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ravenslvt · 2 months

Note

Hi! I saw that you're taking requests, so is it okay if I ask for a spoiled city girl! Reader x country boy! Leon?

Reader's father sent reader to spend the rest of the year at her grandparents because he's had enough tolerating her. Eversince she arrived, yeah, the whole town hated her alright. Her grandparents made her do errands and shit and she'd complain and do it lazily.

Leon on the other hand- who's been hearing rumors about this girl, didn't think that she was that bad until he encountered her himself. And hell, she was way worse that bad.

Possible virgin, kinda innocent (only when it comes to ykyk) reader and brat tamer Leon?

Ignore if you're not comfortable with the idea.

🎀 cowboy!leon s kennedy x f!innocent reader 🎀

cw: smut, implied virgin reader, brat taming, sort of hate sex, p in v, oral m! recieving, v fingering, degrating, edging, light spanking

of course there was no cell service in this shithole. you groaned, falling back onto the white sheets of the squeaky bed of the guest bedroom in your grandparents house.

you had taken a gap year off of college, wanting a break and hoping to ‘find yourself’, but you just got unmotivated. your father asked you for months to find a job in the city, but you’d talk your way out of it everytime. of course, enough was enough and when the time came, he had talked to his own parents and decided to send you over to a small little farm town where they retired to, hoping to shape you up a bit. they owned a quaint farm with chickens, sheep, pigs, all a cute little older couple could ask for.

but it was your own personal hell. having to feed, clean, and even pick up after the smelly animals. at least some of them were cute. no technology to ease your mind. it didn’t help your grandparents made you drive their shitty little red truck into town once a week to get supplies, since you were so ‘nimble’ compared to them. to say the least, the whole town was not fond of a bratty city girl storming irritatingly around. refusing to do work, and even when you did, you just half assed it to get it over with.

the local townies and shop workers alike always stared when you’d walk through town with your cute little purse and skirt that rode up your thighs. it was a hot town, what else were you supposed to wear? older women having to slap their husbands when they oogled for too long at the young woman walking into the supply store. that was until you’d start an argument with another customer. they’d either be judging you or too scared to say a word. sometimes both.

in one instance, there was only one stack of bird feed left, and you’d be damned if you weren’t gonna be the one taking it back to the farm. that was until a prudish older lady grabbed it at the same time as you. your eyes met, challenging each-other. she put on a fake smile. “oh sorry sweetie! need this food for my little chickies at home.” her high pitched voice irritated your head. “oh that’s unfortunate, i need it for the same reason. so if you could take your wrinkley little fingers off of it that would be great.” you yanked it from her hands before she gasped.

“what a disrespectful young lady…” she mumbled, turning around to the door of the door, looking down at her hands as she left. you mumbled a quick curse at her before walking up to the register to pay. the store clerk looked a little nervous, so he rang you up in silence in fear of you lashing out at him.

this was just one of the many incidents since you got sent here.

at least you’d found new hobbies. you started going to the small library whenever you were sent into town. there wasn’t many choices, but that along with a few of your grandma’s books from her collection, you were somewhat less bored. that and you took up sketching. sure this place was boring as fuck, but you couldn’t deny that the scenery was pretty beautiful.

it’s been almost a month since you’ve been here. you silently lounged in the room you’d been staying in, reading some god awful romance novel. you heard your grandma call your name from downstairs. you sigh before getting up. “what?” you yell back, annoyed you got interrupted reading your newly picked up book. she didn’t respond, another tindge of annoyance reaching your skull.

as you walk down the creaky wooden steps, noticing the front door open to find the older woman on the front porch. you heard a deep voice chuckling from outside. walking out, you were greeted with a handsome young man. he only looked two or three years older than you, but he was tall and had a good frame. seems like doing work on a farm for years really builds up muscle. the wrinkled woman calls your name, snapping you out of your trance.

“um, what can i help you with?” you reply, crossing your arms over your chest. the man gives you a smile before holding out his hand for you to shake, lowering his dark grey hat to reveal some of his dirty blonde hair underneath. “i’ve heard a lot about you miss, names leon.” his large hand extends towards you. you just eye it and roll your eyes. “hi? can i go now, nana?” you plead to the woman. she just sighs and puts a hand on your shoulder. “pop and i gotta go into town for a couple days for this chicken auction he’s been wantin’ to go to. our friendly neighbor here offered to help show you around the farm a bit. teach you a few things” she eyes you sternly.

“teach me things? i’m not twelve. i can handle myself” you retort, glaring at the tall man. he just chuckles. he had heard from around town you were feisty, but it was even better to see in person. he rests his hands firmly on his hips.

“promise i won’t get in your way, darlin’. we’re doin’ some renovations on my own house a few miles down the road. your kind grandmother here offered to let me stay in the guest house while they’re gone.” he smiles assuringly. you were annoyed. you had already spent the last thirty seconds planning on sunbathing or sitting in your room, free of any work on the farm.

“i just don’t think this is very necessary. surely you can afford a hotel?” you retort back. your grandma gives you a light smack on the back of your head. “sorry ‘bout her. not from here” she smiles kindly at the young man. you just pout. “yeah, thank god” you mumble, causing you to get another light smack.

“oh it’s no trouble at all. got myself a little cousin back home that’s a bit of a brat too.” he comments, his eyes never leaving yours. your face flushes. “excuse me? a brat? fuck off dude-“ you start. “language!” she scolds you. you mumble a small apology to her while still glaring daggers at leon.

leon just stands there, entertained by your little outbursts. he could tell you really did not enjoy being here, but he was ready to fix that. his gaze shifts down to your attire, you clearly didn't pack for working on a farm. always in cute little outfits that you'd always wear back in the city.

your grandma changed the subject, asking leon a few questions about his family and his own farm. you were lost in your own thoughts. at least you'd be stuck with a hot farmer instead of some old creep. maybe you could just fake flirt with him to get him to do all your chores for you. that should work, right?

after a few treacherous minutes of standing on the badly painted white porch, you said your goodbyes. leon gives your grandmother another respectful handshake and he just tips his hat at you while you just stare, giving a tiny wave before storming back inside.

about two days later you said your goodbyes to your grandparents, they gave you some hugs and kept repeating the list of chores they'd tasked you with. feed the chickens, take out the eggs, you really just blocked out their words from entering your head. you just smiled and nodded, waving at them as they drove off the property.

you gave a sigh of relief, leon wouldn't be here for another few hours so you thought you'd have some 'me' time. taking a long hot bath (your grandparents always got mad when you used up too much hot water), reading your romance novel while relaxing in the warm water. your cheeks flushed at a certain scene in the book. you didn't expect the library to carry a literal smut book. the main male character in the novel was going down on the pretty girl, the writing made your stomach churn in arousal. you'd never read anything so... descriptive before.

right before you could turn to the next page when things were getting more hot and heavy, there was a heavy knock on the door. you jerk up from your laying down position in the bath and sigh, leon was early. you lay your book upside down so you wouldn't loose your place, wrapping a small towel around your figure before fully stepping out, draining the bath. another knock and a familiar voice calling your name. "you home?" he calls. "yeah, hold on!" you scurry around, cursing yourself for not laying out clothes beforehand.

you carefully step downstairs and opening the front door, peeking out. leon had a duffel bag with him with his things in it. "um, yeah?" you say, trying to hide your toweled figure behind the door. he smiles. "just need the key to the guest house, darlin." oh right. you nod, grabbing the key hanging near the door and hand it to him, your fingers brushing slightly, making your cheeks heat up. before he could open his mouth to speak, you shut the door on him unremorsefully. "thanks." he chuckles out, turning to make the walk to the guest house about a hundred feet away from the main house. and of course you were the one who had to clean it up before he got here.

after putting on your favorite outfit and boots, you make your way back downstairs for some water. sipping from the clear glass cup, you notice leon outside the window. he was already getting familiar with the animals. he looked good in his light blue button up shirt, it really brought out his eyes. the way he had rolled up his sleeves so his veiny arms were on display. he was squatted down next to the new baby sheep and was petting her. you pouted, she didn’t even let you pet her. you sigh, placing your glass down before making your way outside.

leon’s head perks up as he notices you walking twords him. he gives you a charming smile, standing up from the baby sheep. you speak first. “she lets you pet her? everytime i come near she yells at me.” you cross your arms at the man. he looks back down at the small animal who gave you an angry look, running off somewhere. “you gotta' know how to approach em’. plus they sense your vibes” he adds, his eyes back on you.

“my vibes, huh? what’s that supposed to mean, mister?” your eyes squint at him, a hint of irritation in your eye. he doesn’t feed into your attitude. “leon” he corrects you.

“leon” you repeat. the way his name sounded rolling off your tounge made his lips quirk up in a small smile.

“now-“ he starts, grabbing a nearby bag and handing it to you. “- better start on those chores, hmm?”. you glare at him, scoffing. “you’re joking.” you retort. he just shakes his head.

“i’m here for a reason, darlin’. best get to work so you can get it over with faster.” he shoves the bag in your arms and you give him your best puppy dog eyes. “c’mon leon. you’re so big and strong, i’m sure you’d get it done a lot faster than me.” you bat your eyelashes at him. he seemed gullible enough to seduce. he just chuckles. “nice try, you’re cute” he says, walking off to leave you to your chores. you groan. “fine…” you mumble, walking off to to collect the chicken eggs.

over an hour later, you lie in the green patch of grass, playing with your nails. pouting that cleaning the coop made you chip one. you’d finished majority of your chores, hoping it was enough to get leon off your back. whenever you’d start to walk away from a task, he’d appear to show you what you did wrong and how to improve. you wanted to punch his pretty face.

you were snapped out of your thoughts as you heard a deep voice approach you. “takin’ a break?” he says, standing over you. you sigh, not even bothering to look up at him. “i finished for today. i’ll do the rest tomorrow or something.” you continue playing with your nails, still annoyed.

he crosses his arms over his strong chest. “you’re quite the lazy girl, y'know that?” you just scoff. “whatever, asshole” you spit back.

“you got a bit of a mouth on you, don’t ya’?” he squats down so he’s level with you. you finally turn to him, glaring. you angrily stand up, dusting yourself off before gasping. “fuck!” you yell, looking down. your favorite skirt had stains of grass and dirt on them. you didn’t realize the grass was wet before you sat down on it. “are you serious?! this is so gross!” you try wiping the stains off, but only making it worse by spreading them around. you notice leon laughing at you. you turn to glare daggers at the now standing man.

“what the hell is so funny?” your face has annoyance all over it.

“c’mon, let me help you get those stains out, sweetheart. wouldn’t want such a pretty skirt to be ruined” he starts to walk twords the guest house.

“i’m not your-“

“you want that skirt clean or not?” he sighs. you silently nod, following behind him. he opens the door to the clean little house, holding it open for you and shutting it once you were both inside. it was surely nicer than the place you were staying in. a big bed against the wall and a little kitchen table. you remembered staying in here with your father when you visited as a kid. you loved it here back then.

he sets his hat on the counter, finally giving you a full view of his parted hair. he was even more handsome without the hat. he caught you staring and you quickly look away.

“gotta' take the skirt off so i can run it in the wash for you before the stains seep in.” he says, leaning against the counter with his large arms crossed over his broad chest. your eyebrow quirks. “um, i’m not doing that”. he gives you a questioning look. “i’m not wearing anything under…” you add. you only wore your panties under, not wanting to ruin the outfit with ugly shorts. he sighs. a thought flickers in his mind of you taking your skirt off, your pretty ass on display for him.

“fine. you can borrow some of my sweats.” he walks over to his bag of clothes, rummaging through until he pulls out a pair of plaid blue pajama pants. you scoff. “these are ugly as fuck, this is gonna ruin my outfit.” you hold up the pants. they were way too big for you. but they smelled like him. woodsy and a hint of pine. he steps a little closer to you. “if you’d rather let that pretty little skirt get ruined, then be my guest.” he says. you have to crane your neck to look up at him. you sigh, taking your shoes off. “you could just change in the bathroom, you know.” he comments.

“well you could also just look away, pervert.” you say, carefully setting your boots on the floor. he puts his hands up in defense, turning and walks somewhere across the room. “y’know, some day that mouth of yours is gonna get you in trouble.” his voice is lower now, more serious than before. you roll your eyes, shimmying yourself out of your little skirt. “fuck off. you’re not my father.” you bite back, pulling the loose pants over your hips. “these are too big…” you say, holding the pants up or else they’d fall to the ground. he turns and walks up to you, inches away. he grabs the drawstrings, tightening them so hard that you let out a barely audible gasp.

your eye’s focus on his hands. the way they tied the strings perfectly, patting your hip once he finished. “better now?” he asks, looking down at you. you didn’t say a word, just nodding. he smiles. “no words for me from the mouthy girl?” he says. you huff.

“you don’t know anything about me, leon.”

“i know enough. i know you’re an entitled little brat who needs to be put in her place.” he whispered, leaning into your ear. his hot breath left chills down your neck. you could feel your nipples harden against your top. his arms trapped you against the counter.

your eyes finally pull to his, almost magnetically. “what’s your story then, pretty? refusing to work so your daddy kicked you out?” he guesses. you stay silent. he was right.

“what happened to that little mouth of yours? got nothin’ to say now?” he teases, leaning twords your face. fuck, he knew how to shut you up.

“you- i-“ you stutter, unable to respond. he just smirks. his hand slipping to your waist. “you talk all this shit, but can’t handle it comin’ back to you, can you?” god it was almost like he was getting off on seeing your flustered face.

“fuck you-“

“watch your fucking mouth, princess” he practically growls. his grip on your waist only tightens, making you almost whine. his demeanor completely changing from his lighthearted charming self. you felt yourself getting wet from his words alone.

“or what?” you spit back.

“you wanna find out?”

that’s how you ended up with your shaky knees, pressed against the hardwood floor, leon’s big veiny cock sitting right in front of your eyes. his hand was in your hair as your hands nervously reach out to stroke him. he could tell you were inexperienced.

“what’s wrong, baby?” he coos, looking down at you as your small hand wraps around the base of his large cock.

“i don’t- i’ve never-“

“never had a cock in your mouth?” he asks. you just shake your head nervously. he pulsed at the thought of being the first man to be inside of you.

“ever even kissed someone?” he tilts his head.

“just once…” you pout. you were getting tired of his teasing. he just gives your hair a light tug, making you whine. he uses his other hand to bring his thumb to your bottom, dragging it down. you respond, opening your mouth to suck on his thumb. he presses it into your tongue, you swirl your wet muscle around his finger. “good job, see? you got it” he encourages. he removes his thumb, a trail of spit between your lips and his finger.

“now just open your pretty lips…” his hand cups your jaw, you open your mouth. he slides the tip into your hot mouth before hissing. “no teeth, darlin’.” he warns. you nod, taking him deeper. only halfway in and you’re choking around him. he groans at the way your throat contracts around him.

“fuck, you’re a natural slut, aren’t ya?” he grips your hair, moving you up and down his cock. you whine around him, the vibrations sending more pleasure straight to his dick. he abuses your throat and mouth, watching you as tears well up in your eyes. “look at you. your mouth is so much better around my cock.” he lets out another groan when you suck your cheeks in, sucking him off completely.

“think you can swallow all my cum? or are you too good for that, princess?” his voice was horse and low. you just nod, a tear falling from how deep you were taking him. he curses as his tip hits the back of your throat, thrusting his hips to meet with your head. your nose burried in the base of his pelvis. you shut your eyes tight as you feel his warm release down your throat. after a few more thrusts, he pulls out a bit of a mix of cum and spit falling from your mouth. he cups your face. “swallow it.” you gulp, licking your lips and swallowing everything he gave you. you open your mouth to show him.

