#(i snuck under the heavy rain just before)

[starrystormwritings]

The way I Loved You

The Way I Loved You

Master List <;3 Request List <3 Hogwarts Legacy Master List <3

Sebastian Sallow x Slytherin! reader

A/n: This is my first Hogwarts Legacy fic so I'm sorry if some of the characters aren't written great. I also haven't finished the game yet so I'm sorry if the plot references are a little off as well. This is inspired by the Taylor Swift song btw. Also if you haven't noticed I love writing the Yule Ball lol

Summary: Seb is jealous when someone asks you to the ball before he can.

Warnings: Badly written arguments, some swearing, a tiny mention of drinking, reader uses Y/n and she/her pronouns, also reader is briefly mentioned wearing a dress and skirt, kissing, not proof read

Word Count: 3564

(NOT MY GIF credit to creator)

"Y/n are you coming to Hogsmead? We're shopping for the Yule Ball." Poppy asked with a smile as she closed the book in front of her.

Me, Poppy, Imelda, Nattie, Sebastian and Garreth had been sat in the Great Hall studying for the past hour and it seemed like we were finally giving up.

"I don't think I can, I have a stack of books to take back to the library before three or I've got detention for a week again." I responded with a frown, gesturing to the stack of books next to me making Sebastian chuckle a bit.

"Of course you do." He said from opposite me with an eye roll.

"As if your one to talk Sallow you haven't had a free evening since first year." Imelda said from next to him causing him to roll his eyes and look back down at his book.

"But Y/n if you don't come when will you get your dress?" Nattie asked from next to me, also closing her book and stuffing it into her bag.

I just shrugged with a smile, beginning to gather my things as well "I'm still not sure if I'm definitely going, I still haven't got a date and I haven't got enough time to get anything to wear. If I do go I'll probably just grab something last minute."

"No you can't do that. I'll take your books back to the library for you, you should go to Hogsmead. You never know when someone might ask you." Garreth said with a chipper voice from the other side of me, he slid my stack of books in front of himself before getting up from the table.

"Thanks Garreth you really don't need to." I smiled at him as he gathered his things into his arms.

He smiled back, squeezing my shoulder with one hand before beginning to walk off "it's my pleasure!" He shouted over his shoulder.

"What was that about?" Poppy asked with a squeal, sliding into Garreth's spot next to me. "I think someone might have a crush."

I laughed and shook my head "What Garreth on me? As if! He doesn't think of me that way."

The girls all laughed and gave me different looks that all seemed as if they were trying to say the same thing.

"Y/n he's definitely into you, and I'm never wrong." Imelda said in her usual knowing voice.

Sebastian quickly stood from the table, yanking his bag with him "I'll see you guys later." He said in an annoyed voice, walking off and out of the hall quickly.

"Why's he in such a bad mood all of a sudden?" Nattie asked with a quirked eyebrow.

Imelda rolled her eyes dramatically "When isn't he."

~~~~~

Me and Imelda tried to keep our laughter as quiet as possible as we snuck back into the common room. It was only thirty minutes past curfew but we'd both be in detention if anyone saw us.

We'd both taken our robes off since the rain had been so heavy that they had began to drag us down, our shirts and skirts were clinging to our skin uncomfortably and my hair had stuck its self to my face. Despite our best efforts the four of us couldn't fit under Poppy's little umbrella and the sky had decided to begin the hardest rain I'd ever seen the second we left the dress shop.

"I call the first shower!" Imelda yelled with a giggle as we entered the warm common room.

"No that's unfair!"

"I've got broom practice in the morning I need to go to bed!" She argued as we walked into the main part of the room.

I spotted Seb sat infront of the fire with a book in his hands which made me smile slightly.

"Fine go have a shower, I'll sit by the fire."

She smiled at me and ran off before I could change my mind, taking the bag with our dresses in with her.

"Your back late." Sebastian said once she'd left the room, I walked over to sit on the little sofa next to him.

"Got a bit carried away I guess." I replied with a laugh "What're you still doing up?"

He shrugged, closing the book that was on his lap and placing it on the table next to us "Wanted to finish my book, and I figured I'd make sure you'd gotten back okay."

"I can take care of myself you know?" I kicked my shoes off so I could bring my feet up onto the sofa.

"Yeah trust me I know. Merlin your soaking?" He laughed at me, moving some of the wet hair that had cemented itself to my forehead off of my face for me.

"Oh yeah? Want a hug?" I laughed, opening my arms and moving towards him.

He pulled far away from me, drawing into himself but not getting off the sofa.

"Don't you dare. I swear I will curse you."

"Oh yeah? Prove it." I laughed and threw myself onto his lap, wrapping my wet and cold arms around him. He pretended to fight me off for a minute with a laugh before allowing me to just rest my weight on him.

"Merlin, you're freezing." He smiled whilst shaking his head, pulling a blanket over the both of us.

"Not all of us have the luxury of being able to spend all evening reading by the fire. I've fought dragons and I believe that was easier than finding a dress for this godforsaken ball."

He looked down at me with a smile, using his thumb to wipe the drops of rain that were still on my cheeks away, his nose brushing against mine slightly.

"About the ball-"

"Y/n the showers free!" Imelda's voice yelled from the direction of the seventh year girls dormitory, obviously not caring if she woke someone up.

"You should probably go have a warm shower before you catch a cold." He said, sitting up a little straighter.

I moved off him with an awkward cough and nodded, "What were you about to say?"

"Oh it was nothing. I'll see you tomorrow." He grabbed his book and disappeared into the boys dormitory before I could respond.

A stupid part of me thought that he might've been about to ask me to go with him, I've had a crush on him since our adventures in fifth year but it's stupid of me to think he'd see me that way now. It's been this many years of being his best friend it's just something I've learned to live with.

~~~~~

"How was the dress shopping?" Garreth asked, taking a seat next to me at breakfast.

"It was really good, thanks for taking those books back for me again. If there's anything I can do to say thanks just let me know." I smiled at the boy as he cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Actually there is, I was wondering if you maybe would want to go to the ball with me? If you don't want to that's totally fine but I thought I'd just asked, I've liked you for a little bit but I don't want to make this friendship awkward." The poor boy was speaking so quickly that he was skipping over his words whilst tapping his foot quite loudly on the floor.

I saw Sebastian look up over his book from the corner of my eye.

"Merlin Weasley, could you be any smoother?" He said with a laugh, his voice cracking slightly at the beginning of his sentence.

Garreth went an ever brighter shade of red and looked wordlessly away from Sebastian "never mind it was a stupid question anyway."

"Wait Garreth, I'd love to go to the ball with you." I said with a smile, shooting Sebastian a look.

"Really?" "Really?"

Both Garreth and Sebastian said at the same time, gaining Sebastian a harsh elbow from Ominis next to him.

"Really."

Garreth smiled widely, giving Sebastian a smug look from across the table.

Seb just rolled his eyes at him, dropping his fork as he stood up, leaving the great hall without eating any of his breakfast.

"What's bothering him?" Garreth asked from next to me as Ominis shrugged.

"You know what he's like, he's probably not heard off Anne for a while." Ominis said with an awkward pause, causing me to quirk an eyebrow.

"I'm gonna go check on him, I'll see you guys in potions." I said, standing from the table and walking out to the courtyard.

I spotted the Slytherin boy sat on the wall overlooking the boathouse and headed over to him.

"What's wrong with you recently?" I asked, standing next to him.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You've been acting off, is everything okay with Anne?"

He rolled his eyes, not that he'd turned to look at me anyway.

"Yes, not everything I do and feel revolves around her you know."

"I know I just thought-"

"Well stop thinking for me. Why're you out here anyway? Surely you could be planning out your evening with Weasley inside?"

"Is that what this is about? You're annoyed at me for saying yes?"

"Don't be so full of yourself Y/n I couldn't care less who you go to the ball with."

"Then what's wrong?"

"Nothing! Merlin why don't you know how to leave things alone!"

"Why're you being so mean to me all of a sudden? I just want to make sure my best friend is okay! You were all smiley and happy with me last night what's happened that's upset you?"

He scoffed, standing up from the wall "Y/n everyone is your 'best friend' I don't mean anything more to you than Professor Garlick does don't pretend differently."

"Seb you know you mean the world to me what are you talking about?"

He rolled his eyes with a small laugh. "As if Y/n, we're only friends because I needed help with Anne and you wanted me to teach you spells that Fig couldn't. And look now we're stuck with each other for no reason! Don't pretend to be my friend."

My eyes pricked slightly at his words as I shook my head at him. "You're an asshole Sallow, I don't know why I keep putting you first. Fuck you."

"Oh fuck off you've never put anyone but yourself first."

