#I only remembered i wanted to do this challenge at.10pm

[magpieddd]

OCtober day 1: favourite (to the surprise of no one)

#I only remembered i wanted to do this challenge at.10pm #I’ll post just sketches anyway.uni starts tomorrow and i don’t have that much energy in any case #grimm’s art #toh oc #gatherer #backup au #bweirdoctober #oc tober #October challenge

[scarlovebot]

RECHARGE

Natasha Romanoff x Female Reader

Summary: Natasha guides you to slumber

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧

parties and events occurred every fortnight, you soon lost interested in their reasonings just acknowledging that an appearance was necessary, instructed by Tony Stark.

your outfit deemed as nothing special just a casual black, figure hugging pantsuit paired with stiletto heels.

dragging your heels from group to group, discussing topics which only edged the boredom inside even further, you think back to remember the thrill and euphoric feelings when being given an invitation, that’s when it felt like you had finally made a solidified group of friends who have become family.

the clock had just surpassed your bedtime of 10pm, knowing of this as the once composed posture of yours had gone slump, eyelids fluttering with sleep and the clothes feeling rather uncomfortable.

it would be rude to leave at such and early hour so you made the challenge to yourself that you must remain as one of the few still standing when the party dissolves.

finding shelter at the bar your order of a double vodka lemonade, hoping that the strength of the alcohol has the same effects of an overly dosed cup of coffee. sat idly with your beverage a soft hand strokes against your upper back, a shiver evident to the eyes of the culprit. The lips of the individual make contact with your neck, leaving a soft puckered kiss causing an internal moan, Natasha.

looking to your side met with piercing green orbs and a smirk plastered with admiration and ambition. breaking the silence she speaks up “детка, I’ve hardly seen you tonight, where have you been?” Natasha questions with love and slight worry. Looking at her, you give her a faint smile “I’m just tired nat, I didn’t want to bother you when your having a good time” making eye contact with the ground, you say in a low tone, the fatigue and slight guilt evident in your voice.

Delicate fingers grip loosely onto your chin, she tilts your face upwards towards her creating an atmosphere that can only be described as intimidating, though this is due to the affect Natasha has on you.

The women feels nothing but love towards you, upon your first interaction she was head over heels, intrigued by your goofy personality and nurturing atmosphere around you.

“I would be having a better time with you in my clutch, now what do you say if we head up to bed?” She rubs her thumb softly over your chin, causing you to melt even more into her touch, nodding your head as a response to the question you had been hoping to hear ever since stepping out of your room.

hand in hand you stand up next to Natasha, holding a firm grip onto your girlfriend to ensure her that your not leaving, nor is she.

she leads you through the crowds of people, nodding to her teammates as indication that she was done for to the night. their eyes travelled to the person next to her, they all knew why Natasha had left so soon and didn’t expect any different.

The explanation being that within the daytime your energy level’s surpassed the normal individual, causing an extreme downfall as evening begun. It was almost routine at this point that the red head would take care and control, whispering loving words and ushering you to bed. she really didn’t mind, her social battery rarely drained but seeing you in desperate need for a recharge had Natasha wrapped up in your little finger.

The sensation against your hand dropped, slight panic set into your chest at the loss of the person keeping you afloat, but that quickly passed as the same pair of adoring hands found placement on your waist.

Her vibrations sparked within you, it was something you had never felt before, totally besotted by Natasha Romanoff.

everything blurred together, one minute you were being guided through the mass amounts of attendees, next sat in your underwear on your bed.

Natasha took dominance, once away from the main area and in the elevator she picked you up taking all pressure of your feet, heels were not for the weak. carrying you to the shared room and beginning the process of settling in for the night. the layers that once felt unbearable on your skin had been taken off with care, with every item Natasha slightly massaged your limbs, loosing up all tension.

it must have been the feeling of ease that awoke you, though still in a haze.

Crawling under the covers you expect to feel her, yet you’re met with coldness. your breath hitches, where is Natasha? you begin to worry. you were sure she was with you.

in a blink of an eye she was there, hair braided with precision and skin that glowed even through the darkness. a hand touches your waist, travelling beneath you bottoms to hold a firm grip on your backside “дорогой I’m right here, Natasha’s here” she says.

She holds tighter and drags your tired self towards her, squeezing her hand at the area that was labelled only for her. A giggle escapes your mouth, and just before finally switching off for the night and fall into deep slumber, you send a Thankyou to Natasha.

Your lips fixate on her, a soft moan can be heard from the red head. Your tongue latching onto the roof of her mouth, deepening the kiss before slowly breaking away.

Resting your head onto her bare chest, “Thankyou nat” you murmur, burying yourself as far as possible into the delicate cage that surrounded you.

“goodnight тигр, sweet dreams”

Natasha treasured these moments, the ones behind closed doors where she could let go of the stone cold persona held up for everyone, except you.

#natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff fanfic #natasha x y/n #natasha x you #natasha romanoff #natasha x reader #marvel #black widow

[mrghostrat]

i was hoping to stream this afternoon but i woke with my shoulders hurting so bad that i have absolutely zero capacity for anything. to the point where i experienced my first autistic rumbles in the supermarket 🥸 but i have adhd meds now so maybe we can try tomorrow.

zita's suspected i'm on the spectrum for a little while now, but i've always been on the fence about it. there's a lot i don't relate to. but most of that is bc i have so much learned behaviour, and i mask really well. when i try to break down how i think for autism diagnostic quizzes, my gut reactions DO fit the bill, but they are so so so buried under 30 years of life experience that feels like it comes naturally.

but i am an introvert. an extreme introvert. even while living alone with my best friend, who i get on perfectly with and feel zero need to mask around, i still need to excuse myself and be left alone in my room from 10pm at LEAST.

so i only really unmask when i'm dead alone. even though i dont feel like i'm putting up any kind of front around of zita, i still do, automatically. the only time i see myself completely bare is when i'm alone and it's silent and there is absolutely nothing challenging my comfort.

sooooo hoooooo boy waking up in pain, with zero capacity to even finish a thought, still empty of ADHD medication because of the fuckin manufacturing shortage (thankfully today's trip into town was to finally pick some up! but that wasn't until noon), i got to see a side of myself i don't know if i've ever actually seen before? maybe as a kid but i can't remember specifically that far back?

i've been short tempered and overwhelmed and exposed to sensory nightmares whilst home alone before, but it's usually so quick bc i'm at HOME and i can adjust the situation and i never think much of it. i felt like a bluescreen at that supermarket today, popping in for less than 10 things across 3 aisles.

it was so busy. there were so many people. i felt dread just to walk through it, so aware of my own body and the space i had to inhabit. but par for the course so far. what was less par for the course was having to stop and look at my list every 3 steps, unable to put together a course of action in my head: chicken is on the far left, so we grab that first and get broccoli on our way to the soup aisle. but the broccoli is right there. do i grab that first, go get the chicken, but then double back from where i just came? i might get myself some bananas too, how do i fit that into my path—

i had to keep stopping and looking at my list because every item i thought of made me forget the previous one i just looked at. eventually got fed up with myself and went to the closest thing and started there, regardless of whether i'd have to double back or not. that's what trips me when i take these quizzes n shit. i can get over the hump and do the task in the end, so that must mean i'm totally allistic! no autism here.

i remember thinking "jesus christ this is bad" when i was on my way to get zita's soup (if you've read this far, thank you and kisses to you, pls send some loving vibes to zita by reading her fic i just reblogged, bc she's got a cold and is miserable today) so i was kinda aware i was having a bad sensory day. as expected: there were a lot of people there, and i was in pain. but i just short circuited looking at soup. zita gave me the brand name and soup type of 3 cans she wanted. and i went to the aisle i've been to a thousand times, found the brand, and just stared. it was all stew. all chunky brothy things with bits in. not a single creamy soup in sight, so, the soup must be somewhere else.

i came to that conclusion immediately but i couldn't. process it? or like, what to do with that information. the soup is somewhere else. OR IS IT? keep looking at this shelf to make sure, your eyes are tired, you might've missed it. there's like 20 different cans of campbells here, just keep reading them left to right until soup appears. still no soup? read them again, you might've missed it. maybe campbell's is out of soup? read every other brand here until you Don't see soup, then you can walk away and try somewhere else. but if you don't see any soup, read it again because you might've missed it.

thankfully it took all of 30 fuckin seconds for a store employee who was shelving next to me to see my glazed fuckin stare and ask if i needed a hand with anything. and i stammered through some "haha my silly eyes today!! haha thanks! sorry, thank you!" as she happily pointed like 3 metres down the aisle for me, while my internal monologue immediately raged like "wtf why would they put the soup that far away but also barely far away at all, what's the point, bad design 😡"

got soup. check list: packet of gravy. zita told me the gravy was in the same section as the soup. it was not. i walked up and down that aisle five times and there was no gravy. i just. i had completely forgotten how to problem solve. it was the strangest, most frustrating experience. like i was looking at an empty word document in my brain, with a little flashing cursor and everything, so i knew it hadn't frozen over. it was just empty.

i even had the thought "just walk up and down the aisles until you find gravy; you have to do this all the time" and even had ideas of which aisles to start with. but my brain said no. we're not going to walk around aimlessly, even if we have a neat little structure and path to follow. we were told (by myself, too) this would be a quick in out trip, pluck the known items off the shelf and beeline straight for the checkout. so meandering down aisles was for some reason non negotiable. i wasn't in a rush. i had nothing to do today. i barely even felt a rush to get out of there, as busy as it was. it just wasn't an option.

so rather than start solving that problem i just jumped to the next thing on the list. strepsils. text to ask what kind she wants, have a whine about my broken brain, ask if she knows where the gravy is. remember when i pass the hair brushes that i broke my hairbrush this morning and need a new one!! oh and i've been wanting new hairclips too. look at me picking a new hairbrush and poking through the hairclips for one that i know will feel comfortable against my scalp, i'm not autistic because i can change my plans and make decisions on the fly.

oops didn't mean for this post to be an entire play by play of my thoughts through this extremely bland grocery shop. i cannot believe how long i stood there choosing soup. the line at the self checkout was so long and i felt the dread kick up again. barely/silently whispered "oh god" to myself when i realised the line, but repeated it about 20 times to feel the tap of my tongue against the roof of my mouth before i realised i was doing it. stop that, don't mutter to yourself. but i'm standing still in a line and there's nothing left to (ineffectually) problem solve, so the second i stop i notice a weird little slice in the plastic around the trolley handle that i can't stop flicking my thumbnail against.

OK. we need to stim. heard, chef. just click your piercing ffs. your mouth might look weird when you do it but at least everyone can see you're just clicking your teeth against your piercing, rather than talking to yourself or damaging public property.

something made a noise, can't even remember if it was a child or a trolley or what, some loud sharp single high pitched screech a few metres away, and i jolted so hard i thought i felt like i was going to throw up. finally think, fucking hell i'm autistic today. my back hurts. which is making my head hurt. i want to go home and take my vyvanse.

#ghost scribbles #autism #extremely long unimportant recount of my day #but it was quite cathartic to write #feeling very vulnerable and tired now ufgh

[gingiesworld]

At My Worst

Chapter Two

Leigh Shaw x GN! Reader

Warnings: fluff

Taglist: @username22345

18+ MINORS DNI

Being with Y/N makes me feel like I can finally breathe. Like I don't have a weight on my shoulders to keep me drowning. When I smile and laugh, I don't feel guilty any more. All I can do is be thankful that I am still here, able to live my life the way it was intended to be. Beside Y/N.

As the weeks went on and numerous dates later, Leigh felt at ease. Even Amy and Jules could see the change in her. They embraced the new Leigh, as did her friends. She still went to grief group, hoping to give those the knowledge that it does get better.

"I met Y/N a few weeks ago, by chance." Leigh spoke out with a smile. "I honestly thought a few months ago that I would never find the place I had before Matt died, but I have. I have found that with Y/N. They make me feel like I can be me again. The Leigh I thought was lost when Matt died, but I'm not. I just needed to be woken up from my deep slumber and to be reintroduced into this beautiful world. Y/N has shown me that life after death does get better, and I couldn't be happier."

"Thank you for sharing with us Leigh. I guess we can all say that we are allowed to move on and live for the future and not remain a ghost of the past." The councellor spoke as everyone listened. Once the group was dismissed, Leigh looked at her phone to see a message from her mom saying she wanted Leigh to invite Y/N to dinner.

"You have reached well me." Y/N greeted as they answered making Leigh chuckle. "What can I do for you?"

"My mom wants to invite you to dinner. Tonight." Leigh told them as she entered her car.

"That soon huh?" They pondered. "I'll have to check my schedule." She listened with an amused hum. "Maybe I can push back the night with myself back."

"Well maybe it can be a night with me?" Leigh challenged as Y/N smiled.

"Well, I might just take you up on that." They responded huskily as the butterflies erupted in Leigh's stomach.

"Well, I think you should." Leigh stated. "Besides, I have yet to see this bachelor pad of yours. Maybe you could give me a tour." Leigh listened to their breathing increase slightly. "Of your bedroom."

"With or without clothes?" They countered as Leigh choked on air. Not expecting that they would beat her at her own game. Y/N chuckled as they heard the silence before speaking again. "I'll be there."

"It's at 7pm." Leigh told them as she glancrd at the clock, seeing it was 6:10pm.

"I'll shower now and be there." They told her before the two bid their goodbyes. Leigh smiled all the way home, Y/N had only dropped her off after dates and has never crossed paths with mom or sister. Luckily enough.

"Don't worry mom, they will be here on time." Leigh stated as she grabbed herself a bottle of water. Amy smiled at her daughter before she spoke.

"I am proud of you." Amy told her as she kissed her head before she got back to cooking. Just like clockwork, the doorbell rang with 10 minutes to spare. "They're punctual. I like that." Amy smirked as Leigh shook her head.

"They were in the military mom." Leigh informed her before she left to answer the door. Smiling as she saw Y/N with three bouquets.