“such a good little slut, yeah?” he soothes your hair, wiping the remaining tears from your eyes. your cunt was throbbing with need. you look up at him through wet lashes, your mascara was probably running down your face by now. he grabs your arm to help you stand up. your legs were wobbly and hard to stand on. your panties were probably soaked at this point.

your eyes go to his lips and his smug gorgeous face. “you want a kiss?” he asks, you nod. he just chuckles. “too bad” he says, making you whine.

“leonn” you grab onto his shirt, pleading. he just shakes his head. “you need to learn how to be patient, gorgeous.” he warns, grabbing your wrists. “you and that fucking attitude. gotta do somethin’ about that.” his eyes grow darker.

he had a strong grip on your wrists, firm but gentle enough not to break you. it made you shiver knowing how easily he could. fuck it was hot. “i’m gonna fuck it right out of you. got that?” his head lowers to suck marks into your neck and collar bones, making you groan. he bit down in a particularly sensitive spot, making you cry out his name. he pulls away dragging you to the bed. “lay down on your stomach” he commands. your eyes grow wide, about to object until his brows furrow. you lie down on your stomach, your feet dangling off the edge.

you turn to look at leon over your shoulder, yelping when he drags you so your legs hung off the edge of the bed. he quickly pulls the string of your his pants before ripping them down your legs. you gasp at the cold air hitting your bare legs, your panty clad ass on display for him. he gives it a good smack, making you give another yelp into the sheets.

“you’re fuckin’ soaked through your panties. i’ve barely even touched you” he gives a small laugh before pulling your white panties off. his large skilled fingers run through your folds, making you squirm.

smack

“stop moving”

he admired the large hand print he left on your ass, feeling his dick harden again. he started with pumping one finger into your tight little hole, making you gasp. it hurt for the first few seconds, but eventually faded into throbbing pleasure. you let out mewls of enjoyment, crying out into the sheets below you as he jackhammered his finger into your sopping cunt, adding another finger to stretch you out.

“ohmygod leon!” you cry, muffled by the blanket. you’d never felt absolute overwhelming pleasure like this before. it was fucking addicting.

his fingers curled inside of you, hitting a spot that made your belly fill with a hot pleasure. you were so close, so fucking close. right when you were about to cum, he pulls his fingers out.

“leon!” you yell, looking back at him.

“told you i was gonna teach you how to be patient, didn’t i?” you wanted to wipe that smug ass smirk off his face.

you were practically drooling onto the sheets. tears falling down your face as leon edged you for the fifth, sixth time? you’d lost count after the third. “fuck leon! please please please let me cum, m’so close please!” you cry into the bed, resorting to begging. your attitude thrown out the window whenever he curls his fingers inside of you.

“since you asked so nicely…” his thrusts his fingers at a delicious speed, fucking you until you cried out his name. you clenched around his fingers, gripping onto the sheets as your vision blurs. his fingers fuck into you as you cum, coating the sheets and his hand.

“look at you. fuckin' dripping down my wrist.” he groans. he flips you so you’re on your back. you were panting, mascara completely running down your cheeks and a fucked out look on your face. he brings his fingers to your mouth and you immediately open them for him, licking yourself clean off his hand.

“that’s my girl” he praises, making you tingle. you were still coming down from your high, staring at him blissfully. his fingers leave your mouth with a pop. you watch his expression through your lashes.

“you’re so much prettier with your mouth filled.” he smiles, leaning over you. “i think you deserve that kiss now, don’t ya think so?” he asks. you nod. “yes please”

his mouth meets yours in a hot feverish kiss. his hand coming to grip your hair. he bites your lip hard enough to make you gasp. your pussy throbs with need of being filled by him. “leon, please” you beg through the kiss. he pulls away, looking at you.

“what is it, sweetheart?” he kisses down your jaw.

“i-i need you inside, please!” you beg, looking down at your bare cunt.

“aww, you just want my cock so bad, hmm? who am i to deny such a slutty girl what she wants.” he sits up, dragging his long cock up and down your wet folds. when his head caught on your clit, it made you shiver. he teases you, catching his tip on your hole before rubbing up and down again. you whine. he gives you a stern look.

“m’sorry” you pout. he chuckles, slowly dipping his thick head into your tight hole. he eased himself in, making your jaw slack open. once he was fully seated into you, your brows furrowed at the stretch. “hurts, s’too big!” you cry out. he tsks.

“you wanted this, didn’t you?” he pulls out just to push himself back into you with a powerful thrust. “fuck, you’re sucking me in, baby. must be so worked up. is this why you’re such a bitch all the time? never gotten dicked down properly?” he teases as he thrusts in and out of your abused pussy.

you mewl when his cock hits a deep spot inside of you, but it wasn’t enough. he sensed your need, grabbing your legs and putting them over his shoulders to thrust even deeper into you. the angle made you scream out. your fingers grip into the sheets again. one of his hands find your clit, pinching it.

“y’feel so fucking perfect. like you were made for me.” he groans, loosing his composure. his thrusts got more intense, faster, and sloppier. but still felt heavenly. the mix of his cock hitting your soft spot along with him playing with your clit, you squeeze around his cock, about to cum. drool fell from the corner of your mouth as your tits bounced in your shirt as you came closer and closer to the edge.

“gonna-gonna cum!” you scream. he only goes faster.

“gonna cum with you, baby. bein’ so fucking good for me.” he gets more vocal when he’s closer to cuming. he didn’t know what felt better, your hot mouth or your hot tight pussy. there was sweat dripping down his neck. you wanted nothing more than to lick it up, but didn’t dare move in fear of him not letting you cum. he was in full control. with a few final thrusts, you finish around him with a loud moan. he follows suit, his hot seed filling you to the brim.

you are both panting at this point, but he’s still half hard inside of you. you look at him with heavy, confused eyes when he doesn't make a move to pull out.

“oh, we’re not done until you’re begging me to stop, pretty girl.”

“wow! this place looks amazing! you guys did a great job around the farm!” your grandma smiles at the handsome young man. he gives her his classic innocent charming smile.

“can’t take all the credit, m’aam. your granddaughter did most of the work.” his strong hands rested at his hips.

“how in the world did you get her to do that!?”

you watch from the porch, wearing a sweater to cover all the marks leon had given you. everytime you’d complain about a task, he’d bend you over and fuck you until you were crying for him to stop at the overstimulation.

the older woman called you over to have you help with leon’s bag. you sigh, walking over as she walked away to talk to her husband.

“you still never gave me my panties back…” you lean against his truck, looking up at him. he chuckles, running a hand down your arm.

“think of it as your parting gift to me, darlin’” he says, giving your arm a squeeze before shouting a goodbye to your grandparents and giving you one last wink and a tilt of his hat before stepping into his truck.

maybe this town isn’t too bad….

masterlist

a/n: i got a little carried away with this i just loveddd this prompt. tysm for this request!!!

#x reader #reader insert #smut #leon kennedy x reader #leon kennedy smut #resident evil smut #leon smut #leon kennedy x you #leon s kennedy #leon kennedy fanfic #leon kennedy imagine #leon kennedy #leon resident evil #re4 leon #leon s kennedy x reader #leon s kennedy smut #leon s kennedy fanfiction

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the-quiet-winds · 5 years

Text

Let Me be the Ground Underneath Your Feet

or five times Jane soothed Katherine’s tears, and one time Katherine soothed Jane’s

She hears the sniffles first, coming from Katherine’s room. Quiet, concealed sniffles that Jane obviously isn’t meant to hear, but she does anyway. She makes her way upstairs very slowly, wondering if Kat would hear her and force herself to stop.

“Kat?” Jane quietly calls from beyond the closed door. “It’s mum, love, what’s going on?”

Katherine, somewhat surprisingly, opens the door almost immediately after. She’s clutching that pink teddy bear to her chest, holding it like it might fly away if she dared to lessen her grip.

“What’s wrong, kitty-kat?” Jane asks, catching her chin between two gentle fingers.

Without a word, Katherine shifts her grip on the stuffed toy, and Jane can very clearly see he is missing an ear.

“He got stuck,” she chokes out. “I’m so sorry.”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Jane murmurs. She runs a reassuring hand down her arm, stopping on her wrist and squeezing gently. “I can put him back together in no time, love.”

That’s when Katherine looks up with those eyes, so young and full of hope. “Really?”

Jane smiles. “Yes.” She tugs on Katherine’s hand. “I’ll show you how to do it.”

II.

After a particularly grueling week, it wasn’t uncommon for all the girls to basically go home and collapse. And this week had been anything but calm, so sleeping was an absolute necessity.

Jane is always the last to sleep and first to rise (except for when Parr pulls all-nighters, which she didn’t on this particular night) and by the time she arrives at her and Katherine’s shared room, her daughter is already sleeping.

Low moonlight infiltrates the room, and is the only thing that pulls Jane’s eyes to Katherine’s cheeks, decorated with starry tears and galaxy marks streaming down her face.

She climbs into bed beside Katherine, brushing gentle fingers against the girl’s cheek to wake her carefully. “Are you alright, honey?” She whispers.

Katherine’s eyes open slowly, finding Jane’s face. Once the face and name and place lock together into one coherent thought, she immediately lunges forward to wrap her arms around Jane’s waist. “I had a bad dream, mama,” she mumbles the explanation into Jane’s sleep shirt.

“It’s okay, love,” Jane says, catching the girl and beginning to rub slow circles up and down her back. “Whatever it was, it wasn’t real.”

Jane feels a few tears cling to the skin of her neck as Katherine gives a tiny half-sob, before settling into the warmth and security of Jane’s embrace, tucking her head under Jane’s chin, giving her mother ample ability to kiss her head, which she did, before whispering, “get some sleep, love. Mama’s got you.”

III.

Katherine had never wished to unread words more than in that particular moment, staring at those particular words on her social media.

They were rude, quite unnecessarily so, and she couldn’t stop looking at them, over and over, on the blazing white screen.

Logically, Katherine knows, the words shouldn’t even matter. One gross and hurtful comment amongst dozens of much kinder ones on a post on her Instagram shouldn’t be having the impact it is, but Katherine can’t help the tears that begin to make their way down her face.

And Jane, because, as Katherine likes to say, she’s caring and notices things and is overall the best mum ever, looks over from the kitchen to see the girl, curled on the couch, sniffling quietly to herself.

“Kitty-kat?” She quietly calls. “What’s wrong, love?”

Katherine doesn’t answer, her eyes fixed on the phone in her trembling hands. Jane sets down the dish towel, drying her hands on her jeans as she quickly crosses into the living room and kneeling in front of the couch where Katherine is curled up. She reaches up and takes the phone, Katherine giving zero resistance to her doing so, and she looks at the screen. Horribly cruel words take up part of the display, and Jane immediately feels anger well in her stomach.

“They’re wrong, love,” she says fiercely, but with that maternal warmth that reminds Katherine of heavy blankets and cups of hot chocolate when it snows. “You’re beautiful, every part of you.” Katherine sniffles and doesn’t respond. Jane takes her hand, then leans up to kiss her cheek. “And who cares what some person on the internet says?” She asks quietly. “They’re probably just jealous, because you, my love,” she accentuates the word with a tap on Katherine’s nose, “are perfect, just the way you are.”

With no regard for the hard floor under the room’s carpet, Katherine pitches herself forward, Jane catching her on instinct as they fall backwards. Jane’s back collides with the floor with a sharp thud, but she pretends it doesn’t hurt as she lets Katherine cry into her shirt.

“It’s alright, lovey, I know it hurts,” Jane whispers. She sketches tiny patterns in and around Katherine’s spine as she cries into her shoulder. “It’s not true. I swear it’s not true.”

Katherine hiccups a sob and buries her face into Jane’s shoulder, the soft material of the sweater tickling her hot cheeks. “Thanks, mama,” she mumbles out.

IV.

The last show of the week, as a whole, had gone just as well as any other show had before. The crowd was engaged, the band on fire, and the girls had a blast, despite their tiredness. It was heading up to the dressing rooms after the show, however, when the trouble started.

Katherine, in her ridiculously high-heeled boot, missed one of the last steps, her foot twisting awkwardly as she tumbled down the stairs.

Aragon catches her before she gets too far, grabbing her beneath the arms to stop her momentum. Katherine bites down harshly on her lip to keep from crying out, which only adds to the pain as it cracks, splits, and starts to bleed. Aragon and Cleves help to carry her up the last of the stairs, Katherine desperately trying to keep tears back.

They bring her to the dressing room, setting her gently down on the couch, and Jane bursts in a few moments later. She hadn’t seen the event happen at all - she had still been on stage talking with Joan about something for her song, when Parr had yelled down the stairs to come quick.

Jane had never made it up to the dressing rooms as fast, and her heart nearly breaks when she sees Katherine on the dressing room couch, trying to hold back tears, blood staining her lips, her foot elevated by a pillow.

“Oh, love,” she murmurs. She moves slowly to grab a towel from the small bathroom, and when she turns around, Katherine is making what Jane calls ‘grabby-hands’, tears finally starting to fall as she silently calls for her mother.

Jane makes no hesitation and crosses the room to Katherine in a moment, kissing her forehead before moving to gently wipe the blood off her lips. After, she helps to get Katherine more comfortable, removing her shoe and helping her prop her foot better.

Katherine lets out a feeble whimper at the movement, but mostly silent tears fall.

“It looks like just a twist, love,” Jane says gently. “You should feel fine in the morning.” With a clean corner of the towel in her hand, she reaches to wipe some of the tear lines cutting down her cheeks.

Without another word or plead, Jane leans forward to kiss Katherine’s forehead, lingering there for several heartbeats before pulling back to look her girl in her red eyes. “You’ll be okay, my brave girl.” She knows those words always make Katherine feel just a little stronger, and there’s a slight adjustment in the jutted lip to show that Katherine reacted in exactly the way Jane wanted.

It unfortunately wasn’t uncommon for Parr to become so consumed in whatever she was working on that she’d forget about things.

That thing is the game of Scrabble she’d promised Katherine to start at exactly two sharp, allowing them plenty of time before the show that night.

But two comes and goes, and there is no Parr.

Katherine still waits.

She sits.

She waits.

Two-thirty comes. Still no Parr.

Katherine hates that she feels stupid tears in her eyes over it. It wasn’t Parr’s fault, she knows that rationally - Parr sometimes forgot to eat when she got hung up in her work.

She’s so intensely staring at the Scrabble board that she barely notices someone settling into the seat across from her, setting a mug of tea down for her to drink, then spelling out the word ‘rotary’ across the middle of the board.

Katherine looks up suddenly, and sees Jane’s face looking at her imploringly, that soft smile on her pale lips. She sips her own tea and waits for Katherine to react. When she doesn’t, Jane reaches over to brush some hairs out of her face, her thumb stroking Katherine’s cheekbone and catching a few tears.

She doesn’t speak, and Katherine is almost thankful for that. Shaking out of her stupor, Katherine looks down at her own tiles and tries to build off of Jane, which she does with ‘totality’.

Jane knows this is going to be a game she loses, but she frankly doesn’t care.

Jane

As the leaves turned to molten gold and the air constantly smelled of bonfire, it wasn’t hard to tell that Jane was falling into a depression.

She’s less smiley, Katherine notices, the affectionate pet names and loving strokes of her fingers are disappearing more and more rapidly.

It hurts Katherine, and she really wishes she could figure out what was behind it. But everytime she asks, all she gets is a slightly stilted, “nothing, love. Mum’s just tired, that’s all.”

About halfway through the month, Jane doesn’t get out of bed.

When Katherine wakes up that morning, she is startled to feel a weight next to her - Jane is almost always up and downstairs bustling around doing a million things at once by the time Katherine wakes up.

