Seonghwa, who politely declined with a flustered expression.

«I didn’t say anything, yet.» Baekhyun chanted, playfully winking while faking innocence, «Jongdae will come around,» Baekhyun softly added, reaching forward to gently pat the other’s shoulder, «we both knew this day would come but,» as he interrupted himself again with a sigh, Seonghwa curiously looked at him, «King or not, you’re a brother to us!»

Seonghwa nodded at Baekhyun, who squeezed his arm one last time before going back to a customer who called him on the other side of the counter; he couldn’t do anything else but look at the other man as he efficiently worked, feeling his emotions turn into a mix of joy, and a hint of sadness.

Seonghwa was undoubtedly glad that his only two friends loved him as if he was a part of their own family, and he was sad about the idea of leaving them behind, although there was always that small hint of loneliness in Seonghwa’s heart since his wife passed away that he still didn’t understand how to fill.

Although he loved them both, in that very moment, Seonghwa believed that he had to make the mission of finding the Aurora shard his own only priority.

«We meet again, thief.» a familiar voice snapped him out of his thoughts; Seonghwa’s head turned to his left, meeting Hongjoong’s sharp gaze. The Pirate had leaned on the counter with his back, resting his elbows on the surface; everything in his body language told him how confident and carefree that man felt, even despite the bounty hanging on his head.

For a second, the shadow of a thought flashed through Seonghwa’s mind: “How would it feel to live like that?”

«I’m not a thief, Pirate.» Seonghwa sighed and Hongjoong instinctively chuckled, tilting his head towards the King.

«Well… Technically speaking, you-»

«Take me with you.» Seonghwa interrupted the other’s sentence; Hongjoong’s smile disappeared, replaced by a confused frown. The young Captain completely turned towards Seonghwa, his head still tilted to the side, one of his long earring tinkling, wondering how such a question could have come out of nowhere. The Pirate raised an eyebrow, as if to ask Seonghwa to explain himself and the young King tried again.

«Take me with you, next time you sail.» Seonghwa’s determined expression didn’t falter for a second from Hongjoong’s eyes. The boy had the feeling that in that very moment, the Pirate’s attitude towards him had changed completely; the threatening and superior aura was back, and Seonghwa nervously bit his tongue as he waited for an answer.

«I’m sure you’re confused, your Majesty,» Hongjoong answered, a fake grin adorning his face. «We do not sail on a cruise ship.»

Seonghwa scoffed in disbelief, «I know, but I need to go to a place… I’m sure you could reach there.» he answered, mumbling the last part.

Of course, Hongjoong was taken back from that answer, how dangerous was his destination to ask to a group of Pirates to help him?

«Let’s suppose I’m curious,» Hongjoong said, slowly inching closer to Seonghwa; now, he was fully seated and his knee right was touching the other’s left leg, «where would you need to go?» He curiously asked, placing his chin on the palm of his hand.

Seonghwa turned towards him as well, so that now they were facing each other; the young King looked around, in order to make sure they were completely alone in that corner. He briefly noticed that some of Hongjoong’s crew members were looking at them, but he didn’t notice that they were occasionally elbowing each other and pointing at their Captain with curious and amused smiles.

«The Mist.» Seonghwa revealed, and Hongjoong’s eyes narrowed in disbelief.

«Nice one, your Majesty. I’m leaving you here.» Hongjoong sternly answered as he was about to get up from the stool and lead back to his companions.

«You can’t!» Seonghwa loudly stopped him, his hand reaching out to hold his forearm, refraining him from standing up. Seonghwa was sure he heard one of the Captain’s friends whistle right after his sudden move, but he might as well be wrong, since his gaze didn’t falter from Hongjoong’s eyes.

«Trust me, you’d better off staying here.» Hongjoong retorted; his posture returned to being relaxed, but the stern gaze didn’t disappear. Back in the previous position, Seonghwa’s legs were now in the middle of Hongjoong’s spreaded legs, everything in their posture indicated how different they were.

«Suppose you kidnaped me instead?» Seonghwa pleaded. «You’re a pirate aren’t you? Then steal me! Is that so much to ask?» he concluded, lightly squeezing Hongjoong’s arm, his voice full of hope. He was talking a bit too loudly for his standard, but now, convincing Hongjoong to take him with them was more important than respecting the label of the peaceful King; on top of that, he was sure no one was interested in their conversation, judging by the constant loud chatter that could be heard all around the room.

«What do you have that I would want?» Hongjoong curiously challenged him, raising an eyebrow and leaning closer to the King.

«The Mist’s treasure. The Aurora shard is only one of the treasures that lie waiting in that cave.» Seonghwa answered immediately; he had studied the map long enough, and he knew about Pirates being after The Mist’s treasure well enough to understand that this was an interesting yet dangerous offer.

Hongjoong whistled, surprised.

«The Mist’s treasure you said?» Hongjoong’s interest was suddenly tickled, and he leaned forward towards Seonghwa’s face.

«Kidnapping royalty is a serious offense. It won’t do much to lower the bounty on your head.» a boy from his crew suddenly interrupted them, appearing right beside them; he wasn’t particularly tall, but, Seonghwa noticed, his face looked handsome, like he just came out of a fairy tale. How long has he been overhearing their conversation? Was that a habit of this crew?

«Yeosang.» Hongjoong greeted the other, but neither his posture changed nor his gaze faltered from Seonghwa’s face, who was now looking at the boy interrupting him, «How much is the price on your head these days, I wonder?» he added with an amused sigh, as his attention was caught by the precious rings on the hand that still gripped his forearm.

«Will you be joining us?» another boy shyly asked. He was shorter than Yeosang, Seonghwa noticed, but as handsome as well; his hair was jet black apart of a white strand on his fringe.

«Slow down, San,» Hongjoong called out, «we’re pirates, but we’re not fools.» immediately, Seonghwa looked back at the Captain, confused; the Pirate was looking at him with a challenging smirk on his face.

«Compensation. How about the ring?» he asked with a raised eyebrow, leaning back from the King’s personal space.

«Isn’t there something else?» Seonghwa’s reply was immediate, as he instinctively brought his hand to his chest.

“He can’t possibly ask for something like that!”, he thought, frowning. Both Yeosang and San - who was still clinging on the other Pirate’s arm, watched them with curiosity, but neither dared to say anything.

Hongjoong’s smirk turned into a sly grin, as he reassumed his previous position of resting his chin on his hand; his right arm, who was now free from Seonghwa’s tight hold, was now outstretched towards the young King, the palm of his hand turned upward, waiting.

«No one’s forcing you.» he added, pleased by the other’s reaction. Seonghwa sat there, under the strong gaze of three Pirates as he considered on what to do; although he didn’t want to separate himself from something that important, he realized that judging by his reaction, the Pirate found out how to provoke him. Seonghwa sighed, briefly closing his eyes.

“He probably thinks I will run away” he thought; his fingers weakly gripped his wife’s wedding ring as he gazed back to the Pirate’s outstretched hand, gently placing the ring in the middle of it, and Hongjoong’s hand instantly closed around the small treasure.

«I’ll give it back once I’ll find something more valuable.» Hongjoong said, pleased by the outcome of the events; Seonghwa nodded, looking everywhere but at the Hongjoong’s face.

«We sail in two days, your Majesty. Make sure you have everything you need.» Hongjoong’s absently added, now playing with the ring in his hands; again, Seonghwa nodded, and left.

«What do you mean “something more valuable”?» San curiously asked his Captain.

«Hard to say. I’ll know when I find it.» Hongjoong briefly stated.

Seonghwa handed back the keys to his room to Baekhyun, who accepted them with a sad smile on his face; even if the moon was still shining in the sky, it was almost time for him to leave.

«You can come back anytime you want.» Baekhyun mumbled as he hugged him tightly, and Seonghwa didn’t hesitate to return the hug just as tightly.

«This is your home, after all.» Jongdae added, joining the hug; they stayed like that for few seconds, hoping to be able to recall that moment in their hearts if they missed each other. Eventually, with a sigh, Seonghwa released himself from his friends, his hands still wrapped in theirs.

«Take care, both of you.» he forced himself to smile as he nodded at them.

«Good luck, Seonghwa.» Jongdae said; rarely the latter called him by his first name and therefore, Seonghwa learned to cherish all of those little moments.

Seonghwa sighed again, adjusting his backpack on his shoulders; with a final wave, he turned around and started walking in direction of the harbour. He didn’t have much to take with him, other than a few change of clothes the only things he had were respectively two swords and a map.

«You’re here!» a familiar boy suddenly exclaimed, jumping out of nowhere, «The Captain told us to come look for you but we were kinda getting lost.» the boy Seonghwa recognized as San chuckled, and he smiled in return.

«I’m San, by the way, and he is Wooyoung!» Seonghwa’s eyes moved to the boy with dark blonde hair standing next to San who, exactly like his friend, was looking at him with a bright smile, waving his hand as the other pirate introduced him; the trio hurried back to the harbour, which wasn’t too far from where they met.

«Do we have to refer to you as “Your Majesty”?» Wooyoung timidly asked as they reached their destination; Seonghwa chuckled before quickly shaking his head.

«There’s no need to respect any etiquette, Seonghwa is enough.» he politely answered with a smile and with hurried steps, they headed towards the only largest ship among all those moored in the port. Aside from the size of the ship, Seonghwa noticed curiously that there was not only a flag on the mast, but two; under the common Jolly Roger, another flag with their name written on it was proudly waving in the wind.

“I guess they’re not that interested on keeping a low profile…”  Seonghwa thought, briefly glancing around.

«Your Majesty has finally decided to join us!» Hongjoong friendly said, walking out from what he guessed were the Captain’s quarters, «Welcome on the Illusion.» he said; Seonghwa noticed that although there were some men busy completing preparations for departure only four boys approached them, and after the introductions, Hongjoong explained they were his most trusted men.

«San and Wooyoung will show you around.» the Captain absently said and without giving him the opportunity to reply, he returned exactly where he had come from.

«Don’t mind him,» San commented his Captain’s behaviour.

«He’s always nervous when we’re about to sail.» Wooyoung finished the other’s sentence, and they started to show Seonghwa around the ship.

Few weeks passed quickly, and Seonghwa quickly got used to living surrounded by pirates, especially because – at least among them, there were actually nice people.

San and Wooyoung – respectively the boatswain and the doctor, were the most outgoing, not to mention that the two were practically inseparable. They would hug a minute, and the next they could be chasing each other all around the ship; Seonghwa thought they were too chaotic not to love them.

Yeosang was probably one of the quietest among them all; the only thing Seonghwa knew for sure was that if you needed him, you’d find him on the crow’s nest, with his peaceful gaze lost towards the horizon and his hair gently dishevelled by the breeze. «It’s relaxing,» he told Seonghwa, a shy smile adorning his lips, «the sea is so boundless, it gives me peace.».

Mingi was a loud one, and probably the clumsiest; Seonghwa was puzzled when he told him he was the master gunner, wondering how could a boy both be able to trip on his feet and almost fall off the ship also and be the one in charge of something as dangerous as cannons and gunpowder.

Jongho was probably the most serious one, despite being the youngest. Since he was the head of the powder monkeys due to his great strength, he spent a lot of time with Mingi; Seonghwa often noticed how the younger would roll his eyes and then laugh at the other’s clumsiness. Something he really enjoyed about Jongho was his voice. Sometimes, the young man would sing or simply hum as he was doing chores and Seonghwa was always more than happy to listen to him, even for few minutes.

Yunho was the least friendly. The young quartermaster made it clear since the beginning that he was not happy about his presence on the ship; however, to Seonghwa’s stupor, he never treated him badly. Although he behaved in a polite way towards him, he always opted to talk to him as little as possible, always preferring to joke around with the others.

Hongjoong was, first of all, his roommate. Apparently, the Captain decided that Seonghwa would sleep in his quarters since there was not a cabin for him and moreover, it would have been easier to keep an eye on him, although Seonghwa ended up falling asleep every night wondering where the other would actually sleep, since he never slept in the same bed with him.

However, Seonghwa casually found out the answer to this mystery when he woke up in the middle of the night due to a nightmare; the first thing he noticed was the figure of the Pirate asleep on the heavy chair of his desk, dimly illuminated by the light of the moon coming through the window and by a candle that was about to go out. Quickly, Seonghwa got out of the bed and instinctively covered him with a blanket; it became a silent routine between them, although neither ever said anything about it.

Among all of them, he was the one he spent most time with, discussing about their journey, or simply sharing stories about Hongjoong’s travels and Seonghwa’s life in the Castle; the young King always preferred to listen to the other’s tales, there was something endearing in the way his eyes lit up every time he talked about the adventures he had with his friends, and the many place they had seen together.

«I could take you there, next time! You should definitely see that!» the Pirate would say sometimes, and Seonghwa found himself nodding, utterly blinded by curiosity and forgetting about the fact that once he regained his position as King, it would be impossible to go anywhere without a small group of soldiers following him everywhere.

The first thing that caught Seonghwa’s eyes about his new room was without a doubt, the ceiling; the King’s eyes travelled in awe over a planisphere that occupied the whole wall above them. However, it was still incomplete; Hongjoong told him about it being a project he made with Yeosang’s help, it proceeded slowly and concerned the whole known world.

Bright colours illustrated a map very similar to the one Seonghwa possessed and the similarity intrigued him, since that map was a legacy of his father.

From what he learned, the young Captain loved drawing, Seonghwa remembered seeing him few times with a notebook and a pen in his hand; at first he thought it was a simple diary board, but in the end, he eventually understood that it wasn’t.

Hongjoong was a severe Captain, but cherished his members deeply.

They set foot on land on a rather small island, so that they could restock the ship before leaving again. Seonghwa couldn’t help but looking around in awe since after all, he had never crossed the borders of his Kingdom before.

«Be careful not to get too far from me or the others,» Hongjoong recommended, «and take this.» he said, as he handed him a short dagger; Seonghwa frowned in response, his confused eyes darting to Hongjoong’s.

«Just in case.» the Captain added; the young King nodded in response, and safely hid the blade in his right boot.

As Hongjoong excused himself saying he had business to take care of, Seonghwa realized that the others were already gone and he had to spend his day with Yunho; although the Pirate wasn’t happy about it either, he did nothing to show it.

«The town’s market district is really nice,» Yunho spoke suddenly, slightly startling Seonghwa, since they had been walking around in silence for most of the afternoon, «Would you like to go there?»

«I’d love to, if it’s not a problem.» Seonghwa nodded with a smile, the other scoffed in response.

«I figured you’d be curious after living locked up.» Yunho briefly stated, now heading towards a different part of town.

The market district was rather small, but it was definitely lively; the streets were full of people, potential buyers surrounded the stalls that were selling different varieties of fabrics, jewellery and food.

Seonghwa’s attention was drawn to a particular fabric, decorated with intricate patterns and while observing it he noticed that Yunho had silently stopped beside him.

They shared a brief glance as they unintentionally overheard a small discussion happening between a seller and a customer next to them, which was making up excuses in order to buy something with a lower price; what caught their attention, however, was the man who had hidden a large piece of fabric in his bag, taking advantage of the seller’s distraction. Seonghwa was about to intervene, but Yunho acted faster: he tightly grabbed a hold of the thief’s wrist which looked up caught by surprise.

«Now, how about you return what you haven’t paid, for?» he said loudly enough to catch the attention of both men who were still arguing, «I’m in a bad mood, don’t make me stain all of these pretty fabrics.» as the thief denied, Yunho tightened his hold on his grip. Seonghwa watched the smaller man tried to punch the Pirate, which was a really poor attempt considering Yunho was twice as tall; Seonghwa quickly understood that the thief and the other man were accomplices, and as a small fight started between Yunho and the thief, Seonghwa managed to cut the shoulder belt of the bag hiding the stolen fabric.

He quickly returned it to the old man who incredulously watched the scene happening, and managed to turn around in time to see that the other thief was sneaking behind Yunho’s back holding a small knife. Seonghwa’s hand acted before his brain could process what was happening; he reached for his dagger and quickly stopped the thief pressing the blade against his throat, not enough to cut his skin, but enough to sting.

«That’s not very loyal, thief.» Seonghwa stated, catching Yunho’s attention.

«Woah! Thanks, buddy!» Yunho flashed him a surprised smile, which Seonghwa immediately returned; however, that small fight gathered a small group of people who started screaming and looking for guards.

«Calling the guards?!» Yunho’s gaze returned on Seonghwa’s, «Time to leave.» they quickly let go of the thieves and headed back from the direction where they came from, breaking into a run; judging from the screams, nobody was following them but people were indeed preventing the two thieves from running away.

Yunho and Seonghwa stopped far enough to not be recognized, both boys panting and crouched down with both their hands on their knees.

«I was wrong, you’re not that bad!» Yunho kindly offered him, and Seonghwa started laughing in response.

«I owe you a big one, your Majesty.» Yunho chuckled, reaching out to ruffle the other’s hair with a bright smile on his face. Seonghwa’s smile widened as soon as he felt Yunho’s gentle touch; he always noticed that he used to do that to younger members, so he felt like the other was slowly accepting him into the crew.

«I would have helped him but,» Seonghwa inhaled, trying to catch his breath after the long and sudden run «why did you? The crew doesn’t exactly have a magnanimous reputation.»

«Let’s say we do some “selective stealing” for a living,» Yunho nodded, smiling, «and with “selective” I mean it’s almost always rich people.» Seonghwa nodded, patiently listening to him, «we all come from different Reigns.

Before joining Hongjoong, some of us were in some really bad situation.» Yunho straightened up, stretching his arms over his head, «We’re Pirates, and we constantly live on the verge of being arrested or to kill someone but… We still have morals.»

Seonghwa deeply inhaled again, feeling his breath steadying and his heart gradually returning to a normal pace; glancing up and seeing the colours of the sky, pink and orange, thanks to the sunset that transform it into a painting, he realized that he hadn’t feel so alive in a while.

That night at the tavern, Hongjoong thought he was hallucinating. He was sitting with Jongho, Yeosang and Mingi while he waited for the others to join them, and the next thing he saw were Seonghwa and Yunho entering the bar-room chattering and laughing together

«Captain, I think… I’m drunk?» Hongjoong knew Mingi was referring to the same thing he’s just seen.

«Finally, Yunho snapped out of it.» Yeosang briefly answered, and Jongho agreed with him.

San and Wooyoung arrived few moments later; both with messy hair and a visible blush on their cheeks.

Later that night, taking advantage of the confusion of the crowded tavern and the others busy playing a random game Seonghwa didn’t understand the rules of, Hongjoong reached out to take a hold of one of the two thin white cords hanging off the collar of Seonghwa’s shirt in order to bring him closer.

«So,» Hongjoong smirked, slowly rolling the thin fabric around his index finger; Seonghwa’s cheeks slightly reddened due of their sudden proximity, «you’re officially one of us, now.» the King noticed how the pirate’s intense glance quickly drifted from his eyes, to his lips and then back to his eyes, before releasing his hold on the fabric.