"I got you some flowers." They said nervously as Leigh smiled adoringly at them. "And some for your mom and sister. I just, I remember you saying that this is an alcohol free zone and my father always taught me to never go to a dinner at someones house emptyhanded."

"These are beautiful Y/N." Leigh kissed them softly before Y/N pulled away quickly.

"You're going to crush them." They scolded her making her laugh as she led them inside. Leigh took her flowers with a smile as she led them to the kitchen, where her mom and sister were waiting patiently.

"So you finished making out?" Jules questioned teasingly as Leigh hit her arm.

"I uh." Y/N stuttered as they suddenly felt extremely short under Amy's gaze. "I'm Y/N Y/L/N ma'am." They held out the flowers for her. "I uh got you some flowers."

"These are beautiful Y/N." Jules beamed as she smelled hers. "I might just have to steal you for myself."

"Don't you fucking dare." Leigh snarled as everyone chuckled. Y/N took her hand and kissed the back of it making her blush.

"No one can steal me from you." They whispered before kissing her cheek. Amy smiled at her daughter who she hadn't seen this happy in a very long time. As the four of them sat down for dinner. Amy cleared her throat before she turned to Y/N.

"Leigh tells me that you were in the military." Amy stated as Y/N nodded. Sipping on their water before answering her.

"I was ma'am." They confirmed. "I am currently a prison guard."

"Why?" Jules questioned as Leigh gave her a scolding look as Y/N waved it off.

"On my last tour, I lost a lot of my brothers and sisters. I was also medically discharged due to my injuries." Y/N started as Leigh held their hand. "After I had made a full recovery, I knew I needed to work and I missed the military. I'm also not qualified for much so Prison Guard is the job I chose."

"But that's an extremely dangerous job itself." Amy stated as Y/N nodded.

"It is but luckily my years of military training benefit me." They informed her. "Although I have only seen one riot among the inmates in gen pop. That was how I got this." They pointed to the scar on their cheek. It was brilliantly stitched and healed that you wouldn't notice it from a distance.

As the night progressed, Amy proceeded to tell Y/N stories of Leigh's childhood.

"When she was 13, Avril Lavigne came out with her first album. I remember Leigh straightening her hair extremely straight and wearing a tie over her vest." Amy told them as Leigh hid her face in Y/N's shoulder as they chuckled. "She wouldn't stop singing that song for weeks. What one was it now?" She questioned as Leigh groaned.

"Complicated." She muttered as Amy clapped her hands as she remembered now.

"I remember telling her if she kept on singing it, I would make her life so complicated." Amy said as Y/N laughed.

"Did it work?" They asked as she shook her head.

"No. She moved on to Skater Boi." Amy stated in defeat. "You must have some stories."

"Yeah." Y/N smiled as they remembered one. "I remember we had an inspection coming up. I had just been promoted to Corporal. I was 22 at the time. Davey decided it would be fun to put pink hair dye in my shampoo the day before. Knowing my routine. I barely noticed it until my CO started to bring out all of the Pink jokes. Before he moved on to the next soldier he just smirked before saying 'I won't let you get you.' Everyone erupted in laughter with him but I knew I had to get Davey back."

"Did you get him back?" Jules questioned as Y/N shook their head no.

"That tour was his last one. He didn't come home." Y/N told them as they all looked at them sadly. "But he was one hell of a guy, he was my best friend."

"I'm sorry." Amy whispered as they waved her off.

"It's fine." They smiled. "We all got through it together. I actually got the tattoo he had in the same place as a reminder of our friendship."

"What was it?" Leigh questioned softly.

"You don't want to know." They smiled as they shook their head.

"I do." Leigh pressed on as they stood up.

"We all used to take the piss out of him for it." They turned around and lifted their shirt up.

"You got a tramp stamp!" Jules laughed as Y/N nodded with a chuckle.

"I did." Everyone laughed as they shown him the picture of cowboy boots and a stetson on their lower back.

As the night drew to a close, Leigh led Y/N to the porch. Smiles on both of their faces as both Amy and Jules decided to clean.

"Thank you for tonight." Y/N spoke softly as Leigh smiled. "Although I wish for us to be official."

"I thought we were." Leigh spoke unsurely.

"I never really asked you to be mine Leigh." They told her tenderly as she nodded slowly. Remembering that conversation never came up. "So Leigh, will you be mine?"

"Yes." She nodded with a smile before she kissed them softly.

"I'll see you soon." They told her as she nodded. Watching as they walked to their car, waving before they drove off.

"I like them." Jules stated as Leigh walked back inside.

"Me too." Amy agreed as she smiled at her daughters. "They have made my baby happy and that is all I care about."

"I feel really good mom." Leigh told them both. "I feel like I can actually breathe. I'm not drowning anymore." She kissed Amy's cheek before she disappeared up to her room.

"Do you think Y/N could really be the one?" Jules asked.

"I do." Amy stated before turning out the lights. Ready for a peaceful night.

#leigh shaw x you #leigh shaw imagine #leigh shaw x reader #leigh shaw #wanda maximoff x reader #elizabeth olsen x reader

[wamtorical]

Jemima was approaching her second birthday and was slowly but surely growing bigger. While the loans were far from being fully paid off, they were progressing reasonably well and all seemed fine. In reality, Elmer's job as a nurse proved to be a difficult task, often leaving him home as late as 10pm. He thought it was ridiculous; how would he manage to spend quality time with his lonesome wife and child living like this?

In search of a means to relax, Elmer took up a new hobby: woodworking. Not only could this help save money, but it could help make money should anyone be interested in his creations. His first long-term project was an easel he'd made for Claudia, subtly encouraging her to explore a new hobby and follow in his footsteps. Given the limited activities on the farm, indulging in a little fun wouldn't harm either of them.

Still, the mounting stress was taking its toll hard on Elmer. The weight of his responsibilities became overwhelming and solemnly watching him break down as soon as he stepped foot into the bedroom was an all too common occurrence for Claudia.

She too faced her own set of challenges as she navigated the journey of motherhood, shouldering the responsibility alone most of the time due to Elmer's demanding shifts. Raising a child sure proved to be a tricky task. Jemima's peaceful and quiet nature occasionally granted her moments of respite and during these precious intervals, she managed to carve out time for herself. Leaving the task of nurturing the baby to a trusted friend, Vera Brindleton - patriarch of the proud Brindleton family - had invited her for tea in the local cafe to finally get to know the new family in town ... Even if it had been a few years by now.

The town centre held a special place in Claudia's heart. It offered a stunning view of Brindleton Bay's finest sea and alongside it, a vibrant yet not overwhelmingly crowded atmosphere. The surrounding shops and their nostalgic energy, as if you could sense the citizens that had once roamed the area years back, added to the charm of the place. During their outing, the topic of children had been brought up by Vera.

Vera: "A single babe? And a female, too? That shan't do Claudia, do you know how imporant bearing sons are for us ladies?"

"Should you feel true pride for your country and take the role of a proper English woman, you simply must give birth to future protectors of our land. I've lived by that for as long as I can remember. Do you know how many brothers I have?"

Claudia: "I appreciate the sentiment, Vera, but I believe bearing children is more than just producing human safety nets - Though believe me when I tell you I don't intend to come across hostile. Pregnancy has just never been an easy decision for me."

Vera let out a deep sigh, dismissing Claudia's logic as if it were a mere product of a child's mind in dire need of further education.

Vera: "I love my sons very much. My boys understand just as much as I do their role in society. They must protect us and I assure you they are more than willing to die for Britain. Pride naturally courses through their veins. War is not something to be wished upon, of course, I'm saying it is simply what they were born for." Vera calmly claimed, leaving Claudia wondering how Vera's youngest boy - 6 months - was able to understand the weight of his mortailty to this degree.

Claudia: "But Vera, raising children is ever so hard ... And should war come upon us, I'd hate to see any son of mine leave to fight. My child's life is surely worth more than my country."

"Then you stand alone. You have a kind heart, Claudia, but you lack the ability to see past your emotions. The greater good will always be for, as it suggests, the greater good. No matter what."

After they'd parted, Claudia felt incredibly conflicted. On one hand, she wanted to stay true to her values and on the other, she couldn't help but ponder whether there was any truth to Vera's words. One undeniable fact remained: most women in Brindleton bay possessed sizely families, so just like Vera had put it, she really did stand alone. Perhaps, she thought, it would be better to contribute to this societal norm rather than disappoint the people around her. It was just so scary ... Claudia would have to make up her mind, and fast.

📜 next / previous / first

#The Pence Legacy #ts4 decades challenge #Claudia pence #Elmer pence #Jemima pence #1890spence #pencelegacy #1890s #ts4

[triforce-of-mischief]

o/

helloooo how was your day?

also, for the ask game: 1, 4, 8, and maybe 18 if ya want?

hi!

today was fine, i still have some chores to do (it's past 10pm lol) but i got to talk to my friend earlier and there's hockey on the tv now :)

1 (What font do you write in? Do you actually care or is that just the default setting?): looks like it's calibri right now! i went through a comic sans phase for a while, it did really help but i changed it back when i started getting overstimulation headaches sooner

4 (What’s a word that makes you go absolutely feral?): hmm like in a good way or a bad way? i really like whine or whimper, little sounds that characters only make when they're really scared/hurt/vulnerable

8 (If you had to write an entire story without either action or dialogue, which would you choose and how would it go?): oh dialogue, easy. recently i've been writing almost more dialogue than action, mostly as a kind of personal challenge, but i can definitely make things work without it. the closest i've gotten in a posted fic is my special horse, which i bet would be really easy to edit to be completely dialogue-less

18 (Choose a passage from your writing. Tell me about the backstory of this moment. How you came up with it, how it changed from start to end):

*tw needle*

“Alright then,” Warriors said easily. “Do you trust me?”

“’Course I do, what-”

“Lege.” His tone was still gentle, but serious now. “Do you trust me.” It was more of a demand than a question, a plea to discover what he was really asking.

Legend knew what Warriors meant. He hadn’t expected it, but as he considered the captain’s unspoken plan, he decided that he trusted Warriors fully. “Y-yeah. I do.”

...

“I’ll be fast. Just a few moments, then you can rest.” The cadence of Warriors’ voice was steady, almost unnaturally so.

“Wars-” He struggled to speak, his protest strained and weak.

Legend still wasn’t ready.

Warriors had pushed back the sleeve of Legend’s tunic, and he paused to smooth his thumb over his skin. A final attempt at comfort, one that Legend registered but didn’t receive.

“You still trust me, right?”

Despite everything, he still did. Legend swallowed back the whine building in his throat. Warriors needed him to be strong, for both of them.

“Deep breath, bud.”

It was more of a shallow gasp, but Legend managed it.

“And let it out.”

A sharp prick of pain sent a numbing chill down his arm. Warriors was fast despite his lack of experience, and Legend felt the needle slide out before he lost feeling altogether. Warriors was comforting him again in an instant, pulling the scarf tight around Legend and whispering praises in his ear. “Great job, bud, you did so well. You can relax now, I’ve got you.”

gosh that was long

there's a book i started once, don't remember what it was called. i didn't like it so i didn't even finish it but one scene stuck with me: the main character is afraid of needles but trusts her friend with one. like w o w. it's an action that's so incredibly intimate (platonically. that can be a platonic word right), something that i don't even dare to hope for for myself.

anyway i wanted to do that too, so here we are! *jazz hands*

#that level of trust is so. its so. yeah #i hope your day is/was good! #fable writes #overcome #fable's asks #chatting with illeg!

[wannaberp]

— WHO IS YOON NARAE?

she’s a EIGHTEEN year old wannabe, born MARCH 24, 2004. she’s undecided regarding the companies and lives by the words “to live is the rarest thing in the world. most people exist, that is all.”

maybe you should learn more or ask her a question.

▶ PLAY THE CLIP [ harsh_critique.mp4 ]

it’s a sweltering hot day. the sand of her school’s yard twinkles so bright it’s near blinding. echoes swallow the air and make her skin tingle in annoyance. complaints about the heat, how unprecedented it was, and how little the school could accomodate for it. but with no budget for an indoor gym, what else could they expect?

you want more, you have to earn it.

narae loves the sun. especially when it reaches beneath her long sleeves, creating a pocket of warmth between her skin and the polyester. because when she closes her eyes, she can pretend to be anywhere else. on a beachside in australia, traipsing around singapore, sipping soda to cool off from a day shopping in dubai—if she shuts out the world well enough, these fantasies can feel true. the cold is bitter and real, but the heat made her glow.

if only her peers would shut up. their consistent nagging wasn’t a particularly immersive environment.  

finally, the whistle is blown and the sea of green tracksuits is unleashed onto odong-do’s hilly terrain.

narae had always been a runner. from the moment she could crawl, she was trying to stand. from the moment she could stand, she was trying to walk. and from the moment she could walk, she wanted desperately to run. now, flying through the swathes of carnelia, she remembers why. it is her single escape from this small town. its small people, small beliefs, and small purpose.

when she is bounding away from it all, she can breathe. breathe, and drift away into her daydreams. of big cities and faraway vacations. of chasing success and capturing it, finally.

perhaps this strange sickness is partially her mom’s fault. as she had once been small, as a person, as her beliefs, and without purpose, her mother had told her: ‘if you could be beautiful, beautiful and awfully dull, i’d be the happiest woman in the world.’

that is to say: i hope you never do anything interesting with yourself. i pray that you will be boring enough to be happy with the life i have given you.

her mother had been a poet. one of those big thinkers, locked up in a cell like room. she had loved english literature, and gifted narae a taste of the outside world through her stories. angelou, hemingway, dickens, and fitzgerald. the beginnings of her wonderful imagination, and her inevitable downfall too.

was she supposed to give everything up for some bride prize, just to serve as a farmer’s wife? knowing how great and grand the world could be?

now, this angle always put her in a tricky spot. mentally, yes, but also physically. you see, every yoon was directionally challenged in some way. for narae, that meant losing her way in a hundred square feet national park, semi-regularly. being a regular occurrence nowadays, she could manage her way out of the routine relatively well, but it did mean returning to school at 10pm with a crowd of petrified adults waiting.

her father is the only one who does not think to greet her with a hug. instead, they hop into his truck, and drive home in silence. his disappointment doesn’t need expressing. it is clear enough on his face.

when they eventually pull into the driveway, he turns the engine off with a deep sigh. his next words are the first she’s heard in a week.