But no, there she is, curled up with her back to Katherine, still as a stone.

“Mum?” Katherine tentatively asks, laying a hand on her upper arm. “What is it?” The contact makes the older woman shiver, then begin to shake with more intensity. Surprisingly, Jane turns over, and Katherine sucks in a breath at how devastated her mother looks, all blotchy cheeks and red eyes and stains on skin.

“Mama,” Katherine whispers, hoping to catch her attention, “what’s up?” In a move her Jane so often did to her, Katherine reaches up to smudge some of the clear cut lines from her cheeks. Then she curls up like a cat, tucking herself under Jane’s chin.

It’s then and only then that Jane speaks, her voice shattered and splintered in her throat and barely coming out as more than a whisper.

“It’s his birthday.”

Katherine doesn’t need to ask who ‘he’ is, and just pushes herself closer to Jane. She feels arms wrap around her back, a half-kiss in her hair, then the usually immovable force of strength begin to shake with sobs.

Katherine doesn’t know what to say, never has when Jane talks about Edward, so she just huddles as close as she can, hoping to reassure Jane that she’s there, she’s not going anywhere.

“I love you, mama,” she whispers.

All she gets is a choked half-sob in response, but it’s more than enough to tell Katherine that Jane heard her, that she understood, and most importantly that no floodgate of tears could possibly ever separate them.

#six the musical #six musical #jane seymour #katherine howard #julie writes #let me be the ground underneath your feet

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lucalicatteart · 6 years

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Species overview: some nameless ancient pond forest soul feeding scaley people

Quick outline sketches of a possible species??? I wanted to make a group with eyebrow whiskers since I’ve been using them in makeups .. som little... tall scaley ancient forest dwelling magical pond protectors sustaining themselves on stolen soul candles and riding around on large cats , berhaps... i have no name for them yet however and may still change some things around lol :V

Details about where they live, how they’re born, species origins, etc. under the read more if interested

----

I don’t have much worked out about them yet so I’m just going to do random paragraphs as I think of them, so sorry for it not being too organized

~~~~~~ GENERAL INFO ~~~~~~~~~~

–-- They’re usually about 10 - 12 feet tall. Skin is usually grayish, with sometimes light swirl or rounded patterns on it, and little ridges of semi hardened flesh sort of like scales, that have brighter color at the tips. Mostly only come in warm colors like red , orange, or yellow tints, sometimes reddish purple. Blues and greens are really uncommon for both base skin and scale tips color, as well as uncommon for hair and eyes. Have legs that curve outward, and they exclusively walk on their tip toes, even though it is possible for them to stand flat footed. Despite their size they seem fairly light, being able to sprint quickly on the tips of their feet and seem to just float everywhere (possibly have different anatomy, like bones made out of a lighter than usual material or etc,, or maybe just have very strong muscles and good muscle control, or perhaps use magic, etc. Either way, somehow they're incredibly light and springy for 11 foot creatures that should move slowly and be heavy).

Medium length curved horns sprout from the forehead with ‘scales’ at the base, and parted pointed long ears with curled whiskers at each tip. As well as a little bunch of whiskers above the eyebrow. Pupils are kind of like a curved plus sign or sparkle shape. Fingertips are claw-like rows of scales layered on top of each other. Usually have long wavy hair since their hair grows pretty fast , but they can cut it constantly every time it grows back, or style it if they like.

–-- There are about 145 of them currently in existence. Lifespan is unknown, though it is thought that they can die, nobody is sure if it happens naturally or if it’s something they choose to do (similarly to how Avirre’thel (vampires) are immortal essentially forever, but many of them choose to end their lives after most of their goals have been fulfilled and they then go to a special council to enact their very specific death ritual, etc.). It’s hard to get answers out of them, but many of them are thought to be up to 30,000 years old, making them some of the oldest creatures in Nanyevimi, second to certain species of Jhevona and right above some of the oldest vampires. Their death rituals are also currently unknown, but knowing their general nature/what they place cultural significance on, it can be assumed they return their bodies to the bottom of their sacred pond upon death, or something like that.

–-- They use giant cats native to the forest in order to get around, keep them as pets and really value them a lot and have special bonds with them (they usually each have a cat to their name, or at least a ‘’family cat’’ that all members care for and share) so it’s not like they’re just solely transport animals. They’re used for fun as pets and also as self defense, especially as guard animals. Particularly for ‘’new births’’ (though the species kind of come out of the lake mostly mature I guess ''new birth'' is still an okay term to describe newly created species members... like maybe the equivalent to if humans were born by just coming up out of a body of water as fully grown 14 year olds?) that haven’t learned to use their magic well yet. The cats are also used often as transportation animals, especially when they have to leave the forest or travel further into it (very rare, but has happened occasionally during the like 60,000+ years of unknown time this mysterious species has been there) since it’s such a huge forest and they'd be traveling large distance.

–-- The most precious building in the center of their settlement is a huge stone room with trees intertwined around some of the outside walls and a pond in the middle, surrounded by trees and lit by sun through a hole in the ceiling right above the pond. The pond is seemingly magical and is said to be a source of power for them. They bathe and play in it regularly, though they have to clean themselves before entering and it’s considered very sacred.

(Side note: The history of this pond and the area around it is a complete mystery (like you never find anything about it in books, it hasn't been on maps until very recently, etc.), and this sort of thing is extremely extremely rare. Even though Nanyevimi is a place where people are capable of magic, it’s hardly EVER in the form of stuff like natural resources. You don’t find magical stones or lakes or etc., unless they’ve been deliberately created, and even then it’s usually on a small scale (like just a few stones, not a full stone deposit), and if it is deliberately created, it's usually also documented somewhere,, so the fact that this is both a large magical natural resource and untraceable in origin, is.. immensely odd in terms of the established norms of the world of Nanyevimi and what we know about it's history)

The rest of the building is walls of candles, which are permanently burning, and are actually holding souls. They store souls as the literal flame of these candles, consuming the fire when they need more power. Nobody is sure exactly where they got these souls, how they came to have so many of them, or precisely what sort of magic they use in order to manifest the souls as a flame lighting an ever burning candle (Kind of like the pond, this is a really weird manifestation of magic usage not commonly seen (multiple high level soul magics users have tried to replicate this method of soul storage in the past and they can never quite get it), at least not during any recorded history of the realm. Some think it may be a lost form of magic, a remnant from an older civilization or etc. ).

–-- They would be technically extinct, considering that they no longer naturally reproduce as a species and have no means of doing so (they lost all genitals and sex characteristics who knows how long ago), but they feed on souls (in the form of the candles) and the magical powers of the pond, and use these to fill the bodies of new members, which they create with magic when they feel like they need to (kind of similar to the ythrili in that they only mate to create new members when the population is low or just when they all mutually agree they could use a few more)

–-- Creating “new births” or new members of the species, is done through a ceremony where they take multiple candles (usually five of them) and combine the flames, then pluck the larger flame off of the candle tip. Within the flame, they place the blood of at least 5 living species members and scale clippings of five members (which kind of just mushes into the flame and then hovers in place, kind of like if you were inserting an object into a blob of jello or something). They then submerge the swirling flame blob into the water (which still burns under the water somehow), letting it sink to the bottom of the pond (which is oddly deep for how small it is, like 110 feet or so).

These materials will merge into a large scaled looking growth and attach to rocks at the bottom of the pond, and being to grow to sprout the new body, who will rise from the bottom of the pond in usually a 3 - 6 days time. Though only a few people wait by the pond to watch for the new birth and greet them with food and clothes to give them when they arrive, after they’re actually “born”, usually the entire group will meet them and have a little ceremony about it, welcoming and teaching them and giving them gifts and etc. Like mentioned, the new births are pretty developed (in terms of being tall, and already having good muscle control, cognitive abilities, etc.) upon coming up from the pond bottom, like the equivalent of a teenager, but still don’t know how to use magic well yet, and are totally new in the sense of not yet knowing any culture or language or etc.

~~~~~~~ THE FOREST ~~~~~~~~~~~

–-- They live deep deep in the center of a forest usually referred to as the “desert woods”, which is like a wooded area that’s so vast and somewhat bare that people compare it to being out on the sea or in a desert. There are actually a pretty plentiful amount of tress and grass and flowers, but there is little diversity between them, and in pretty much all directions it tends to look the same so it can be extremely disorienting as you walk like, you have no idea how long you’ve been walking or in what direction , there are hardly any landmarks or ways to actually know where you’re going (there are occasionally small pockets where there will be a tiny puddle, or a flower bush of a different color, a fungus that is unique, etc. but overall it’s literally as if someone just uniformly copy and pasted the same few plants in the same exact positions everywhere for miles), thus everything starts to look repetitive and endless. It evokes that type of "as far as i can see everything looks the same and it’s very easy to get lost" sort of never-ending environment feeling. Especially due to the size , which if it were a perfect circle would be something around 320 miles in diameter around, from any angle it will take you close to 160 miles to get to the center. It also seems to grow thicker, taller, and significantly foggier the further in to the center you are, so it’s kind of like you’re increasingly loosing your ability to see into the distance, getting gradually more obscured.

People get lost and die there all the time, presumably, though bodies are hardly ever found. Some people think their soul and body are merely absorbed into the ‘magic of the forest’ before they can even decompose, others claim the lack of bodies is only an illusion since likely there are bodies but they’re just incredibly hard to find due to how difficult the area is to navigate, and some think that lost travelers are taken by the scaly species of the forest to be harvested, soul captured in a candle and body thrown to the bottom of their pond.

--- An interesting myth is that the ‘pond’ is thought to have used to be a massive lake, which has now essentially become the desert wood, drying up or having the landscape change for whatever reason long ago. Some people think if you dig far enough in any spot in the woodland, you’ll hit springs of water connected to an underground source, the same one that fills the pond, and that over time it just dried up (at least on the surface) or whatever until the pond in the center was the only part of the water left. The desert wood is pretty damp in general, with soft sometimes muddy mossy ground (though footprints disappear unnaturally fast somehow), and the occasional puddle, so it's not too far fetched to suggest it may still have some sort of water source still affecting it.

Especially because of the species’ affinity for swimming and the fact that they seem to have remnants of scales and stuff, it’s thought that perhaps they used to be aquatic humanoid creatures living in this giant lake with magical properties that was a source of magic strength, then through whatever the hell happened that isn’t recorded in history, the lake dried up and slowly just became this huge expanse of forest , gradually forcing them to move inward and adapt more to being on the land, then eventually getting to where they are today, how they live in a very tiny area almost directly in the center of the desert wood, with their sacred tiny pond and etc., now more evolved for land dwelling but still swimming in it all the time. Especially since the forest seems to be somewhat magical in nature and unnatural with how repetitive and ''off'' it is, especially the closer you get to the pond in the center, which would suggest some sort of connection with the magic of the water, as if it flows through (or, once flowed through) the entire area. Even just stepping foot into the forest immediately feels completely different than the land outside, a sudden implacable shift in tone that only grows the deeper in you are.