I turned around and walked off before he could see me cry. Heading straight back down into the Slytherin dormitories.

~~~~~

It was finally the day of the Yule Ball and me, Imelda, Nattie and Poppy were all piled into Poppy's dormitory getting ready.

Nattie was putting my makeup on for me as Poppy tied Imelda's hair up for her.

"Are you guys excited!" Poppy asked with a big smile, her long pink dress complimented her smile and eyes perfectly and she somehow seemed to be smiling wider than ever.

"Yeah I am actually." Imelda said as she admired her now done hair in the mirror, she had on a little black dress, a little less formal than the other dresses but allowed her to move around a lot easier and suited her personality well.

"Wow that's the most excited I've seen her talk about something other than flying." I said with a laugh, having to dodge the makeup brush she sent flying at my head with a laugh.

Nattie gave her a look before finishing the last of my makeup with a smile. "There, perfect."

I smiled back at her and thanked her before turning to help her finish her eyeliner.

Nattie had a beautifully patterned red and gold dress on, the perfect dress for any proud Gryffindor and she pulled it off better than I could imagine anyone else.

"Have you spoken to Sallow yet?" Poppy asked handing a small flask of fire whisky around the room.

I sighed and shook my head slightly.

"Nope, I've lost track of which one of us is avoiding the other now. I'm not speaking to him until he apologises though and I doubt that's going to happen."

"Do you know what's actually wrong with him?" Nattie asked, handing me the flask now that I'd finished her makeup.

I shook my head and took a large sip from the flask, trying not to flinch at the taste.

"No Ominis doesn't want to be in the middle so he won't talk to me about it."

Imelda shook her head and pulled me and Nattie up onto our feet. "It's his loss anyway, look at yourself you don't need him. Garreth's jaw is going to be on the floor."

I laughed slightly at her and smoothed my green dress out whilst looking in the mirror, she did have a point.

"Come on we're going to be late." Poppy said, dragging us out of the Hufflepuff common room.

"So what exactly is the situation with you and Weasley?" Nattie asked as we made our way to the great hall.

"There's no situation, we're just friends, we spoke about it the other day. He said he does have a little crush but Professor Weasley was pushing him to get a date and he figured he'd just ask. We're not dating or anything I don't feel that way about him."

She nodded along to my words as we approached the hall, music growing louder and louder.

Poppy was leading the group, looking around in awe at the decorations as we entered the hall.

The girls split off eventually, all heading off to their dates and Garreth came over to me with his arm out.

"Want to dance?"

"Wow Weasley I didn't know you could." I said with a laugh, nodding as I took his arm and we joined in with the couples dancing in synch around the room.

"I can't but my aunt will tell my mum if we spend the whole night trying to slip fire whisky in the punch."

I laughed at him and looked over his shoulder to see professor Weasley looking at us with an approving smile.

We danced for a while until we had to stop because I was laughing too hard, a mix of the fire whiskey and Garreth's clumsiness of stepping on me or into a nearby object had cracked me up to the point of needing to sit down to catch my breath.

He laughed next to me as I lent my forehead on his shoulder to catch my breath.

I wiped a tear from under my eye as I composed myself, hoping the laughter hadn't ruined my makeup but the end of the night was nearing quickly enough that it hardly mattered anymore.

I looked around the hall, smiling as I saw the girls dancing with their dates, even Ominis was twirling a girl around in the corner.

"Everyone seems to be having a great night." I said with a smile.

Garreth nodded next to me "it's nice to see everyone chilling out after exams."

"Oh yeah because you were so focused on studying." I said with a snort.

"I wasn't talking about me." He laughed at shook his head.

I looked across the room and locked eyes with Sebastian who was stood alone in the corner, leaning against the wall.

He did look handsome in his dress robes, although all formality of his attire seemed to have been discarded. His robes were no where to be seen, his shirt sleeves had been pulled up to his elbows and his tie had been loosed enough to allow him to undo the top two buttons of his shirt, and his black waistcoat had been completely undone.

It suited him more than a formal look though. He hadn't even bothered to do his hair properly, letting it fall over his face.

He looked away from me for a second, putting his glass down on the table next to him and exiting the hall.

"I'm really sorry but do you mind if I head out a sec?" I asked looking over to Garreth who was already looking at me, most likely catching the small interaction.

He cleared his throat and nodded "Yeah of course, I wanted to mess with the punch anyway. I'll catch you later."

He gave me a small smile and I nodded "thank you."

He just gave me a small nod and I got up, crossing the room to head out the same doors as Sebastian did,entering the courtyard.

He was leaning over the wall and looking out over the hills. The rain hadn't stopped all week and Sebastian already looked like he'd gone for a swim in the lake.

I hesitated for a second and with a sigh I walked out onto the cobble stone, feeling the cold rain soak my whole outfit before I'd even taken two steps.

I walked over next to him and lent against the wall as well, not looking up at him and instead over the mountains that surrounded the school.

"Hey." I said quietly, bracing for some sort of anger to be thrown back at me.

"Hey." Was all I got back, a much more gentle and quiet voice than I was expecting.

We stood in silence for a while before he stood up slightly with a sigh.

"I'm sorry. I was angry I didn't mean what I said, you know that. You mean the world to me as well, and you're the most selfless person I've ever met."

I looked up at him to see him already looking down at me with a timid smile.

"I don't expect you to accept the apology I was out of line I know but-"

"Seb just tell me what was bothering you. I don't care about what you said I know you didn't mean it, it's just your my best friend and I want to know what's wrong."

He clenched his jaw slightly at my words and looked away from me again.

"It's just- I was jealous, I didn't like the idea of you and Weasley spending all night dancing and laughing together and sitting there watching it only made it worse." He took a deep breath and despite my best efforts he wouldn't meet my eyes.

"Jealous? Of me and Garreth? Why?"

"Because I've been in love with you since you kicked my ass in defence against the dark arts in fifth year. But I know that all the people around me get hurt and I could never bring you any sort of peace. Between my short temper and the fact you're so headstrong, which is one of the things I love so much about you, but we bicker all the time as it is. I never wanted to say anything because I didn't want to loose the best thing I have in my life and I know that I'd ruin it somehow, and that's even if you even wanted to give me a chance which is unlikely, just look at you."

"You love me? Why didn't you ask me to the ball yourself?"

"Because I saw you in there, you were laughing the whole time. I don't do that to you." He slouched slightly and wiped the rain drops from his face as he looked over the horizon.

"Seb look at me."

He didn't move for a second before finally turning to face me, allowing me to place a hand on his cheek. Moving the wet hair out of his eyes the same way he did to me only a week before.

"Seb I love our bickering. You bring a different type of love and joy to my life that no one else could. Your not just some hot headed idiot who hurts those around him, your the most caring man I've ever met who risks everything if you believe it would give you the smallest chance to help the people you love. I've loved you since the day I met you. I just didn't think you'd want me."

He just looked at me for a second before placing a hand gently on my cheek and leaning down to meet my lips, his other hand resting on the small of my back to pull me closer.

I kissed back and despite the hard rain falling on top of us I'd never felt so warm and safe.

The kiss was gently and loving, as if he was afraid that I'd disappear from his touch.

He pulled away after a moment, resting his forehead against mine as our noses bumped together.

"I'm sorry I didn't ask you here tonight. I wish I could've had at least one dance with you."

"Who said it's too late?" I pressed another gentle kiss to his lips before pulling him into the middle of the courtyard where the music of the hall could still be faintly heard.

He chuckled slightly as he held his arm out to me.

"May I have this dance?"

"Yes you certainly may Sallow."

He laughed before pulling me close to his chest, allowing me to rest my head against him as we rocked slowly to the music under a sheet of rain.

"For the record you look insanely beautiful tonight." He said, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

I laughed and looked up at him with a smile. "As if, I'm soaking wet, my makeup's probably making me look like a clown right now."

He laughed and shook his head, moving his hand to push a strand of wet hair behind my ear. "Your truly the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, I was star struck when I saw you enter the hall, and I think you look even more beautiful now out here in the rain with me. Just like how I thought you looked beautiful in that cave fighting off spiders covered in webs, dirt and ash. I don't think there's ever been a single second I haven't been in awe of you."

I shook my head slightly at him with a smile "since when are you this nice?"

He lent down to meet me for another kiss, laughing against my lips and we continued to dance in the courtyard all night until the music stopped.

#x reader #fanfiction #harry potter #hogwarts #hogwarts legacy #hogwarts legacy x reader #sebastian sallow #sebastian sallow x reader #sebastian sallow fanfiction #fanfic #ominis gaunt

[isa-ah]

so heres my pitch for what happens before dimple shows up in the icmhwau:

teruki and mob are hanging out in the middle of one of black vinegars soccer fields. its after school and the sky is heavy and grey, but it hasnt started to rain just yet. mob snuck a milk carton on his way out so he could come see one of the stray cats that sometimes wander onto the school grounds. this one he knows from sitting by for terukis soccer practice over the last few months.

while hes bent down, making soft sounds and petting it, teruki is standing behind him, hands jammed in his pockets and sneering bc he doesnt do. exactly great. not being the center of attention. hes tapping his toe and waiting for mob to get it over with so they can go when theres this big crack of thunder overhead and the cat goes skittering off toward the trees- just as the sky opens up and theres one of those heavy late spring downpours.

teruki is taken offguard, bracing for the rain, when he realizes hes still stood there dry. mobs got a hand up, having thrown a barrier over them reflexively, and humming his disappointment. he stands, dusting his knees off, and when he turns around teruki tries to look like he hasnt just been standing there watching the whole time.

"can we go now?" rude. but no more rude than he usually is, so mob doesnt really mind. he hums his affirmation but pauses, and then shakes his head. teruki frowns and turns fully toward him in response.

mob kinda stands there, hands flexing and unflexing cause hes really not good at putting things into words in this au. it drags on long enough that teruki is just starting to pull away with a scoff when he is stopped cold like he took a stone to the head.

"teru."

that gets his attention in a big way that makes his stomach roil. mobs never addressed him like this before- maybe a soft hanazawa-kun when he needed to, but the nickname cuts straight to the core and he is on guard immediately.

"i.. was thinking."

and now he is feeling outright defensive. a thousand scenarios playing out right like is mob sick of this? is this going to be bad news? is he trying to sugar coat it? and then, worst case scenario; mob steps forward, and starts to reach for him. his hands are small and bruised, little scars and bandages wrapped around his fingers. teruki put those there, and it feels like an intimacy too sacred and mortifying to be broached.

so teruki panics.

"DONT TOUCH ME!" slapping his hands aside. "you just laid hands on that disgusting vermin, its probably diseased."

and mob stands there looking so shocked teruki feels a thrill of success. derailed. whatever was about to happen has been successfully derailed. he preens, starting to turn to pull the lead before mob can recover, but mob speaks before he can get very far.

"cats are actually very good at grooming." tone flat, dry. it gets under terukis skin. mob never objects.

"yeah right. like im going to hear about hygiene from a brute like you." baseless, and mean, the kind of cutting comment he throws around easy but it seems to catch mob off guard this time.

hes frowning, brows turned down and his hair ruffled by a wind that cant reach them through his barrier. teruki sneers and mob shoves him, hands splayed into his ribs in frustrated defiance. teruki scoffs and pushes him tumbling back onto his ass, standing over him.

& its just instinct tbh, at this point, learned experience from watching teruki get backed into corners with his mouth, when mob mutters, "youre mean." and when teruki looks surprised, he continues. "youre a very mean person."

which teruki is taken aback by. "oh, as if! you dont have a high horse, not when youre just some commoner who happens to listen to instruction better than the rest of them. like you havent picked plenty of your own fights, too." that sort of thing. "its embarrassing that youd even try to come after me when youre just some- some nobody."

& its clearly reaching its mark bc as teruki talks, mobs curling his fingers into the grass and bits of dirt and torn blades are starting to curl up into the stagnant, humid air around them. his hairs started to lift and he looks unhappy.

"oh dont look so surprised. you knew what this was. and beyond that- you dont scare me, kageyama. i could kick your ass and still-"

hes cut off by this dizzying woosh, this spike of energy that makes his head spin, and the vertigo only intensifies as he looks around and realizes the barrier is gone; its not that the rain isnt landing on them, its that the rain isnt landing at all.

mob was definitely not radiating unadulterated power like this last time. he may have.. miscalculated his approach.

& you can imagine it from there. teruki panics and lashes out first, which pushes mob over the edge and suddenly theyre fighting and its UGLY. it makes their initial fight look like a joke. it makes the soccer field look like a battleground. it knocks teru half conscious, held by the throat in mobs sweaty, burning grip with blood dripping into his eyes when hes got an abrupt sense of nausea and something eye piercingly green shoots out his nose with an unceremonious, "oh jesus, kid."

im not like, a writer, but you get the idea. fill it in to be better than i could do it LOLOL mob tried to finally put into words, somewhat, what he feels about teruki, which made teruki FREAK because he doesnt know how to be vulnerable like that, he lashes out at mob, mob lashes out back, the autistic immovable object vs the unstoppable adhd force leading into an rsd death spiral. messy. awful. mob knocks the snot (dimple) out of him lololol

#icmhwau #terumob

[callsign-rogueone]

midnight snow - d.a.

Dain Aetos x crush!reader  part of my Valentine’s Day celly! 💕 words: 734 🏷: no real spoilers, no pronouns used for the reader! for the sake of this story, leadership has night duty like college RAs (Dain gives me overly-serious RA energy lmao). reader is implied to be shorter than Dain but in my head he’s like. 6’2 so 🤷🏻‍♀️

meet me on the south side of the courtyard at midnight, the note had read.

In the distance, the bell tower tolls twelve times. Where are they?

“This is the worst idea you’ve ever had,” your dragon scolds. “I can’t believe you’re actually doing this.”

You shush her urgently, flattening your body against the wall as footsteps approach, and drawing the blade from your side.

As soon as the dark shape of a person appears in your vision, you press them up against the wall, dagger poised to strike.

“It’s just me!” A familiar voice says through the dark.

“Dain?” You ask, stunned. You release him quickly, laughing in bewilderment as he steps into the light.

He blinks at you, confused. “What’s so funny?”

“You’ve never broken a rule in your life, but you were the one who left me that cryptic-ass note saying to sneak out after curfew?” You ask, sheathing the blade.

He blushes. “I just wanted to see you. But I’m on watch tonight, so technically, you’re the only one who snuck out.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” you tease, rubbing your arms. You hadn’t realized how cold it was out here until now, the adrenaline having faded as soon as you realized who you were meeting here.

He drapes the cloak he’s holding over your shoulders, wrapping you in soft warmth and the comforting scent of standard-issue soap and something distinctly him.

You close your eyes for a moment, just content to stand here by his side. 

“Look,” he says quietly, nodding toward the archway in front of you. A soft winter snowfall has started. 

You watch in amazement as a wash of tiny white flakes swirl with the wind, drifting across the courtyard. “It never snows where I’m from. We just get rain all winter.”

He reaches forward, catching a few tiny flakes on his hand. “No two are identical.”

You point at a pair on his index finger. “That one’s you, and that one’s me.”

His breath forms a gentle cloud of heat in front of him as he laughs. “Yeah?”

You hum in affirmation. “Totally different, but both made up of the same thing, with the same goal.”

He shakes his head, smiling. “Only you could give snow human feelings.”

“I’m trying to be poetic here, mister logical,” you huff.

“My apologies. Please continue.” 

The two flakes are starting to melt against the warmth of Dain’s hand. “They’re only here for a short while before they fade and return to the earth, but they’re beautiful while they last.”

“Stronger together than they are separately,” he adds quietly, wrapping an arm around you.

You smile, leaning into him. “Yeah.”

For a moment, all is calm and quiet. The snow continues to fall, but you’re warm under Dain’s cloak, pressed against his side, watching the ground slowly be covered by the white flakes.

Two sets of heavy footsteps approach: Infantry, on their watch.

Dain steps back to give you a few feet of space, but he doesn’t suggest that you run or hide. “I was thinking for squad battle this year, we should pair based on strength to balance things out,” he says, and you blink, confused until you realize what he’s doing.

You’re hiding in plain sight.

“Yeah,” you agree. “That gives the smaller squads a fighting chance, and that way it’s still a challenge for everyone, but we won’t lose as many. Our numbers are already too low.”

You hold your breath as they pass, glancing at you wordlessly before continuing on their way. When you’re sure they’re gone, you sigh in relief, giggling. “Nice recovery there, wingleader. Sounded very official.”

Dain laughs, pulling you back into his embrace. “Thank you.”

You yawn softly, resting your head against his shoulder. It’s nearing one in the morning, and you’ve had a long day.

He rubs your back gently. “Alright, sweetheart. Let’s get you to bed.” He takes your hand, leading you back upstairs to your room in near-silence until you reach your door.

You reach for the clasp of the cloak to give it back, but he stops you. 

“Keep it,” he says. “It looks good on you.”

Feeling brave, you stand a little taller, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. “Thank you, Dain.”

He spends the rest of his watch wandering the halls, replaying that moment in his mind until the sun rises.

#dain aetos #dain aetos x reader #fourth wing #reader insert #fourth wing x reader #mine

[kierewrites]

Pumpkin Patch

navi - masterlist

Bakugou x Reader

Mood Song: baby boy

Summary: All week you've been pestering your grumpy boyfriend to visit the local pumpkin patch with your friends. Of course because it's you, he said yes, but he realizes your reasons for wanting to go aren't what he was thinking.

Warnings: The fluffiest fluff fluff can get, some explicit words because it's our little shit Bakugou, I kinda got brain dead at the end but I still think it's cute so I'm posting anyway 눈_눈

This place was Bakugou’s worst nightmare.

Pumpkins of all sizes were littered along the floor with little to no room to walk. Somehow children were able to run through the hazardous pit while fighting over one out of the thousands of pumpkins in the patch.

Worst of all, parents were everywhere forcing their children to wear shitty costumes and take pictures atop the uneven pumpkins. He would never forget the years of torture his mother put him through just to get “cute photos” of him. Honestly he still believed she only did it to piss him off.

Which it did. A lot.

And yet here he was, standing before the large tent of pumpkins he swore he would never return to once he hit the age of free will. Just in case you were wondering, it wasn’t his idea. And surprisingly it wasn’t his friend’s idea either.

It was yours. For some reason you were hell bent on going to one of these patches to pick a pumpkin out for your dorm, and you wanted everyone to come. Why you were so determined on picking one out here rather than a quick and easy convenient store, he didn’t know.

After his friends begged him literally all day to go, it only made him want to decline the offer even more. But when you got him alone and gave him those stupid adorable eyes you always flaunted when you want something, he knew he was fucked.

So begrudgingly he tried to hide his disgust, and stood by your side as you watched the chaotic scene before you with sparkling eyes as if it were Disney World.

“There’s so many!” You exclaimed with a wide grin, quickly bending down to pick up a pumpkin that was almost the size of you and clearly much too heavy as your arms twitched before spinning around to show your friends.

The others seemed way more interested than Bakugou did, marveling at the pumpkin in your hand before Kirishima bent down to grab the large pumpkin from your shaky hold.

“You might want to look for one a bit smaller.” Kirishima chuckled as you let out a pant of relief once the heavy pumpkin was out of your grasp.

“Nah, I t..totally had it.” You said in between heavy breaths with a grin, most of your friends laughing except for Bakugou who clicked his tongue.

Walking beside you with folded arms, the grumpy boy scanned the perimeter of the tent with unimpressed eyes, “Just pick out a damn pumpkin already before you break your fucking back, I’m not carrying your ass home if you do.”

Looking over to your boyfriend you snuck a quick kiss to his cheek, giggling slightly at his startled expression, “Don’t rush me Suki, I’ll just take even longer.”

Bakugou glowered down to you, ready to let a string of curses come out until a bright flash was seen from above. It only took seconds for the horrendous boom to come after, shaking the ground aggressively as the rain followed suit.

Instinctively your hand found its way into Bakugou’s at the startling sound, the ash blond even glancing up at the sudden change in weather.

For a second he almost felt a surge of excitement, this meant he could go home right? But then other sounds filled the air that made him want to blow up the planet.

Children crying, adults shouting, loud wind and rain just adding to the new chaos of the situation.

Bakugou’s friends all let out annoyed groans, the six of you moving under the tent so as not to get drenched by the heavy downpour.

“Talk about bad timing for a storm to show up.” Kaminari groaned with folded arms, the group nodding in agreement as they brought up what they should do next.

Bakugou felt his head growing hotter by the second as his lips formed into a snarl, the weather couldn’t hold out for five more seconds? Now he had to come back another fucking time so you could pick out a damn pumpkin. This was supposed to be a one time deal.

Though he remained silent, it was clear Bakugou’s mind was screaming profanities as he glared at the heavy rain, hands shoved deep in his pockets.

He hadn’t realized he was spacing out until he felt two nudges at his side, vermillion eyes glaring over to see Kirishima looking at him with a concerned expression.

“Y/n okay? She doesn’t look too good bro.”

Bakugou raised a brow, glancing down over to you. Immediately he noticed how closed off your body language had become. Strands of your hair seemed to be intentionally covering most of your face as you watched the patch associate close up the checkout table.

He noticed the corners of your lips curve downwards, and were your eyes getting glossier?

There’s no way you would cry over this. He knew you really wanted to come here, but you rarely cried over anything. Even when you slammed your toe into his bed frame so harshly it bled, you still didn’t cry.

He was glad he rarely got to see those pretty eyes swell with tears, but that meant whenever he did have to see it, his whole world crumbled.

Taking advantage of his distracted friends who were now arguing on how to spend the rest of the day, Bakugou headed over to you, trying to maneuver his way through the mess of pumpkins before nudging your side.

“We’ll come back Y/n.”

The sound of Bakugou’s voice so close to you had you squeak in surprise, you peaked a quick glance at him through the strands of your hair before quickly avoiding his gaze.

“That’s okay Katsuki, I know how much you hate this place.” You said softly, trying to hide the cracks in your voice as you rubbed your hand along your arm to try and calm yourself down.

The ash blond raised a brow at this. Something was definitely wrong, and you had to think he was an idiot not to notice that.

“Y/n quit being fucking stubborn, what’s your problem-” Bakugou started, grabbing your hand that attempted to rub your side until you were forced to look in his eye.

You were biting your lip so hard it was probably about to bleed, most likely a sorry attempt to keep the tears that were threatening to spill from your lashes from actually falling.

“Y/n…” Bakugou grumbled softly, his thumb brushing against your cheek as you hiccuped, the tears now beginning to fall.

The blond brute looked back to see Kirishima already staring at them, concern written in his expression. The two friends send an understanding nod to each other, Kirishima already leading the others to the other side of the tent to give the two of you space. 

“C’mere.” Bakugou mumbled, gently ushering you to sit down on one of the larger pumpkins behind you as he sat on another one besides you, his arm pulling you close to him.

“Now I know my girl isn’t not crying over a damn pumpkin.”

A swell of warmth curled around Bakugou’s chest when a small giggle bubbled from your lips in between your sniffles, “No, m’not.”

Bakugou decided to remain silent, letting you have a few minutes to collect yourself as you attempted to wipe your tears away with your sweater, but he beat you each time with his thumb so you wouldn’t dampen your clothes.

“I know I’ve been… really persistent about coming to this pumpkin patch,” You started, your eyes staring out into the rain as you let out a defeated sigh, “Ever since I moved here from home, I’ve just been really homesick.”

The start of your words had Bakugou freeze, a wave of realization rushing over him but not without a new wave of guilt as he hadn’t even realized how this must have been for you.

No matter what hour or how busy you were, you always found time to call your mom or talk with your friends and family back at home. He knew you loved it here, but moving thousands of miles away from all you know and love must have been so difficult.

Glancing over at Bakugou, you noticed his brows furrow at your words causing you to jump up as you quickly grabbed his hand.

“Not that you guys haven’t treated me so well!” You quickly exclaimed, his eyes meeting your startled ones as you squeezed his hand, “Katsuki you’ve made my transition here so much better, and I can’t thank you enough for that.”

For once, Bakugou gave you one of his rare smiles as he rubbed his thumb along the back of your hand, “But?”

His question had your expression falling again, your eyes staring off behind him as your lips flattened into a straight line.

“But the holidays were so important to my family. Even if we all wanted to go to war with each other, we would always put our differences aside for the holidays.” You spoke with a smile.

“During fall time we would come to a pumpkin patch just like this, all my cousins searching for the best pumpkin for our carving contest. I guess I hoped if I came to one with you guys it would just remind me a bit of home, and I could bring a pumpkin back to my dorm to remind me of them.”

You hadn’t even noticed the gentle tears that returned to your cheeks, and this time Bakugou didn’t wipe them as he was in a trance of his own. All this time you hid the way you felt about your family. Almost a full year of dating and you never mentioned how much the holidays meant to you.

But then again, why would you? Katsuki made it clear he despised the holidays due to his parents smothering him with them each year. He probably shut any idea down that you had, not even realizing how it was affecting you.

Now Bakugou really felt like a piece of shit. He had been such an asshole the entire way here thinking you were acting like a two year old, when really you just missed your family.

The last thing you expected was to hear your boyfriend growl beside you, though when you looked up he wasn’t looking at you, he was looking at the patch associate.

He would be damned if he just watched you feel this way for the whole rest of the year. He was your boyfriend, it was his job to keep you happy. It was his job to make this city feel the closest to home it possibly could. And he would really be damned if he wasn’t going to be the best fucking boyfriend you’ve ever had, hopefully the only one you’ll ever have.

“Don’t you dare fucking close this place up,” Bakugou yelled from across the tent, startling the young man as he looked over to see the six of you still there, “It’s nowhere near closing time buddy.”

Your head perked up at the sound of this, not only you but the rest of his friends looking at the ash blond before he glared in their direction, “All of you start searchin around.”

You blinked owlishly at him as his vermillion orbs landed on your own, softening slightly as he took your features in.

“Katsuki, we really don’t need to. I was just being dramatic-” You started, attempting to stand up on your own before his hand gripped your own and yanked you up into his arms, effectively interrupting your words.

“We aren’t leaving here until we find the best fucking pumpkin.”

At this your friends all cheered, a warm smile spreading across your cheeks as you squeezed his hand excitedly, “Really Katsuki?”

Bakugou wiped what was left of your dried tears before moving his hand in yours, “Really princess.”

Bakugou would be lying if he said his heart didn’t do a flip as he saw that beautiful smile flash across your lips, but he also would never admit that in his entire life.

So instead he walked in front of you and tugged you along through the patch of pumpkins with his usual scowl on his face.

“And try not to trip on any of these pumpkins while you’re at it,” The ash blond growled even though he was carefully paving a clear trail for you to follow behind him, “I wasn’t lyin before, I’m not carrying your ass back.”

Letting out a giggle you tugged his arm harshly causing him to stumble back to you, which you gladly took as an opportunity to place a serious yet brief kiss on his lips, admiring the way his cheeks glowed as you hugged his side.

“Seriously, thank you Katsuki.”

Bakugou gently squeezed your hand in response, his way of appreciating your gratitude before continuing his ungraceful walk through the path.

You bumped into your friends a few times as they went on their hunt for a pumpkin, but eventually you and Bakugou parted ways, getting quite determined to find the best shaped pumpkin in the patch.

Occasionally Bakugou would glance up to see you gracefully maneuvering amongst the pumpkins, most likely from your years of experience with your family. He couldn’t help but smile to himself each time your eyes lit up upon seeing a possible pumpkin to grab.

To be honest, he really didn’t care which one he grabbed. He only pretended to look so he could sneak a few glances your way. Meanwhile, you were deep in concentration. Your knife skills weren’t exactly perfect, so getting a pumpkin big enough to withstand your “crafty” mistakes was important.

Glancing around at the pumpkins around him, Bakugou chuckled slightly at the sight of a rather awkward pumpkin. The stem was practically chopped off, probably kicked or torn off by some bratty child. One side was distinctly higher than the other, making the lumpy object look deformed.

Grinning deviously, the ash blond tugged the pumpkin in his arms before calling your name, his grin growing wider to see your eyes filled with excitement.

“This one looks like your ass.”

Why you had any thought in your mind that perhaps your boyfriend was trying to help you, you had no idea. As soon as your eyes fell on the rather depressing pumpkin, your lips puckered out into an annoyed pout, your eyes following suit with a sharp glare.

This earned a loud snort from Bakugou, the ash blond finding your change in mood apparently hilarious.

You’ll make sure to remember that comment the next time he tries to grope you like the little shit he was, then he’ll eat his words.

The sound of Mina whispering your name amongst his laughter had you glancing up to see her pointing to the pile of awkwardly shaped squash where she was standing.

Immediately your brains clicked with the perfect idea, you grins matching each other as you hopped amongst the pumpkins to pick out one of the smaller squashes.

“Katsuki!” You exclaimed in an excited tone, his head whipping from his friends who he started to talk to over to you holding the pathetic looking squash, “This one looks like you’re dick, asshole.”

Bakugou’s once wide grin fell into an expression of shock before a scowl came across his lips as you and his friends bursted into laughter. For someone so aggressive, he sure was sensitive.

That’s one of the reasons Bakugou came to like you. Even though you were kind and gentle, you were also confident and didn’t take shit from anyone. Any normal girl, except for maybe Mina, wouldn’t be caught dead saying something like that to him. Yet here you were, making fun of his package, inaccurately at that.

“Oh you think you’re funny you little shit?” Bakugou hissed, storming his way over to you as you continued your obnoxious laughter.

Both the sight and sound of him growing near made your heart race, your arms instinctively pushing out against him as you bursted into giggles, to which he instinctively grabbed both your wrists and lifted you up sideways with ease.

You could feel the rumbling of his maniacal laughs as you held on tightly to his neck, whatever he was about to do was not going to be favorable to you.

“Bakugou? What are you doing?” You asked cautiously, the sound of the rain getting louder as you whipped your head to the nearing edge of the tent, “Katsuki?”

The onslaught of questions seemed to go in one ear and out the other as you both neared the edge of the tent that was barely protecting you from the pounding rain.

“I swear you better not do this!” You shrieked, keeping a vice grip on your boyfriend’s neck as you dug deep crescents into his skin, “Katsuki don’t-”

You couldn’t finish your sentence before cool water began to soak against your back and side, a shrill shriek escaping your lips as you tried to protect what was left of your dry body under the tent.

If you thought Bakugou’s laugh was loud before, this would’ve been a howl of laughter then. As much as he loved you, he loved putting you in your place even more.

Unlucky for him, you were just as stubborn.

Gritting your teeth you lifted your leg that was behind his torso and swiped it against the back of his knee, causing his legs to buckle forward as he stumbled outside the tent with your drenched body.

Quickly Bakugou used his hand to let out a small blast so that way his body took the fall of the concrete, his arms wrapping tightly around you so you wouldn’t land uncomfortably.

Once he confirmed you were okay, his lips formed into a scowl as he flipped you over once again so you were beneath his fiery gaze.

“You are such a little brat.” Bakugou growled, though he had a smile on his face as your giggles drowned out the sound of the moody weather.

Even with your clothes drenched and your makeup slightly running down your face, you looked beautiful. So perfectly you, and all his.

Thankfully the ash blond’s body was able to deflect any drops of rain from falling into your eyes, allowing you to properly look up at him to see the rare smiles he shared just for you.

Attempting to place a kiss on his nose, Bakugou instead grabbed your chin and led your lips to his own. Whenever he was like this with you, nothing in the world mattered at all. Not his friends, not the pouring rain, nothing. Just you and him.

Smiling through the kiss you held on to the back of his head, your fingers seeping into his soaked strands of hair to pull you closer into his embrace.

Though you didn’t want to, you broke away from the kiss, already waiting to see those frustrated eyes look back at you.

“We should probably pick out a pumpkin so that poor guy can go home.” You said with a chuckle, the ash blond rolling off you until you let out an excited gasp.

Raising a brow he glanced over to see you already clumsily dashing up, nearly slipping in the process, and running towards the patch to pick up a smaller pumpkin. Bakugou followed after you to get out of the rain, stripping off his wet jacket before examining the pumpkin you placed in his hands.

Much to his surprise, it was white. Not orange like the normal pumpkins, just a light cream color with a curly stem.

“The hell do you want that one for?”

While squeezing at the tips of your hair in an attempt to dry it off, you offered him a soft smile.

“Because it reminds me of you.”

You saw the immediate confusion in his eyes, and maybe even a bit of annoyance perhaps at the thought that you were still teasing him. Rolling your eyes you ruffled your fingers through his messy ash locks before pointing to the ash colored pumpkin, his eyes widening in realization.

“You are so fucking corny Y/n.” Bakugou hissed, a small blush on his cheeks as he grabbed your hand and led you back to your friends who seemed to have pumpkins of his own.

Letting out a laugh you squeezed his hand as he placed both your pumpkins down and paid the poor associate.

“You know you love it, tough guy.”

Bakugou hid his face from your smug gaze, though he knew it wasn’t doing much justice since his usually wild locks were glued damp to his head.

“Whatever, let’s just get the fuck back so I can beat all you losers in this carving contest.”

#bakugou katsuki #bakugou #katsuki #bakugou katsuki x reader #bakugou x reader #katsuki x reader #bakugou x you #katsuki x you #bakugou katsuki x you #mha #bnha #short fic #soft #sfw #bakugou is rlly mean but he loves you

[uzumaki-rebellion]

"Black Boys Bloom Thorns First: Volume 4, Chapter 74 (Finale) Part 2

Find Part 1 of Chapter 74 HERE.

Masterlist HERE.

"Years I have known I am living in a war zone

Poison of my enemy blatantly attacking me

War goddess arouse your power

Know this is indeed your hour

Dying to be heard literally

Constant screams convincing me

War"

Caron Wheeler – "Beach of the War Goddess"

"Hand me your beads."