Hongjoong got back to his original position, his attention caught once again by the game the others were playing; Seonghwa, on the other hand, was confused on why that warm sensation he felt on his cheeks wouldn’t disappear.

He involuntarily locked eyes with Yeosang, who was silently questioning him from the other side of the table with a hint of an amused smile and a raised eyebrow.

Seonghwa realized how much his permanence on the ship changed since Yunho started treating him better.

First of all, the air on the ship seemed much more cheerful; the rest of the crew stopped definitively referring to him as “Your Majesty” and started addressing him as “Seonghwa”, which he was very grateful for.

In addition, it was even more fun to chat when they eight of them stayed in the dining room after dinner; much like at the tavern, there were nights where they’d play games, other nights they’d share fun stories and sometimes, Seonghwa could hear about how the others joined Hongjoong’s crew, since they all came from different Kingdoms.

«Wait, you were married?!» San cut him off, slightly rising his head from his forearms resting on the table, as it was his turn to tell something about himself; Seonghwa nodded in response, a gentle smile on his lips as he shortly remembered about her.

«Was she cute?» Wooyoung curiously wondered and Seonghwa kindly smiled, watching him lean comfortably against San’s head, thinking how sometimes they both were like two curious kids.

«She was! We also loved each other but,» he sighed before continuing «sadly, people firmly believed we got along only because of mutual political benefits.» Seonghwa stared at the table, a sad smile adorning his lips, and the others fell silent.

«Is… Is this why we’re going to The Mist?» Jongho asked, implying the matter revolved around her death.

Seonghwa quickly shook his head and explained everything, remembering how he only told Hongjoong the full story, and how the pirate sincerely answered that they don’t take sides in political matters so they’re not interested in them, either. He spent some time talking about Jongdae and Baekhyun, too; about how they welcomed him in their house and treated him like a family member.

«We should visit them again, sometimes!» Seonghwa unconsciously added, resulting in Hongjoong – as always sitting next to him, looking at the King with a confused raised eyebrow. As he finished explaining, they all agreed it was a risky mission, but it was worth a try.

«We trust the Captain.» Yunho explained.

«Yeah!» Mingi quickly added, «He’s gonna guide us right in and out of there!»

Seonghwa turned his head as he felt Hongjoong’s hand ruffle his hair.

«We’re gonna make it.» He simply told him with a gentle smile and truthful eyes.

That night, Seonghwa couldn’t sleep. No matter how much he tossed and turned in his bed, he just couldn’t sleep. He pushed off the covers with a heavy sigh and got up from the bed; he picked up the blanket which Hongjoong usually used and decided to join him on the quarter deck.

«Hey, Hongjoong!» he whispered as he greeted him, stopping to sit on the wooden stairs that connected the deck to the quarter deck.

«Seonghwa?» Hongjoong narrowed his eyes to see the other’s shape tightly wrapped up in a blanket. «Why are you here? Did you miss me?» he teased.

Seonghwa rolled his eyes at him, knowing that he couldn’t see him well due to the only source of illumination being the full moon in the sky.

«I can’t sleep.» he simply answered.

«It happens, you’ll get used to it.» he smiled, «Are you sure you don’t want to go back inside? It should be around… One, two in the morning.» he added, frowning. Seonghwa knew he probably said that because of the cold night breeze, but a sincere «I want to stay here with you.» escaped his lips before he could process it.

Hongjoong nodded, and they spent some time in a comfortable silence, the cold night breeze softly caressed his face and the sound of the waves made him relax a little bit.

«When will we arrive?» Seonghwa mumbled, breaking the silence.

«Oh! You already want to get rid of us?!» Hongjoong dramatically answered, placing on his heart the hand that wasn’t holding the helm and Seonghwa laughed, shaking his head.

«I think… Two months, maximum.» the pirate answered him, turning serious. «Do you know what does the Aurora shard look like?» he questioned few moments later.

Seonghwa shook his head, and sighed, «I have no idea. I’m supposed to find it and then I’m supposed to reclaim the position as King.»

«Supposed to?» Hongjoong inquired. Seonghwa simply nodded, as they fell in another silence.

«Hongjoong?» Seonghwa called out few minutes later, and the Pirate hummed in response, «Tell me about some other adventure of yours.» he demanded, his gaze lost in the dark sea.

Seonghwa always lost track of time during these moments, and tonight wasn’t any different. He thought to be a rather annoying listener since he always asked a lot of things and clarifications as Hongjoong went on but, the Pirate always smiled and answered him with as many details the King asked for.

Seonghwa was so lost immersing himself in the Captain’s story that he didn’t realise the sky was starting to slowly paint itself with warm colours. It was almost sunrise, he realized, so that meant they talked all night.

«Hongjoong?» Seonghwa asked again and the pirate hummed again in response, this time the King could clearly see the gentle smile on his lips as he did. «Why do you sail?»

Hongjoong gently answered to come stand next to him and Seonghwa complied, the blanket long forgotten on the stairs; once they were close enough, Hongjoong kept holding the helm with his left hand and guided Seonghwa’s right hand above his.

«Freedom.» he simply stated, «We’re never “supposed to” do something. We do things because we want to.» Hongjoong explained further, quoting the King’s previous words, as he noticed Seonghwa’s confused frown. Seonghwa absently nodded and turned his head to stare towards the horizon, at the sun rising right in front of them.

«Seonghwa, let me ask you one thing,» Hongjoong’s eyes stared at Seonghwa’s face as he hummed in answer, too distracted by the sunset to notice, «Do you want to resume your position as King because you want to, or because you’re supposed to?»

Seonghwa didn’t answer; he slightly turned his head to look at Hongjoong, who briefly exchanged his gaze before going back looking at the horizon with a relaxed expression.

As he watched how the other’s hair was gently dishevelled by the breeze and the sun momentarily painted his face with various shades of red, he thought that maybe he didn’t have an answer to the pirate’s question.

As his eyes drifted to look at their intertwined fingers around the helm, he thought that maybe he did. He did not realize who initiated the action first, but he found the warmth of Hongjoong’s hand quite reassuring.

«Well, I can come back later, if you want to.» both boys quickly turned towards a smiling Mingi, who was looking at them leaning on the railway.

Seonghwa felt his cheeks burn; he mumbled a weak and embarrassed «It’s okay.» and quickly left, recovering the sheet still forgotten on the stairs.

«So… Pirate King?» Mingi joked further, wrapping an arm around his Captain’s shoulders.

«Mingi, do you perhaps have a death wish?» Hongjoong asked back, annoyed.

As other long days went by, Seonghwa found himself lost in thoughts more than he actually wanted to; not only last night’s events kept coming back into his mind, but Hongjoong’s words kept on repeating. In addition to that, he noticed how often he found himself staring at the Captain or, sometimes, glancing towards him to see what was he was up to.

Sometimes Hongjoong would notice Seonghwa looking at him and would offer him a cheeky smile, some other time a playful wink; either way, Seonghwa always diverted his gaze as quickly as possible, a faint blush on his cheeks. And so, another silent routine was slowly crafting itself: at night, especially when he couldn’t sleep, he would join Hongjoong on the quarterback. The infinite number of topics they could find to talk for whole nights was surprising, however, the Captain never mentioned that particular question again.

They’d spend most of the morning sleeping, Seonghwa always feeling a little guilty to see Hongjoong sleeping on his desk chair, even if he never complained about his body being aching and sore, not even once.

One sunny afternoon, Seonghwa decided to climb up the crow’s nest, to see if Yeosang’s method to clear his mind worked on him too.

«Well, hello there.» Yeosang kindly greeted him, a warm smile on his face. «I didn’t expect visitors, today.» he joked; the place was wide enough for both boys to sit.

«I needed a quiet place to think.» Seonghwa mumbled, and Yeosang quietly nodded in response.

The young King sat next to the pirate, his back pressed against the wooden railway; neither of them spoke, and Seonghwa understood why the other loved this place so much. The others’ voices were distant, almost a background noise coming up from below them. Wherever he looked, his eyes were lost in the vastness of the ocean, especially that thin line where the sky and the sea seemed to merge together. Seonghwa found it relaxing, to say the least.

«Why am I doing this?» Seonghwa asked out loud few minutes later, rubbing his eyes with an exasperated sigh.

«Like, why are you up here?» Yeosang questioned, a bit confused; the King shook his head and told the Pirate about the conversation he had with Hongjoong; he didn’t need to mention the part where Mingi interrupted them, the fact that they were holding hands at sunset had been the hot topic on the ship for at least three days.

«Well, I believe that everyone by now noticed that you’re pretty comfortable with us,» Yeosang said, «and I also believe that the Captain is trying to make you realize that you can always choose your own destiny.» Seonghwa felt his eyes on him, so he turned his head towards the younger Pirate, «He’s.. Quite fond of you.» Yeosang smiled sweetly, «I see a lot things from here, you know?» the Pirate’s  smile widened as he saw Seonghwa blushing.

«L-like what?» Seonghwa adverted his gaze, suddenly pretending to be focused on the fabric of the sleeve of his cotton shirt.

«That you may not realize it, your Majesty, but you’re kinda fond of him too.» Seonghwa’s eyes widened, and he blushed violently.

«I-I’m not-» he stuttered, and the pirate softly chuckled.

«I told you, I see a lot of things from up here!» he laughed, and Seonghwa didn’t answer; his gaze went back to the sea, a whirlwind of confused thoughts in his head, as they fell in another comfortable silence.

A few hours later, the young King felt Yeosang gently calling his attention by lightly shaking his shoulder, and he excused himself as he didn’t realize dozing off.

«I told you it was relaxing,» the pirate smiled. «However, we’d better get back on deck, a storm is coming.» Seonghwa nodded, as he complied.

Yeosang’s accuracy was admirable, not even an hour later it started raining and what started as a light drizzle, turned into a real storm.

«Stay in the quarters, I can’t risk you falling off.» Hongjoong ordered him, hastily grabbing his forearm.

«I want to help!» Seonghwa shook his head, both boys were already soaked wet as they both clinged to the ship’s ropes. Hongjoong sighed and nodded, not having enough time to fight with the stubborn young King and went back giving the crew various orders; with difficulty, Seonghwa helped the others and together they managed to secure all the sails without falling overboard.

The feeling of facing a storm in the dark, in the middle of the ocean, was terrifying, and he low-key regretted not having followed the captain’s advice. In addition to feeling his stomach upside down due to the violent and redundant movements of the ship, he was also wet and cold.

However, as quickly as the storm arrived, it passed; it lasted few hours and naturally calmed down. Seonghwa looked around trying to catch his breath, the others were in various parts of the ship, reduced to his own state, happy not to have capsized at sea.

The sun was brightly shining on their head as Seonghwa met Hongjoong’s gaze, and both of them erupted into a wide smile; Hongjoong quickly winked at him, and Seonghwa adverted his gaze with a content smile and blushing cheeks.

Back in the Captain’s quarters, even if they had managed to change clothes, neither of them could get rid of the feeling of cold; Seonghwa was as already in bed peeking at the Pirate, wrapped up in few blankets and obviously sitting uncomfortably at his desk chair.

«Hongjoong,» the young King whispered, and the other boy wordlessly glanced at him, «sleep with me tonight.» he said, realizing too late how ambiguous his sentence sounded; Hongjoong’s face was so confused by that sudden request that Seonghwa couldn’t help but blush and hurriedly explain himself.

«I meant,» Seonghwa hurriedly added, hiding himself further into the mattress, «I’m cold, and you must be cold as well, so I thought that we could share the bed.»

Few moments later, as he felt some weight partially drop onto the bed, Seonghwa peeked out from his hideout, just to see that the Pirate was still rolled up in at least two thick blankets, but now was unsurely looking at him.

«Are you sure you’re comfortable enough?» the Pirate asked further, and Seonghwa couldn’t help but blush further as he reminded Yeosang’s words from that afternoon; he simply nodded in a silent answer, rolling towards the wall to create enough space for the pirate to get in.

Before sliding under the covers, Hongjoong spreaded on the bed the blankets with which he was wrapped so that they could feel a little more warmth.

«Oh, wow,» Hongjoong sighed as he stretched under the covers, «I missed so much sleeping on a real bed.» Seonghwa silently admired his satisfied face from the other side of the mattress; eventually, the young King propped on his right elbow, an embarrassed blush on his face.

«Do you see the line between the cushions?» he asked, and Hongjoong nodded, holding back a smile.

«This is my space,» he patted the mattress next to himself, «and that’s yours.» he said, pointing towards a chuckling Hongjoong. Seonghwa’s blush deepened due to the sudden intimacy of the situation; he had been close to the Captain but it was never like this - even if a small part of himself had to admit that he didn’t dislike the thought so much.

The Pirate simply rolled his eyes as he laughed, shifting on his side so that his back was facing Seonghwa.

«Sleep well, Seonghwa.» the Captain whispered.

«You too, Hongjoong.» he immediately murmured back, wondering if he could fall asleep when his heart was beating so loud and so rapidly that he started to believe it wanted to run away from him.

Seonghwa slept soundly and coincidentally, without having nightmares; as he regained consciousness, he slowly blinked himself awake just to find Hongjoong’s face few millimetres from his.

Seonghwa’s heart probably skipped a beat seeing the other so close to him first thing in the morning; the pirate was still deeply asleep, his lips slightly parted and breathing softly. Apparently, during the night they both shifted and they slept with their forehead leaning against each other; Seonghwa wandered through his thoughts for a bit, trying to label that familiar feeling of warmth and sense of security he felt anytime the other was close to him.

By now, they’d already spent a lot of days together. As he admired his face, his fingers absent-mindedly brushed Hongjoong’s cheekbones, his nose, and the curve of his lips, trying to be as careful as he could not to wake him up.

However, these actions must have tickled the other boy since he slightly scrunched his nose, shaking his head and mumbling incomprehensible things, earning a soft smile from Seonghwa.

«Seonghwa,» Hongjoong groaned, his voice hoarse from sleep «go back to sleep, it’s still early.» he said, not bothering to open his eyes.

«It’s your fault,» Seonghwa mumbled back as a faint blush covered his cheeks, as he hurriedly made up an excuse, «you were on my side of the bed.» Hongjoong hummed back, and the young King shifted his position until his back was facing the Captain, his heart racing for being caught caressing the other’s face.

However, his blush deepened as he noticed that between the two of them, someone indeed had crossed the invisible border outlined by the cushions, but it was not Hongjoong.

His thoughts immediately came to a halt as he felt the other’s forehead gently pressing against his back, and one of his arms tentatively circling his waist.

«Go back to sleep.» the Pirate mumbled again, and the King gradually felt himself drifting back to sleep, his hand unconsciously reaching on top of Hongjoong’s and intertwining their fingers.

The next time they set foot on land, everyone immediately got excited as soon as they heard that the village was holding a big festival.

Seonghwa decided to follow around Mingi and Jongho for the day. Both boys took time to patiently explain to him everything they purchased, and the young King mentally admitted to himself he didn’t care much about gunpowder but he was glad to be helpful carrying around few things.

The day passed quickly, and before he knew it, they were dining together. Yunho placed eight fox masks with different colours on the table, accompanied by as many identical pins. The masks covered half of their faces, Seonghwa noticed, and they all had different colour patterns and were painted with different and precise details.

«These were the best one I could find,» he said pointing to the masks, «and these are for recognizing each other.» he added, pointing at the small golden pins.

«They’re heart shaped… Aren’t they cute?» San commented in a small voice, smiling as he reached out to take one pin and stick in in front of his jacket; the others agreed and imitated his actions, and then the masks were distributed.

“Are they really pirates?” the King thought as he watched them getting excited over heart shaped pins and fox-masks. Seonghwa took the black mask which was adorned with precise gold and white details which resembled small flowers. Instinctively, he glanced up and noticed Hongjoong had chosen the mask which was white and it was coloured with black and red details.

They finished dining together, and headed towards the main streets of the village.

Hongjoong and Seonghwa eventually drifted away from the others; after all, with so many people crowding the streets, it was normal to eventually get separated. Lanterns and colourful garlands decorated the streets of the village, and music, laughs and chatters could be heard everywhere.

Seonghwa didn’t exactly know when and how it happened but, somehow during the evening, both him and Hongjoong got dragged by few people who were dancing in order to join them. The young King held balls since he could remember, so it was not difficult to mimic his various companion’s steps. With the corner of an eye, Seonghwa noticed that the pirate wasn’t having too many problems, either. Finally reunited with his friend, they held hands as they followed the other people’s movements and spun around one more time, and the music momentarily stopped to restart again with another rhythm. They stood there, facing one another and happily smiling, slightly panting as people resumed the dance.

Hongjoong suddenly grabbed Seonghwa’s hand and started walking away from the crowded square, suddenly too noisy for his taste; the King trusted the Pirate and let him lead them away through crowded alleys, until both boys turned into one which was less busy. The lanterns located all around town provided to make everything a bit more romantic and suggestive; Seonghwa started feeling nervous, wondering why the other decided to drag him away all of a sudden.

«I’m glad you were having fun!» Hongjoong exclaimed, letting go of his hand and Seonghwa nodded in response, a bit confused.

«I actually wanted to ask you something,» the Pirate said, stepping in front of him as he took off his own mask. Seonghwa didn’t understand why something in that small gesture seemed so casual and yet so intimate; Hongjoong’s cheeks were flushed, probably due to all the dance they did earlier. The Captain took a big breath, «don’t go back, Seonghwa. Stay with us. Stay with me.» he said, murmuring the last part.

Seonghwa immediately realized why that gesture seemed so intimate to him: he was asking that not as his Captain, but simply as Hongjoong.

A Captain’s request was absolute, and Hongjoong was not only exposing his feelings hopelessly, but he was also giving him the opportunity to say no.

Seonghwa was completely taken aback from that; his eyes widened, glad he was still wearing the mask so that the other couldn’t see his reaction. He feared that as the Pirate closed the space between them with another step, he could have heard his quick heartbeat.

Seonghwa knew better than anyone that someone had to overthrow the Governor and complete his task but, during the last weeks, he slowly came to the realization that spending his days with Hongjoong and the others could be what his heart truly longed for.

He spent so many days locked up in the Castle’s library reading adventures books, he spent so many days feeling in a cage – even if he felt cherished and respected, that now that he tasted what freedom could mean he wasn’t sure he wanted to give it up.

Hongjoong interrupted the other’s train of thoughts as he tentatively reached up to take off the King’s mask, throwing it on the ground; they were looking in each other’s eyes, now and therefore, Seonghwa couldn’t hide nor himself nor his feelings behind a fox mask any more.

Hongjoong’s stare was fierce and intense, and neither this time hid sign of lie; Seonghwa couldn’t help but wonder, what did the pirate see in his eyes? He also wondered if his gaze was eloquent enough for the other to understand his answer.

The Pirate raised his left hand and started playing with the cotton string hanging from Seonghwa’s shirt, just like he did in the tavern; they stared in each other’s eyes in silence, Hongjoong was looking at him with nothing but pure and sincere tenderness, his smile matching his feelings.