Various scholars in the past have tried expeditions into the woods, to dig for water, or unearth ruins of past civilizations that used to live there when it was a large body of water before the landscape changed. They also often attempt to search for remnants of forest life, since the lack of diversity in plant life and animals and etc. in the woods seems unsettlingly unnatural, and they think perhaps back before the area was as it is today, there were more creatures and plants and possibly even more native humanoid species around)... But, pretty much all the explorers just end up getting lost and ‘dying’ (or at least disappearing), like most other visitors do.

~~~~~ CULTURE ~~~~~~~~~

— If you do happen to reach the center of the forest without much harm, when you come across their settlement, you have to give them gifts of some kind or else they will turn you away. It’s a custom they have for whatever reason. What they’ll accept as gifts seems to be fairly random. Sometimes if you simply give them a small cake you happened to have on hand, they’d be satisfied. Other times, they may want more extensive gifts, like a majority of your traveling supplies or an animal you have with you. Sometimes you may be able to just bend down and pluck some flowers from the forest floor right in front of them and hand it to them and they’ll accept you, etc. Giving them sparkling jewelry or anything that reminds them of water is usually a safe bet, so is offering a small bit of your soul or some of your blood.

It’s thought that perhaps they use different standards for different people, as even on the most guarded of minds they can at the very least read a person’s vague intentions, So they may already know whether someone means good or bad when they approach the settlement, and adjust their standards accordingly (requiring people who are rude or intending to cause harm to give them more extensive gifts that require more labor, allowing well intentioned or potentially useful people to pass into their living space for a much lesser price, etc.)

— They have special lanterns on every edge of their area, which they use as eyes, and can see through them in order to watch the forest. They look like innocent lights, but are actually enchanted and allow the forest watchers to have eyes in many places at once (kind of like their mind merges with all of the lanterns simultaneously, as if you were seeing from the perspective of 80 people at once or something and processing it all equally. Which seems sort of incomprehensible, but they are like... mysterious ancient beings so, I wouldn't put it past them to be able to segment their minds into multiple parts at will, connected like a system with all individual fragments communicating together or something, especially if magic is involved. This seems hard to keep up in a long term, but it's thought that they take turns in the role of the 'watcher', tuning into the system of lanterns and etc. for a little while and then passing the task onto the next person while the previous one rests, etc.).

There are at least one or two individuals keeping lantern watch at all times, despite the nature of the forest and the relative obscurity of their species, meaning they hardly ever get visitors anyway. It is thought they have similar mechanisms set up all throughout the forest, though less obviously (wouldn’t want any lanterns laying around, they could be used as a land mark and make the forest less of a complete indistinguishable hell to navigate lol), perhaps having enchanted certain trees or stones to keep an eye on visitors even before they’ve approached anywhere near the center settlement. It’s unknown how far the species’ reach extends in terms of watching and controlling the forest land around them.

— They mostly eat root vegetables, mixed dishes with like “raw meat cubes, slivered nuts, flower petals,, tossed together like a salad”, and often large tree leaves with paste spread on them kind of like butter on toast, etc. They make a lot of pastes which are kind of like the texture of hummus but are usually fermented , maybe kind of tasting something more sour like miso paste and stuff, they have a lot of different varieties and really enjoy their pastes, they’ll just dip things in them, spread them on stuff, water them down a bit into soups, eat them totally plain with nuts or chopped leaves on top, etc. Half of the misc objects you’ll see laying around their area are probably just clay jars full of various pastes they’ve made lol.

There are also a lot of interesting bugs in the forest, which they both eat and also keep as pets or use for other purposes, like glowing moths that they eat the wings and bodies of, but also keep in jars for light, but also smash to create glowing dyes, etc. etc. It’s not rare to see them just pick a bug out of the air and eat it, though usually they prepare their food a bit more. They have some fruit and fungi and moss, but most things that grow in the forest in general tend to be mildly or majorly poisonous, even to them, so they usually stick to the group of things that they grow in controlled environments and gardens on their own lands, and rarely like, go out into the forest to forage for things, since they never know for certain if that stuff will be good or not, even after living in the area for thousands of years.

(side note: due to stuff like this, it's usually thought that while they seem to keep watch of the forest and protect it in a way, they seemingly don't create it or control it. Unless it's just a guise to fake people out, but you would think that if you were in charge of a forest, you would have some influence over the things growing there and wouldn't even have anything there that's poisonous or dangerous to you. There are certain things the species members have said and done in the past, and certain aspects of their daily life (like eating habits, etc.) that seem to indicate that parts of the forest are very dangerous or unknown, even to them, and that they're probably not as fully in charge of the land as some theories of their species would suggest)

— They live in small houses slightly sunken into the forest floors, with walls made out of a clay-like material, and roofs usually having a wooden base with dirt and grass and regular forest growing on top of it. Some homes are dug into the roots of trees, or merely have trees growing through them in certain spots. Floors are usually just soft vaguely moist packed down dirt, usually with layers of moss on the top that they use to sit on. It’s also common to grow vines and flowers and bushes directly on your walls or around them, so like a person will usually have their favorite foods growing right on their walls inside or outside of their house for convenience, they don’t have to travel far to search for a snack, since that fruit they really like is already hanging above their bed area, etc.

They don’t have much furniture usually, though it depends on the person, but many homes are really just an enclosed space of moss with the individual’s favorite plants strewn around about the walls, maybe some lanterns inside for lighting and decorative fabrics hung on the walls or on the floor to sleep on, maybe a large cushion for sitting and a chest or shelf to keep their usually small amount of belongings in, and that’s it. Much of their food is not prepared ahead of time beyond maybe peeling or cutting it up, since they eat pretty much everything raw right there on the spot as they need it, so they don’t really need a kitchen to cook or store food in, and they have no waste system (similar to other magical species that no longer poop or pee, it’s thought they just absorb the food into magical energy or something. Though every magical species is different in the way they function with this in particular, many have a similar system of absorption that makes using the bathroom wholly unnecessary, or at least optional), and there's plenty of water to bathe and rest in all around them publicly, so they usually don’t need any parts of a bathroom either (though sometimes they have bowls of water in their house as decorations, just because they really.. really.. really love water.. lol. Like not to use it for anything but just.. to look at or look into, to maybe swish their hands around in for fun, etc.). Homes are really just a place to store your things and to sleep and nest in.

— Due to their habit of collecting gifts and taking a vague interest (though quite a shallow one, similarly to how someone would be interested in observing a new pet or wild animal) in outside visitors, they do tend to have a lot of interesting things laying around, all of the gifts they’ve received over the past 40,000+ years. Obviously their area is still predominantly decorated with their own hand crafted items and stuff, since they don’t get visitors often enough to fully stock their lives with outside materials, but most members of the species do have some degree of a personal collection. It’s not uncommon for someone of their species to own a mix of things (all stored in their tiny home) like rugs, jars, jewelry, pots, books, clothing, blankets, bags, pillows, bottles, etc. that come from a wide variety of outside sources, all brought by visitors in the past. You may also see them with plants, animals, and food items as well, but since these have a shorter lifespan there’s a lot less of them lying around, a visitor would have had to have come pretty recently for the food they brought to still be sitting on shelves in someone’s house and still be fresh. Sometimes outside animals and plants are able to actually thrive there and be kept for a while, but most of the time they die out (not that the forest is like poisonous to them and they die prematurely, but just like,, it would be hard to breed an entire population of new animals in the area or introduce a new plant species, they usually just keep the original gifted plant/animal and let it run it’s life course, and don’t try to like breed the animal or replicate the outside plant to keep it around, etc.).

Sometimes one of the reasons scholars want to show up there in the first place is to look at all the gifts they’ve collected over the years, as the species could very well be unknowingly holding on to some pretty rare ancient artifacts, they probably have plenty of gifts given to them in the past by civilizations that have long since died out, books gifted to them 20,000 years ago in languages that are no longer spoken anywhere in the world, things which would be considered significant cultural artifacts, etc. etc. Of course they’d never give these things away though lol, but people still occasionally come to try and investigate about it.

— They seemingly live a pretty relaxed life of luxury, not in the sense of living in mindless excess but, more just that most all labor and etc. it’s easily taken care of by magical means, and they don’t really communicate with the outside world or have any enemies or anything, so it seems like they really do just kind of … lay around on the forest floor napping in the sunlight on a pile of moss, bathing in their pond or some other bodies of water (there are some areas where water streams down kind of like a waterfall from the tops of trees (this is magically manufactured by them and not naturally occurring, it also is not the same water as their pond water, it’s just plain clear non-magical water, which they still love), puddles they’ve created around the place, there are many bathtub-like structures scattered around the settlement so they can sit in water any time they’d like, etc.), reclining on a fabric pile and telling stories in a group while they eat meat cubes from a tray of leaves, etc. etc. Though there is a small library of texts they've collected, and they do seem to have some existence of arts and crafting and things like making music and putting on plays, and some of them have defined hobbies and things they do like collecting and preparing food or crafting new fabrics or etc., Many of them do just seem to largely spend most of their years napping in puddles or braiding each others hair while sitting in the top of a tree eating fruit.

— In general they give off a very stereotypical like, ‘ancient secretive isolated species that doesn’t have much else to do with the world and doesn’t care’ sort of vibe, they come off as peaceful and distant, with no intention of harm but also kind of inept and culturally obscure.. Like you could explain to them that there’s a war going on and you urgently need their help and they may just kind of stare at you for a few second and not and nod and then offer you some more food. They’re just not really bothered by outside affairs (for better or worse), and generally give off the unaffected air of living in an entirely different realm or a different timescale than everyone else.

They rarely welcome outsiders anyway, as they can tell if you’re there for a good or a bad reason just by seeing you (which may be because of a truth seeing enchantment around the outside barrier of the forest or something, or maybe just a mastery of soul magic on their part to be able to peek inside your mind and see your true intentions), and most people show up for bad reasons (to steal artifacts, to dig around their forest, to try to take energy from the pond for themselves, etc.). They let every visitor in of course, it’s just the assholes they likely end up killing and stealing their souls to put in their candle room lmao (nobody has ever SEEN them kill and it's not outright confirmed, but some travelers have reported that members of the species heavily implied the killing of outsiders on occasion)... But even people who come in good faith and are treated with respect and utmost hospitality still just feel like it’s just impossible to connect with them, the species being too aloof and otherworldly to really understand them.

There’s never a communication barrier since they can communicate telepathically automatically with visitors, but even with that level of intimate expression (literally communicating through knowing someone’s thoughts) they still just seem disconnected, lost in their own ethereal daydreams and crafts and soul collecting and daytime moss patch naps and magic experiments and etc., totally isolated culturally as a community for thousands and thousands of years in a forest that hardly anyone can even find them in, they just come off as deeply preoccupied in their own shit and nothing else. So people who come looking for help or to study them or something often just end up politely taking leave after being treated as an honored guest for a few days, vaguely frustrated over how unhelpful they’ve been or feeling they were never really able to communicate well or make the beings grasp the gravity of what they approached them for or etc.

A common thing is people approaching to ask to borrow soul candles, or bottles of water from the species’ pond, both things that exist entirely uniquely to this one area and aren’t found anywhere else.. Though obviously hardly anyone actually gets what they came there for, since after pleading their case about why they should be lent some of the water and what they’ll trade in return and etc. the beings are usually just like:

“Aha… hmm… interesting… anyway, how much do you love flowers? *delicately picks a blossom from the tree forming the roof above them* Have you seen ones like this? they’re unique to the forest.. amazing… we love them.. *slowly pulls a single petal off and extends it uncomfortably close to the traveler’s lips* they taste,, great… we use them in many dishes.. before you leave you should absolutely try one, don’t you think?”

and the traveler is just like "??? uh??? weren’t we like.. talking about???? the bottles of magic pond water I wanted????".. , to which the being usually ignores them and starts asking the traveler what their opinions on the stars are or if they'd like to taste some fresh berries lol

But the guest usually ends up going along with whatever weird whimsical off topic bullshit the beings invite them to do, since they think “Oh maybe if i cooperate with them, they’ll eventually give me what I want.. Maybe they’re just testing me..” , until like days and days go by and they realize like “damn… these whimsical tangent sons of bitches really just don’t give a fuck do they.. this is the 40th time i’ve had someone offer me some weird food or ask me to swim with them or some shit… they just keep entirely refusing to address my offers… i’m going to leave" .

It’s hard to know if the beings are genuinely this way, or if they're just being weird to mess with the visitors (knowing they’d never give away their precious resources for the silly affairs of outsiders anyway, they might as well lead them on and have some fun with them while they’re there, since they don’t get visitors often, like a game of "Let's see how many times i can get this fool to eat some tree bark before they get fed up and leave", perhaps the visitors are nothing more than just a form of entertainment for the beings, they like having someone to show around and confuse and attempt to feed leaves to). Though there is definitely a chance that they are sincerely just Like That (they are a 50,000+ year old culture entirely detached from the world, maybe that tends to make you a bit odd), most scholars are like, 65% sure that the creatures are indeed just messing with outsiders for fun lol.

–- Nobody is sure if they actually have a language or if they merely speak telepathically. In all known accounts of visits to this group, they communicate with the visitor purely telepathically,, but that may be exclusively due to language barrier (when communicating that way basically your expressions just take on whatever mode makes sense to the brain of the person interpreting them. For example, if they’re an english speaker who can talk, they may hear the thoughts you give to them as spoken aloud (inside their head) and in english, but then their thoughts would also present themselves differently to you in a personalized way that you would best comprehend, etc. Just like when magically communicating this way with animals, you don’t have to know how to ‘’speak animal’’ to do it, you merely send out your intentions and the conceptual idea you want to express is interpreted by their mind in whatever means that make sense to them, be it in a different language, simplified, etc. ).

Perhaps they do speak among themselves, but even people who have stayed there as guests for a long time have never heard them verbally communicate, even with others of their own kind. It’s thought that they may be entirely mute (either having lost the ability to speak or just not using it), and possibly only ever communicate telepathically. As seemingly very intelligent creatures, they’re obviously capable of speech in terms of cognitive ability, and could probably learn outside languages and learn to speak if taught (if they are even able to make noises), but perhaps simply don’t since they’re so used to speaking through minds.

Nobody is sure though if their seeming silence and reliance on only telepathic communication is out of choice or out of necessity (or maybe is just another thing they do around visitors to make themselves seem weird and unrelatable, like maybe they chat up a storm when nobody’s around but all agree not to even so much as let out a cough if an outsider is around, muting themselves with magic to seem more mysterious lmao.. Their silence seems sincere, but they do also have a known habit of messing with those who visit them, so this conclusion is also possible lol.)

This could also contribute to their seemingly relaxed and peaceful nature, since when speaking telepathically (at least if you’re actually good at it), you’re pretty much reading concepts in the persons mind in real time, so there’s little ability to lie or hide one’s own intentions, possibly leading to less conflict or ability to do harm. Like you already know if someone’s lying to you, and exactly what they mean when they say something (in normal speech you can misinterpret what someone means if they word something the wrong way, but when speaking entirely through minds, you really only can receive the true intended meaning, no interpretation necessary. If a person truly doesn't intend any harm, then you won't perceive any, etc.). Maybe this is how they’re able to seemingly get along so well within the group. Though they must have some conflicts of their own on occasion, it seems incredibly rare and you could visit their settlement for 4 months and not even once see a fight or disagreement between any of them. Discussions perhaps, like people deciding what to eat for the day and all giving their input (they’re not a hivemind, they do all have unique opinions and distinct personalities), but things hardly ever seem the slightest bit hostile (though they are ancient extremely powerful otherworldly beings, maybe they’re just good at hiding their personal beef and don’t like to gossip with strangers lol).

~~~~~~~~~~ BACKGROUND ~~~~~~~~~~

– -- They’re thought to be an older species, due to a few things, but especially their scales. It’s likely that at one point they perhaps had the same sort of scales all over their body and over time have lost them. In Nanyevimi, with humanoid creatures at least, it’s common to simplify as you evolve, so most species today that have weird shit like incredibly impractically large horns or scales or fur in weird places and etc. are thought to be older species, or at least closely related remnants of older species.

This is also tied in with the fact that species usually get less magical (on a species basis, not a generational basis. It’s usually on such a long time scale it’s not like if you have a child, your children will automatically be significantly less magical than you,, but more just generally that as a species evolves into new branches it’s thought to get weaker, almost as if magic were just one giant piece of paper and every time you split that pool into more and more fragments of course each fragment is weaker… Like you can take your piece of paper ( a species with magic) and tear it into two pieces (two new evolution of the species), but now each piece is gradually smaller and smaller and smaller (of course scholars aren’t sure where inherently non magical species fit into this, maybe they were just never a part of the paper to begin with, or maybe this understanding is incorrect in the first place, many things regarding the nature of magic are merely theories lol)..

But anyway, it is thought that overtime there is, in most cases, a tendency to become less magical. And this is part of why they also simplify, since like for example if you can magically create all of your food or etc. then it’s fine for you to have unnecessary ornamentation or something, but if you have to be out working in fields and stuff, then outrageously long horns or random flowers growing out of your skin or something are going to become inconvenient (unless you’re adapted to a very particular niche where that works for you, but again this is the rule for MOST species, not ALL). The less a species can rely on magic to take care of all of it’s basic needs, usually the more their evolution favors “””simpler”” designs (also why most inherently non-magical species tend to have the most ‘basic’ looking forms), so the more ornamented and odd a species looks (even if those traits initially evolved for a practical purpose millions of years ago), the more magical they would typically be, and the more magical you are, the older you usually tend to be. If all of that makes sense despite me not being able to organize my explanation properly lol.

So anyway, since they do have somewhat impractical ornamentations (again, even if they originally served a purpose, only older more magical species have the luxury of retaining useless traits that inconvenience them, since with less magical species usually if something isn’t important any more, and is also causing them problems, it will favor simplifying away from that,, at least on Nanyevimi, idk how it works on earth because I am not a science boy and magic doesn’t exist on earth lol), and are also ridiculously magical, (and also have evidence of having been in the area for as long as history has been recorded, which on Nanyevimi is over a million years, with a few gaps or periods of time that no writing can be found from or etc. in between them), it can be assumed they’re very very old, or are at least the descendants of very ancient inhabitants of the same area.

I guess that’s about it for now!!! It’s kind of incomplete and I still don’t have a name for them or other stuff and many cultural themes worked out beyond this vague summary but.... I was in a rush to... incorporate eyebrow whiskers somehow lol...

#sketches #worldbuilding #guess I'll tag with the name of the species later once i come up with it if I ever do lmao

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titmasjack · 5 years

Photo

Reference Footage Analysis

An introduction to how we can approach an analysis to our own reference work, Sarah Perry spent the time today introducing a range of things we should be looking out for to give a better, more believable and realistic performance. With the opportunity to analyse older works of Charlie Chaplin, we then applied these principles to our own outcomes in the hopes to develop, expand upon and re-work our ideas to embrace the pantomime, bold aesthetic we have been encouraged to explore.

Covering what we had once started in October with ‘Larben’, we spend the majority of the morning recapping over ways to analyse movement. Looking at the key points and moments when deconstructing and creating my reference footage, in turn, to help push and evolve my ideas as I move throughout the weeks of production.

Reflecting on what we had produced a couple days prior, the main aims of the session was to identify how we could use these techniques to evoke a range of strong posing, using shapes to create emotion we would cover how the fundamentals of still shape forms and guides the emotion of the audience throughout the scene.

Dependant on the style of animation that I aim to use throughout my work, I want my reference footage to replicate the exaggerated and big actions whilst presenting a form of clarity. In the hopes of showcasing a clean line of action throughout my animation. I will discuss how Larbens main categories of movement, will help me break down and understand how I can use movement as a form of visual dialogue to tell my narrative effectively.

Larben’s Movements

Comprised of four main categories, Larben's analysis of movement explores how the body, effort, space and shape determine a characters action on screen. Identifying how each element is used and manipulated. We can explore and interpret the characters emotions solely through their use of posture, gesture and body language.

Building up the form and structure of the ‘Body’, this takes into consideration the anatomical observations we make as an audience. Considering which parts of the body capture our attention this references to the leading or initiating body part of the movement. Leading with a singular action, we can focus on how each segment of the body leads or follows one another.