Disa stretched out her arm toward Joba and waited for her daughter to slowly, and reluctantly pass over her kimoyo beads.

"Little girl, it is three-thirty in the morning. You know better."

"I wanted to see the blue butterflies with Riki," Joba said, crawling under her bedcovers in the hotel suite.

"They'll still be migrating when we return. Goodnight."

She kissed Joba's forehead and tugged on her hair.

"I'll give these back after I talk to your father. We have to keep all lines open."

Disa slipped the beads over her left wrist where they lined up with her own kimoyo. Turning off the lights, she cracked the door and moved into the living area to take a bottle of water from the mini fridge. Swiping her hair back she moved to the far side of the suite where her bedroom door was closed. She slipped in quietly. Adebiyi waited for her in the king-sized bed.

"Everything fine?" he asked.

He lifted up his nude body, ready to scramble out of her suite if needed. Disa snuck him into her room hidden from Joba and under the nose of the Kingsguard assigned to them. Adebiyi pretended to be checking on them under the instructions of the king. He just never left the room hours later.

It took Disa twenty minutes to fully relax into making love to him with Joba across the way. She wanted her daughter asleep. The thought of going to his junior suite crossed her mind, but she didn't want Joba to wake up in the middle of the night with her mother gone.

Being with Adebiyi made her giddy, reverting back to a teenage innocence of being on a first date and worrying about everything being perfect. She was a grown woman with a child, and so was he…two adult ones. His affection toward her had grown into love and she matched his energy and desire. Having him above her with her heavy thighs spread wide felt like the return of heaven in her life. He took his time. There was no need for switching positions or trying to impress each other with lovemaking tricks. They simply wanted a bonding, a spiritual connection that proved that what they felt for one another was real.

His soft grunts rained down on her ears and she gasped when he held her breasts, squeezing their weight and stroking her down deep. She liked the sprinkles of gray in his pubic hairs and she appreciated the thickness and stamina of Jabari men. He made her cum quickly before he spilled into her. She bit into his shoulder to stifle loud moans. That's when she heard Joba's voice. Her daughter and Riki had a habit of whispering together, but then their voices would get loud from the excitement of communicating together.

N'Jadaka's voice had her jumping out the bed and throwing on a hotel robe to check on the family. Now she slipped it back off and climbed in next to her lover.

Wait.

She touched the pillow that had once been bare when she left to check on Joba. A four-stranded layer of silver and lavender waist beads sat waiting for her.

"What is this, Adebiyi?" she asked, palming the beads.

"I'm asking for you to allow me the honor of claiming you as my woman."

She clutched the beads to her chest and sat down hard.

"Will you take me as your man, Disa? Can I call you my own?"

"I…Adebiyi…"

He reached for the beads to take them away. She jerked her body away from his grasp.

"I want them! I want you!"

Disa jumped on top of him and the older man chuckled and ran a gentle hand over her hair. She snuggled into his neck.

"I will have to follow the proper procedures of the palace. Ask for your mother's blessing…and the king's—"

"I'm a grown woman. I can accept on my own behalf—"

"I said blessing, not permission."

"Well okay then."

"In the past, a widowed royal could marry within noble bloodlines. But you and King N'Jadaka were never married—"

"And he's still alive."

"Yes. This will be a delicate courtship."

"Your sister will love the idea of two powerful families uniting," Disa clucked, tickling the beard hairs under his chin.

"We must plan a time for our children to meet. They have been waiting years for me to find someone of my own. There will no longer be name-calling from them."

"What kind of names?"

"Old meanie on his porch. Grouchy mouth homebody. Solo Joy killer."

"Ouch."

He tilted her chin.

"If you do not think I am worthy at any time, you may end our union before it goes further, Disa."

"I want a full-on courtship, the way the Jabari do it."

"Dear Hanuman, that will be a long and arduous process. I was hoping to do it like the Wakandans."

"As long as we do this right, I really don't care."

Disa crawled on top of him, allowing the peaks of her breasts to brush against his lips while she rode his dick.

By mid-morning she was holding back tears staring at N'Jadaka's face, terrified of the unknown coming down from the sky. Her feelings for Adebiyi notwithstanding, N'Jadaka was always going to be her heart, too. He looked so brave and strong. Even Yani appeared powerful standing next to him. Something was different about her chosen little sister. A new confidence rested within her and it was visible to everyone.

When it was time to go walking in Central Park, her conversation with Yani stayed at the forefront of her mind. Her kimoyo beads notified her that a half cruiser had reached the Atlantic and would be arriving off the coast of the Hudson River in a few more hours. She sent word to her family, then gripped Adebiyi's strong hand and stepped into harsh sunlight and humid temperatures. Joba walked in front of them, exploring the hedges and scuttling sounds of wild rabbits and squirrels. While they were meandering around the park, Wakanda was in the midst of a battle that the rest of the civilian world was unaware of.

"Are you and Uncle Adebiyi dating?"

"What?"

Disa halted in front of a large black tupelo tree to enjoy some shade in the southern part of the park in billionaire's row. Joba looked up at her with questioning eyes. Adebiyi squeezed Disa's hand.

"Are you getting married like Umi Yani and Baba?"

Disa swallowed dry air with nervous energy. Releasing Adebiyi's hand, she threaded her fingers together.

"Yes, we are dating."

Joba pointed to the beads around Disa's waist.

"Adebiyi has asked me to start a courtship with him. At the end of that, we would like to consider marriage. What do you think of that?"

"You love each other?"

"I love your mother very much, little one," Adebiyi interjected.

Joba waved her hand at him to make him get on one knee so she could be at eye level with him. Adebiyi obliged, lowering himself the way N'Jadaka always did to speak earnestly with his children.

"Mommy loves my Baba…"

"I understand that," Adebiyi said.

Joba's eyes darted between the two adults, assessing the situation thoroughly in her own special way.

"Will Baba get angry?"

"No honey, Baba has no say in this really. We'll become a bigger family, that's all."

"Where will we live?"

Disa sensed the tense nature of Joba's voice. She hadn't spoken of moving or any fundamental changes yet with her daughter.

"For now, we'll stay in the palace until I speak with the rest of the family."

"And then?"

Joba poked at her cheek and her brows knitted together.

"We'll decide all together on what happens next," Adebiyi said. "I know you are close with your siblings and I want to know what you think about us dating. I have a lot to prove to your mother that I am good enough for her, Princess Joba. This will take some time…lots of planning and talking."

Joba inhaled deeply and nodded her head. Letting her know that they weren't rushing into anything calmed her. A small smile lifted her lips.

"Shall we continue walking, little one?" he asked.

Joba grinned and Adebiyi grunted when he lifted back to his feet. Her daughter helped him and he patted her head.

"I need to walk more. My knees need to be oiled… they are creaking so loud," he joked.

"I will help you," Joba said, grabbing his fingers and pulling him toward a small, rocky bridge that crossed over dirty brown water.

Joba walked between Disa and Adebiyi admiring the foliage that would turn color in a couple of months. New York seemed so dry and drab compared to Wakanda, and the urge to return tickled the back of her neck like a soft nudge.

Joba halted, refusing to take another step in the middle of the bridge. She touched her stomach.

"You okay?" Disa asked.

A scream ricocheted throughout the park and Disa immediately picked up Joba and held her close to her chest. The two Kingsguards that followed discreetly around them wearing dark suits and sunglasses stepped closer from behind. The Dora further ahead of them glanced around and released her sonic spear from its hidden sheath.

People west of them began to run in a stampede as more blood-curdling cries rang out in the air.

"What's happening?" Disa shouted to the Dora.

A white man running with his female companion fell on the ground and disintegrated in a cloud of grayish-black ash. His companion shrieked hysterically and flailed her arms before turning into a dark cloud of dust.

"We must return to the hotel!" the Dora shouted.

She ran forward three steps throwing out a vibranium shield to protect them and collapsed into fluttery ash. More people ran their way in a rush of terror. Adebiyi wrapped his arms around Disa and Joba to push them toward safety with the Kingsguard, but his face froze in horror. The color of his skin rippled and drained into sooty patches.

"Adebiyi!" Disa shrieked.

"My love," he gasped, pressing his forehead against hers.

Disa's chest compressed and the air in her lungs felt like liquid sand filling her up.

"No!" she hacked out with a raging cough.

Her eyes connected with Joba's whose solid flesh slipped out of Disa's flakey grasp.

"Mommy!" Joba shrieked.

Disa's skin fragmented away with the breeze and mixed with Adebiyi's and the Kingsguards behind her, floating up into the sunlight and through the tupelo and elm trees as their consciousness mingled. Despite the terror of loss, Adebiyi's love energy became a mixture with hers and then they were all gone…leaving Joba to fall from their arms on the hard stone bridge.

Alone.

N'Jadaka exhaled onto his arm as he rested his head on his desk.

The half cruiser they deployed to standby off the coast of the Hudson crashed into the sea with the disappearance of its entire crew. Luckily the aircraft was equipped with autopilot and a soldier from the Wakandan Air Force programmed it to stay put under the ocean halfway to its destination. He had to assume that Disa, Joba, and Adebiyi had vanished with their security team. His heart ached and he exhaled again into his arm.

Yani's parents had disappeared as did most of her extended family back in St. Thomas. In Wakanda, the Avengers lamented their losses among the Wakandan people. Throughout the streets in Birnin Zana, N'Jadaka listened to the wailing and ululations of grief. Four billion humans snapped out of existence. He had done everything in his power to save them, but he failed because of the Scarlet Witch. The bitch got dusted too before he could kill her with his bare hands. They wasted time giving Vision a window of a chance and it cost the world. His rage salted deep in his bones. He ordered the Avengers to leave Wakanda before he ripped Roger's head off for not destroying the mind stone the moment they knew what was coming to Earth.

"Kumkani, you must rest."

Okoye and W'Kabi watched him from the door of his office. He sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"I'm good," he said, checking his kimoyo beads. Yani, Sydette, and Riki were in their home safe.

He couldn't push away thoughts of Disa and Joba. Rage coursed through him again. Okoye brought him hot tea and herbal pills to sleep. He took the tea and pushed away the pills.

"We can handle the status reports and updates without you. Kumkani…please. You fought in a battle and have been up for over twenty-four hours. The golden jaguar you may be, but you are still human," W'Kabi said.

"What about you two? You're in the same boat as me."

"We are trained for this," Okoye said.

"So am I."

"Go be with your family. Elder Zinzi will make a statement to the public within the hour. We will contact you after you have slept for at least ten hours, nothing less," Okoye insisted.

N'Jadaka drank his tea and carried the small cup with him out of the office. In the grand halls, the hem of his oyster gray jalabiya dragged on the floor. Ahead of him, a palace attendant wept while waiting to receive him at the private elevator to his home.

"Hey now," he said.

Holding his arms out, he hugged the young woman who stood stiffly in his royal touch.

"Forgive me kumkani," she said.

She pulled away from him and took his empty tea cup.

"I told the evacuation wardens to release everyone except for essential workers still here for the night shift," he said.

"I know, but I wanted to be here when you finally came home. To give you comfort for your loss of Lady Abdullah and Princess Joba."

"Don't you have a family to tend to at home?"

"My parents are fine. Some of my family have vanished but it is easier for me to be here, serving your family."

"Go home. We will be in a state of national mourning and we are still figuring things out. Be with your own, okay?"

"Thank you, kumkani. And thank you for protecting us."

"Go on now."

She scurried away and he turned to his Doras and Onyx squad.

"You all do the same. Split your shifts and go check on your loved ones," he said.

None of his protective duty left him.

"Stubborn like me, I see."

Ayo approached from the rear, her spear held tight.

"You fought bravely before the decimation took people away King N'Jadaka. Many of us fought beside you or watched the battle from behind the defensive line in the capital. We will stay on duty to watch over our protector."

"I will relieve Aneka so you can see her," he said.

"No need, kumkani."

Aneka's voice chimed in from behind him on the elevator. She stood tall with Noxolo. N'Jadaka reached for her, giving her a hug.

"Thank you for watching over my family," he whispered in Aneka's ear.

Noxolo didn't even give him a chance to release Aneka before she hugged him tight with one arm, her other hand never letting go of her spear.

"Listen everyone. We have been through the wringer and this isn't over yet. Stay strong and please take time for yourself if you need to," he said.

All heads bowed as he entered the elevator with Aneka and Noxolo. He noticed Ayo blowing Aneka a kiss, her eyes shiny with unshed tears.

The ride up was quiet and entering his home was like walking into the silence of an ancient tomb. Elana and Zora rose from the couch cradling their hands and watching his face.

"Yani?" he asked.

"She is asleep in your bed, kumkani," Elana said. "I gave her a sedative with tea two hours ago."

"The children?"

"With her," Zora said.

"Noxolo and Aneka, go rest in your quarters—all of you. Please rest. I'll call you if needed."

Aneka and Noxolo tapped their spears and departed to a lower floor below his living room that was kept for in-house staff.

"We saw you," Zora said.

She pointed to the screen on the wall that played an emergency Wakandan broadcast. He caught a glimpse of the Royal Talon Fighter swooping past a giant death wheel ripping the land to shreds. He shot at it in a vulnerable spot and it exploded, ripping into several of the monstrous outriders. Someone on the front line leaked the images for the Wakandans to see. He flew low to the ground and his cousin T'Challa leaped onto the aircraft for a lift to kick some more ass on the battlefield.

N'Jadaka groaned when he watched his cousin slam his fists together directing his built-up kinetic energy to destroy a giant alien. Elana ran to him and gripped his hand. Zora rubbed his back to comfort him, their tears springing forth making him feel worse.

"Go to her," Elana said, pushing him toward the stairs.

He climbed his way up two long flights and wandered down a long hall to reach his bedroom. Yani had the children nestled under each arm, their heads on her chest fast asleep. Or so he thought.

Riki sat up, bleary-eyed, but awake. He rubbed his eyes and crawled over N'Jadaka, climbing onto his lap.

"Hey, Lil Man."

Riki clutched him tight, pressing his face into N'Jadaka's chest like his mother did when she was scared or needed comfort from him.

"Are the monsters gone?" Riki breathed into the center of his chest.

"They're gone."

"Will they come back?"

"I don't think so."

"Why did they have to kill people? I saw them come apart, Baba…like smoke."

He held up his small wrist. His kimoyo beads were there again.

"I can't get Joba to answer me, Baba."

"She's gone, Riki—"

"No! I feel her…right here."

Riki touched his chest.

"We've tried calling Umi Disa, Joba…their security people. They're gone, Dumpling."

"No!"

A deep cry erupted from the boy's chest.

"We have to go there and find her!"

Riki jumped down from his lap and pulled N'Jadaka's arm to leave the bedroom. Yani stirred on the bed and Sydette woke up.

"What's going on?" Sydette asked.

"Go back to sleep Sweet Pea," he soothed.

His oldest wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her face on the back of his neck.

"I can't," she said, the warmth of her breath a comfort for his internal anguish.

Riki tapped his beads and called out Joba's name in a high-pitched tone.

"Please…answer me," Riki murmured.

"She didn't have her beads anyway. That's what her grandmother said," Sydette said.

"You spoke to Grandma Theresa?" he asked.

"Mama did. She said Umi Disa took away her beads so she wouldn't sneak-talk to Riki while you were away fighting."

N'Jadaka stood up. He stared at both of his children and pulled away the collars of their pajama tops. Touching their necks he moved away from them fast, dashing down the hall and to the stairs. He took them two at a time and ran toward Yani's bedroom. Flinging open one of Yani's jewelry boxes, he searched for three necklaces. One drawer after the other he looked until he shouted for Yani on the intercom system.

"Yani, where are Riki and Sydette's unvikeli necklaces? The ones T'Challa gave them?"

Yani mumbled, the sedatives still clinging to her consciousness. He ran back up the stairs and gently shook her.

"Baby…wake up…please…I need your help. There's a chance Joba is still alive and here with us somewhere in New York."

Yani sat up groggy with a scrunched-up face trying to figure out what was happening.

"Joba?" Yani said.

"Yes. Where are the unvikeli necklaces?"

He helped Yani step off the bed and she shook her head, following him back down to her bedroom. She walked into a separate dressing room where a long glass jewelry case housed enough necklaces, earrings, and finger trinkets for each day of the year. Many were family heirlooms given to her from Baba Z and Umama's bloodlines. Sliding open a bottom case, she pulled out a corral pink satin jewelry box. N'Jadaka took it from her and opened it. Three necklaces rested there. An adult one that once belonged to T'Challa, and two smaller ones that went to Riki and Sydette.

"Thank you, Bast," he said.

The king lifted the one precious adult necklace that glowed. There was no communication access on it, but the tracking device would locate his youngest child. Only her fingerprint could access the security touch needed to activate the adult necklace. If Joba had disappeared, no life could call out for help without her personal signal. Tears burst from his eyes and he cradled the necklace against his forehead.

Breathe. Release the tension in the shoulder muscles. Breathe deeper. He kissed Yani on her lips, thanking her for saving the necklaces.

"I have to go find her," he said leaving the dressing room.

He rang the alarm with the staff he had left and called Okoye on his kimoyo.

"Bring the Royal Talon fighter to the king's port right away. I'm going to New York. Joba is alive. I have the unvikeli necklace T'Challa owned and it's lit up with her signature. I'm sending you the coordinates now!"

"We're going with you," Yani said.

"You and the kids stay here, I will bring her home."

Riki grabbed his hand with a tear-stricken face.

"I want to go too," Riki said.

Sydette stared at him with pleading eyes too.

"Okay, go get dressed and meet me at the king's port in ten minutes," he said.

N'Jadaka leaned his left temple against the glass partition of the king's port waiting for Yani and the children to join him. Okoye stepped down from the ramp of the Talon Fighter with Ayo. Behind them were four members of the Onyx Squad assigned to his family.

"We can retrieve her for you," Okoye offered.

He shook his head.

"I want her to see me. I have to be the one to get her. I know what it's like to lose a mother and only I can comfort her properly after something so traumatic."

"Then you must sleep while we travel. You look like you will collapse on your feet. Forgive my bluntness," Okoye said.

Yani and the children hurried to his side with Elana and Zora in tow. The two Ladies in Waiting wept, their keening moans piercing his soul. He escorted his family on board, insisting that they ride in the back. The sleeper couch extended into a flat comfortable bed and Yani helped Sydette and Riki onto it. Ayo brought them soft Border Tribe blankets and they all hunkered down in a pile.

The Royal Talon Fighter lifted and rotated with an array of stinger escorts. From the side viewscreen, he and Yani regarded the destruction down below as Wakandan military crews led a coordinated effort to burn up dead alien bodies and cart off the last remains of their own soldiers. Two of the giant earth destroyer wheels smoldered while embedded in a rocky hill looking like giant monuments. N'Jadaka commanded that the wheels would stay as a testament to the war they had fought valiantly for and lost.

"Oh, God," Yani murmured.

The land below smoldered and bore scars of a great battle. The wide swath of ruin brought tears to her eyes. He comforted her in his arms. She clung to him and buried her face in his neck. Her gentle fingers rubbed his bicep, occasionally squeezing it as if to make sure he was still with her.

"What happens next?" she whispered, the horror below stuck in her throat.

He glanced at his side where Riki and Sydette were bundled.

"Sleep, Yani. Right now I can only think about Joba and getting her back with us."

She patted his chest and he rubbed her back. Closing his eyes, he tried to rest so he could have the energy for rescuing his baby girl.

Ayo woke him up with a light shaking of his arm.

"Kumkani, we have arrived above Central Park. Okoye has tracked the location of the unvikeli necklace on the southern perimeter."

N'Jadaka sat up, disturbing Yani's sleep.

"We're here," he said.

They left Sydette and Riki sound asleep under the watchful eye of Ayo. At the bottom of the ramp, Yani touched his wrist.

"Would you prefer me to stay here and wait? I don't want to overwhelm her," Yani said.

N'Jadaka threaded his fingers with hers.

"I need you with me."

"Okay."

Okoye and the Onyx Squad guards spread out and sealed them all inside a protective spectral camouflage shield. The setting sun shrouded the park in the growing shadows of creeping darkness. Okoye kept her gaze on the tracker image on her wrist.

"Over by that bridge, kumkani," Okoye said.

The Onyx Squad fanned out toward the bridge and N'Jadaka picked up his pace with Yani.

"Joba!" N'Jadaka called out.

They ran onto the bridge, eyes darting about.

"Joba!"

All of their voices sprinkled the hollow air. Disheartened, N'Jadaka ran to the north end of the bridge.

"Joba…daddy is here. Where are you?"

Fear laced his voice.

"Please…please…," he mumbled, biting back the terror welling up in his chest.

He ran down the side of the bridge where the Onyx squad checked the water with scanners.

"The signal is here, kumkani," Okoye said, her voice ready to crack from disappointment.

A pile of leaves under the arch of the stone bridge moved. He jumped back thinking a wild animal was about to pounce on him, but he noticed small brown hands pushing the fallen foliage away. He reached for the hands and pulled Joba free from the covering.

"Joba."

He cradled his daughter's trembling body which felt cool to the touch.

"Mommy and Uncle Adebiyi disappeared, Baba," she said.

Her voice was weak from dehydration and her head lolled forward. Okoye brought her water and helped her take small sips. He lifted his child and carried her out from under the bridge. Yani ran to them and caressed Joba's forehead.

"Get her back to the Talon Fighter," Yani said.

He raced back to the ship, holding Joba close to his heart. Once on board, he handed the girl to Yani who placed her on the makeshift examining table she turned his war table into. She had brought along a medical bag and injected Joba with fluids to hydrate her faster. After cleaning her up and changing her into some fresh pajamas, N'Jadaka picked her up and cradled her on the converted couch next to the still-sleeping Riki and Sydette. Yani moved to lay next to him and stroked Joba's hair.

"I got you Sunshine," he said.

His youngest fell asleep in a matter of minutes, her small form warmed up by his body heat. He touched the necklace T'Challa gave her when he was her protector, none of them knowing how true that sentiment had become. Without the necklace, he may have lost Joba forever in the panic of the new world order because of Thanos. Or a nefarious American government agency could've taken her and used Joba to get to him. His baby girl was smart enough to hide and trust that her own people would find her. But she sure did take a chance staying out in the elements all alone without seeking an adult authority figure's help. They were very lucky.

Yani helped him move Joba over next to Riki and covered them both with another blanket before curling into N'Jadaka's side again.

"We're heading across the Atlantic Ocean, kumkani. Ayo and some of the Onyx Squad can go aboard the half-cruiser hidden five miles away if you wish to bring it home," Okoye said.

No one from Disa's immediate side of the family had contacted him about anything. If there were any members of that family left, he wanted them to have the option of coming to Wakanda.

"Leave it for now. Have a reconnaissance team in the lower Atlantic take care of it for now."

"As you wish," Okoye said.

N'Jadaka closed his eyes and clutched Yani's body tight against his. He'd have to face dark days in the morning, but at least he had all of his children. He cried softly for Disa and was thankful that Adebiyi was with her in the end.

Wakanda passed through a sorrowful month assessing the total missing and then another month of mourning and rebuilding their lives. They resolutely transitioned through the decimation and adjusted to the loss of life in order to stay focused on the future. Memorials and public commemorations were the daily norm and N'Jadaka spent his time comforting Joba.

His youngest daughter and baby boy said strange things.

While most Wakandans cried and lamented the loss of life, Riki and Joba declared to him that the missing billions weren't truly gone. He sought therapy for their entire family as most Wakandans adjusted to the trauma, but Joba and Riki insisted that they could feel the presence of the disappeared citizens.

Shuri understood it to mean that there was hope for their lost loved ones, but they kept the chatter of the children to themselves. False hope was a detriment to the mind, and N'Jadaka couldn't afford to tease a mentally stretched population of mourners. However, it appeared to give some solace to Joba, even though she cried on and off sporadically for weeks, missing her mommy's physical presence and going through spells of silence that worried him and Yani. To her credit, Yani smothered the girl with love and helped her transition into a new life without Disa. It wasn't easy. Yani wept privately when she thought he didn't know. She missed Disa, her parents, and all the people she loved in Wakanda who had winked out of existence. Yani barely slept and he made Elana and Zora give her sedatives to force rest upon her. He stayed strong in front of them all, especially the nation, his stoic mannerism hiding the sadness in his soul.

World leaders called on him for details of the Infinity War, but he left the Avengers to that. Fury never returned calls and N'Jadaka stewed in the knowledge that his insider track into U.S. intelligence was gone.

The final day of public mourning arrived and he dressed to address the nation outside the ancient gathering temple where he brought his late parents. Yani dressed herself and the children in the same colors of his pale blue royal robes to usher in the continuation of life. There were rumors of war in the outside world as other countries quietly pressured America to force Wakanda into sharing vibranium simply because they all experienced the madness of Thanos. Even in the midst of entering a third month away from the events of the global disaster, America and her lackeys commenced with their daily fuckery. He refused to be shamed into sharing any resources or technology with people not aligned with his agenda. If Wakanda had to fight another battle, there was no fear of them failing this time. No nation was a match for them. If a bit of otherworldly sorcery hadn't happened two months ago, they would've no doubt conquered Thanos.

World War Three with outsiders was the least of his concerns. Healing his family and Wakanda were the only items on his actionable tasks going forward.

They arrived at the formal ending of public mourning to much fanfare from the people. His children walked in front of him and Yani showcasing the Wakandan way of centering their children as the future. Yani kept her head covered the way Disa used to in public appearances paying homage to the woman whose child was now in her care for life. Yani fretted often about raising Joba up in the way that Disa would've wanted, and he had to reassure her that they were going to be fine. Even his grandmother and Ramonda put on confident faces to help their family make it through the pain. He worried about Umama the most but his grandfather Dante kept her spirits up. They had to move the country forward as a solid unit.

"There are still a lot of people, Baba," Joba said.

She clasped his hand and looked up to him, her head covering making her face look even smaller.

"I know. They look to me to make sure we are alright."

"We are," she said.

She patted his hand and leaned her head into his hip.

"The other people are still here… we just can't see them."

N'Jadaka stared at her.

"What do you mean? What people?"

"The ones that disappeared."

Joba held her hand out like she was feeling something invisible.

"Kumkani, step this way please," Elder Zinzi said.

N'Jadaka placed Joba's hand inside Yani's and walked to a floating podium that adjusted to his height. Thousands of faces gazed at him, hopeful and expectant. He wasted no time getting to the heart of the matter and did his best to provide comfort and future agency for the people. His eyes latched onto Mpilo's. The young man beamed from his seat, eating up every syllable N'Jadaka uttered. He glanced at Yani and his children, then observed the audience before him. This was not a time to appear uncertain or weak. Drastic changes in societies often precipitated hostile takeovers by those who needed a significant catastrophe to wedge them into power. He was ruling during a dangerous time and all of his Special Ops senses told him to be wary of the political challenges to come. He moved his hands from the podium and stepped in front of it, going off script. A king had to appear in control and he wasn't going to give off a whiff of uncertainty to his enemies watching. He felt his mama's energy building up within and he spoke the way she would have to the people. Bold. Fearless. Encouraging.

"Who are we to fear the unknown ever again? We stood our ground and Wakanda still stands. This battle looks bleak but the war for our sovereignty is not over! The days ahead may still look dark for some, but I promise you, Wakanda will always stand. We are the light of the world and I will never let it dim. Never!"

Mpilo leaped to his feet with more than half the people joining him in a rousing display of support. Others still seated clapped, and he knew he had to prove his convictions to them in the months ahead. Joba jumped up and down with her hands clapping above her head. A warmth filled his heart. If his baby girl believed in him, then who could indeed doubt him?

"All hail King N'Jadka, the Golden Jaguar!" Mpilo shouted.

A chant started up and overwhelmed the exterior of the temple with amplified voices. The sound washed over him and he closed his eyes for a second just to feel the sensation. He had fulfilled his life goal. The moment he uttered the words at eleven years old, his life trajectory was a rocket-fueled ride to a speech in front of his father's homeland. His homeland. His people.

A final chapter of his past life closed. A new one was being written right where he stood.

"Wakanda Forever!" he shouted.

The nation affirmed his place by shouting back to him, "Wakanda Forever!"

W'Kabi rushed forward and pulled N'Jadaka aside as the Council of Elders concluded the event with a prayer. They stepped behind a wall of security.

"This was left on our shores. A witness stated that someone looking like a Talokanil female came on land to deliver it."

W'Kabi thrust out a giant conch shell with a pale salmon coloring so distinct that it didn't come from their African waters. He tapped his kimoyo bead and an image of a young water woman with a feathered headdress appeared dropping the conch shell on the sand. She spoke in Talokan and the person recording the image kept stating they didn't understand her. W'Kabi replayed the image again with a translation.

"K' uk' ulkan wants your king to speak with him. Blow on this shell after your mourning period finishes and he will come to your ruler," she said.

"Who made this vid recording?" N'Jadaka asked.

"A fisherman hauling in shrimp. What will you do?"

"He can wait. They don't know when our mourning period is over so I'll act as if it is ongoing until I see what else is happening beyond our borders. It's only one woman so I will not take this as a threat or anything urgent."

"We have stayed out of their territories and have not pried into their lives. What can they want from us?"

"Perhaps intel on the surface world from our perspective since the war. I will see to him later. Keep our navy informed of the intrusion on our land. If they can slip through our coast easily, then we have to tighten up."

W'Kabi left his side and N'Jadaka held the conch shell. Namor could be a potential ally or an enemy. He wasn't in the mood to speak to the flying god. Not anytime soon. He gestured for Mpilo to come forward.

"Mpilo, take this to my office. Do not blow into it and let no one else touch it on the way there. Understand?"

"Yes, King N'Jadaka."

Mpilo covered the shell with his overshirt and left the temple.

N'Jadaka's family joined him and they walked toward the transportation that would take them to an outdoor celebration of music and poetry. His mind wandered amidst the chatter of his loved ones. Riki and Joba whispered together in the seats behind him and Sydette focused her attention on his face while sitting between him and Yani.

"Baba, will we ever be happy again?" Sydette asked.

"Yes, Sweet Pea. We are all getting better. Today we're celebrating happiness again. For all of us still here, we will live a good life."

Sydette nodded and picked at her dress. Her eyes looked wary.

"I wish we could go to St. Thomas. I miss it there," she said.

"When I get things settled here, we'll go for a couple of weeks."

Sydette grabbed his hand in excitement. Twyla and Bibi had gone there a month ago on Yani's behalf to help with any family who needed assistance. They were all grateful that Aunt Leona had been spared. He glanced behind his seat to check on the quiet. Riki and Joba had both nodded off, their heads touching in their slumber.

Attendants greeted them stepping out of the royal SUV. Yani carried Riki and he lifted Joba in his arms. She woke up and wrapped her arms around his neck. They were all guided to a private platform to observe the musicians and other artists scheduled to perform. The younger children stayed on his and Yani's laps while Sydette watched from her own seat.

Dancers, singers, poets, and aerial ballet performers entertained the enormous crowd in stadium seating. He rested his chin on Joba's hair when she fell asleep again. Riki was knocked out also and snoozed on Yani. All of the lengthy ceremonial rites exhausted the children. Sydette's ability to stay awake surprised him.

Talented Wakandan artists lifted the hearts, minds, and spirits of the people. Yani leaned over and kissed his lips. Her beautiful eyes gave him peace. He thought of making love to her once they returned to the palace. It had been too long since they'd been intimate. The stress of the last two months doused his arousal and hers. Their lives centered on keeping the children mentally well and working through their collective grief despite her job and other royal responsibilities. The reduction in hospital staff at the birthing centers created a medical crisis and Yani filled in where she was needed. Birthing babies didn't stop in the middle of a national emergency. Yani worked long hours and maintained her composure even when he knew she was worn thin like him. She made the curious observation to the national census bureau that not one pregnant woman registered to give birth had vanished throughout Wakanda or the Jabari mountains. He wondered if it was the same in other countries.

The music helped remove the gray in his mood, and looking at his fiancé brought back the desire for her touch and some alone time. He reached over and fondled the soft curls she cultivated letting her hair grow out. He kissed her again and she took the hint that he needed a more intimate connection later.

The palace had been cleaned from top to bottom with the Bashenga mountain priests blessing the halls and walls with divine incense and burned bundles of lavender and chamomile leaves mixed with the precious dried petals of the udomo flower that was only used for ceremonies releasing the dead. Nakia wore them in her hair during the family dinner as Toussaint suckled from her breast. The Council of Elders had been invited with their families to dine in the hall named for the great queen herself, Shuriya, and it filled with genuine laughter and grasping at closure from the decimation.

But not Nakia.

Despite her winsome smiles and small chuckles at jokes about the baby, a wound festered unhealed in her heart.

"I have something to say," she announced abruptly in the middle of dessert and coffee.

N'Jadaka glanced at Yani as if she knew something was up, but Yani only flicked her eyes over toward Elana and Zora who only shrugged at the outburst. The richly brocaded table seated forty people in their inner circle.

"Speak," N'Jadaka said.

Nakia looked at him and then at Ramonda.

"T'Challa and I were married. Before Toussaint was born. We wanted a small ceremony just for ourselves once we knew the baby was coming. Our nuptials were in America, right before we told the family about the pregnancy."

"Eh eh," Ramonda clucked, tilting her head back with a delighted smile on her face.

"Forgive us Queen Mother Ramonda, Umama…we didn't want any big ceremonies. T'Challa doesn't…didn't like them. We planned on having a small party instead when Toussaint reached six months."

"You are officially family…even though you have always been my daughter in my head since you were a little girl," Ramonda said.

Umama chuckled and nodded her head.

"I wanted you all to know that. I would also like to say that this trying time has made it difficult for me to be in Wakanda. Everywhere I go, I see him…I hear his voice…I feel his presence all over the palace. It hurts. Lately, I have been able to laugh again because of my son, but I cannot live here anymore. I want to go to Haiti again. Raise Toussaint away from the palace and the pressure of being an Udaku. I want a regular life for us where I can rebuild my heart and move forward as a mother."

"Nakia, no…" Ramonda said.

"Daughter Nakia, I understand how you feel. Losing my life partner, my best friend…my beloved husband has bruised me on top of all the other losses I've endured in this family. If you need to leave in order to heal yourself, you have my blessing. I will miss you both," Umama said.

"I will be selfish and say I do not want you to leave us," Ramonda said. "You need family around you to get better. Please give yourself time to think this through."