“don’t become a burden, narae. just, get your mind out of the gutter for once. please.”

a pause, and then-

“yes, dad.”

holding her school bag to her stomach, she gets out. once the door closes behind her, the car begins to hum again, her father pulling out with only one headlight functioning.

 standing there, she sees what he sees. someone so small, so pitiful. and she is devastated. but time is a luxury she can’t afford, so the tears will run free when she’s asleep, dreaming of her escape.

right now, there’s mouths to feed and dishes to clean.

#BE:ACCEPTED #kim minji #newjeans

[venusgirltarot]

Pile 3 — [♡] ;

This is a general PAC reading. If you’ve stumbled across this post and don’t feel this particular group is for you, you can pick a different group, here

Disclaimer: This reading is for entertainment purposes only. Tarot readings are about possibilities based on your current energy. Energy is forever changing and nothing is set in stone. Always remember, you have your own free will to make whatever decision you feel is best.

｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈•ﾟ｡

Hello, Pile 3 ♡ I believe you have an offer coming in. It could start off as something small like sitting at lunch together at school/work or maybe just getting coffee together but the intentions behind the offer are pure and the person coming in with the offer would like this offer to help your connection blossom into more. You may have mutual friends with this person and these mutual friends may be aware of the crush they have on you. Although this offer is coming in, it won’t come in until you’re ready for it. I believe you’re struggling a lot with your self love and self worth and doubting yourself and your luck in love. You may have been feeling very lonely lately or wishing you had someone and could have the mindset of “single forever” feeling like you’ll never meet someone or if you were going to meet someone , you would’ve met them by now. I’m hearing “it’s never too late to try” you’re spending so much time focused on what hasn’t worked out in the past that you’re not thinking about what the future may hold. Something good and stable is right around the corner but you’re so focused on your past challenges and mistakes that you’re not moving closer to this new things that is meant for you and will bring you the abundance and happiness that you truly want. Good things are coming in for you, trust and believe in yourself and please, don’t ever forget you’re worth. You are very beautiful souls, pile 3. Anyone would he lucky to have you and this person coming in sees that. They know your worth and beauty and value it and you. This person coming in has a very pure and lighthearted energy. Very kind and caring and they have so much love and admiration for you. It seems they’ve felt this way about you for awhile. Your relationship with this person will be better than you could have ever expected and more passionate, loving, and meaningful than anything you’ve felt before. This person will show you your true beauty. I’m hearing “I wish you could see yourself through my eyes” you may feel insecure or like you’re not good enough for a relationship. Please know that not only is that not true but this person knows that that’s not true. To them, you are so beautiful and delicate. I keep hearing “peach” so that may mean something to some of you. Being with this person will help you realize your worth and help you a lot with your confidence. You’ll feel at your best when you’re with them. This person may be shy about their feelings in the beginning but as time goes on, they’re more open about how they truly feel for you and how they see you. They have a lot of passion and desire for you and them showing you this will really help boost your confidence. For now, you need to focus on yourself and loving yourself for everything that you are and when the time is right, this person will come in with this offer.

Box messages: C, T, 3rd house, 12th house, Taurus, Aquarius Venus, Aquarius Rising, Leo Mercury, Virgo Venus, December, Flower, I messed up, you need time, just give me time, help me help you, the best is yet to be, I’ve missed you all this time, I want to make this work do you, what reminds you of me, I feel like we’re getting closer, we never see each other past 10pm, gossip only makes it worse

Song: Dress - Taylor Swift

#free readings #free tarot readings #tarot reader #tarot requests #tarot cards #pac reading #tarot related #tarotblr #collective reading #pick a card reading #pick a card #pick a picture #pick a pile #love reading

[spencers-renaissance]

Shovel Talk

Summary: Hotch and Emily find out about Derek's relationship with Spencer and decide it's time for a chat.

Tags: fluff, humour, est. rel., protective!derek, emily, and hotch, relationship reveal, mentions of past hurt spencer

Pairing: Derek Morgan x Spencer Reid

Word Count: 1.5k

Masterlist // Read on AO3

Inspired by this post by @penemily that I couldn't stop thinking about. Honestly I love this fic so much lol.

Derek isn’t quite sure how he’s found himself in a vacant office after hours, crowded into an office chair with broken wheels as the two most intimidating FBI agents he knows stand over him.

“Either of you want to tell me what the hell’s going on?” Derek asks, bewildered by how quickly his evening had changed. One minute he’s sneaking looks at Spencer over his computer screen, and the next he’s hauled off to a private room like some sort of hostage.

He’s not scared, but he’s definitely a little pissed off. It’s nearing 10pm and all he wants to do is go home with Spencer, curl up on the sofa and eat take-out in front of the TV as they celebrate closing a case in their own way. He used to celebrate by going out for a drink, falling into bed with a stranger if the opportunity arose, but a quiet evening on the sofa with his boy in his arms is surprisingly satisfying these days.

Hotch raises an eyebrow. “We know,” he says simply, something fierce behind his words.

Derek’s heart skips a beat. It’s not hard to figure out what it is he’s talking about. He and Spencer had started dating a couple of months ago but had decided to keep it under wraps for now; something so young and beautiful was too precious to expose to all the inevitable eventual complications just yet. They’re so ridiculously smitten, though, that he’s not exactly surprised two profilers paying close attention had figured it out.

Ignoring the quietly humming nerves starting up in his stomach, he mirrors Hotch’s raised eyebrow, trying not to look as affected as he feels. “So… what? You wait for Spencer to go to the bathroom to lure me to an empty office to beat me up?”

“Maybe,” Emily replies, voice dry.

Behind the nerves and the posturing, Derek can’t feel a small twinge of hurt. “Look, guys, we expected it to be a bit of a shock, but we thought you’d at least be happy for us—”

“It’s not a shock,” Hotch interrupts.

“What?”

“It’s not a shock,” Emily repeats. “Everyone saw this coming a mile off. We’re not surprised.”

Now, he’s even more lost. “Look, can you guys just sit down? You towering over me is creeping me out, man.”

“Good,” Hotch says easily.

Irritation takes over, and he stands up. “You know what, if you’re gonna be funny about it, I don’t actually have to be here.”

Before he can actually make to leave, though, Hotch is shoving him back down into the chair, old metal and plastic creaking under the force of his caught-off-guard body hitting it again. “Stay.”

“What is going on?” Derek explodes. Maybe under different circumstances he’d be able to profile the situation but as it stands, he’s stressed and confused, desperate only to be allowed to leave this dark, cramped room and take Spencer back to his place. It almost surprises him that all he craves in such a weird and unfamiliar situation is cuddles and a nature documentary, but he’s been with Spencer long enough for it to be approaching normal. The younger man’s probably back at his desk by now, wondering where he is, and Derek would hate for him to be worried. He just wants to go home.

“Derek, we are happy for you and Spencer,” Emily finally explains. “But we couldn’t in good conscience let this go on without having a… chat.” Her face twists into the faux charming expression he’s watched her use to disarm unsubs countless times. It stings a little that she’s using it on him.

He splutters a little as a realisation dawns on him, equal parts bemused and offended. “This is… this is a shovel talk!”

“Yes,” Hotch says with a straight face, his expression tight and intimidating as he tilts his head to the side slightly, clearly entirely unaffected by Derek’s emotions. “This is a shovel talk.”

Derek feels himself relax, tension easing slightly. “Guys, I appreciate the sentiment, but Spencer’s my boyfriend; nobody wants to protect him more than I do. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“I’m pretty sure we could give you a run for your money,” Emily says, her expression quickly transforming into something far more dangerous and challenging than only moments previously. “Spencer has something every single member of this team would die to protect. And if you get in our way, then we’re going to have a problem.”

“Emily, what, we’re friends.”

“Yeah,” she agrees, shrugging easily, “and I love you. But Spencer is my little brother, and I would do anything to stop him from getting hurt. As long as you don’t interfere with my primary mission, we’ll be fine.”

Hotch speaks before Derek can get a word in. “Derek, I knew Spencer long before you did. I remember the first time Gideon brought him to one of our lunches, and I saw something in him that made my heart ache. It didn’t take me long to realise that what I saw were the scars left by incredible deep-seated pain. Spencer has been through hell and back throughout his life, and he’s been hurt repeatedly by people who were supposed to protect him, including Gideon. I would do anything to prevent him from getting hurt by someone like that again, you hear me? Anything.”

As confusing as this all is, Derek can’t help but feel touched by Hotch’s earnest, emotional speech. Most of his nightmares these days revolve around Spencer getting hurt, and it’s kind of reassuring to know that he has so many people in the world who will stop at nothing to prevent those horrible dreams from spiralling into reality.

He can’t help but smile a little. “I’m glad he has you two,” Derek says honestly, looking between them, “but I can assure you that if I ever hurt Spencer for some unfathomable reason, your services wouldn’t be needed. I would hate myself enough for all three of us.” Even just considering the hypothetical possibility of hurting Spencer makes his stomach turn: it’s enough for him to know that he wouldn’t need Hotch and Emily to hold him accountable to that, his own self-loathing would be punishment enough.

It seems to appease Hotch and Emily, who Derek realises look sort of like intimidating twin mafia bosses standing over him like this, and they finally step back a little, posture relaxing.

“Well, what are you waiting for then?” Emily says, smiling for real this time. “Get your boy and get home. It’s getting late, you know.”

He rolls his eyes at her as he makes his way to the door.

“Oh, and Derek,” Hotch says, laying a hand on his shoulder, turning him before he can leave, a genuine smile on his face too, “I am actually happy for you and Spencer.”

Derek grins at that. He really is a lucky, lucky man. “Thanks, Hotch.”

“What was that about?” Spencer asks, his features twisting in curiosity as Derek makes his way across the bullpen to his boyfriend, Hotch and Emily emerging from the same room moments later.

Derek doesn’t answer properly, laughing instead. “You got some good friends, you know that?”

Spencer nods, still looking a little confused, but clearly deciding to let it go as he slings his messenger bag across his body, standing up from his desk. Derek slings an arm around Spencer’s shoulders, leading him towards the exit as his insides twist at the adorable blush that colours Spencer’s cheeks so prettily.

“Derek,” he hisses, “shouldn’t we be leaving separately?”

“I think it’s a little late for that,” he chuckles, looking over his shoulder. Spencer does the same, blushing even fiercer as he spots Hotch and Emily leaning against the railing, overlooking the bullpen with all-knowing looks on their faces.

“Oh my god,” Spencer mumbles, clearly embarrassed, but Derek just laughs again as they leave the bullpen and approach the elevators.

“Come on, pretty boy,” he sighs happily, sliding the arm around his shoulders to rest at his waist, fingertips pressing into the small frame of the boy he’s already falling in love with. “Let’s get you home. That penguin documentary awaits.”

“You’re gonna watch Emperors and Kings with me?” Spencer’s happy exclamation and the delighted expression on his face only warms his heart further, and in that moment he decides that he wants a happy Spencer and another nature documentary within his reach for the rest of his life.

Surprisingly, it’s not as terrifying a thought as it might once have been.

(If Derek thinks the shovel talk from Hotch and Emily is bad, though, it’s nothing compared to the one he gets from Penelope. By the end of the next day, he’s somehow reduced to tears that are both happy and the product of extreme terror, on the receiving end of a ‘baby girl’ ban for keeping it from her for so long. In the end, he decides that it’s probably an alright price to pay for everything beautiful that his life has blossomed into over the last few months.)

taglist: @criminalmindsvibez @suburban--gothic @strippersenseii @takeyourleap-of-faith @negativefouriq @makaylajadewrites @iamrenstark @livrere-blue @hotchseyebrows @jellejareau @reidology @i-like-buttons @spencerspecifics @bau-gremlin @hotchedyke @tobias-hankel @goobzoop @marsjareau @garcias-bitch @oliverbrnch @im-autistic @anxious-enby @queerminalminds (taglist form)

#cm #criminal minds #my writing #cm fic #cm fanfiction #criminal minds fic #spencer reid #criminal minds fanfiction #derek morgan #aaron hotchner #emily prentiss #penelope garcia #moreid #moreid fic #moreid fanfiction #derek morgan x spencer reid #spencer reid x derek morgan #derek morgan/spencer reid #spencer reid/derek morgan

[sope-and-shine]

Written In the Stars: Finale

-> SFW // Soulmate!AU // fluff, // Mummy!Namjoon, Moon Goddess!Taehyung

-> Pairing: Namjoon x Reader // Taehyung x Reader

-> Word Count: 7k

-> Summary: Life after losing a loved one is challenging, especially when you’ve had the chance to see just how long the two of you have spent passing each other by. With it only being a few weeks since your loss, you’ve found your life has become dull and despondent. You can’t help but wonder if you’ll be able to move on, even with the help of friends.

-> Warning(s): mild language

a/n: I can’t believe we’re actually at the end 😭😭 I’ve put so much time and love into this story and I’m both sad and happy that I’ve been able to finish it! I hope everyone enjoys!

Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3 // Part 4 // Masterlist

*

*

*

“Ma’am, where’s the restroom?”

You turn and see a father holding a small boy in his arms, and you immediately jump into action, “Take a right out of these doors, down the hall until you see the blue traffic sign, and it’ll be on the right. There should be a Daffodil portrait on the wall right before your turn.”

The man heaves a happy - very relieved - sigh, “Thank you!”

“Of course!” You watch as he speedwalks out of the exhibit and takes off down the hall. You can only hope he actually makes it there.

The day shift has definitely been more exciting. It’s only been a few weeks, but your days have been filled with more excitement since you switched. You tried to continue with the night shift post, but the silence just became too overwhelming. Thankfully, Hoseok seemed to understand when you told him.

