#yotd fanfic

[ponderingmoonlight]

yotd men walking in on you in a hot spring

Pairings: Shin-Ah x fem!reader; Hak/Kija x fem!reader; Bonus with all yotd men hehe

Word Count: 4,6k

Warnings: it's getting heated in Hak's part y'all hehe

I would super duper appreciate it if you like even though you're not a fan of Yona of the Dawn but because of me hehe <3

Shin-Ah accidentally protecting you from danger

The hot spring’s warmth soothes every aching muscle in your tired body, the gentle lap of water against the rocks almost hypnotic. You tilt your head back, letting the steam curl around you like a protective cocoon while you can’t help but let out a sign of relief. When was the last time you’ve had some time for yourself? Away from constant danger, away from the snide remarks of Hak and Jae-Ha who annoy you straight to the core. No, it’s just you and the moon-lit forest around the spring which hums with life - chirping crickets, rustling leaves, and the distant call of a bird.

But then, the forest goes quiet.

The sudden stillness prickles at the back of your neck. You sit upright, scanning the tree line, your heart thumping louder than the now-muted sounds of nature. What on earth was that? Should you…call for the boys?

“SOMEONE HEL-“

Before you can call out, a shadow moves. There’s a blur of movement, and then he’s there.

Shin-Ah steps into the clearing like a ghost, his sword glowing faintly in his grasp. His golden eyes flash across you, scanning the surroundings with deadly precision.

“Shin-Ah?” you call, startled, your voice cracking slightly.

You instinctively sink deeper into the water, heat rushing to your face. There might be something dangerous out there, but…

You’re still completely naked.

His head snaps toward you, his gaze meeting yours. For a moment, his body remains rigid, and you swear his grip on his sword tightens. Then, slowly but surely, recognition dawns. His posture softens just slightly, though his eyes dart around the spring’s edge.

“Danger,” he murmurs, his voice low and clipped.

He’s still scanning the shadows as if expecting something, or someone, to emerge.

“Danger?” you echo, confusion lacing your tone.

“I didn’t…wait, is there something out there?”

Shin-Ah takes a step closer, the faint glow of his dragon power intensifying. You can see his chest rise and fall beneath his cloak as he breathes deeply, his heightened senses working overtime. Then, from the bushes nearby, there’s a rustle and a loud, sudden croak.

Your heart skips a beat, your body instinctively pressing against Shin-Ah’s. You’ve never really been a fighter, only joined because Yona is your best friend. You can’t die out here, butt-naked in a hot spring while taking a bath, right?

A frog leaps into the clearing, landing with an awkward splash near the water’s edge.

For a moment, neither of you move. Then Shin-Ah’s shoulders slump, his sword’s light fades as he lowers the blade. The danger was nothing but a…frog?

You burst into laughter, the tension in your body evaporating while you’re forced to hold onto Shin-Ah’s shoulder for support.

“You thought a frog was dangerous?”

Shin-Ah turns back and glances at you, his mask hiding any expression, but the way he hesitates and fidgets with Ao’s tail betrays his embarrassment. His ears, you notice, are bright red by now.

Still smiling, you tilt your head at him.

“You didn’t have to rush in so dramatically, you know. I was perfectly fine. Even though I have to admit I was glad seeing you when I heard that strange noise.”

But then his eyes flicker down to the water - and widen slightly as realization dawns.

Your body is pressed against his, your skin burning through his wet clothes. But it’s not only the fact that you’re touching him.

You’re…you’re nude.

His entire body stiffens, and he takes a quick step back, his hand gripping Ao a little too tightly while he stumbles back like an idiot.

You follow his gaze and remember too late: you’re naked in the hot spring. And to top it all off, you pressed your naked body against his.

“Shin-Ah!” you shout, sinking deeper into the water, your face burning hotter than the steam surrounding you.

“Don’t look!”

“I…I wasn’t!” he stammers, his voice higher-pitched than usual.

He turns so quickly that he almost trips on the hem of his cloak, spinning on his heel to face away from you. You can see the tips of his ears glowing crimson beneath his hood.

“I… I didn’t notice. I mean - I noticed, but I wasn’t looking-!”

Before you can stop yourself, a giggle escapes your lips. Did you ever feel more embarrassed than right now? Well, no matter how embarrassed you feel, one look at Shin-Ah’s tensed back tells you more than urgently that he feels 10 times worse.

“I hope I didn’t scare you with that body of mine-“

“Scaring me? Your body isn’t scary at all! I mean…I mean…-“

“What’s going on back there? (y/n), are you-…What the hell is going on here!?”, Hak blurts out while stepping into the scene.

“Hak, get lost!”, you shriek, hands desperately trying to cover your sensitive parts.

Hak pauses, taking in the scene with his signature smirk growing wider and wider by each passing second. His gaze bounces between Shin-Ah, who is still stiff and glowing faintly, and you, nearly submerged in the water.

“Well, well,” Hak drawls, crossing his arms with a cocked eyebrow.

“This is a unique look for the two of you. I didn’t realize you were having private lessons in…whatever this is.”

“It’s not like that!” you yell, mortification threatening to drown you more thoroughly than the hot spring itself.

“And don’t look, you idiot!”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’m not looking-” Hak teases, though his eyes deliberately flick to Shin-Ah.

“But it looks like Shin-Ah got an eyeful.”

At that, Shin-Ah’s head snaps up, his wide, horrified gaze fixed firmly on Hak.

“I… I didn’t! I-!” His voice wavers, flustered beyond words, as his golden eyes dart everywhere but toward you.

Hak’s grin only deepens.

“Relax, mask boy. I’m just saying, I didn’t expect you to be the bold type.”

“Hak!” you cry out, but before you can yell at him again, you feel the soft weight of something warm drape over your shoulders.

You glance down and see Shin-Ah’s thick fur cloak now shielding your exposed body, the comforting smell of his presence surrounding you.

Shin-Ah has turned to face Hak fully, standing between you and him like a shield. His tall frame blocks you from Hak’s line of sight entirely, his glowing gaze unwavering as he steps forward.

“Leave,” Shin-Ah says softly, his voice uncharacteristically firm.

“Oh? Feeling protective, are we?” Hak quips, unfazed.

 He leans lazily against a nearby tree, clearly enjoying the situation.

“Fine, fine. I’ll go. Just don’t take too long, or I’ll have to assume you’ve been turned into frog food.”

He waves as he retreats, calling over his shoulder,

“You’re welcome for the rescue, by the way!”

The silence that follows is almost as loud as Hak’s teasing had been. You sigh, pulling the fur tighter around yourself as Shin-Ah glances at you hesitantly. His ears are still red, his mask tilting slightly downward.

“Thank you,” you murmur, your voice soft now.

“For the cloak… and for standing up to Hak.”

Shin-Ah nods slowly, his hand resting on Ao’s head for comfort.

“Sorry,” he whispers, his voice almost trembling.

“I didn’t mean… to make you uncomfortable.”

You smile despite yourself.

“It’s okay. You were trying to protect me.”

Shin-Ah stays silent for a moment before finally stepping back toward the shadows.

“I’ll… make sure no one else comes. Enjoy the rest of your bath.”

And with that, he disappears into the treeline, his presence lingering like the warmth of his cloak around your shoulders.

Kija and Hak walking in on you during an argument

The hot spring’s warmth envelops you like a comforting blanket, its soothing waters easing every ache and strain from days of travel. A sigh escapes your lips as you let yourself relax, sinking further into the water. What a hell of a week this was, the only truly comforting thing that happened was meeting Zeno. But stumbling over that hot springs? Priceless, without any doubt.

It’s been far too long since you’ve had a moment to yourself. Away from Hak’s endless teasing, away from the group’s constant chatter, and away from Kija’s persistence that he protects you from every little thing. No danger, no distractions - just you and the peaceful sound of the water lapping against the rocks.

But the peace is short-lived.

As usual.

A rustling sound breaks the stillness, and you freeze, your gaze darting around without a real aim. You listen closely, heart starting to race. The forest, once alive with the faint hum of crickets, has fallen silent. You sit up in the water, eyes scanning the darkened treeline.

Before you can call out, voices cut through the night.

“Hey, white snake! You think she fell into the spring or something?”

Hak.

Your heart skips a beat.

“Hak, don’t even say that!”, Kija’s voice follows, loud and frantic.  

“Why would you assume something so catastrophic?! What if she’s injured - or worse?”

Footsteps crunch against the forest floor, and you feel panic rising as they grow louder. No, no, no. This cannot be happening. They aren’t on their way to you, right?

“Wait! Hak, Kija, don’t-!” you call out, your voice echoing off the rocks, but it’s too late.

The two burst into the clearing like a pair of wayward storms, Kija with his dragon arm glowing faintly in preparation for an attack and Hak looking as relaxed as ever, his glaive resting lazily against his shoulder.

The moment they see you, time seems to stop.

There you are, chest-deep in the water, steam curling around your bare shoulders. Kija’s dragon arm immediately lowers as his jaw drops, his pale skin quickly turning a deep shade of crimson. Hak, on the other hand, raises an eyebrow, the corners of his mouth twitching in amusement.

“What are you two doing here!?” you shriek, sinking deeper into the water and flapping to cover yourself with your arms.

Hak is the first to recover, his trademark smirk spreading across his face as he leans casually on his glaive.

“Well, this is unexpected. Thought we were here to save you from drowning, but it turns out you’re just having a nice soak.”

He pauses, letting his gaze flicker to Kija’s dumbstruck expression before adding,

“This might be even better, honestly.”

“Don’t look!” you yell, your face burning hotter than the spring.

“I’m not looking,” Hak replies, though the playful edge to his tone says otherwise.

“Not really, anyway.”

“Hak!” Kija snaps, finally coming to his senses.

He spins around so fast you almost feel the wind from his motion, his back now firmly to you. His hands tremble as he clenches his fists at his sides.