"I will stay until after King N'Jadaka marries Princess Yani. This will give me time to prepare for our new home."

"What will you do there?" Yani asked.

"Run a school…teach… raise Toussaint up to be a good person that Wakanda can be proud of."

"Will you stay there forever?" Sydette asked.

"I don't know."

"That's not fair!" Riki interjected.

He slammed his fists on the table.

"I promised Uncle T'Challa that I would be Toussaint's big brother. How can I do that when you go?" Riki blurted in a rage.

"Riki…" N'Jadaka said, leaning over and covering the boy's left fist.

Sydette chimed in.

"But it's true, Baba. Uncle T'Challa told us we were very important to Toussaint. He expected us to help teach him how to be a prince and love him as if he were our little brother. If Auntie Nakia leaves, we can't keep our promise," Sydette said.

Joba kept silent and watched her brother's face.

"None of this will happen for a while, so there's no need to get upset now…here, raise your glasses everyone…let's congratulate our new Princess Nakia of the Udaku clan and the Panther tribe," Yani gushed.

N'Jadaka raised his glass next to Yani's. All the adults at the table did the same. Riki jumped down from his seat and ran away from the table. The patter of his feet struck the marble floor becoming a resounding slap to the joy Yani tried to muster. Joba slid from her seat and dashed after him, calling Riki's name with aching clarity.

Shuri ran after Riki and Joba and consoled them both outside of the dining hall.

Umama glanced at N'Jadaka and he waved a hand down to keep her from leaving her seat.

"It's okay, Umama," he said.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset everyone. I just wanted to share how I feel and tell you that T'Challa couldn't wait to get married. He wanted me to be his wife for so long and I guess he was afraid I would change my mind again."

Umama chuckled and stood up from her seat. She walked over to Nakia and hugged her. Ramonda joined in the hugfest. Sydette lowered her head and picked at her dessert fork.

"May I be excused to check on Riki and Joba?" Sydette asked.

Yani nodded and Sydette slid down from her seat and walked away.

"I should go check on them too," Yani said, folding away her linen napkin.

N'Jadaka lifted a hand out toward their guests.

"There will be more coffee and cake in the Tea Room. Enjoy the rest of your evening everyone. We will take our leave," he said.

Everyone else stood up as N'Jadaka clasped the fingers of Yani's right hand and escorted her out of the dining hall with her Ladies in Waiting following behind. Riki stood outside kicking a pillar and fussing with Shuri about the unfairness of everything. Joba and Sydette stood near him with fretful expressions.

"Lil Man," N'Jadaka said.

Riki stopped kicking the pillar and kept his bottom lip poked out, his eyes downcast.

"Let's go home," Yani said, holding out her free hand.

Riki reluctantly dragged his feet over and took her hand.

"Stand like a prince," N'Jadka commanded.

Riki raised his head and straightened his back. That bottom lip stayed put. The urge to tell him to fix his face the way his mother used to tell N'Jadaka as a child percolated in the king's mouth, but he allowed the boy to feel his disappointment. Sydette and Joba fell in line beside him and they strolled to an awaiting elevator.

"Do you think I should've stayed with Nakia?" Yani asked Elana and Zora back inside their home.

Elana lit up a cigar for him and Zora poured Yani a glass of wine and they all sat together in plush chairs watching the moon rise above the river lagoon surrounding the palace. Zora puffed on a thin cigarillo filled with the sickly sweet pungent odor of a Wakandan mind-altering plant. She passed it to N'Jadaka and he puffed before passing it to Yani. The effects were immediate, relaxing them all in a dull buzz of serenity. He appreciated the company of Yani's Ladies in their guest parlor. They had all grown closer in the trying times and their deference to Yani was duly noted by the nobles who envied their positions and the leeway N'Jadaka gave them around him. The rumor mill had also started up during the mourning period that he had taken them on as low-tier consorts for himself. Traditionalists took it as a sign that he had gone old school and watched his every move with wry smiles and others who knew it wasn't true vied for Elana and Zora's attention with their accomplished sons eligible for marriage. Their stock had gone up and being baddies already gave them a wide variety of high-quality men to choose from. They ate it up and shared all the juicy details with Yani and him. The insular social media of the elites adored the glimpses of photos taken of the four of them visiting parts of Wakanda to boost the morale of the nation. He had to acknowledge that they all looked amazing stepping out into the public together, and he was grateful that they carried the emotional burden of the difficult times Yani experienced mothering Joba and feeling the guilt of stepping into Disa's missing shoes. The sisterhood encouraged Yani to release that guilt. Zora constantly reminded her that Disa would've stepped up without worry if the roles were reversed because the children had been raised to see both women as their co-mothers.

"Lady Nakia is in a delicate place right now. She looks at you and King N'Jadaka and wishes her family unit was still intact. That will crush any woman with a newborn child. It is better to leave her to Queen Mother for now and seek her out after a day or two. This long celebration day was too much for her. I believe she will go away in a year and come right back once she sees that life goes on and she will miss all of you," Elana said.

N'Jadaka patted his lap and widened his thighs. Yani left her seat and sat on his lap. He rubbed on her backside and nuzzled his face in her bosom.

"It is wise for her to leave here after all that has happened? And why Haiti? She could go live in the mountains with the Jabari if the palace brings on too many memories. Her parents would love to have her back in the River Tribe territory," Zora said.

"Many people have a hard road to walk still. That evil alien stole lives and every one of us here has been touched by that. None of us can hold up a family lineage blanket and not see the holes in it from all the ones missing," Elana said.

The cathartic smoke lingered in the air like thick perfume, relaxing their minds in a glorious haze of pink smoke the color of the burning plant. A house attendant brought them small puff pastries filled with chocolate and covered in powdered sugar. He fed one to Yani and she licked warm melted chocolate from his index finger.

Yani cradled his face and licked powdered sugar from his lips. Zora turned on music from their sound system and Elana kicked up her heels, puffing on a fresh cigarillo, and linking her pinky finger with Zora's as they danced around the room, swirling their long skirts.

"Tired?" he asked Yani.

She cuddled up closer to him and sighed into his neck.

"Happy to have you like this…away from everyone."

"Everyone?" he said, glancing at her Ladies.

Yani waved a dismissive hand at Elana and Zora.

"They are so far gone. Look at them. They've smoked more, drank more…the entire nation seems to breathe again…like a new door has opened and we can all see some light finally. You've worked non-stop since the decimation. We should drink all night and get higher than that moon," she said.

She slurred her words and her glassy eyes held love within them. Her lips trembled.

"Baby?" he whispered.

Tears swelled and fell from her eyelids.

"I want to feel like them," Yani shuddered.

N'Jadaka wiped away her tears, kissed her nose, and pulled her onto her feet. He rocked against her in time to the soothing music. A Wakandan woman with a passionate alto voice sang of having fun and loving life. The beats had them stomping their feet and clapping their hands above their heads until Yani found her smile again. After an hour, he turned the music off and summoned attendants to clear away their snacks, empty wine glasses, bottles, and ash trays filled with refuse.

Zora and Elana lowered their heads to them.

"We bid you both a goodnight…finally," Zora teased, eyeing his hand squeezing Yani's backside.

N'Jadaka pretended to shove Zora away. The two women left them for their own quarters on the lower floor. Yani passed him the last cigarillo as he mashed his cigar in an empty ashtray on the end table. Sitting cozy together once more, they smoked down the cigarillo and continued watching the evening sky together, the intimacy he craved satisfied with Yani's heartbeat thumping in time with his.

"Does it feel the same?" Yani asked.

N'Jadaka took a deep breath as his eyes adjusted to the brightness of the sunlight striking the water of the cove.

"Nothing has changed," he said.

The place where it all began for the two of them looked the same and his soul rejoiced at the peace that came over him. He shucked off his swim trunks and followed his naked woman into the sea.

Their children were preoccupied eating conch fritters, grilled hot dogs, and chicken roti with Aunt Leona back up at the front house, so he and Yani had that part of Our Lady's Manor in St. Thomas to themselves. Yani splashed water on him and he grabbed her by the waist, lifting and throwing her into a gentle wave. She laughed and beckoned him to swim closer, his Black mermaid back in her realm. Her breasts bounced as she shook them to tease his eyes.

They had been on the island for less than an hour before the kids were stuffing their faces with food and he was palming titties in the pristine liquid paradise. He scanned the waters to his left where the craggy rock formation led to the place he lost Yani and his children that first time. N'Jadaka had been so frightened for them and thinking about himself as a mercenary brought a chill down his royal spine.

The past was no longer prologue, and the seeds he dropped on the island had brought forth fruits to his new future. Next spring he would marry Yani and maybe a few years down the road she would let him put more babies inside the soft belly he splayed his fingers on. Lifting strong hands north along her body he gripped her breasts and played with them. She pressed her backside into his groin and his thick dick plumped up between the cleft of her ass.

Deft fingers trailed down the supple skin of her torso until they found her jeweled clit. Yani whimpered as her slippery folds were played with by an expert. They tilted their necks so that he could kiss her while he rubbed slow circular motions on the tender parts of her body. To hold and caress his future queen ignited a flame in his heart. He made a sacred vow to himself to love and honor Yani for all of their lives in that world and the next.

Their lips smacked with wet friction and he stopped tonguing her down in order to watch his fingers grow slick from her wetness. He held her breasts again, enjoying the weight in his hands. That's how it all began so long ago between them. Him asking to touch her nipples as milk ran down her breasts. He groaned thinking of touching her that first time. She had been ripe and ready for his plucking and he took Yani for himself understanding implicitly that he would never know a love like that again. Ever. All of the gods converged on that day knowing the wheels were set in motion to unite them for life.

His dick grew long and strong enough to part her folds without help from her, and he packed his dick inside her walls and pumped her pussy with harsh grunts. That first time he could only masturbate and watch her play with her pussy. Not anymore. He took what he wanted.

Another wave brushed against their legs, but not enough to push them off their footing. Yani widened her stance and he thrust harder, gripping her elbows to keep their balance in the sifting sand under their feet. The warm water made him feel like he was inside another pussy while fucking and listening to her cheeks clap.

"Fuck that dick," he gasped

Yani moaned and dropped her head forward. Her pussy was a sweet throbbing on his fat dick. Ain't no way Bast didn't form Yani's pussy to fit around his girth like that.

"Oh my God, this the best pussy….baby…fuck this dick…oh you're fucking it so good Yani…'

A nigga wasn't afraid to cry like a bitch with pussy that sugary on a big dick that knew how to work all the angles. N'Jadaka shed thug tears while talking that talk to get her to squeeze her pussy muscles the way he liked. How many dudes fought over her to have access to the pot of gold he dipped his meat in? Only N'Jadaka was the big stepper to claim his rightful ownership of the walls gripping him. A surge of boastful pride flooded over him even as tears flicked away in large droplets into the sea. This woman loved him and showed out on the dick. His toes curled over lumps of sand. How could pussy be that fucking exquisite? He couldn't even breathe anymore as the life was sucked out of him because of the gushy walls snug around his length.

Water and tears fell on Yani's ass. He gripped her hips and wrote love poems in her depths, the tip of his dick a master at transcribing scripture on tight wet walls. He grabbed her arms and pulled them back further, pumping faster, his eyes on the waves coming in. His first nut coated her walls fast and hot before he pulled her out of the ocean and forced her to bounce on his dick in reverse cowgirl on a beach blanket warmed by the honey-yellow sand. Yani rode her king, looking over her shoulder at him with a slick smile on her glossy lips. The second time he came he screamed her name as loud as he pleased while bucking his hips. No one would hear them from the front house so far up on the hillside.

Yani slithered across his chest and switched directions so that he could taste her pussy after he fucked it well. She came in his mouth and he had her on her back before his cum flooding her pussy ran back out.

They learned to work out a system to handle his stamina, so the rest of their time on the sand was spent with his dick between her breasts hard fucking her tits and cumming all over her chest. He let her swim and rinse off and then afterward he fingered her clit. Watching her face during her loud release pleased him.

After a short nap, they dressed and returned to the main house. Yani snuck off to their master bedroom to rub their special cream on her folds and inside her pussy. They walked up a familiar path to the top of the compound and ate leftover lunch with the children and Leona sharing the events on the island and the remnants of old gossip about remaining family members. He observed Yani nourishing her body heavily for more pounding after the children were put down for naps. It was good to catch up with Aunt Leona. The world was different, but she was still the same, which was what the royal family needed. Joba took an extra shine to her and the older woman had her laughing and feeling loved into wholeness.

After they ate, the children scattered before Yani could catch them.

"Come with me for a minute. I want to show you something," he said.

Yani walked with him back down to the main house. They entered the coolness and sauntered into the room where Ulysses Klaue once tried to shoot him with his arm and where greedy mercenaries attempted to end his found family. Next to the collection of ancient drums, he picked up the conch shell left to him by Namor.

N'Jadaka sat Yani down and told her everything about the ocean dweller. She listened and asked no questions until he was finished.

"When will you call him?" she said.

"Maybe after we go back to Wakanda… I dunno. I really don't want to. As long as he stays down there and we mind our business up here…I'm not itchin' to get tangled up with that dude."

"Is he more dangerous than Thanos was?"

"Thanos had a distorted sense of purpose…sympathetic righteousness. At least that's what I got from the Avengers. Imagine the biggest liberal white vegan with a magical power screaming about saving the planet. He thinks he's saving people from future ills. That's Thanos. Namor…there's no compassion for surface dwellers. He had the most 'I don't give a fuck' energy I have ever witnessed. That man does not care. He only accepts Wakanda because we act the way his people do. As long as we continue to mind our business, I don't see us being a threat to him."

"Then let's do that," Yani said, holding his hand.

He put the conch shell back on the drum shelf and checked his kimoyo beads.

"Let's get the kids," he said.

Strolling hand-in-hand to the middle house, they ran into Twyla and Bibi.

"Go get your wild children and we'll catch up later. You two look worn out," Twyla said.

She held onto Yani as N'Jadaka shook Bibi's hand.

"How are you liking island life?" he asked Bibi.

Twyla's husband grinned and touched his forehead.

"So much to see, but Aunt Leona makes me eat so much. I think I will be twice my size when I go home."

"Are the kids with you?" Yani asked, looking behind them.

"No, they were in the middle house a few minutes ago. We gave them gifts before coming out here. We're going swimming. Want to join?" Twyla asked.

"We did that earlier," he said.

Twyla looked over Yani's shoulder.

"I can't believe you brought that hellion back here on vacation," Twyla said.

She pointed to Jerome who had lodged himself comfortably in an overgrown flamboyant tree. The burnt orange foliage made his mottled green and pink skin stand out on the hanging branch.

"We couldn't come back here without him," N'Jadaka said.

"Just leave his old bossy ass here. He can keep Auntie company. See you guys later," Twyla said.

"No, no," Leona said walking down the path to hand N'Jadaka freshly washed bathroom towels. "That boy loves living his rich life in the palace. He won't want to stay here anymore. Him spoiled."

She looked at Bibi.

"Bibi, are you allergic to shellfish? I'm making us a sweet and sticky shrimp tonight for dinner."

N'Jadaka stared at Leona as a sense of déjà vu washed over him.

"I can eat anything, Auntie, as long as it isn't too spicy," Bibi said, rubbing his belly.

Leona patted his arm and shuffled back up toward her domain to prepare a lavish spread for her family.

"Bye!" Twyla said pulling Bibi toward the main beach down below.

Waving the couple off, N'Jadaka threw an arm around Yani's shoulder and entered the middle house.

"Where y'all at?" he shouted into the house.

Toys were spread on the living room floor unattended. He placed the towels on the couch and looked around more.

"Shh…"

Yani stood in the doorway of the master bedroom and wiggled her index finger to get his attention. He joined her and peeked into the bedroom. All three of the children were fast asleep on the bed. He kicked off his sandals and moved around to the side of the bed they shared. Riki and Joba were curled into twin balls facing each other and Sydette was on her stomach.

A lump lodged in N'Jadaka's throat.

"This is where it all started, Yani," he said.

"Hmm?"

"Here…this bed. You put Sweet Pea to sleep and I found her. Look at my baby now. She'll be nine next year."

He reached down and touched the frazzled curls let free from the humidity on Sydette's head. From one child to three. He gazed at Riki and Joba. A gust of hot wind flowed through the open door and tickled the back of his neck. He touched it and closed his eyes thinking he could smell the aroma of Disa's perfume riding on the wind too, reminding him that her love would surround their daughter.

Yani climbed on the bed next to Joba and he curled around Sydette. They held hands across the bodies of all three children creating a protective arc.

"We'll be okay," Yani said, reassuring him with the dulcet tones of her melodious voice.

"I know," he answered.

He watched his loved ones sleep and listened to the sounds of the sea and their calm breathing until he joined them in the bliss of slumber and sweet dreams of family.

N'Jadaka was finally rooted and free.

The Golden Jaguar rested as the world waited for his next move.

A.N.

Hey faithful readers, it's done!

The next book in the series will start next month. It's called "King Killmonger: The Golden Jaguar"

#Black Boys Bloom Thorns First Volume 4 #killmonger fanfiction #uzumaki rebellion #black panther fanfiction #wakanda forever #uzumaki rebellion writes #killmonger smut #erik killmonger #wet sugar 2 #Youtube

[wyn-n-tonic]

Days of You & Me: You, Me—Us

Word Count: 4.5k+ Warnings: Unprotected sex. Marriage talk. Slight cumplay. Slight breeding kink. Anything missed in the warnings was not done with malicious intent and I would appreciate if you could let me know kindly as I wish to do my best in keeping my readers safe. Author’s Note: This is a continuation of the last scene of Chapter June. Thank you to @tauralmie and @darnitdraco as well as @marvelousmermaid for being my continuous shoulders to lean on throughout writing this series.

Please follow @wyn-writing and turn on updates for notifications. You can sign up for my taglist HERE.

Days of You & Me Masterlist | ← June 

“So that’s settled?” I ask him, thunder soundtracking our words. “You’ve already decided on that and everything?”

Joel laughs and lays back. “Would you laugh at me if I told you I’ve pretty much been decided,” he breathes out.

“Only if you tell me something cheesy like you decided the moment we met,” I tease him. “Other than that, I can’t think of any other reason.” 

Another clap of thunder sends a shiver down his spine and he turns on his side with his arm tucked up under his head, eyelids heavy with sleep over his big brown eyes. “I decided on June first,” he whispers, like it’s a secret only for us. “When I came home scared out of my mind because I’d checked my messages and all I heard was that my little girl was hurt”—he reaches over as I turn to face him and pushes a strand of hair away—“and you told me to get my shit together because she was hurt but she was fine and she was fine because she had you.” 

“You sound like you’re going to cry,” I tell him.

“I might just do that,” he says. 

Everything about our relationship and the time we’ve been together is so much to me. So much and not enough and feels like it’s been years in the making . These moments especially feel like some kind of deep memory, like I’m seeing it all through the haze of years away. 

Almost like I’ve lived this moment and this conversation before.

“I wish I’d met you when I moved here.”

A small laugh and he says that he doesn’t think I would’ve liked him very much through a yawn as thunder shakes his body down again. “I think we met each other at exactly the right time, pretty girl.”

Honestly, he’s right. The version I would’ve met of him in 1992 is likely not a version I could’ve fallen in love with. It’s the time I wish we had though.

“We've had quite a few really big conversations lately, haven’t we?” He asks, his grip tightening on my waist where it’s snuck beneath my top again. “I'm honestly still waiting for you to tell me to fuck off.” 

A deep breath and I shake my head to the best of my ability against the pillows. “I’m just thinking.”

“About what?”

Him and life.

Our lives together and how it even got here from lattes in liminal spaces full of shared silence and quiet laughter. I practically live with him and I love him and I would give anything and more to protect him and Sarah.

“About a lot of stuff,” I breathe out. “But mainly, I’m focusing on my hope that a condom will magically appear because maybe it actually will.”

“You're deflecting,” he counters. “But I’ll allow it.”

Leaning forward, I press a kiss into the scar on his nose, deciding after to burrow my face into the crook of his neck and take a deep breath. There’s such a safety I feel in his presence but especially like this, breathing him in in the early morning light.

Rain hits the windows harder than before and they rattle with more thunder but he doesn’t shiver or jump this time, just wraps arm around me and presses his lips into the crown of my head.

I feel safe here. Not just right now but in general and every time he mumbles how he could get used to this. I’m starting to understand that he says that when he likes something, not wanting to reveal that he does in case he faces rejection. Saying he could get used to something is merely a suggestion. He thinks he says if he likes something, it’s a demand.

“I hope so,” I murmur into the skin of his neck. “I don’t think we’re getting rid of one another.” 

It’s insane to me how this man who so confidently came back to my work for several days hoping to speak to me for two seconds shows me all the ways in which he’s not that confident at all. I remember that first coffee in my car, when I said he didn’t strike me as a man who doubts himself and he told me he doubts himself all the time. 

Even behind the clouds, it’s barely light outside and he relaxes down, laying flat on his back again and pulling me with him with a deep, contented hum buzzing in his chest.

Sometimes, I wonder how many times I can tell him I love him before he gets tired of hearing it but, every time, he only meets it with sped up heartbeat or a shiver or a smile or all three as he pulls me as close to him as possible. 

Now that I’ve said it, I can’t stop and his reaction never changes by much unless it’s in the low light of his bedroom with a lack of prying eyes. Like now, with his large hand gripping tight into the meat of my ass, arm flexing against my back as he doesn't just pull me closer but cages me in.

When I tell him he has to stop squeezing me like this, he looses a deep belly laugh that rolls in time with the thunder.

“I'll loosen up if you stop rubbing my belly like I’m a good dog, sweetheart,” he drawls out, arm coming up to cover his eyes.

“You purr like a cat, actually.” 

Another laugh, quiet. “I'll show you how catlike you sound in a minute if you don’t watch that mouth of yours.”

Teasing goes back and forth like our hands—mine on his stomach and down, his on my back and down—until our lips have found each other’s between the laughter. Abandoning his hold across the small of my spine, he threads his fingers through my hair and guides me to his lips that open easily for his own. 

“Took you long enough,” he whispers when my fingertips dip just below the waistband of his boxers. “Be gentle with me, I think I’m already on the edge just from feeling you throb against my thigh.” 

“So, I can touch you?” I ask, pushing deeper beneath the fabric.

A thick groan pushes from his throat and his hips lift against my touch, heating radiating from his face as he presses against my lips again. Already, pre-cum is leaking over my hand and his breathing is coming out shallow and hard. 

“Every time we do this,” he laughs out, “it reminds me of that day in your room.”

“Is that a bad thing?” I ask him, dropping my face into the crook of his neck.

He hums a negative and it vibrates through my lips and down between my legs still sore with the memory of him last night.

“You know, I could give you my mouth, Joel.”

“Uh-uh.” He squeezes tighter across my hips and trails his other hand down to meet mine where it’s working him over. “You give me your mouth and I won’t be able to feel you grinding that slick little thing against me.”

I ask him how he knows it’s slick before I bite down on his pulse point, his hard length jumping in my grip before I let go to trail my hand down further.

Joel’s reaction is a broken whine pushed out on a hard breath and an even hard grip as he fists his fingers back into my hair to pull me up and back to his lips. Even if the day is barely a day yet and even if it’s storming down around the house so loud it sounds like it’s gonna fall, he is so warm and bright. The pull I feel for him is gravitational, it has to be with the way I so easily gave in to the small feelings over and over until they were these big, mountain moving things.

“I need to be inside of you,” he whispers against my lips.

“But—“

“I know what I said but I changed my mind.” He sounds out of breath, like he’s run five miles, and his eyebrows pinch together in confusion. “Unless you changed your mind, too?” 

Shaking my head, I tell him that I haven’t. “Just don’t want you to think that I’ve done all this to make you change your mind.” 

“Goddamn, sweetheart,” he pushes his head back. “Have a little faith in me, I am capable of resisting your feminine ways.”

Lips pursed, one eyebrow raises and he studies me, eyes darting around my face looking for an answer to the suggestion written all over his.

Barely a nod and he’s crushing your lips down on his again, pulling your hand up with his other and flipping your positions with ease and confidence. 

With a smile on his face, Joel sits back on his heels and peels my underwear down with his movements. “Have you done this before?” When I nod, he laughs a little and asks why I look seasick.

“Never been my idea before,” I tell him, opening my arms and legs to make room for his body to lay down against me again. “Never really trusted the guy I was doing it with either.” 

“Then why’d you do it?” 

His hesitation tenses up against the shrug of my shoulders and he smooths my hair back beneath his heavy palm as I take a deep breath. “Because they were really pushy and, honestly, I didn’t want the fight.”

Lip pulled between his teeth, I watch as the lightning illuminates his sun kissed skin before the soft hum of the house falls completely silent. “Power’s out,” he says. “What if I told you I was afraid of the dark, too? Hmm?” His smile stretches wide to one side, the dimple that usually makes him look boyish and playful doing nothing to hide how cocky he’s feeling.

Last week, I told him that I felt safe with him. Truly and completely safe with all of my trust and all of my heart placed in the palm of his gentle hands. I told him that he’s the only person I’ve ever felt like that with and that I think I knew it from that first day in my car.

Barely breathing beneath his gaze, I push at the waistband of his boxers. “You should take these off, then.”

“Oh?” He raises an eyebrow. “If I get naked, I’ll no longer be afraid of the dark?”

His body collapses down on me in a fit of giggles, lips pressed into mine and my cheek and my neck as he braces himself on one arm and pushes his shorts down with the other.

“Don't just lay there, pretty girl,” he whispers. “Use your little feet to help me.”

Those whispers continue as I help him push the fabric down his legs, hot breath in my ear while his hand comes up to wrap just below my jaw. He’s telling me how pretty I am in the mornings, that sometimes he’ll wake up early or force himself to stay awake just so he can watch over me while I sleep. Not one word of how creepy that is comes out of me before he’s biting down on my earlobe, telling me to can it. 

Legs shuffling between mine as he kicks himself completely free of the boxers, his mouth opens around the kiss he’s pushing into my chin as his hips fall into the cradle of my own.

“I should take my shirt off,” I say but he’s shaking his head before I finished, telling me he already knows he won’t last and asking if I can give him half a chance.

“But I thought you were perfectly capable of resisting my feminine ways, Joel.”

He nudges right up against my entrance then, grip on my throat tightening slightly, and bites into my pulse point with a deep groan. Beyond that, he doesn’t move except to nuzzle his face into my neck and stroke his thumb across my bottom lip. Every time I try to say something, he quiets me. Says he’s concentrating.

A few beats turn into minutes as he pulls back up to find my lips again, hand sliding down the length of my body to settle on my hip and he pulls my leg up and around his own.

“I think the anticipation is making you hotter,” he says. “Your whole body is on fire right now.”

“That's because the air conditioning is off,” I whine out, waiting for him to take the bait and fall into laughter. Instead, he opens his mouth against mine to take the breath I’m losing as he pushes his hips forward against mine steadily. 

Holding his own breath until he’s fully seated, he finally releases a deep sound of relief like he’s finally sat down after a long day. There’s a pinch in his eyebrows growing closer to one another with every steadying breath. 

“Are you okay?” I ask.

Before I’ve even finished, his answer is a nod dropped into the crook of my neck with another deep breath. “This feels different,” he says after another beat.

“Good?”

Smile stretching wide against my neck, he asks how I could possibly ask him such a silly question; asks if it feels different for me, too. A nod to the best of my ability and he presses a soft kiss and then another and then another to my jaw; my cheek; my lips before smoothing his hand down my hair again.

Everything slows down with him on top of me, even the storm is sounds like it’s starting to Peter out. Not only does this feel different physically but emotionally, too. Like I’m wrapped up in him—all of him. 

Nose pressed right up against mine, lips dragging small sounds and broken words over each other through every kiss and thrust, I don’t realize I’m near the edge until he’s encouraging me over; whispering sweet nothings of praise right into me and begging me to look at him when I fall apart for him.

Which is easier said than done because the liquid coal of his dark eyes in the dark of the room are too much to handle; too studying; too vulnerable in their own right and I have to close mine again.

“God, you’re pretty,” he breathes out, hips stilling as his chest heaves against mine. He’s nudged right up to the space inside of me I all but begged him to stroke against that first night with him but that feeling’s different, too. 

I can feel my breath catching, skin on fire and I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that my shirt is soaked through with his sweat and mine. His thumb trails along the swell of my cheek, brushing away sweat or a tear before moving down to grip into my thigh. Everything is teetering on the edge of that much needed clarity and he takes another deep breath.

“Are you okay?” I ask and he nods, hand lifted to swipe across the sweat to the side of his own nose. I ask if he wants to stop and he shakes his head.

Keeps shaking it and says, “I don’t know how to keep going for you without losing my cool.”

“Then lose your cool,” I insist. “I’m right here with you, Joel, and even if I wasn’t, there are ways I could still get mine after you’ve gotten yours.” 

One side of his mouth turns up and he pushes out a laugh which only pushes a half broken whine out of me. “That was hot,” he says. “You're so hot.”

Thunder rolls deep and loud and the shiver that runs through him pulls a deep groan of a longed for relief out of him as warmth pushes into me. I’m expecting laughter to follow in the slackening of his jaw, dropped in shocked, but he apologizes instead. Says he’s sorry because he should’ve asked if he could do that, he should’ve been more in control to even know that it was coming.

“You did know,” I reassure him. “We both knew, it’s okay,” I nod my head as if that will make the look on his face go away. “I’m okay.”

“You sure?” He asks, eyebrows pinched up in worry. “You can be mad at me.” 

Playing with the curls fallen over into the space between us, I ask him why I would be mad about something I liked. “Does that scare you?” I ask him. “That I like this feeling and I like being filled up by you?” 

I know it doesn’t by the way his eyes go soft, no longer concentrated or worried or confused. There’s not even fire in them right now, nothing near to the desperation or lust that blows his pupils out like earlier or last night or the night before that. This is that soft kind of adoration he wears like a badge in moments he thinks I’m not looking; big and brown with half a smile reaching into them.

Big and goofy, his grin stretches wide across his face and he presses his lips to my forehead and then my nose and then my lips, opening my mouth beneath his to push the flat of his tongue down on mine.

We stay like this for a moment, warm in each other’s arms as one hand stays up near my face and the other pushes up beneath my shirt, nails digging into my skin to scratch back down to the place where our bodies are connected.

I can feel him twitch inside of me and the laughter finally does come, followed by an apology for being overzealous; for wanting to get his twice before I’ve gotten mine once.

To the best of my ability, I shrug against the pillows; both shoulders pressing back and brushing up against my earlobes. “Maybe I like that, too,” I say as they drop back down. “Maybe I like that you look wholly relaxed right now.”

“You sure do like a lot of things today, pretty girl,” he says. “How do you feel about me?”

“Oh, I like you the most,” I respond. “Isn't it obvious? Everything else I’ve said I enjoyed this morning hinged upon your happiness but maybe I should be a little more explicit in the future.”

“More explicit than being naked beneath me?” He asks.

“I'm not naked,” I toss back at him.

“No,” he agrees, pressing another kiss to my lips and then pushing himself up to sit back on his heels. “But you are unsatisfied so let me”—he pulls himself from between my legs—“let me fix that for you.”

Lightning lights up the room again and I’m self conscious over the look in his eyes, hard and dark as they look down at the space where our bodies have been connected. When I try to sit up, push my knees together and up to my chest, he pushes me back down and separates my legs again before bending lower to settle his shoulders between my thighs.

“Joel, what are you—“

He shushes me, hot breath ghosting cold across my fevered skin, and looks up. “Would you believe me if I said I just wanted to look?”

“No.”

Smiling again, he nods. “You're right,” he confirms, pushing two fingers in without warning and stroking up. “Thank God for the thunder, though, I think you would be embarrassed by the sound you just made.”

“Joel—“

That cocky disposition drops in an instant and he asks if I want him to stop, eyebrow raised and body still as he waits for my answer. The only one I can give him is a shake of my head, filled up with cotton and white noise and overwhelmed with every bit of him.

Crooked smile, he hooks his fingers like he’s beckoning me to him as he places a kiss against my hip on a laugh. Because my muscles are seizing, tightening up and arching my back off the mattress in further search of him. Whatever words I thought I was capable of are lost and his other hand lays flat across my lower stomach to press down against the upward motion he’s making inside of me.

“Come on, honey,” he encourages. “Please, my dick is so goddamn hard again—“

Half a broken sob between us and he’s pulling away from me again; laying himself across me again and nudging my hands away from my heat blanketed face to speak his honey thick apologies directly into the cup of my mouth to ask if he hurt me.

“No.” Framing his face with my hands, I repeat it again. “No, you’re perfect, Joel.” I’d be embarrassed by the desperation in my own voice if I didn’t see it dripping from every pore of his face.

He lifts himself just enough to push the fabric of my shirt up and over my head and then pushes back down on me, every ounce of his body weight crushing into mine with his head in my hands and his hands dug into the meat of my sides. 

I don’t feel him so much as I relax into him as he pushes into me again, all of my energy and the constantly building and dipping anticipation melting down beneath his brown gaze.

Only months ago, I rolled my eyes at the television or the books when when sex was described or portrayed as something magical—ethereal. But then I slept with Joel and he didn’t just fuck me; didn’t just look at me like an object to find his own peace on and so much of the words I’ve read and heard and sung made sudden sense.

Because it’s that wide grin and the bright laughter that reaches up to his eyes so often they’re crinkled like folding fans that does it.

The soft, brown eyes; the worn hands that move with the intention of gentleness and care; the sun kissed skin in varying shades of gold through the season.

The first time he said he loved me, I swore I didn’t hear him right—convinced myself that it was a joke. When he all but yelled at me in the kitchen saying he doesn’t pressure me to say anything back because I show him every day, I still had half a doubt in my head. But it’s so obvious now, it has been this whole time, and he doesn't just push me to the edge because there isn’t one for the way we are right now.