You switched back to the day shift in hopes it would help to take your mind off of Namjoon. You thought being surrounded by others would make you feel less lonely, but you can’t help but think about how your life has changed so drastically.

Adjusting to your new life hasn’t been easy. Everywhere you look, you’re reminded of Namjoon. You hear his laugh by the water fountains, you see his hair in crowds on the street, and you can still feel his arms around you at night as you lay in bed.

At first, you thought it was something you could handle. You thought if you embraced his goodbye, then you’d be content to live the rest of your life without him. But no one told you losing love would hurt this bad.

You’ve tried to do other things, like knitting and working out, but you’re not very good at either one - nor do you really like them. Cooking had seemed like a good idea until you realized that meant cleaning the dishes. With every attempt to move on, you seem to take 3 large steps back.

You find yourself going to places Namjoon would have liked. Spontaneous trips to the park lead to long evenings by the river. Extra hours at the museum have you wandering through the exhibits just to look at the art one more time. Even a quick trip to the store has you buying things you’ve never thought to try.

The one place you never go is the King’s exhibit. At least, not of your own free will. It’s only happened twice - once being today - because someone had to call out. And just like the time before, you find yourself at the aquarium.

A place where Namjoon was truly happy.

The touch tanks have quickly become a favorite of yours. They allow you time to think to yourself and drift off, to daydream about a handsome king with an endearing fascination for the world around him.

You like to visit the crabs the most. Mostly because you know Namjoon would if he could. He thought they were the cutest on your outing together, and holding the tiny creature in your palm you can see why.

“Ow!” You flinch at the small pinch from the crustacean. Your hands jerk, but you try to protect the crab the best you can without dropping it.

“Here-” A large hand reaches in front of you and plucks the crab from your hands, “These guys get a little finicky when you hold them up too high.”

You place your thumb over the pinch and turn to him, “Really? I can’t-” You pause mid-sentence.

Now, looking at the crab’s savior, you see him. Lilac strands poke out of the blue university hat he’s wearing. His khaki shorts are worn and just barely reach his knees, and his sneakers are all worn out. Even the socks he’s wearing have slightly lost their vibrance. His baggy t-shirt doesn’t hide the fact that he’s more fit than he was a few weeks ago, but a few weeks ago he had disappeared right in front of you. But there’s no mistaking that dimpled smile.

This is Namjoon.

You stare at him like a deer in headlights, and you must look exactly how you feel because his smile turns to concern, “Are you okay?” He asks.

You nod, “Yeah! Yeah, I’m fine…” You’re not. You’re absolutely stunned and he doesn’t seem to recognize you. They do say everyone in the world has 4 people that look just like them. How unfortunate that you’ve found his. “You just...look really familiar.”

“Really? Well, I guess that means I have a memorable face then.” He muses, chuckling to himself - Exactly like Namjoon. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” You take another selfish moment to look at him, admiring how gentle he is with the small creature in his hands. “You really seem to like the crabs.”

“Yeah, I do!” He nods enthusiastically, “I really only applied here as an excuse to play in the touch tanks.”

“Something easy to wind down from classes?” You ask.

His eyes widen in surprise, and he turns to you as if you suddenly grew 2 extra heads, “How’d you know?”

You giggle, “You’re wearing a university hat with your grad year.”

“Really?!” You nod and he pulls the cap off of his head, letting out a frustrated groan when he confirms he’s wearing his university hat, “No wonder my supervisor straight up ignored me this morning. This is the third time this month I’ve grabbed the wrong one.”

“At least it’s a nice hat.” You assure him, trying to remain positive.

He places the cap back on his head and sighs, “Tell that to him.” He brings the small crab still resting in his palms eye level, “This little guy knows exactly what I’m talking about. Don’t you, buddy?”

“Don’t tell me you speak crab.”

“Of course I do! You just have to know how to listen.” He says matter of factly.

“Alright then. Ask him how he’s doing.”

“I will.” He turns to the crab and stares at it as if they’re having a staring contest, “How are you feeling, little guy?” He moves the crab up to his ear and acts as though it’s whispering to him, nodding and humming disagreement, “I see...I’d be pretty frightened too.”

You narrow your eyes, “What did he say?”

“He said he was having a great day until someone came and held him up too high.” He teases.

“You’re taller than me!” You argue.

He looks you up and down, nodding, “You’re right…” He seems to contemplate for a moment before he shrugs with a sly smile, “He probably just likes me better.”

“Oh, really now?” You challenge. He nods proudly and you scoff, “Well, what’s your name? Resident Crab Whisperer?”

“No! That’s way too long.” He laughs. He extends the hand not cradling a crab towards you and smiles, “My name is Kim Namjoon.”

“Well…” You hesitate, trying your best not to react. You swallow your nerves and shake his hand with a smile of your own, “-It’s nice to meet you, Kim Namjoon. Any relation to the mummy at the museum?”

“That hopeless romantic from the Seoul Museum?” He jokes. He takes this moment to place the crab back into his touch tank, “Yeah, he’s like a great-great-super great uncle or something like that.”

“Well, you look like him.” You say. He gives you a confused look and you’re quick to back-pedal, “His portraits! You look like his portraits.”

“I do?” He asks.

“Besides the purple hair, I’d say you’re the spitting image.”

“I’ll have to check it out myself then.”

“Well, their hours are 8am to 10pm Monday through Saturday and 12pm to 6pm on Sunday.” He gives you a pointed look and you shrug, “I’ve been the night guard the past few years. I just switched to day shift.”

“Really?!” He asks in disbelief, “Isn’t it creepy working the graveyard shift? It must be way too quiet.”

“Not really.” You think back to the nights you spent with your Namjoon and how he made you laugh. You remember asking him the same thing one Saturday night after the museum closed. You two were much closer than his first Sunday there, but you couldn’t help but worry about how he must get through the night alone. But Namjoon was a king. He wasn’t worried about a bit of peace and quiet. “A friend of mine once told me that silence is more reassuring than anything. It means peace.”

“They sound wise.”

“He was...” You can’t help but think about Namjoon’s absence.

This always happens when you think about any good times you may have had, remembering how much fun you had and how you’ll likely never have it again. Being in front of this Namjoon does nothing to help you feel at ease.

“You know that movie-?! It’s-Oh...What was it called…?” The lilac-haired Namjoon suddenly claps his hands together with a proud smile, “Night at the Museum! Anything like that happen after hours?”

You chuckle to yourself, knowing better than anyone how Ben Stiller’s character felt during that movie. Of course, the Namjoon in front of you would never believe you, “I wish. It’d make some of the exhibits a lot more interesting.”

He nods, “I bet they’d be pretty interactive too…Could you imagine history telling itself?!”

“Please, I don’t want to hear about the love-life of a thousand-year-old mummy.” You joke, knowing full well you already have.

“Yeah, I guess that would get annoying after a while...always lamenting about love and what-not…” He seems slightly disappointed, but his smile comes right back, “Why don’t you let me show you around and I’ll tell you about our exhibits instead?”

You’re taken aback by his boldness, “Oh, are you sure?” He nods, “I don’t want to get you in trouble or anything.”

“Don’t worry about it! My shift ended like 30 minutes ago and this place is only open for another 3 hours.” He assures you, “So, what do you say?”

Maybe it’s because he’s the spitting image of Namjoon, or maybe it’s the similarities in their personas. Maybe it’s just the way his dimples appear every time he laughs and his laugh sounds just like his. No matter what it is that’s drawing you to this Namjoon, you find that your heart has taken over for your brain and it’s putty in his hands, “Sure. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Namjoon breaks into an excited grin, dimples on full display, “That’s the spirit!” He straightens his posture and holds his arm out for you as if he were a butler or an escort, “From here until the aquarium closes, consider me your personal tour guide for the rest of the evening. There won’t be a bench you haven’t sat on by the time we’re done!”

He’s confident.

But perhaps he’s too confident…

He takes you to places you’ve been before, educating you on every animal in great detail. He doesn’t miss a single species, and he takes great care to make sure you see what he’s talking about - guiding your head and pointing in the right direction. His enthusiasm is infectious, and you could listen to him talk for hours. He’s so well-spoken, and he describes everything in such wonderful detail. It comes as no surprise to you when he mentions himself to be a literature major.

He has such a unique personality and the most terrible humor. He tells you about his bike and how much he enjoys riding by the river and through the park. He tells you about his love for moon jelly and how it’s like looking up at the sky when you see them. Everything about him is just so uniquely him, but you can’t help but see all of the similarities he holds to your Namjoon.

His physical features are all the same: his eyes, his nose, his lips, his dimples, his height, and even his haircut! There’s no doubt that this Namjoon would look identical to your Namjoon if his hair were the same dark brown. His interest in the Moon and his love of literature. Your Namjoon would have excelled academically in this world just like this Namjoon. Even his love of small creatures and terribly out-of-date dad jokes is exactly the same!

He’s Namjoon.

But he doesn’t hold the memories of your Namjoon…

Taehyung had told you how Fate had tried to warn him several times. How Fate couldn’t change what would happen, and she could only hope to guide everyone to the best outcome without ruining the future herself. But how cruel could Fate be to have another Namjoon this close to you yet not be yours. To thrust this on you so soon without even a few months to grieve more.

How could someone be so heartless?

---

“And this would be the last bench of our tour.” Namjoon says as you exit the aquarium, extending an arm as he presents it to you.

“Oh wow...” You thank him and take a seat, playing along with his charade - as you have all night - as you pretend to admire the bench. You admire the dedication plaque for just a moment before you turn to him in mock disappointment, “I thought you said we’d see everything on this tour?”

He shrugs, “I may have rambled here and there...” He seems almost sheepish as he realizes how he went on and on over every topic the two of you talked about, “Sorry about that.”

“No worries here.” You assure him. You’d take 5 more tours just to listen to him ramble on and on for hours, “Now I know that fish talk through make sounds by vibrating their muscles against their bladder. Pretty weird, but I wouldn’t know that if you hadn’t told me.”

“Well, I’m glad I could educate you a bit.” He seems nervous, shoving his hands into his pockets as he shifts from one foot to the other, “Maybe we can do this again?”

“Uh…” You hesitate, “Yeah. Maybe.”

It’s just a tour. No harm in that.

“Maybe...I could take you to dinner too?” He asks.

There’s some harm in that.

He already seems nervous so you try to find the right words to say, “Oh, I-” But your face seems to give you away way too easily.

“You’re not interested.”

“No-!”

“It’s okay! I get it, I understand.”

“No, you don’t.” You stand up and try to explain, but he seems to already have your rejection in his mind.

“No, please, don’t feel like you have to. I’ve been told I can be a bit pushy.”

“No, that’s really not it! I’d love to go to dinner with you!”

That seems to catch his attention.

“Really?”

You nod, “Yeah! Just not now, or like-...anytime soon.”

The last of Namjoon’s hope turns into skepticism, “Are you sure you’re not just saying that?”

“I know how it sounds, but please-!” You stop yourself before you can blurt out the wrong thing and scare him off entirely, “I lost someone really special to me recently. His loss hasn’t been easy for me, and I don’t want to jump into something too soon. I don’t think that’d be fair to you if I’m still hung up on someone else.”

“Oh wow...I’m really sorry about that.” You thank him and take a moment to breathe, holding yourself back from the tears that want to break free, “I went through a loss not too long ago too! You’re taking the right steps, and I appreciate you thinking about my feelings.”

You smile, “Of course! Everyone deserves that.”

“Well, no dinner then, but maybe another tour next weekend? Same time?” He asks, “Strictly hanging out though. No dinner.”

You nod, “I’d love that.”

“Then it’s a date!” He says excitedly. Though, as soon as the words leave his mouth he’s stepping over himself to correct what he’d said, “Not a date! Absolutely not a date. No, ma’am.”

You can’t help but smile fondly at how endearing he is, “I can’t wait.”

You squeeze the strap of the bag on your shoulder with one hand and wave with the other, turning and departing from the current Namjoon. Maybe in time, you can fall in love with this Namjoon for who he is and not because he reminds you of your Namjoon. At that point, then this lilac-haired, crab-loving, literature enthusiast would be your Namjoon.

You can only hope that day comes sooner rather than later.

*

*

*

“So, that’s it then?”

“I’m sorry?” You turn around confused, only about 50 feet away.

“I can’t believe you’re just going to be nice to this me, but not the one that waited 1,000 years for you!” He explains.

You’re so confused that it takes a second to grasp what this Namjoon is saying, and then it hits you. This Namjoon isn’t just any Namjoon.

He’s your Namjoon.

King Kim Namjoon.

The Hopeless Romantic from the Seoul Museum of Art and History.

“Namjoon…?” You ask. You know it’s him, you’re confident. But it still seems like it’s way too good to be true.

He nods, “It’s me.”

In an instant, you’re running towards him. You fling yourself into his awaiting arms and squeeze him as tight as humanly possible, burying your face into his neck as the tears begin to form in your eyes. You let your hands thread through his soft, purple locks and allow yourself to relax with his arms squeezing around your waist.

You bask in this overwhelming feeling of being whole again. You feel light and complete for the first time in weeks and it fills you with so much joy that you can hardly contain yourself. The embrace feels like that first kiss all over again, and you just never want to let him go.

As you calm down and you come to realize that Namjoon isn’t going anywhere, you pull away just enough so you can see his own tear-stained face. His cheeks are red and his eyes are puffy, but his smile is unmistakable with those gorgeous dimples of his.

Looking at him, it’s now that you realize…

He remembered you this whole time.

You smack his chest - not enough to hurt him, but enough so he knows you mean business - and he flinches, “How dare you play with me like this, Namjoon? Do you know how hard the past few weeks have been for me?!”

“I’m sorry!” He apologizes. He runs his hands up and down your sides affectionately, trying to keep you close - and not angry with him, “Trust me when I say this wasn’t easy for me either.”