More commonly seen with the driving action of the hands, we as animators should be able to identify the leading action and how this drives or contradicts the followthrough of the rest of the body. Creating a clear line of action, this attention creates a smooth and clearly readable movement.

‘Effort’ refers to how we move, not specifically focused on segments of the body, an effort considers the spacing and timing of our actions. Considering the weight and flow of each movement. The effort focuses on the dynamics of a movement within a space. Determined by how smooth or staggered the actions are, we are able to suggest the emotions of the character such as fear versus drunk.

A large category with lots of information, ‘Space’ covers the characters kinosphere and how they interact with their personal bubble surrounding them. Whilst some us choose to use a lot of space, there's a difference to be considered when discussing the far, mid and close reach of our personal bubbles. Whilst mid-reach is a lot more naturalistic. My role as an animator is to know how to effectively incorporate all reaches to my best advantage.

Used most dramatically within panto, the constant state of kinosphere flux is what tends to lend itself to a more over the top performance. Constantly transforming from larger to small action, this contrast in design and movement is what we are encouraged to explore throughout our own work.

In combination with ‘Shape’, these four tools help build and establish our characters emotions through visual language alone. Used to determine a smooth and clear narrative through the use of the body. The shape of the character creates dominant keyframes that break down the narrative into a few select actions. As I’ll discuss later, I’ll go into more detail talking about the five fundamental shape forms and how they are used to break down a character through posture alone.

Using this understanding of Larbens analysis of movement I can begin to use this in context to my own examples, discussing and evaluating the use of Larbens movement techniques in a variety of Charlie Chaplin's shorts that prominently features the reliance of character animation and visual language to portray a narrative.

Charlie Chaplin Movement Analysis

Whilst analysing the work of a couple of Charlie Chaplin's original sketches, we considered how he organised himself on a physical level. Showcasing how he effectively distributed his weight and balances his body to change his performance in a matter of seconds.

Working along every axis possible, Charlie uses his different spacial pulls to his advantage, from being very lifted, taking a formal and proud stance he can juxtapose this by changing his posture to create a much more exasperated Chaplin in a short space of time. This awareness of the space around him is something I can highlight within my own animations, using all axis available to me to push these poses to new extremities.

Much like Charlie's work I want to portray the same quality of the clean line of action he uses. I found that through many of my reference shots that a lot of our movements ended up being here there and everywhere. An unnecessary amount of fluff around the main actions. Charlie highlights that his body usage although exaggerated is always defined and clear, is easily read by the audience.

Looking for that quick change of action, Chaplin uses his dynamic ability to showcase the clean transition between his high and low-level positions. Coming up in a neatly organised fashion, this direct level of movement is the style of precision I want to portray within my own work whilst exploring a narrative.

This extends towards his use of speed and weight, looking at two visual examples, we can see the difference between his change in a light and weighted performance. Showcasing two entirely different uses of weight, they use their bodies as their key tool of communication although non-verbal. We are able to distil what they are thinking internally, through the thoughts and feelings that are manifested by their actions and movements.

It’s my role as an animator to utilise these techniques within my work, to challenge myself to see how far I can turn the dial upwards. I need to showcase throughout my work how a characters body language can cleanly and sharply convey a series of actions through the line. To get a clear distinction of what they are doing, the precision of my choreography will determine how much of my characters actions an audience understands.

Reflection

Using Chaplin as an influence, it’s important to understand the relevance of his work in relation to the ‘Mystery Box’ brief. With the intentions to start big and exaggerated if I was to start subtly, I would lose the organisation of what I need to adapt. The benefits of starting with a bolder brief are that I can externalise the emotions and actions that are primarily internal. With the goal of telling everything through the action alone, this visual understanding of character will remind me to view the body as a vessel for emotion.

Posing can both be a caricature and obvious, with great expression and little subtlety. It’s my role as an animator to decide what is going to best meet the needs of a scene. Bringing those subconscious aspects of body language to our everyday consciousness considering how we adopt the personal space around us and drive our effort levels.

To develop my ideas, I can begin to discuss and incorporate these elements into my own reference footage. Showcasing the range of ability and thought taken into my work. And if not there, discuss the changes I need to make to push and drive my reference further. To progress my outcome to visually establish a narrative through body mechanics alone.

To summarise;

I discussed the theoretical reasoning behind my reference footage and how it can be used to show emotion.

Looking at the examples from Charlie Chaplin we applied what we learned through visual analysis.

Consider how I can apply these to my own reference footage.

How can I go beyond my initial ideas through re-recording more footage as a reference for animating.

Sources;

‘charlie chaplin dangerous funny video’ Youtube Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLlMbHatRwo

‘Tomorrow the birds will sing (City Lights)’ Youtube Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vquns6r-hZg

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serensama · 7 years

Text

To Help #7

YES! FINALLY! We’re here! We’re up to V which means that this is the end of this series. My many thanks to everyone who’s stayed with me for this long, stayed patient and encouraged me with your kind words and your insights on my work. Hopefully I’ll see you all for the next one

Come on sugar cookie V, it’s your turn to help MC.

As per usual this fic will include

1) Profanity

2) In case you haven’t played the secret endings this is kinda spoilery, so please just be warned.

3) WELCOME TO MY (baby) MONSTER FIC, just 13.5K this time arounds

Curving his pencil V lightly cross hatched across the paper, his teeth worrying his bottom lip as he worked away at his sketch. Just a little bit more… just a little longer here and I’ll be able to finish… looking back up to check on the differences between the light on the model and the light in his picture, V took just a little more time to gaze over the woman standing more than 50 feet away from him. She was beautiful, there was no other way for him to describe her. With gorgeous smooth china-like skin, her hair twisted in a loose bun at the nape of her neck with tendrils strategically pulled out so that it fell over her bare shoulders, the plain white sheet draped around her as if she were just getting out of bed to greet her lover… she was magnificent.

If he were being truly honest he had sat down at the park to take photos of the landscapes and any fauna that was drawn to the natural beauty of the area- but he was then captivated by the large crowd seated dead smack in the middle of the reserve. V had been sitting there just slack jawed staring at a perfect stranger as she posed for these budding artists, how could he resist? He wanted to see if he could capture her beauty with his hands too…

Picking up a darker pencil he began to add more depth to the shadows around her face when another cloud passed above him making it hard to work; looking up he was surprised to see the cheerful green eyes of his fiancé instead of a ball of mist hundreds of miles above him.

“I’ve been looking for you for ages! I tried calling you but you must have your phone on silent silly!” she chastised him softly as she smiled brightly down at him before swooping in to steal a quick kiss on his lips. Rika peered from behind his shoulder at the drawing of the model he was working on; cocking her head to the side with a little pout forming on her lips in concentration, Rika surveyed his handiwork for a solid minute before beaming happily at him and giving him a thumbs-up. Returning her smile V caught her hand in his and pressed his lips against the pad of her thumb in a sweet, chaste kiss before pulling her arm over his shoulder to draw her closer to him and cloaked her arms around his shoulders as he continued to draw.

Humming random notes as her fiancé was bound in his own world Rika focused on the young girl in the centre of the class, she couldn’t be much older than herself by the looks of her… and she really was quite pretty… Moving herself carefully so she wouldn’t jostle him too much, Rika sat down and observed how her fiancé hadn’t once looked back at her or spoken another world, far too consumed by the silent creature before him, wrapped around her little finger without even knowing it. Stretching languidly her elbow knocked into V’s and a deep sharp line flew across the drawing- Rika gasped, automatically getting to her knees to try to find an eraser or something to her salvage the drawing but stopped when V’s large hands coiled around the tops of her arms, his kind smile telling her to relax.

“It’s just a drawing Rika, it’s not important,” he reassured her, his fingers twirling around one of her golden curls. Her mouth dipped into a frown, her brow furrowing with concern; V was so happy working on that drawing and she ruined it with her… foolishness.

“I’m so sorry V… maybe… maybe we can hire her so you can draw her again,” she suggested wiping away the tears that were clustered on her long eyelashes, “-or better yet you could take photographs of her and put them up in your upcoming exhibit!” she added hoping her beautiful fiancé would forgive her. Running his open palm over the crown of her head, his eyes full of affection, he bent at the waist to place a delicate kiss on her temple, a simple gesture to placate his lovely bride to be.

“No need my sweet, I was only drawing her because she was there and I wanted to sharpen my basic skills, my father would kill me if all I ever did was take photos,” he jested as he placed more kisses along her cheek. Still unconvinced Rika ran down to the model where some business cards were in a placeholder and picked one up for herself before rushing back to where V sat, already packing his things back into his satchel.

“Look she has a business card! That way if you change your mind we can always contact her!” she grinned joyfully as he stood up and linked his arm around her waist, drawing her away from the park where the class was being held. V shook his head and told his headstrong lover that he didn’t need it but she should feel free to keep it just in case she needed it for anything, like getting her to model for one of their upcoming RFA events. Nodding excitedly Rika looked back down at the card and quirked an eyebrow as she read her details,

MC… no surname listed?

How peculiar.

“Sending you through all the details now V,” Luciel said over the phone, quite obviously trying to muffle the sound of him chewing on his favourite chips. V smiled at the familiar sound and pictured him downing another can of his Doctor Pepper, crushing it in his hand and throwing it over his shoulder… and as if on cue he heard the tell-tale clamour of aluminium on the floorboards of his house sounded through the phone. That boy would never change no matter how that agency tried to clean him up.

“There… give it a second and it should show up in your inbox. Take your time to read over it, I’ve gone through everything and I can’t really find anything worth panicking about… except for the fact that she’s cute and I’m sure that Zen and Yoosung will be knocking down my door trying to get me to share her picture,” the hacker grumbled as the distinct sound of another can being opened clicked over the phone. V set his audio to speaker and willed his eyes to focus on the glaring screen, his fingers tapping on the email icon from muscle memory alone as his left eye blistered under the strain. Blinking hurriedly as he set the screen brightness lower he found that he could finally make out the letters of the new email from his old friend. Scanning over the details quickly he noted that she was 25 years old and that she was a kindergarten teacher who modelled part time for extra income as her parents were no longer alive. He looked over her name, her residential address, work history and if she had a criminal record… she checked out fine. Swiping further down it seemed that Luciel, as per normal was his perfectionist self and procured pictures of the woman for him to look at.

The same glorious lines from all those years ago came rushing back to him, her skin, her hair and the curves of her figure… nothing had changed since that day in the park. V had only seen her for 30- 40 minutes at most but she had a face that you couldn’t forget in a lifetime. Some people would say she was ordinary, some rather pretty but for V there was something about her that screamed that she was from the Elysian Isles themselves… unearthly, ethereal… too good to be dragged down into this seventh hell. She said in the chat room that she was led to Rika’s apartment, that she had randomly decided to help out an unnamed stranger and followed their directions to an apartment- far too pure for all this- and now she was stuck with them, with all this mess. Everything was just getting too hard. Too convoluted. What the hell was Rika thinking? Why did she bring this innocent woman into this all?

Shaking his head to clear his rapidly clouding thoughts he looked back down at his screen at the photo of her standing in Rika’s apartment, her hand wrapped around her phone and her expression scared and confused… she was yet another person he had to protect from so many things- all of them Rika’s fault. V could feel his chest constrict at the thought that if he turned her away now without knowing his fiancé’s full intentions that the poor girl would just be at the mercy of her and Mint eye without any of the RFA’s watchful eyes on her… at least in the apartment Luciel could watch over her. At least at the apartment even though they were falling right into her plans, he could try to keep MC safe from Rika and her deluded machinations.

Or so he thought.

He had to sit by as her life was put in danger by the bomb Rika had put in the apartment, Saeran had terrorised her online, come in and assaulted her and tried to kidnap her… was she really safer with them than without. He didn’t even know anymore.

As the days passed since her arrival, V was never completely separated from his phone, he had never meant to desert them, he was still there reading their conversations and committing them to memory as best as he could, whatever was going to happen to him at least he would have these conversations to get him through; to remind him what exactly was at stake should he fail to protect them and allow Rika and her damned organisation to continue to corrupt and punish people who didn’t fall into line with her… ideals. V set down his phone to the side of him, on his dank and dirtied cot. Though he was still brought to Rika’s side more often than not he was still not trusted and treated like the outsider he truly was- to this organisation and to Rika herself; honestly if he didn’t love that woman so much… V’s thoughts halted abruptly in his head. Did… was he… was he still in love with Rika? He loved and cherished Rika, but it was the Rika only in his memories- the Rika he was trying desperately to find some remnant of to save. Yes. Of course. He was in love with… he was in love with… not Rika.

V patted around on top of the thin bedsheets feeling for his phone, swiping his fingers underneath it once he felt the device and swooping it up to his face again. She was there again, all the time- day or night- whenever any of them would need her. It was like she was a restless mother hen that could feel when any of her children felt distress and would come running to help them in whatever way she could. Seeing how much she had grown to love his makeshift family in his stead and in such a short amount of time warmed his heart to no end.

She was exactly what they needed after the upheaval their world suffered from Rika’s loss. V watched on silently as she comforted Yoosung over Rika’s death but disciplined him into studying harder and striving for more. He could see the affection she held for Jaehee and how she would constantly challenge Jumin to become less cold and more open to his feelings. He would find himself laughing at her antics with Luciel whenever they teased the other members of the RFA or each other and… and he wasn’t jealous when Zen would steal all her attention and make her say flirty things like she was attracted to him… and that no way at all affected him in any way, shape or form. Not at all. V tried to forget that he had growled unwittingly at the idea of her heading over to Zen’s so late in the night when he had hurt his leg- honestly what were they all thinking letting her do something so ridiculous? Not that he could say… anything. He didn’t have a right to control anything they did or who they wanted to be with. He didn’t deserve it.

He loved Zen, like he was his little brother and he knew the actor was so lonely without anyone to share his life with- so he decided he was happy for him, for them. It would only be a matter of time until they would reveal to the others that they were an official couple and he would congratulate them, and yes, it was decided now, he would be happy for them. They both deserved to be happy.

V looked around the bleak and gloomy room, barely any light able to enter the boarded-up windows … this was where he needed to be to make sure they were all happy. He could do this for them; for Yoosung who despised him, for Jaehee who believed in him, for Luciel who trusted him, for Jumin who loved him, for Zen who admired him and for MC who he… he could do this. Ignoring the feeling of being stretched too thin spreading throughout his chest, making it harder to breathe, V pocketed his phone and took his cane in hand, just another day in paradise right Rika?

Jumin was looking at her like she had gone insane, a small blush forming on his pale face just across his nose, his right hand buried in the mess of ebony atop his head. He had begged her not to do it but she wouldn’t hear of it and went through with it anyway, he tried his best to pry it from her, tried to destroy it… but the commoner was crafty.

MC was standing beside him holding a large yellow sign with a bold “V” emblazoned with sparkles on it like their friend was some sort of rock star- she had the gall to even ask him to start screaming out “V! V! V!” when he came through the doors but his stern look of disapproval quickly silenced her and forced her to hide her blushing face behind the sign.

As the door opened from Gate 8 and the passengers flooded passed it wasn’t too long before a flash of teal could be seen towering above all the browns and blacks. Jumin raised his hand and was about to call out a greeting to his old friend but MC clambered onto him and cupped her hand around his mouth, jutting her head towards her sign, Jumin rolled his eyes but nonetheless nodded his head and complied. Turning back excitedly to the crowd MC waited until V was close enough to notice them, his head tilting towards the bright yellow smudge that sparkled. Surveying the tall motionless blob next to the shorter more energetic blob holding the yellow smudge he walked closer to them until his left eye could take in all their finer details. Jumin, his oldest and best friend with a kind smile on his face and MC with a twinkle in her eye and a huge grin brightening her already radiant features.