“This is highly inappropriate! Miss (y/n), I…I deeply apologize for this unspeakable intrusion!”

Hak snorts.

“Unspeakable? Bit dramatic, don’t you think?”

He tilts his head, clearly enjoying himself.

“Relax, white snake. She’s fine. No harm done.”

“Fine?! This is mortifying!” Kija hisses through clenched teeth, refusing to turn around.

His dragon arm flexes, his knuckles white.

“We should never have come here!”

“You don’t say,” you mutter bitterly, your embarrassment mounting by the second.

Hak’s smirk widens.

 “Oh, come on. It’s not every day you walk into a scene this memorable. You’ve got to admit, the timing’s kind of perfect. And the view is even better”

“Hak,” you growl, the water splashing as you resist the urge to throw something at him.

“Shut up and leave already!”

“Oh, I’ll leave,” Hak replies, holding up his free hand in mock surrender.

He glances at Kija, who still looks like he might pass out from sheer humiliation.

“But I don’t think Kija’s feet are working anymore. Guess it’s just you and me, (y/n).”

“GET OUT!” you scream, splashing water in Hak’s direction.

He laughs, dodging the spray with infuriating ease.

“Alright, alright. I’m going. No need to get violent.”

He turns, throwing an exaggerated wave over his shoulder.

“Next time, though, maybe leave a note if you’re sneaking off for a midnight soak. Could’ve saved us all some trouble.”

As Hak strolls off, still laughing under his breath, Kija hesitates, his back rigid and unmoving.

“I… I��ll make sure Hak never speaks of this again!” he promises, his voice high-pitched and frantic.

“Miss (y/n), please forgive us for this - this indecent situation!”

Before you can respond, he takes a shaky step forward to follow Hak, literally running away for dear life.

You still fail to catch your breath. As if Kija being here isn’t worse enough, why on earth did it have to be him? You’ve had a crush on Hak for as long as you can remember, still always admiring him from afar. Did he…look at you, maybe even find you attractive?

Out of instinct, you shake your head vehemently. What kind of nonsense is this? As if a guy like Hak would even look your direction.

You take a deep breath, trying to calm your racing heart and chase his stupid perfect face out of your thoughts as you sink back into the warmth of the spring. There’s no use in interpreting too much into this situation. After all, it was probably Kija who worried about you, right?

But your pulse quickens again when you hear that familiar voice you tried so desperately to chase away.

“Don’t worry, it’s just me.”

You barely have time to react before Hak steps back into the clearing, his eyes gleaming in the moonlight, leaning casually against a tree as though nothing’s changed. His easy grin makes the air around you feel heavier.

“Hak,” you snap, trying to control the heat rising in your cheeks.

“What are you doing back here?”

He raises an eyebrow, taking a slow step closer, not at all bothered by the situation.

"Just making sure you’re all right, of course."

“Stop messing around. I told you I’m fine.”

You try to sound convincing, but it comes out strained. It’s hard to focus when his gaze lingers just a little too long. His eyes trace the curve of your shoulders, down your arms, your body beneath the water, and you can feel the weight of his attention like a physical touch.

Hak seems to notice your discomfort and smirks even wider.

“I know. You’re fine. But you’ve been avoiding me all day, so I thought I’d check on you.”

“I’m not avoiding you,” you mutter, your voice wavering despite your best efforts.

“It’s just… uncomfortable when you keep making things weird.”

His smirk doesn’t fade as he steps forward, and you instinctively inch back, but there's nowhere to retreat. He’s just a few feet away now, his body blocking the space between you and the edge of the spring. You feel like dying and flying at the same time.

"Is it weird though?" Hak asks, voice dropping to a husky whisper as he leans in, his presence overwhelming you.

“You never told me to stop… not really.”

You blink, and before you can protest, Hak continues, his tone darker now, almost teasing.

"You don't mind when I get close, do you? Not really."

The air grows thick, the steam around you suddenly feeling even hotter than before. His gaze locks onto yours, intense and unyielding. You’ve never seen him like this before, and the sudden shift in his manner makes your heart race. What on earth has gotten into him?

“Hak…”

Your voice comes out breathy, betraying your attempt to remain composed.

He smirks, but there’s something different about the way he’s looking at you now - something that sends a tingle straight down your spine. His hands flex at his sides as he steps closer, his body almost touching yours.

"You sure you want me to leave? Because I'm not getting that impression."

You’re too flustered to answer, heat rushing to your face, your body tense beneath the water. You're caught between the urge to push him away and the strange pull that draws you closer. His eyes flicker downward to where the water clings to your skin, and he breathes in slowly, as if savoring the moment.

"Don't look," you mumble automatically, your tone half-warning, half-pleading.

"I’m not."

Hak’s voice is low, teasing, but there's an edge to it.

"But if you didn’t want me to look, why are you hiding under the water like that?"

You glare at him, biting your lip to keep from responding too quickly.

“I’m not hiding.”

He takes another step forward, closing the distance until you can feel the heat of his body radiating against you.

“Sure you’re not.”

His voice is low and seductive now, each word making your heart beat faster. He leans in, his breath warm against your ear as his fingers brush the edge of the water.

“I’m just trying to make sure you’re okay. And it seems to me you’re not so fine with me leaving. Aren’t you?”

Your breath catches in your throat, and before you can stop yourself, you gasp when his hand barely skims your shoulder, sending a shock of heat through your body. Your instincts flare up, and you try to pull back, but his presence is suffocating, and there’s nowhere to go.

You glance at him, eyes wide with something between irritation and panic, but your words get caught in your throat as he steps even closer. The tension between you is suffocating now, crackling with something raw, something primal, something that makes the air heavy and thick with desire.

"You’ve been avoiding me all this time," he whispers, his lips brushing your ear, sending a shiver through your body.

"But you can’t hide from me forever, (y/n)."

You shiver, unable to speak, your breath coming faster as his hand traces lightly down your arm. His fingers linger just long enough for you to feel the warmth of them against your skin, igniting a fire within you.

“W-what are you doing?” you manage to breathe out, barely able to get the words out past the tightness in your chest.

Hak’s lips curl into a half-smile, the teasing edge still there, but there’s something deeper behind his eyes now.

“I’m just making sure you understand what I’ve been trying to say.”

His voice is thick, husky now, like the air between you both is too thick to bear.

The space between you both is impossibly small, and you’re not sure if it’s your breath or his that’s filling the air, making everything feel suffocating. You can’t remember the last time you felt this close to him - felt this seen by him.

But somehow, you never want it to end. No, you want him to stay like this, you want to feel him this close to you.

You want him, none other than Son Hak.

“Maybe…I want you”, you breathe into the night.

Bonus: all the men hehe

The hot spring is supposed to be your reward. After days of trekking through rough terrain, dealing with bandits, and sleeping in the dirt, this feels like heaven itself. Even Yun had chimed in, saying you deserved a moment to relax, offering you some alone-time in the hot springs. They had specifically assigned this hot spring to you, promising that no one would disturb you. Sometimes, they are able to act nice.

You sigh cheerfully, the warm water easing every ache and pain in your body. It’s peaceful, calm, and the perfect chance to relax.

Until the door to the changing area slides open with a loud clack.

You jolt upright, your heart leaping into your throat. Before you can even process what’s happening, Hak strides in, wearing nothing but a small, damp white towel slung low around his waist. Water drips from his messy hair as he steps confidently into the spring, seemingly unaware of your presence.

“Man, this is going to feel great,” Hak signs, stretching his arms overhead.

You feel like seeing a ghost. Didn’t the old lady tell you in front of everyone else that the hot spring number three will be reserved for you only? Are you mistaken?

“H-Hak?!” you sputter, your voice echoing in the steamy air.

He freezes mid-step, his dark eyes snapping toward you. For a moment, neither of you say anything. Then, his signature grin returns, twice as mischievous as usual.

“Oh? Didn’t expect to see you here,” Hak comments smoothly, his tone dripping with faux innocence.

“Don’t mind me - this is my assigned tub, too.”

“What?! No, it isn’t!” you snap, your face turning bright red as you sink lower into the water, desperate to hide yourself.

Before Hak can reply, another voice calls out.

“Wait for me, Thunder Beast! Don’t hog the spring!”

Jae-Ha appears, his towel slung over his shoulder and his long legs carrying him gracefully into the clearing. The green dragon freezes mid-step when he spots you, his eyes widening slightly before a sly smile spreads across his face.

“Oh my,” he jeers, tossing the towel around his neck like he’s suddenly a model.

“This is quite the surprise. If I’d known we’d have company, I’d have brought wine to celebrate.”

“Get out!” you yell, your face burning as Jae-Ha perches casually on the edge of the spring, clearly ignoring you.

“Oh, don’t be shy, darling. We’re all friends here,” Jae-Ha teases, kicking one leg lazily into the water.

Before you can scream again, a third figure enters. Kija, holding his white cloth with a prim sort of dignity, strides in with his nose held high.

“Hak, I told you to wait for the rest of us before-”

His words trail off as he spots you, blue eyes widen in sheer shock.

There’s a beat of silence, and then Kija’s face turns bright red. He spins on his heel so fast he nearly trips.

“What are you doing in here?! This is improper!”

“Me?” you shriek, waving a hand at him.

“You’re the ones barging in here!”

“Don’t yell at me!” Kija shouts back, his voice an octave higher than usual.

“I wasn’t told this spring was occupied! Especially not by you!”

“STOP SOUNDING SO DISGUSTED!”

He whirls back around to glare at Hak and Jae-Ha, who seem far less mortified than he is.

But there’s no time to argue or for further protest, because Zeno skips in next, humming a cheerful tune. He’s the only one who doesn’t even hesitate, wading straight into the water without a care in the world.

“Ah, nice and warm!” Zeno chirps, sinking into the spring as though this were a casual picnic.

He glances at you and tilts his head.

“Oh, you’re here too? That’s great! Makes it more fun!”