As much as you would love to be mad with him for pretending he didn’t know you, you can’t. You’re just happy he’s here more than anything. But that still begs the question, “How are you here?”

“I’m not supposed to say much, but I can tell you the other deities had a few tricks up their sleeves.” He explains. He takes a moment to admire your features and leans down to press a kiss to your temple, “But I think most of the thanks needs to go to Taehyung.”

Your eyes widen in shock, “You know about him?!”

He nods, “It was a shock, but he and the other deities explained everything.” He pulls you closer and uses a hand to cup your face, “They gave me a whole life to share with you.”

You lean into his touch, but you’re still reeling from everything that’s happened in such a short time, “And you just remember everything?”

“They gave me the memories back.” He corrects. He’s so close now and you want nothing more than to start where the two of you had left off before you broke the spell, “I guess Fate had a backup plan for him.”

“Thank Fate for that.” You say before giving in to your temptation and pulling your soulmate in for a much needed, long-awaited, proper kiss

* *

*

“You wanted to see me?”

You look up from your paperwork to see Taehyung standing in your doorway, wearing his favorite emerald 3 piece suit. His fist is raised to the door frame as if he knocked just before he spoke. You must not have heard him.

You wave him in, “Yeah, come in! I’m just finishing up with this finance report.” You expect him to come right in, but he seems hesitant to do so. “Are you okay?”

“Am I not in trouble?” He asks.

Your brow raises in confusion, “Why would you be in trouble?”

“Well, Jimin said-'' Taehyung stops. He remembers the other day after work when he’d come home to Jimin and Jeongguk, going at it in the kitchen for the 4th time in 2 weeks. He’d thought it would be funny to dump water on them - and so had Guk - but the Earth deity had apparently been unamused. Of course, him being the pettiest individual he would settle for a payback that would absolutely scare him. He sits in the chair across from you and throws one leg over the other, “Nevermind. I know what happened.”

You chuckle, “Well, I have a surprise for you. That’s why I asked for you.”

“Oh, really?!” He’s definitely surprised, “What is it?”

“Well-” You move your finance report to the paper organizer on your desk, grab your bag at your feet, and stand up, “-why don’t show you?”

He uncrosses his legs and stands, “We’re going somewhere?”

You nod, “If you’re up for it.” You hold your hand out for him, an action that’s become normal between the two of you.

He takes your hand and you both exit your office together, leaving the human way. You make your way downstairs hand-in-hand, passing patrons that still roam the halls or meander up and down the stairs taking pictures to their heart's content. It all makes you feel human, and feeling human makes you feel happy.

On your way through the lobby, you catch sight of Eunha talking to another security guard. She’d made a request to switch shifts, and you made sure to have Hoseok take over her position under the guise of someone else. She looks happier, but you know better. Thankfully, her shift will be over in a few more hours.

“She’s pretty strong.” Taehyung comments, seeming to already know what you’re thinking. “I talked to her this morning and at lunch. She’s holding it together.”

You manage half a smile, “That’s good.”

Seokjin spots you walking together as you get closer to the exit and his smile widens, “Goodnight, (Y/n)! Goodnight, Taehyung!”

“Have a good night, Seokjin!” You respond, offering a small nod.

“See you tomorrow!” Taehyung waves. Seokjin gives him an indiscreet wink and you pretend you don’t see it even when Taehyung gives him an even more obvious wink back.

You playfully bump him with your hip and he pulls you with him, raising your joined hands above your head and resting them on your opposite shoulder. You squeeze as tight as you can together to fit through the door frame and out to the open air.

“I heard you promoted him.” Taehyung mentions as you make your descent down the large staircase.

You shrug, “There was an opening available.”

“Was there?” He asks, nudging you with his elbow.

You nod, “Yes. There was.” You nudge him back.

“Are you sure~?” The blonde asks again, “I’d hate to see you fall victim to those silly human emotions~”

You let out an exasperated sigh, “Oh, you are something else!” You drop his hand and rush two steps ahead of him, but he’s right behind you.

“I’m just looking out for you!” He defends. He rushes down the steps to the bottom before you make it to the last step and he puts his hands out to stop you, “We wouldn’t want to upset the council, would we?”

“I think you’ve done enough angering the council to cover me.” You remind him, poking his nose with your pointer finger, “Besides, maybe I want to get under their skin.”

“All of them? Or someone specific?” He asks, already knowing the answer.

You sigh, “I’m not saying Seowoo deserves it, but that’s exactly what I’m saying.”

“I can’t argue with that.” He agrees. He looks both ways down the sidewalk, “Which way?”

“This way.” You point towards the side of the museum where the street light is out, the darkness wrapping around the corner and making the perfect disappearing point.

You take his hand and together you both walk into the shadows, walking into the darkest section of the sidewalk before disappearing at the corner. You round the trunk of a cherry willow, a sliver of distant light shining through the drooping branches.

Taehyung runs his thumb over your hand and stops, “Are you wearing rings?” He pulls back to check and does a double-take when he sees you in the dim light, “Why’d you change?”

“We’re at a university.” You explain. You’ve changed from your work clothes to a university sweatshirt and a pair of jeans, “I’d rather look like a student than a teacher. You should probably change too.”

“Oh...sure.” In his own fashion, he changes into a white shirt under a baggy, light beige sweater vest, a pair of jeans, and orange converse. He looks himself over once before fashioning a pair of gold-rimmed glasses to finish his look. “Where are we?”

“Eunha’s college.”

Taehyung’s eyes widen in surprise, “Why are we here? She’s still at work.”

“I want you to meet a friend of mine.” You explain.

“You have friends?” He asks, earning an unamused glare from you, “Sorry.”

“This way.” You lead Taehyung off the grass to the actual path and walk under the lights back towards the main building. When you reach a fork in the path you make a left to go around the side of the building between another series of buildings on the other side of the path. You keep walking until you reach another large area with benches, tables, and a fountain.

Sitting on the side of the fountain with just enough light that you can see them, is a trio of 3 men with different hair colors. One with midnight blue, a pastel pink, and lilac. Of course, you recognize them all without a problem at all.

“Hey, guys! Sorry, I’m late, I just had to grab Taehyung.” You call out.

The pastel pink head turns to reveal Hoseok - who’s changed from his normal all-black outfit to a black t-shirt with the word obey in colorful letters, bright orange pants, layered necklaces, and a pair of black, yellow-tinted glasses resting on the top of his head, “No worries, we haven’t gotten started yet.”

“Yeah, Joon was just telling us about the assignment we missed.” Yoongi agrees, revealing himself to be the midnight blue head of hair. He’s wearing an all blue, leaf-patterned outfit with a TuneSquad jersey underneath his top.

“You wouldn’t have missed it if you made it to class on time!” Taehyung freezes as soon as he hears his voice, pulling you to a stop as well. He knows that voice better than anyone, knowing damn well it belongs to someone that’s supposed to be dead.

Hoseok shrugs and leans back, “What can I say? I had priorities to attend to.”

“I just wasn’t interested.” Yoongi stands up and takes a few steps to stretch, revealing Namjoon sitting at the end of the three.

Namjoon is wearing a pair of light wash jeans and a black belt with a white shirt tucked in and a light blue button-up over it. He sighs, “How you have the highest marks in the class I will never know.”

Taehyung looks between the three of them, going back and forth between the two deities and Namjoon before settling on you, “What is going on right now?”

You squeeze his hand, “Just don’t say anything.” You pull him with you to join the others, coming to a stop in front of all of them. You point to the blonde and then to Hoseok, “Taehyung, this is Hoseok-”

The walking gumball throws up a peace sign, “Sup.”

“-Yoongi.”

“Hey.” He gives a small wave

“-And Namjoon.”

Namjoon is the only one to stand and walk up to Taehyung to offer his hand, “Nice to finally meet you.”

“Finally?” He asks, shaking the old king’s hand.

“(Y/n) hasn’t been able to shut up about you,” Namjoon explains with a devious smile. You visibly freeze and that only eggs him on more, “She said you were annoying when she first transferred into our class, then she said she thought she was in love with you.”

Taehyung gives you a look and you completely ignore him, “Namjoon!”

“Of course, we all knew she was,” Hoseok adds with a teasing smile of his own.

“Hoseok! Shut up!”

“How interesting.” Taehyung chuckles, happy to know how you feel even as you pretend you don’t exist, “Well, it’s nice to meet all of you.”

“Why don’t we all move this way? Maybe grab a bite to eat?” You suggest, hoping to move on from your own embarrassment.

“Yes!” Hoseok jumps up and throws his arms in the air before dropping them back down to his sides, “I’m starving!”

Yoongi scoffs, “You’re always starving...”

“I’m growing. I need sustenance.” Hoseok defends, patting his stomach for emphasis.

You walk up beside him and pat the back of his head, “I think all of that food is going right to your head.”

Hoseok looks like a kicked puppy and Namjoon sweeps into his defense, “C’mon, guys, don’t pick on him!”

“Yeah! Don’t pick on me!” He pouts, crossing his arms.

“He can’t help it if he loses brain cells without food,” Namjoon says, turning and grabbing his belongings while you and Yoongi laugh at Hoseok’s expense.

“Do you want me to swear at you?!” The poor god of Death looks absolutely appalled and utterly betrayed by the lilac-haired man. He huffs, “You children have no respect for your elders.”

“Can I quote you on that?” Yoongi asks, walking past Hoseok to grab his own bag.

“Absolutely not!”

Taehyung watches the dysfunctional chaos before him, in awe that the 3 pillars of balance could act like humans. Not just with each other, but with someone he himself once called a friend. You’re all so different than you are at the museum and the council meetings, it’s like you’re not even the same people.

“Tae?” You ask, pulling him out of his confused state. You hold your hand out to him, asking him to join you as the others continue to walk ahead. He accepts.

The 5 of you walk together, further away from the buildings on campus to the fence that lines the end of the property. You all forego the sidewalk for walking across the lawn, getting further away from the lights as you go.

Hoseok comes to a stop in the middle of the grass and Taehyung almost walks into him, “Do you think this is far enough?”

Yoongi looks around and shrugs, “I don’t think anyone will notice.”

“Notice what?” Taehyung asks.

“Way to sound like we brought him here to murder him.” Namjoon jokes.

“Namjoon. Hold my hand.” You say, dropping Taehyung’s for his.

Hoseok and Yoongi hold hands across from you and Namjoon laughs, “Oh, are we having that seance now?” He looks at Taehyung and winks, “Sorry, I guess we forgot to mention this part.”

“Just hold my hand.” You demand. He does and Hoseok takes his other, creating a chain between the 4 of you.

Yoongi takes a deep breath and sighs, “Alright, let’s do it.”

You and Hoseok nod in agreement and Namjoon nods as well, acting as though what you’re all doing is just a practical joke you hadn’t let him in on. It’s only when a soft golden light starts to travel between your hands and to him that he starts to get worried.

“What are you guys doing?” He asks, fearful of what’s going on. He tries to pull away, but you and Hoseok are much stronger than the poor human. The light only continues to grow brighter, and the brighter it glows the more concerned Namjoon becomes, “Guys-?!”

The light washes over him like a wave and it’s like someone has opened his eyes for the very first time again. He takes a deep breath, and then he’s looking around at the others and at himself and at Taehyung and it’s like he’s experiencing life for the first time all over again.

“How did-? But I thought-” He struggles to find the right words to say, unsure where to start, “What’s going on?”

You step in front of him, placing your hands on his shoulders, “Namjoon, I’d like to formally introduce myself. I’m (Y/n), and I’m Fate.”

His eyes widen, “Fate…?”

You nod and Hoseok pushes you out of the way to make his own introduction, “I’m Hoseok, but you’d know me better as Death.”

“You’re Death?” Namjoon asks, obviously not able to believe that someone like Hoseok could be something as dark and daunting as Death.

“Death equals mercy,” Hoseok explains. Both you and Yoongi push him from both sides and he chuckles, “Sometimes…”

Namjoon nods, not yet believing it but going along with the information anyways. He turns to Yoongi, “Does that make you Life?”

“Was it my sunny disposition that gave me away?” The blue-haired deity asks, earning a laugh from the king.

You move in front of Namjoon again and gently take his arm, “And this is Taehyung.” You pull him to where the blonde stands, still in shock, “You two have already met before, but you might remember him a bit differently.”

You place a hand over Taehyung’s head and down his front, revealing how he looked the very first time he had met with the king, “Jihye…”

“Hey.” Taehyung smiles sheepishly, waving shyly as his old appearance morphs back into his college boy disguise, “It’s been a while.”

They both just stare at each other, one nervous and the other in disbelief. Taehyung can’t help but think of all the things Namjoon could want to say to him. How disappointed he is. How upset he must be. It comes as no surprise to anyone when Namjoon moves forward and pulls Taehyung into a hug. His arms cross behind his head and he pulls Taehyung as close as humanly possible without hurting him, “I’ve missed you.”

His words are like a breath of fresh air and Taehyung finds himself relaxing into the embrace and holding his friend back just as tight, “I’ve missed you too…”

It’s a special moment, one Taehyung never thought he would get. His first friend is back and it’s thanks to 3 very unlikely people.

“Why didn’t you come to see me after the spell worked?” Namjoon asks, pulling away.

Taehyung looks down, slightly ashamed, “I didn’t want to mess up again.”

“Again?”

“Like the first time. We’d been so close, but even if I had made it work you still would have-” He stops. He doesn’t need to say it. Not when everyone already knows what he’s going to say.

“But I thought once we broke the spell I’d have to wait until my next life?” Namjoon asks, reiterating what both he and Eunha had put together.

“Technically, this is your next life.” Yoongi mentions.

Life’s revelation comes as a shock to both Namjoon and Taehyung, “What?”

“You were supposed to meet in this life, but because you two just had to make it happen sooner-” Yoongi makes sure to glare so hard in Taehyung’s direction that his planet might even shiver, “-the spell tore your soul away from this one and placed it with your previous body once the spell took hold again.”