Hongjoong’s right hand brushed against Seonghwa’s cheek, and he leaned into his touch. It felt so familiar to him, yet completely foreign and new; the Pirate’s eyes dropped to the other’s lips, however he didn’t do anything. He gazed back into the King’s eyes, looking for any trace of discomfort.

Seonghwa understood how once again the Pirate was bravely baring his soul but yet again, he was giving the King another opportunity to step away anytime he wanted.

They were staring in each other’s eyes, no words needed to be exchanged; Seonghwa wanted to kiss him – like two distant lovers reuniting after lives of waiting, for that was the other made him feel. The young King’s arms had been loose on his sides for all this time; he briefly glanced at Hongjoong’s smiling lips while his right hand rested gently on the Pirate’s cheek.

“I want to stay,” he thought.

As if he heard Seonghwa’s thoughts, Hongjoong tugged the strings of his shirt, and their lips met halfway.

The Pirate kissed him slowly, nothing more than pecks exchanged between soft smiles; everything in that first kiss made Seonghwa understand the sincerity of Hongjoong’s feelings, and he made sure to reciprocate the tenderness in them.

The King will never know, but the Pirate had been thinking about this moment for weeks. He had spent so many lonely nights on the quarterdeck wondering about his growing feelings, that now he was making sure any and every kiss held the confessions of his emotions.

Their lips moulded together at some point; Hongjoong tried to nip at the other’s lower lip and Seonghwa exhaled deeply through his nose. His left arm snaked around the other’s hips to close the distance between them, the unexpected need to feel Hongjoong as close as possible as their kiss got more passionate.

The Pirate’s breath hitched at that sudden move, the hand which was previously resting on his cheek was now entangled in the other’s soft hair; as he felt the other’s firm body against his, his tongue wandered towards the other’s lips, silently asking for permission to deepen the kiss even more.

Seonghwa tilted his head, one of his hands reaching to the other’s nape and his right arm still supporting the Pirate who was standing on his tiptoes; a soft moan escaped both boys as they enjoyed the warmth of each other’s mouth, when a loud, distant and sudden series of noises startled them.

Both boys quickly separated from each other, fearing the worst as their heads turned towards the source of it; however, Hongjoong sighed, and started laughing.

«Fireworks? Really?!» he asked, dumbfounded.

«Look at yourself,» Seonghwa laughed, his arms finding their way back around Hongjoong’s shoulders, «a dangerous and ruthless pirate getting startled by fireworks!» he joked, emphasising the last part.

«Don’t get smart with me, I saw you got startled too.» Hongjoong placed the top of his head against Seonghwa’s chest as he was still chuckling, and the King placed a tender kiss on his hair.

This time, Seonghwa was well aware that the other could hear loud and clear the pace of his quick heartbeat; he blushed and smiled softly at the thought, the other’s arms encircling his slim waist.

«Let’s go back.» smiled Hongjoong, lifting his head to look at Seonghwa, which nodded at him.

As the night passed, they managed to reunite with Yunho, Yeosang and Jongho at some point, and even though the three of them had noticed their suddenly swollen lips and their dishevelled hair, no one had mentioned it.

Days seemed to fly and the crew seemed to get a little more tense and restless each day the ship entered an increasingly foggy area.

“Finally ”, Seonghwa thought, mentally praising both Yeosang’s and Hongjoong’s skills to identify and proceed towards the right route after meticulously studying the map and the stars every day since they left Seonghwa’s kingdom.

The situation worsened day by day: for the purpose of being able to see each other once they stepped on deck, they hanged small lanterns almost everywhere, in order to prevent anyone from falling off the ship; often and willingly the crew kept their spirits up by joking about how more than pirates, they looked like a haunted ship. Things between Seonghwa and Hongjoong did not change much, except the kissing part, of course.

Since the journey started and during the time they spent together, it slowly became a natural habit to exchange innocent and gentle touches; Hongjoong would ruffle his hair or eventually, Seonghwa would caress the other’s face as they woke up facing each other and consequently, it became equally natural for them to become further intimate.

Despite everything, they tried to remain as discreet as possible every time they were around the others, but the crew did not fail to notice some affectionate gestures between the two – whether they were kisses or caresses.

Some would ignore them, some would playfully tease them. The young King often took time to reflect on how things had changed drastically for him; he never thought he could develop romantic feelings for someone since his wife died, let alone a Pirate, yet there he was. It was as if the mere presence of Hongjoong made him feel at ease; even if they weren’t standing close or even if the Pirate wasn’t paying attention to him, Seonghwa somehow felt protected. He was happy; he felt safe again, after a long time.

Still, there was a part of him that felt incredibly guilty.

“Do you want to resume your position as King because you want to, or because you’re supposed to?” Hongjoong’s words managed to breach his soul and now, he didn’t know how to deal with his duties. Which one did he had to follow? His heart or his mind? Which one was the right path for him?

The pirate’s presence made him feel incredibly happy, it was undeniable; however, sometimes he felt like that if he decided to follow his heart, he would betray his Kingdom. Otherwise, if he decided to follow his duties, he knew there was a high probability that he wouldn’t see Hongjoong ever again.

Was it what he really wanted?

The moment his title was restored, he would immediately be covered with responsibilities and duties; he would go back to do what he had always done but this time, he would have been alone. Seonghwa had never made a secret of how essential the presence of his wife was for him; since she passed away he had feel so terribly alone and since his journey started, he slowly came to the realization that every time he was around either Hongjoong or the others, he wouldn’t feel so alone anymore. He wanted to have a family again, he wanted to feel loved again, and it was the exact feeling the Pirate’s company was giving him.

Seonghwa’s eyes wandered over the painted ceiling, travelling back to the small portrait of his Kingdom. He had no idea how things were going back there, but he knew it would be wrong to turn his back on his people. They needed a King after all.

“Whoever could claim the position.” he thought, a familiar face flashing in his brain for a second; he sighed loudly in frustration and he shook his head, realizing that even if him and Hongjoong kissed, he never actually replied to him.

Deep down, Seonghwa knew exactly what he really longed for; he wanted to stay with the Pirate, to sail with him until the end of the world.

However, was it the right thing to do? Could he give up his duties for love?

«San, help me. I think I’m hallucinating!» Wooyoung commented one evening at dinner, gripping San’s elbow as he saw Hongjoong sitting on Seonghwa’s lap and placing his plate in front of him.

«But you are the doctor, Wooyoung!» answered San, holding in return the other’s arm and trying not to drop his fork. Seonghwa laughed, sure as hell his red cheeks gave away his embarrassment; he timidly circled Hongjoong’s waist with his left arm while his right one rested on the other’s thigh.

Hongjoong looked at both San and Wooyoung with an amused expression and a raised eyebrow as to say “why are you even surprised?”, and Seonghwa tried to hide his blushing face behind Hongjoong’s shoulder.

«So… Lovers?» Mingi asked, with a hopeful and happy smile on his face, indicating between them with his fork.

«It’s up to his Majesty to decide that, I’m still an outlaw.» Hongjoong shrugged and nodded towards Seonghwa, while continuing to eat.

Hongjoong didn’t turn his head in time to see that, but everyone else at the table noticed how Seonghwa’s smile softened as he looked at him, and the King delicately traced random patterns against the Pirate’s back with this fingers.

Later that night, Hongjoong led Seonghwa to his quarters while holding his hand, between loud cheers and whistles from the crew.

«So, lover…» Hongjoong began, joining the other boy under the covers; Seonghwa chuckled in response, covering both of them with a blanket.

«Don’t get smart with me!» Seonghwa laughed, «It’s not like I can’t hear Mingi calling you “Pirate King” all the time!»

They laid in bed facing each other, the soft moonlight providing the light that illuminated the Captain’s quarters; as they intertwined their fingers, Hongjoong brought their hands in front of his lips.

«You know,» he said, slowly kissing the other’s knuckles, his gaze lost and enchanted in an undefined point between the two of them, «I never thought I’d catch feelings for royalty.»

Seonghwa smiled, softly «You tell me?» he sighed, «I went from being in love with a docile and peaceful Queen to develop feelings for a man with a bounty on his head!» the King affectionately joked; Hongjoong scoffed a laugh, letting go of the other’s hand, pretending to be deeply offended by Seonghwa’s words.

«What if the bounty on  your head ends up getting higher than mine?» the Pirate leaned closer to the King, pressing on his chest so that now Hongjoong was slightly laying on top of him; the Captain shifted, so that he was lifted on his right elbow, his chin resting on the palm of his hand.

«I highly doubt so, short people can be evil.» Seonghwa remarked, a sly smile adorning his lips. The pirate silently raised an eyebrow at him, as his fingers slowly traced random patterns on the King’s chest, from his neck towards his waist; Seonghwa slightly shivered, feeling the other’s cold digits through the thin fabric of his shirt.

«Yet, here you are.» Hongjoong mumbled, his position didn’t falter except for his right leg which was now positioned between Seonghwa’s.

The King shifted his position too, faintly widening his legs so that the pirate could be more comfortable and slightly bent his right knee, which wasn’t the one between Hongjoong’s legs. Seonghwa reached out, circling the other’s waist with his left arm and softly tracing the outline of Hongjoong’s soft lips with the other.

The King’s eyes focused on his thumb pressing on the Pirate’s lips, the room suddenly feeling too hot; Hongjoong was still casually laying in his original position, attentive to the other boy’s movements. He slowly parted his lips and let his tongue dart out to gently lick at the boy’s finger, and Seonghwa’s breath hitched and instinctively, he ran his tongue over his lips.

Hongjoong dared a bold move as he swirled his tongue around the King’s fingertip, smirking as he felt the grip on his waist slightly tighten; Seonghwa pulled his finger back as his hand quickly reached over Hongjoong’s nape and connected their lips and Hongjoong sighed, content finally feeling the contact he had been yearning for.

Hongjoong immediately returned the kiss with equal fervour, his left hand gripping tightly at the other’s waist as the other one was entangled in the King’s black hair; Seonghwa let his tongue slip out to swipe at the Pirate’s lips, who wasted no time to comply that silent request. Seonghwa’s hand rested on the Pirate’s hip as he held him close, letting him set the pace and the Pirate lifted his leg over Seonghwa’s hip, which let out a shaky breath as he felt the other’s thigh grazing against his crotch. The boy pressed against the Pirate’s hip, so that he could completely straddle him.

Hongjoong put his weight on his knees, hovering over Seonghwa’s body; he stopped kissing the King’s lips to gently nibble at the other’s neck with his teeth, Seonghwa’s breath hitching as the other bit him a little harder while sucking on the skin. His hand tightened in the Pirate’s hair, giving it a soft tug. Hongjoong looked up at him, eyes hooded and lips slightly parted; the King’s hands were still in his hair, and when he gave it a harder tug again, the pirate closed his eyes and leaned back into his touch, a soft moan escaping his lips. Seonghwa’s hand – which had been holding Hongjoong’s waist, grabbed on the other’s thigh and squeezed it before giving it a harsh tug, causing the pirate to close the small space remaining between their bodies.

Both boys moaned loudly at the sudden contact of their crotches, and Seonghwa let go of the other’s hair as he gripped Hongjoong’s thighs, refraining him to move away. Hongjoong’s hands were resting on the cushion behind Seonghwa’s head, their lips hovering few millimetres one from the other.

The Pirate kissed him again, gently biting sucking on the King’s lower lips as he grinded his hips against the other’s, resulting on Seonghwa’s hands to reach to the pirate’s butt to make him repeat the action. Hongjoong breathy chuckled, complying and feeling the other boy gradually getting hard underneath him.

The kisses were messy, playful bites were exchanged along with soft moans and Seonghwa was loving every minute of it; he was about to roll them over but then he felt the Pirate’s hands holding his wrists and placing them against the pillow. He tried to see as much as he could of Hongjoong’s face but he knew him enough to know that, if the room were less dark, the Pirate would have winked at him; Seonghwa’s mind momentarily went blank as he felt Hongjoong lifting himself off his lap to get rid of his shirt and place one of his hands back on Seonghwa’s bulge.

They kissed again as the Pirate started to tease him with light touches, sliding his palm over his still clothed length, or applying a frustrating amount of pressure on the head with slow, circular motions. Either way, Seonghwa would moan and Hongjoong’s lips would be there to unintentionally muffle the sounds.

«Off.» Hongjoong’s hoarse voice ordered between kisses, tugging at Seonghwa’s shirt. The King chuckled at the other’s impatience as he complied, lifting himself enough to let the other boy take off his shirt.

Hongjoong’s lips immediately reattached to Seonghwa’s before starting to travel down his chest, showering it with kisses and soft bites. Hongjoong’s lips marked the other’s hipbones sucking on his skin before biting it again, before stopping altogether.

«Are you sure?» the pirate asked, breathing heavily and kissing once again that small fraction of his skin.

«Is that even a question?» Seonghwa groaned back, slightly lifting his hips trying to urge the other to proceed. It wasn’t his first time with a boy, he had some experience from before his wedding; experiences which clearly, he had to kept hidden from anyone in the Castle. Still, he had to admit that a young Prince Seonghwa sneaking out to enjoy the company of the son of an in fluent merchant would have been quite the talk around town.

«Seonghwa.» Hongjoong warned, his hands roughly pushed on the other’s waist, so that he was pressed against the mattress.

«Hongjoong.» Seonghwa mimicked his tone, running a hand between his damp hair, «If you stop again, there’s really gonna be a bounty on my head.» Hongjoong chuckled at the harsh reply, humming in approval, as he helped himself and his lover to get rid of the last layers of clothes they wore. Seonghwa sighed at the feeling of cold air against his sensitive member, which was probably already leaking with precome.

Hongjoong sat between his legs and attached his lips to Seonghwa’s length. The King already figured out that the other boy loved to tease probably a bit too much. He would alternate kitten licks to going from the base to the tip with his tongue flat, and occasionally harshly sucking and swirling his tongue over the tip, releasing it with loud pops. Seonghwa’s moans deepened at the feeling of the other’s tongue teasing him so perfectly.

As he felt Hongjoong’s tongue once again around the tip of his length, one of his hands immediately reached to the pirate’s hair to keep him in place. Hongjoong got the hint and decided to leave the teasing for some other time, swallowing Seonghwa’s member as much as he could with a soft moan. The pirate did his best to relax his throat as he started bobbing his head up and down, helping himself with his hand where his mouth couldn’t reach.

It was messy, sometimes Seonghwa would unintentionally push his hips upwards lost in arousal, and the pirate’s hand would immediately stop him by pressing on his hips. Hongjoong moaned around the other’s member as the King tugged harshly on his hair, feeling the pirate’s mouth perfect around him. Interpreting Seonghwa’s increasingly moans as him being close, Hongjoong swallowed his member as deep as his throat allowed him, feeling Seonghwa’s length twitch and warm fluid coating his tongue, as a broken moan of his name left the other’s lips.

Hongjoong swallowed, detaching completely from the other boy, and climbing back on top of him while wiping his mouth and his chin with the back of his hand. Seonghwa let out a content sigh, and reached out to gently kiss the pirate again, faintly tasting himself on the other’s tongue. Hongjoong lifted up, reaching over to the small nightstand next to their bed and taking out a small round jar.

«San and Wooyoung recommended this… aloe, I think it was called.» Hongjoong briefly explained, coating his fingers with its content.

«I don’t know how to-» Seonghwa timidly tensed up a bit, running a hand through his dampened hair and trying to calm down his panting breaths.

«Don’t worry, you can do this next time.» Hongjoong cut his sentence short, as his hand reached behind himself to begin to stretch himself. Seonghwa shifted so that he could sit, caressing Hongjoong’s thighs and showering his face and neck with soft kisses, somehow trying to ease the momentary pain the other felt.

Hongjoong’s uncomfortable hisses turned into soft, breathy moans, which were swallowed by Seonghwa’s mouth, as the pirate gradually got accommodated to the stretch. Seonghwa’s hand caressed the other’s hip as he reached behind the pirate to join the other’s hand.

As Hongjoong was focused adjusting to the stretch, Seonghwa carefully coated one of his fingers with the aloe in excess, and he slowly pushed over the other’s rim, adding his digit to Hongjoong’s two fingers.

The pirate dropped his face in the crook of Seonghwa’s neck with a loud moan, biting on his shoulder due to the sudden stretch.

«Please,» Hongjoong whined, and Seonghwa felt himself getting hard again, as Hongjoong’s fingers – and consequently his, started to move in order to stretch him. His other hand reached out to slowly pump and twist around Hongjoong’s neglected member, carefully smearing precum all over it, carefully avoiding the sensitive tip.

The pirate’s head remained tugged in the other’s shoulders as Seonghwa did his best to remain focused on matching Hongjoong’s pace with his fingers. The King kissed as much of the other’s skin as he could without changing their position, completely enamoured with Hongjoong’s moans and whimpers so close to his ear.

Seonghwa’s hand travelled upwards, from Hongjoong’s member to linger on the other’s neck and the pirate moaned as he felt the King faintly tightening his grip before harshly grasping his chin to kiss him again.

«I want you so much,» Seonghwa whispered between their kisses, feeling almost shy about how hoarse his voice had turned from arousal. He felt Hongjoong’s smile against his lips, as he stopped both their hands from stretching him further.

Seonghwa slightly leaned back, supporting his weight on his hands as Hongjoong guided the other boy’s pulsing member past his rim. Gradually, he slowly inched down on the other’s length as Seonghwa did his best to not move his hips every time he felt the other clench around him, letting him totally adjust before moving at all.

Hongjoong bottomed out stilling his hips, completely sitting on top of Seonghwa, which by now had his head thrown back and lips parted with soft moans. As the pirate opened his eyes and made out Seonghwa’s shape, he was thankful to be partially enveloped by darkness otherwise he was pretty sure he would have come on the spot by that sight alone.

Hongjoong pulled up himself on Seonghwa’s shoulders as he grinded his hips, both boys moaning overwhelmed one by the stretch inside him and the other from the tightness around him. The pirate’s hips moved in circles few times before tentatively lifting his hips to sink back down, clenching around Seonghwa.

Repeating the action, Hongjoong’s hips slowly and passionately started to move on Seonghwa’s as they kissed again, tongues lapping at each others and teeth nibbling each other’s swollen and smiling lips.

The King’s left hand gripped Hongjoong’s waist, his thumb pressing on his hipbone as the thrusted upwards to meet the other’s movements as he was bouncing on him, alternating the motion to grinding on the other’s lap by moving his hips in circles. Hongjoong locked his arms around Seonghwa’s neck, the other threw his head back and the pirate took this opportunity to leave love bites on his neck where he felt the fast beating of his heart.

The only sound in the room were their moans and their bodies colliding, their movements getting sloppier as they approached their release.

Seonghwa felt Hongjoong starting to clench around him more and he swiftly flipped them over, feeling the pirate’s thigh surrounding him and holding him close. The King immediately resumed their previous actions, feeling Hongjoong’s short nails dug lines in his back as he kissed the pirate’s neck while his deep thrusts were bringing both of them over the edge, Hongjoong’s member being stimulated while being trapped between them.