“V, it’s good to see you- it’s been too long,” Jumin said calmly, his excitement at seeing his friend belied by his tone. He extended his hand out to be instantly greeted by V’s in a firm handshake- MC looked upon them like they were the crazy ones and dropped her sign in shock. “That’s how you greet your friend after not seeing him for over a year Jumin?!” she questioned unbelievingly as she moved in and broke off their hands before she practically lunged onto the unsuspecting man. Wrapping her smaller arms around his shoulders as she pressed her cheek against the hollow of his neck she whispered, “Welcome home V!” before she jumped back down, that cheeky smile somehow managing to grow wider.

He didn’t even get a chance to wrap his arms around her before it was all over.

Not to be outdone by, Jumin enclosed his friend in an embrace… forgetting that MC was still between them causing the woman to yell out and claw at them as they continued to hug each other trying to stifle their laughter. When V stepped back to see Jumin and MC fighting like an old married couple he had to put his hand to his mouth to cover his snickering- he had to admit he missed them, missed this, so much during his time away. Glancing from the corner of her eye she noticed the laughing male and immediately ceased her arguing with Jumin as she tried to regain her composure, a pretty pink flush gracing her cheeks.

“I-uh.. shutup Jumin… how about dinner then, with all of us? Unless you’re too tired… I mean we can do it some other time-” she mumbled off after realising her over eagerness. Reaching out to touch her lightly, his thumb rubbing softly against the fabric of her coat on her arm as he offered her a reassuring smile, “I would love to.”

Taking his arm to assist him to exit the busy terminal MC began chatting away about what he had missed during his year abroad, his year of escape. Listening intently and making the appropriate noises as he did, V tried his best to ignore the warmth flowing from her and forced his hand to sit apathetically between their bodies. She was a taken woman, MC was happy. That was the whole reason for his damned trip, to get over this stupid crush that lingered for too long- apparently, he wasn’t gone long enough.

Stopping mid-step forgetting she was still attached to V which caused him to lurch backwards, MC pulled out her phone and ran her fingers over a well memorised pattern over the keys. Bringing the phone to her ear she quickly looked up at the men mouthing “I’m calling Zen” before intently listening to the phone ring. After almost a minute of patiently waiting MC was about to hang up and just send him a text when he unexpectedly picked up the phone. “Zen! Hi honey how are… y-yes… I understand, I’m sorry… I didn’t… I didn’t mean to disturb you… look I’ll just send you the details in the message ok? I’m sorry sweetie… I love yo-”

MC pulled the phone away and looked at it dejectedly before putting the phone back into her purse. MC sighed heavily as she shrugged to herself before realising she wasn’t alone; cautiously lifting her eyes she watched as a pair of silver and light cerulean eyes observed her worryingly. Jumin’s face had hardened within seconds after it dawned on him that this probably wasn’t the first time the white-haired male had treated her like an inconvenience, looking away and muttering under his breath about Zen being “ill bred actor trash”. When MC turned her gaze to V his expression wasn’t one of anger like she had expected, his mouth was pointed downwards but slightly open displaying his shock and disappointment at the scene that played in front of him, his eyes full of sorrow and compassion for her.

V didn’t have the best eyes but even he could see that this wasn’t right, this wasn’t the couple he had left to their own devices a year ago who were so utterly loved up that people would literally gag on their sweetness. Where was MC’s smile now?

Clapping her hands together to bring everyone out of their respective thoughts MC plastered the best smile she could and taking V’s hand as she began to walk forward, dragging the photographer behind her until they reached Jumin’s car. Sliding in to sit in the corner the woman pulled out her phone again and started frantically writing a text to Zen, V imagined, as the car started off to their destination. Jumin had asked him a few harmless questions, How was your trip? Did you photograph anything interesting? How long are you thinking of staying?

“…For as long as it takes,” he whispered mysteriously, never letting his eyes drift off the anxious MC who was bitting at her nails staring at her phone for a reply from her beau. Jumin creased his brow in confusion before following V’s line of sight to the girl huddled in the corner of his town car, writing yet another text. Jumin traced his hand over the front of his face in agitation, clicking over quite quickly as to what was truly running through his best friend’s mind.

“For as long as what takes V?” he asked softly, careful not to rouse MC from her focus towards her phone. The teal haired man sighed resigned to his fate before looking back at Jumin beside him with an expression he had seen many times before, the look V wore whenever he was going to do something horrible. He had seen it when they were 3 when V took the blame for eating the expensive chocolate his parents had put out when it was really his fault, he saw it when they were 18 and he helped a young homeless woman and took her into his home and the next day when he woke up to find that his house had been ransacked and many of his valuables were taken he had told the police that he clumsily left the door open so it could have been anyone who stole from him, he had seen it when he found out that whole debacle with Mint Eye and everything he did for them without them knowing- citing it was his fault in the first place for letting it get that far… for not saving Rika… even Yoosung had thanked and hugged V and told him it was enough.

“…For as long as it takes until she’s smiling again Jumin.”

V was going to sacrifice a piece of himself to save MC and there was nothing Jumin could do to save either of his friends.

He could however, provide copious amounts of food and drink.

Taking them to the best restaurant in town despite MC’s insistence that they go somewhere cheaper and V’s reminders that he was fine with anything- Jumin would not hear it.

“This is a great day V! You’ve decided to stay home indefinitely!” Jumin crowed as he took another sip of his favourite red wine, his eyes tipping forward to catch the surprised look on MC’s face and the contempt which flood V’s. MC hurriedly chewed her food and gulped loudly much to the other guest’s horror, but her eyes were bright and solely on V, a smile creeping on to her face for the first time since leaving the airport.

“Really V? You’re going to stay! That’s amazing!” she beamed as she excitedly bounced up and down on her chair like a happy child. Jumin snorted under his breath and pointed at her with wine glass still in hand, “Although if you keep that up he might leave by tomorrow morning?” he teased, laughing merrily once her face diminished into a confused pout as she looked between him and V, “Ah there you go, he’ll stay forever now!”

MC took a sip of her water as she looked at V giving murderous looks towards Jumin which only made the corporate heir laugh all the harder. Thinking it was a private joke between the two MC scooted her chair towards the quietly spoken man and took him by the hand, breaking him out of his staring contest with Jumin.

“So that means we can hang out more right V? Would you mind it very much if I came to one of your shoots?” she asked eagerly, holding his hand to her heart. She was so pure, without a malicious bone in her body- how could he ever deny a request from her. Clearing his suddenly too-dry throat, he nodded as he reached for his glass. Mimicking Jumin as he looked up his oldest friend, a wry smile on his face as she shook his head subtly, as they noiselessly mouthed back and forth across the table,

‘Don’t do this.’

‘I have to.’

Jumin simply sighed into his wine, fogging the glass with his disapproval, he didn’t want to see V get hurt or MC… and he could only see this sudden protect the newest RFA member’s smile resulting in only tears.

MC had never felt so full in her life, she couldn’t believe her ears when the chef said there were going to be 14 courses! Their dinner had started at 7pm and only finished after midnight! Slowly rubbing her lower abdomen she leaned forward pressing her forehead against the cool glass of the car window. The men had been acting weird all night, talking to each other in hushed tones or simply mouthing words at each other when they thought she was preoccupied… honestly how stupid and unobservant did they think she was?

Her mind reeled back to the messages she had sent her boyfriend and how easily she was rebuffed, she knew she shouldn’t take it personally, Zen took his career and his passion very seriously. This show was going to be his big break after all, the musical was critically acclaimed worldwide and for him to get casted was a big deal- three quarters of the first season was already sold out, they had to make sure it was perfect. But still. Didn’t she at least come a close second in his list of priorities… she knew once upon a time… she was first. She was his Princess.

MC: Hey baby, Jumin, V and I are going to dinner please let me know if you’re out of rehearsal early so you can come join us!

Zen: Didn’t I just get off the phone to you a second ago telling you that rehearsal would go very late tonight? That I won’t be home for dinner and that I’m extremely busy right now?

MC: … I’m sorry Zen. I didn’t mean to disturb you. I hope everything goes well at rehearsal. I love you.

Zen: Thanks.

…She was his Princess…

Finally opening her eyes once they came to a red light she noticed a massive line on the sidewalk with people dressed to the nines obviously waiting to be admitted into somewhere. Twisting her neck, she looked at the sign and read it slowly, the word not in her native tongue… was it English? E.ly…si..um? Elysium. Why did that sound familiar? Right that was the club Zen was talking to her about months ago saying that it was the hottest spot in town and that he really wanted to take her there but with the new play just starting rehearsals he couldn’t afford to waste any time taking her there until after the play closed… wait… did he use the word waste when he explained it to her?…

Probably.

They were a couple so in love that people in the streets would stop and watch them as they walked by, envious of the lucky girl who got to cling onto the arm of the rising star Zen and he would look at her as if she was a shooting star. She didn’t care what anyone thought of her so long as Zen continued to look at her like he did in those early days of their relationship… because she never stopped looking at him like he was her entire night sky. They did everything together; did all the stereotypical things couples did that he found so much joy in. They went to romantic movies, they held hands and went for long walks, candlelit dinners and even rolled around on the beach while making out- they did it all and they laughed and loved all the way through it.

However, somehow in the last year, Zen had become distant. MC tried her best to bridge the gap in whatever way she could, she’d come and visit him at the theatre like he used to love so much but he’d always be so quick to tell her to leave because they were so busy she stopped doing that after the third try. It wasn’t very fun being told to go away by someone you love so much. So, then she tried to make it up with food- she’d pack him handmade lunch boxes with uplifting messages or cute food figures of themselves but he’d always say that he was so famished he didn’t even notice,

“I bet they looked amazing Jagi! Take photos of them beforehand and post them online so all our fans can see them!” … your fans Zen… they’re all your fans.

She even tried to appeal to his sexual nature, trying to find different ways to lure out the beast which had lain dormant for far too long. In the first two years of their relationship he could barely concentrate if he hadn’t had her at least twice a week- it didn’t matter where it was when the need took hold, he would push her up against the nearest wall and screw her brains out… sometimes he took it as a challenge to see if he could make her scream out and get them found out- he’d come close too many times to count.

He’d come home and she’d be wearing nothing but one of his shirts, he would smile and pat her on the head. He’d get out of the shower and she’d be wearing a new set of lingerie that matched the colour of his eyes and he’d say that she looked amazing and kiss her but then head straight to bed… or worse he’d happened upon her completely naked on their bed and he just said he was too tired and fell asleep beside her. She had never felt more unattractive than she had at that moment. They hadn’t had sex for over 6 months. It shouldn’t be a big deal; relationships were defined by more than just sex… it’s just… why was this happening now?

More than a year ago she was doing a really deep clean of all their cupboards and closets before Lunar New Year hit- she wanted their house absolutely sparkling so they wouldn’t have to worry about a thing until after the celebrations were finished. Opening one of the cupboards in the kitchen she climbed onto their step ladder (Zen always made fun of her for having to use it, he’d always put it away and told her to just ask him if she ever needed anything in the higher shelves… that’s what her Prince was for right?) to clear out what she knew must have been some expired food up there.

Going through the old congealed spices that had been thrown up there and forgotten about, she pushed the tin of old butter cookies out of the way to find a small, nondescript black box. Picking it up to examine it she opened the lid and almost dropped the box out of shock- a beautiful ruby on a simple white gold band sat neatly between the pillowed cushions holding it in place. Picking it up she closed looked over the ring- inside she found HR+MC and the eternity symbol engraved on either side of their initials. She had been so tempted to put it on her finger to see it if fit but she knew that Zen would have been heartbroken if he ever found out his big surprise had been found out and that he wasn’t the first one to put the ring on her finger. So, giving the gem a quick kiss, she closed the box and packed away the old food back to where she had found it so he wouldn’t get suspicious.

Every holiday she’d wait with bated breath for him to pull out that little black box.

Every monthly anniversary date they celebrated her heart skipped a beat whenever he’d reach his hand into his pocket.

Every day for more than a year she died a little more on the inside knowing that she was probably never going to see that ring again.

He’d probably pawned it by now for the repairs on his motorcycle which seemed to constantly break down after practise making him catch a ride with other cast mates or having to catch a taxi home. Still she couldn’t show him that she was upset or disappointed- he didn’t know that she knew that once upon a time he thought her good enough to marry and somewhere along the way, realised that she wasn’t. He spent his day with truly beautiful and talented people every day- she spent her days finger painting and getting thrown up on by children. Any emphasis she once placed on her looks deserted to insure she had the best day planned for her kids at the school, she had happily quit modelling and focused on her career. Once people stopped and stared at her as she walked down the street- now they only stared to ask why someone like her was with someone as beautiful as Zen. She’d look in the mirror every day and ask herself where that woman went- the one so confident in herself that she posed nude in studios for people draw her form? The woman who captured Hyun Ryu’s heart…

It wasn’t too late yet. She could still be found. They could still be forever.

“Hey guys,” MC quipped as she sat up straighter in the car interrupting their conversation about where their next RFA event should be held. “Are you up to heading in there by any chance?” she asked pointing her head in the club’s direction. Jumin scoffed at the idea but V cocked his head to the side and actually thought about it.

“Why, would you like to go in MC?” he questioned as he eyed the ever-lengthening queue to the front door. MC nodded as she tidied herself up as best she could, she was still in her work clothes so she was hardly considered the peak of sexy, her pale pink dress screaming out ‘cutesy’ rather than whispering ‘seductress’. However, she was determined to find that woman, to find that seductress and she just knew going out and enjoying herself with good friends was just the first step she needed.

“Please? Even for half an hour. I know you must be exhausted from your trip V and you must be very tired from work too Jumin but… just this once… would you guys please humour me as I go in there and get drunk and dance around like an idiot?” she half joked, half pleaded, “I promise I won’t make any tacky sprinkle signs ever again Jumin” she added as she could see his will starting to break.

V looked to his friend and shrugged, a handsome smile growing on his face, “I slept on the plane I’m not tired at all… Jumin?”

“What?” he snapped with his arms crossed over his chest, his mouth turning into a bad impersonation of a frown.

“We could just go, you and me MC,” V offered knowing that would rile Jumin to end.

“That’s hardly appropriate! On a Friday night- what if something happens to you two? V you still haven’t even scheduled yourself for your eye surgery… how are you going to defend yourselves?” Jumin fumed, his fingers tapping against his forearms. “No, there’s no way that I can allow you two to go by yourselves, you don’t know what can happen in a bar like that!”

MC stifled her oncoming fit of laughter and bowed as deeply as she could while still seated, “Thank you Papa Han for coming out with me and V” she teased as she opened up the door and stepped out of the car. Some people in the line were already trying to look into the windows to see if they knew who was in the car and were bitterly disappointed when all they saw was a homely woman dressed like she was still 12. Their groans of disappointment however were quickly changed into gasps of surprise and squeals of joy when V and Jumin exited the vehicle looking like they’d just stepped off the runway… besides it was hard to walk past a magazine these days without Jumin’s face plastered all over the covers since he was named the sexiest eligible bachelor in Korea… and V was a famous photographer from famous parents… of course they were going to be recognised.

As they made their way to the back of the line the bouncer stopped them saying that they could enter straight away without having to wait. V and Jumin led MC before them but were once again stopped by the bouncer, who pointed to only V and Jumin-

“I’m sorry gentlemen but she’s not up to code, we can’t let her in-” he said haughtily looking at her up at down like she was cattle to be purchased.