This can’t be true, right? They have to be a hallucination, every single one of them. But something about Hak’s slight grin tells you it can’t be, that this is bitter reality.

“Zeno, get out!” you groan, holding your hands over your face.

“What? Zeno didn’t do anything wrong!” he protests, grinning wide as ever.

Your sanity shakes on the edge as yet another figure appears. Shin-Ah stands in the doorway, frozen in place as he takes in the scene. His glowing golden eyes flicker between you and the others, and you can see the color rising in his ears even beneath his hood.

“Shin-Ah, please tell them to leave!” you plead, clutching the edge of the spring for dear life.

Finally someone with a little bit of sense. He nods once, almost robotically, before turning to departure - only for Ao to leap from his shoulder and dive into the water with an enthusiastic squeak.

“Great,” you mutter as the little squirrel starts splashing around.

“To be honest, Ao is the only one I really want here.”

“I-I’ll take Ao,” Shin-Ah mumbles, clearly flustered as he steps toward the spring, only to stop dead when his foot slips on a wet stone.

He stumbles, barely catching himself, and the towel around his waist slips a little before he falls straight into the water.

Straight against you.

Your naked self, to be exact.

“Shin-Ah!”

 “I-I’m sorry!” he stammers, his voice barely audible as he scrambles backward, his movements awkward and frantic.

He dashes away from you as if you’re the plague, his face so red you think steam might start rising off him.

Before you can fully process what just happened, a low whistle cuts through the tension.

“Well, isn’t this interesting?” Hak drawls, leaning back against the rocks with that insufferable smirk of his.

He crosses his arms over his chest, looking far too amused for your liking.

“Guess we know what Shin-Ah’s type is now. Didn’t think he’d make such a bold move, though. Props to him.”

Your jaw drops.

“What did you just say?!”

Hak shrugs, feigning innocence as he gestures toward the flustered Shin-Ah, who looks like he wants to melt into the water and disappear.

“I mean, falling into you like that? Pretty smooth move if you ask me. Maybe I should take notes-”

“You should take notes on leaving me alone!” you snap, your voice practically reverberating off the rocks.

“Seriously, Hak, of all the idiotic, inappropriate - HOW IS THIS FUNNY TO YOU?!”

Hak raises an eyebrow, clearly entertained by your outburst.

“Come on, it’s a little funny-”

“IT’S NOT FUNNY!” you scream, throwing a handful of water in his direction.

He dodges effortlessly, of course, laughing even harder.

“You’re impossible!” you huff, clutching the edge of the spring to keep yourself from launching at him.

“First, you barge in uninvited, then you make inappropriate comments, and now you’re making jokes about this?! What is WRONG with you?”

“Plenty of things,” Hak admits with a shameless grin, earning himself a chorus of groans from Kija and a small splash of water from Zeno, who seems to be trying to cheer you up.

“Shut up, Hak,” Kija mutters, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“You’re going to get us all killed.”

Jae-Ha chuckles from his perch on the edge of the spring.

“To be fair, Thunder Beast does have a knack for digging his own grave.”

“That’s it!” you shout, pointing furiously at all of them.

“I’ll kill every single one of you right now!

Finally, Yun storms in just in time, his face already set in a scowl.

“What is wrong with all of you? I can’t leave for one second without laughing around like idiots and talking trash-”

He stops, taking in the chaos: you half-hidden in the water, Hak smirking, Jae-Ha lounging, Zeno grinning, Kija fuming, Shin-Ah frozen, and Ao splashing around like it’s a game. Yun pinches the bridge of his nose. So, that’s what’s going on here. Did all of them not listen to what the old lady said earlier?

“You were all supposed to be in the other spring!” Yun yells, his voice echoing so loudly that even Hak winces.

“Do none of you listen?!”

“It’s fine, Yun,” Zeno interferes, waving him off.

“It’s cozier this way! And being naked together helps with bonding!”

“Oh, I know something you can do naked that helps with bonding as well”, Jae-Ha comments with a slight grin.

You let out a strangled noise, your head sinking into your hands.

“I’m going to lose my mind…”

“Relax,” Hak says with a laugh, slipping into the water like nothing is amiss.

“We’re all friends here, right?”

“Out!”

[makiaan]

YOTD x Yona’s Younger Sister!Reader Part 1 Hak + Yona + Yoon + Zeno + Kija

Tw: Mentions of Blood/Violence towards big bad guys in Hak's section.

Yona

Back at the castle before the Kings death Yona wouldn't talk to you. To be fair you’d never approach her since you'd also had your own schedule.

This made you two pretty distant regardless of your close blood relations

Though it all changed after the death of the king.

Absolute princess treatment by the one and only princess!

She’s extremely protective of you, always holding your hand no matter where you went.

Being the last of her close family she fears losing you.

The time you were poisoned and fell into a coma she was besides the entire time holding your hand, almost breaking into tears.

Would absolutely want to teach you self defense, and would even beg Haks to help teach you.

Yona would try to remain tough in-front of you, but you always saw through her act, giving her a big comforting hug. She absolutely adored you for that, and begun being more honest with her feelings to you.

Though you two looked similar she’d always compliment and touch your hair,

“Wahh, it’s so silky and smooth!”.

In conclusion! Yona would be the best big sister ever 🫂

Hak

At the palace you two only knew each other by name,

Only running into each other when Hak would be assigned to your section of the palace.

The day that the King died when Hak and Yona were escaping they found you peaking out of your room.

He was quick on herding you and your sister into a protected blob,

And at that moment he made a promise to not only protect Yona but you as well.

Though after finding the dragons and going through adventures together he’d frequently tease you.

Regardless of his harsh teasing, he still cared, and protected you.

“Hey shrimp! Be careful!”

In his eyes you were like a puppy. Walking around smiling while unknowingly falling into danger.

It gave him a lot of stress.

He’d always keep you in the corner of his eye, appearing out of no where whenever you need him.

You’d trip on a rock falling towards your impending doom when out of no where Hak would hoist you back up on to your feet

“Tsk, you weren't listen huh, I said be careful!”

Whenever you'd go missing or get injured he’d take it personally, and throw a tantrum

As in get his hands dirtied with the blood of those who did you wrong..

Though Hak would never admit it, he’d actually developed a big soft spot for you in his heart.

So pretty much a mean but secretly soft older brother🤼‍♀️

Yoon

Honestly the first time he saw you he was a bit upset.

Not only did he have to deal with one spoiled princess but two! Oh.. the tragedy for this sassy pretty boy :((

But the closer he got to Yona the closer he got to you.

Actually Yoon would start playing favorites-

Whenever he cooked a meal and you’d ask him for more he’d immediately give in, and huff almost as if you had forced him to. (which you didn't, you asked nicely)

“F-fine! Take it!” He’d puff

Like the mom he was he would scold you whenever you’d leave the camp alone searching for firewood.

Though every time you showed him of how capable you were he'd ignore the evidence and pull up with the "BUT WHAT IF?" counter claim. Stubborn man doesn't stop INSISTING for you to take a battle buddy

The day you joined the pirate crew and had to prove your worth by climbing the cliff with Yona he had nearly collapsed

He was absolutely opposed to putting his sweet summer child into danger, immediately throwing a fuss when the idea was proposed

Whenever he saw you break out into a fever he’d worry THE MOST

After treatment he’d sit and watch over you a long side Yona.

And whenever you needed him he’d always be there, no matter how far or impossible, this man absolutely adored you.

Though his too much of a sas to admit it he really cares for you, and his heart melts whenever your around. ❤️

Kija

Was honestly confused by your existence LOL, he wasn’t sure if he was suppose to serve you..? or be indifferent..? I mean you had red hair but uh???

In the end though he didn’t settle for any of those options… he settled on having a crush LOL

Whenever you spoke to him he’d completely meltdown into a puddle, his words becoming intangible.

“Y-y-YEs! H—ow.. uh uh- C-can I he-elp!” He’d stutter out turning bright red,

“Uh.. Kija you ok?” You’d tilt your head in confusion before Kija would only squeak in response, and bolt away.

In the end though Kija had decided to protect you, and respect you.

Whenever the situation would turn dangerous a switch would flip and he’d suddenly have the courage to be near you.

Though if he saw even just a drop of your blood he’d immediately panic and rush towards you, tears prickling in his eyes

You’d have to hug and comfort him before he’d stop panicking and crying-

Please be nice to him! He doesn’t know how to approach his crush but his trying his very best LOL-

Zeno

The first time he had a proper conversation with you he was completely struck through the heart.

*grabs* your my friend now!

And from that point onwards whenever you’d approach Zeno his eyes would shine even brighter and his cheeks would turn flush 😊

Also he'd become more petty, and sarcastic to others when the subject became you.

"Hey! Whacha up to." He'd beam

The boy would never leave you alone, following you around with a big smile

"Zeno do you need something?"

"Nope!"

You kinda just let him do his thing, silently following you as you worked on making a fire.

Zeno always tried making attempts at small talk.

He really just wanted your attention, as well as to hear your voice

His clingy needs probably stems from his past. He didn't want to waste a single moment without being near you.

"Nope! Sorry, I want them to do it!"

The most frustrating and stubborn man, would always want YOU to do things for him, otherwise he'd all together refuse what's given to him.

You had your sweet moments though, he'd take the time to make flower crowns, and give you cute little homemade gifts.

And you had to admit, the boy had the prettiest, and brightest smile, so it was always a blessing for you to see him happy.

[windrelyn]

[Akatsuki no Yona fanfic] Someday, the pear blossom will rebloom

"Their story, under the pear tree, throughout the circle of seasons. There are things that will come back again. There are things that are lost forever. There are things that never change after all those years." A relationship between Soo-won and Kye-sook from the beginning.

This is an English version of the first one-shots that I wrote for Soo-won and Kye-sook last year. I hope you enjoy it!