Hongjoong’s legs closed around Seonghwa’s hips and refrained him to pull out, reaching his climax with a loud moan as he felt the other harshly bottoming out inside of him. Seonghwa came too, feeling the other clench impossibly tight around him, suffocating a moan against the other’s skin.

«I’m sorry.» Seonghwa panted few moments later, his head still buried in the pirate’s neck.

«What for?» Hongjoong quickly mumbled in answer, feeling his stomach drop and fearing the worst.

«I didn’t pull out in time.» Seonghwa sighed, lifting on his elbows to place a soft kiss on the pirate’s eyebrow, who immediately relaxed under his touch.

«It’s okay if you want to do that, silly.» Hongjoong chuckled, flinching as Seonghwa slowly pulled out and rolled on his back.

«Are you sure?» Seonghwa asked, timidly.

«Positive. Captain’s orders.» Hongjoong reached out to take one of their shirts and clean them as best as he could, before tossing it on the floor and lie back, embraced by Seonghwa’s welcoming and opened arms.

They fell asleep together not much later, exchanging sweet words accompanied by sweet and content kisses, cuddling under the blankets and in each other’s warmth.

Next morning, Seonghwa realized the whole crew was perfectly updated about their relationship; their friends happily and teasingly called out to both Hongjoong and Seonghwa after seeing various bite marks and hickeys on both their necks and as they got random glimpse of the marks on their chests from their low-cut shirts anytime they moved.

«Damn, Captain! Was there a storm last night?» San asked with his voice purposely loud, faking innocence as he walked towards Hongjoong, Yunho and Seonghwa which were talking on the quarter deck.

«Wasn’t the ship rocking a bit too much?» Wooyoung added with a cheeky smile, appearing right behind his lover.

Yunho almost choked on the water he was drinking, having to walk away from them due to his muffled laughters.

«I could ask you the same thing, you two.» Hongjoong replied with a smirk, narrowing his eyes and hinting at the few hickeys that adorned Wooyoung’s neck; Seonghwa felt lightly embarrassed, but still found funny to watch them playfully bickering.

«So,» San walked towards Seonghwa, linking their arms together. «Who is the top?» he asked, winking at him.

«Oh, my!» Seonghwa laughed, immediately escaping the other’s grip «Hongjoong! Tell your friends to mind their own business!» he added, blushing faintly.

The Pirate laughed in response. «Well, technically-»

«-We’re your friends as well!» Wooyoung added, faking offence.

As they had fun together, Seonghwa knew he would love for this to be his daily life.

«Land! Ahead!» Yeosang’s loud voice rang out from the crow’s nest, catching everyone’s attention. «Actually, you know what? I’m not sure, I can’t see anything.» He added, carefully climbing down and walking towards Hongjoong. «Captain, someone should take the shallop and check ahead.»

Hongjoong nodded at him, «By now we should be close to the Mist. Take some men with you and go check.»

Seonghwa watched as their friends meticulously prepared a rope to attach to both the mast and to the small ship, in case they happened lost sense of direction. It didn’t take much time to see his friends disappear in the thick wall of fog.

Seonghwa spent the morning asking around the ship if he could help, resulting in the crew politely declining his offer.

«We already took care of everything, there’s nothing much to do beside waiting.» they told him.

Dejected, he settled for sitting on the familiar spot he occupied almost every night on the stairs leading on the quarterdeck, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin on his hands.

He felt a loud sigh, followed by approaching footsteps; within seconds, someone sat behind him and he felt a familiar hand gently ruffling his hair in a familiar and affectionate manner.

«Calm down, Seonghwa.» Hongjoong mumbled, pulling the other boy to his chest; the Pirate’s arms gently snaked around the King’s waist, and he rested his chin on Seonghwa’s shoulder.

«But, what if-»

«No but!» Hongjoong immediately interrupted him; he placed a soft kiss on his shoulder, before gently rocking their bodies, «Yeosang was a cartographer in the Navy. There is no one more suited than him for this task»

«The Navy? Seriously?» Seonghwa asked, thinking about how Yeosang’s behaviour – calm, reserved and composed, actually perfectly matched a Navy’s soldier.

«Both him and Mingi, actually. Yeosang’s father was a Commander, so he grew up on a ship, just like me.» Seonghwa nodded, remembering the time Hongjoong had told him that he had lived on a pirate ship since childhood, having been his father a pirate Captain as well. Illusion, he added, was actually a legacy of his father.

The King furrowed his brow, «Mingi was in the Navy?!» he slightly turned his hand in disbelief, to see Hongjoong chuckling with his intense eyes fixed on the crew restlessly working on the deck.

«He was a powder monkey back in the Navy. I stole them both, just like I did with you.» Hongjoong said with a smug smile, tightening his grip.

Seonghwa scoffed at that. «Oh come on, Hongjoong. I literally had to beg you to take me with you!»

«I would have done that myself, eventually.» He pecked Seonghwa’s parted lips, smiling softly at how the other blushed in return, shyly adverting his gaze.

«Hey, lovebirds!» they turned towards Yunho, who was smiling at them from the deck. «Yeosang has returned. We found it.»

From that moment, everything happened in a blur: a group would have gone first, while the rest of the crew would remain on board to monitor the ship. Seonghwa took a seat on the small boat, watching the rope that connected him and his friends to the ship slowly build up tension, not that he could see much more. There was a torch in front of the boat; a dim light that somehow tried to break the wall of fog around them. Exactly as Yeosang predicted, they touched land few hours later.

Their boots sank in the wet, soft sand and, after each of them had lightened up their wooden torch, they went on together, advancing slowly, staying as close as possible. The absence of any kind of noise besides the wind, the waves and the sound of their footsteps made them inexplicably even more nervous; Seonghwa and his friends were sure that they would not find anyone waiting for them, but they were still in an unknown place and never visited by other people – if not desperate ones like himself.

As far as they knew, they could have found traps along their way. The island did not seem to be large: as they continued, the fog in front of them slowly began to dissolve, until it completely disappeared.

«Oh, now we can see clearly?» Wooyoung mumbled, nervously tightening his grip around the torch «It’s…»

«… It’s creeping me out.» San finished his lover’s sentence; they looked behind their shoulders to see that the thick wall of fog behind them was still present.

«For the first time in the history of our friendship, I won’t order to separate.» Hongjoong said, and Seonghwa’s hand nervously reached out to intertwine their fingers.

«Like hell I would have gone around by myself.» Mingi muttered behind them, making Yeosang giggle. In front of them, rocks began to sprout, gaining in size as they progressed.

«Do you know anything else beside the cave part?» Jongho asked Seonghwa, as they cautiously made their way through sand and pebbles.

Seonghwa shook his head, «I absolutely don’t. I’m sorry.»

They came to a stop in front of a high and unstable rock wall: unable to see its end, they deduced it was a mountain. They agreed on walking around it until they eventually found the entrance; in any case, they gave up on splitting up.

The aura surrounding the Island was terrifying, Seonghwa thought. Despite being in a group and everyone proceeding close enough their arms were constantly touching, he could not help but feel pervaded by constant anxiety, and a vague feeling of being almost observed.

However, from what?Seonghwa was certain that in his father’s stories there was no mention of entities protecting nor the island nor its treasures. Nonetheless, Hongjoong and the others told him about meeting sea monsters somewhere and somehow during their previous trips, so he did not dare to exclude anything.

It seemed to them that they were walking for hours. The fact that everywhere they looked they would see only rocks, sand and fog did nothing to strengthen their spirits. Hongjoong kept holding Seonghwa’s hand firmly, as to silently reassure him.

«Watch out, ahead.» Yeosang mumbled, loud enough for them to hear. They hummed in response, coming to a stop in front a small and narrow downhill consisting of a sharp and rocky staircase.

«Should some of us keep guard outside?» Yunho asked Hongjoong, which shook his head in answer.

«It’s probably foolish but I think we shouldn’t separate.» he said, reaching out the arm that held the torch towards the entrance of the cave.

«Well,» Mingi sighed «After you, your Majesty.» Seonghwa nodded at him, exchanging a small, encouraging smile with the pirate.

The King had not spoken about how he felt, despite that strange feeling of being observed steadily increased with each step.

Carefully they went down the stairs, trying to talk as less as possible, their footsteps echoing against the damp and unexplored walls. The narrow corridor began to widen until they saw a stone arch – engraved with what Seonghwa recognized as runes, waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs.

At the exact moment they crossed the threshold, the environment suddenly lit up: fire torches lit up consequently, one by one, startling them.

«Okay now, what – and I can’t stress this enough, the hell just happened?» Mingi asked, dumbfounded. His question, however, met no answer.

Everyone’s eyes were focused on analysing in awe their surroundings. Before them, there was a huge hall confined by stones, but most importantly there was an abnormal amount of treasures deposited there: jewellery, coins, weapons and all kinds of wealth laid all around them.

Seonghwa looked around, hoping in vain to find immediately what he was looking for, until his eyes met a small path leading to an isolated casket. He squeezed Hongjoong’s hand, earning his attention. He detached his hand from the other boy, as he carefully walked towards it.

«Isn’t it too easy?» the pirate mumbled suspicious, but followed Seonghwa nonetheless. Seonghwa’s uneasiness worsened.

In addition to all this, he believed to have heard an amused chuckle coming from somewhere near him. With shaky hands, he took the small casket and opened it; inside, a perfectly shaped sphere was laying on soft dark blue velvet.

“It’s completely transparent,” Seonghwa thought. “it could be glass, or crystal.”

Seonghwa had no idea about how the Aurora shard looked like but, between all the ideas he had, it was definitely not a transparent sphere.

However, his curiosity had the better of him and he touched it anyway; as soon as the sphere was in his hands, a faint glow erupted from the centre, becoming gradually brighter and brighter. Seonghwa was enchanted to see various shapes of green, red and blue dance harmoniously in his hands: the aurora’s colours. He was about to turn around to tell Hongjoong he found what he had been looking for when he heard said boy shout his name, his voice full of worry.

«And so, the King has come.» an unfamiliar female voice said from behind him.

Seonghwa turned immediately, almost dropping the shard on the floor in amazement. In front of him there was a female figure who materialized out from nowhere, her consistency almost ethereal. Seonghwa wasn’t sure how he could see her, when it looked like she was made of air itself, but he was certain his friend were able to see her, too.

«I don’t want to repeat myself,» Mingi’s hushed tone came from behind a small mountain of coins «but, what the hell?»

The creature, or spirit, was floating in mid-air looking at Seonghwa with peaceful eyes, eyes which held the same colours that had erupted from the shard few moments earlier. Nobody dared to move, they simply stared at her floating around Seonghwa before coming to a stop, assuming a sitting position in mid-air.

«Why is she not attacking us?» Jongho mumbled, frowning.

«I have no reason to do that,» She addressed him with a smile, although her eyes were still locked on Seonghwa. «the King has come to claim the Aurora shard and the treasures hidden on this island, and I have nor reason nor authority to object.»

«Are you…?» Seonghwa stopped in mid-sentence, wondering how to continue his question, and the ethereal creature smiled softly at him, nodding. The King raised an eyebrow at her, wondering if somehow, she managed to read his mind.

«I am the Aurora shard.» her soft voice echoed in the hall. «I’m also the guardian of this place. But most of all, I am connected to the Kings’ souls.»

Seonghwa nodded, his eyes carefully looking at the sphere in his hand and letting the information sink in.

“If she’s really connected to me,” Seonghwa thought, “This means she could already know what I really desire, doesn’t she?”

«I have a really big favour to ask you. Can you grant my wish?» Seonghwa’s determined eyes found hers, which grinned at him in return; she simply answered with a nod, somehow confirming to the King that she already knew.

«I will, your Majesty.» with a bow, she softly disappeared in thin air, reabsorbed by the shard in Seonghwa’s hand.

He closed his eyes, holding to his chest the sphere for a moment.

“And please protect me, my Aurora.” Seonghwa thought, before placing it back into the casket.

He immediately looked at Hongjoong, which visibly relaxed, the young King walked towards him with hurried steps and quickly placed a soft peck on his lips, pleased at how he caught the Pirate blushing before lightly coughing and averting his gaze.

«Now… What?» asked Yeosang.

«I found what I was looking for,» Seonghwa said, turning towards them. «You can take anything you want.»

He laughed as his friends erupted with a loud cheer, parting ways to collect as many valuable and different things as they could manage.

Seonghwa comfortably sat on the chair next to Hongjoong; their fingers were intertwined in the pirate’s lap, and they were participating in the animated and cheerful conversation of his friends.

«I’m sad Seonghwa didn’t have the chance to see you in action.» Mingi said to Jongho. Seonghwa smiled, remembering how a few days before, when they were coming out of the Mist’s cave, his friend managed to carry a much heavier load than the others.

«I was a baker before joining the crew.» Jongho answered Seonghwa’s silent question. «I basically did a lot of workout carrying bags of flour around. It came pretty handy.» he shrugged, smiling.

«You should have seen him during his first assault,» Hongjoong added, «We knew he was strong, but he carried gunpowder around so effortlessly, we were shocked for a solid minute.»

«I even asked Yeosang if he trained with us!» Mingi said.

«I was surprised you asked me, since you were the powder monkey back then. You should have, at least, noticed him.» Yeosang answered, and they all laughed together.

Jongho winked, «You should have worked for my boss, back in my town.» he answered Mingi, tapping his bicep.

«Were both of you training in the Navy?» Seonghwa asked Yeosang and Mingi, pretending not to know what Hongjoong told him. They nodded, unintentionally coordinated.

«My father was a Commander, I always had a passion for cartography and so I grew up with-»

«A natural talent to get us out of trouble.» Yunho interrupted Yeosang’s sentence.

The pirate blushed, adverting his gaze «You have to admit that the Captain’s sense of direction is really good.» he mumbled.

«Like he said before, I was a powder monkey back then!» Mingi took a sip of his drink, before continuing «Probably the worst experience of our life, right Yeosang?» he mumbled, elbowing the boy next to him, which simply raised his eyebrows and nodded.

«Let’s just say we craved freedom at some point, and caught the opportunity.» Yunho said, «I was a servant for a very rich family. Long story short: the night I met the crew, I guided them to their safety vault after they promised to take me with them.» Seonghwa nodded, feeling happy about the fact that they shared their past stories with him, and about how everyone was more relaxed on their way back.

He also couldn’t help feeling a different kind of warmth within himself. By now, months had passed since he left his kingdom. The more days passed, the more he felt he belonged exactly there, with them.

«How about you?» he asked San, which smiled brightly at him.

«Well, I was a thief… One day I was running away from a small group of guards and… Let’s just say I hid on the wrong ship.» he laughed. Hongjoong scoffed, amused. «It doesn’t look like you’re regretting staying!»

San hid himself behind Wooyoung’s shoulders before sticking out his tongue at the Captain, earning soft laughters from the others. Hongjoong rolled his eyes, and returned playing with Seonghwa’s fingers.

«We deliberately left Wooyoung’s story last.» Jongho commented, chuckling.

«Was he the last one to join before me?» Seonghwa asked.

Hongjoong nodded at him, delicately caressing his knuckles with his thumb, slightly taken aback by the King’s question; he was sure they never properly talked about him definitely staying with them. However, it was needless to say that if Seonghwa had decided to stay with him, the pirate would have been more than happy to sail towards countless new adventures with him.

«Yeah well you need to hear this, Seonghwa.» Wooyoung said, looking at him in a serious way. «I got kidnapped. A poor, abandoned hostage after a battle.» Seonghwa’s eyes widened, and he heard the others muffled laughters. Wooyoung continued immediately, intentionally increasing the drama in his tone of voice.

«Let’s just say that after few hours tied on the mast, I noticed how there were few injured people due to that fight, and no one was treating them. So I-»

San’s loud laughter interrupted him, «He convinced one of the crew members’ to set him free by saying he felt “terribly sick”, and then started pacing around the deck screaming at anyone of us: “Are you freaking serious?! A pirate ship without a doctor?! What kind of poor imitation of pirates are you?"» San said, imitating his lover.

«And you just let him?» Seonghwa asked his friends, giggling. «We just let him be, he randomly choose a room and claimed it as the infirmary.» Yunho added.

«He literally threw everything and everyone out from there.» Jongho said.

«Well, you forgot to mention that San was his first patient…» Yeosang said, watching the both of them with malice. Wooyoung answered by kissing San on the cheek. The latter’s cheeks turned pink and they all laughed together.

«Seriously? No doctor?» Seonghwa asked quietly to Hongjoong. The pirate shrugged, «We actually had a doctor, but he got… shot.» Seonghwa nodded, understanding what the pirate was hinting.

«But hey, Wooyoung is no longer the only one which decided to stay for love!» Mingi stated intentionally emphasizing the last words, placing his hand on his chin and blinking his eyes innocently; Seonghwa’s cheeks flamed up, and Hongjoong choked on his drink.

«Look at them being all shy!» Yunho chimed in with a loud voice, pointing at them.

«It’s not like we can’t see them exchanging soft kisses basically everywhere on the ship!» Mingi continued, snaking an arm around his friend’s shoulders, «Hongjoong!» he said shyly, playfully mimicking Seonghwa’s voice.

«Seonghwa!» Yunho dramatically mimicked the Captain’s voice, immediately returning his friend’s embrace, and they proceeded making kissing noises in rapid succession.

The King laughed, trying to hide his face behind the hand that the Pirate wasn’t holding.

«Are we really like that?» Seonghwa asked a blushing Hongjoong, which replied with a bright smile and a confident shrug.

The newfound serenity of those days soon came to an end.

«A ship is approaching! Pirates!» Yeosang’s shout interrupted the quiet morning. In no time, the ship was populated with masked men running around and getting ready to fight, the same uniforms for which they had become famous in popular stories all around the Kingdoms.

All the crew was on deck, ready to follow Hongjoong’s orders.

«We don’t take prisoners, and for the love of Mazu, Mingi,» the Captain looked at the tall pirate «This time, don’t sink them until I say so.» the red head answered with a nod and a devilish smile.

«Mazu?» Seonghwa whispered to Yunho, standing on his right.

«The Chinese Goddess of the sea.» he explained with the same hushed voice «she protects sailors, fishermen and sea travellers.» Seonghwa nodded.

«I know you can look out for yourself,» Hongjoong told the King loud enough for him to hear, «Just… Be careful, please.»

He nodded, briefly holding the other’s gloved hand, «You too.»

The enemy ship was approaching them fast, and by the time it reached them, everyone was ready to fight. Their opponents did not hesitate to fire their cannons which fortunately missed the Illusion, even if only slightly.

«They fired from so far away,» Yeosang commented as he climbed down from the crew’s nest «They must be idiots.» With quick steps, the boy informed his Captain that there were no other ships in sight.

Hongjoong clenched his jaw, answering with a simple «Good.» If Seonghwa said he wasn’t nervous, it would have been a lie. He happened to participate in some assaults when he was still part of the Resistance and he had already killed people in the past but, despite everything, he could not prevent his throat feeling dry and his heart nervously pumping in his chest. He breathed deeply, waiting.