“With the spell broken, we were able to put your soul back in this body and merge them together.” You explain. The 3 of you have been sitting on this plan for weeks, and you’ve carefully crafted a friendship with this Namjoon since his soul left his previous body just to ensure you’d be able to make this change happen altogether.

“You’ve been able to do this the whole time? Why didn’t you say anything?!” Taehyung asks, completely shocked. You give him this ‘are you kidding me right now' look and he seems to get the hint, “Right. Fate’s strings…multiple outcomes.”

“I can’t believe this…I can’t wait to tell Eunha.” The modern king is still entranced with himself like he’s never looked at his body before. And then his words hit him and he realizes that Eunha isn’t here and has no idea that he’s alive, “I have to go see her right now-!”

He turns to take off in a sprint and Hoseok places himself in front of him with a hand on his chest, “Not so fast, deadman.”

“Huh?”

Yoongi groans, “You cannot just go hunting her down.” He’d spent far too much time conversing with young adults and various incompetent professors just for this plan to work and he was not going to let it all boil down to nothing.

Namjoon however, doesn’t understand exactly what’s at stake, “Why not? I need to tell her I’m alive and that I’m okay!”

“The magic that brought you back is still fragile. If you go to her now then the whole thing could blow up in all of our faces!” Hoseok explains in his own, dramatic fashion.

“So, what? I’m supposed to just wait?!” The king asks in disbelief.

“It will happen as Fate allows.” You remind him, “You’ve waited this long for a miracle, I think you can wait just a bit more.”

Your words are simple and still just as cryptic as always, but they put him at ease and bring him back to his senses. He nods, “Right…”

“Geez, why couldn’t you have been that easy?” Yoongi says, turning to Taehyung.

The blonde scoffs, “I am easy!”

Hoseok laughs, “I don’t think you actually know what that means.”

Taehyung crosses his arms, “I’m doing my best, okay?”

“Well, now that we got all of that settled-” Hoseok claps his hands together loudly and rubs them together, “-let’s go get some grub.”

Yoongi turns to Hoseok in disbelief and hits his arm, “Are you serious, right now? You don’t need to eat to survive!” The blue-haired deity reminds him.

“But Namjoon does! I’m sure Namjoon would love a nice warm meal.” Hoseok turns to the poor human with a look that resembles a kicked puppy and it’s like they’ve gone back to being undercover again.

“I wouldn’t mind a bite to eat I guess?” Namjoon caves, the god of Death breaking into celebration while the god of Life can only sigh in disappointment, “If we go to that one place downtown we can order drinks at the student price.”

The offer of a few beers seems to peak Yoongi’s interest much more than a measly human meal, “Hoseok gets to pay for everything.”

Hoseok shrugs, “I don’t care. It’s not like I can’t create my own money.”

He turns to get back on track for the gate to leave campus and Namjoon trails after him, “Wait you can do that?! How does that even work?”

“Oh, don’t get him started. Just blame magic like every other human and let’s get to the bus before it leaves.” Yoongi calls out, starting at a slower pace behind them. They leave you and Taehyung to take the back of the group, the both of you trudging along at a slow pace behind them.

“So, are you going back to your duties now that everything is done?” Taehyung asks. A part of him hopes that you’ll stick around or maybe even come to visit him on his own planet, but he knows that you have your own duties to attend to.

But you’ve thought about this as well. You knew that once Namjoon’s memories were merged and he’d be left to go and find Eunha on his own, that you’d be free to go back to how you were before this fiasco started. But things are different now. Now, you have Taehyung who’s snuck his way into your heart and made you feel emotions that you’d left reserved for humans. He’s helped you understand how to feel without letting it interfere with your job, and you don’t want to let that go just yet.

You sigh, “You know, I don’t have a planet of my own. I really just drift freely within space when I’m not doing anything.” You kick at the dirt, “Maybe I could stay here on Earth. Do what humans do.”

He’s shocked, “You’re staying on earth?”

You shrug, “Yeah. I heard there’s this museum with this ancient mummy exhibit.” With a mischievous, all-knowing grin you ask, “Wanna go check it out sometime?”

Taehyung can’t help the smile that breaks out on his face. He takes his arm and wraps it over your shoulder, pulling you into his side, “I’d love to.”

You may not be able to look at your own future together, but at least you know that the both of you can do it together.

Maybe Hui was right.

Maybe for Fate, the future is written in the stars.

~ Thank you for reading ~

#fae fic #written in the stars #the right of a king #when world's collide #kim taehyung #bts kim namjoon #bts v #bts rm #sope-and-shine #bts #fan fiction #x reader #bts x reader #fanfiction #bts soulmate #bts enemies to lovers #mumjoon #moon god Tae #moon goddess Tae #mummy namjoon #bts taehyung #kim namjoon

[inkribbon796]

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes

Summary: Roman and Remus have always fought, always. But this time they’re teaming up for something they both agree on. Getting their mentors together.

A/N: for @aimasup and @pixeldragon45 I might have taken some liberties with the story but I hope you guys like it. I wrote this after seeing this amazing post by aimasup.

Two brothers, royal born but divided in every single way. The elder twin strove for honor and chivalry, raised in the royal court around the other knights and the tales of rulers and knights from the kingdom’s history in ages past. Some stories were true, others had been exaggerated more than a bit. 

The younger twin had been mostly shoved into his elder brother’s shadow — a brother who was older by little less than an hour — and quickly began to act out as a result.

They quickly began to be divided on the battlefield. The younger prince had been kidnapped one day by a powerful shape changing mage when he was sixteen and just decided not to go back and the royal knights found him playing old maid with her in the tower, and he threw them out the door with a note for his parents and brother.

He had declared himself “the monsters’ problem now” and was not coming back.

It was Prince of Sanders Roman’s sword and “good” magic, versus Duke of the Dark Wood Remus’s pranks and illusions.

But that is not today’s story. The fight between good and evil is for another day.

On the edge of the city, bordering the untamable Dark Woods where monsters called home, there was a tavern. It was on a trade road that went around the woods and towards the neighboring kingdom. The tavern was a way stop before reaching the capital city of Roman’s kingdom.

It was absolutely pouring down rain when a cloaked young man ran into the tavern. He pulled down his hood after looking around the tavern. Prince Roman had come to this tavern frequently, it was considered neutral ground because the caravans that came through, the residents of the Dark Woods traded between each other and the merchants protected their clients.

Against a wall, Roman spotted his brother sitting at a table, a plate of food and three empty mugs of ale next to him.

Roman walked over and naturally turned up his nose at the magic keeping Remus from getting too tipsy. “You couldn’t wait until I got in could you?”

“Ahh, brother,” Remus smiled. “I got hungry, I got bored. There’s a very cute bartender over there.”

Remus blew a kiss and waggled his fingers at the young man in question.

“Focus,” Roman hissed at him.

Remus smiled, “So I take it you received my letter?”

“You contemptuous oaf,” Roman sneered at Remus. Roman was pulling out of his cloak a dirt speckled note that had a stick figure drawing of Roman’s fairy godmother and Remus’s mentor, the dragon witch, on it holding hands. The words: canon ship xoxoxoxo maybe?!?! Meet me at the Salty Unicorn at 10pm if you agree plz thx; were written, half scrunched into the left corner of the paper as if the second half was an unplanned addition. On the front it was addressed to: my horridly good brother, Roman; from: your bestest coolest brother, Remus.

Roman shook the note violently. “Did you write this in mud? Mother would have you raked over hot coal for a note this foul!”

Remus clapped in excitement, “So you’ll help me?”

“What type of cad do you take me for?” Roman scoffed, throwing the note down onto the table. “Of course I will.”

Shaking his hands, Remus just about squealed in delight, his smile widening. “The journey will be perilous, brother.”

“Oh please, it will be easy,” Roman scoffed. “It’s true love, and they are already smitten. Half of our job is done for us.”

It was, in fact, not easy. It was easy for the two princes to get back to their homes. But when they met back up at the border of the Dark Woods a couple weeks later, Roman challenged Remus to come out and fight him. The royal prince had to fight several goblins before Remus showed up, mace in hand and swinging it around wildly like a maniac. He managed to hit three goblins, who didn’t scramble away fast enough, in the face before he made contact with Roman’s shield.

Buzzing around Roman was a bright blue hummingbird, a little puffball of feathers and magic. She was fluttering around the royal prince, magic coming off her wings like glitter.

During the twin’s duel for honor and a bit of fun, a flash of shadow flew across as a large bat flew towards him and hit the hummingbird out of the air.

“You fiend!” Roman spat as the hummingbird seemed to glow and in an explosion of feathers a woman appeared in a billowing blue and white dress, the little jewel beads of the dress glittering and sparkling in the light. For a second or two she looked like she was covered in soft down before having more human light tan skin.

“That was a cheap shot,” Althea the fairy godmother reminded tersely as the Dragon Witch turned from a bat to a bony witch in a very dark red dress, her skin an ivory ash color.

“Please it’s almost like you wanted to get hit,” the Dragon Witch reminded. “Besides you two were gaining up on my sweet Remus.”

Althea swept her hair back, which frustrated the Dragon Witch because even in a fight it always looked flowing and fluffy.

“Give up,” the Dragon Witch smiled. “These woods are ours.”

“Never!” Althea shouted. “Your reign of terror is over.”

Lights and magic flew across the battlefield. In the end Remus and Roman had tied again as the Dragon Witch was thrown back by a gust of wind.

“Meddling child,” the Dragon Witch spat.

“Surly, caustic witch,” Althea snapped back. “Be gone and go back to your unhallowed woods. We are victorious.”

“I clearly won,” the Dragon Witch smiled smugly.

Althea made a little angry pout, crossing her arms in a huff, “You’ve done no such thing. Even if you two did win, it would only be because you both cheated.”

The Dragon Witch had some big gloating tirade of sarcastic insults, but seeing her little pout where she puffed out her cheeks a bit and looked like she was sticking her tongue to the inside of her cheek and . . . she . . . what was she going to say again? Something about her cute face? No, Althea would just make fun of her for that.

“Yeah? Well you . . .” The Dragon Witch tried not to look absolutely flustered. “. . . you’re just a poor sport.”

Althea looked angrier while the Dragon Witch was just internally screaming. Poor sport? Who says that? What are you five? Did you just get kicked out of the academy?

Remus was standing behind them, a huge toothy grin on his face that made the Dragon Witch want to have his face dragged in the mud or put worms in his stew.

Glancing at her student again she saw that both he and Roman had stopped fighting and the two of them were just watching the two mages arguing. The whole thing smacked of a trick of some kind and right now the Dragon Witch couldn’t figure out what type of trap that meant.

So she appreciated whatever the hustle was, even though she doubted that Remus had turned on her. He would be up front about it, and predictably violent.

He was a good kid so . . .

She looked over at Roman who seemed to be just as excited as Remus was, except he was staring at Althea . . .

“Wait a second,” the Dragon Witch realized.

“I will not be waiting any seconds,” Althea refused, not understanding.

The Dark Woods mage immediately remembered that the good witch had been talking to her and she had been ignoring her. But one look at her face reminded the witch why she had a crush in the first place.

“Yes or no?” Althea ordered, pointing at her?

“Uh,” the Dragon Witch stalled, staring at her, “no?”

Althea’s face got a bit fuzzy with her anger, the feathers around her face was almost a pinking color.

She looks so adora— no, don’t she’ll just turn you down.

“I can’t believe this, you’re so frustrating,” Althea huffed out. She stomped her feet a bit and grabbed Roman, “We’re leaving.”

“But you didn’t . . .  I mean, justice,” Roman sputtered as he was dragged towards a carriage that had been hiding up the road to stay out of the fight.

“Don’t say a word,” the Dragon Witch ordered Remus as they watched them walk away.

“Why Maggie?” Remus smiled, setting his hands and chin on the hilt of his mace.

“If you don’t, I’ll use your tongue for a gibberish concoction,” she threatened.

“Awwww,” Remus’s grin was particularly sharkish. “Someone’s just being a poor sport.”

The Dragon Witch whipped her staff around and lightly cuffed him on the back of the head.

Inside Roman’s carriage, the royal prince was just listening to his fairy godmother rant at him.

Althea was sitting with her face buried in her hands, her face red as a tomato. “That woman is so infuriating! Ugh, what kind of game is she playing?”

“Who knows with them?” Roman shrugged.

“Maybe if she wasn’t so cute, I’d know what to say,” Althea accidentally said out loud.

She blushed even harder with embarrassment and looked up at Roman. “Uh, I mean—”

Roman stared at her for a second before pulling apart the divider behind them and turning to yell, “Cam! Turn this cart around, we got a date to catch!”

“Roman!” Althea yelled, her face getting even redder. “She’s the queen of the Dark Woods!”

“And the Dark Woods is about to get themselves another fabulous queen,” Roman proclaimed.

The cart had stopped, the driver turned around in his seat to verify, “Are you sure you want to go back to the Dark Woods, Sir?”

“Oh yeah,” Roman smiled. “I know we’re only three minutes out. We could walk there. Oh, and you and Quil are about to cough up five pounds a piece.”

“Roman!” Althea shrieked as the carriage began to move back towards the haunted woods.

“It’s true love, my darlingest mentor,” Roman insisted, “and I have it on good authority that she thinks you’re good looking.”

Althea got even redder, “Who told you that?”

“Well Remus was cruder but I understood the intent,” Roman answered.

“He could be lying,” Althea accused.

“Please, my brother is the worst liar in all the kingdoms,” Roman defended, almost offended for the brother he fought on a regular basis’s honor. “He’s crude, rude, and violent, but he is no liar.”

“She really likes me?” Althea asked.

“How could she not?” Roman demanded. “Now, we have true love to prepare for my dear.”

“Let’s just start at a first date, Roman,” Althea insisted. “It’s a little soon for anything like that.”

“You’ll see,” Roman smiled, looking out the window. “She’s over the moon for you.”

Eventually the carriage stopped because Remus was standing in the middle of the road with the Dragon Witch next to him.

Roman opened a top hatch in the carriage, “Ahh, good, we were just about to go and find you two again.”