Special thanks to my beta-reader @antares0606 <3 <3

Link to AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/56304355

[softxsuki]

So I saw that you had I tag I follow and immediately rushed over! So first and foremost...How are you? Are you drinking water daily? And I also wish you a good rest of days.

I was wondering since I rarely see this for Akatsuki no Yona. Like a Chubby reader. That's all. Like didn't they exist back then too?...

So basically Reader was Yona's personal maid, one of her most trusted friends like Hak and Soowon. So now they are apart of the group and basically feel out of place. She has a crush on Jae-ha but knowing he only goes for "attractive" women she doesn't act upon her feelings.

What happens next? 👀

Insecure Chubby!Reader Who Has A Crush On Jae-Ha

Pairing: Jae-ha x Chubby!Fem!Reader

Warnings: uh talking down about yourself, insecurities, lowkey suggestive at one point? but nothing crazy

Genre: comfort, fluff

Post-Type: Oneshot

Word Count: 2.2k

Summary: In which you confess to Yona that you have a crush on Jae-ha, but he'd never like you back because you're chubby and he only goes for thin women. Little do you know that someone is listening in on all this o.o

[A/N: OMg hi...I KNOW I KNOW. It's been way over a year since you requested it. If you're still around, you're probably wondering what the heck this is as it's been long forgotten. I'm sorry it took me so long to write, I had it half written in my drafts all this time because I started second guessing myself and I really loved this request and didn't think I could do it justice. SO here's my completed version of this. I hope it's decent, and hopefully you're still interesting in reading it :'). Sorry if it's disappointing NFEKJFKAEF <;3]

It was night now. Months had passed since Yona ran out of her castle after her father's murder. Hak had saved the both of you from Soowoon’s revenge on her father as you would not back down and go to their side either. Yona loved and respected you, so you owed her everything, and that still hadn’t changed. You still refer to her as Princess, just like Hak, but the two of you were closer than ever–going beyond the friendship a personal maid and a Princess should probably ever have. 

Owls hooted in the background and the sound of crickets surrounded you. You had all stopped for the night to set up camp, and were currently in your shared tent with Yona and Yoon. The young boy was fast asleep in the far corner of the tent, exhausted from running around all day, but you and Yona were wide awake from the excitement of the day–too pumped to even think about sleeping just yet. Giggles escaped your mouth at the girl-talk that was being exchanged between you both, then Yona began to blush as you asked her about her feelings for Hak. You had noticed the change in the atmosphere between them for a while now.

“He’s just…different from how I used to see him? Instead of just seeing him as that annoying kid back then, he’s more of a man in my eyes now… He said some uh, lovely things to me the other night and it just made me realize my feelings even more,” She hides her head in her hands, thinking back on the deep conversation she had with the raven haired man a few nights ago, but clears her throat and turns the attention away from herself, “What about you, Y/N? Seen anyone in any villages that have caught your eye? Or perhaps even someone among us, hmm?”

You could hear the slight tease in her voice at her question, she fully knew who you liked, but wanted to hear you say it yourself. After all, what fun is girl-talk if she was the only one dropping juicy information.

“Well…there is someone I like, but he’d never go for a girl like me…” you trail off, looking down at your hands.

“Jae-ha would love you, Y/N. You’re gorgeous, kind, and you have a heart of gold, I see the way he looks at you whenever your back is turned.”

“W-what? How did you know it was Jae-ha?” You ask bewildered.

Yona laughs, placing a hand on your shoulder, “So it really is him? I was just making a lucky guess, wow.”

You huff. Perhaps it was a little obvious since you always got nervous around him and ONLY him. The slight disappointment that graced your features whenever he spoke of a beautiful woman he ran into in town. The tiny sparks of desire to have him speak to you with those lovely words, but it would never happen.

“He was probably just wondering why I can’t be so open with him like I am with everyone else,” You sigh. “I know I don’t belong here. You’re gorgeous and way above my social status. The other guys in our group are all very attractive as well, I’m the only one who sticks out like a sore thumb, but I guess I just have to deal with it!”

You fake a smile, regretting a little that you opened up too much. 

“Y/N, is that really how you’ve been feeling this whole time?” Yona asks, her voice now softer at your confession.

“It’s alright, really. I’m used to it by now, I don’t know why I suddenly decided to say that all right now. Everything’s okay!”

“No, everything’s not okay. Y/N, you are the most beautiful person I know. I don’t care if you think your extra weight makes you ugly compared to the rest of us, that doesn’t make a difference in my eyes and Jae-ha would be a fool to have that be a difference to him as well! Tell him how you feel! He would treat you like royalty.” Yona explains, a little enraged that you’ve been feeling this way all this time without her realizing it, “And I know we come from different backgrounds, but out here, we’re all the same. You and I are on the same level. You’re my best friend, and that won’t ever change! You are one of us, part of the happy hungry bunch! It wouldn’t be the same without you.”

“Thank you, Princess Yona. You’ve been a great blessing to me and I’m so very grateful to be your friend,” You smile slightly, but it falls again when you think of Jae-ha. “It seems that Jae-ha only goes for thin, beautiful women though. I can’t imagine him directing those compliments to me when I’m the complete opposite of all those women…I- I guess I just wish he could see me as a beautiful woman despite my weight. Even if it was only for a second.”

Yona once again assures you that you are indeed beautiful and that nothing is wrong with you. She was a little lost for words on what else she could say to help you feel better, she just wished you could see yourself the way that she saw you–a beautiful woman, inside and out. 

“If I’m so beautiful, then why won’t he look at me the way I want him to?” You shout in frustration, a little too loudly.

Your conversation is cut short though as the sound of shuffling is heard from outside the tent, along with the distant murmuring of the rest of the boys who were still awake, engaged in small talk.

“Will you both shut your mouths? I’m trying to sleep here. Y/N stop being a wimp and just confess to him already. You’ll never know until you at least try!” Yoon groans out with a huff, before light snores escape his mouth once again. 

“He’s right,” Yona whispers now, not wanting to awaken the tempered boy again, “But I guess this can all wait for another day. Let’s sleep, it’s getting pretty late.”

You both yawn at the same time and laugh lightly to yourselves. Perhaps it could wait…

Sleep consumes Yona pretty quickly, but your mind is plagued with a million thoughts that keep you up all night. It would be a tough day tomorrow.

…

The next day, your journey together continues as you finish packing up the last of your camp and continue forward. 

Yona and Hak had run up ahead of everyone else in the early morning to get in some more arrow shooting practice while the rest of you moved to catch up at a decent pace. You lagged behind a bit, lost in thought of everything you spoke about last night.

“Careful, wouldn’t want to run into a tree and ruin your beautiful face, now would we?” The sudden voice of the man you were thinking of, startles you back to reality along with the gentle touch of his arms around your shoulder, guiding you around a tree that you were seconds from walking straight into.

But all you could think about now was the presence of his warmth on your shoulder along with a word you had always longed to hear addressed to you–beautiful.

“Huh?” You ask a little frazzled, trying to control your breathing from his still present arms around you.

“You almost ran into the tree back there,” He smiles, now removing his arms from around your shoulders and awkwardly scratching the back of his head.

You both were now lagging behind the group who had finally joined back up with Yona and Hak. Yona sends you a quick thumbs up from afar, mouthing a ‘good luck,’ with a wink.

“Thank you,” you mumble to Jae-ha, ignoring Yona’s cheekiness, and continuing to walk to the rest of the group with your eyes glued to the ground. You couldn’t do it, you couldn’t tell him.

You hear the man sigh behind you before firm arms pick you up bridal-style, and jump into the air as you let out a yelp, instinctively wrapping your arms around his neck and hiding your face into his chest from being so high up. You were surprised that he was even able to lift you, but I guess all the dragons were fairly strong.

Your heart was hammering in your chest–both from the sudden action of being in the air, but also from being in close proximity to your crush. You could hear his own heart hammering in his chest, probably from having the fatigue of jumping while carrying something heavy (at least that’s what you think, his heart is definitely pounding for other reasons).

You can hear the distant joyful hollering of Yona and Zeno from afar, praising the green-headed man for his bold actions, to which Jae-ha chuckles at. It isn’t long until you’re safe on the ground again, far enough from the group now to have some privacy together. Jae-ha sets you down as you timidly scoot away from him and sit on the grass, trying to calm yourself down.

“What’d you do that for?” You ask hesitantly.

“A little bird told me that you’ve been talking down on yourself, is that true?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you avoid his eyes. You physically couldn’t look him in the eyes, you were far too embarrassed. Where had he heard that from?

He takes a seat beside you, gently reaching for a strand of your hair and admiring it as he twists it between his fingers. You’re frozen in shock. What was going on? 

His hand abandons your hair and gently grabs your chin to face him as his other hand wraps around your waist.

“And I’d love to know where you heard that I wasn’t completely infatuated by your beauty,” he teases.

Your eyes widen in shock.

“In fact, I love every inch of you, from the plumpness of your thighs to the softness of your stomach, your magnificent chest, and your puffy cheeks. You’re absolutely enchanting– a diamond among stones,” he continues.

“Your eyes, they outshine the beauty of any other woman in this land, you know why? Because they belong to you. I don’t care how big you think you are, but never talk like that about yourself again.” There was a certain sternness behind his voice now, as if he was really serious and hurt that you would think so badly of yourself.

“How did you-”

“I heard everything last night, Y/N. You have no idea how much self-control it took for me to not just burst into that tent and tell you everything right then and there. But I’m here now, and I can’t move forward until you know how much I love you. You’re beautiful and I won’t have you think otherwise.”

You were beyond baffled.

“All this out of nowhere? You’re always off fawning over all the beauties in town, but never at me. You’re just saying this to make me feel better, right? Well, it’s okay. I do like you, Jae-ha, but I don’t need your pity. You don’t need to like me back, I’ll be o-”

You’re cut off by the feeling of Jae-ha’s lips on yours. You can feel the emotion behind them as he was almost desperate to show you how real his feelings for you were. You lean into him, wrapping your own arms around him now, fully into the steamy kiss.