He glanced around the deck to see that unlike him, the ones who stayed upstairs to fight in the first lines were a mixture of relaxed and thrilled. Loud cheers and chants raised upon them, and the change of behaviour reminded Seonghwa that, after all, there was a reason if they gained a reputation of ruthless and blood thirsty pirates.

«Fire!» as soon as the other ship was close enough, Hongjoong’s command had been repeated by few other crew members. Even if there were holes on the other ship’s side, they didn’t stop inching towards them.

The King watched as the pirates docked on the Illusion, and prepared to fight the men who were charging. He did not find it too difficult to defend himself: the pirates were physically strong but they lacked technique, so it was not difficult for Seonghwa to get the better of them and be helpful. He had always trained to fight with two swords, so he easily managed to juggle his opponents.

The shouts of the people fighting and falling overboard and the noise of the cannons was deafening, but he got used to that quickly. Chance wanted that he turned his head towards the direction of the Captain’s quarters at the exact moment a man not belonging to their crew headed in that direction.

Seonghwa followed his instinct, springing to the corridor that leaded to their chamber.

“I saw someone, I’m sure of it.” , he walked cautiously with his back facing the wall. It was impossible to hear too faint sounds because of the battle going on behind him, but he did his best.

However, he stopped in his track as soon as he felt a blade pressing against his neck.

«I believe you value your life.» an unfamiliar rough voice spat from behind him. Seonghwa didn’t move. «Take me to the treasury.» the pirate urged, and the King didn’t waver. He shut his eyes close as he felt a faint sting where the blade pressed against his neck. He suddenly struck his opponent with his elbow, detaching himself and taking the opportunity to draw one of his swords as he turned around. Instead of unleashing the second sword, he opted for using the dagger Hongjoong gave him months ago.

The pirate obviously didn’t appreciate the action and pounced at him, but Seonghwa was ready to block his attack with the sword in his right hand and stabbing his leg with his left hand. Seonghwa hoped that the pirate’s scream of pain would be enough to draw someone’s attention on the deck, even though being in the middle of a battle, he doubted someone heard.

The pirate was not taller than him, but he certainly had twice his strength. He managed to kick him in the stomach, taking advantage of his groan of pain to disarm him from his sword. Seonghwa noticed how they had been moving closer to the deck instead of the Captain’s chambers and he only needed few more steps to get noticed by his friends.

With a quick movement, the King managed to get his pistol and shoot the other in the leg, instantly getting up from the floor and leaping towards the deck as quickly as he could. Unfortunately, something in his plan had gone wrong, he realized. He managed to get back on deck but as soon as he heard a loud shot, he felt an atrocious pain on the side of his thigh.

Seonghwa knelt down in reflex, gritting his teeth and turning around, pointing his gun to the pirate’s head which was limping towards him. His opponent did the same. He was aiming his gun to Seonghwa’s head, and before the King’s reflexes to pull the trigger kicked in, he heard a shot. He watched as the lifeless body fell in front of him, in a pool of his own blood.

“I didn’t shoot him, who was it?” he thought as he glanced on his side, trying to ignore the sudden urge to throw up, and he was met with Yunho’s wide eyes, staring at him with worry.

«Thanks, Yunho!» Seonghwa shouted, in order to be heard over the loud noises.

«No problem, buddy! I told you I owed you a big one!» He gave him a wide grin, walking towards him and picking up a sword from one of the fallen men on the deck, handing it to him.

«Can you still fight?» He asked; now that they were up close Seonghwa noticed he had multiple cuts on his sleeve. Seonghwa nodded, his leg was hurting badly, but everyone was fighting to defend the Illusion and therefore, even if the battle was almost over, he couldn’t abandon them. Seonghwa took his friend’s outstretched hand and got up.

«Go on the quarterdeck,» Yunho ordered, noticing that Seonghwa had instinctively shut his eyes in discomfort as soon as he moved his weight on his right leg, «Hongjoong and San need a hand.»

The King complied, trying to hurry up the stairs without causing his injury to bleed even further. San and other men were fighting around Hongjoong, which occasionally left the helm to help the others; the Captain glanced towards the stairs, feeling a mixture of anger and worry fill his veins as soon as Seonghwa appeared.

«San!» he called out to his friend, which after following his gaze acknowledged his silent order and took the helm. Hongjoong reached Seonghwa with quick steps, holding the King’s elbow a little harsher than he originally planned.

«What the hell happened to you?» Hongjoong inquired, his eyes shifting from his neck, to his leg and to his eyes.

«Nothing, really, I’m fine! » Seonghwa shrugged, trying not to make the pain in his voice too obvious.

«Mingi!» the pirate shouted, evident rage in his voice, «Sink them!» the command was repeated few times by the crew members, and the cannons fired few moments later.

He obeyed Hongjoong and sat right next to him until everyone had cleared the area. During the fight, they all had followed Hongjoong’s orders and scattered on the ship, busy fighting for both their life and to defend Illusion; if Mingi and Jongho were busy downstairs handling the cannons with a small part of the crew, Yeosang, San and Hongjoong were steering the ship and fighting on the quarterdeck. Yunho, Seonghwa and Wooyoung were fighting on deck with the rest of the crew.

The King lost track of time, Hongjoong was standing next to him, steering them away from the other sinking ship and nervously glancing at him, his eyes evidently full of worry.

They both had took their masks and hats off, so anytime Hongjoong looked at him, Seonghwa answered with a silent, sincere and pained smile. Eventually, Wooyoung rushed up the stairs of the quarter deck.

«Can you stand?» He asked Seonghwa with his voice full of concern as he knelt next to him and taking off his own hat; he reached down to tore the fabric around his wound, trying to have a better look without touching it. Wooyoung sighed, and helped him up and into the infirmary.

Seonghwa didn’t see Hongjoong until afternoon. Wooyoung treated him and the others who got injured, luckily no one was in serious conditions.

«I’ve seen Hongjoong that angry reaaaaaaally only few times.» San commented, empathizing his words as he was sitting on Wooyoung’s chair.

«And it was scary. Please, don’t get hurt ever again.» the Doctor agreed with his lover.

«I’ll try.» Seonghwa smiled, nodding. Wooyoung returned the smile and finished disinfecting the cut on Seonghwa’s neck. Fortunately, neither the cut on the neck nor the injury to the leg was serious.

The bullet had gone out on its own, decreasing the risk of infection, but walking on it hadn’t been the wisest choice. Wooyoung wrapped a bandage around his thigh, and as soon as he finished, he pointed his finger at him.

«You need to rest a lot, Seonghwa» Wooyoung said with a stern voice «And I’m serious. If I see you walking around or even worse, trying to climb up the crow’s nest with Yeosang before I allow you to do that, I’ll shoot you down myself.» Seonghwa giggled, adverting his gaze.

«Now please, go calm down your boyfriend.» San sighed, and the three of them laughed together.

Back in the Captain’s quarters, Seonghwa watched Hongjoong closing the door behind himself, before silently starting to undress; he was about to get up from the bed in order to help him, when Hongjoong stopped him, with an unexpectedly cold voice.

«I don’t want you to get all dirty again. Plus, you’re not supposed to get up.» he explained shortly after as he was discarding is gloves.

«Are you okay?» Seonghwa tentatively asked, as the pirate took off his shirt. The King looked at the scars scattered on the other’s back, and manoeuvred until he was sitting on the bed’s edge. Hongjoong slouched on his chair, nodding briefly.

They spent few minutes in a slightly uncomfortable and tense silence. Seonghwa was looking at the pirate, and the latter was staring at an undefined spot in the wooden wall.

«I’m just glad,» he sighed, interrupting the quietness. Hongjoong wordlessly got up from the chair, and walked towards Seonghwa, kneeling between his spreaded legs, «I’m glad Yunho noticed him in time.» Seonghwa felt the Captain’s gaze burning its way into his soul.

They stared at each other for a while with shiny eyes who hid a universe of unspoken words, yet they still managed to understand every emotion hid in those soft gazes.

It could have gone worse, they both knew it.

Seonghwa was the first one to lean down, resting his forehead against the Pirate’s and closing his eyes.

Hongjoong was the first one to break the contact, reaching out to lock his arms around the King’s shoulders, hugging him tightly and burying his face into the other’s neck, and Seonghwa returned the hug just as desperately.

«Seonghwa, wake up.» Hongjoong softly shook Seonghwa’s shoulders, and the boy woke up with a soft groan.

«What is it? Is it a storm? Do you need my help?» Seonghwa mumbled, lifting himself on his elbow, without actually opening his eyes.

Hongjoong chuckled at the other’s appearance: eyes closed tightly in a frown and his lips in a cute pout. The Pirate reached out to ruffle the King’s already dishevelled hair, a gesture he did quite often.

«You can’t get off the bed, silly. Wooyoung’s orders were clear.» he said, caressing Seonghwa’s bare shoulder, «I’m here to change your bandages. And to stay with you, I have the day off.»

Seonghwa chuckled at that, «Wooyoung hired an assistant?» he chuckled, leaning back into the mattress, making space for his lover.

«You’d be surprised.» Hongjoong smiled softly at him, helping the other lowering his pants until they were resting around his thighs.

Trying to be as delicate as possible, he removed the bandage almost soaked in blood. Hongjoong disinfected the wound slowly and carefully, as he so often had to do on himself. Based on Seonghwa’s flinches and noises of discomforts he knew when to stop, or to continue.

«I’m sorry.» Hongjoong admitted.

«It’s okay, it will heal.» Seonghwa sighed softly, keeping his eyes closed.

«Not about this, but… We should have fled.» The pirate mumbled. Seonghwa’s eyes snapped open, looking at Hongjoong which gave him a sad smile in return.

«Don’t even think about it.» he started, «we’re pirates, we don’t flee from one single ship chasing us. I just got hurt, like an idiot.» Seonghwa fatiguely sat up, «Give me some time, I’ll be as terrifying as San out there during a battle.» he confidently winked at his lover which smiled in return.

«Why San?» Hongjoong chuckled.

«Have you seen him?!» Seonghwa’s eyes widened «I was trained since childhood using two swords, but him? He’s like some battle God or something.» The Pirate laughed in response, nodding.

«Just don’t get hurt, we’ll handle the rest.» Hongjoong reached out to peck at Seonghwa’s smiling lips, who immediately laid back as he felt Hongjoong tying up a new bandage around his thigh.

As soon as Hongjoong got back from the infirmary, he undressed himself and joined Seonghwa under the covers, his pants hanging loose on his hips.

They shifted position until they were both laying comfortably facing each other; the King slowly blinked himself awake again, to find the other relaxing with his eyes closed. Instinctively, he inched closer until their noses were touching, softly rubbing them together a couple of times before snaking his arms around the Pirate’s waist and pulling him to his chest.

«Oh, now you want to cuddle?» Hongjoong giggled. Seonghwa could easily feel the tiredness in the other’s voice, due to sleepless nights spent guiding the ship through the dark sea.

«I always do.» Seonghwa mumbled, kissing Hongjoong’s forehead as he glanced at him with an enamoured gaze.

The Pirate propped himself up, balancing his weight on his elbows, his chin resting on the palm of his hand; Seonghwa’s eyes slowly opened again, to find the other smiling at him. Instinctively, the young King shifted, laying on his back, giggling and mumbling a confused «What is it?» as his left hand reached around the Pirate’s hip and travelled on his back. His touch was gentle and feather like, but he could still feel the other shiver when his fingers gently caressed some of the scars on his back.

Hongjoong shook his head, holding the King’s gaze without answering. Seonghwa gently manoeuvred them until he managed to gently roll them around, so that he was partially hovering over the Pirate, his right leg leaning over the Captain’s so the wound wouldn’t re-open.

He admired the other’s features until he met the other’s gaze looking at him with tenderness, finding it hard to believe that he was the same man capable of killing people and commit several other crimes. Nevertheless, Seonghwa’s feeling for him didn’t waver.

They spent months together by now, living side by side every single day. The King’s thoughts wandered back to how since the beginning, Hongjoong’s behaviour had always been friendly to him and always made him feel as he was one of them, and Seonghwa couldn’t help but feeling strangely and inexplicably safe around him since the beginning.

«As long as you sail with us, you’re one of us.» He explained as they all dined together the second week after they sailed.

«Hopefully, you’re gonna stick with us.» Wooyoung had commented right after his Captain.

Seonghwa wasn’t sure he could pinpoint the exact moment when he started warming out to him, they probably acted a little bit differently from the beginning. Sometimes he felt like every single choice he made in life had the purpose to lead him exactly where he was now.

The King smiled at the thought about him being formally a Royal and the other being an outlaw – trying to count how many rules he broke since he had to run away, and yet he felt their souls were somehow so similar, compatible and inexplicably connected with each other.

They spent nights together making love, sharing secrets, stories, feelings and comfortable silences. All those moments helped to shape their feelings based on mutual trust and mutual respect.

Hongjoong never looked down on him – he actually never did with anyone in his crew, and the King never looked down on the pirate. Seonghwa had loved before. He had loved and he had lost. If his wife taught him about the innocence of a timid and pure first love, Hongjoong taught him that love could be as unpredictable and as overwhelming as the sea.

The Pirate’s love and adoration for the King was so evident that he didn’t need to say anything about it, Seonghwa – and everyone else, just knew; and he was sure that Hongjoong knew that this feeling was completely reciprocated, too.

Seonghwa reached down, kissing the other’s forehead, then his nose, his left cheek. Hongjoong’s smile widened and he settled for closing his eyes and enjoying his lover’s sudden affectionate gestures, Trying to move his leg as little as possible, Seonghwa’s kisses trailed a path until he reached the first one of the scars the pirate had on his chest: it was on his left shoulder and, Seonghwa thought, looked very painful.

He took his time to kiss every and each mark the other had on his chest, silently praising him with his lips.

«I… Think I really love you.» Hongjoong quietly mumbled. Seonghwa looked up from the other’s waist, finding the other looking at the ceiling, making him doubt that the pirate actually wanted to say that out loud.

The King slowly kissed his way back to the pirate’s side to his lips, catching his attention. Hongjoong’s piercing gaze was locked on him, and Seonghwa knew that he could have searched for hours in those eyes, and all he would be able to find would be love. The King felt his heart swell.

«I love you, too.» Seonghwa mumbled back, reaching down to connect their lips. They kissed like they had all the time in the world, taking their time to savour the other’s lips. Hongjoong would playfully lick the other’s bottom lip, and Seonghwa would gently bite on the other’s smiling lips in return.

The kiss was full of tenderness and love, even if they occasionally teased each other; they detached with their hearts racing, plump lips and cheeks flushed red.

Hongjoong sighed, his eyes still close. «Yes, I’m sure of it.» he hummed.

Seonghwa smiled, kissing the other’s chest one more time before resting his head on it. Hongjoong’s arms caged him into a warm hug, and Seonghwa fell asleep listening to the other’s rapid heartbeat.

Sadly, Seonghwa had to realize that time didn’t pass so fast when you were confined to bed.

«But Wooyoung, it’s been weeks!» Seonghwa whined and Wooyoung sighed, brushing his hair off his eyes using his wrist.

«It’s not gonna heal if you walk around by yourself, idiot.» the Doctor replied, intentionally pressing a bit more roughly on the wound on the other’s thigh while disinfecting it, earning a hiss from the boy.

«Hongjoong will help me!» Seonghwa’s pleading eyes shifted to the Captain which was busy writing on his journal.

«Uh, no? I absolutely won’t.» He looked up from the papers with a frown. Seonghwa’s shoulders lowered in defeat and he laid back on the bed.

«See? He’s clever, this is why he’s the Captain.» Wooyoung commented and kept tying up the bandage around Seonghwa’s thigh.

His eyes wandered on the ceiling. If there was one thing Seonghwa loved to do, it was to spend time admiring the giant map that the pirate had drawn there. Hongjoong had promised him that since he had to stay in bed, they would have continued the project. In the past weeks, his friends organized so that they would take turns to both work on the drawing and spend time with Seonghwa.

Hongjoong always handed him few papers that he kept on his desk with the map’s sketches, to guide the one who was painting on the ceiling so they won’t make mistakes. Essentially, Seonghwa’s role was to oversee his friend’s work. He still had a lot of fun; he loved spending time with his friends and most of all, he loved seeing Hongjoong focused on painting while sitting on top of a wooden ladder. He loved it so much that sometimes, he would zone out while looking at him and the pirate had to snap the King out of his thoughts.

«Could you please pay attention to what we are doing?» Hongjoong commented once, amused by the Seonghwa’s startled face after he threw a clean brush at his chest.

«A brush, seriously? You just threw you lover a brush?» he muttered raising an eyebrow, placing the brush next to himself. «Will you ever show me your drawings?» he added suddenly and the pirate nodded dismissively.

«Now be helpful, love. Otherwise,» he slightly readjusted his position on top of the wooden ladder and pointed to the other side of the ceiling, «I’m gonna doodle you right on top of your Castle, wearing princess clothes.»

«You wouldn’t dare.» Seonghwa narrowed his eyes.

«Try me.» the pirate answered with a cheeky grin, and Seonghwa clicked his tongue in response with a smile.

Almost a month has passed and their journey was about to end. Seonghwa still had some difficulties on standing by himself but at least, his wound was healing. The thought reassured him, since he didn’t have the courage to face Jongdae after all the months spent fighting side by side. He would have surely mocked him about how he managed to get hurt like a rookie.

«Hey there Your Highness!» Yunho chimed in the quarters, closing the door behind himself and Yeosang. «You’re stuck with us today.»

«Are you feeling better?» Yeosang asked. Seonghwa smiled at them, nodding in response at the pirate’s question. Yunho manoeuvred the wooden ladder until it was placed exactly under the still blank spot on the ceiling and Yeosang took his time to carefully look through the papers neatly placed on the desk, before handing them to Seonghwa with a sly smirk.

As his friends finished setting up – Yeosang would have been the first one to draw and Yunho would hand him the necessary tools he needed, Seonghwa managed to adjust his position on the bed, comfortably resting his back against the soft pillows.

«Keep an eye on us,» Yunho told Seonghwa «If we mess up Hongjoong’s pretty ceiling…»

«… Let’s not think about it.» Yeosang cut him off, waving a pencil in front of the other’s face, while sitting on the top of the ladder. Even if his friends paid enough attention to not mess up the ceiling, both Yeosang and Yunho managed to get dirty with paint.

«Here,» Yeosang said as he painted a long stripe of blue paint on Yunho’s hair «You look like a mermaid, now.» he giggled.

«Do that again and I’ll throw you overboard.» Yunho sighed, slightly waving the wooden ladder and almost making Yeosang fall with a loud yelp. Work progressed slowly but smoothly, the three of them occasionally joking around.

The fact that his friends willingly re-arranged their days so that Seonghwa was less lonely made him truly happy; he was glad to finally feel like he was one of them. Not only was he able to see how his friends prioritised him, with each passing day he felt like his soul was growing a little bit less restless. That feeling of finally having found a home steadily growing inside his heart.