“And why is that?” Jumin asked, his manner getting colder and colder by the second as he fiddled with his cufflinks resolutely not looking the other man in the eye. Straightening in his spot the bouncer tried to stand firm, “Sir it’s my job to insure the club maintains a certain level of… class” he stated gesturing to her as if that was enough to explain not letting their friend come in with them.

“…Excuse me?” Jumin asked finally staring the shorter man in the eye, his steel orbs boring into him like he was nothing, his arms lowering to his side. The bouncer swallowed audibly as a spattering of sweat started to frame his forehead under such high-powered scrutiny. He was just doing his job.

“Look… she’s pretty enough ok… it’s just what she’s wearing won’t suit the club,” he admitted finally giving up any pretence of authority or professionalism, he just wanted to get out from under the C&R director’s wrath. MC’s cheeks felt like they were about to burst on fire as this went on around her, she wasn’t picky, they could go to another club. Tugging at V’s sleeve to show that she wanted to leave, V placed his long fingers over hers to hold her in place, his thumb following the dips and peaks of her knuckles.

“Come on guys it’s not worth it-”

“Do you have any idea who this woman is?” V asked, his gentle tone opposing the rage surging within him. The bouncer shook his head dumbfounded as he looked over her once again, the feel of his eyes like oil trailing down her skin. “This woman is responsible for the guest list of the RFA parties held every year, she’s the one who organises who is and who isn’t the right fit… or as you so eloquently put it… up to code. She is the main event coordinator to quite literally the hottest ticket in town. Your little club can be shut down by the click of this woman’s fingers just by inviting the right people to her party…” the bouncer and a few people in the line who were close enough to hear V’s quiet drawl took another look at the woman before them. “That’s right, this is the MC. Now… are you sure you don’t want to check that clipboard of yours to make sure you just didn’t miss her name on the VVIP section there?” he softly commanded as he squeezed MC’s hand, taking a sidelong glance to see her gratefully smile up at him, V’s heart jumping a little at the sight. Flicking the pages on the clipboard before him and scanning the document like he was really trying to find the name to save some face, he made a big show of yelling out “OH! Yes here it is! MC! My deepest apologies madam, sirs- please make your way in!” as he bowed profusely, unable to look her in the eye. Pushing her forward V clapped the man on the shoulder a little harder than was necessary, “See. I knew it was all a misunderstanding. Come on Jumin,” he called back not bothering to turn around to know Jumin was giving the bouncer one last long death glare before entering the club.

…And it was one hell of a club. The man-made embodiment of what the owners thought the Elysian Fields must have looked like with a modern-day twist; the décor was rich and far more opulent than MC would have guessed from the dingy neon sign outside. The walls filled with plush velvet booths and the bar stools made of the softest leather she had felt in her life- she just knew even if she did look like the girl she once was, felt like who once was… she’d still have had to fight tooth and nail to get in. Sliding into one of the booths closest to the bar MC let her fingers trail along the soft fabric which vastly contrasted to the deep bass booming in the speakers all around them.

Jumin looked entirely uncomfortable as he eyed off all the women and some men who were leering at him and looked like they were starving hyenas and he was their first sign of meat for weeks. Jumin excused himself to get the table some drinks leaving V and MC alone seated next to each other in the booth. V felt a gentle pressure on his side to find MC pressing up against him playfully before sitting back to her original position.

“Thanks… you know… for saying that stuff out there before and making me sound more important than I really am,” she said bowing slightly trying to hide the bright red blush that crossed her nose and cheeks. V grabbed her hand that was resting on the seat between them and held it together with his, flat on the smooth tabletop.

“I didn’t do anything worth thanking me for and you are far more important that you give yourself credit MC,”

“No, I’m just a kindergarten teacher who happens to have some powerful friends-” she countered as she shook her head incredulously.

“Those powerful friends are thankful that you came into their lives and those powerful friends put you in a position of power alongside them- being the RFA coordinator isn’t an easy job and I wasn’t lying when I said that the RFA tickets are hard to come by nowadays. You’ve excelled MC and you’ve taken the RFA with you, thank you,” he professed, his hand still on hers. Jumin cleared his throat as he made their way back to the table with the bar staff following him with their drinks in tow… because of course…in what world would Jumin Han scramble around with three glasses in his hands? MC pulled her hand out from under V’s and placed it back in her lap, her blush glowing brighter and visible even under the dim lights of the club.

MC thanked the waitress for her drink and guzzled it down greedily suddenly feeling like she needed the liquid courage to even stay sitting in the same booth as these men. Thankfully the DJ changed the song to one she recognised and she was up on her feet before she knew it and dragging the closest body to come along with her. V was laughing at her as she pulled him along stopping along the way to shake her body rhythmically to the music or to sidle up beside him to comically dance against him. Without any warning V’s smile faded as he stopped mid step and reached for MC’s hand,

“I’m sorry MC I don’t really dance very well… please let’s just sit back down” he begged hoping she would listen to him. Unfortunately, she was having far too much fun to listen to his silent pleading and continued to pull at him to follow her, turning back around towards the centre of the dance floor.

“It’s… I… oh Zen…”

There surrounded by members of his cast was her boyfriend, slowly swaying to the music; his hips grinding sensually against the front of the woman he was clinging to, his hands lost within her chestnut hair, his lips locked against hers. MC watched as her Prince’s hands travelled languidly down the woman’s body until they reached her ass, giving them a firm squeeze before tipping his head to lather her neck with his attention. She knew the woman. She was the casting director that gave Zen his current role, she was always so flirty with Zen but MC never once worried that he might cheat on her with the older woman… or anyone else for that matter. She never thought he would be capable of hurting her so much. Unable to see anymore she swiftly spun around, easily out manoeuvring V as she rushed passed him and then Jumin who was waving them back to the booth. Jumin was half standing up when MC sprinted by him ignoring both then men’s calls. She had to get out of there. She couldn’t see straight. She couldn’t even breathe. Her skin was burning. Her heart. Her heart.

Jumping up and down on the side of the street to hail a cab, with tears streaking her already worn off makeup; in full view of the crowd that was just 20 minutes ago staring in awe at the her but now reduced to a flailing mess before them, MC’s heart was breaking. There was no way that could have been a scene from his new play, that this was just a misunderstanding… goodness if V could fucking see it from a mile away with his shoddy eyesight how could she try to justify what she saw?

“MC! Wait! MC!” Jumin called out to her as she was just about to jump into the cab that had stopped her. “What’s happened? What did you and V see?” he demanded to know just as V had managed to wrangle himself out of the club with the aid of his cane. MC slapped herself for being so selfish to leave a virtually blind man alone in a dark, crowded place but with one look at the concern etched all over his face her heart shattered all over again. Her face crumpling against her will she leapt into the backseat of the taxi and instructed the driver to go.

After reciting the address that was once their home MC succumbed to the pain wallowing inside her. Sinking further down the seat as her arms clung around themselves she let her tears flow freely; not caring what the driver thought of her, not caring about anything really- she let her shuddering breaths shake her body as she rested her head against the window- her head bumping painfully against the glass as the car drove on. What the hell was going on? What had happened to them? One year ago he was ready to spend the rest of his life with her and then suddenly this year… this year it all went to hell.

Was she really that hideous to him now she was no longer a model? Sure, she didn’t wear as much makeup as she used to wear the fashion forward clothes that showed off her figure- but it didn’t make sense for her to do so when she played and taught young children for a living. Smirking darkly, she thought back to Zen; for someone who claimed that there were more important things to him than looks he certainly didn’t show it. The moment she focused more on her career and her young charges instead of him and his needs, suddenly she’s replaceable? Her mind tracked back to the casting director- there was a woman he could be proud to have by his side. She took care of her aesthetics very well indeed; MC never saw a hair out of place, a chipped nail or smudged lipstick on the woman. Zen certainly didn’t care about showing her off to everyone off in the club that was for sure… so yeah…. She must be so utterly embarrassing that he needed to keep her secluded away while he found something better on the side to replace her… God, how could she believe that she was his ever after?

Jumping up as the taxi pulled to a stop she made to reach for her purse panicking for a moment before she realised that she left it with Jumin when she ran off to dance with V. Meaning that she had no money to pay the driver. Cursing her foul luck, she leaned forward and explained her situation to the man, telling him that if he just let her go inside the house that she had come cash in there to pay him. The driver just smiled and shook his head saying that she was the last fare for him that night and she seemed like she needed someone to give her a break so the fare was on him that night. Sobbing openly at the man’s kindness and the almost desolate situation she found herself in she stumbled out of the taxi, crouching down to find the spare key under the doormat. Unlocking the door, she took the sight of what was once her home one final time- wake up Princess this hasn’t been your home for a long time- before she nodded to herself and wiped her tears clean from her face. She didn’t have much to pack, apart from her clothes and some photos- Zen’s apartment remained mostly comprised of Zen. She hadn’t ever thought that she needed to change anything- clearly she was wrong on many, many counts. Rushing around to gather her suitcases and a spare box she went to work ridding any mark she may have had on him.

After twenty solid minutes of tearing herself out of his life MC was done- that was all it took to do it. Twenty minutes. Three years of their life erased in twenty minutes. MC wanted to throw up.

As she passed the kitchen a horrible, niggling thought passed her mind and no matter how she tried to suppress it, it wouldn’t leave. Dropping her bags to the ground she rushed back to the laundry to retrieve the step ladder and made her way up to the cupboard she hadn’t visited in over a year. Roughly shoving the spices and cookies away… there it was. Her little nondescript black box. Her hand trembling as she reached for it, she opened it up to still find the little ruby ring glinting in the harsh fluorescent light. Taunting her. Laughing at her. Promising her everything and then stealing it all away, deliberately, letting the wound fester and infect everything else inside her, poisoning her slowly.

Closing the box, she carefully made her way down the ladder and placed the box on their small dining table. Finding a scrap piece of paper and a pen she scribbled down a simple note and put the box on top of it. There.

Final piece of her taken away for your convenience Zen.

Hauling the two bags over her shoulders and carrying the box in her hands she made her way to the front door… only to have it swing open before she could reach it. Standing there like some beautiful, avenging angels were Jumin and V, whose panicked faces relaxed upon sight of her. Grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her gently Jumin berated her for leaving so hastily and that she had left her purse with them and what if something had happened to her…. whilst V just stood there looking at her with his sad eyes. Her throat constricted against her will and her eyes began to water again much to her horror as she wiped them on the back of her sleeve, the box she was carrying slipping from her grip. Jumin quickly caught the box giving her a soft reproachful look, a look that her big brother would give her whenever she did something stupid but had no choice but to help her because he was her big brother. Taking one bag off her shoulders he turned around and walked back out to his waiting car, not waiting any arguments from her, it was already decided that she would come with him.

V stepped forward and placed his hand around the curve of her head and pressed a soft kiss against her forehead. He was right not to say anything, there was nothing left to say. Stepping back, he took the other strap of her bag and heaved upon his shoulder, smiling sadly as he beckoned her to follow him. Smiling as best as she could through her tears she said she’d follow in just a moment- she just, she just needed one minute.

Turning around and around until the room began to spin even as she stood still, she waited until the world right itself and the dizziness she felt washed away. No- this wasn’t some bad dream and she couldn’t just click her heels three times and be whisked away back home. The basement apartment once home, now hell, once warm, now cold, once theirs, now his.

There are no such things as Princesses in this world anymore.

Zen wiped the last of the lipstick from his mouth and his neck praying that MC wouldn’t be too mad at him for coming home so late and smelling of cigarettes and beer. He’d tell her the truth that the rehearsal ran late and the cast decided to go out to celebrate their upcoming opening night. He would just omit the part where he practically molested the casting director… but it worked. He got another part booked in for right after the musical was set to finish- he would get to play a serious role in an international movie. Then finally… finally they could move on. They wouldn’t be stuck in a lousy basement apartment that the sun could barely reach in so his Princess was always in perpetual darkness, he’d be able to afford a better house for them. With movie work he could bring her on set and not have to keep sending her away because she’d be bored. With movie work they could settle down and have children of their own, she didn’t have to keep working at the kindergarten if she didn’t want to. They would have options now. He could propose now. He was finally worthy of her.

Skipping down the street and whistling happily to himself he had to pause when he saw a familiar black town car parked across the street from him house. That was Jumin’s car… what did that jerk want and at this hour? He remembered the text from earlier that night that they were going out to dinner- it was nearing 4am how could they finish dinner so late… unless… an uneasy feeling boiled within him… that trust fund kid didn’t think he could go around touching his Princess did he? Was there nothing that was sacred to that man? His step quickening unconsciously, he saw the tall, lithe profile of Mr. Han himself- holding a box? Why was he holding a box? Did MC give him something? Shortly after he saw V holding a bag that looked eerily a lot like the bag MC had used to move in over three years ago- surely that couldn’t be it. Running past them he almost crashed into MC in the front doorway, her eyes wide with surprise and tinted with red.

“MC? What’s going on? Why do those guys have your stuff?” he asked speeding through his words as he watched his girlfriend gape at him like she was trying to remember how to speak. Breaking her eyes away from his she shirked away from his body and stepped around him towards the car where both Jumin and V were already waiting in the car. “MC!” he called after her, halting her steps for a heartbeat before she continued on. Chasing after her he grabbed her by the arm and spun her around, his hands clamping down firmly on the tops of her shoulders to hold her in place as he talked to her. He didn’t fail to see that MC’s gaze was focused on a point on the ground and not at him, he bit his lip and shook her sharply to try to win her attention. “MC! WHAT IS THIS?! WHAT IS HAPPENING TELL ME?” he begged trying to crouch down to look her in the eye but failing, “So what? You’re just leaving without saying goodbye? Without having the decency to even tell me why?!” he bellowed not understanding where any of this was coming from, not noticing how she choked at the word ‘decency’. Finally looking up to him he saw the eyes he imagined every time he had to evoke any happy emotion on stage… but they were filled with tears… why was she crying? He should be the one crying!

Offering him a weak smile tinged with misery, MC touched his cheek with her fingertips as if he were glass, down to the collar of his turtleneck and then to the lapel of his jacket- dusting off some cigarette ash and straightening it out fondly. MC looked at her hand against the planes of his chest and swallowed the hard lump that had manifested at the base of her throat, she used to love seeing how small she was against him… but now she realised that she was being dwarfed by him… by his beauty… by his ego… things hadn’t been right for a long time.

“Zen,” she said, her voice hoarse from crying. “Zen… please send my regards to Min Ji,” she whispered as she broke free from his grasp as it loosened in his shock. She turned in time to see the realisation dawn upon his face as he tried his best to take her back into his arms before she got into the car and left him forever- he had to tell her everything- that it wasn’t what she thought it was, before she…

He was too late.

Watching as the car sped away from him, Zen screamed into the night before running into the house to reacquaint himself with his loneliness. Peeling off his jacket and throwing it over what used to be MC’s dining chair, he slipped down into his spot on their table. Overlapping his arms to create a makeshift pillow he lay his head against them as he tried to think of how this could have happened. Smacking his forehead against his flesh, harder and harder each time Zen let out another frustrated roar as he banged his fists against the table. The vibrations caused something on the table to jump which caught Zen’s sharp eyes. Leaning over to pick it up he realised rather quickly it was the hidden engagement ring that he bought for her last year… there was no way she could have known about it right? Without saying a thing to him? For all that time? Reaching over to pull the scrap of paper over to him his eyes scanned the page.

My answer is no.

He was too late.

It had been two weeks since MC started staying in Jumin’s guest house and everyone was getting beyond sick of Zen’s constant calls, his voicemails, his messages. Jumin was convinced he had even tried carrier pigeons but Elizabeth the Third in her wisdom scared them off the balcony. Though it didn’t matter how Zen would send the message in because MC refused to read or acknowledge any of them- she wasn’t ready. She wasn’t ready to read his excuses, or his apologies and she certainly wasn’t ready for any messages from him telling her how happy he was now that she was gone.