He pulls aways with a pant, “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that,” he laughs. “I hope you believe me now.”

“And to answer your question, I didn’t want to scare you off. I know how bold I can be, and a part of me loved watching you from afar, loving, admiring you in secret. It was exhilarating trying not to get caught,” he confesses. 

Yona’s words from that night echo in your head of how she had seen him watching you a few times. He really did like you…

“I’m surprised you never caught my wandering eyes. We need to work on you being more aware of your surroundings, darling. What if it was some other man gawking at you, and not me? Not that I’d let that happen…but still.” There he goes again with his teasing.

You playfully hit him on the shoulder, hiding your face in the crook of his neck, “Shut up,” you mumble, very embarrassed by all his words. You still couldn’t believe it, it was like all your dreams became a reality over-night.

Was this a dream? Because if it was, you never wanted to wake up. You cuddle further into him, hiding the heat that was quickly rushing to your face. You were overwhelmed, but in a good way. His own arms slither around you in a tight embrace.

“This is real right? You’re not just saying all this?”

“Of course this is all real, darling. And I’ll keep saying it all until you believe it. You’re under my care now,” He whispers that last part and leaves a peck to the top of your head. 

“I’ll take good care of you,” he confirms again, making sure you know it.

REQUESTS ARE OPEN :D

Posted: 1/24/2023

[lujart]

¡Hola! Acogedores momentos es un fanzine de Akatsuki no Yona en español. ¡Actualmente tenemos el interest check abierto!

Si conoces artistas/escritores de fanfics que pudieran estar interesades puedes mencionarles en este post (o por privado si te resulta más cómodo). También puedes compartirles nuestra cuenta de Twitter. ¡Gracias! 🩷

[not-me-bye]

All for a reason Soowon x princess reader

"I hadn't thought anything was wrong with our relationship, oh what a fool I had been". "They were always so close".

.....

The day had started perfect, my boyfriend Hak and I had spent the morning together riding horses and just goofing around in general. I thankfully didn't have to be kept shielded in a glass box like my sister yona had too. She was never allowed to do anything or go anywhere unsupervised, otherwise father would scold her and her maids would have to keep her under intense watch. I was glad that I could do and roam as i please but sometimes I couldn't help but be hurt that our father cared so little about me, I get it I look nothing like yona and I don't look like father either. I had always thought it was because I resembled my mother and that's why he barely acknowledged me but.... It had to be something else it just had to be.

From what I could remember when i was little father barely visited me when I was with my mother, only visiting my mother and yona when she was born ,but would rarely speak to me or even look in my direction. My mother didn't say anything about it but she never referred to me as king ils daughter, she just referred to me as her daughter. It was one big mystery and beyond lonely.

Once I met hak and soowon it was like all had changed and I felt what it was like to be happy and no longer be lonely. Soowon had immediately taken to following me around and asking me all sorts of weird questions when we had first met all those years ago. He was a year younger than me yet he seemed to not care in the slightest. It was like he had just up and chose to befriend me, over the years we had gotten close and I had admired him for sometime, you could even say it was like a crush. Eventually though he only came around so often and my feelings fizzled out. That's when I fell for hak, he had been so bossy and a bit of an ass. We slowly began to hang out and gravitated to each other more and more, he also befriended and was close with yona too. I didn't at the time see the feelings he most definitely had for her. Instead as we got older I eventually confessed to hak and he had said he liked me back and we began a relationship, he was my first for a lot of things but I never expected it to end in my first heart break.

"I'm getting a bit sidetracked let me get back to the day at hand and what all had happened."

I had always heard the rumors that I wasn't king ils legitimate child and I didn't want to believe it being so young but now that I was older it was sounding more and more likely, the only way I would know is if I went and looked through my mothers things that were packed away in storage. I would have to be careful because of king il saw me he would be MAD. I crept into the part of the place that my mothers belongings were kept and went though her box of letters, drawings, and personal notes. If I wasn't his legitimate child then she might have wrote about it or atleast hinted about it in her journal. I looked through the pages finding nothing then I found the other one and looked through it and found something. My mother was recalling an incident that had happen where I had came to her crying and asking why father liked Tina so much but hated me. She wrote about the how it ached her heart and that she was glad I wouldn't struggle or be met with poverty thanks to "fathers" kindness but she was still sad I wouldn't ever know any real father figure il or "my biological father".... I knew it and yet I felt my heart stop.

I couldn't help the hurt that I felt despite knowing that this was the most likely outcome. All I could think about was going and finding hak. He would understand and he would comfort me. I quickly went Looking for hak hurriedly checking rooms. I went to yonas room and absentmindedly opened the door. Hak was indeed there but so was yona and they were kissing, not just a simple kiss but full on making out. I felt my heart drop. "How could you, either of you", I yelled. Hak cake close to me trying to explain himself, "y/n I'm sorry it's not like it looks, I didn't mean it like that". The audacity of him to try and act like it was some accident had me seeing red. I slapped hak and went to yona backhanding her as well. "You were supposed to be my sister, I trusted you YONA", I turned around walking out before either could say anything. I went back to my room and as soon as the door shut I cried and I cried, for my broken relationship and for the father daughter relationship I wouldn't ever know or have.

Weeks had passed and I wouldn't speak to yona or hak, I avoided them and refused to even look at them. What made it worse was they were already in a relationship a maid told me. I've never been more humiliated,sad, pissed. I could kill them both. Thankfully just the perfect timing Soowon had arrived and I had met him at his rooms. I had hugged him and he pulled me into his room and I told him everything from hak and yona too my not father. "I'm so sorry y/n" he said as he hugged me. We spent some time like that. "There is actually something I need to tell you". Soowon nervously continued, "I'm to be married soon and since king il doesn't want it too be yona he is arranging that I marry you, I wanted to tell you myself". "I'm sorry that all this is being pushed on you y/n". I was stunned to say the least, I sat quiet not saying anything for a longgg time. "Y/n" Soowon worriedly asked. "I'm just trying to process all this" I said with a sigh. I had always liked soowon and the crush had always lingered in my heart but I had thought i lost it. I had also thought I wouldn't move on from hak or be able to live but guess I was wrong again. Here goes nothing "soowon... I have to tell you something, I have liked you for a long time more than just friends." "I thought I had lost the feelings I held for you all that time ago when I developed feeling for hak, but the feelings I have for you are still very much here for you and I just..." Words couldn't describe what I felt so I pulled Soowon into a kiss. That went on for a hot second before I pulled back. Soowon sat there silently stunned, I thought he was gonna reject me since he didn't exactly kiss me back but her again he surprised me. "I've felt the same for you for so long, I never got the chance since you started dating hak but I'm happy to know now that you reciprocated my feelings all this time" Soowon states with a slight blush to his face as he leans in and kisses me. I'm glad he's kissing me so he can't see the goofy ass smile I have on my face. "So are we together now , before we were gonna be yknow together anyway" I ask. "Yes we are y/n" he laugh.

........

It's crazy how all that happened and now I'm with soowon my childhood love. Maybe things do happen for a reason. I'm loved and no longer alone and I have someone who stands up for me against king il, it feels nice to be loved.

Requested by anon on wattpad

This is short and not the best but I’m still new and working on my writing skills, pls be patient. I do take requests for my oneshot book on wattpad, my @ is @IzanasWhore444

[mintiicinnamonii]

HELLOOO LMK FANDOM!

I have finally gotten around to feeding you guys something other than my Macaque coloring ‘page’!

If you love Mei and Macaque’s dynamic, villain arcs, macaque’s student!aus and me killing fictional characters with angst, this is for you!

(+ a yotd themed playlist to listen to as you read!)

[angrypaperearthquake-tbbb-main]

Y'all, someone please tell me why I'm bawling my eyes out at work.

I'm just chilling on break, scrolling through some reels, when I hear THIS song:

Y'all, I haven't heard this song since I was a child, when I first watched Toy Story 2. I haven't watched Toy Story 2 since because this song always makes me cry.

But do y'all want to know why listening to it this time feels worse???

Because Jae-Ha and Kimi 😭

They are in this song. They are this song. It's them. It's their story.

I'm crying so hard right now 😭🤧

[akaneenaka33]

THIS.

I think it’s under rated as fuck how fun it is to comment on fanfiction. Like it’s soooooooo fun writing long comments on a fic talking about theories and ideas, wondering what characters will think about a plot point and gushing over little parts. It sooooooo fun. But the best part is when you keep doing this. Commenting on each chapter as it comes out and watching as the author recognises you or even has little conversations related to last chapters comment. It’s so fun being there for them because sometimes if you’re lucky you may even start influencing the story with your theories comments and ideas. And feeling involved and there. Excited even when your not even the author, is just so fun

I wish fandom could be more like this again, when it was a mutual exchange of ideas and excitement and not just consuming fanfiction like actual novels. Can’t we all squeal about our blorbos together?

[ponderingmoonlight]

Son Hak saving you from a group of men

Pairing: Hak x fem!reader

Word Count: 2k

Synopsis: While gathering herbs, you get surrouned by bandits - until a mysterious, cocky stranger swoops in to save the day. But you’re no damsel in distress, and you’re ready to show him exactly what you’re capable of.

Warnings: tensioooon y'all, Hak is so damn inviting I just had to write this

I know a lot of my followers are here for jjk, kny and maybe aot, but I enjoyed my fruits basket fanfic soo much that I just had to write for Hak hehe

Even if you're not a fan, I'd love you forever for a little like <3

The forest is quiet as you weave through the dense underbrush, your hands skilfully plucking at the delicate leaves of a healing herb nestled in the shade. The sun filters through the green above, and for a moment, you take in the peace of nature, away from the bustling energy of the village. It's not every day you get the chance to help restock the supplies of your mother’s pharmacy, even though you’re always more than happy to help.