Seonghwa’s eyes shifted towards Hongjoong’s desk, to the box containing the Aurora shard. Deep inside, he knew exactly what he had to to do as soon as he saw both Baekhyun and Jongdae and hopefully, they would agree. The young King had made up his mind long time ago, and Aurora granting his wish was a further motivation to hold on to his decision to definitely step down from his position as King. After all, he knew the young Resistance Leader was perfectly suited for the role.

Lost in thoughts, his fingers mindlessly started to play with the papers laying on his lap. Seonghwa couldn’t help but absently notice the fact that the papers that Yeosang handed him were, maybe, a bit too many. Hongjoong handed him drawings of the map every day but he was absolutely sure they weren’t as many as today.

Curiously, his fingers browsed through the pages, wondering what the pirate could have added this time. The map was almost finished so, maybe, Yeosang picked few pages from his journal as well.

His fingers incredulously leafed through the pages again and again, and everything Seonghwa could recognize was one thing: himself.

All the sketches had one thing in common: every time the Captain drew him, it was because he was far away from him. One of the first things he noticed was that only the King would be an actual detailed figure, leaving the person next to him to a mere sketch.

However, Seonghwa remembered every moment the other portrayed: in one sketch he was finishing tying up the ropes with San, the sun was high in the sky and it was really windy. In another he was chattering with Jongho leaning against the railways, the younger telling him about bow he really valued his friends as his family. In another drawing he was standing on the crow’s nest with Yeosang. Then again, again and again; Seonghwa smiled softly, seeing himself being captured by the other’s eyes. At the bottom of that envelope of sheets, there was the only drawing that captured the King’s face from up close: the pirate portrayed his face while sleeping.

Seonghwa smiled as a tear of happiness unconsciously escaped his eye, his fingers softly grazing over the pencil lines and admiring all the small details that the Captain captured.

«Illusion to Seonghwa!» Yunho’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Both pirates were looking at his face, puzzled.

«Seonghwa?» Yeosang asked, narrowing his eyes and focusing on the papers on the King’s lap, a smug smile appeared on his face as soon as he recognized the drawing he saw earlier.

«Why are you crying over a map-Oh. Wow.» Yunho said with a hand on his mouth, trying to cover the wide smile on his face. «I have to tell Mingi.» He mumbled excitedly, storming off. By that time, Yeosang was ready sitting at the bed’s feet, smiling at his friend.

«I caught him few times. He made me swear to not say anything.» he chuckled.

Seonghwa blushed, «I don’t know what to say,» he mumbled «It’s such a small thing but I feel so happy.» His eyes wandered on the drawings and Yeosang nodded.

«Ah! Young love!» the pirate sighed dramatically while getting up from the bed. «I’ll go get Yunho, otherwise we’re never gonna finish this map.»

Later that night, Seonghwa made sure to hold Hongjoong a little bit tighter as they were falling asleep; the Pirate returned the other’s embrace, resting his head on the King’s chest.

Once again – like all the other times where there was no need for words between them to understand each other, Seonghwa knew that there was no need to tell him about the drawings. After all, with Yunho running around the ship in order to find Mingi, he was sure he – and everyone on the his way towards Mingi, already knew.

«Hongjoong?» he whispered, and the other hummed against his neck in response. «Where are we going when we’ll sail next time?»

«Anywhere you want, love.» the Pirate mumbled, half asleep.

It was a sunny day, around noon; Illusion was docked in a very familiar port. Seonghwa inhaled deeply, incredulously looking at his surroundings in awe.

After months, he was back in his former Kingdom; the first thing he noticed was the few people walking around, the opposite situation during the days when he still lived there. Although it was not a predominantly port town, it had always been lively and full of people roaming the streets, and now it seemed half deserted. Seonghwa suspected what the reason might be, but he settled for thinking it was still too early for people to crowd the streets.

«We’re gonna sail again in four days!» Hongjoong’s voice commanded the crew, before telling his friends they’d meet for dinner at Baekhyun’s inn.

«Do you want me to come with you?» Hongjoong nervously asked Seonghwa, which was hugging close to his chest the leather strap of the bag containing everything he had to give Jongdae.

«I know you have things to do, as well. I will see you tonight.» Seonghwa shook his head and reached out to intertwine his fingers with his lover, before briefly kissing him on the lips. Hongjoong nodded before mumbling a quiet “I love you”, and they parted ways.

The young King didn’t know what to expect; almost five months had passed since he left, anything could have happened to both his friends. A sudden sense of nervousness pervaded him as he walked through the sunny alleys illuminated by the early afternoon sun.

”Please, don’t be burnt down, please be okay-“ his thoughts repeated like a mantra until he turned around the corner to see that apparently, nothing changed. The inn was there, the old wooden signboard was slightly waving in the wind. Instinctively, his steps increasingly quickened until he found himself running towards the entrance, taking a deep breath before opening the heavy, wooden door.

«Honestly? What people don’t understand about the fact that we’re open from-» Baekhyun scoffed, annoyed; he was standing with his back facing the door, cleaning the counter in front of him.

«It’s been five months and you still didn’t learn how to lock yourself inside?» Seonghwa’s soft voice made Baekhyun turn around so quickly he almost felt his head spinning; the boy immediately ran towards Seonghwa to hug him close, and the King returned the hug just as tightly, as his heart was hammering in his chest in a mixture of happiness and relief.

«You’re okay… I was so worried!» Baekhyun’s loud voice echoed between the empty hall; he let go from Seonghwa, just to keep holding his hand.

«You have so many things to tell me, young boy. Let’s go get Jongdae, he has gone full Resistance’s Leader mood.» Baekhyun quickly walked towards the inn’s door, locking them inside.

«Hasn’t he always been?» Seonghwa joked as he followed Baekhyun, which was leading to the backdoor.

«He got worse!» Baekhyun laughed.

Jongdae hugged Seonghwa with the same strength Baekhyun did earlier, a hint of incredulity remaining in his eyes as he looked at the younger boy.

«You really made it!» the Leader would affectionately squeeze his cheeks. «Safe and sound!»

Seonghwa nodded, and they sat down to tell each other everything happened during those months. His friends told him about how the situation got worse since he sailed, his Kingdom was on the verge of a civil war.

The Governor kept adding taxes and the people were getting poorer day by day. The Resistance tried to help civilians as much as they could but, it was almost impossible to see a positive end to this situation. Seonghwa listened carefully, feeling guilty that it took them so long to come back. However, while listening to Jongdae, he was furtherly sure about his decision.

«This is why you have to reclaim the throne as soon as possible.» Jongdae finished his explanation. Seonghwa shook his head in response and his friends frowned, confused.

«I will not, Jongdae. I’m officially stepping down from my title,» he said, taking a hold of Jongdae’s hands. «In your favour.»

«What?!» both brothers asked, unintentionally synchronised.

«I’ve had a lot of time to think about this and Jongdae, trust me. You’d make a great King.» Seonghwa explained. He told them everything: the Mist, the friends he travelled with, Hongjoong. He told them about his feelings, opening their hearts to them. He told them about how he realized that there was no one more suited than Jongdae for this.

Despite his confidence while talking, it had not been an easy decision to make. Seonghwa was definitively giving up his old life: his habits, the luxuries, spending days studying, he was giving up a life that somehow he had always loved.

However, in his heart there was the strong certainty that staying with Hongjoong was the right path for him.

«Seonghwa, I can’t do it.» Jongdae answered dumbfounded, «You are the King, people had always loved you.»

«Why are you talking like there aren’t hundreds people out there ready to blindly follow you because they trust you?» Seonghwa asked back with a kind smile, squeezing the other’s hands.

«He’s right,» Baekhyun chimed in «You’ve been the Leader of the Resistance for years. There are a lot of people loyal to you.»

Jongdae’s eyes found his brother’s, «and also, we can’t force this on him when his heart is now clearly somewhere else.» They remained silent for few minutes, Jongdae seriously pondering the idea before nodding and mumbling a quiet, «I will do it» Seonghwa erupted into a wide smile, and emptied the bag’s contents on the table.

«First of all, promise me you won’t freak out.» his fingers played with the casket’s lock and his friends looked at him, puzzled.

«Aurora, please, show yourself.» he mumbled, opening revealing a large transparent sphere laying on velvet. Just like happened at the Mist’s cave, as soon as Seonghwa touched the sphere, a faint glow began to erupt from the centre of it.

Both Jongdae and Baekhyun looked at it, almost hypnotized by the beauty of the colours alternating inside the sphere. Once again, Aurora materialized as gracefully as the first time.

«W-what the hell just happened?» Baekhyun’s incredulously whispered, and Jongdae remained silent, watching in awe as the woman which seemed made of air itself took a standing position next to Seonghwa. Her robes were gracefully moving as if dancing in the wind, except all windows were closed.

«So, she is the Aurora shard I’ve been looking for.» Seonghwa explained his friends.

«Is this about your wish, Your Majesty?» she looked at Seonghwa with her soft and colourful eyes, pretending to not know already; Seonghwa nodded, exchanging a look with Jongdae.

«Why are you looking at me? What do I have to do?» Jongdae asked; noticing Seonghwa’s eyes glancing at the crystal sphere, he tentatively reached out to touch it with his index finger, right next to Seonghwa’s.

«As I promised, I will grant your wish. I recognise you, Jongdae, as the rightful King.» Aurora smiled softly at him, explaining that as soon as Jongdae would have claimed the throne, the shard would disappear to go back to the Mist Island. «It’s not the first time I helped this Kingdom.» she said, «The rules of time don’t apply to me. I will always be there, until the end of time.» then, she disappeared into the shard after the hint of a polite bow.

«I can’t believe this,» Baekhyun commented, an excited smile on his face. «but wait, you’re officially a pirate now?» Seonghwa nodded in response. Baekhyun scoffed, lightly hitting Jongdae on his chest «Well, brother. You might as well be a King now, but I can see the future.» he said, referring to the first night he saw Seonghwa and Hongjoong together at the inn.

Time passed quickly, they talked and laughed together about everything came to their mind about the long months spent apart and before they realized, it was time for dinner.

Hongjoong was the first one to arrive at the inn; both boys sat together facing the counter where Baekhyun was working, as they were waiting for their friends. Looking around the hall, Seonghwa sadly had to acknowledge what his friend told him earlier; the change was undeniable, instead of the crowded hall, now there were at least half of the people.

«So… What did you do today?» Hongjoong asked, inching closer to Seonghwa.

«Nothing interesting, really. I abdicated.» he answered inching closer as well; their noses were almost touching and he tried not to laugh at Hongjoong’s suddenly confused face.

«What do you mean?» the pirate frowned, confusion clearly written on his face.

«I already told you, I’m coming with you!» Seonghwa giggled, softly bumping his forehead against his lover.

«And who’s going to-»

«Jongdae.» Seonghwa answered, telling him about everything that had happened between them.

«Seonghwa,» Hongjoong’s said with a soft voice, his hands reaching to hold his lover’s under the table, «are you really sure about this? Spending five months on a pirate ship is quite different from-»

«Hongjoong, I don’t think I could spend my days without you,» Seonghwa interrupted him, tightening his grip, adverting his gaze towards the inn’s entrance, «or without them.» he added, nodding at their friends which were now walking towards their table, as always talking loudly.

Sometimes Seonghwa’s gaze met Baekhyun’s and the older would playfully wink at him, nodding towards Hongjoong with his head.

They were sitting in an inn in a distant city near Jongho’s home town, two months had passed since he last saw Jongdae and Baekhyun.

Needless to say, his friends and the crew were all happy with Seonghwa’s decision to stay with them. Eventually, his role became helping Yeosang with the navigation on the crow’s nest. Yeosang was more than happy with this decision: the two had became close friends, so he didn’t mind spending more time with Seonghwa, and the pirate needed someone who would change place with him every now and then.

The relationship between Hongjoong and Seonghwa was pretty much official, so both boys kept on sharing the Captain’s quarters.

Yunho suddenly made them a hurried sign to keep quiet, stealthily pointing to the table behind them, and they all curiously complied.

«I told you it’s the truth!» a rough man’s voice exclaimed, excited. Seonghwa slightly leaned closer to Hongjoong, in order to hear better. «The Kingdom of the West has a new King!» the man proceeded, telling his friends about what happened the day after Seonghwa returned to his former Kingdom. A young man – which some had recognized as the Leader of the Resistance, asked for a meeting with the Governor and then he proceeded to summon a furious female spirit from a sphere which started glowing in various colours, angered by the fact that someone was unfairly occupying the King’s throne.

The man continued, adding that the Governor and his followers had all been executed because of the outrages and wrongdoing done to the people; needless to say, the citizens were more than happy with this decision. As the man continued talking with his friends, Seonghwa felt both happy and relieved to hear those words, even though he never doubted Jongdae. He was happy to know people loved him, and relieved to hear about how slowly he was fixing everything.

The Kingdom was no longer on the verge of a civil war, nor on the verge of a war with neighbouring Reigns.

«You heard that? I created a hero.» Seonghwa boldly whispered to Hongjoong.

After discussing a bit further, the man and his friend changed the topic of their conversations, and the pirates went back to eating. Seonghwa chewed on his food and chuckled at Mingi and San friendly bickering over a plate of food, and at Yeosang and Jongho were pretending nothing was happening even thought they were in between the two boys playfully screaming at each other.

The boy’s heart suddenly felt overwhelmed, and his mind started wandering through everything that had happened to that day; he glanced at his friends, feeling his soul at ease, a content sigh left his lips. A familiar hand softly ruffled his hair.

«You okay?» Hongjoong gently whispered in his ear, probably noticing that he had stopped eating all of a sudden.

«Yeah, I was just thinking,» Seonghwa said, before answering to Hongjoong’s silent question with a smile, «I’m home.» he simply said with a shrug.

Hongjoong’s eyes widened in surprise, before erupting into a wide smile as well.

«You are.» Hongjoong’s voice was gentle, like every other time the other would speak to him.

«Hey, lovebirds! We’re having dinner over here!» Yunho loudly called out to his friends.

«I swear to the Goddess Mazu, Wooyoung and San are more subtle than you two!» Mingi added, an exaggerated exasperated sigh left his lips.

«San, you heard them?» Wooyoung asked his lover, noisily placing his chalice back on the table.

«Is it a challenge?» San finished for him, smirking and raising an eyebrow in mischief.

«No, it’s not.» Yeosang immediately said, politely placing his fork on the plate to rub his temples.

«Yeah please, don’t.» Jongho echoed his friend, still quietly chewing on his food.

Wooyoung erupted into a contagious laughter, and Seonghwa’s hand reached out to Hongjoong’s one and he intertwined their fingers under the table. He knew that he made the right choice. He was exactly where he was supposed to be.

Later that night, after Hongjoong gave the wedding ring back to Seonghwa – who wore it immediately, they made love. Hongjoong’s nails drew red lines on Seonghwa’s back and their fingers lingered on the other’s skin a bit more desperately, in stark contrast to their kisses, which were soft, gentle and caring. They whispered each other’s name almost like a prayer, mumbling quiet “I love you’s” as they came down from their bliss.

With a content smile, Seonghwa played with both the rings on his left hand using his thumb, his right arm was resting comfortably around Hongjoong’s waist, which was laying on his side with his head on his lover’s chest, hugging the other’s hip which were partially covered by the blanket.

«Does it mean you found a better treasure?» Seonghwa’s smug question eventually broke the comfortable silence of the room, as he was referring to the other’s words back at the tavern when the Pirate choose his wedding ring as a compensation: “I’ll give it back once I’ll find something more valuable”, he had said.

The King heard the Pirate’s breathless laugh, before he propped himself on his left elbow in order not to not place his whole weight on Seonghwa.

«As if you didn’t know already.» Hongjoong answered with a wide smile, affectionately kissing Seonghwa’s lips.

all works © lettersfromaphrodite

Do not modify, repost, translate or plagiarize my stories. I only publish my works on tumblr & AO3.

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[swordluck]

[ shower ]   your muse joining mine in the shower. (Perhaps in some town they're visiting for supplies, or waterfall)

The inn was baked in the scent of hearth smoke and rosemary, honeyed mead and roasting meat.  It was warm in its welcome, particularly after long weeks on the road, trudging through the thickety heart of the wilds.  Anri, weary down to her bones, retreated from the fireside and made her way to the attached bathhouse, eager to purge the dirt that had bedded itself in her pores and nail beds. 

Steam hung like mist as she stepped into the small, crack-tiled chamber.  Beneath her feet, stone flags had been worn smooth by countless bare soles.  There, she stripped away her dusty garments, letting them pool at her feet like discarded skins, and moved beneath the shower.  It beat against her skin like summer rain, rivulets streaming over her dirt-smudged skin, dissolving the grime of their journey.  Tilting her head back, water saturated her hair, darkened strands clinging to her scalp and trailing down her neck like veins of gold.  Still further she leaned, the spray cascading over her face, loosening the waves and tangles left after days of being woven into braids.

The sound of the door creaking open startled her from her reverie.  Spooked and immediately shy, Anri instinctively pressed herself against the cool tiles, her breath quickening – but modesty melted into familiarity as her eyes found Eskel, his broad shoulders nearly brushing the narrow door frame.  Pulse slowing, she smiled at him, giddy, drunk on the luxury of warm water and the way his sharp, slit-pupiled gaze fastened itself to her.

Let him look, she thought, dazzled by her own boldness.  Let him see how the water coursed over her in glistening sheets, dripping from the rose-crowned peaks of her breasts.

Eskel began to undress without ceremony, his movements methodical, though Anri thought she detected the fatigue in his movements.  When his tunic fell, it revealed the familiar map of scars crossing his chest, a pattern she knew as thoroughly as the back of her own hands.  Anri looked away – not out of embarrassment, but rather quiet respect – and busied herself, fingers working the water into the roots of her hair, nails scraping her scalp in small, satisfying circles. 

The spray shifted as Eskel stepped in beside her, his presence large and grounding.  Water struck his shoulders and rolled down his muscular frame, the drumming sound filling the space and silence between them.  Wordlessly, Anri knelt to retrieve the cloth, the soap already soaked and bubbling in anticipation.  She couldn’t resist a glance – just a fleeting look – her eyes skimming over him as if she hadn’t already traced every inch of him with her hands, her lips.  A girlish shyness stirred in her still when she glimpsed what hung heavy and shameless at the apex of his thighs.  As if he hadn’t deflowered her, as if she didn’t already know the taste of his skin. 

Straightening, she twisted the soap into the cloth until it frothed.  It had a herbaceous smell, a blend of whatever green crush the innkeeper’s wife had harvested from her garden.  Something vaguely floral was buried there too – violets, Anri would guess.  Pressing the cloth to his chest, she was slow and reverent in her motions, foam trailing over old scars and the planes of muscle. 

“We will feel better after this,” she promised, her voice low and warm, her eyes flicking up to meet his.  Mischief danced at the corners of her mouth.  “Especially if we can manage a long sleep.”