All there is, is a low buzzing just beneath the surface of my skin; his skin; our skin. It’s less like chasing a high, it’s more like sitting in it and the only soundtrack that exists to it is heavy breaths and slow rolling thunder and desperate little whimper begging for this to go on; because the thought that anything could exist that isn’t him puts more tears into my eyes than any heartbreak I’ve ever had.

“Come on,” he encourages me again, voice raw and filled with half spent exhaustion. “You’re right there, baby, we’re right there.”

Buzzing starts again as the power comes back, cool air kicking in from the vents and the laughter it pulls from both of us—as if to say playtime is over—is what finally does it. Hips moving against mine, his pace stutters and he loses the strength to hold any part of himself up; movements stilling as warmth rushes between us again.

Quiet moments pass with just the sound of both our beating hearts in my ears until he finally mumbles something about being responsible and checking the weather to time when to go pick up Sarah. 

He stretches when he stands, hand outstretched on the suggestion of a shower and then breakfast. 

Under the spray of water, he pulls me close and kisses my forehead. “Do you want to go to the bookstore today?”

It’s such a simple question and it’s so warm. What hits me most about it is that it isn’t about sex or even about the sex we just had. We’ve spent so much time talking about what physical intimacy means to us; what it does to us; how it affects us. If this was anybody else but Joel standing with me in this water, my body and mind would be cracking under the weight of my insecurities that he doesn’t care for what I’ve just given over to him—what we just risked. Ninety-eight percent efficacy is still two percent possibility, after all.

But it doesn’t feel like that. It feels like the soft, lived in intimacy of two people who know each other and care for each other. It’s the kind I felt when I waited up for him that night Sarah got sick; the kind he said he felt when I called him for comfort from home. 

“I've been thinking about something,” I tell him, digging my chin into his chest as I look up at him. “I looked it up and you don’t have to take a test to become a contractor in Texas, my love.”

He fights a smile as he nods. “I know.”

“You know?”

His hands continue working soap into my back, all his concentration focused over my head on his task and he nods again. “Yeah, I know,” he says. “Just didn’t want to tell you.”

“Why not?” Even as I ask, I know the answer. It’s the same answer for all of it—he’s scared he’s gonna fail. But being a failure isn’t the scary part for him, the scary part is having it negatively effect the ones he loves.

He shrugs. “I already know I don’t have to spell that one out for you, Alison. I just—“

“Not a single person in your life is going to hate you if you do this and it doesn’t pan out,” I promise him. “It’s a job and I know you can do it and it’s not just because I love you but because I know what a capable, competent person you are.”

“Is that why you love me?” He asks, his smile crooked and cocksure to mask the deflection he’s giving me.

I could challenge it but I don’t. Because that wouldn’t be fair given how often he lets me off the hook, especially these days when the deflections are fewer and farther between. “Nah,” I tease. “I love you for this huge cock.”

Jaw fallen slack, he’s silent for a few beats; speechless as the water runs over his body and then he laughs. As if I’ve just told the best joke he’s ever heard, he laughs with his whole belly in that doubled over kind of way. “You are so goddamn stupid sometimes,” he teases. “You might as well go ahead and change your name to Alison Miller because I’m gonna marry the shit out of you.” 

All these conversations, all of today so far, really started with that prospect and if I didn't think it was real the first time he said it, I know it is now. 

#joel miller #joel miller fanfiction #tlou #tlou fanfiction #the last of us #the last of us fanfiction #joel miller x original female character #joel miller x ofc #o writes #days of you and me

[jinkoh]

pentagon x gn!reader

summary: you unexpectedly fall into a strange world and quickly find yourself entangled with its peculiar people—as well as their problems.

tags: alice in wonderland au, multiple routes for several members, a little madness; warnings: non-graphic descriptions of violence, mentions of blood and weapons, cruel characters (but also very sweet and fun ones—this au is less dark than it sounds...probably)

wordcount: ~13,8k

a/n: okay so this kinda became a really really huge project that i've been working on for a while and that i am very attached to so ofc i'd be really excited if you gave it a try hehe i didn't stick very close to the original material so don't be too surprised. in case you want to know who is who from the get go you can check out the character introduction, but they also all get introduced bit by bit~ do heed the warnings before reading!

series masterlist // character introduction // ptg masterlist

The weather had been weird for days now, heavy clouds hanging in the purplish sky and a constant drizzle making puddles form in the streets. The Uncle from the car shop on the first floor said it was an omen; that something bad was approaching. Your landlady called him crazy and said it just needed a proper thunderstorm and the sunny weather would be back. But she didn’t like him much to begin with and if he wasn’t such a good tenant, for whatever that meant, she would have thrown him out long ago. You didn’t really care much for her idle talk. You were somewhat fond of the Uncle, even more so since your cat Humpty Dumpty seemed to have taken a liking to him too, visiting him in his shop, whenever he managed to sneak out of your third floor apartment.

So, when the Uncle told you to be careful in this weird weather and to keep an extra watchful eye on Humpty for the time being, you’d meant to heed his advice. 

You must have had a moment of inattention though, because when you came home after getting groceries you found your small flat to be empty. You’d forgotten to close the bathroom window and he must’ve snuck out from there. With a sigh you set the groceries down in the kitchen area before stepping out again, hoping that maybe he was just in the car shop downstairs. 

You were lucky, finding the brown animal curled up on the roof of a beige vintage car, while the Uncle himself was working beneath the car, only his legs poking out.

“Here to pick up your cat?” He asked, without coming out.

“He slipped out again,” you replied while picking Humpty up from his spot that must have been incredibly comfortable if his unsatisfied meowing was anything to go by. “Thanks for keeping an eye on him.”

The man laughed. “Felt more like he was keeping an eye on me, honestly.”

You nodded even though he couldn’t see you, watching a little longer. 

“That’s a nice car,” you commented, more to make polite conversation than anything else. You didn’t actually know anything about cars, but you did think it was a pretty one with the little hood ornament resembling the shape of an M.

“Yeah, it’s a nice one. A Ford Mercury Monarch, though I doubt you’ve suddenly taken a big interest in cars, have you?”

“Not really.” You chuckled, feeling caught. Of course he’d know that you were just being polite. “Still, it’s kinda pretty.”

“Mhm,” he hummed. 

Humpty started to fidget in your arms and you knew it was time to head upstairs if you didn’t want him to scratch you.

“I better go back.”

“Mhm,” he hummed again and you were about to leave, when he pushed himself out from under the car and eyed you seriously.

“Remember to be careful, y/n,” he reminded you once more. “I think there’ll be a storm tonight.”

Somehow the way he said it felt insinuating and sent a weird shiver down your spine. 

You swallowed around the lump in your throat.

“I’ll remember it.”

With a weary feeling in your stomach you left his shop, slipping back out into the rain. The building you lived in was an old factory that had been turned into several loft apartments and the commercial property downstairs. A bunch of the complexes in your neighborhood were like that which gave the area a certain charme when the sun was shining onto the red brickstones and reflecting from the big, old windows. When it rained like now though, the sky above dark and grey, the tall buildings almost looked intimidating.

Just when you wanted to turn towards the entrance door next to the shop to head upstairs, you saw a white shadow rushing through your peripheral vision. Your head instinctively snapped around, and you clearly hadn’t been the only one to notice. Humpty all but leaped out of your arms, chasing the white shadow down the street which seemed to be—a rabbit?

For a moment you were frozen in place, watching your beloved fur ball disappear down the street. But then you snapped out of it, running after him as fast as you could.

Sadly, it wasn’t fast enough to catch up to him and to make things worse the Uncle had been right about the storm. The rain was picking up and you heard thunder rumbling in the distance.

Eventually you found yourself in a side street, no trace of either the cat nor the rabbit. Humpty had never been one to come back when called, but you tried anyway, shouting out his name, the brick-lined house walls echoing it back to you.

You knew Humpty would be able to find his way back home, but you didn’t like the idea of him outside in this weather by himself. So, you kept going, even when the rain got so strong you could barely see what was in front of you.

Feeling somewhat resigned, you turned into another side street, just to be met with the rabbit sitting right in the middle of the road, his bright white fur standing out against the gray surroundings. Humpty on the other hand was nowhere to be seen. But something inside of you told you that if you caught the rabbit, you would surely find him too.

The white animal watched you with calm eyes as you approached, and you almost thought you’d be able to grab it, when it bolted, disappearing behind a corner. You rushed after it, turning into the dead end just to find it deserted and almost completely flooded. The giant puddle seemed to reflect the sky above impossibly sharp, despite the raindrops rippling the surface. In the reflection it didn’t even look all that dark and cloudy, but before you could wonder about it more or bemoan the water drenching your shoes, you suddenly felt yourself stepping into a void, the floor beneath your feet simply disappearing. In a weird epiphany you realized it must have been a missing duct cover, but it wasn’t like that would help you now. You were already falling, dark water swallowing you whole.

When you came to, the first thing you realized was that you were cold and wet. You blinked your eyes open and pushed your damp hair out of your face. It didn’t make sense, you were sure you’d fallen down into the sewer, but you found yourself in the same dead end again, sitting in the middle of the giant puddle, completely drenched. At least the rain had let off and the sky was dyed in shades of pink and purple. 

You felt for the opening in the ground that you’d fallen into with your hand, but the duct cover was right there. Confused, you tried to squeeze some water out of your clothes which was only so effective considering that you were still sitting in the puddle. 

Just then, your eyes fell onto the white rabbit at the street corner he’d come from, looking at you almost thoughtfully. But then, as if he snapped himself out of a trance, his eyes widened. 

“Oh no, oh no,” he mumbled, or you would have thought he did if it wasn’t impossible for a rabbit to speak. “Go back, quickly!”

“What?” you asked anyway, but the rabbit just turned and bolted off again.

“Time is running out.”

For a brief second you stared at the spot where he’d still sat a moment ago, but then you quickly stumbled to your feet and ran after him. You turned the corner just in time to see a man, not a rabbit, scurrying down the street. He had snow white hair, just like the bright fur of the rabbit, and it felt a bit too odd to be a coincidence. Especially with the pair of rabbit ears sitting right there on his head.

“Oh no, oh no,” you heard him again from the distance and even though none of this made any sense, you kept going after him.

Despite running until your lungs burned, you couldn't catch up to him. Maybe that was your sign to call it a day, you thought. Surely, Humpty had already made his way back home to your apartment by himself to escape the bad weather.

When you looked around though, you noticed that something about your neighborhood felt off. On first glance it was the same, but on second glance everything was different. All kinds of weird plants were overgrowing the pavement and crawling up the brick walls. There were no lights on behind the windows, no matter where you looked, nor was there any other trace of people. 

Overcome with an eerie feeling you slowly made your way down the street in the direction of your home. The light of the street lamps looked colder than usual and they flickered in irregular intervals. 

“I think you’re going the wrong way,” a voice behind you suddenly said matter of factly.

Startled, you turned around, looking right into the face of a young man with bright blue hair. He smiled and it was undeniably pretty, but it didn’t look entirely genuine.

“What do you mean?”

Instead of a reply he just shrugged and then seemed to disappear into thin air. You looked around, trying to understand where he’d gone, but he was nowhere to be found.

“What do you mean?” you repeated, your voice a little shaky.

“That the direction you’re going in is wrong.” He suddenly replied from right next to you.

“But I’m going home.”

“If you say so.” He giggled and it almost sounded childlike.

You felt yourself growing a little annoyed. “Then where am I supposed to go if not this way?”

“I won’t tell you.” With that he disappeared into thin air once more and you didn’t have it in you to feel surprised about it again.

“Fine,” you snapped in no direction in particular. “Then don’t tell me.”

You continued your way, but from time to time you still heard his giggles and little comments.

“So wrong,” he would say with a chuckle, his voice coming from one direction first and then another next.

“If you’re not going to tell me, then at least leave me alone!”

“But it’s funny,” he argued, suddenly appearing right in front of you, a wide smile plastered on his face. “It’s funny to see you run right into their fangs.”

“Whose fangs?” 

“The Queen’s servants,” he whispered right into your left ear, before reappearing on your other side. “The heartlings.”

You frowned in confusion, all of this giving you a headache. None of it made any sense. You just wanted to go home, curl up in your bed and cuddle your cat. But you couldn’t help the weary feeling in your guts, telling you that there was at least some truth to the weird guy’s words.

“So, where would you go?”

“Oh, I can go anywhere,” he replied with a giggle. “They can’t catch me if they can’t see me, right?”

“And if you couldn’t turn invisible?”

“Hm,” he seemed to think for a moment. “Maybe I’d get myself a snack from the gas station?”

You looked at his vanishing form in utter disbelief. “A snack?”

“Or a coke, maybe.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Well, I’m not saying you should do that. But you asked me what I would do. And I gave you an answer.”

You felt so unbearably frustrated with whoever this guy was, and yet you still turned around and headed into the direction of the gas station. Maybe you’d get some answers there and if you didn’t you could at least buy a snack and a coke before going home.

When you reached the gas station it too wasn’t quite looking the way you remembered it to. Instead of the brand logo you were so familiar with, the pink neon sign showed an abstract symbol next to letters that you couldn’t read. Just like the rest of the neighborhood it seemed to be completely deserted, but at least the lights in the shop were on.

“Are you sure I can go in?” You asked, convinced the blue haired guy was still around.

“If the door isn’t locked you can,” he replied, his voice coming from further away than you’d expected.

You turned around to spot him sitting in the branches of a tree near the edge of the parking lot.

“Are you not coming along?”

“I doubt my presence would be appreciated.”

You frowned in confusion. “Why?”

“Because I don’t like to pick sides. Besides,” he hopped off the branches but disappeared before his feet hit the ground, just to stand in front of you a second later. “Cats aren’t welcome.”

He pointed towards a sticker on the glass door, a pictogram of a cat crossed out with a thick red line.

“But you’re not a cat,” you argued, following the gesture with your eyes before your gaze settled on him again.

“Am I not?” He tilted his head and a pair of grayish blue cat ears was sitting right there, poking out of his hair. 

You stared at him flabbergasted. You knew for sure they hadn’t been there before. You would have noticed such a detail, wouldn’t you? 

“Wha—how?”

“Because I’m a cat,” he replied as if it was common knowledge. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.” 

With that, he vanished into thin air once more, the last thing you saw of him the bright white of his toothy smile.

“Wait! Am I supposed to go alone?”

“Weren’t you alone from the start?” sounded his reply, but he didn’t turn visible again.

“But what if I need help?”

“I’m sure you will.”

“So how will I know how to find you?”

He giggled. “Find me? You won’t. But should I ever be in the mood to help, I will certainly know how to find you.”

“Wait!” you tried to stop him once more, but it stayed quiet and you were sure he was gone for good this time.

You sighed, focusing your attention on the shop in front of you instead. Even on closer inspection you couldn’t spot anyone, but the staff door behind the cash desk was cracked open, so you assumed that someone was in the back.

With a deep breath you opened the glass door and stepped inside. It felt cramped with how closely the aisles stood together, maybe a little more so than usual. You looked around, hoping that the cashier would come out if you just waited a bit. You picked up a coke and a chocolate bar from the shelves, not because you were in the mood for either, but because the cat guy had mentioned it.

By the time you stepped to the counter and sat down the products on top there was still no sign of anyone coming out anytime soon, nor was there a bell to ring.

“Hello?” You timidly shouted in the direction of the door. “Hellooo?”

“Hello?” It suddenly echoed back from beyond. “Hellooo?”

You rolled your eyes at the staff’s humor. “I’d like to pay.”

“They’d like to pay,” it sounded back, but this time it didn’t seem to be addressed to you.

Before you could say anything else, the door opened and a guy with tousled red hair stepped out. For a moment he just eyed you thoughtfully but then he broke into a goofy smile that made a dimple form on his cheek.

“Welcome.”

“Uh, hi,” you replied awkwardly. “Do you work here?”

He wasn’t quite what you’d expected. Instead of the off-white t-shirts the staff here usually wore, he wore a sheer turtleneck in bright orange and a colorful silk shirt on top that he kept open. He absolutely didn’t look as if he was working here. Nevertheless, you couldn’t help but think that in some peculiar way, you found him attractive.

“Work here?” he repeated, sounding almost a little confused. “No, I don’t work.”

“Uh, then, is someone here who does?”

“Is anyone here who does?” he shouted towards the staff door, passing your question on.

“No, no one,” came the reply shortly after.

“The hare says no one is here.”

“Yeah, yeah, I heard.” You pinched the bridge of your nose slowly losing patience with whatever was going on today. “So, how do I pay?”

“Oh, with money.”

“With—forget it.” 

“All forgotten.” He nodded with a bright smile. “Anything else I can help you with?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. I was just looking for my cat and then got into this whole,” you gestured vaguely at your surroundings, “mess.”

“A cat?” His face crinkled with disgust. “Not a blue one, is it? That scoundrel is not allowed in here.”

“Blue? No, Humpty Dumpty is brown.”

“Humpty Dumpty is an egg.”

“What?”

“What?”

You shook your head in exasperation. “Anyway, so I was looking for my cat and then there was this rab—man?” It sounded more like a question. 

“You’re looking for a man?”

“I guess you could say that.”

“Hm,” he looked around the store as if he could find him between the aisles if he just searched hard enough. Then he turned to the door once more.

“Changgu, do we have a man?”

“A man? No, no, we don’t have that.”

“I’m afraid we don’t have any in store,” he said apologetically.

“I’m not—I don’t want to buy one. I’m—he was running away. He had white hair and—rabbit ears? And he seemed to be in a hurry. Have you seen him?”

“Ah, you met Hui. Terrible workaholic, really.”

“Do you know where to find him? I think he knows where my cat is….maybe?”

At the word cat his face scrunched up once more, but he didn’t comment on it this time. 

“I might know.”

“So, will you show me?”

“Now? I can’t. It’s tea time. In fact, maybe you should come in and have tea with us.”

You frowned in confusion. “But you don’t even know me?”

“Right,” he nodded. “Who are you?”

“Y/n.”

“Y/n. That is certainly a name,” he nodded once more. “I’m Shinwon. The Hatter.”

“A hatter?” You weren’t aware that it was a job that still existed. You’d assumed that the fast fashion industry had more or less let that handicraft die out. Furthermore, “You’re not even wearing a hat.”

“Not a hatter. The Hatter. And my hat—” for a moment he stared into the distance, a deep sadness in his eyes but then he snapped out of it, smiling like nothing happened. “That’s a story for another day.”

The sudden change in mood had piqued your interest, but you decided to respect his privacy and not pry into it further.

“And what is the Hatter doing in a gas station?”

“A gas station? I’ve never been to one.” He didn’t give you the time to question his words, already turning towards the door. “Now, let’s have some tea.”

Maybe it wasn’t the smartest idea to follow this guy to the back. He didn’t seem to be right in the head, though to be fair, you weren’t sure about your own sanity either. After all, you’d chased down a talking rabbit and then shared a walk with a man who seemed to be able to vanish into thin air. Perhaps, a mad hatter in a gas station was on the normal side of things in comparison.

The backroom didn’t look the way you’d expected, though at this point you weren’t sure what you were expecting anymore. The space was completely cluttered with chests and boxes, and all kinds of fabrics and curtains were draped throughout the room. In the middle of it all was a long table which was decked out with way too much dinnerware. In fact, the tea cups were stacked up so high, you almost didn’t notice the guy sitting in one of the mismatched chairs near the end of the table. 

“I brought a guest,” Shinwon declared, pointing at you.

“A guest!” The guy jumped up from his chair with a dazzling smile. 

Only now did you see the floppy ears that sat on his head, reaching down all the way to his shoulders. They were a light brown, the same shade as his wavy hair, and they looked so soft and fuzzy you kinda wanted to try petting them. 

“Hi,” you awkwardly greeted, raising your hand in a small wave. “I’m y/n.”

“That is certainly a name,” the man replied with a nod and Shinwon next to you clapped excitedly.

“Right? That’s what I said.”

You didn’t know what to make of the comment so you decided to just ignore it. “And you are Changgu I assume?”

 “Ah, where are my manners?” He rushed over, accidentally knocking some cups off the table that shattered on the floor.

“Yes, Hare, where are your manners?” Shinwon echoed.

“I’m Changgu. The March Hare,” he introduced himself, reaching out his hand to you, that barely poked out from underneath the sleeves of his plaid coat.

“The March Hare?”

He nodded, before leaning in closer as if he was about to share a secret. 

“It’s because I’m as mad as one,” he whispered. “I don’t have both ears in the water.”

As if to prove his point he raised one of his ears and let it flop down again.

“It’s oars, Hare. You don’t have both oars in the water,” Shinwon corrected, before ushering you further into the room. “Now, let’s have some tea?”

He pulled back one of the chairs for you while he took the seat at the head of the table. You sat down and stared at the mess before you, unsure how to behave. It didn’t exactly look as if it was set for a tea party (or set at all, for that matter). You felt out of place and it didn’t help that your clothes were still wet. It had almost slipped your mind, but now that you were sitting you felt the damp fabric sticking to your skin again, leaving you with an itchy feeling.

“Tea?” Changgu, who’d taken the seat across from you interrupted your thoughts. He pushed a cup he’d poured in your direction. The other porcelain on the table got shoved out of the way on his quest but he didn’t seem to mind, not even when one of the higher stacks started to sway dangerously.

Unable to watch what was clearly going to end in disaster, you quickly took the cup with a “Thank you” and promptly received a bright smile in return.

Before you could take a sip of the steaming liquid though, Shinwon held out a plate with muffins to you, each one decorated with a small candle.

“Dessert? We also have cake,” he pointed at a ring cake somewhere in the mess. “And biscuits.”

“Then, a biscuit, perhaps?” You agreed reluctantly.

“A biscuit, Hare, quick, a biscuit for the biscuit!”

Changgu nodded eagerly, holding out another plate to you, and you took one of the cookies from it.

But you didn’t get to try that either, because all of a sudden the door was pushed open with so much force, it made you flinch and drop the cookie into your tea cup.

“Ah, not in the middle of tea time,” Shinwon complained, clearly annoyed but not surprised. “What does the Queen want now, Paul?”

For a moment you weren’t sure who he was talking to, but then you spotted the frog that was standing upright in the doorway, dressed in an outfit that resembled a Victorian newspaper boy.

“An invitation,” he croaked, taking a big leap right onto the table, porcelain clinking at the sudden impact. He fished out a piece of paper and handed it to Changgu who took it from his green fingers.

“We got it. Now, shoo, we’re having tea.” Shinwon gestured for the frog to leave with a wave of his hand. “Unless you fancy to join us for a cup?”

“Not particularly,” the frog replied, hopping off the table and disappearing to where he’d come from. 

Changgu passed the paper onto Shinwon who took it with the tips of his fingers as if it was something disgusting. 

“What is it?” You’d managed to catch a glimpse of the writing and once again had to realize that whatever alphabet it was, you couldn’t read it.

“A party invitation,” Shinwon replied, almost spitting out the words.

"Do you not like parties?"

At your question he broke into a laughter so intense as if it was the funniest thing he'd ever heard.

“Do I not like parties?” He turned to his friend in amusement "Did you hear that, Changgu?"

“Do you not like parties?” Changgu repeated, shaking from laughter himself, his ears flopping up and down at the movement. 

You felt awkward and maybe a little upset that you once again weren't in on whatever the joke was.

“Well, do you?” You interrupted their laughter, light annoyance in your voice.

Shinwon's eyes were gleaming when he replied. “I love parties, Biscuit. I love them so much I celebrate all my unbirthdays every year.”

Changgu nodded hastily to support his point. “Every single one!”

“We’re celebrating one right this second.”

You didn't bother asking what an unbirthday was. “Then what’s so bad about this?”

Immediately, Shinwon's face turned dark again. “It's the Queen's party.”

“Then don't go.”

“Don't go, you say,” he repeated with another giggle. “No, we have to go. It's the Queen's party."

After a brief glance at a clearly broken cuckoo clock on the wall he sprung up with so much vigor, his poor chair fell over backwards and clattered to the floor. “In fact, we should go right now!” 

Then his eyes got stuck on you. 

“You're wet,” he commented as if he only just now noticed the sorry state of your clothes.

“I fell into a puddle.”

“Why would you do that?”

You frowned. “It’s not like it was on purpose.”

The side eye he exchanged with Changgu told you that he still considered it to be weird, but he let it rest. 

“Either way you can't wear that to the party. The Queen hates bad fashion.”

“Oh, I won't go to the party, I wasn’t invited.”

Another rush of laughter overcame the two of them. 

“It's the Queen's party,” Shinwon repeated yet another time. “Everyone is invited. Hare, don't we have some clothes for the child?”

“I'm not a child,” you argued but neither of them minded you.

“Maybe we have some in the dairy section.”

“Mhm-mhm,” Shinwon nodded thoughtfully and then disappeared into the shop only to show up a minute later with an odd looking suit that he handed to you. The fabric felt cold, as if it'd just come out of the refrigerator and the combination of colors and patterns seemed a little random. But it was still better than the damp clothes that were sticking to your skin uncomfortably, so you took the suit and changed into it while Shinwon and Changgu waited outside.

When you came out again, the two of them seemed to have cleaned up for the occasion as well: Shinwon had buttoned up his shirt and tamed his red hair while Changgu had added a black tie with red dots to his outfit. He hadn’t bothered to tuck it under the collar of his shirt though so it made him look more disheveled than before, but you didn’t point that out. 

Shinwon eyed you intently, his brows furrowed as he took in every inch of you. Then he broke into a happy smile. “Oh, it suits you! Isn’t that right, Hare?”

“Exquisitely so!”

You weren’t sure about their assessment but their compliments still made you feel a little better in your skin.

The three of you stepped outside and you would have thought the sky would be pitch black by now, but it still had the same purplish pink colors as before. 

“So, where is this party?” You asked as you walked down the street.

“The Red Castle,” Changgu supplied an answer that made you none the smarter.

“Of course,” you mumbled. “Where else would it be?”

Even though Shinwon had been less than ecstatic to go to the Queen’s party, he didn’t dwell on the bad mood. Him and Changgu giggled and goofed around on the way, most of their jokes going past you. 

“I’d much rather go home,” you let out a small sigh, barely even noticing that you’d said it out loud.

Shinwon interrupted his laughter to turn to you. “Oh, that’s just the right mindset for attending this party. I too would much rather go home. But,” he playfully nudged your shoulder with his own, “when we all want to go home, it’s almost the same as actually going home.”

You didn’t a hundred percent get the point he was trying to make there, but his words felt comforting nevertheless. Perhaps it wasn’t his words per se, but the consoling smile on his lips and the genuine expression in his eyes.

You shook your head in amusement. “Let’s go home then.”

“Let’s go home!” he repeated with a wide grin, raising his fist into the air and making you giggle.

As you kept walking, you slowly realized though, that maybe that was quite literally where you were headed. You were only a block away from your house now, and the closer you came, the more lively it got on the streets that had still been empty a few hours ago. Approaching your home should have filled you with a sense of relief, but instead it just made you feel queasy. 

Your bad feeling about it all proved to be there for a reason. When you turned into your street, you could barely recognize what used to be so known to you. The streetlights were decorated with a weird assortment of red flowers and warning tape, and the whole area was jammed with people (though you weren’t sure if people was the right word for the diverse assembly of beings, some more human than others but none that were human through and through) and at the center of it all seemed to be the tall factory building with its brick walls and the car shop on the first floor. It looked vastly different, the entire front of the building covered by a huge mural painting depicting roses that crawled up the walls, their stems carrying sharp thorns. Still, there was no mistaking it:

“That’s—that’s my house.”

“Oh, how fortunate,” Shinwon exclaimed gleefully. “You wanted to go home!”

“No, but—,” you interrupted yourself, not even sure what to say. Maybe it’d been a little delusional to believe your home would still be your home if nothing else seemed to have remained the same.

“You didn’t want to go home after all?” Shinwon nodded understandingly. “Then this is indeed unfortunate.”

“Very unfortunate,” Changgu agreed.

“I’m just so confused. Why is nothing the same as before?”

“Maybe that’s a question for a caterpillar,” Changgu replied seriously. “They are experts on things that do not stay the same.”

Before you could inquire how you were supposed to discuss this with a caterpillar of all things, you spotted a familiar pair of snow white ears in the middle of the crowd that disappeared as suddenly as they’d shown up. 

Without thinking you chased after the white rabbit. You weren’t sure why you were still so keen on catching him. It didn’t seem very likely anymore that he knew where Humpty was. But he was the only one who had already been there when the world was still normal, so maybe he’d also know how to turn it back.

“Why are we running?” Shinwon asked behind you, sounding out of breath. You hadn’t noticed he’d come along.

“The rabbit!” You explained. “I saw the rabbit.”

“Why are we running?” Changgu shouted from behind Shinwon, following as you rushed through the crowd.

“The rabbit, they saw the rabbit,” Shinwon explained in your stead.

You almost expected to lose the rabbit in question again, but then he was suddenly standing right there, throwing a worried glance onto his wrist watch. You abruptly stopped in order not to run him over, causing Shinwon to bump into you. In your relief to have finally caught on, you didn’t pay it any mind though.

“Thank God,” you pressed out, catching your breath. 

The man with the white rabbit ears turned to you, seemingly only noticing you now.

“Oh. Oh, no,” he looked a little distressed at your presence before his eyes wandered to your company in surprise. “And the Hatter?”

“And the Hare,” Shinwon added, pointing at Changgu who’d come to a stop behind him.

“So, what do you want?” The man asked, his eyes darting to his watch once more. “I’m in a hurry.”

Shinwon chuckled. “It’s good to take a break from time to time, Hui.”

“Of course, you would say that.”

“My cat,” you interrupted before their discussion could drag on. “Did you see my cat?”

“A cat?” He sighed. “I don’t have time for Yanan’s shenanigans."

“No, no,” Shinwon chimed in. “This cat is brown.”

“I don’t have time for a brown cat either,” Hui shook his head. “In fact, I don’t even have time for this party.”

With that he took off, quickly disappearing into the crowd again.

“Wait,” you shouted after him. You still hadn’t asked him about whatever was going on with the world around you, and he was probably the only person who could know something (and also the most sane one you’d met so far, despite his constant haste and his rather cold demeanor).

“Don’t take it to heart,” Changgu reassured. “In fact, he already lingered longer than usual. Sometimes we don’t hear from him for months. And he doesn’t even spare the time to celebrate his unbirthdays.”

You sighed in resignation. “Still, I had so many questions.”

“Even if he knows the answers, I doubt he has the time to give them,” Shinwon replied comfortingly, though it didn’t feel very comforting at all. “Caterpillars on the other hand have a lot of time.”

You didn’t get why Shinwon too was bringing up caterpillars now, but the two of them had been talking nonsense from the moment you’d met them so it was a little late to start overthinking it now.

Suddenly, the sound of a fanfare cut through the noise of the crowd.

“Oh, it’s beginning,” Shinwon exclaimed, grabbing your hand and pulling you further towards the front, until you were standing in the second or third row with a direct view on what used to be your home and was now something else entirely. "From here you can take a good look so you know whom to avoid."

"The Queen?" you asked for clarification.

"That too. But the Heartlings and Knave as well."

You remembered the former from when the blue cat had mentioned it before, but the knave was new. You didn't get to ask though, because the fanfare sounded again.

A frog, just like the one that had brought the invitation, was standing on a stack of tires in front of the garage door, a scroll in his hands that he unrolled solemnly. He cleared his throat twice before finally addressing the crowd.

“Your Majesty, the Queen of Hearts,” he announced, his voice way louder than you would have expected from a frog of his size.

The crowd cheered more or less enthusiastically and he hopped from the stack of tires. A pack of ferrets came to the scene, quickly pushing the tires to the side. The last one had barely scurried away, when the roller shutter of the garage started to open, slowly disclosing the shop beyond. For a while, all you got to see was the car that was parked right in the center. You recognized the vintage car immediately with its beige finish and the M shaped hood ornament. As the shutter had almost rolled all the way up, it finally revealed a person sitting on top of the car, in just the same spot that Humpty had taken a nap in earlier today. (At least you thought it was still today—with the sky not changing color at all, you were a little confused about the passage of time.)

To your surprise though, it wasn’t a Queen at all. Instead it was a guy with choppy blonde hair wearing a velvet tracksuit. His gaze was fierce and there was something captivating albeit intimidating about his aura. Still—

“Where’s the Queen?”

Instantly, the whole crowd fell silent.

The man in the velvet suit cocked his head, his eyes narrowing in on the guests. “Who asked that?”

Everyone around you took a step away, trying to gain some distance from you. Solely Shinwon and Changgu stuck to your side, but even they seemed a little uneasy. From your peripheral vision you spotted a man with wavy hair next to the garage door straightening out his posture. You hadn’t noticed him before, but he must have been there all along. He pushed back the fabric of his jacket a bit to reveal the grip of a gun that was tucked into the waistband of his pants. You didn’t understand what was happening, but you were smart enough to realize it wasn’t anything good. Your stomach was filled with dread and you instinctively reached out to Shinwon, your fingers clasping onto the hem of his shirt.

“Uh, oh, Biscuit,” he whispered close to your ear. “You’ve really done it now.”

“I said,” the man in the velvet suit started again, this time with more emphasis, as he leaped off the car roof in one smooth movement. “Who. Asked. That?” 

The crowd seemed to budge even further away from you, leaving you easily exposed to the man who approached with striding steps.

“You?” His gaze landed on you, making you feel small and helpless. “It was you, wasn’t it?”

He took another step closer, close enough for you to spot the beauty marks on his face, close enough to notice the glow of his skin. “Tell me your name, dear.”

“Y/n,” you pressed out, your voice barely hearable.

“Y/n,” he repeated with a hum, almost as if he was tasting the sound of it on his tongue. “So, y/n, what were you thinking? What made you believe that I’m not worthy of being the Queen?”

The thoughts started circling in your mind. It was clearly a trick question; no matter what reply you presented him with, it would be wrong.

Thankfully though, you didn’t have to give one at all. Before you could even think of saying anything, you felt Shinwon leaning in close to your ear again. 