After all, collecting herbs means at least a few minutes of peace, a few minutes away from your mother’s desperate attempts to match you up with a random man. You know she only wants your best. After all, your father is the love of her life. It’s only natural for mothers to wish for that happy ending for their daughters, right?

You can’t help but grimace. Marrying a jerk from your village isn’t exactly your vision of a happy ending, though. If it was for you, you’d be happy enough by becoming a pharmacist just like your mother while getting to train with your father from time to time.

A pharmacist…That bouquet of moonshade bloom looks exceptionally good today. Its healing properties will be of great help for your father when he finally returns home-

Your focus on the herbs is abruptly shattered when the sound of rustling leaves catches your attention. Did someone follow you? Your mother, by any chance? No, you are the only one who knows about that secret place, the only villager who comes here. But who…?

You glance up, fingers tightening around the handle of the small blade strapped to your waist. Your father told you over and over that a knife can be a dangerous weapon in the right hands, that you should never use its powers carelessly.

A group of rough-looking men steps into view, their eyes narrowing as they spot you. Your heart drops to the floor, fierce eyes following each and every step. This can’t be good. This definitely means trouble.

“Well, well,” one of them drawls, smirking as his gaze sweeps over you.

“What’s a pretty thing like you doing out here all alone?”

You straighten, willing yourself to appear unfazed.

“Just minding my business,” you reply evenly, your hand inching closer to the hilt of your sword.

“And I advice you to do so as well.”

But they don’t seem inclined to leave it at that. No, instead, one steps even closer, his grin widening in a horrendous way.

“We’ll take real good care of you. No need to be shy.”

Your heart pounds as they close in, and though you’re confident in your skills, you know you’re outnumbered. That won’t stop you from giving it your all. Little do they know you aren’t a shy and weak girl from a nearby village. No, you are the daughter of a captain who serves under the crown itself. He never cared about the fact that you are a girl, always trained you like a son. Exactly for moments like these.

Just as your fingers wrap around your blade, a blur of movement descends from the trees.

“Now, now,” a unfamiliar, teasing voice cuts through the tension.

“Is this the part where I ask if I’m interrupting something?”

The men freeze, startled by the sudden interruption. Your head snaps up toward the source of the low and somehow taunting voice, your grip on your blade tightening. A tall figure emerges from the shadows of the trees, moving with the grace of someone who has seen far too many battles.

He’s tall, there’s no doubt in the fact that he’s quite muscular underneath the dark cloak he’s wearing. His strikingly blue eyes flick to you briefly, his smirk cocky and self-assured, before settling on the men again.

Who on earth is he?

“Interrupting? Not at all,” one of the bandits sneers, regaining his composure.

“But this isn’t your business, stranger. Why don’t you move along?”

The man chuckles, an easy, confident sound that only serves to irritate the bandits further.

“Oh, but you see, I just can’t help myself when it comes to damsels in distress. It’s a weakness of mine.”

“Damsel in distress?”, you hiss through gritted teeth

You bristle, ready to argue that you’re no damsel, but the situation is too tense to waste time on resentment. Besides, the stranger’s interruption has bought you a moment to steady yourself, and you intend to use it.

The bandit leader narrows his eyes.

“You’ve got a death wish, pal.”

“Maybe,” the man replies casually, lifting his glaive off his shoulder and twirling it with practiced ease.

“But I’ll still take my chances over yours.”

Without warning, one of the bandits lunges at him, a blade drawn. You barely have time to process what happens next - a flash of steel, and the man goes flying backward, clutching his chest and groaning in pain while you didn’t even manage to pull out your knife in the meantime.

The stranger doesn’t stop there. He moves like lightning, his glaive cutting through the air in wide, precise arcs that force the other bandits to scatter.

And you? You just watch him like a fool with your mouth open.

“You lot really are a disappointment,” he comments with a mocking sigh.

“Is this what passes for banditry these days?”

One by one, the men fall like rice sacks. Some manage to run, tripping over their own feet in their haste to escape, while others are left sprawled on the ground, groaning in defeat. It’s over in a matter of moments, leaving only you and the stranger standing amidst the chaos.

You are loss at words. Did this…really just happen?

He plants his glaive in the dirt and turns to you, his smirk softening into something almost friendly.

“You alright, Miss?”

Miss…You lower your blade but don’t sheath it just yet. Your eyes narrow as you study him, unsure whether to thank him or demand his intentions. What did he do here anyway?

He doesn’t seem fazed by your caution at all, though. In fact, his grin only widens.

“You’ve got the look of someone who’s about to say, ‘I had it under control,’” he mocks, leaning casually on his weapon.

“I did,” you reply sharply, finally slipping your blade into its sheath.

He chuckles again, the sound low and annoyingly charming.

“Of course you did. I’m sure you would’ve handled it beautifully.”

He tilts his head, a curious glint in his eyes.

“Still, it doesn’t hurt to have a little backup, right?”

“And what do you want for this ‘backup’?” you ask, crossing your arms.

He raises his hands in mock surrender.

“Whoa, easy there. I don’t charge for being a hero. Consider this a freebie.”

You’re unconvinced, but he doesn’t seem malicious. If anything, he looks mildly amused by your wariness.

“You’re not from around here,” you remark, more a statement than a question.

“Caught that, did you?” he replies, clearly entertained.

“You’re right. Just passing through. But I’d hate to think what would’ve happened if I hadn’t.”

His gaze shifts to the bouquet of herbs you’d dropped during the commotion.

“A pharmacist, huh? Or is it an herbalist?”

“Both,” you answer tersely, bending to retrieve the herbs.

You keep one eye on him as you do, unwilling to let your guard down entirely. You hate to admit how mesmerising his fierce eyes look, how inviting those strong arms are.

Inviting…Are you out of your mind?

“Impressive,” he notes, leaning on his glaive again.

“And the blade? That’s not just for show, I take it?”

“My father taught me,” you reply, straightening with the herbs in hand.

“And I can handle myself, thank you very much.”

“I don’t doubt it. But if I hadn’t stepped in, you might’ve been forced to prove it a little too much.”

You bite back a reply, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of rising to his bait.

Hak leans casually on his glaive, his smirk as infuriating as ever. He won’t give up, won’t he?

“You’ve got a lot of fire, Miss Pharmacist. How about actually proving it?”

Your brows furrow.

“Prove it? I don’t have anything to prove to you.”

“Oh, I think you do,” he teases, straightening up.

“Come on, impress me. You’ve got a blade, and from the way you carry yourself, I’d say you know how to use it. Or was that all talk?”

Your jaw tightens. He’s provoking you and you know it, but you’re not about to back down. Not when you’re challenged like that.

“Fine. You asked for it.”

Drawing your knife, you take a step back to create space, your movements fluid and precise. Hak raises an eyebrow, clearly intrigued as you ready your stance.

“Anytime you’re ready,” he announces, spinning his glaive once with a flourish.

You charge forward, swinging low before feinting to the side. He blocks effortlessly, his movements annoyingly smooth. But you’re not done. You hinge, using the momentum to aim a strike at his side. He parries, his smirk widening.

“Not bad,” he admits.

“But you’re going to have to do better than that.”

Gritting your teeth, you change tactics, using a feigned stumble to lure him into an overcommitment. As he steps forward, you twist, sweeping his legs out from under him with a sharp kick. His surprised grunt is deeply satisfying as he crashes to the ground.

You’re about to step back and declare victory when his hand snaps out, grabbing your wrist.

“Not so fast,” he mumbles, yanking you down with him.

The next thing you know, you’re sprawled on the forest floor, half on top of him, his laughter ringing in your ears, his firm muscles rough against your palms.

“You’re full of surprises,” he soothes, his grin entirely too smug despite his current position. “Guess I deserved that.”

“Maybe next time you’ll think twice before underestimating me,” you huff, trying to push yourself up.

Gosh, the feeling of his body against yours almost makes your face flush. You were never this close to a man before, especially not a man like him. He definitely knows how to fight, how to use his body oh so smoothly.

“Next time?”

His grin softens, and there’s a flicker of something warmer in his gaze.

“I’ll look forward to it.”

You roll your eyes, brushing yourself off as you stand with that faint voice in your heart screaming in agony. He rises with ease, dusting off his cloak as though he wasn’t just knocked flat on his back.

“Alright, you win. I’ll admit you’re not half bad. But don’t think this makes us even. I still saved you, remember?”

You let out an exasperated sigh.

“You’re impossible.”

“And you’re irresistible,” he counters smoothly, falling into step beside you.

The banter carries you both out of the forest, and for all his teasing, you can’t deny the warmth his presence brings. For a stranger, he feels oddly… safe. Annoying, but safe.

But you can’t continue like this. If you stay by his side a little longer, you might really for his charm.

“I guess I keep going now. Have a nice journey to wherever you go next”, you finally announce while turning your step into the direction of your home.

“Hey,” he calls after you.

“Not even a ‘thank you’? Tough crowd.”

You glance over your shoulder.

“Thanks,” you bite back, though it comes out more envying than you’d intended.

He laughs, the sound warm and genuine this time.

“You’re welcome, Miss Pharmacist. If you ever need saving again, just yell. I’ll come running.”

You scoff, but can’t quite suppress the small smile tugging at your lips. Whoever this stranger is, you suspect this isn’t the last you’ll see of him.

[seraph-of-the-mikayuu]

What animals would the current four dragon warriors in yotd be?

Please leave comments or reposts of what you would think (especially Zeno! Hak and Yun or even your favorite characters as animals would be lived also! I wanna write a fanfic of the dragons turning into animals)

[windrelyn]

[Akatsuki no Yona Fanfic] Beyond the Dreams

“I’m your advisor, Your Majesty. I’ll defend our country by my last breath. I’ll make our dream come true. I’ll bring victory to Kouka. I can carry all of your burden. Don’t worry about me.” Kye-sook took the king’s hand. "But please don’t go where I cannot follow. I cannot walk in this sorrowful world without you.”