[greetingfromthedead]

C6: A Heavy Heart

For more information on the series (tags, CW, etc) click the banner!

Series Rating: 18+ / Explicit

Chapter: 6/84

Words: 1.9k

No particular warnings for this chapter.

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You reach the tiny town before sunset, like Vash had predicted. Still riding the happy tomas as you arrive, your back now fully against the man, hands more relaxed as you hold onto the saddle. He had gotten you to talk more about where you had been and what you had seen. More about the towns you visited and the people you met. He listened to everything with excitement, and when he heard the doubt in your voice, he encouraged you to keep going. There was almost an unspoken understanding between the two of you. He added his own stories to the mix too, sharing his experiences about some of the towns you both had visited. It felt like you had known him for a lifetime, not just a day or so. And he felt the same.

As Vash leads the tomas towards the little guesthouse, some people shoot the two of you some glances, and you feel like you need to hide, a deep instinct of wanting to run away seeping into your mind.

"It's okay. You're fine; I'm not going to let anything happen to you." Vash whispers a promise into your ear, almost like he could read your mind. You push yourself further into him, hoping his big coat will obscure you even just a little bit. The tomas stops by the bird pens, and Vash unmounts swiftly, reaching his hand out to you, and you take it as you get down yourself. A man approaches the two of you, and before you find your legs again to hide somewhere, Vash has already stepped between the man and you, hiding you completely. He interacts kindly with the older gentleman, who takes the bird to get her settled in.

"Alright, let's get ourselves some rooms." He smiles at you, almost ushering you up the little stairs.

"I don't really need a room. I can't pay for it." You try to protest, feeling bad.

"Well, you are welcome to stay in my bed too; I just thought you would like to have a space where you can hide, even from me. And I don't mind paying for it; we will settle that debt tomorrow... or the day after, or the day after that, doesn't really matter."

Once both of you make it into the small reception area, Vash takes over all the interactions with the innkeeper. As you try to hide yourself from the gazes of the number of people in the small area, you find that you have nowhere to go. Vash currently negotiates a discount on two dingy rooms and probes around to see if there are any odd jobs to do around here. Your discomfort doesn't go unnoticed by him, and without breaking his train of thought, he pulls you closer. His metal arm holds you so tight against his side; his big coat comes partially over you, and you find yourself inching even closer, one arm around him, under his coat on his back, the other grasping his shirt from the front. You hide your own gaze in his chest. Your racing thoughts of needing to hide calm down as you feel warm in his embrace, the eyes of others bothering you just a little bit less. A voice in the back of your head screams louder than during the whole trip here.

As soon as Vash gets everything he needs from the innkeeper, he looks down at you like him embracing you like that is the most natural thing in the world, and holds out a key to you.

"Here you go, second floor, and lucky me is right next door!" he declares, amused.

You find yourself mumbling a thanks as the hand grabbing his shirt releases and takes the key almost automatically. Your other arm is still around him as you feel his grip loosen, but staying around you.

"Let's go, Sweet Pea." He guides you to the staircase leading up and waves the innkeeper goodnight. All you can feel is your cheeks burning up as the two of you head away, arms around each other. You only remove your arm from under his coat as you reach the stairs, both hands gripping the key as you go up, with him following right behind. You don't even remember the other people around at this point, not caring if they are measuring you with their looks; you are too occupied with the different thoughts resonating in your brain.

What is going on? Why does he make you feel like that? Why has he subconsciously already gained your trust? It's true that at this point, you could trust him with your life if it meant anything to you. He makes you feel so safe and light, like you weren't carrying around your mountains of guilt and depressing feelings. Why did you enjoy him sheltering you like that? And what had he just called you? And why does it feel like your brain abandons you as soon as he is involved?

"So those are ours! These will do!" he cheerfully announces, cutting your whirling thoughts short. You are at the end of the little corridor, with two doors next to each other so close that there couldn't be much space behind them. "Want to have an early night, Celeste?"

You turn a bit more towards him, the scrambled thoughts in your head making you feel too lost and awkward to look at his face.

"Actually, could you not call me that? It's a name given to a local deity, something I'm definitely not. You said you would come up with a different name for me... I even prefer Sweet Pea."

He watches you with a gentle smile as your gaze is turned down onto the carpeted floor, your burning cheeks just barely visible. It warms his core to see you like this—a sight so different from the first or even second one he placed on you. The way you had laid in that coffin had broken his heart, and the rage blazing in your eyes after you first woke up had scared him. But this gentle, very human you made him glad.

"Alright, I'll try to come up with something by morning, but if not, then Sweet Pea it is!"

You hadn't thought your face could burn up even more than it already had, but his words pushed you further. You fumble with the keys before you manage to open the door to your tiny room.

"Thank you for this; I'll definitely pay you back, I promise." you say as you are ready to dash in, slam the door, and never come out again.

"Don't sweat it. Sweet Pea. I like this," he says the last part more to himself, the words fitting nicely into his mouth. "Sweet Pea. I'm good at this." He pauses for a second. "Anyway, don't hesitate to drop by if there's anything I can do for you. Goodnight!"

You disappear into the room, quickly and quietly closing the door behind you. You don't even see him sending you a wide smile as he waves.

"Goodnight," you say back, almost too quiet for him to hear. Almost.

You sit down on the floor, your back pressed against the door, so you feel secure that he won't come in without you knowing and seeing you like this. You feel like a mess of thoughts and feelings that are so unnatural to you. You don't remember ever feeling anything similar to this. Thoughts keep playing over and over again, the feeling in your chest burning ever deeper to the point where it makes you feel sick. He doesn't know you; he is a stranger, no better than the rest. A person like the ones who shunned you. He doesn't think you are normal, human. His kindness is nothing but an act. Surely there's an ulterior motive; maybe he is moving you to one of the big cities, perhaps to May or July? But you aren't his captive, you have every right to decline. You know you are stronger and faster than most humans; perhaps you could fight him off if it came to him trying to capture you like a bounty. But you can't imagine his face twisting in malice, trying to subdue you. Your brain gets louder and louder, screaming for you to run, to hide.

Leaning the back of your head against the door with a silent thud lines your eyes up with the tiny window in the room. Outside, you see the sky getting painted red and orange as the suns set. It is still somewhat early; Vash already told you goodnight; he clearly knew you needed space. He was okay with you hiding even from him. You feel guilty for suspecting him, for thinking he means you harm or resents you in some way. It adds to your other guilt, making it heavier and, ever so slightly, harder to bear. Your heart weighed down once again, calming the storming feelings in your chest and replacing them with just an ache, the same you had felt a century ago. For you, it felt like yesterday, the passing of time leaving no sign of itself in your mind.

The buzzing picks up once again, and the sounds in your head crescendo into screams and leave you nearly paralyzed. You soon notice how daylight has left your room, the sky outside a dark, inky black. You try ripping yourself away from this mess of noises; you try looking around the room to notice it; you try to imagine how everything looks once the lamp is turned on. You think back into the past, thinking about the moments you spent roaming; you think about your second coming—the last two days spent with a strange man. Vash. His words, his voice, his actions, even just his presence, have been keeping the voices in your head from taking over. You don't even notice them when he's around. You know what it means when they take over. You've experienced it before, more than once.

You listen, focusing hard to pick up anything over the noise in your thoughts. Footsteps from the room next to you. Vash is awake. It eases your guilt; you wouldn't want to bother him too much. You grip the door handle and pull yourself up. Quietly opening and closing the door to slip into the brightly lit hallway. Just a few steps, and you stand in front of his door, hand raised to knock, but you hesitate. Why are you relying on this man? He's not going to be around forever; he won't be there to ease your pain once he realizes his true plans or just recognizes what kind of monster you are. With that thought, your hand lowers, and you start to turn away, but the door opens. Vash almost walks into you, too consumed by his own thoughts.

"Oh. Fancy seeing you in a place like this," he jokes, and you immediately feel the temperature in your core start to rise. "Were you also going to go on a walk? A lot fewer people are around if you go in the middle of the night!"

"Uhm, yes," you say, too embarrassed to admit the true reason.

"Wonderful. Mind if I accompany you?" He smiles, seemingly without a care in the world. But you know better; you have noticed something more behind his eyes and smile—some profound sadness.

"Not in the least."

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[sliptohk]

Prompt# 24: Bar

It was late evening before the palisade wall came into view. A curious thought on whether the sheet of ice caking it bolstered, or undermined, the integrity of the structure sprang to mind. The long day in the saddle banished it. There were far more pressing things at hand, most notably the smoke rising from the chimneys of that small trading post. Similar to other settlements, one need only follow the lone path through town to the tavern located nearest the center. Craftsmen shuttered up their shops, before lowering their heads to follow in that same direction.

One should always follow the stream of locals.

Drawing to a stop near the entrance, River slid from his bird to investigate the stable. Sturdy walls, ample water and feed. A stonewall that butted up against some source of heat as it resonated through and raised the temperature to a more comfortable range. One would hardly be strutting about in their smallclothes but it would keep the chocobo content enough through the night.

"Good enough."

He shouldered the door the rest of the way open, even as the stablekeeper stepped out shivering onto the porch. They had been watching from the window until they absolutely needed to assist. Their body tucked in on itself as the shift from a warm room to cold night curled him up like a prawn.

"All of ya?"

Ellory moderated her tone, not wanting to waken the slumbering raen keeping her frontside warm through the ride, "Every bird! My Scirocco here likes the premium feed, so make sure to spoil them rotten!"

"Costs extra. Take it up with the innkeep." Cold and companionship did not mix, so she dismounted once Crater stepped forward to cradle their new friend gently.

A raucous room would have been welcome, but things seemed a touch more subdued than expected. It was hardly the place that drew in boisterous adventurers or boastful mercenaries. The well-behaved crowd looked predominantly like hunters and trappers, and the merchants that benefited from their wares. They looked up with mild curiousity at the roegadyn carrying an au ra across the threshold, but it was clearly more from want of anything more interesting to claim their attention. At least it did entice the proprietress, a sturdy looking woman that had the look of a soldier about them.

She stepped forward, hands resting on her hips, "Bit late to come rolling in. Not got much left in the way of accommodations." Awayuki looked better than before, but had clearly had a rough time. Something the sharp-eyed woman did not miss, "Need a doctor? Could call down the old man. Might be a wait, he's with another patient."

"Leave the graybeard to it, Oliver here's got the arts to handle it." Her inner merchant coaxed her to add, "Could lend a hand with anyone ya got laid up. Few coin, or a hot meal and drinks for the service?"

"Not one of ours, wrangle whatever you can out of them but boarding and vittles are on your coin!"

"Just might! How many rooms you got to spare?"

"Three, 200 gil a body for the night. Birds included if ya got any."

Not the worst price, but a bit more than Ellory had anticipated. She scratched at her neck in absent thought, before nodding. "Two rooms then. Regana! Skarhmhar! You two are on your own from here, take the third with my blessing!"

"Wait just a-…" Arlette started, only to fall silent at a hand on her shoulder.

"Agreeable. Myself, Arlette, and Ms. Oyeka in one so we may tend her. Ellory, River, and Crater in the other to give space to work."

"Wait just a-…" This time Arlette cut off the teasing hyurgadyn with a glance, imitation was no form of flattery.

"Agreeable."

"Fair enough, ya done us a fine turn!" The seawolf chuckled, before producing their share of the costs. Regana just looked utterly relieved to not need to share a room with Arlette for the night, nearly spilling her purse in her haste to pay. Offering a quiet, "Appreciate it."

"Door bars from the inside. Top level, last ones to your right."

While Oliver handled the payment the brothers went upstairs with their burdens. River relieving their former rivals of the courier's pack before ascending the staircase to quickly lay claim to the nearest room. The building was solid enough, but nobody chose to take the last room. Sharing two walls with the cold was a guarantee not to have the most cozy of rooms. The Winds showed their own lack of mercy by sending Merciless to the corner room instead.

Stowing her own gear, Ellory wandered about. Eyes taking in what she could, while she wallowed in her worries during that temporary moment of solitude. Soon enough one of the others would pop up and the morale-boosting attitude would need to greet them. For the moment, she contented herself by wandering past the other rooms. Most of the doors closed, the occupants taking their meals in their rooms. Several as yet unoccupied, likely belonging to some of the fellows still holding court in the tavern below.

While the wooden banisters did practically invite her to run a finger along them, the sheer volume of splinters helped curb that thought. The entire place seemed like one errant match away from going up in flames. Appearances may deceive, but she would not be the one to test it. Or the splinters.

Strolling past one room, she only half-listened to the conversation within. Were she more polite, she would have ignored it entirely, but a lack of proper etiquette was only one of her failings. At least she was halfway courteous.

"-ought to heal in a sennight. Drink the tinctures I've prepared and be sure to rest. Eat as much as you can stomach, your body needs the aether."

Just the physician, nothing of special concern to the mercenary as she eyed the impressive rack on a mounted animal head. Though she froze at a somber reply.

"Too long. Sell me a bird, I'll drink them on the road."

Some effort at privacy had been made, but a nearly closed door was not enough to keep Ellory from bursting through with a wild-eyed expression on her face. Eyes snapped to the figure laid out in bad, wrapped in bandages she hoped were only stained with healing salves and not some sort of vital fluids leaking out. Despite the curtain of hair masking their eyes, they clearly registered who had just barged in.

"Ellory?"

The sound of a laugh and a sob vying for dominance escaped her as Ellory lunged forward to wrap her arms about Silent's neck in a tight hug. It may have been against doctor's orders, but when she felt the other woman's arms wrap around her back to return the gesture it seemed a tolerable discomfort at least. Not bothering to clear her throat, or get her relieved sniffling under control, Ellory barked out a quick request.

"Food! Drinks! OLIVER! GET IN HERE!"

She did feel a mild twinge of irritation when Silent spoke with her own emotion firmly in hand, "I'm happy you're well."

"Swivin' well, she says! I'll tell ya how swivin' well I am! Where's that food?" The doctor seemed to take the interaction as an invitation to give the two space, packing his medical bag with a slight click. He would not be carting meals up and back himself. "I got so much goddamn stuff to tell ya and then I'm gonna drink every goddamn bottle in this place!"

"I'm telling Vagrant."

"I don't swivin' care!"

[sennamybeloved]

sapphire roses.

selfshiptober day 5: flowers.

▬▬ ship: lucian x senna x seren (s/i)

▬▬ warnings: none!

▬▬ author’s note: it's been like... well over a year since i've written for both of these guys at once. that's scary. i needed to change that.

▬▬ tag list: @dragonselfship @dudefrommywesterns @minkymeatshop @wanderers-wife @fallen-for-them

▬▬ reblogs always appreciated! ♡

Perhaps one of the oldest lessons to ever cement itself into Seren’s mind is the sacrality of nature. It's a balanced creature that will give if you give, and take back what you steal tenfold. One must never cause unnecessary disturbances to the land; do not hunt more than you can eat, do not prune and pick the lush gardens which do not grow for you, do not poison or destroy the precious all-mother or her children. The First Lands are both caretaker and butcher, a welcoming home for some and a graveyard for many.

Seren has roamed these forests for centuries, and in this time, she has been nothing but reverent. She has grown cold and callused toward most living things, but the all-mother? Never. Nature is her home, her temple, the womb which she blossomed from.

She has given selflessly, only taking measured sips in return. While she did live off the land for many, many years, she also fearlessly defended that same land from the humans that infiltrated and ravaged it; there is a very good reason the citizens of Kumangra utter fearful tales about a furred, man-eating beast that stalked the coastal forests.

So, as Seren stands in those very same forests all these years later, smoothing over the soft petals of the famed sapphire roses with a calloused thumb, she wonders what difference just two flowers would make.

Slender fingers curl around the first pale, thorny stem, tugging it free from the frost-kissed bush. She then repeats the action with a second. Both flowers, cradled delicately between her palms, glitter in the moonbeams which filter through the canopy above.

“Thank you, Ighilya.” A gentle invocation spoken into the  crisp night air. If you must take, the least you can do is be polite about it.

That is where Seren’s midnight rendezvous ends. With the two flowers resting gently in her satchel, she begins her trek back to Kumangra. As she emerges from the undergrowth and joins the other late-night travelers on the path into the town, the irony of her situation becomes all the more clear to her. She once slaughtered a man—a poacher, pompous and foolish, who thought himself to be larger than life—behind the inn she currently holds a room in. She wonders in passing if the settlers here still fear her. Do they still spin tales about her? Would it be possible for anyone to recognize her? She pulls the velvety cloak (Senna’s cloak, graciously lended to her to as protection from the evening chill) closer to her body as she hurries down the path.

The innkeeper pays her little mind. He’s worn, she can tell; he cares naught for pleasantries or expositions, he simply wants his coin and to be left alone besides. Despite his nonchalance, Seren has trouble detaching herself from his energy. As a matter of fact, she’s having trouble detaching herself from anything that’s happening inside this inn tonight. She passes a dozen locked doors, each of which emits its own unique string of feelings and misplaced thoughts—a small glimpse into what rules within. 

She’s used to getting these little glimpses (it’s not like she can entirely shut them out, anyways) but usually, she can at least control how much attention she lends to each of them. Right now, she feels overwhelmed, which is odd for a night that was going so well. Perhaps she shouldn’t have worked herself up over thoughts of hunters.

Then, she feels it, warm like sunbeams and sweet like honey; two familiar presences emitting from just behind the door ahead. The feeling envelopes her like a welcoming embrace. Without hesitation, she reaches for the rusty  doorknob and twists.

Their room is a small, odd-looking snuggery that’s architecture isn’t quite Ionian but still couldn’t be called anything else. The beds are comfortable enough and the building is very quiet.

Lucian and Senna are still wide awake, just as Seren expected. They were both doing their own things before she entered (Lucian was polishing the intricate metalwork of his guns, Senna was removing her bulky jewelry and setting it neatly on the bedside table in preparation for attempting sleep) but when the door opens, their gazes snap over to her, and everything else forgotten.

“Seren,” Senna speaks first. “You’re back.”

Seren smiles in reply. “Told you I wouldn’t be gone long.”

“That sure as hell felt like a long time,” Lucian’s voice is gruff and tired. His indignant front does not phase her; she can tell that it’s a cover-up for genuine worry.

“Awe. Good to know you still care about me.” She taunts, and Lucian lets out a short huff.

Seren joins the pair of them on the bed they share, placing her satchel in her lap and resting her palms on it. Her tail curls around her body, tucked neatly against her side.

“You’ll be pleased to know that I didn’t get attacked,” Seren says. “Not by animals or humans. Didn’t get lost, either.”

She references the countless times she’s gone out for walks whilst they are staying in foreign territories. The amount of times she’s almost died in Demacian forests is confounding.

“That’s only because this is your home,” Senna responds, prompting Seren to chuckle. 

“I suppose you’re right.” It is also because she was the hunter in these woods for many years, but yes, she’ll allow them to go with that.

A brief pause, and then, Lucian speaks. “Your bag smells like roses.”