“I’ve got this,” he whispered, stepping in front of you with confidence.

Anxiously, you glanced over to Changgu, who gently took your hand in his, mouthing a reassuring Don’t worry. 

“Your Distinctiveness,” Shinwon greeted overly friendly, taking an exaggerated bow.

“Hatter,” the Queen replied, his face contorted in disgust.

“You see, my dear friend is new here,” he explained. “And to make matters worse, they have terrible vision, don’t you, Biscuit?”

You felt frozen, even more so now that the Queen's attention was back on you. It wasn’t until Changgu squeezed your hand, that you hurriedly nodded.

“Very terrible vision,” Shinwon repeated, his voice sounding pitying this time. “Can’t even tell right from wrong.”

“Is that so?” 

The Queen didn’t seem convinced as he gave you another once over. You instinctively held your breath, as if that could protect you from his piercing gaze.

“Consider this a warning,” he eventually said, finally taking his eyes off you.

“And you, Hatter,” he turned to Shinwon, “educate your guests right. Wouldn’t want to lose any, hm?”

“Of course, your Noteworthiness; by no means, your Exquisiteness,” Shinwon nodded meaningfully.

“Good!” The Queen’s mood suddenly shifted. He clapped his hands and a grin spread on his lips. “Now, let’s celebrate, shall we?”

He strode back to the car, using stacked up tires to take a seat on the roof again like a Queen on her throne.

You let out the breath you’d been holding, relieved that you’d evaded whatever storm would have awaited you if Shinwon hadn’t been there. You gently tugged on his sleeve to get his attention. 

“Thank you. You really saved me there.”

“Oh, yes, Biscuit, that would not have ended well,” he replied with a giggle before his expression grew more serious. “But I have your back.”

You weren’t sure why he’d helped you, after all he barely knew you at all. But you didn't dwell on it for too long. Of everyone you’d met today, if you had to choose just one person to trust, it would surely be him. In all his madness and with all his nonsense, you decided to trust him. 

The party proceeded, though it hardly resembled your understanding of the term. There was music, sure, but the mood felt strained. The Queen however didn’t seem to notice or perhaps he simply didn’t care.

“It’s a party,” he drawled. “So, entertain me.”

“Of course, your Highness,” the frog from before hurried to assure. “The dancers, get the dancers!”

A group of dancers stepped forward, wiry figures with white wings on their backs just like those of a swan. Music started to play and they moved to the melody. It was a beautiful choreography but you couldn’t help but notice the way their arms seemed to tremble with nerves. And you weren’t the only one.

“What a pity for them,” Shinwon whispered next to you. 

“A tragedy, even,” Changgu agreed.

“He won’t like that.”

“He’ll despise it.”

You looked between the two of them, before your gaze wandered back to the Queen. He looked onto the spectacle with contempt.

“Boring. Show something else.”

Immediately the music got interrupted and a different song played, the dancers changing position and starting anew. The Queen watched for a moment, his lips pursed thoughtfully.

“If only I could make this more fun,” he complained with a big sigh but then his eyes widened as if he’d had a brilliant idea. “Ah! I know! Jack! Get me some firecrackers!”

The frog nodded, relaying the task onto the ferrets who disappeared and showed up seconds later with a red box. The Queen clapped joyfully before he took the box and fished a lighter out of his pocket. 

“What is he doing?” You asked Shinwon, your voice barely a whisper.

“Playing a game, it seems. He loves games.”

An uneasy feeling took root in your stomach. “What kind of game?”

“Dodge.”

The game was exactly what it sounded like. While the performance continued, the Queen lit up the firecrackers and threw them at the dancers’ feet, watching in delight as they tried to evade the small explosions.

You felt sick to your stomach and for the first time since you’d fallen into the sewer you truly wished to wake up from what clearly had to be a nightmare. With shaky fingers, you pinched the skin of your inner arm, hard enough to make tears spring to your eyes. But nothing happened. You didn’t wake up and this wasn’t a dream. The dancers were still hopping from one foot to the other, the Queen’s manic laughter drowning out the music they were dancing to. And you just stood there, frozen in place, averting your gaze instead of stepping in.

“That’s insane. How can he be so cruel?”

“He’s the Queen of Hearts, what did you expect?” Shinwon scoffed. “Of course, it was different when—no, I shouldn’t say. Not here.”

The rest of the party continued in the same vein. The Queen had a very different idea of how to stay entertained, it seemed. His games hardly qualified as games at all. If anything they were torture, for those who had to watch and even more so for those who had to play. But he was sitting on his makeshift throne enjoying the show.

“Oh, what a delight!” The Queen eventually addressed the crowd. “I had feared for this party to become a disaster. After all, it was off to a miserable start, isn’t that true?”

Maybe it was just your imagination, but you felt as if his eyes were looking right at you, giving you a warning glare as if to say I remember you. Don’t mess up again.

Panic rushed through your body and you were shaking like a leaf as you tried to withstand his gaze. When he looked away at last, announcing it was time for the grand finale, you felt all strength leaving your body and your knees would have given in if Shinwon hadn’t immediately reached out to steady you. Even when you’d found your balance again, he stayed closely behind you, resting his hands on your shoulders.

“Are you okay, Biscuit?”

You didn’t even bother pretending and shook your head. 

“When is this over? When is it finally over?”

“Soon. We only have to make it through the fireworks now. You can hold out, right?”

You nodded weakly and watched with something akin to relief as the ferrets set up fireworks that for once seemed to really be just that—fireworks.

“No one’s going to get hurt, right?” you asked, to be sure.

Shinwon gave your shoulders a reassuring squeeze. “No one’s going to get hurt.”

And his words proved true. The ferrets lit the fuse and you watched with tired eyes as the flame crawled over the bloodstained floor until it reached the fireworks. They shot up with a bang and exploded into sparkling pink hearts filling the sky above you that had at last started to darken. It was a beautiful spectacle and for a brief moment you could almost trick yourself into thinking that it’d been a regular party after all. Almost. While everyone’s eyes were glued to the sparkling sky, your own fell to the Queen again. He was watching the fireworks too, in awe of its beauty, while the traces of his cruel games were scattered all around him. It seemed he was the only winner today.

After a moment he lowered his head to look at you. It was a slow, deliberate shift as if he’d been aware of your gaze all along. His eyes briefly flicked over his surroundings before they landed on you again, a small smile on his lips. Despite the distance you knew exactly what he was mouthing at you.

Beautiful, isn’t it?

When it was finally over you couldn’t even manage to be relieved. You’d seen too much and you despised yourself for watching all of it in silence.

“Why is everyone just accepting this?” You asked, once the crowd had dissipated and you’d gained some distance to the Red Castle.

“Because there’s nothing else we can do,” Shinwon explained matter-of-factly. “Not yet.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that it’s not time yet.”

“Not yet,” Changgu echoed. “But soon.”

It wasn’t a very satisfactory reply, but who were you to talk? You’d only been here for a day and it wasn’t as if you’d been brave enough to say anything either. No, you’d looked away much the same as everyone else.

You sighed and followed behind them, slowly realizing that you had no idea where you were headed. It definitely wasn’t the way back to the gas station unless the streets had suddenly swapped places which wouldn’t be the craziest thing to happen that day.

When you asked, Shinwon looked at you in confusion. “To the caterpillar, of course.”

“The caterpillar?”

“You want answers and he has a lot of them. And if you’re lucky a few of them might just match your questions.”

“Is it far?”

“Oh, very much,” Shinwon nodded but then he added, “we’re almost there.”

Eventually you turned into the street with the old theater and realized that that must be where you were headed. You’d always loved it there and had many fond memories of musicals and theater pieces you’d watched there. It was a charming building with a pretty front that you remembered to be adorned with big illuminated signs announcing the shows that were currently running. Now though, it looked sad and abandoned as it laid in complete darkness at the end of the street. 

“What happened here?”

“The Queen doesn’t fancy theaters, I’m afraid. He’d rather the only shows that happen are the ones he holds in the castle. Of course it was different when—” Shinwon interrupted himself once more, but then he seemed to remember that you weren’t at the party anymore and that no one was around to hear. Still, he whispered when he continued, just to be safe. “It was different when Hongseok was still king.”

“Very different,” Changgu agreed. “Hongseok loved the theater.”

“He also loved cookies,” Shinwon added.

“And fun rides.”

“And coffee.”

Changgu nodded excitedly. “He handed out free coffee on all 23rd unbirthdays.”

“He did. Every 23rd.”

“The 23rd unbirthdays are always the best,” Changgu explained.

You looked at him in confusion. “Why?”

Now Changgu was the one looking confused. “Because they are the 23rd, of course.”

“Right,” you nodded slowly even though his explanation didn’t actually explain anything. Still, even if it didn’t make much sense, what you did understand was how fondly they thought of Hongseok. You didn’t know if he’d been a capable king, but he must have been a beloved one.

“Why isn’t he ruling anymore?”

Shinwon laughed, as if it’d been a particularly stupid question. “Because now we have the Queen, dummy. There can’t be a king and a queen.”

You wanted to argue that in fact there usually was both, but you doubted that anything would come of it.

The three of you walked towards the entrance of the dark building when Shinwon suddenly stopped in his tracks and swiveled around to Changgu.

“Do you have cash on you?”

“No, no,” Changgu shook his head, turning his pockets inside out as if to prove his point. A single button fell out and clattered to the floor.

“Oh, no. I am afraid they don't take credit card.” Shinwon sighed with a wistful glance at the dark and empty ticket booth before turning to you. “You don’t happen to have any?”

Your gaze wandered between him and the abandoned theater. “What do you need cash for?”

“To buy a ticket, dummy,” he said with a giggle. “Hare, she doesn’t know you need a ticket to go to a theater.”

“You can’t just go in without a ticket,” Changgu nodded.

"No, I—agh, nevermind."

“You’re so funny, Biscuit.”

You didn’t consider yourself a particularly humorous person, but as long as it made them laugh you supposed it was fine. Still, you didn’t get why you would have to pay to go into an abandoned building where there clearly were no shows running. You checked your pockets anyway, but you had nothing except for an old bubble gum wrapper.

“Hm,” Shinwon looked thoughtful. “Well, I guess it will have to do.”

He took the wrapper from your hand, picked up the button from the street and fished a safety pin out of his own pocket. The random assortment of things was then shoved through the hatch of the ticket booth that was meant for paying. Meanwhile Changgu opened the entrance door to the right of the booth which was barely hanging in its hinges. 

“After you,” he said with a grin and an exaggerated bow.

“Very kind,” Shinwon replied with a nod and a tip of an invisible hat as he stepped past him into the dark lobby of the theater. You followed suit, giving Changgu a quick thanks.

Somehow the building made you feel weary. It was distressing how it looked as if it’d been abandoned from one second to another. There were coats hanging in the cloakroom and a half eaten bucket of popcorn was laying tipped over on the floor, popcorn scattered around it. The whole atmosphere gave you chills.

Shinwon and Changgu didn’t seem to have any such concerns though. The Hatter went straight for the snack counter, starting to rummage through the fridge that was clearly turned off.

“Coke anyone? Or a limo?” He asked, holding up glass bottles, that almost looked like the popular brands you knew, if it wasn’t for the unfamiliar writing.

He didn’t wait for a reply, already setting them onto the counter.

“Do you think we should bring something for Jinho too? You think he'd want a coke? Or something else?”

“Maybe something else.”

Shinwon nodded thoughtfully. “A water? But that's for boring people.”

“Maybe a water,” Changgu agreed anyway.

“Jinho? Are we—are we still talking about a worm here?”

Shinwon bursted into laughter. “A worm! Oh, he would hate that!”

“Wasn’t it a worm?”

He snorted before turning to Changgu. “A worm, Hare! A worm!” He repeated between chuckles, nudging his friend in the side who’d long joined his laughter.

“We shouldn’t ever tell him that.”

“We shouldn’t. He would hate it so much.”

“He would,” Changgu shook himself in delight. “Maybe we should tell him.”

“We should!”

“So, it wasn’t a worm?”

“A caterpillar, Biscuit. He is a caterpillar.”

Jinho was sitting on one of the balconies, watching the empty stage. His head was propped up on one of his hands as he leaned over the balustrade, sipping on a small pouch of red ginseng extract. The dim light in the auditorium gave his dark gray hair a blueish, almost iridescent shimmer that made you want to question if it was real. Still, he was most certainly not a caterpillar.

“A lovely theater, isn’t it?” He mumbled without looking up and you weren’t quite sure who he was talking to.

“Very lovely,” Shinwon was quick to agree but he didn’t sound serious.

“You should have seen it in its heydays,” Jinho continued, turning his head to look at you. “It was truly marvelous.”

He spoke slowly, as if his every word was well considered and it made you nervous. 

You swallowed around the lump in your throat before you replied. “I’m sure it was.”

“Mhm,” he hummed approvingly, then he turned back to the stage. “I’ve been expecting you. You’re late.”

“Oh!” Shinwon chimed in. “Really? I was thinking we should have left a little earlier.”

“Not you, Hatter,” Jinho drawled in response. “Alice.”

“Alice? Which Alice?” Shinwon looked confused. 

Jinho nodded in your direction. “That Alice.”

“I’m not Alice. My name is—”

“Y/n,” he interrupted you with an exasperated sigh. “I know. But you’re also Alice. One does not preclude the other, you foolish rat.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” You couldn’t quite choose between feeling distraught by the fact that he knew your name or offended by his tone, so you settled for both.

“It means exactly what I said. You’re Alice.”

While you still didn’t get what he was trying to say, Shinwon and Changgu looked absolutely flabbergasted, their eyes flicking back and forth between you and Jinho.

“Our Biscuit… is Alice?”

“The Alice?”

“How many times do I need to say it?” Jinho shook his head. “Y/n is the new Alice. That’s how it’s written in the script.”

“It’s written in the script,” Shinwon repeated in disbelief.

Changgu nodded. “Y/n is Alice.”

“Would anyone please explain to me what’s going on? How can I be Alice if I’m me?”

“Because the script says you are.” Jinho squeezed out the last bits of ginseng extract, before shoving the empty package back into the box that was sitting on the seat next to him. “The script is never wrong.”

“What script?”

“The one,” Shinwon explained unhelpfully.

“The only,” Changgu added.

Jinho took out a new pouch of ginseng, his whole focus on the packaging as he slowly and carefully ripped it open. Your eyes automatically followed the movement. 

“I can show you. If you wish to see,” he offered without looking up.

“I—I don’t know. I don’t know what any of this means so I don’t know if I want to see it or not.” You instinctively turned to Shinwon for help, searching his eyes for advice. “Do I?”

He didn’t immediately reply and when he did his voice was unusually calm and collected. “I think you should.”

“Okay,” you nodded slowly before turning to Jinho again. “I want to see.”

He didn’t seem to be in a hurry, calmly emptying the rest of his ginseng extract before getting up from the velvet seat. 

“Let’s go to the prop room then.”

“Oh, the prop room!” Changgu looked excited, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “I haven’t gone there since our last show. It’s been a while!”

Jinho led the way out of the auditorium to narrow stairs at the far back of the hallway. A chain with a handwritten sign was supposed to keep visitors out, but Jinho nonchalantly pulled it to the side.

“Careful,” he warned before going downstairs and not without reason. Fabrics, props and costumes were scattered all over the steps and the handrail, making it feel like an obstacle course. While you slowly followed Jinho, carefully not to trip on anything, Shinwon and Changgu seemed almost delighted, hopping down the steps as if it was a funny game. Though, after seeing the gas station’s backroom it wasn’t as surprising that they weren’t bothered by the mess, you supposed.

Once you’d reached the bottom of the stairs, Jinho pulled a small key out of his pocket and unlocked the wooden door to reveal a room, cramped with more odds and ends. 

Changgu went right in, purposefully taking a handkerchief from one of the zillion shelves. 

“Was wondering where I’d kept that,” he commented happily before stuffing it into his pocket.

Jinho pushed past him with a sigh. “We haven’t taken out the script in a while, and this is how you act? Some adequacy, if you please.”

“Don’t be such a killjoy, Worm.”

Jinho’s head snapped around to Shinwon, giving him a death glare. “Worm?”

Shinwon just shrugged lightheartedly. “Right, Caterpillar. My bad.”

“These kids,” Jinho shook his head before turning his attention back to you. “Let’s take a look, shall we?”

He took your hand and pulled you along to the far back of the room, where a wooden chest was covered with a bunch of colorful fabrics. Jinho shoved them aside to reveal the little metal lock that he opened with another key from his pocket, before pushing up the lid of the chest. It was empty except for a stitched booklet that looked like a regular manuscript for a musical or a theater piece. Jinho took it out and thumbed through the pages until he abruptly stopped, his finger pointing to one of the lines.

“We’re here.”

You stared at the scripture written in the same unfamiliar letters as everything else in this world.

“I can’t read that.”

“Ah, right.” 

Jinho closed the booklet briefly before opening it again, his fingers still marking the page. When you looked this time, you were surprised to find that it was written in letters you were able to read. Your eyes scanned the lines Jinho was pointing to, and you were overcome with a feeling of disbelief.

Caterpillar: We’re here. Alice: I can’t read that. Caterpillar: Ah, right.

Below that, the sentences seemed to be incomplete, only bits and pieces that were scattered on the paper.

“How is that possible?” you asked and right as you spoke the words started appearing in the script.

“It’s the script,” Jinho explained calmly. “That’s what it does. It documents and it predicts. It assigns roles and it decides the plot.”

“That’s right,” Shinwon nodded meaningfully but your eyes were still glued to the page, watching as everything they said formed on the paper.

“And as you can see, y/n, your role is Alice,” Jinho continued. “At least for now.”

“For now? What does that mean?”

“Well, you’re the replacement,” Changgu stared into the distance with a nostalgic shimmer in his eyes. “The old Alice is no more.”

“Did they…die?”

“Died? No, no, he is fine.” Shinwon pressed out between laughter so hard, he had to hold his stomach. “He would whine so much about this. I can practically hear his voice: ‘Don’t say something like that! Don’t jinx me!’ So funny.”

“Wooseok fulfilled his role,” Jinho explained calmly. “So now he is only Wooseok, in the same way you were only y/n before you became Alice.”

You sighed. “I don’t remember applying for the role, though.”

Jinho rolled his eyes. “Very funny.”

“So, what does it mean? Is me being Alice the reason that I’m stuck in this weird parallel universe?”

“What’s a parallel universe?” Changgu whispered, nudging Shinwon in the side.

“Surely the opposite of an unparallel iverse,” Shinwon whispered back.

“Ah.”

Jinho didn’t pay them any attention. “Not exactly. You’re stuck in this weird parallel universe—”

“That’s the opposite of an unparallel iverse,” Changgu interjected.

“—because you followed the rabbit through the Looking Glass. He was supposed to directly bring you here—but well, there’ve been some circumstances.”

“I didn’t follow anyone through a looking glass though.”

“Mhm, not purposely,” Jinho hummed. “You fell right in.”

“The sewer?”

Jinho scrunched his face in disgust. “Not the sewer. The reflection. The mirror image on the water surface.”

“So if I fell in—can I fall out again?”

“Oh, it doesn’t work like that, foolish Alice.”

“Foolish Biscuit,” Shinwon echoed, but his voice had a fond undertone to it.

“You have to fulfill your role first. Then you can go back.”

You nodded slowly. That at least meant there was a way back. “So, what do I have to do?”

“Right, that’s the tricky part, dear Alice. The script never reveals the full plot until it happens.”

“Are you saying I have to fulfill my part without even knowing what that is?!”

Jinho shook his head and skipped to a later page in the script. “We do know some things.”

The page was almost blank, only scraps of a conversation readable.

Queen of Hearts: Alice?!           You betrayed me Queen of Hearts:      What have you done to me?     hurt so much Queen of Hearts:   I'm dying

You stared at the words, an uncomfortable feeling spreading in your stomach. You had an inkling but you still asked anyway.

“What does this mean?”

“You will kill him,” Shinwon whispered. “You will end his reign.”

“No.” You shook your head. “I can’t—I can’t possibly kill anyone. Can’t someone else do it?”

Jinho shook his head. “It has to be you. He won’t die if it isn’t you.”

“But—how would I do it anyway?”

“I'm sure there are plenty of options. The King would know. Poison, maybe.”

Poison. You shuddered at the mere prospect of it; the body cramping up and lips turning purple—a gruesome thought.

“I can’t.”

“You’ve seen his cruelty. He doesn’t deserve any better,” Jinho said calmly. “And it will happen anyway. The plot may not be all written out yet, but that which is written will happen with certainty. Unless, of course, you die before that. Then a different Alice would have to take your place.”

“Unless I die?”

He shrugged. “If you’re careful that shouldn’t happen. So don’t worry about it too much, just follow along.”

Your head was spinning with all of this. Of course you wanted to go home, but could you really kill someone? But what if it was the only chance to go back? And if what Jinho said was true then was there even a use to think about what you wanted? It would happen, whether you resisted it or not. The only way out was dying, so there wasn’t even a decision for you to make, not really.

“Okay, fine,” you pressed out eventually. “I’ll fulfill my role. I’ll be Alice.”

A small smile tugged at the corners of Jinho’s lips. “I knew you would say that.”

“But how would I even get close enough to do it?” You asked Jinho while he locked the booklet in the chest again. “Does the script say anything about that too?”

“Not too much,” he admitted. “But I am convinced a chance will present itself. The Queen has his eyes on you.”

His words had you incredibly worried. You’d seen his cruel games and you’d felt his piercing gaze on you—just the prospect of having to be in his presence again terrified you. 

No, the Queen didn’t seem like the type of person you’d want to have the attention of. You would much rather be invisible than to be seen by him. Yanan surely wouldn’t be afraid of him; he could just turn invisible if things got dicey. You still remembered the cat’s cheeky smile before he’d disappeared on you. In fact, it was ingrained so clearly in your brain, you almost thought you saw it in the corner of the room. But when you blinked nothing was there.

You shook yourself out of it, focusing back on the problem at hand.

“But he doesn’t know, right? That I’m Alice?”

“No one knows,” Jinho reassured. “Only a selected few. The Rabbit. And the people in this room. Though,” he threw a quick glance at Changgu who was playing around with some props on a shelf, “who knows how long the Hare will remember. He tends to be a bit scatter-brained.”

“So, what now?” You asked once the three of you were outside the theater building again.

“Hm, I guess we need to go see Hongseok. I’m sure he’ll have some poison for you,” Shinwon replied and you almost flinched at his words. How could he say it so casually, as if it wasn’t a big deal? As if you weren’t supposed to kill someone with it?

“Off to the White Castle we go,” Changgu agreed. “The King is the best address for anyone seeking leach or lotion or poison or potions.”

“Hare! You can’t call him that. Not here.” Shinwon reprimanded him, his eyes searching the streets around you cautiously.

“Right, right. The Un-King, the Used-To-Be-King, the No-More-King,” Changgu corrected. “Either way, chemistry has always been Hongseok’s strong suit.”

You weren’t sure if brewing lethal poison was really part of regular chemistry, but you’d been curious about Hongseok anyway after everything they’d said and it wasn’t like you had a better idea.

“Wooseok will be there too,” Shinwon looked at you with a small smile. “Maybe you’d feel better after talking to him.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

You walked through the city for a bit. It was deserted again, no traces of all the people who’d still been out a while ago to attend the Queen’s so-called party. As if the sky had decided to match your mood, it had turned all black by now, lit up only by the crescent moon that was hidden behind thin clouds. Time seemed to be a little off here, and you thought you could understand the Rabbit a bit. Who wouldn’t be in a constant hurry if time passed almost randomly?

“Where’s everyone?” You eventually asked when you turned into yet another street that was completely void of people.

“It’s after the curfew,” Shinwon explained.

“Yes, the curfew,” Changgu was quick to nod. “Once the sky turned fully black, it's for the best to hurry back.”

“If the sun has fully set, it is time to go to bed,” Shinwon added.

“If the sky is in the moon, the knave of hearts will get you soon.”

“But Hare, that’s not how it goes. The moon is in the sky.”

“Hm, hm, right, that’s not how it goes,” Changgu repeated thoughtfully before his eyes widened with an epiphany. “Ah! If the moon is in the sky, fear the red Knave’s dreadful eye. For if he spots you in the street, a dire fate is what you’ll meet.”

He looked at you with a proud smile after he was done reciting his little poem, but you couldn’t really share his enthusiasm.

“So, we’re not supposed to be outside right now?”

“You’re so smart, Biscuit!”

“Then shouldn’t we go inside? And who’s the Knave anyway?” you asked, the term feeling a little familiar.

“Of Hearts,” Shinwon replied. “The Knave, that is.”

“The Knave of Hearts?”

“Yes, that’s right. He’s the Queen’s right-hand man.”

“You might have seen him at the party,” Changgu chimed in. “He has a scary look. And his birthday is in January.”

“Why does that matter?” You asked in confusion.

“Oh, it doesn’t. But it means he has an unbirthday today and instead of celebrating he’s surely out on patrol.”

“You must know me very well,” a deep voice suddenly sounded from behind you, making Changgu’s ears perk up in interest.

A man stepped out of the darkness of a house entrance, and the moment the dim light of the street lantern fell onto him, you recognized him as the guy with the wavy hair from the party. You remembered him well—mostly because of the gun that was surely tucked into the waistband of his pants even now.

“If it isn’t the Knave of Hearts himself,” Shinwon exclaimed with a delighted tone. “It’s been so long, Yuto, the last time must have been when—right, you probably wouldn’t want to talk about that. It was a dark day for your Queen after all.”

“Hatter,” Yuto replied with a straight face, his tone void of any emotion. “Always a pleasure.”

Then his eyes fell onto you.

“I see you still have your visitor with you. I would say their little scene today wasn’t a source of amusement for the Queen, but that would be a lie. In fact, Hyunggu was very amused.”

His words made a cold shiver run down your spine and you automatically took a small step back. 

“Oh, yes, our Biscuit is a very humorous person,” Shinwon replied, his voice still light but he held out his arm in front of you protectively.

Yuto huffed a laugh before glancing at the dark sky. “Still, violating the rules isn’t a funny matter. Why aren’t you in your cozy little hideout yet, Hatter?”

“We’re on our way!” Shinwon said.

Changgu nodded over-enthusiastically. “Yes, yes, on our way. Almost home!”

“Better hurry then. I won’t be as kind next time.” With that, Yuto turned around to go his way, leaving you with an anxious feeling in your stomach.

Shinwon let out a small sigh as soon as he was out of sight. “That was a close call. Now, let’s hurry, let’s hurry. I wouldn’t want to run into him twice. Not a very funny fellow.”

Shinwon and Changgu didn’t seem particularly shaken by the encounter. After a few steps they were back to their giddy selves. You on the other hand couldn’t stop yourself from checking each dark corner for a person hiding in the shadows.

When you spotted the ferris wheel towering above the surrounding buildings you started to suspect where you were headed: the amusement park. You couldn’t remember the last time you’d been there, but just like the theater it was a place with fond memories to you. 

Once you reached the entrance, Wonderland written on the archway in weathered letters, you had to find that there was none of the usual hustle and bustle. The park laid before you abandoned and still, solely the lights of the castle in the middle of the artificial lake flickered weakly in the distance. What used to be a vibrant, lively place looked washed out now, the fun rides and booths overgrown with patches of moss and their colors bleached out by the sun.

“Aaaand we made it,” Shinwon said as soon as he stepped through the entrance. 

“But we’re still outside?”

“Outside but not really. The curfew isn’t in force here.”

You looked around in confusion. You didn’t really see a reason why anything would be different on the grounds of the amusement park. “Why not?”

“Because the White King’s protective spell takes effect here. It keeps heartlings from entering. Even the Queen can’t enter,” Shinwon explained.

“The Queen isn’t as powerful as he’d like to make everyone believe,” Changgu added with a nod, as he headed straight for the shabby pedal boats in the shape of swans that were floating on the calm surface of the lake. 

He pulled one a little closer to the pier, gesturing for you to get in. When you set foot onto the boat it started to wobble dangerously and Changgu held out his hand to steady you, not letting go until you were safely sitting on the bench in the back. Shinwon got on next, taking one of the two front seats and Changgu hopped on last, after untying the rope from the metal loop on the pier. The two of them set to work, pedaling the little boat towards the small castle. As a child you had always dreamed of going there, but it hadn’t been open to the public, the pretty front just a means of decoration. Now though, there was no fence separating the little island from unwanted visitors, and the two of them easily steered the boat onto the narrow shore.

Changgu got off first, tying the rope around one of the two flagpoles that were positioned left and right of the castle. You remembered them to fly flags with the logo of the amusement park but now they were white, depicting a silver pentagon with a snowflake in the middle. The emblem of the White King, you supposed. The three of you walked the cobblestone path up to the entrance of the castle. Now that you were standing directly in front of it, it seemed way bigger than the decorative fake in your memory. It probably was bigger. 

Shinwon didn’t bother knocking on the double wing door before pushing it open and stepping inside. The lobby was all white, from the marble floor to the chandelier and it almost felt blinding.

“Hello?” Shinwon yelled into the building with the same tone you’d had at the gas station earlier today and you wondered if it was on purpose. “Hellooo?”

“Eh?” A honey blond head of hair appeared on the second floor, leaning over the handrail. “Shinwon? Changgu?”

Changgu raised his hand in a tiny wave, a dorky smile on his lips. “Hi.”

“What are you doing here?” The guy asked as he walked towards the stairs and made his way down. “And who’s your friend?”

“Y/n,” you introduced yourself before anyone could beat you to it and say Alice or Biscuit.

The guy came to a halt in front of you and only now you realized how incredibly tall he was. There was nothing intimidating about him though as he looked at you through big doe eyes. His hair was combed back in neat waves and he was wearing a sweater vest that was loose even on his lanky frame.

“Wooseok,” he introduced himself and held out his hand in a greeting. In comparison to everyone else he seemed surprisingly normal.

“So, what are you doing here?”

“We’re looking for Hongseok,” Shinwon explained, slipping out of his shoes and leaving them by the entrance as if he was visiting someone else’s apartment and not the prop castle of an amusement park. Changgu did the same though and you realized Wooseok was wearing slippers as well, so you too toed out of your shoes. Surprisingly enough, the marble floor didn’t feel very cold beneath your feet at all.

“He’s in the kitchen,” Wooseok nodded towards a corridor to his right.

“Alright!” 

Shinwon sauntered down the hall with the casualty of someone who’d been there a thousand times before and Changgu followed along just as naturally. You were a few steps behind them, Wooseok next to you. He kept glancing over to you curiously but didn’t say anything.

“Hongseok!” Shinwon greeted just a bit too loudly as he threw open a door to reveal a spacious kitchen.

A man with curly brown hair looked up in surprise, his hands covered in flour and a white apron tied around his waist.

“Oh, Hatter. And Hare.” He went over to the sink and rinsed his hands before his gaze fell on you. “And another guest?”

“Yes, this is—”

“Alice!” Changgu interrupted his friend, visibly excited about sharing the news.

“Alice?” Wooseok’s head snapped around to you and he stared at you with wide eyes. “So, you’re—you’re not from here?”

You just looked back at him. You’d already been told that Wooseok was the old Alice, but it hadn’t even occurred to you that maybe he too wasn’t from this universe.

“Now, now,” Hongseok walked over to you, wiping his wet hands on his apron. “We shouldn’t corner our new Alice like that. What’s your name?”

“Y/n.”

“A pretty name,” he smiled and gently squeezed your hand. “I’m Hongseok, the White King, but you might have heard. Wooseok was our last Alice, but his part has already played out.”

“Yes, yes,” Shinwon interrupted. “Biscuit already knows all that. But what we don’t know yet is how to kill the Queen of Hearts.”

“Oh,” Hongseok’s eyes widened in surprise. “Is that your part?”

“Seems like it,” you murmured, not withholding that you weren’t exactly fond of it all.

“Mhm, so it’s that time already. It’s really coming to this.” With a swift movement of his hand he motioned for the others to leave. “Give us a moment, will you?”

They did as they were told, though Wooseok lingered a moment longer before actually stepping out and closing the door behind him. 

“Do you want to drink something? A coffee? A hot chocolate? I have cookies too.”

You were inclined to say no, but when you gave it another thought you realized you hadn’t eaten anything in quite a while and could also really use the comfort of a hot drink. Hongseok prepared a hot chocolate and a plate of cookies for you, while you sat down at the small table in the corner of the room. Once he was done he sat down across from you, his eyes calm and gentle. After how Shinwon and Changgu had talked about him, it shouldn’t have surprised you, but it still amazed you how different his whole aura was compared to the Queen of Hearts. Where the Queen had been intimidating and rash, Hongseok radiated kindness and patience.

“Here,” He mumbled after a moment, nudging the plate of cookies a bit in your direction to encourage you to try some. “They are good, I promise. I only just made them this morning.”

You hesitantly took one and started to nibble on it, only to find that Hongseok had been way too humble—it tasted amazing.

“See? They are good right?” He looked a little proud when you nodded. “So, do you want to tell me about it? About what’s written in the script?”

In all honesty, you didn’t. But it seemed like he wanted to help so you told him about everything that you’d found out at the theater. Through it all, Hongseok listened calmly.

“So now,” you concluded your story, “I have to find a way to actually do it.”

“Well,” Hongseok nodded slowly, “here’s the thing: the Queen of Hearts is not easily harmed. Not just anyone can—it has to be Alice. And even then, there’s only one weakness.” 

“Which?” 

“The heart.”

“The heart?” In a way it seemed plausible for that to be the weakness of someone called the Queen of Hearts, but at the same time it seemed a little too simple.

“Yes.”

“How do I do it then?”

“Mhm,” he got up from his chair and walked towards a glass cabinet with a zillion little bottles and jars inside.

“I know of two ways. One is this,” he held up a little test glass with a dark red liquid in it. You swallowed around the lump in your throat. 

“Poison?” 

“It's the blood of the Jabberwocky to be precise. But poison describes it just fine. Once it gets into your body it will pollute your blood and ultimately make your heart stop.”

Maybe it wouldn’t be that hard. You could just add some to his food. Still, the thought of being able to feel it invading your blood circulation made your skin crawl. “And the other way?” 

“I doubt you’ll like it.” 

“What is it?” 

Hongseok sighed before opening the drawer beneath the glass cabinet. He pulled out a silver dagger so radiant it almost looked white. He held it out to you and you hesitated before you stood up and took it with trembling fingers. It was lighter than you’d expected and ice cold to the touch. 

“If you stab him with that—but it needs to be right in the heart.”

That was definitely worse. You would never be able to actually go through with something like that.

“I couldn’t,” you pressed out, holding it out in your open palm for Hongseok to take it back. 

But he gently closed your hand around the hilt again. 

“You don’t have to use it. But keep it, just in case.” 

“There won’t be a case.” 

“All the better.”

Hongseok had invited all three of you to spend the night in the castle, so you wouldn’t have to go out during the curfew again. The room you’d gotten was fancy and as white and shiny as the rest of the castle’s interior. In the middle of it was a soft bed that smelled like vanilla and fresh snow and just waited for you to slip under the covers, but you felt restless. You paced the room, unable to tune out that there was a dagger and a little heart shaped pendant with poison laying on your nightstand. This definitely wasn’t how you’d expected your day to end. It seemed to have gone downhill from the moment you’d stepped foot to that cursed party, but when Shinwon had talked about the Caterpillar having answers, there’d been a sliver of hope flaring up inside of you. Now, there was nothing left of that.