“I’d like your men to stop accosting my woods,” the Dragon Witch spat.

“When you get your marauding bandits to stop attacking my people,” Roman bargained.

“How about when you pay my woods back for generations of war crimes?” The Dragon Witch’s eyebrow shot up.

“We shouldn’t have to defend ourselves from being set on fire,” Roman reminded. “I’d be happy to start calling off the war if we could trust you won’t pick up arms against us the moment we have our backs turned.”

“Ugh!” Remus complained. “We’re not here to talk about politics! We’re here to talk about two lovely ladies getting freaky!”

“Ah, thank you Remus,” Roman clapped his hands, smiling. “Thank you, for once, for getting us back on topic.”

Roman waved his hands and when his hand came back up Althea in her hummingbird form was perched on two of his fingers. The royal prince exited the carriage with her, clearing her throat. “Queen Dragon Witch of the Dark Woods, I present to you the Good Witch of the Sanders Kingdom. She is as intelligent as she is brave and you shall be permitted to court her on the grounds that you vow to honor and cherish her, to treat her as the lady she is.”

“That’s it?” The Dragon Witch asked, clearly braced for more.

“Yeah, she has to vow the same,” Remus cut in.

“Naturally, my mentor is no brute,” Roman agreed.

“No I meant is he going to demand anything else of me,” the Dragon Witch told Remus.

Roman briefly ran over his speech in his head and ducked back in to grab the paper he had rehearsed with, reading back over it, “honor and cherish . . . no I got everything.”

“No land, no unfavorable terms?” The Dragon Witch seemed surprised and astonished.

The royal prince made an offended gasp, “My great-great grandfather’s petty squabbles have no bearing when love is on the table. Naturally if any deals for land and power are to be carried out, our courts should both be here for that.”

The Dragon Witch just stared at Roman for a bit before smiling, “You know, you’re a spoiled rich human brat, but I think you’ll actually make a good king one day.”

“Thanks?” Roman wasn’t sure if he’d been insulted or not. “I think?”

The Dragon Witch held out her hand and Althea transformed back, looking a little bit nervous. “You really are the most beautiful fairy in the lands,” the Dragon Witch told her.

Althea was just staring at her, “You are too.”

The twin brothers were standing close to the carriage and Roman’s driver, the three of them just watching the two of them talking.

“Janny owes me big for this,” Remus was almost cackling.

“Are you making deals with that snake?” Roman critiqued.

“How about you get off my ass and let me live my life?” Remus glared at him. “Besides his mother is happy, what could be better than that?”

“You do have to admit,” Cam said to Roman from his seat above them, “they do look happy.”

“Yeah,” Roman sighed, acquiescing on that front.

The two witches talked for a bit before they inevitably had to part ways. They would meet again on the battlefield, but next time it would be a not-so-quiet show of magic, designed to impress rather than harm.

#The High Tower #fantasy au #Roman Sanders #Remus Sanders #dragon witch x fairy godmother #Dragon Witch #Fairy Godmother #gay panic

[iwannaholdyoutight-]

Oh, my love (pour me that jack and coke)

Summary: only one more time won’t make any difference, right?

Warnings: FWB!harry, smut. Just the life I wanted to live, honestly.

Wordk count: 3K (small one, sorry, my job and uni are kind of hard right now)

My masterlist

A/n: heeey guys I’m back this time with a fic for @stylesharrys 10k celebration. I got the prompt FWB!harry: “you’re alright, love? You seem a bit flustetered”. Don’t forget to support the other authors who are participating on the challenge HERE. And the singer they listen at the festival that takes place in the flashback is this ONE. 

PREVIEW

Natalie Portman was dancing with her pink wing on the tv and y/n could feel Harry’s eyes on her, hands touching her right arm in a flirtatious behavior. He was wearing a white shirt and black running shorts. She looked at him and his intense eye stare was running through her, she was feeling his desire; the sensual scene only adding to the fire that was always between them and since last satuday increased to a wildfire. She wanted to sit on his lap and give the actress on the tv a run for her money, giving him the best lap dance ever. 

“Have you ever recieved a lap dance?”

“Yeah. Have you ever given one?”

“No” she said timidly, suddenly feeling insecure.

“Do you want to give me one?” Harry asked with hooded eyes and a smirk on his face, tha last rays of sunshine paiting his face a beautiful golden tone, letting his eyes look clear, almost blue. 

“Do you think is a good idea that we do this one more time?”

He smirk at her, his hands fully incansing her face:

“I mean... only one more time won’t make any difference, right?”

They were sitting together at the coffee just down from their work place. Y/n was staring at the judgmental eyes of her best friend, Natasha. Her black eyes looked like two grapes because of her wide stare. 

“It’s not a big deal” y/n said, drinking from her cappuccino with a douple shot and a hint of mint essence. 

“He’s your best friend”

“Who can I trust more to fuck me without breaking my heart than my best friend?”

“You don’t think NOTHING could go wrong?”

Nat was raising her voice, a little bit surprised that her childhood friend just told her that Harry fucked her just  6 days ago, at the Lights festival

“I don’t know if I want to know more or ask you to never talk about it”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to tell you if the rumors are true?”

“You are a little bitch. Tell me all of it”

6 days ago...

She was seeing the worlds in colors. The woman singing on the staged was called Sevdaliza and she had the most sensual music ever.

Harry, just like her, was high and they both ended up loosing their friends in the middle of the crowd. Y/n looked at Harry with his glittery yellow shirt and white jeans. He looked like he fit the part: graduated from film school, always writing poetry and reading them at the coffee next to his house. He was celebrating: his script was going to be shot, the small production office decided to endorse his project and he was on cloud nine.

Quite differently from the time she met him: undergrad student, insecure about his art. She worked as a designer and photographer and met him at a visual arts masterclass a few years back, when they were both on their early twenties. Now, each day closer to reaching the big 30s, they were the best of friends. Always together.

Y/n always thought they had nothing but friendship, but now, so close to him, listening to Sevdaliza voice melt the audience of the festival, with his cinnamon smell so tangible in the air and his bird warmt so close: she wasn’t so sure if it was just friendship.

And she can’t deny, she was curious if the rumors were true: was he THAT good in bed or all the lovers of his she ever met were just easily impressed?

What she didn’t spect was for Harry to also have the same questions. He was just behind her getting closer and closer till both of his arms were around her waist and he was crouching so his face could fit like a pluzze in the curve where her neck met her shoulder.

“You smell good” Harry said in a low voice that was meant just for her

“H, what are you doing?”

“I was just wondering...” he was using his hands to turn her around but not releasing her from him, his nose touching hers, his mint breath blinding all of her senses “we are so good together, always helping each other out, figuring it out exactly just what the other wants. So... maybe... you and I could make quite a pair on the sheets...” that only thing Harry got wrong the night was about the sheets: they fucked in her living room.

Now

If you ask y/n she doesn’t remember who kissed who. But they kissed till the show was over and next thing she knew they were sharing a uber back to her place. Nat was staring at her like she had comitted a crime. She wasn’t planning on telling anyone, thinking it was a one time thing. But she was surprised when during a presentation during work she god a text from Harry asking if she wanted to go back to his place after work and maybe have a repeat of last Saturday and Nat was right beside her.

So she had to tell. But judging by Nats reaction, it would have been better if she had lied about it.

“You’re still going to his place. Even if you know what might happen?”

“I mean... is another time really going to make any difference?”

Latter that day

The bus was moving slowly, the 5 o’clock traffic was the worse: nobody had patience, everybody with a 9-5 job was just crazy to finally get home and be able to rest.

From the bus window y/n could see the sky painting the city, the golden light was starting to make itself aware, combining with the aesthetic of the old buildings and bridges.

That’s probably one of her favorite things to do: observe the town she lived in; that city was just so beautiful. There was a contrast of the old with the new. The sun reflecting on the river, calm as ever, while people were running across the streetwalks, dreaming of a homecooked meal and a place to rest.

The bus was taking a left, ready to cross the revolving bridge. Harry’s place was getting closer and she could feel her stomach starting to turn with anxiety  all of it in the forms of butterflies.

Harry’s place was above an old movie place, people say the building dates back to the 1930s: 5 floors, the first being an old movies that still worked, only showcasing indie movies and oldies from the 40-80s. She remembers the first time she ever visited Harry, they talked for hours to end and then they went to the screening of a Doris Day festival. She went home that day singing to herself the theme song of the movie Pillow Talk, thinking to herself why she never went to an old movie theater till that day.

After getting off the bus, she walked just around 10 meters till she was face to face with the old movie theater sign. Today they would have a screening of shorts films from the 40s from 6 to 8 pm and then they would showcase the new movie based on Gloria Steinem’s best seller memoire called The glorias. Maybe if they were done till 10pm she could catch the movie.

Harry’s apartment was on the second floor, with a wooden door, a cat tapestry underneath saying: meowcom. She never thought it was funny but when they saw it at the street fair last year he laughter so hard at it she decided to give him as a Secret Santa gift.

“Don’t you look tired yet dashing this fine evening , miss” said his voice once he opened the door. Stepping aside so she could come in.

She went for a hug, he went for a kiss: they nocked their foreheads.

“Fuck why does your head have to be so big” she asked while taking her shoes off and walking towards his strawberry shaped sofa.

“You can’t expect me to be a movie genius with a small head, right?”

“The question is: what head are you talking about?”

“You know I have both heads quite big, so I don’t know why you asked” he took her purse from her, resting the object on the small table he had set closer to the door so he could always throw whatever he had in his hands there. Y/n took the moment to appreciate how he looked today: baby pink flare trousers and a graphic shirt, he was barefoot but with his rings still on his fingers; she knew he got home not too long ago.

“Harry what is that smell” she was referring to the tangerine smell that was all around his place

“Oh, it’s this tangerine essence oil I got from my upstairs neighbor... you know that one that always reads your tarot?”

“You’re talking about the witch?”

“Yeah, she prefers to refer herself as Wicca but yeah, her. She gave it to me to clean my energy now that I have this big project. And it smells quite nice, doesn’t?”

“Yeah it does” she could feel his eyes on her while she was playing with her nails “so what do you wanna do today?”

“I was thinking we could watch a movie here and then we can see where we wanna go from there?”

“do you have any jack and coke?”

He smirked at her and said:

“With ice?”

The night was young and it was only starting...

After a few glasses and a heated conversation about what movie they were going to watch, they both settled for closer because of the crush they shared on the cast.

Natalie Portman was dancing with her pink wing on the tv and y/n could feel Harry’s eyes on her, hands touching her right arm in a flirtatious behavior. He had changed his outfit, now wearing a white shirt and black running shorts. She looked at him and his intense eye stare was running through her, she was feeling his desire; the sensual scene only adding to the fire that was always between them and since last satuday increased to a wildfire. She wanted to sit on his lap and give the actress on the tv a run for her money, giving him the best lap dance ever.

“Have you ever recieved a lap dance?”

“Yeah. Have you ever given one?”

“No” she said timidly, suddenly feeling insecure.

“Do you want to give me one?” Harry asked with hooded eyes and a smirk on his face, tha last rays of sunshine painting his face a beautiful golden tone, letting his eyes look clear, almost blue.

“Do you think is a good idea that we do this one more time?”

He smirk at her, his hands fully incansing her face:

“I mean… only one more time won’t make any difference, right?”

With that being said, he turned the movie off and she got up from the couch, going to the bathroom and started to look at herself on the mirror

“You know what you need to do. You’ve never done it yourself but you know, I know he has more experience but he is your friend. Nothing can go wrong because he can help you. You both thrust each other and when it comes to sex consent and thrust are the two most important things. You have both with him.”

While y/n was having a mental breakdown over a lap dance, Harry was excited with the idea, cleaning the pizza they were eating and taking the now empty cups of jack and coke back to the kitchen.

He didn’t tell anyone but he was so glad they fucked last Saturday. It just made everything better. She didn’t have to know about how he always had the hots for her. She didn’t have to know that sometimes he would take people to his bed and picture they were her. And she definitely didn’t have to know that another time does make a difference to him.

Diming the lights and looking for the perfects songs to go on about this night. He was shaking with anticipation. After choosing to just play Childsish Bambino (you can never go wrong with that guy) he sat on the couch and that was the moment she opened the door of his bathroom. She had taken off her pants, just with her social shirt loose on her body, with the buttons down to the middle of her chest, her hair always messy and her very colored lips looking so delicious, just waiting for him to say “come here” and she would go... like a little puppy.

“I have never done this so you need to be nice to me”

“Darling... I’m always nice”

She walked over to him, but stopping halfway, going on her fours and crawling her way to him.

“I still have a lot of bite marks on my boobs that prove the exact opposite” now standing in front on him, on her knees, spreading him open, with her tint hands massaging his thighs, marking her way to his short “you don’t mind if I take off your shorts right” she was with her face inching closer to his legs, resting her head right on top of the tiger tattoo, teasing him “I have never given someone a lap dance but I do know that the less clothe, the better if feels”

With both of her hands she took off his pants while he got rid of his shirt. Standing still she admired his body, why did she waited so much to get on it with him? He was soft on the sides but with a strength beneat the bones, with a few abs and chest bigger than most. Green fucked up eyes and rosy lips. He deserved to be on all of the screens, all of the stages, not living in a small flat above an old movie theater.

“You know” Harry broke the silence “for one to give a lap dance she must actually be on top of him”

She didn’t answered him, instead sitting herself on his knees not allowing him any more than that touch. With the tips of his fingers he started to trace her face, admiring her. She was a beacon of light, with every color shining inside her eyes, every sin could be found in her lips but every prayer was found on the way she would blush at his words.

Putting her hair behind her shoulder she got closer and closer to him, using her knees on either side of his body to help her move. Feeling his warmth. She didn’t know how to give a lap dance but she knows him. She knows what makes his knees buckle and what makes him shiver. She was going to make him her little puppy. So with all the confidence she could muster, biting his vein that was always apparent on the neck, her hips started to move.