Roses, yes. It does. Seren had almost forgotten about the sapphire roses she’d stolen from the forest. She has gotten so used to their aroma that she hadn’t even noticed the way it fills the room. She must’ve turned many heads during her walk back.

“Yeah,” Senna concurs. “What is that?”

“Oh. I got you guys something.” Seren opens her satchel and reaches in, gingerly plucking the cerulean-petaled roses from their resting place. Both of her partners lean over her shoulders, watching intently, captivated by the prospect of a gift.

“One for you,” the first flower is placed gently into Senna’s outstretched hand. Deft fingers curl around its thorny stem. Emerald green eyes glisten with delight. She brings it up to her nose and inhales its ambrosial scent.

“And one for you.” The second flower is offered up to Lucian. For a brief moment, he just stares at it, quietly examining its beauty. Then, almost timidly, he reaches for the stem as well, taking it from Seren’s grasp. His other hand comes up to stroke its silken, iridescent petals.

A proud grin pulls at the corners of Seren’s mouth. They’re both pleased with their gifts, she knows it. She feels it.

“Wow. These are beautiful.” Senna says after a moment, voice raw with wonder.

Lucian continues her line of thought.  “And you just… found these growin’ out in the woods?”

Seren nods in reply. “Yeah. They’re sapphire roses. They grow wild in the forests around here. They’re heavily sought after by merchants and flower collectors due to their unique scent. People usually pick them until there’s no more left to be had. It’s a wonder that I found these.”

Senna tuts disapprovingly. Her face still rests near the flower. “That’s terrible.”

“Isn’t it?” Seren is suddenly filled with vigor; she still harbors her hatred toward those goddamn merchants and collectors, even all these years later. “I used to have to chase them out of the woods, when I was staying around here.”

Senna chuckles, giving Seren a look. “You used to chase people out of the woods?”

Yeah. And hurt them real bad, sometimes. They always deserved it. “I’m scary.” Seren shrugs.

“She’s scary.” Lucian concures. The topic is left there.

“These are beautiful, Seren.” Senna places her flower gently atop her lap. Her (now free) hand comes to rest on Seren’s arm. She wears a kind, grateful smile.  “Thank you.”

Seren feels her face getting hot. “Yeah, of course.”

Lucian doesn’t say very much. He simply leans down and presses a kiss to the crown of Seren’s head. “You’re a sweetheart, thinkin’ of us like that.”

Seren laughs shyly, casting her gaze downward. “I mean, of course. You’re– Yeah… I think about you guys a lot.”

[balteren]

{arsema thomas, 30, cisfemale, she/her} We are so glad to see you safe, PRINCESS ANDROMEDA SOLOMAN OF ETHIOPIA! It’s dangerous out in the world these days, but I hear that you are CLEVER and PERCEPTIVE enough to handle it. Just don’t let your SELF-PRESERVATION bring you down! Stay on your guard, because with your secret being at risk for exposure, you wouldn’t want everyone to find out SHE IS THE LOST PRINCESS RECENTLY RETURNED, BUT SHE LOST HER MEMORIES YEARS AGO AND ISN’T SURE IF SHE IS AN IMPOSTER.

Name: andromeda soloman Aliases: andy (only to those close to her), seble Country: ethiopia Gender/Pronouns: cisfemale, she/her Sexual/Romantic Orientation: bisexual, biromantic Age: 30 Occupation: princess of ethiopia Faceclaim: arsema thomas Inspiration: eponine (les miserables), dear evan (dear evan hansen), penelope (bridgerton) Loyalties: herself, the ethiopian crown Pets: an arabian mare named salim  tldr; Andromeda is relatively reserved, and keeps most of her true thoughts and opinions to her self. Royalty suits her, and if someone didn’t know her backstory, they would likely be surprised that she was not a princess for her entire life. She is a staunch supporter of an absolute monarchy, but there is no part of her that wants any power for herself. All she really wants is to maintain her current status- and she’ll do whatever it takes to make sure that happens. When you get to know her, she’s very down-to-earth, generous, adventurous, but she is not above manipulating those around her to ensure they keep the correct image of her in their head.  backstory: Andromeda woke up without any memory, and without any identity. She opened her eyes one morning, her head throbbing with pain, with no recollection of who she was or how she got where she was. The only thing in her room was a bundle of clothes, a small pouch with a large sum of money, and a little figurine of a crow. Upon exiting her room, she found herself in a small inn, and was promptly told by the grumpy innkeeper that she had overstayed her welcome by a few hours.  It became increasingly obvious that she would get no information from the inn, so she kept her head down and picked a direction. She had no idea who she was, where she came from, or where she had been traveling, but she was getting nowhere by staying still, so she walked for days, passing through towns and villages, waiting for any memory to come back to her. Eventually, after no new developments, she picked a village, found a job as a bookkeeper, and picked a new name- Seble.  Her memories never did come back, but it stopped bothering her. After all, how can you miss the life you have no connection to? She grew to love her quiet life, even if it was often uncomfortable at times, and after a few years, she married. It was only a few days after the wedding that she woke up to find the bed empty, and the small fortune she had woken up with years before was missing, leaving Seble penniless, abandoned, and miserable. The pay from her job kept her alive, but not enough to keep her out of poverty.  Everything changed when an Ethiopian soldier stopped her on the street, clearly in a state of disbelief. Seble brushed him off when he told her she was the spitting image of the lost princess, but was unable to brush off the Ethiopian officials that arrived at her door after the soldier reported her to his authorities. Once again, she was reduced to a scared girl with no identity, a bundle of clothes and a little crow figurine. The officials declared that Princess Andromeda had been found, and she was dragged away to the Ethiopian palace. Seble was gone- she was now Andromeda.

now:  Despite Andromeda’s initial reservations, it became clear that this was a massive blessing. The Soloman family welcomed her home with open arms, and she was showered with jewels and silks and all the riches she could ask for. Finally, she had a stable, comfortable home, and most importantly, a family. Still, she can’t shake the idea that she isn’t the princess. For the timeline to match, she would have been on the run for at least two years before she lost her memory. Everyone tells her she looks exactly like she did before she went missing, but the young girl in the paintings is a stranger to her.  Even if she isn’t the princess, Andromeda has no intention of losing her new life. She could never go back to the cold, lonely life she had before. It was easy to live without a family and stability when she had no memory of it, but now that she does, she will do anything in her power to keep it. 

[i-did-not-mean-to]

Tripping

So, @lordoftherazzles, of course, it was my honour and my pleasure to write this for you!

I love you dearly!

Words: 2.6

Characters: Bard x Thranduil

Prompt: City slicker vacationing in small town

“Wait…you’re breaking up,” Thranduil almost screamed into his phone as he stepped off the rickety, old bus that had taken him from the picturesque train station to the main square of the small town he was to spend the week in.

No doubt, his son had meant well when he had decided that his suave, overworked father needed a small break from his gruelling office job.

“Mirkwood Inc. will be fine without you,” Legolas had grinned around a particularly irregular apple. Ever since he had gotten that hairy, uncouth boyfriend, Thranduil barely recognised his youngest child; suddenly, Legolas ate organic food and went mountain-climbing in his free time.

It had apparently also been that infamous Gimli who had impressed upon Legolas that a healthy work-life balance was primordial in order to be happy and thrive rather than die prematurely of a cardiac incident.

Unable to resist the worried gaze of his beloved son, Thranduil had finally been convinced to accept their gift – an all-expenses paid trip to a quaint, scenic little village – and had not even made a huge fuss when they had confiscated his work laptop as well as all his personal electronic devices except his phone.

In the course of the long and uncomfortably slow train ride to his destination though, he had soon started to sincerely regret having been talked into taking the week off; defying his son’s wishes and his own good resolutions, he had thus ended up making a few business-calls on his private phone just to pass the time.

“Sly kid,” he cursed under his breath now as he looked down at his phone in dismay; no wonder that the quality of his call had been deteriorating steadily, there was no cell service in this rotten nest.

With an impatient huff, he strode out onto the square in search of the place Legolas had booked for him…and promptly stepped into a steaming, hot heap of manure.

Loosening a string of expletives, he would never have spoken aloud in polite company, Thranduil shook his prohibitively expensive Italian shoe frantically, hopping on one foot like a madman through the square.

“Oh hey,” a middle-aged man called from across the street and hastened towards the newcomer. “Ah, the people who offer carriage rides on weekends are not always good about cleaning up after themselves.”

He was grinning good-humouredly and extended a broad, calloused hand to Thranduil who promptly shook it fiercely.

“I wanted to relieve you of your bags,” the man said sheepishly, but his smile softened and deepened charmingly. “I am Bard, innkeeper and general dogsbody around here.”

At the sight of the twinkling eyes set like gems in an astoundingly comforting and beautiful face, Thranduil felt a bit of the perpetual tension drain from his defensively drawn-up shoulders; Bard, in his worn flannel shirt and his torn jeans, looked so invitingly cosy and welcoming that even the devastating loss of his best pair of shoes suddenly didn’t strike Thranduil as all that tragic anymore.

“Thranduil,” he then replied in a clipped voice, forcing himself to dig deep into whatever humour he had buried within his soul in favour of relentless productivity, “self-destructive workaholic, if my son and my son-in-law are to be believed, on the solemn mission of finding some peace and relaxation.” His tone made it very clear how little he cared for these things which – ironically – conveyed much more weight and realism to his words than he even knew.

“There’s plenty of that to be had here,” Bard chirped encouragingly and – snatching Thranduil’s fancy leather bag – made his way back to the cosy building he had issued from when he had seen the tall, fair-haired stranger get off the bus, engrossed in his phone conversation and unheedful of the dung he was about to step in.

The obvious distaste on that fair, stern, and exceedingly handsome face made Bard want to defend his town; he understood that, for a city slicker such as the man trudging sullenly behind him, it might not have been exciting or busy enough, but Bard loved his little corner of paradise and would not allow a stranger to disdain and disparage it before having spent a single evening here.

“Thranduil,” he repeated, bent over his bookings – neatly penned into a big, old, leatherbound book – as if he had not been staring at the same name the whole morning in giddy anticipation of his sole customer of the moment. “You’re lucky; you’ll get our best room.”

It was not as if the business was bad – and Bard had enough other things to do besides running the small lodge – but he was nonetheless glad to have a paying guest; ever since his own children had left the town for further schooling abroad, his days had been long and lonely.

“Indeed,” Thranduil commented, one eyebrow cocked haughtily, and looked down miserably at his ruined shoe.

“If you want, you can put your shoes outside of your door,” Bard prompted softly. “I know the cobbler and he will tend to them as soon as possible. I can bring dinner up to your room if this is the only pair of shoes you have brought. Alternatively, I could lend you a pair?”

In the face of so much casual helpfulness, even the usually so careful and impassive Thranduil could not keep up his already wavering scowl.

“I am quite tired,” he admitted, “and I have some phone calls to make. When is dinner?”

“Whenever you want after 7:30,” Bard answered. “It’s just you and me, so we can have dinner in the small smoking parlour if you’d prefer that to eating alone in the dining hall. As you wish.”

His dark eyes flashed as if he instantly regretted this burst of logorrhoea; Thranduil forced his cheeks to relax and his features to soften to express how grateful he was for the warm welcome he had gotten.

Too often, people mistook his efficiency for arrogant impatience and his natural reticence for indifference or disdain; of course, he could be haughty and brusque, but he did not believe himself to be a bad person at heart. He sincerely hoped that he wasn’t and that the years spent in the arduous pursuit of the next success, or another big sale, had not robbed him of his more tender and precious emotions and instincts.

Maybe his son and that accursed Gimli had been right after all and he had really needed a break to find his way back to his true self.

“I shall come down,” he said with as much warmth and kindness as he could muster; he felt indeed quite rusty as it had been many months since he had last had a conversation with a stranger that had no direct purpose or measurable impact. “My son has insisted on choosing, buying, and packing a whole set of garments for me that – hopefully – will magically induce a state of deep relaxation.”

Thranduil made a face; it was well known that he was a smidgen vain, and he was doubtful that garishly patterned, badly cut shirts and cargo shorts would make him feel anything even remotely akin to calm joyfulness, but he was certainly willing to try.

“I cannot wait to see them,” Bard smiled and winked good-humouredly. “Shall we say 7:30 in the parlour? I can serve cocktails if that is to your liking; I am afraid we don’t have a real bar like some of the bigger establishments do.”

“Oh yes,” Thranduil agreed sheepishly and lifted a hand to his cheek without truly noticing as a discreet wave of heat rushed to his face; the idea of having a quiet drink in a cosy parlour at the end of the world with a handsome stranger sounded so ludicrously delicious that he believed himself to have fallen into a Christmas Hallmark movie.

The distance – geographical and metaphorical – lying between his realm of steel and glass and this sleepy, little valley without so much as full network coverage struck him in all its severity and his fingers tightened fitfully around the strap of his bag which he had picked up and was playing with idly.

“It’s just up the stairs,” Bard explained and motioned to the broad stairwell at the end of the foyer, “and to your right. Here is the key. I am looking forward to our dinner.” Something in his voice drove shivers of anticipation and excitement down Thranduil’s elegant, straight spine; if he hadn’t known better – he was a stranger and a man past his prime after all – he could have sworn that the ruggedly handsome part-time innkeeper and full-time hero had been flirting with him.

When he pushed open the door to the chamber allotted to him, a soft sigh escaped his tense lips. The room was charming, dark wood with accents of different shades of green and gold, and so shockingly unlike his own impersonal, functional bedroom that Thranduil once again felt as if he had been transported into another world.

The view out of the high, narrow window was strangely touching to him as well; the sun was going down in an ocean of pink and blue extending along the horizon and the town looked like a postcard cut-out in its stillness.

Rolling his shoulders, Thranduil sat down on the huge four-poster bed – much too big to be occupied by a single, solitary wretch such as he was – and took off his ruined shoes; he did not have much faith that any small-town cobbler would be able to salvage them, but he was by no means disinclined to let them try.

Then he took a deep breath before opening his bag and discovering the unbelievably odd outfit his beloved son had picked out for him.

“Oh Legolas,” he groaned, “do you really think me that old?”

He should never have trusted that imp! The present wave of bitter bile and sour panic rising in his throat could not be laid at his son’s feet though; nobody else could be blamed for his deplorable omission to check his bags before leaving his home.

Truly, Thranduil should have known better and – as he had failed to double-check everything – he deserved to be in this situation; pulling himself up to his full height, he decided that he might as well meet the disaster head-on.

As his alternatives were growing scarce, he consequently only sighed and resignedly donned the dark grey golf trousers made out of soft, flexible fabric and the white polo shirt without further ado; he even extricated the cable-knit sweater and tied it around his shoulders in an ironic adherence to the stereotype of the “dad”.

“Tennis shoes,” he muttered as he pulled out the white sports shoes that had been tucked at the bottom of his bag. “Sneakers,” he then corrected himself and – after putting them on and admitting that they were incredibly comfortable – he turned to the antique mirror in the corner and looked at his reflection with critical attentiveness.

It took exactly 3 seconds before he broke into bellowing laughter; he looked ridiculous!

Only when he wiped a tear of mirth out of the corner of his cool, grey eyes did Thranduil realise that he had not laughed like that in a long time either, and he felt elated and relieved to have found that part of himself in the most unexpected of places.

A glance at the clock told him that he had to hasten if he didn’t want to make his host wait, and so he accepted his ludicrous outfit and squared his shoulders; he had sold worse products with perfect success, he would not falter and fail because of an ugly sweater.

“Oh,” Bard gasped and almost dropped the glass he was holding as soon as Thranduil’s impressive silhouette appeared in the doorframe. "That is quite a change!”

When he had first seen his patron, Bard had been taken slightly aback by the bespoke suit and the Italian shoes, but this preppy fantasy of a suburban father was just as confusing.

“My son…” Thranduil sighed and shrugged. “He’s a fully grown man too so I can’t even pretend that this is the practical joke of an unruly teen. Ah, I guess he thought this was funny nevertheless.”

“Well, you are certainly handsome enough to pull it off,” Bard praised distractedly while letting tiny balls of ice fall into the glass before handing it to Thranduil with a slightly embarrassed smile. “Is it comfortable?”

“Incredibly so,” Thranduil confessed eagerly, “the trousers are fake. They look like formal wear, but they’re actually made out of this soft, stretchy material.” Without thinking, he took Bard’s now free hand and put it on his thigh to underline and prove his words.

Blushing furiously, Bard sputtered and coughed but didn’t retract his hand. “Indeed,” he finally managed to say, “how ingenious. Maybe I should get a pair, so I don’t embarrass my children when I go to visit them. I am afraid that I am the opposite of you in that regard, I tend to look like this.” He motioned at his messy bun and the rough button-down he was wearing over a worn, soft-looking shirt; his jeans were so old that they were white and fraying in strategic spots and his work boots were scuffed in a way some city youngsters paid good money to emulate.

“You look comfortable,” Thranduil opined. “You look exactly right, and I am sure that our kids would find us ‘cringe’ no matter what we do, but we can swap wardrobes. I’d love to surprise Legolas by coming home sporting an outfit like yours.” He could hardly believe the words coming out of his mouth; he hated clothes shopping and habitually let his assistant take his measurements to his tailor without him ever darkening the tradesman’s doorstep. And yet, the fresh air, the unexpectedly sweet company, and the laughing fit in his hotel room had shaken Thranduil up so much that he felt energised and eager to find a new adventure and make it his own.

“I see how you’ve become a really successful businessman,” Bard grinned appreciatively. “You’re not easily cowed, huh? Meet every challenge head-on and then vanquish it.”

“That’s right,” Thranduil smiled and took a step closer towards his host who was licking his lips nervously now.

“Food should be ready any minute. Is everything all right with the room?” Bard whispered, staring up at those luminous eyes – molten silver and swirling starlight – helplessly; he had never seen anyone half as sophisticated and unearthly as that stranger who had waltzed in here in a cloud of dismay and electrifying anger.

The relaxed, playful, wicked expression playing across that statuesque face now was just as enthralling and sublime though, and Bard felt his compounded loneliness and all the desires and wishes he had never even dared consider unfurl within his chest like wreaths of fire.

“The bed is too big for me…alone,” Thranduil whispered back, holding Bard’s gaze and cocking his head infinitesimally.

“Oh, oh,” Bard stammered automatically, “after dinner, I shall see what I can do about that.”

“What an excellent service,” Thranduil purred. “I am sure that I’ll be ever so thankful. You are really aiming for that five-star review, huh?”

This exchange of half-spoken invitations and veiled promises was harshly interrupted by the beeping of Bard’s alarm and the worrying smell of smoke mixing into the delightful aromas of homemade food.

“I’ll be right back,” Bard promised and hastened out of the room.

“Don’t worry,” Thranduil called after him, sitting down in a comfortably worn armchair and stretching out his long, slim legs towards the merrily dancing fire, “for once in my life, I have time.”

@fellowshipofthefics here is another one for the sweet sheet :)

Lots of love from me...