Every time she closed her eyes all she could see was Zen’s face in that woman’s neck, his hands roaming all over her- and every time it hurt more than the last. Sitting beside V in Jumin’s living room as he silently went to work cleaning and maintaining his camera, MC felt a tear escape and then another. Biting down on her lip so she wouldn’t make a noise, she let herself cry in the knowledge that V couldn’t see her sorrow. Until he placed the box of tissues that was beside him, on her lap; she looked up surprised, letting out a whimper in her lack of concentration.

“I can hear your breathing MC, I can hear every hitch and quiet sob you try to pass off as a cough,” he explained as she started dabbing tissues at her face. “You needn’t be ashamed or afraid to express your emotions to me MC… you could… you could let me help you,” he uttered as he put down his lens and cloth to the side. Without any pretence MC shuffled across the couch and lay her head down across his lap, letting her sobs plague her tired body. V ran his hands soothingly across her hair and down her arms, just waiting for her to speak first.

“He… he would c-call me Princess,” she wept as she threw another used tissue to the ground and prying another two from the box, “-he told me that one day I would be his Queen and we would live ha-happily ever after…. I know that it’s all fairy tales and make believe… but, I didn’t need have the fairy tale… I just didn’t want to wake up in a nightmare.”

“Shhh, it’ll be ok MC. I know it’s not what you want to hear, but it’s the truth. Eventually your pain will dull and become bearable. Eventually you’ll not even remember how much it hurt… but for now… let it all out. You cry for as long and as hard you need. I’ll always be right here,” he murmured softly over her sharp breaths, his fingers running through her hair. “You don’t need to worry about anything anymore MC, I won’t rest until you want to smile again.”

MC heard raised voices in the foyer and wondered what the hell could be causing so much racket within Jumin’s walls. Stopping dead in her tracks she saw Zen, all red in the face from yelling and V, standing there nonplussed with his hands in his pockets as he allowed the younger male to rant and rave as he saw fit. MC hid behind a wall to hide from Zen but still able to hear word as to why he was there in the first place.

“…You and Jumin have kept her locked away in here for months! No one has seen any sign of her! If she’s not at work she’s here with only you or the asshat for company! Or was this the plan all along V? Is this what you wanted V? Huh? Just waiting for your chance to rush in and take her from me?”

MC felt the air rush from her lungs and somehow forgot how to breathe as she only seemed capable of raspy wheezes, clasping her hands over her nose and mouth MC tried to trap any noise from escaping. Zen thought V wanted to steal her away? Was he crazy? V never thought of her that way! He was just a concerned friend, her confidante, her saviour in her time of need. He was her best friend.

“Is this what you wanted all along when you decided to cheat on her? When you were cold and unavailable to her for months leading up to her finding out?” he rebutted, without answering the question. A long deep sigh that she could only assume was Zen’s cut through the silence like a blunt blade.

“I… of course not. I don’t even know what happened to us. To me. It’s not like I don’t love her V. I love her more than I have any right to say… but I got scared. Like what is I screw up and never get anywhere in this life? How about if we’re stuck in that damned apartment for life because of me? What if she wakes one day and realises that she doesn’t want to be with a loser like me with nothing to offer her… one day my looks will fade and I’ll have nothing else to give…” he said, his breath starting to hitch the more honest he became with himself.

“So I got obsessed. I was a man on a mission. I needed to work harder. I needed to get better roles… only then would I be worthy of her… but I spent less and less time with her in the process. I started forgetting what I was doing all of this for because I was so lonely without her always there. I started seeking comfort in the wrong person who promised us the world V- and yes- I was a complete dick to MC; I couldn’t stand to see or hear the love in her eyes after what I would do before coming home to her. I didn’t touch her for months because I didn’t want to touch her again until I truly deserved her again… The sick thing is even as I betrayed her, all I could see was her face in my head- the most beautiful face I have ever looked upon… I think I even called out MC’s name out by accident a few times but that never stopped her, she didn’t care for me like MC does… or did. No one else probably will.”

V waited for two minutes before saying anything in case his young friend still had something he needed to get off his chest. “So in your foolishness to secure what you wanted most, you lost what mattered most?”

Zen bowed his head dejectedly before breathing out “Yes.”

“It’s not like I am anyone to judge you on your misguided actions Zen… but have you… have you told any of this to MC?” he inquired as he watched the ivory haired star pace back and forth.

“She won’t listen to me, won’t take calls or answer my messages or emails… she… she really hates me huh V?” Zen laughed mirthlessly as he dragged a hand through his ponytail. V sighed and thought about his answer carefully before speaking to the highly strung man beside him,

“I think that she just loved you so much but you hurt her too much… I do not, however, think that she is capable of hating anyone. Even you.”

“I’m sure she hates me,” Zen added so dramatically that MC had to roll her eyes. “I was going to propose to her that night … I had the ring… I’ve had the ring for ages… I just wanted to get our lives on track so bad… I waited too long and ended up going down the wrong way,” he lamented looking past him and further into Jumin’s house- trying his best to imagine MC running around and living in there, moving on without him.

MC’s eyes were beginning to prick at the sides, her throat suddenly burning and her lungs were screaming inside of her. Hearing Zen say everything she had wanted- no- needed to hear was both liberating and destructive, she knew now at the very least that his love hadn’t waned and that he was just a scared man who did something awful. That it wasn’t anything lacking with her that caused their love to die. That she was still that beautiful woman had fallen in love with. Still in love with.

“Hey V?” Zen asked while still looking around the house, stepping perilously close to MC’s vantage point, “-you think… you think you could pass on a message to MC for me?”

V walked over to where Zen stood and placed a supportive hand on his shoulder as he nodded for Zen to continue. “Please tell her that I’m sorry, that I never stopped loving her and that… I’m so so sorry for how everything went down between us. I- I truly thought I could make her happy in the end.”

“Of course.”

“And V?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m sorry I accused of you wanting to steal MC away from me… I just… I’ve always been worried about your relationship with her,” Zen confessed, his alabaster skin turning pink from embarrassment.

“My relationship? With MC?” V clarified, pressing a hand to his chest to make sure Zen meant him. Zen smirked as he ran a hand through his perfectly quaffed fringe,

“Yes your relationship. You guys barely had any contact those first two weeks during that crazy stuff with Mint Eye and Unknown and yet when she finally met you- you guys instantly clicked, like you two were freaking meant to be,” he emphasised his statement by snapping his fingers together a couple of times before chuckling ashamed at himself. “I was always so jealous of that- the way you looked at her, it was like you found someone to finally surpass Rika in your heart… and the way she looked back at you… like you had the sun shining out of your ass!”

“She did not look at me-” V scrambled to deny Zen’s accusations but was quickly cut off by the actor. “You must be even more blind than we think you are.”

MC never knew her ex-boyfriend felt like this, did he burn with jealousy any time she was on the phone to V? Was that another reason he didn’t want to go to the dinner that night? He didn’t want to see V making eyes at his girlfriend… and she apparently reciprocated them? Sure, she adored V, everyone did- he was V! She admired his gentle soul, his selflessness and his good heart. She loved him- she wasn’t in love with him; at least she wasn’t when they were together… though hearing the idea that V might have felt something for her - her heart had felt fuller than it had in months. She dared to hope.

“… Zen,” V tried to express how he had never tried to steal his girlfriend away from him, that he would rather die than to hurt him in that way. Holding up his slender fingers to stop V from trying to explain anything Zen smiled sadly,

“I-it’s ok V, I know nothing happened between the two of you. That you’re just really good friends but I can’t help but still feel jealous- like if you had been around during those days I would have never stood a chance… urgh… I better go. She’s not coming out here to see me, not that I blame her but… Yeah. I just better go,” he faded off as he clapped V on the back before he spun on his heel to walk out the door.

MC fought with herself, a part of her wanting to run out and hold Zen against her and say that all was forgiven and that she loved him more than anything… but the other part, the stronger part she had meticulously rebuilt from the ground up- refused. The damage had been done and she had already begun patching up the remaining bruises still left behind. He was just too late.

“Hey V… one more thing?”

“Yes Zen?” he responded, turning his head towards the actor who had tears streaming down his face- had he been holding them back all that time? “You take care of the Princess for me… I was one hell of a clumsy Prince” “I am no Prince, Zen,” V began to protest turning to face him completely. Zen laughed as he choked back a sob, his hand lightly slapping against the front door frame.

“No- but I think in this story you’re the White Knight…”

“Zen I-”

“She’s waiting. So please save her-”

“I…” V was completely dumbfounded- did Zen want him to be with MC? Was he giving his blessing? V scratched the back of his neck nervously unwilling to speak the words unless he misunderstood. Unless he took it all back. Throwing his head back with tear filled laughter at his friend’s apparent distress, Zen unlatched the lock on the door and swung it open, the breeze sweeping up strands of his hair and making them dance upon the wind. He certainly looked the part of the Prince or the gallant knight…

“Just make her happy, V, I haven’t been able to do that for a long time. She should be happy,” his smile fading when he truly realised what he was giving up.

“I agree.”

“There you have it then!” Zen exclaimed, putting on a brave face before he stepped outside into the world again, “I’ll see you around V… tell MC I said goodbye.”

V’s shoulders slumped as he watched his heartbroken friend leave; he never liked seeing his friends in any sort of pain when he could stop it- he never dreamed that he could be one to make it worse for them. Leaning against the opposite side of the wall MC was still hiding behind, V drifted down to the floor with his legs bent at the knee to brace his elbows upon, his heavy head in his hands.

“Did you hear everything he said MC?” he asked quietly earning him a startled squeak from the woman.

“… How did you know I was here?” she inquired timidly, mortified she’d been found eavesdropping and by V the blinding moral compass of their motley crew. V’s soft chuckle at her expense emblazoning her entire body alight with a deep flush.

“I could smell the soap you used this morning in the air when you first walked in the room,”

“What are you a superhero?” she jeered, crossing her arms over her chest in a pout.

“Nope just your ordinary run of the mill blind guy,” he teased, spinning his cane in his hand. He could hear a rustle of clothing as the smell of her soap grew stronger. Crawling over to where he sat, MC gently tugged on the cane for him to let go and then pushed down on his legs, asking him to extend his long limbs. Twisting her body so she could lie down on his lap whilst being able to stare up at him, she took his left hand in her own and entwined their fingers together- his right hand instantly threading through her hair.

“So he’s sorry?” she asked looking at her friend’s handsome face. V nodded as his thumb swirled over the skin on the back of her hand, marvelling not for the first time how smooth her skin was for someone who played with paint and dirt and chalk for so much of her day.

“And… and you’re my Knight now?” she ventured quietly, her eyes fixated at their linked hands, watching as his thumb slowly ceased its attention, his grip around her hand loosening slightly, allowing her to pull away if she wanted. Raising his head so he stared back up to the front door where Zen had just made his exit, V slightly nodded as if he was scared any sudden movements would spook her away.

“Only if you want me to be,” he whispered as the hand in her hair found its way to caressing the side of her cheekbone. MC closed her eyes and allowed herself to feel the last fluttering of healing flood through her, warmth spreading throughout her body. Feeling her nod against his leg, V permitted the smallest of smiles to grace his features. MC’s hand tightened around his as she brought his fingers to her mouth to place a gentle kiss along one of his knuckles before settling their hands on the middle of her chest- the reverberations of her breathing and her heart beat sending jolts though his skin.

“I… maybe… yes… just… is that ok? I just need you to be the V I know and love,” she announced drowsily as his strokes against her face drifted back up to smooth out her eyebrows and caress her temples.

“I can do that,” he smiled as he bent over to press a comforting kiss against her hairline- MC humming her contentment as he feathered more kisses sporadically over her face, stopping short at her chin. Angling her neck so she could find his mouth, MC placed the lightest of brushes of her lips against his. Running his nose down along the line of hers before sweetly nuzzling her as she laughed, V breathed in the sound of her mirth and felt compelled to join her.

“I can do that.”

MC woke up to an empty bed. Sitting up abruptly touching the rapidly cooling sheets beside her she frowned as she tried to think of where V could have gotten to. It was only one month into their new relationship but it had felt like they’d been together for years. Innately knowing what the other needed, their patterns and behaviours so similar that it just made sense to move in together. Wrapping the sheet around her naked body she heard the familiar click of a camera shutter sounding once and then repeatedly in rapid succession. Turning towards the door was V in his pyjama bottoms, slung low across his hips showing off his delicious Apollo’s belt, his prized camera slung around his neck- grinning proudly at her as he looked through the candid photos he just caught. “They’re magnificent,” he stated looking over how the morning sun highlighted her hair like a halo, how it burned against the white sheets of their bed, how it made her skin glow. He could photograph her every day and never cease to be amazed at how wonderful she was. “You always say that but I know, I look like a hungover banshee,” she snorted as she rubbed the sleep away from her face and tried to tame the mess that her must have been in.

“You’re as beautiful as the day I saw you,” he beamed still trolling through the images on his camera.

“Yes, Yes, the day in the park all those years ago I know, you’re a liar, but thank you… although I’m glad I didn’t see you then as I’d have blushed so hard all the students would have painted me bright pink all over,” she joked as she reached for him with both arms. Hanging his camera on the doorknob he walked towards MC his eyes still focused on her… before he tripped unexpectedly and fell from her sights. Panicking MC dropped the sheet and dived across the bed to see V flat on his face with one arm to support him, the other flailing under the bed. Giggling at her partner’s clumsiness, MC propped her chin upon her interlaced fingers and waited for V to get back up.

“The concern you show for me is heart-warming, MC” he chided as he slowly brought himself to sit on his knees, shooting her a quizzical yet amused look. MC cocked her head to the side and laughed, extending her left hand out to him to help him up. Drawing one knee up to stand he accepted her hand but just held it, enjoying the feeling of her smooth skin and the shape of her tapered fingers under his. MC was so preoccupied with their hands that she failed to notice what he pulled out from under the bed.

A nondescript black box.

Letting down her hand softly against the bed, V opened up the box to show a gorgeous antique wedding ring embedded with dozens of glistening diamonds, intricately laced with each other.

“I asked my mother to send this to me last week, it’s been in the family for generations and I knew it would look perfect on your hand,” he divulged as he slid the ring on her finger. “I had planned to ask you on our first anniversary next year but holding it in my hand I knew I couldn’t wait that long… so I thought I’d ask on valentine’s day next month… but there’s one thing I’ve learnt about anything to do with you- don’t wait to do something… do it now, do it when you can and when you want to because tomorrow could even be too late… and I don’t want to miss out on you- I want to be your husband as soon as possible MC, would you please do me the honour of becoming my wife?”

MC stared at the ring on her finger, dazed beyond belief. V had begun to draw soothing circles on the back of her hand as she slowly came back to herself, setting her eyes upon the man she had fallen in love with.

“I can do that,” she echoed his words which sparked their relationship prompting a cry of joy from her handsome photographer, who leapt from his position on the ground to jump on top of his new fiancé, covering her body with his as he cradled her form. Turning them over so he rested on his back with MC firmly nestled against him in the crook of his arm, head tucked neatly under his chin, her smile pressed upon the skin of his chest and her ring glinting in the daylight- V looked up to the ceiling painted with the colours of the morning and smiled.

My many thanks to my hubby @alter-dna for quickly sketching this out for me… thanks baby!!! I’ve waited for forever to see V smile <3

#mystic messenger #mysme #mysmes #mystic messenger fanfic #mystic messenger head cannon #v mystic messenger #v x mc #mc #jihyun kim #zen #zen x mc #cheating

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