I wrote this because chater 249 hit me so hard. I cannot thank my beta-reader @antares0606 enough. Though she's not in AnY fandom, but she has known my writing style (and my mistakes) very well.

[angrypaperearthquake-tbbb-main]

I'm speechless 🥺

It's... perfect. More than perfect. It's a masterpiece 😱

I couldn't have asked for anything more 🤧

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!

MY BABIES 😭

If anyone has read my fic "The Fade of Moonlight", you might recognize this scene from Chapter 3: Caged Birds, in the "Age 9" section, which is arguably the cutest scene ever. It's also their last happy scene together.

This is the scene that started it all. This is the scene that floated around in my mind. This is the scene that ultimately prompted me to write the fic. This. Bathed in moonlight. Blissful for such a short while. A dichotomy of abused children finding happiness in the smallest moments. But, all moonlight fades eventually.

Thank you so much @foxxiatto-art-writing for making the picture in my head come to life like I never imagined 💚

If anyone hasn't read The Fade of Moonlight and wants to, you can find it here:

Request: @angrypaperearthquake

I had to pull it and repost it because the other was waaay too dark.

[teaberrii]

Hey! I hope you’re doing well. If tou need to take a break from writing a story, take it. Sometimes that’s what you need to do before coming back and it’s not like it’s a job, you’re doing it for fun! Also I’ve been wanting to ask but have been shy.. do you read WEBTOON??? Your fanfics give me WEBTOON vibes and either you’re a secret co creator/writer there or you read them xD

Hello, anon! I'm doing well :) thanks for asking. I know I'm going to take a break from YOTD 😂 I'm already thinking of starting a smaller project that doesn't require a lot of background story and, well, thinking lol.

I wish I was talented enough to create webtoons 😂 but I just read them (used to). Really loved Bluechair, Safely Endangered, and Cat Loaf Adventures hehe

[m1ckeyb3rry]

HELLO AGAIN #1 FAVOURITE WRITER!!!

So excited to send you an ask again!

I just read the little snippets of your akatsuki no yona fic and ahhh it’s as amazing as always.

Akatsuki no yona is definitely one of my favourite animangas and I wanted to ask if you ever plan on making a whole yotd fic, or if you plan on releasing the one you started writing?

Please don’t feel pressured by this! I’m just curious about it.

Thank you for writing and publishing your amazing stories and I’m so excited for future chapters :D!

HIII!! I’m so excited to receive one of your asks again :)

HAHAH I’M GLAD YOU LIKED IT!! I have to confess I never found the time to read the manga for akayona but my friend and I watched the singular season of the anime over the summer and LOVED it. Like loved it sm LMAOO it’s so so good and the characters are amazing (I’m sure you could tell by the snippets but I am a shinah girl for life). I don’t really post about it much because the fandom is somewhat (mostly) dead so there’s not a ton going on in terms of content but I am a huge fan!!

Okay so the thing w that fic is that it is so au it barely even counts as a yotd fic imo. Like I borrowed some concepts (ex the blue dragon, hak as the thunder beast, etc etc) but the characters and relationships and situations and lore and plot are so different that i would almost feel bad posting it as a yotd fic. I definitely am not opposed to it!! I just don’t want people to go into it expecting something close to/based off of canon and instead get me kidnapping some of the characters and putting them in a world of my own design.

I might write something else for akayona at some point!! It’s a very well written story though which makes it amazing to read but hard to write fanfic for as my favorite method of writing fics is filling in gaps in the plot with my own characters.

Thank you so much for being so sweet and for reading!! I really appreciate it 🫶🏻

[vannahfanfics]

Happy Hungry Babysitters

Category: General Fluff

Fandom: Yona of the Dawn

Characters: Yona, Hak, Shin-ah, Yoon, Jae-Ha, Zeno, Kija

Requested By: Scarlet (Ao3)

A content smile decorated Yona’s face as she reclined underneath the shade of a towering oak tree. Its emerald-green leaves blanketed the expanse above her head to shield her from the worst of the sun’s hot rays, allowing only thin beams to spear down and blot across her cloak and pink gown in little gold circles. The space underneath the forest’s thick canopy was as cool as a springtime night. Snuggled within the tree’s twisted, gnarled roots, Yona rested safe and content.

Not too far off, her companions were gathered around a small campfire smoking some trout from the nearby river. The pungent aroma of smoke, grilling meat, and the faintest hint of salt made her nose wriggle; from the tang of the salt and smoky fish flesh on her tongue, their lunch was nearly ready. With a high-pitched whine, she slowly eased her stiff body into a sitting position and stretched her arms above her head. Her muscles uncoiled and her joints popped, spreading the satisfying sensation of wakefulness through her body and bones. Just as she was standing to walk over to the small encampment, the musky forest air rang with the snap of a twig.

Everyone was instantly on high alert. Sooner than she had even registered that he had moved, Hak was at her side with his arm slung across her chest in a protective gesture. The air was now filled with crunching leaves, shaking leaves, and snapping sticks from the underbrush directly in front of Yona. Her dragons crept forward to crouch in a shielding semi-circle around her. Yona plucked her bow from where it rested against the tree trunk and notched a single arrow; she did not yet draw the string and prepare to fire, for she had no idea whether the stranger approaching was friend or foe. The sounds of their advance were raucous and uncaring. If they were an enemy, either they were completely clueless to how much noise they were making, or they were so confident in their abilities that they righteously didn’t care. The group collectively held their breath as the bush directly in front of them rattled wildly, and then-

A toddler waddled out from within the spiny leaves. He stopped, gawking at the group of young adults with wide sea-green eyes and sticking his dirty fist in his mouth to lick at his chubby knuckles. All of their mouths hung open in utter shock as they gaped back at the little boy, still holding up their weapons threateningly. Yona was the first to move.

“Why, hello there, little one!” she smiled kindly and threw her bow and arrow down to the ground. She ducked underneath Hak’s arm to hurry over to the little child, and he craned his head back to stare up at her. He was the cutest thing, with wavy straw-colored hair curling just above his shoulders and ruddy, round cheeks. Yona crouched down in front of him, and he followed her motion, keeping eye contact with her all the while. “What are you doing so far in the forest by yourself? Where’s your mother?”

“It’s a baby,” Jae-ha gulped.

“Yeah, we noticed,” Hak grunted back and leaned his weapon against the tree before joining Yona at the toddler’s side. The quiet boy tore his gaze away from the princess to stare at Hak, still sucking on his fist. “He can’t be older than a year and a half.” Yona agreed with the assessment; his steps were unsure and fumbling, and he didn’t seem to know many words. She would be surprised if he were even one year in age. The toddler looked back to Yona again and shuffled forward to touch her cheek, and then cooed happily. His round, sausage-like fingers petted her dawn-colored hair with evident admiration.

“Red!” he asserted confidently.

“That’s right! It’s red,” she agreed, easing herself down on her knees. The baby immediately clambered up into her lap, sitting contentedly on her plush thighs and gurgling contentedly while playing with the soft silk of her dress. “This little one is lucky to have stumbled upon us. Who knows what might have attacked him out here,” she tutted with a frown. She began to stroke his soft, fine hair, and he clapped his hands gleefully, bouncing a little in her lap. “It is imperative that we find his mother…”

“He can’t have traveled too far… After all, he is but a small child,” Kija grimaced as he approached. The baby took notice of the white dragon’s coming and ogled him with those wide green eyes, then pointed at his head.

“White!”

“He certainly is a smart fellow,” Shin-ah sniffed while peeking over the blushing Kija’s shoulder. He sounded amused, but it was hard to tell with the mask and the blank expression of his mouth. The baby gawked at his colorful mask, then squealed with delight as Ao appeared on his shoulder. Babbling, he groped for the chipmunk insistently. The rodent seemed to understand his request and scuttled down Kija’s arm to rest on his hand, chittering like it was having a conversation with the young child. He clapped his hands again before reaching out to pat Ao gently on the head. Ao nuzzled into his palm, making him scream in utter glee, before returning to Shin-ah’s shoulder.

“Aren’t you going to look at the baby?” Yoon asked Jae-Ha, who was standing several feet away and looking very uncomfortable.

“I don’t like babies.”

“What? But he’s so cute, Jae-Ha!” Yona protested, and as proof, lifted the baby for him to see. The toddler stared brightly up at the green-haired man, rolling his tongue around the whole fist shoved into his mouth. Jae-Ha scowled as drool puddled onto the luscious grass blades below.

“Keep that gross thing away from me!” Yona pouted and lowered the baby back into her arms, bouncing him against her shoulder. The toddler once more became transfixed with her strands of dawn-red hair and shoved a thick swathe of it in his mouth to suck on it. She didn’t much notice, too busy trying to riddle out how he wandered out into the woods alone.

“His mother must be worried sick,” she sighed. The baby spat out her hair, now maroon as it was dripping wet with spit, and it stuck thickly to her neck. The boys looked on with expressions ranging from concern to awe to disgust as she ignored it. “We should walk in the direction he came from to see if we can happen upon someone, or a village, even. Someone should know where this little guy came from!”

“I agree,” Yoon nodded. “We certainly can’t continue on our journey with a random baby.”

“We’re already criminals. Why not add kidnapping to the list?” Jae-ha joked, earning a sharp jab to the ribs as Hak walked by him. The tall man leaned against the tree, wheezing as his intercostal muscles burned. “It was a joke, Thunder Beast… A joke…”

So, with the mystery baby in tow, the Happy Hungry Bunch set out in search of a mother.

Yona and Hak were in front, with the princess carrying the toddler. He remained completely calm, ogling the wonders of the forest over her shoulder. She much liked lugging him about; he had that pleasant milky baby smell, and his happy coos and gurgles were music to her ears. She loved the way his fat little fingers played with her hair. She talked kindly to him, pointing out random things that he eyed. Every time she spoke, he clapped his hands excitedly and reached out to touch whatever she was talking about, if it was indeed touchable. The curious baby very nearly grabbed a fistful of poison oak, and she had to yank him away at the last moment and occupy him with a butterfly flitting by to keep him from getting upset.