Even though you’d gotten your answer on how to get back to your world, you didn’t feel relieved in the slightest. All you could think of was the horrifying things you’d have to go through before finally going back. And the worst part was that you didn’t seem to have a choice, not really. Even if you decided it wasn’t worth it and you’d just stay—what was written in the script would happen either way.

series masterlist // character introduction // ptg masterlist

#kpop scenarios #pentagon headcanons #pentagon reactions #pentagon scenarios #pentagon imagines #pentagon x reader #hui x reader #hoetaek x reader #jinho x reader #hongseok x reader #shinwon x reader #yeo one x reader #changgu x reader #yan an x reader #yanan x reader #yuto x reader #kino x reader #hyunggu x reader #wooseok x reader #kebbis.writing #ptg ttlg

[john-kramers-left-sock]

Inktober Day 7: Drip

Pairing: John Kramer x Reader

SFW

(This is the edited version because I changed the direction of my story)

"Come on, there's no one here. Let's just take a quick look," your boyfriend of six months, Sam, encouraged you and your friends to step through the gap in the chain-link fence. The abandoned warehouse towers over your entire group, covering the moon and casting a dark shadow on the land around you.

"I don't know about this, guys. What if we get caught? There have to be cameras or something around the property. I mean, it's not like we're the first ones to try this," Emma, your best friend raised her concern to the group. It was mainly met with eye rolls and a couple of groans.

"You gotta be kidding me. It's just an old warehouse. Wait, are you scared that it's haunted or something?" The bad boy of the group, Eric, snickered slightly. He wrapped an arm around Emma, mocking a ghostly moan. "Woooo I'm the ghost of of a warehouse worker named Bob! I'm going to bore you to death by talking about my kids and my erectile disfunction!"

"Knock it off, Eric. It's fine for people to be freaked out with this kind of thing. I mean, it's pretty dark out," Ben gently pulled Eric away from Emma, his brows slightly furrowed in concern.

"It's Halloween night! What's better than going to a creepy, abandoned building? Who knows, we coulf find a body or something," Sam replied with a smirk. He looked at you, a grin on his freckled face. "Besides, (Y/n) is pretty good at this urban exploring stuff, right?"

"Well, I've only done it once before. It's not like I'm an expert," you awkwardly attempt to explain to your friends, rubbing the chills from your arms. "We should just be careful. If it seems dangerous, we'll just leave. Besides, I'm sure an old building like this has interesting history."

"Yeah yeah, we don't need a history lesson. Let's just get inside. It's gonna start raining soon," Eric pushed his way past you and Sam, crawling under the gap in the fence. One by one each person slipped through, making it to the imposing warehouse before them.

"Wait, there's no lock?" Emma said in a surprised tone as the group gathered in front of the large doors. It was clear that it had been chained up before, but not right now. "We should head back, someone might be in there."

"No chance. There's not a single car around and the front gate is still chained up. Maybe the last people who snuck in left it unlocked. Let's go," Sam pulled the door open without questioning, waiting for everyone to enter the warehouse.

As you enter, you catch the sign nailed to the outside wall. DO NOT ENTER is printed out on the metal shape, years of wear leaving it covered in rust. Your instincts tell you one thing, but your curiosity wins out in the end. You enter the warehouse, watching Sam shut the door behind you.

'Damn, it's dark in here. Stick close, guys," Ben pulled out his phone, turning on the flashlight and shining it across the room. It doesn't look very special, with worn furniture scattered across the room and rusted tools on the floor. The rafters creek on their own and a dripping sound can be heard in the distance. "I was expecting it to be more... Terrifying."

"Well, maybe this is just a front. Who knows, there might still be some stuff hidden around here. Let's look around," you suggest, looking over every detail. The group stays close together, checking each room. Most of it was empty, having been cleared out when the warehouse was shut down. As you continued, the dripping noise got louder and louder.

"Woah, look at this," Ben speaks up after shining his flashlight to the right. The light hits a large metal door. It was solid and heavy, almost like the entrance to a vault. Ben approached it first, pressing his ear to the metal. "I think I hear that dripping coming from in here."

"Now you're talking. Move, I'll get it open," Eric rolled up his sleeves and grabbed the handle. He pulled with all of his strength, expecting it to be locked. However, the door swings open, sending him to the ground with a thud.

"Are you ok?" Emma rushes to Eric's side, kneeling to check him over. Her lips purse in concern when she sees a scratch on his arm. "That looked like it hurt. Hold still, I have a bandaid."

While Emma tended to Eric, you, Sam, and Ben approached the large door. Glancing inside, the room was empty, but far cleaner than any of the place in the warehouse. You step inside, hearing the dripping coming from the ceiling. Liquid would form on the surface before dripping down to the floor below.

"That's weird, this is too dark to be water," you mumble to yourself as you step inside the room, holding out your hand. After catching a drop, you gaze down at the substance. It looks to be red, and a strong smell of iron hits your senses.

Suddenly, the metal door slams shut, locking behind you. You whirl around, panicking as you bang your fists on the door. "Guys?! This isn't funny! Let me out!" You yelled, trying to twist the handle. From the other side, you can hear small dull thuds and yelps, before an overwhelming silence hits. "Guys...?"

No one responds to the sound of your voice. You stand there in silence, thoughts racing. Just when you think that this is some messed up dream, you hear a voice from the corner of the room. A speaker sits on the ground, a raspy voice muttering through it.

"Hello (Y/n), I want to play a game."

#saw 2004 #saw franchise #saw x #saw movies #john kramer x reader #john #john kramer #kramer #x reader #inktober #horror #writing #writing prompt #saw #x #reader #self insert #insert #halloween #scary

[areyoudreaminof]

Sludge

A short piece I wrote about depression and anxiety. Please proceed mindfully.

It settles in your chest, first.

You don’t notice it. Perhaps it snuck in while you were sleeping, because when you wake up, it has latched onto your ribs and sternum. It is slightly heavy, like the hum of static and air before a storm. Absently, you rub your chest, willing for the feeling of unease to settle.

But it doesn’t.

At some point, the weight begins to feel sticky. A tar begins to seep into your stomach. A conversation with a friend suddenly feels like a warning. The weight begins to stretch up your neck and into your ear.

Do you really think they care what you have to say? It seems to whisper.

You’re surprised by the voice. It’s never spoken before. But as you try and talk to people that you love, people that you admire, you keep hearing it.

Spare them the headache. They don’t like you, they never will.

But you still try to argue, they have lives, you say. They are busy.

Of course they have lives, it says with a laugh, but what makes you think you deserve a part in it?

They stop talking, or maybe it’s you. But the conversations around you buzz like a hive, high in a branch you cannot reach. So you begin to back away, as the voice in your ear gets louder.

It’s not a whisper anymore, it’s clear as a bell in your ear. And soon, the weight drags down your shoulders and fingers. The cloying scent of rot begins to fill your nose. The weight, like quicksilver, as slithered into your face. It’s hard to smile, to keep your eyes open. You take that dark purple liquid that tastes like grapes to put you to sleep every night. When you sleep, you can’t hear the voice.

Every morning, you force your eyes open, as sludge cakes around your lids, and the weight has pressed you into the dip in the mattress. You stare at the wall, willing to get up. You had art on that wall once, but you took it down. You didn’t want to stare at something beautiful anymore, you think.

The voice doesn’t need to speak anymore, instead it just laughs every move you make as it feasts on your marrow. It slurps your blood and leaves behind filth for you to clean up. But you have nothing to clean it with.

Time has slouched its shoulders and dragged its feet suddenly. It’s only Tuesday? You ask yourself, It’s still afternoon? When can I sleep? You force your body to get through the day, just so you can sleep.

The rain comes softly at first. You’re so heavy and filthy, you didn’t notice the wall of black and green clouds on the horizon. Soft raindrops hit your face, as the smell of creosote unfurls around you. You loved that smell as a child, when you roamed around the desert you grew up in.

Then the wind picks up, as sheets of rain whip your back. The howls of wind and the clash of thunder has silenced the voice in your head, but it’s angry at being silenced, so it grips your throat tightly and you gasp for air as the world around you washes away.

When you wake, it is to silence.

You are covered in sludge and filth still, but the voice is gone. You are so tired, though. You think you’ll stay here for a minute.

The suns rays touch your face, making the crusted mud all over you itch. Warm lights begin to bother your eyes, even though you’ve kept them closed. You take another breath, and the air feels cleaner somehow. So you sit up and look around. You strain your ears and listen.

And you are met with the sounds of birds and wind.

Looking down at your body, you start to pick and peel at the tar the voice left behind. Sticky and gelatinous, you claw it off of your face and neck, your chest and arms. You’ll have to scrape it out with something under your nails and in your ears, but you need to move.

You start taking steps towards the break in the clouds. The sky that peeks from beneath the clouds is a rich blue, you feel like you could touch it.

So you begin to walk forward, into the light.

#original writing #cw: depression

[hawkeykirsah]

So, this was originally supposed to be my fifth prompt fill for the Codywan Sleep Bingo that I didn't finish in time, so now you get it about three months too late.

Prompt used: Sleep position Back to Back Words: ~880 Rating G

Fic is under the cut!

Ghost Company had been on this Force-forsaken planet too long, if anyone asked Cody.

Nearly two weeks of trudging through ankle-deep mud, rain continuously sleeting from rolling gray skies, pooling into large puddles, the rivers bursting their banks. It was cold and damp and fucking miserable.

Communications with the rest of the 212th—be it on-planet or on the Negotiator—were spotty at best, courtesy of the deep valleys cutting through the mountains, and each evening brought the same course of action: the search for a comparatively dry campsite.

Boil was the one to shout out this time, his outstretched hand pointing at a slightly darker spot in the face of the rock to their right.

“I think you might be right,” Obi-Wan said, squinting through the sheet of rain pelting down on them. “Wait here, I’ll be right back.” And with that he took off, jumping easily from rock to rock. 

It didn’t take long for Cody’s com to crackle, Obi-Wan’s voice filtering through for all to hear, “Tell Boil very well done indeed. It opens to a nice, dry cave. Watch out when you close up, the last ten meters are pretty slippery.”

“He heard you, General,” Cody replied, watching his ARF trooper preen at the General’s words. “Moving to your position now.”

#

The cave was a tight fit for the platoon but it was dry. They set up camp quickly, routine making sure everything ran like clockwork, and still it was near midnight before Cody found himself sitting beside Obi-Wan by a fire. Around them the men that weren’t on guard duty had settled for the night, quiet murmurs filling the air before they slowly went to sleep one by one.

Cody moved slightly, gaze sweeping through the cave once more, his back brushing against Obi-Wan’s. He winced. There wasn’t really much room to stretch out. 

“That alright, sir?” he asked, glancing at the general over his shoulder, hesitating to lean against him more fully.

“Certainly,” came the soft reply, followed by, “if you don’t mind?” as Obi-Wan shifted, settling more firmly against Cody. It couldn’t be very comfortable with Cody in his armor but Obi-Wan seemed unbothered by the discomfort.

A small smile snuck onto his face, “Not at all.”

“Try to get some rest, Cody. The men have things well in hand.”

“You, too, sir,” he replied, stifling a yawn, and relaxed against Obi-Wan’s broad back..

He returned his attention to his surroundings, gazing out at the curtains of rain beyond the cave entrance and the guard post set up just inside. He nodded to himself, satisfied, eyes growing increasingly heavy until they slipped shut.

#

Typo rubbed the sleep out of his eyes when Gearshift roused him to take over a watch. He got up and stretched, making room for the other to lie down. Blaze was already up, talking to Crys. All three had their eyes trained away from the cave entrance. Frowning, Typo followed their line of sight and started. There, back to back, sat the general and the commander, heads tilted back and leaning against each other.

A holorecorder clicked beside him and he turned his head to see Wooley wink at him.

“For our collection,” he said, keeping his voice low.

“Collection?” Typo asked, gathering the last of his gear.

“Mhm. We have a collection of holos of the Commander and the General falling asleep together on missions.”

There were several other telltale clinking sounds.

“So…I can take a holo of them?” he asked, adjusting his helmet. He didn’t have any other means of capturing an image.

“Yes, as long as it stays in the 212th unless Cody or Obi-Wan give the okay to share it more publicly. I’d go with asking the General, he’s easier that way,” Crys confirmed, suddenly appearing at his side. “Better get to your station before Cody wakes up and sees there’s nobody guarding the entrance.”

Typo nodded and quickly made his way over, but not before snapping an image.

#

Cody woke to something tickling his nose and the sound of low voices and hustling and bustling around him. He blinked lazily, finding himself looking at what seemed to be Obi-Wan’s ear and a strand of reddish hair. Right. He'd apparently fallen asleep leaning against his general on the dusty floor of a cave. Hopefully nobody had—

Click!

—taken a holo yet.

“Morning, Commander!” Waxer said cheerfully, not even bothering to hide the holorecorder in his hands. “You look almost comfy.”

Cody scowled at him because, fuck, he was stiff, when a slight shaking at his back caught his attention. Obi-Wan was laughing softly, tilting his head further back on Cody’s shoulder and looking up at Waxer. If Cody turned his head to the side he could easily brush a kiss to his cheek. He pushed that thought aside.

“Good morning, Waxer. Did you get all the holos you wanted?” Obi-Wan said, amusement coloring his voice despite the raspiness of sleep.

“And then some, sir,” came the reply.

“Well,” Obi-Wan said easily, standing up and dusting off his trousers before offering Cody a hand up, “you can all show us later but first let’s see if we can’t get off this blasted rock.”

Cody nodded, stopping Waxer before he could leave, and said, "show me."

He looked at the holo and nodded again, the corners of his mouth twitching to smile. Maybe it wasn't so bad after all.

#codywan #star wars: the clone wars #fanfiction #hawk writes #my writing

[aggravateddurian]

Brother's Shadow | The Bitch from Heywood Saves Christmas

Gather around children, while I tell you the story of the time La Perra de Heywood had to fight the Present Scavs on Christmas Eve.

Full story below, told to us by everyone's favourite Godly servant, Sebastian Ibarra.

Warning: contains the Padre trying (and failing) to censor canon-typical violence to an audience of children.

It was a dark and stormy Christmas Eve in Heywood, acid rain fell from the heavens. The rain was so heavy, not even AVs could fly. The skies were filled only with the rumbling of storm clouds.

Not knowing this, Santa's AV was caught by surprise. The storm disabled Santa's sensors. Taking the opportunity to ruin Christmas for every kid in Heywood, the detestable Present Scavs shot down Santa's AV.

It was a disaster! Presents for all the good boys and girls of Heywood were scattered across the Badlands. Santa could think of nothing else to do but contact God's earthly servant in Heywood to save Christmas before it was too late. He called the Padre, who called the best merc in Heywood for the job: Vicky Santiago, the Bitch of Heywood...

"But, Padre, isn't it mean to call people 'bitch'?"

"Well, yes, but that's what she calls herself. When you're older, and you join the Valentinos, you'll understand."

'Twas not long before she made her way out to the Badlands. While her techie friend helped repair the damage to Santa's AV, Vicky was already on the trail of the nefarious Present Scavs. They had stolen all of Heywood's presents, and taken them to their camp in the Badlands. They had opened up the presents, and were playing with their toys... but that was where they had made their critical mistake.

For you see, Santa had gifted some of the children of Heywood with Nerf guns... and now, these guns, and their ammunition, were just lying around the camp.

There were too many for Vicky to take on all at once. She had to use stealth. She snuck around the camp, knocking out the guards and stealing their nerf guns. Soon, they began to realise they were under attack, and a nerf gun battle ensued. Vicky quickly dispatched them with her superior nerf gun skills, and soon found herself face to face with the leader of the Present Scavs.

He was the size of three fully grown men, and his arms had upon them deployable candy canes. It would be a hand-to-hand battle.

"What happened, Padre? Did she defeat the Scav boss?"

But of course! The Scav boss may have been bigger, stronger, tougher and even faster, but he lacked something Vicky didn't - Christmas spirit. With the power of God at her side, she easily dispatched the Scav boss by making him eat the whole candy cane. He was filled with Christmas cheer, and he surrendered the presents back to Santa... who then flattened the Scav camp with a missile strike from his AV.

That year, the kids of Heywood got twice the amount of presents.

"Woah!"

Now, run along back to your families. If you're good, and your parents pay their protection fees to the Valentinos, next year I'll tell you the story about how a Mox BD editor and a netrunner teamed up with Morgan Blackhand to stop Saburo Arasaka from cancelling Easter...

#cyberpunk 2077 #virtual photography #oc: vicky santiago #the woman who could've been v #la perra de heywood #sebastian ibarra #merry christmas #short story

[bonny-kookoo]

Jungkook: 𝐀𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐫 (ᴅʀᴀʙʙʟᴇ)

In which sometimes, you have to choose between what's best for you, and what's the right thing to do.

Tags/Warnings: listen I swear this is the last Alien!Jungkook I swear, someone please stop me, angst, near death situation, mentions of running away/homelessness, it's an idea, please comment or send asks if you want more of this, these meds be kicking mh dreams are so lucid

Length: mid

Drabble 1 || Drabble 2 | ???

♥━━━━━━━━━━━♡━━━━━━━━━━━━♥

You're torn.

While he's clearly the same kind that's currently on the hunt for you to bring you back to your destroyed home planet, he also clearly needs help to survive. He's barely breathing, chest hardly moving as he struggles visibly to hang onto life. His clothes are soaked, his skin is pale, lips turning blue and eyes closed shut.

You don't know how he got in this situation- but somehow, he reminds you of yourself a little. You're clumsy after all- constantly hurting yourself on accident, legs almost always littered in bruises from accidentally hitting tables and other furniture.

Though nowadays, it's more or less from your little illegal adventure to this planet.

Earth is basically dying; with no recourses left and the remaining one's heavily limited and restricted, humans riot more than they live their lifes, and some, like you, try to escape elsewhere in hopes of a different and better future. You've snuck yourself onto a cargo spaceship, and made it to Arion- and while your life is hectic and you don't have a home, it's definitely a lot calmer than back on earth, were people constantly riot and fight over the littlest of things.

You slip a little as you make yourself down the slippery sides of the creek, scratching your thigh harshly, provably drawing blood. But by now, your mind has been made up- you're gonna get him out, call for help- and as soon as you made sure he'd been noticed, you'd just run as fast as you could.

Yeah, that's a good plan.

His eyes barely open as you approach him, head turning to the side to glance at you- but he doesn't say anything, doesn't move otherwise, as if he knows there's no use in it anyways. You're chewing on the inside of your cheek as you think about how to get him out of the cold water- freezing river already biting harshly at your own legs, pants soaking with it instantly- you can't imagine how horrible it must be for him. "sorry.." you apologize in advance, before tugging on his arm, slowly pulling him out of the riverbed and onto the side. He groans in pain for a second, and you apologize under your breath again.

Though you're not sure if he understands.

While the race living on this planet seems to be very aware of human language, it's not the same for everyone. Politicians from this planet speak the human language just fine, and you've read somewhere in a news headline that they apparently are able to speak in a way that makes it understandable to anybody and that language is something they don't really have nor understand, but you're not sure if you understand that correctly.

It's a lot to unpack, and you don't really think of yourself as smart anyways. It's not like you need to either- you don't talk to any of them.

Your plan now would be to call for help and run- but the problem right now, is that pulling him out took away a lot more strength from you than you thought it would. Your legs feel heavy, and the tiredness in your bones makes it almost impossible to get up again. Especially now that it starts raining. Heavily.

You sigh, accepting your fate at this point, before you yell out for help.

You've pulled him out of the riverbed- you won't let your efforts go to waste now, even if he is the same kind that will probably kill you as soon as they find you for illegally living on this planet for months now. But it's fine- you've at least did something good, filled up your karma a bit, so you'll maybe get to heaven if there is one.

"...why?" he croaks out as you interrupt your shouting, looking down at him. His brows are furrowed, sharp pupils focused on you as you shrug, before lights suddenly shine down on you.

"good comes to those who do good." you shrug. "or so my granny said." you mumble more or less to yourself, as the trees bend and sway under the heavy force of the winds the spacecraft produces as it hovers above you both.

"step away from the body.!" the loudspeakers announce harshly, and you chuckle, before slowly getting up on your knees before you stumble backwards. "further!" it barks out from the speakers, and you trip yet again- though it seems like it's enough. "do not move. Any movement will be taken as an act of aggression, and dealt with accordingly." the announcer says, and you just laugh to yourself as you stay on your back while two people are led down with a stretcher, landing close to the man you've pulled out the creek.

They work on him for a bit, before he says something that makes the fully armed first responders, turn their helmets towards you;

But you're unable to know what happens next, as fatigue makes you black out under the heavy rain and deafening aircraft above.

♥━━━━━━━━━━━♡━━━━━━━━━━━━♥

#bts imagine #bts fanfic #bts fic #jungkook imagine #alien jungkook #alien!jungkook

[agreyraincloudd]

Aemond x Thief!Reader

Word Count 1. 3k

Summary Aemond is surprised to find someone dressed as himself attempting to steal his dragon.

Whoever said Kingslanding had good weather was a liar. It was fucking freezing. Scaling up the side of the coast line with a dead goat was hard enough but when the rain began and the white paint in their hair began dribbling down their chin, they started to contemplate if the gold coins Baela Targaryen promised upon the return of her mother's dragon was worth this. The stench alone of damp hide was temptation enough to leave.

The shelter of the Dragon pit was a welcome respite. But the relief was short lived as she snuck her way down into the darkness. In the shadows it became difficult to see. Y/N's hands searched against the wall, the wet of stone licking at their fingers until it all ended.

"Gods watch over me" They muttered lowly as the great beast lay befow them. Vhagar. The dragon took deep heavy breaths as it stirred. The plan was simple; disguised as Aemond, Y/N would waltz into the dragon pit to, distract the creature with a light snack and crawl upon its back to fly it home. All the while hoping it doesn't realise the true identity of the false Prince and eat them before they could get away.

Easier said than done.

The hood of Y/N's cloak remained pulled low as they lobbed the white goat before the dragon's nose. Vhagar, in their sleepy haze pawed at the carcas before lapping it's tongue at the snack none the wiser to the imposter. Y/N tried to remain in a casual walk as they waltzed up to the long ladder draped over the scaled back when the ground from under them was snatched away as a body yanked them back, throwing them to the ground.

Y/N pulled their dagger from their boot and sliced forward but a hand reached out and slammed them back into the dust. Vhagar slithering in a frantic twist behind the pair. The two of them went into a roll. Y/N scratched at the man but he landed a strong punch, hazing their vision. Blood gathered at their brow.

"Are you supposed to be me?" Aemond Targaryen's legs pinned Y/N in place in a straddle, their face looking down in a confused skowl.

Y/N struggled, thrashing until Aemond pulled them up by their wrists to slam them back, the knife falling from their hand.

"This is on the wrong eye too" He scoffed.

"Fucks sake just feed me to the dragon or get off me" Y/N had exhausted all energy climbing here, they couldn't be bothered to fight their way out of this.

Aemond lent a little closer, a curl forming on their lips.

"Well?"

"Your dragon bought it"

"My dragon would have ate you the moment you tried to climb on their back"

"She's old, I'm sure she couldn't tell"

Aemond reached forward, tucking Y/N's hand under his knee as pulled the eye patch off the imposters face. They both went silent.

"Tell me your business before I slit your throat"

Y/N didn't move.

Vhagar growled behind them.

"Someone is paying a pretty penny to get Vhagar back"

"Baela?"

The thief didn't move.

"Do not test me"

Y/N nodded.

"You will take me to them in the morrow and I will prove Vhagar chose me"

"Fine"

The two rose. The minute he shoved them through the tunnels and into the back streets of Kingslanding Y/N made a break for it. But Aemond was quick. He ran behind them and in barely a broken stride his hands shoved them into the wall.

"Don't even think about it thief"

Y/N raised their hands in innocence.

"Okay okay"

Aemond didn't say another word as he practically dragged them through cobbled alleyways and deep into his home. Only when they reached his Chambers did he release them.

"You will sleep here. We will leave at first light. You will take me to Baela and bare witness as I remove her head from her shoulders for dare attempting to steal my dragon"

Y/N didn't know where to look. Aemond had something to him when he spoke. Each word ribboned in the air in a hiss of sounds.

"Might I get cleaned up first your highness? " They both knew the question was a tease at their lack of care for Prince Aemonds title.

He nodded toward his bathroom.

A large gold mirror sat in the centre of the ensuite, the reflection spitting back an unfamiliar image. The blonde paint in attempt to mimic the Prince was fading and smudged against their skin and the few strands that held the white had stuck to the drying blood on their face.

Y/N cupped their hands in the sink but groaned out in pain as the water stung the dust filled gash above their eye.

A white cloth on the side was dunked in the basin as Aemond appeared. Y/N turned as the blonde man startled them. He had forgone his own cloak and remained in a loose white shirt, scars and nicks from fighting kissed along his neck.

"Here" In a swift motion Aemond turned Y/N's face away in his hand, the damp cloth coming up to dab at the red on their skin.

"You're making too much noise"

"Ah I apologise, next time you punch me in the face and rub dirt in it, ill try not to complain so much when I clean myself up"

"Next time" - a Prince should not be as close to them as they were "don't try to steal my dragon"

"From what I heard I'm giving it back"

Aemond pressed a little harder. Y/N's face soured.

"Vhagar chose me just as much as I chose her. Baela should have already claimed her before I could if she was so bothered"

"I imagine a Prince often gets what he wants"

Aemond tilted their face back to him.

"What I want and what is appropriate are not always similar"

"What could a Prince want that he could not have"

Aemond put the cloth down. The water turning red.

"You may take my bed after you bathe"

Y/N followed him out.

"And you?"

He twisted to face them.

"I will not be sleeping whilst among a thief"

"Suit yourself"

Aemonds bed was like sleeping upon a thousand clouds. The blankets engulfed them as they wrapped the sheets close to their neck, the stormy chill flooding the room.

Aemond remained strolling around his chamber for some time until Y/N sat up.

"I do not care if you sleep beside me or on the floor or not at all but would you stop pacing"

In a sudden act of stubbornness, Aemond pull the sheets off of them, exposing their body to the fridges air.

"Then neither of us shall sleep tonight"

Furious with his suggestion, Y/N crawled to their knees and latched onto the Princes shirt at the side of the bed, dragging him in after them before they slung the covers across the two.

"I lay in the heart of Kingslanding in none other than a Princes bed with hundred of guards tolling every conceivable exit to this place. If I tried to kill you now I would rather I took myself after too. Now shut up or sleep"

"What dark pit did Baela fetch you out of?" Aemond wretched at their brashness.

"The same one they found you"

The Prince said no more as he moved to make himself more comfortable after exstingusing the small flame on his bedside.

Y/N flipped to face away from the Prince as he did, all the while ignoring the warmth radiating off him.

The soft patter of rain fall lulled them to sleep as the couple lay a pillow apart. It was only the following morning as they rode to Driftmark did the way Aemonds hands lay across their waist, remind them of the feeling they awoke to only a few hours prior.

-

AN

Enjoy your bread crumbs whores

#aemond targaryen #Aemond imagine #Prince aemond #Houseofthedragon #Hotd #Gameofthrones #Houseofthedragonimagine #aemond one eye #Aemond one shot #Aemond fic #Aemond x reader #Aemond x yn #aemond targaryen imagine #aemond the kinslayer #aemond imagine #ao3 #house of the dragon

[writernopal]

Manuscript Search Tag

ALRIGHT this is going to be a FAT post because I have quite a few of these to catch up on and I didn't want to spam lol

Tagged by the following lovely peeps!

@talesofsorrowandofruin, here

@oh-no-another-idea, here

@justnerdy15, here

@sam-glade, here

@ellatholmes, here

Thank you all so much! 💙

Tagging (gently): @duckingwriting @acertainmoshke @callahanscorner @lorenfinch

Your words will be: savor, energy, camp, and fortune

From @talesofsorrowandofruin

bandages

The words tangled in my throat as the open door revealed the lavender lizard pirate standing there, bandaged and supporting himself on a cane. I clutched my hand to my chest and nearly bit my tongue to avoid screaming. Of all the guests I might have expected, he was not one of them. But I suppose I should speak, shouldn’t I? I couldn’t simply stand there looking at him.

crawling

He departed, and while I did my best to temper my anger, it got the better of me as I seized one of the paperweights from my desk and threw it across the room, shattering some glass thing wherever it landed. Mar-Dur knew we would not follow him into waters crawling with the Pale Navy. It would be suicide. Though if he was going willingly into those cursed seas, it must mean that he was searching for powerful allies, heavy artillery, or both.

dull

I missed him more than I could put into words, and much as I tried to deny or convince myself otherwise, I loved him. The dull ache in my chest grew, and I started to cry. I’d missed people before; in fact, I’d spent most of my life yearning for the company of those I could not be with, but these feelings were different and altogether more painful.

extraordinary

Perhaps it was silly, but it reminded me of his grandmother’s story about the Kingdom of Frogs, hidden under the humble visage of a well, just as this place was hidden within him... A wonder unlike any other took over me, and with it came an overwhelming need to protect...to protect what? Him? This place? I got the sense that it was extraordinary despite his writing it off as ordinary.

From @oh-no-another-idea

black

I sat up and reached over to the small end table beside the tub to retrieve my soap when I saw a strange black smoke creeping in from outside my tent. A panic entered my stomach. Was this the Third Prince’s magic? I choked back the scream in my throat and watched it closely to see what might happen next. It began to grow thicker and started to crawl up the air, coalescing into the form of something.

gauze

I don't have this word, so have an AASOAF fun fact instead! In the original telling of AASOAF, Wilkes attends a formal event dressed in Lizardfolk robes heavily inspired by Mexican Mariachi dress because I think he'd really like the style IRL!

skin

She was leaning against one of the masts and somehow managed to look imposing and enchanting at the same time. Her face was long and elegant, each feature upon it well-defined and distinguished. Her eyes were a golden color that stood out against her skin and hair; both appeared the color of rain-dampened soil, rich and dark.

paper

She’d traveled in nightclothes, a cloak, and bare feet; even I could admit that probably didn’t feel good despite not personally needing to wear shoes myself.  Humans had paper-like skin on their feet, so they could hardly withstand things like pebbles and small branches, unlike my kind, who stepped on things like cactuses without issue.

fabric

The fabric of her dress rustled as she produced the pouch of treasure I had snuck into her bag the night before. She wasn’t here to return it, was she? She couldn’t be that stupid, right? Though I suppose she could be. Intelligence was not a credit she could be so confidently assigned, at least not in the same way one could with her honesty.

From @justnerdy15

heart

“Do you think they’re alright?” I asked softly. She laughed. “Child, don’t tell me you are still soft-hearted after being in my service for two years. Very little should concern you about society now; you should see this as nothing more than mere entertainment. When you get to my age, things such as these are commonplace.”

rain

It seemed one of the ropes of my makeshift tent had come loose from the branch I’d tied it to, freely letting in the rain as a welcomed guest. I frantically gathered my things, but it was no use. They were ruined! But what about—?! I gasped and dropped the blanket I’d been holding and patted my pockets hurriedly, sighing relief upon feeling the card tin safely inside one of them.

sound

As I chewed, I looked over the landscape and marveled at how peaceful it was. There was a gentle breeze, the sound of tall grasses sliding past one another, bugs flitting all throughout the air, and birds chirping, hidden in the boughs of their chosen trees. I might enjoy it more if I wasn’t in the company of an absolute tyrant.

bold

I wouldn’t be bold enough to say it looked comforting because it didn’t, but it was a relief to lay eyes upon, if only because it was the last remaining gesture of kindness being shown to me. I reached up nervously and took it. He pulled me up with ease and then quickly replaced his steady grip with my bag’s handle instead.

From @sam-glade

wing

The woman began to approach with slow, deliberate steps. Wrong again. Miss Frère walked with a bouncy urgency that swished her skirts ever so slightly to make the most gentle rustling sound. Perhaps to sound, well, like the beating of a dove’s wings. Yet another thing this woman was not.

want

It was an odd way to sleep, but I didn’t want to question it if that’s how she was most comfortable. I shifted ever so slightly, and then it was silent again. The low crackle of the fire in the hearth and the occasional firework outside punctuated how uniquely awful this lack of sound was. I wanted to take her into my arms, but she didn’t seem to share the desire, or else she would not be so far away. But she was cold, right?

win

“If’n her type be tall and handsome, she will forget ‘bout him entire when she claps eyes on me. Landlubber be right squat.” I declared smugly. She laughed. “Well, let’s make this interesting then. If you don’t manage to win her over, then tomorrow night, you must wear a corset.” I eyed her for a moment, then glanced back at the woman in the starling mask. Perhaps I was a little out of practice when it came to charming women, but surely I was not so useless. Pulling a woman away from a man like that should be easy for someone as dashing as me.

wait

I expected her to come back after that, but instead, she stood there until the vessel disappeared from view entirely. Would she wait like that for me if I ever sailed someplace without her? And would she be awash with tears as she was now? I hissed quietly, trying to shake the image from my mind. I didn’t like it.

From @ellatholmes

iron

I took a few deep breaths and cursed my hands for being so uncooperative as they failed to strike sparks with the flint and iron that had been sitting on the mantle. After several attempts, I gave up and decided to use matches instead. Though I wasn’t sure why I thought that would be any better. Upon opening the box, several tumbled out and onto the floor, and I even snapped a few as I tried to light them.

ache

Okay this word is in the snippet for dull somewhere up there and since I don't want to put it here gain, have an AASOAF fun fact! Axtapor was original a blue Lizardfolk but then I realized that I had like four other Lizardfolk characters who were blue and decided that I needed more variety so I chose to make him lavendar instead.

ice

Her voice was smooth and cool, like a piece of ice upon the back of one’s neck on a sweltering day. Still, her tone did nothing to take the annoyance out of paying for setting foot in here. I eyed Hartim with a frown as I fetched the advertised twenty-five pieces from my pouch.

bone

I watched as she carefully sliced the meat away from the bones of a desert hare I hunted earlier. The meal would be that and roasted potatoes. A far cry from the handsome meals she was cooking back when we lived in a proper house, but it was better than starving.

#tag game #manuscript search tag #aasoaf #my writing #aasoaf 1 #aasoaf 2 #mariel #axtapor #fay #wilkes

[neonthewrite]

Dali's Mistake

I received a prompt from 🖊️🐉 Anon a few weeks back and I ended up writing a whole thing for it, because it just had some nice vibes, while still allowing for the gentle excitement of a new First Encounter. Thanks for the prompt! I'm sure there's more to this story, but for now here's the first part~

Word Count ~2.4k, easy reading