“I never knew you were so good with babies,” Hak remarked after about thirty minutes of tromping through the woods. Yona blinked at him, then gave the baby a small smile. It seemed he had tired himself out with all the investigating and was lying with his head propped on her shoulder, sucking his thumb. He was trying desperately to stay awake, but his eyes continuously drooped and fluttered with encroaching sleep.

“Tired,” he mumbled.

She stroked his soft blond hair a few times before looking back to Hak.

“I didn’t know, either,” she snickered.

“It seems our Yona has good maternal instincts,” Jae-Ha quipped from a few paces behind them. Yona flushed at the very suggestive grin splitting his thin face. “She’ll make someone a good wif-”

Yona never really was sure if it was divine intervention in the form of a protruding tree root or Kija’s foot. Still, whatever he tripped over, it made Jae-Ha immediately faceplant into the detritus. The group howled with laughter as he slowly leaned up, spitting decaying leaf litter out of his mouth. All the commotion made the baby sit up, his head bobbling and eyes blinking blearily as he tried to determine what all the hubbub was about. He looked down at Jae-Ha, still sprawled in the grass and dirt practically seething, and began to laugh good-naturedly. Jae-Ha sniffed derisively at the toddler before sitting up and brushing leaves and twigs from his clothes. “Little smartass,” he grumbled under his breath.

“You know what I’ve been thinking?” Hak said suddenly. He was staring thoughtfully at the toddler. Yona looked between the tall warrior and the chubby baby, unsure just what he was so transfixed with. “That baby looks a lot like Soo-Won.” Yona’s wide eyes beheld the sleepy toddler for a few seconds before the resemblance finally struck her like a bolt from the blue.

“Oh my goodness! He does!” His eyes were the same shade of green as Soo-Won’s, and the color of his hair was an exact match as well; it even possessed the same amount of bounce and wave. Pursing her lips, Yona held out the baby at a small distance to stare intently at it. The toddler continued to suck its thumb obliviously with his sock-clad feet kicking a little in the air. For the first time, she noticed that the child was actually dressed in lavish clothes; all the dirt and grime he had accumulated tromping through the underbrush had masked it, but he was wearing a rich red robe-like garment with gold accents and very clean bloomers. He was most certainly a child of a noble. “It couldn’t be time-travel, could it?! Is this Soo-Won from the past?” she whispered in quiet awe.

“If we kill him, will everything that’s happened up until now be reversed?” Jae-Ha frowned and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Yona inhaled in pure revulsion and smothered the baby protectively into her chest, tossing an affronted glare his way. He quickly threw up his hands in surrender. “It was a joke! Man, tough crowd today…”

“No, it wasn’t,” Shin-ah piped up from beside him. Jae-Ha gave him a cranky side-eye.

“Don’t worry, baby. I won’t let any of these mean boys hurt you,” Yona cooed as she nuzzled the crown of his head with her cheek. The toddler warbled pleasantly in response.

“Guys, this is not King Soo-Won from the past,” Yoon snorted with a cantankerous roll of his eyes. “Seriously, the baby had more maturity than you do. He just happens to look like him.”

“Can you prove it?” Zeno grinned from his perch on a rotting tree stump. Yoon glowered at him, but kept his mouth shut because he knew he couldn’t definitively prove it, and Zeno stuck out his tongue at the young boy with a devilish and self-satisfied snicker.

“Of course it isn’t Soo-Won,” Hak huffed and took the baby from Yona’s arms to hold it out and give it a disapproving once-over. “I was just saying they looked alike. That’s all.” The toddler blinked brightly at Hak, sucking on his fist again. He then squealed and reached out to slap his spit-covered hand against Hak’s cheek. The knight grimaced in utter disgust as the thick, goopy liquid slowly dripped down his face, while the baby howled with shrieking laughter.

“He likes you!” Yona grinned. Hak wasted no time in handing the baby back to her.

“Yeah. Sure,” Hak grunted and wiped the spit off his face with his sleeve. Yona began bouncing the baby in her arms again, and his big head plopped down on her shoulder. He yawned loudly before sticking his thumb back in his mouth and sucking on it contentedly, then snuggled up into Yona’s neck. She hummed a senseless tune under her breath while slowly swaying from side to side and bouncing his round body gently. “We need to find his mother. I can’t believe we’ve been walking thirty minutes and haven’t come upon anyone.”

“There’s no telling how much his path twisted and turned,” Kija frowned. “We could have walked in the entirely wrong direction.”

“That’s encouraging, Kija,” Jae-Ha lamented wearily.

Just as the group was beginning to debate turning in another direction, Hak hurriedly shushed them and glanced off into the forest. A voice was floating on the dank forest air- a woman’s voice. It rapidly grew closer and louder in pitch, and the panic was clear in her voice. Yona grinned brightly at Hak.

“It must be his mother! Come on!” She ignored his orders to wait and took off into the forest in the direction of the woman’s cries. Before she could reach her, however, she stumbled into some brambles. The tiny barbs dug into the hem of her dress like prickling teeth, shredding the fine fabric but refusing to release it at Yona’s insistent tugging. “Oh, my, what a mess-! Ma’am?! Ma’am, are you looking for a baby?” she called out into the wilderness, deciding that it was useless to struggle against the thorns and electing to instead attract the woman to her. The cries stopped short with Yona’s yelling, soon replaced by very frantic crashing in the underbrush. A nearby hawthorn rattled so violently that several of its red berries rattled to the ground before a breathless, red-faced, wild-eyed young woman burst through.

“Oh, my baby! There you are!” she wailed with relief. She surged towards Yona, tripping over her own feet from running too fast, and landed on her hands and knees right in front of the bramble thicket. The woman groped at Yona’s dress in an effort to reach her son, sobbing so hard she couldn’t breathe, and Yona encouragingly shushed her while holding out the baby to her. She hugged him tightly to her bosom, stroking his hair and cradling him while choking out words of gratitude: “Oh- hic- thank you so much, I- hic- I turned around, and he was just gone! Hic- ungh- I’ve been searching everywhere for him! I thought- hic- I thought he had been snatched up by something awful, and I- I- I- oh, my darling baby, I’m so glad you’re all right!”

By this time, the boys had caught up to Yona. Hak cursed under his breath and knelt to begin carefully disentangling the ruined hem of her dress from the clinging brambles. Yona smiled brightly at the woman when she looked up with wide, teary eyes. “I must repay you somehow. Money? I have money, or food, or anything-!”

“It’s all right, ma’am. We don’t-” Before she could finish, Jae-Ha clapped his hand over her mouth and leaned over her shoulder with a charming smile laced with just the smallest hint of roguish mischief.

“Some warm food and a place to sleep would be marvelous, madam.”

~~~~~~~~~~

The Happy Hungry Bunch, ironically, had only been another two or three minutes from the baby’s home, which turned out to be a prominent city. The woman’s husband was the local steward of the settlement, explaining the baby’s apparent status. He was similarly beside himself at the toddler’s disappearance. As his wife and Yona came strolling up, swinging the happy baby between them, he actually fell down the steps of his lofty home trying to reach him. Yona looked on happily as the family reunited. Many tears were shed at the toddler’s return, by the parents and the servants alike. It was clear that he was very cherished and loved. I hope he grows up in a warm and untroubled home, she prayed.

The group was repaid with a warm welcome, warm food, and warm showers. The mother had stumbled into the guest bedroom just as she was dressing and, of course, recognized her dawn-red hair immediately. She was very gracious about Yona’s wishes not to be outed and provided her with a silk headwrap to cover her conspicuous locks. The silk dress was smooth on Yona’s freshly-washed skin, and the fragrance of milk and honey soap clung to her petite frame mingling with the pleasant rose perfume the lady of the house had loaned her. They enjoyed a rowdy dinner, regaling the nobles with modified tales of their exploits, and retired deep into the night with full bellies and happy smiles. The steward’s wife let Yona rock the baby to sleep and place him in his cradle. Just as the princess was slipping down the hall to scurry to her bedroom, she encountered her bodyguard. He was sitting beside her bedroom door, hunched over. He had most likely fallen asleep awaiting her return.

“Hak,” she called softly as she knelt beside him and shook his shoulder. He did not jerk or gasp, but instead cracked an eye open to look at her. He had not been asleep after all- only resting his eyes. “Thank you for waiting up for me,” she smiled graciously. His lips curled into a thin smile, and he reclined back against the wall, stretching out one of his long legs with no care if someone might trip over it.

“Always, Princess.”

“That baby was adorable,” she mused cheerfully. Though it was late in the evening, her interactions with the toddler had left her invigorated and humming with energy. Hak smirked airily with a nod of agreement.

“Yeah. Kinda scary how much he looked like Soo-Won, though.”

“Indeed,” she giggled. The little bubble of happiness inspired by the comment soon burst inside her, however, replaced by numbing sadness. Soo-Won’s name could only bring her sorrow and regret now. Hak noticed her change in mood immediately and scooted closer to her, reaching up to grab her head and nestle it into his shoulder softly. She did not retreat from the intimate action but rather welcomed it. Her hand curled into the thick fabric of his sleeve, and she exhaled miserably. “What am I going to do, Hak?”

“Just keep going,” he answered. “Just keep pushing forward and try to make the world a better place for kids like him.” A smile blossomed on her face. It was a lovely sentiment and a very Hak thing to say.

“Yes…” She could get up and crawl into the been that had been offered her, but to her sleep-addled mind, leaning against Hak was infinitely more comfortable. As she reclined against him, his body heat lulling her into a sense of security, her eyes began to droop. I’ll make the world a much better place, so that families like this can live carefree and happy…

You’ll see, Soo-Won… You’ll see.

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