~~~~~

The cottage is cozy, as cottages tend to be. The old stones have stood for a long time, protecting generations of residents. The old fireplace at one end of the main room keeps the place warm in defiance of the waning rain outside, as it has done for countless other storms. Newer shingles have replaced the original thatch roof, allowing the gentler pitter-pat of the last of the storm to wash the room in sound. Solid wood furniture with lots of hand-sewn cushions make up the dining and living areas both, and plush blankets and quilts are never far out of reach. It's nice, comfortable, if a bit cluttered.

It's perfect, for a human bean's dwelling. Not so much for a borrower.

The warmth is nice, Dali supposes. The clutter helps him stay hidden on shelves and such. And it's not big by bean standards so there's only one resident around to worry about.

But those old stones, those timeworn floorboards, have no passages to hide in. It's not like the houses in the city, so far behind him on his journey. At least those have good hiding places in a pinch. He's never been much of an indoorsy type, but he's decided he has a preference on buildings anyway.

Old country cottages? Not for him.

He's only there by necessity anyway, a temporary stop. He's made himself something of a camp on an open shelf near a window sill, both of which are covered in knickknacks and a few potted plants. It's a passable hiding place for a short stay, and he has a good view outside to check on the weather.

The storm has mostly passed. The rain is having a last hurrah, but soon Dali can be on his way. He's always liked roughing it better, but ... that storm was a big one. He surely has a flooded hovel waiting for him, if it hasn't been washed away entirely.

Spending much of the night close to a human bean, with no walls to dive to for safety, could become a tale he tells later, embellishing with far more daring, of course. How he bravely waited for the bean to open up the solid wooden door with a heavy creak, and he snuck right past them in between flashes of lightning. How the fearsome giant might have seen him, had there been more than candles lighting the cottage and throwing strange shadows in all directions. How he'd stayed under and behind furniture and clutter for a night, dodging their vigilant searches for anything amiss.

Thinking of this in contrast to his reality draws a smirk to his face. The bean in question hasn't done much at all. They're curled up on a chair, bundled in one of the many throw blankets available. A laptop computer sits closed on another chair, waiting for the power to come back on. Likewise, a stack of books stands on the nearest end table, holding up one of the many candles. It's nearly morning, but they never bothered to put any of the candles out before drifting off.

Dali wishes they'd actually retired to their bedroom for the night so he could have explored more, maybe stocked up on some supplies. But he doesn't blame them for sitting before the embers in the fireplace and dozing off there. Even he has a hard time keeping the cozy sleep at bay.

So he's outdoorsy, but it doesn't mean he can't appreciate the creature comforts of living inside, albeit temporarily.

He's got his big pack pushed against the wall, wedged behind a statue of some round creature. He's out of sight from most angles, leaned against his pack with his arms crossed and his legs stretched out. It's comfortable; Dali decides that, considering his hiding spot and the bean's sleepy curl in the chair, he can afford some rest. The sun hasn't quite risen yet beyond the clouds; he can say later on that he didn't even take an all-nighter hiding in the cottage.

His eyelids flutter sluggishly. His thin shoulders sag. Dark hair falls over his eyes as he relaxes by degrees and nods off at last. Just a short wink, he tells himself. That's all he needs to be ready for the day.

~~~

He jolts awake to the pitchy creak of a hinge all too close by. Practice keeps Dali from crying out in alarm even as he straightens where he sits, and his surroundings come back to him by degrees. He nearly yelps anyway, seeing a human looming so nearby, so close he'd be in reach if they spotted him behind that statue. The human leans out the window, their overlarge sweater bunching against the potted plants on the window sill despite their attempts to stand tiptoe. If they turn just a bit to the side, they'll spot Dali's hiding spot.

The human bean leans back inside from their precarious reach to open the window wide. The sound that woke him makes sense now. Dali sits stock still and stares up at them, waiting for their eyes, grey as the gloomy morning, to turn and find him. They're not the biggest bean around, not by a long shot. They're even practically swimming in the cozy sweater they have on, all too petite for it.

But they, like all human beans, are a giant to him. Dali is the size of a toy, smaller even than some of the knickknacks cluttering the shelf he's been hiding on. They only need to glance his way for an instant to notice him tucked away, and then he's Seen.

But they don't. Instead, they turn away from the window, covering a yawn with one sleeve of their sweater while their other hand emerges to brush through the mid-length brown hair with a shock that's been dyed a soft green. They're quite mussed after a night bundled in a blanket. They cross the room to the small kitchen space, footsteps making less and less fo a tremble in Dali's shelf.

As they sleepily look for something in the cupboards, Dali has to shake himself out of his startled freeze. That was close - far too close. He pats his cheeks with shaky hands. The strange electricity of fear lingers, but he has enough presence of mind to push to a stand and slip his arms through the strap of his pack.

He didn't get Seen. The rain has let up, and the bean has so graciously opened the window to greet the day and let in the breeze with its smell of earth and grass and dew. Dali doesn't even need to wait for a chance to slip out the door.

He peeks around the statue to assess his unwitting benefactor. They have a kettle procured from one of the cupboards and they're filling it at the sink. They'll be busy with their tea for a while. Dali couldn't have asked for a better coincidence.

He braces himself before making a quick leap across the small gap to the window sill. The floor passes by far below for only an instant, and then his weightlessness ends and he jogs a few steps to keep from toppling over. Terracotta flowerpots flank him there, little herbs draping over the sides. Beyond the sill, the countryside and the woods wait, calling Dali back. He grins and reaches for the coil of string he keeps lashed to the side of his pack. Just a quick climb down and he's back where he belongs before the bean has finished brewing their tea.

He's got the string in hand as the water squeaks off behind him. The human speaks at last: "Alright, water for everyone before I - oh!"

Dali doesn't like the startled sound of realization. He whirls around, brown skin paling. He's not hidden behind a plant like he ought to be. The human bean isn't putting the kettle on the stove like they ought to be. Instead, both of them are frozen and locked in a staring contest, one looking astonished and the other feeling very, very small.

He's never been Seen. Never. Dali thinks he might be sick. He takes a slow breath to try to break himself out of his frightened freeze. The bean shuffles forward one step. Dali jolts and takes two steps back. The bean opens their mouth to speak and he flinches back more.

Except he's run out of window sill.

Dali tips backwards and it feels slow at first. Then, the edge of the window rises past him and he feels like he plummets all at once. There's a yell and a crash inside as the human drops the kettle. Dali reaches for the window as if he might catch himself, but then he hits something pliant and goes spinning the rest of the way to the dirt. The branch of a shrub waves madly above him as if scolding him for hitting it on the way down. Something hurts in his side. He can't actually recall hitting the ground, but he gasps from the breathlessness of it.

He blinks a few times, stares in a daze up at the window and the small sliver of the cottage ceiling that he can see within. He tries to calculate the distance he just dropped--it’s not an especially high window, as far as windows go. He’s certainly not the first borrower to fall out a window, either, he thinks. That’s a recoverable distance, and hitting the shrub on the way down helped a bit. This isn’t so bad.

In the distance, a door flies open on hinges that squeak loudly in protest. Footsteps hit the stone walkway and then the grass, and Dali remembers himself. The bean saw him fall, and likely knows where he landed.

He turns his head where he lies in time for a towering figure to round the front of the cottage. The bean’s slippers are already muddy and their pajama pants look wet from when they dropped a full kettle at their feet. They’d probably look a little pathetic to any other bean, but to Dali they’re as intimidating as they can get.

The ground shakes more and more as they rush over, Dali following their progress with wide eyes. He keeps himself from crying out, just like he did before, despite the fear that wells up in him. Quiet. Cautious. Their footsteps all but slam to a halt next to the flowerbed, inches away from where Dali landed. He’s lying at the feet of a giant who scans the ground for him, noticing the waving shrub first. Inconspicuous.

And then they spot him.

It’s like it breaks the spell on him, that recognition in their eyes. As they surge towards him in a crouch, he rolls over and pushes himself up, only to fall to a seat again when a hand already fills his vision like an oncoming wall. He winces and tries to scramble back more, but soon he’s flanked by fingers and a thumb that snake around him and force him against a clammy palm.

He realizes belatedly that he’s lost his pack. It isn’t crushed against him as the bean snatches him up. His legs dangle and he looks anywhere but at the human’s face as he leaves the ground behind.

There. Discarded at the base of the shrub. One of the straps looks torn. Dali squirms. He needs to retrieve that bag.

Then it’s out of sight as he rises with the bean, who’s standing up and preparing to walk off with him. Dali’s stomach twists and turns as the world seems to move all too fast, all too high up. He doesn’t need that pack. He needs to escape.

The human bean isn’t even looking at him at the moment. Now that they’ve caught him, he supposes, they don’t really need to keep too close an eye on him. No matter how he wriggles, they continue their hurried march around the cottage, stones flying by on one side and countryside on the other.

Dali swoons a bit when they round the corner again, back to the door left hanging open. It’s all too fast. He’s back in the cottage once more in moments, now without his bag and instead stuck good in a hand with his arms pinned.

The bean pauses at the door to kick off their slippers onto the mat. Dali would be amused by the futility of such a thing with a puddle covering the floor anyway, if he weren’t trapped and worried about things to come. As it is, the action only prolongs his time fearing what will happen to him.

Once they close the door behind them and step past the entryway at last, the human stops again. They look around, first at the puddle and the abandoned kettle, then the open window, and finally at their hand. Dali flinches as they look at him, wide eyes startled out of sleepiness scanning over what little of him there is to see.

He stares back. He’s not about to exchange pleasantries, not like this.

Their gaze drifts away from him again, some concern now furrowing on their brow. Whatever thoughts might be journeying through their mind, Dali can’t make heads or tails of them. When they move again, he tries his best to twist around and watch where they’re taking him.

They tiptoe around the puddle despite their already-damp socks. They go to the kitchen cabinets, the ones they’d so recently rummaged through for the kettle. Now, their free hand reaches out to open doors and close them as they search for who knows what, fingertips brushing over dishes and containers thoughtfully.

Dali can guess what they’re looking for, but he watches in some horror anyway. His struggles have gotten him nowhere so far.

Finally, standing on their tiptoes to reach it from the higher shelves, they select a tall, narrow plastic container with a snap lid. Dali has seen something similar before, meant to hold the long thin pasta noodles. He can only watch as the bean undoes the snap top and removes the lid before hastily moving him towards that opening.

He kicks. He writhes. He tries to brace his feet against the sides of that container. But he can’t stop them lowering him to the bottom and dropping him when he’s only an inch or two away. Dali lands with an oof that echoes weirdly around him, and looks up as the lid is placed overhead, despite the container being easily twice his height. Thankfully, they don’t snap the lid in place.

Still, Dali is trapped.

#mywriting #prompt #borrower #borrowers #borrowers fanfiction #dali #fern #gt #g/t #giant tiny #handheld #g/t handheld #first meeting #the human's name is fern #they are amab nonbinary #and they live the dream working from their cozy cottage

[george-weasleys-girl]

Chapter 24 - North Star

Warnings: a couple curse words

Summary: With summer vacation coming to a close and Y/N's impending departure looming, she and George create a binding spell

Start Here:

~•~

Hogwarts, Autumn 1995

George trudged outside, flexing his stiff hands, causing the wounds on his knuckles to bleed again. Grinding his teeth, he ignored the pain and turned toward the Black Lake, ruminating over the day's events. Anyone with two brain cells to rub together knew Malfoy got what he deserved. It'd been a long time coming, and today, he crossed a line. But, of course, Professor Umbridge didn't see it that way, and now George, Harry, and Fred were banned from Quidditch for life.

"Fucking pink toad," George muttered to himself.

The wind picked up, bringing with it the scent of rain. George heaved a sigh. He wouldn’t be out here braving the impending rainstorm if it weren't for Angelina. When he left, she and Fred were on the verge of breaking up. She was livid that they'd gotten banned and had no problem letting everyone, especially Fred, Harry, and himself know just how she felt.

So, he left. The last thing he needed was to be told repeatedly how stupid he was.

George plopped down on his and Y/N's favorite spot by the lake, all his energy draining away, leaving him empty and withdrawn. He missed Y/N terribly, especially in moments like this, when the world lay heavy on his shoulders. Her steadfast reassurance was what he needed most right now. She would know exactly what to say to calm his frayed nerves.

George reached for the next best thing and pulled out the silver locket that hung around his neck. He traced the engraved star with his thumb while a gentle warmth spread through him, dulling his heartache. For a brief moment, the faint scent of sandalwood and roses flooded his senses.

Bringing the talisman to his lips, he gave it a single kiss before tucking it back under his shirt and laying down in the grass to watch the storm clouds roll in.

~•~

Muggle London, Late July 1995

George and Y/N made their way through the bustling crowds. He'd convinced Fred to let him use a small amount of the winnings Harry gave them to buy Y/N a little something before she left.

"I can't believe Molly was ok with this," Y/N said, dodging a gaggle of muggle teenagers taking up half the sidewalk.

"She doesn't know."

"What?" Y/N stopped dead in her tracks, causing the man behind her to curse when he almost slammed into her.

"Sorry, so sorry," she apologized. The man muttered under his breath and hurried past her.

"C'mon, love." George said, taking Y/N's hand. "We're nearly there."

"Where is there?" she asked. Her boyfriend had been very secretive about the whole trip. And now, upon finding out that Mrs. Weasley had no idea what was going on, she began to worry. With Death Eaters lurking in the shadows, their little excursion wasn't entirely safe. "Please tell me Fred knows, at least?" She asked, hoping someone knew where they were going in case something happened.

"Of course he does, and so does Ginny. Sirius, too. He kept mum distracted so we could get out the door."

"Oh good," she said just before another thought occurred to her. "Wait, how are we supposed to get back in? Do we have a set time? You know she watches that door like a hawk."

George shrugged. "We'll already be done and back. What can she do? Yell at us?"

Y/N glared at him. Molly was already furious. Three days ago, she found out they were sleeping together and damn near blew the roof off the place. Even Kreacher ducked for cover. Then, George refusing to budge an inch on the matter, infuriated her even more. Discovering they'd snuck out would only make matters worse.

Y/N sighed. "George Weasley, you're going to be the death of me."

~•~

Ilvermorny - Autumn 1995

It had been a long day. Master Bellflower had kept her and the other two hemalurgy apprentices late, leaving her little time to shower and change before rushing to dinner, followed by the planning meeting for the senior prank.

It, too, ran late. Very late.

Y/N lay in bed, exhausted, but wide awake. She wasn't used to having the bed to herself anymore, having gotten used to sleeping next to George every night, even if he did hog the bed sometimes. When they weren't cuddling, her boyfriend seemed to liquify and spread out to fill up all available space. The memory brought a rueful smile to her face. Rolling onto her back, she pulled the locket from underneath her night shirt. It felt a little warmer than usual, but considering that she was under a mountain of blankets, she thought nothing of it. His comforting scent of gunpowder and caramel encompassed her. Closing her eyes, she pretended he was there beside her, and soon, she was fast asleep.

The sun was cresting the horizon when Y/N awoke with a start, feeling as though something was wrong. It took her a moment to realize her locket was no longer simply warm but almost hot. It'd never done that before. Throwing her blankets off, she tossed on her robe and slippers. Glancing at the clock, she had an hour before she needed to get ready for the day. Perfect. Just enough time to pen a letter to George and send it on its way.

~•~

12 Grimmauld Place, one week before Y/N's departure

George and Y/N sat on the bed facing each other. Between them lay a knife, a piece of parchment upon which was a spell they had written together, and on either side two silver lockets. The lockets were not the gifts he'd had in mind when he took her shopping, but the moment he saw them, he knew that's what they'd come for.

His mind drifted back to the night over spring break when he and Y/N lay outside at the Burrow, watching the stars.

"That's Venus," Y/N had pointed out. "The evening star. She shines first. She shines brightest. And she shines longest. Perhaps that's why she was named after the Goddess of Love. A hope that her light would shine down and bless all the loves of this world for all time."

George smiled and squeezed her hand.

"And that one is Polaris," she pointed out another sparkling point in the sky. "Also, known as the North Star. It moves in a very small circle around the North Pole, while all the other stars rotate around it. Because it appears stationary, muggle seafarers used to use it to find true North. So, if you're ever lost, look for Polaris. It will guide you home."

He was about to tell Y/N that she was his North Star, but then Harry joined them, and he completely forgot about it until he saw the matching lockets.

"Hey you." Y/N's soft touch and gentle voice brought him back to the present. "Ready?"

George nodded. As one, they rose, lighting the candles sunwise around the room before returning to the bed. Sitting side by side, both holding the parchment, they spoke in unison.

You are my North Star.

My compass points to you, guiding me home.

Together, we will build a bridge to one another,

in a place between Awake and Dreaming,

between Matter and Spirit,

between what was, what is, and what is to come.

Then, taking the knife, they cut a small lock from one another's hair and placed them inside each other's locket.

Holding the lockets in the palm of their hands, Y/N spoke first. "I am Y/N L/N, and this is now my link to George Weasley."

George followed, enunciating the words with great care. The moment he spoke the final syllable, something shifted. It wasn't showy like most magic. No flashing lights or loud bangs. It was an inner shift. Subtle and quiet. And yet they could feel the delicate string now connecting them to one another.

He leaned forward to kiss her when the door swung open, causing them both to jump. They'd forgotten to lock the door.

Molly tossed two letters at them before rolling her eyes at all the lit candles and slamming the door shut.

George and Y/N looked down at the letters. In their hands were two identical warnings against underage magic from the Ministery.

They looked at each other and giggled.

"Oops."

~•~

Next Chapter:

@milivanili99 @slytherclaw1978 @quackitysdrugdealer @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @ladylizzieofdarbyshire

#george weasley #george weasley x reader #george weasley x y/n #george weasley x fem!reader