He was semi hard but the more she moved, the more she could feel him getting harder. That was one of the things she loved the most about sex: the foreplay.

“You know” she got back to talking, not stopping her hips, using her hands to tease all of his body “when we are like this is when I remember how much I’ve always wanted you”

“Fuck, love. You’re going to kill me”

“Oh my love, you have not seen a thing” with one of her hands she started to take off her shirt, leaving her with a rose gold brallete that matched her barely there panties “You alright, love? Look a bit flustered.”

She was mocking him, trying to copy his British accent but that only got him a side smile while his eyes were fixated on the way her nipples could be seen through the piece of glittery fabric. She was having so much fun

“You know” Harry said trying to get a bit of his control back “when you talk like this, you drive me fucking mad” with one hand climbing on her back, till he reached for her roots, tugging on it, now she didn’t knew it she was the one in control  “when you mess with my neck, or when I pull your thighs further apart and I can feel just how wet you actually are and then you kiss me and I’m closer to the point of no return”

With a hand behind and knee he got up, changing position and spreading her all over the tapestry on the floor, the fluffy blood red velvet matching with her skin. He now had the upper hand and he was going to make a good use of it.

With his kisses going down her neck, he started to rut his body against her. Her moisture could be felt throught his underwear and there was nothing that Harry wanted more than to fully ravish the defenseless girl panting underneath his tattooed body. Glistening with sweat and moaning without an ounce of regret.

He wanted her to know he was the only one that could do this to her. With his hand playing with her breast while the other was getting closer and closer to her mound, he looked at her. With her open mouth and closed eyes, out of a painting that deserved its place on the Louvre. He decided to use her own words against her:

“You alright, love? Look a bit frustrated”

“You asshole just fuck me already”

“Yeah, I’ll fuck you good. But only if you promise to stay the night”

“Is this really a good idea?”

“One more time won’t make any difference, right?”

Laughing at the irony she pulled him closer. They had a deal... because it won’t make any difference, right?

But it did.

#harry styles #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles smut #harry styles x reader #fwb harry #harry fic #harry styles blurb #harry styles imagine #fallinharry10k

[petitemingi]

─ ੈ༊ your customer is: yunho

vanilla bean latte

The smell of the double chocolate chip cookies you'd just pulled out of the oven wafted through the kitchen of Sunrise Cafe.

The customers in the seated areas, spoke softly to one another: some laughing, most sipping away at their evening macchiatos and lattes

All seemed peaceful...

until seonghwa came storming into the kitchen

"___" his voice sounded stern and looking at him, he seemed annoyed, and almost offended

"what is it, hwa? frappe machine broken again?"

"no. remember that construction up the road?"

ah, now would be a great time to explain this.

over the past few weeks, construction had started but a few buildings away

there had been plenty of rumours speculating what it could be; a restaurant, a charity shop, maybe a take away joint

but judging from Seonghwa's expression, it wasn't any of those

"it's another god damn cafe! I can't believe someone would authorise that! is our sign not big enough??"

"oh my god, we could lose customers! When's it opening??"

you'd throw off your apron, leaving it in a heap on the floor of the kitchen, rushing towards the entrance door

and there it was, just down the road, a newly build building, no smaller than Sunrise Cafe, stood gleaming in the summer sunset.

"you've got to be kidding me"

soon caught up by Seonghwa, the two of you stand glaring at the building - it was much more modern than your cafe

the windows seemed larger, there was even a second floor!

"we're gonna be bankrupt by Christmas"

"nah, not Christma, hwa..."

the two of you look at each other

"Halloween"

a sign was hung pristine over the front of the cafe, it read "Crescent Cafe" in a swirly font with colourful lights outlining the words

Seonghwa slouched his shoulders - the thought of it even taking his customers drained the energy from him

"well," you begin "who says this cafe won't be absolute crap? maybe they'll drive away more customers than they gain?"

"y'know if we lose customers, the cost for our cafe comes outta your wages?"

"we need to investigate... when did you say it opens?"

"monday"

"oh"

the both of you trail back to Sunrise, your shoulders slouched, head bowed and spirits low

being the only cafe in the area had made really good business; you'd had so many fun and unique customers, and everyone loved the atmosphere your cafe had

during the day, the cafe was at it busiest, so income was at it's highest, and produce was sold out quickest

having a rival cafe would take a lot of that away

pastries would go to waste, not to mention all the coffee that'd be left over

after Seonghwa had told the rest of the staff about the new cafe, everyone seemed to look a li'l depressed

you all worked hard to build up such a nice li'l cafe, and a great team - what if the new cafe tried to hire them??

what if the customers gave up on Sunrise Cafe?

what if everyone's thoughts on Sunrise were changed? buisness could plummet!

that's when the little bell over the door jingled quietly

the muttering exchanged between staff came to a stop as you walked towards the till

"hi there, welcome to sunrise cafe, what can I get you?"

looking up at the customer came as a shock to you, he was so tall!

his hair was a golden brown, covering the top of his eyes slightly

he wore a trench coat of a lighter colour with the colar popped slightly to keep himself warm, and his eyes seemed to match

"um... actually... I'm from the cafe over there, uh, Crescent Cafe... i-"

"then do us all a favour and get out-" Seonghwa hung his apron on his peg, folding his arms and walking into the staff room behind the counter

he still wasn't too happy about that cafe - it'd shaken him quite a bit

"s-sorry about him, he's just a little, how should I put this? upset? about y'know"

"me opening a cafe right next to yours? ah jeez, I'm sorry"

the Crescent Cafe owener folded his arms, an apologetic smile creeping onto his face

"if it's okay though, do you have any sugar I might be able to borrow for Monday? I don't know where to get a bag"

"oh, sure, I guess just don't tell Seonghwa - he'll throw a fit"

"I'm guessing that's the guy who just left?"

the owner laughed, shaking his head "but while I'm here, would it be okay if I got a vanilla bean latte? I... haven't actually tried one before"

"oh? well lemme tell you you're missing out" you'd reach behind you, grabbing a large mug, walking over to the latte machine.

it wouldn't take too long to make, just a few minutes

but in that time, the customer would've already sat down at a table, admiring the decorations of the cafe around him, probably mentally noting things down to use in his own cafe

placing the mug in front of him, the customer invited you to sit with him

"I actually have a few questions, y'know, about running a cafe of my own... i just figured that Seonghwa guy wouldn't wanna talk to me about it"

"sure, that's okay, I can answer a few questions for you... so long as they aren't about hiring me or the rest of my team"

he laughed, picking up the mug and taking a sip, a warm hum sounding out as he did so

"my name's Yunho, by the way" he seemed quite shy introducing himself, looking to his left towards the counter and taking another sip of his latte

you'd nod, smiling to yourself at his timidness

"well, if we're doing that, my name's _____"

yunho looked surprised when you announced your name, probably because he hadn't expected you to reply - after all, everyone else behind the counter seemed pretty sour towards him.

the two of you spoke for a few minutes about the misunderstanding of yunho's new cafe being right next to yours, different coffee recipes and menus

before long, 10pm came, and the atmosphere from earlier died down.

Yunho had made a list on his phone, compiled of useful tips and some pretty cool coffee recipies- all things he couldn't wait to try himself.

but with the time, Yunho found himself needing to leave.

"hey, ____" he'd start "w-would it be a problem if I asked you to help me out on Monday? j-just for an hour or two in the morning!"

you'd look behind you at Seonghwa, who had (and for quite a while now) been glaring at Yunho over the till.

facing Yunho again though, came the real challenge

"are you gonna pay me?"

"y-yeah, I can pay you"

he shrugged his shoulders slightly

"it's just that I haven't been able to hire anyone yet..."

you frowned at him, a scowl forming from the unsure smile you'd shown but seconds before

"you haven't hired staff yet? and you're opening doors in two days?"

"o-oh yeah I wasn't really-"

"what kind of crap is that?"

"____" Seonghwa's voice called from behind you, almost cold eyes meeting your own. he seemed to have emerged from the staff room "come here"

with that scowl now morphing into a frown, you'd make your way over to him, arms crossed and head looking at the floor in disgust

"hwa, he doesn't-"

"help him"

"w-what?"

"help him" Seonghwa shrugged his shoulders, a slight smile creeping onto his face

you'd turn back to Yunho, watching him sip his coffee as he tried to avoid any direct eye contact.

"f i n e" you'd say "but I'm getting paid extra next week"

"or you could get on with it and you can leave an hour early on Tuesday?"

Monday came, and your shift began at 10am, by which time a small line of curious people had formed.

walking inside you were greeted by Yunho, taken a back by the modern decoration of the cafe

the walls were brick, no wallpaper or paint hiding them away

and there was a huge mirror hung on the wall besides the counter

the aprons here were blue, not a warm maroon like the one you wore over at Sunrise, but the menu boards were pretty much the same

an array of drinks were displayed there; iced lattes, cappuccinos, hot chocolates, mochas

but the one that stood out was written in bright blue chalk

'today's special: Sunrise Vanilla Bean Latte'

that made you smile a little

"so, what do you want me to do?"

Yunho put his hand to his chin in thought, tapping lightly before mumbling something

"huh?"

"oh uh I... just do what you do over at Sunrise--"

for the rest of your 4 hour shift at Crescent Cafe that day, you helped plenty!

iced lattes and cappuccinos were the first to sell out, and the sitting areas were filled within 15 minutes

Crescent Cafe had become quite popular, as it would seem

Yunho could see the look of sadness creep onto your face

Sunrise had never been like this

you'd never sold out, or been filled up as dramatically as this

Seonghwa was right, sunrise would most likely go bankrupt by Christmas.

who'd want to go to your cafe when one like this existed

"hey, ____" Yunho called out to you from the other side of the counter "come here"

but seeing you refuse and continuing to serve customers at the till, he walked over himself, standing beside you

"___, I think I should talk to your Seonghwa about something"

"about what?"

"just... something"

so Yunho took off his apron, folded it neatly and placed it on a shelf under the counter and walked down the street to Sunrise Cafe

going inside, everything seemed unusually empty

whereas before, it would've been bustling with customers

Yunho was met with that familiarly cold stare, greeted with an equally icy tone

"you're back" Seonghwa stood at the counter, arms folded across his chest, eyebrows formed to scowl

"y-yeah, listen" Yunho began, his courage now a memory "i wanted to talk to you about the cafe"

"the cafe?" Seonghwa repeated "what about my cafe?"

"not your cafe, my cafe" Yunho mumbled just loud enough for Seonghwa to hear

"go on then"

the two of them sat at an empty table by the counter, with Yunho crossing his legs nervously

"so?"

"i want to make an agreement" Yunho said "I want to make an agreement about opening times"

"why?"

"so that you get your customers and I get mine" Yunho continued "what do you say to me opening over the weekend aaaaand Mondays?"

a patial silence flooded the room, only the occasional clink of mugs from behind the counter could be heard

Seonghwa looked to his right in thought, would this really be any help to either of their cafes? what'd happen in say a few years time, when neither of their cafes drew in customers? would it still be okay then?

a sigh escaped his lips

"Yunho," he'd begin "if it werent for your cafe, I'd have let you work here with us, ___ could use the help but..."

he folded his arms again, head shaking slightly

"but you seem to be kinda happy with your own cafe. you shouldn't let something like another cafe down the road get in the way of your own achievements. you don't have to make an agreement, just do what you want"

a small smile lifted the corners of Seonghwa's lips as he stood up, placing a hand on yunho's shoulder

"i'll let you decide, Yunho"

closing time over at Crescent Cafe couldn't have come sooner - your arms hurt, your feet felt numb and you had pins and needles in your left leg

yunho leaned against the wall just behind the counter, quietly observing you as you waved goodbye to the last few customers to leave before letting out a light chuckle at your pained state

"tired, ___?"

"i swear to god i'd better be getting double what i get at Sunrise, that was brutal! you seriously need more staff"

yunho smiled softly. you took off your apron and hung it on a peg on the wall by yunho, before letting out a large sigh and pushing your hair back out of your face

"i spoke to seonghwa"

your ears pricked up at the mention of seonghwa - you hadn't really seen him since saturday

"yeah?"

"and i've come to the decision that i'll open monday, thursday and on weekends - i think it's only fair considering how your cafe was here before mine and it's apparently the best cafe in the area sooo"

yunho's hand hovered over the back of his neck, a nervous laugh escaping his lips at what he had to say

you were more than happy to hear that - no shade on Crescent Cafe of course - but the feeling of guilt still lingered

"well..." you began "i guess i'll head back to start what's left if my shift over there... lemme know if you need anything"

and within minutes you'd grabbed your coat and had headed inside Sunrise cafe to continue your shift, noticeably happier there.

"___! just dropping in cuz i ran outta sugar again... have any i could borrow?"

"god, order your own sugar! this is the third time this month - it's under the counter"

business at both cafes continued to blossom

Crescent Cafe's hours suited the staff, and it worked flexibly around the booming popularity of Sunrise Cafe - closing at 10pm every night it was open.

"thanks, ___! see you later ~"

seonghwa and yunho seemed to be getting on better too

maybe it was just another one of those peculiar experiences passing by at Sunrise Cafe ~

#ateez #ateez soft hours #kpop #ateez atiny #kpop soft hours #atiny #kq entertainment #kq fellaz #ateez imagines #kpop aesthetic #ateez yunho #yunho soft hours #yunho scenarios #yunho imagines #ateez cafe!

[sillyfeathers]

Care (Jim & Pam x Reader)

Care Characters: Jim Halpert, Pam Beesly, reader Summary: With the end of a Dunder Mifflin internship came time lost, zero experience, and two new friends who have had more of an impact on your life than you realised. Warnings: fluff, implied ‘bad’ home life Words: 1242

A/N: this is part 3 of my Jim/Pam series, prompted by @simplyfluffyfics​! (A little heavy on the sweetness, my apologies if it’s too much)

“Y/N! Hi!”

You didn’t quite get a response out before a baby was deposited into your arms, and you bit back a grin at the state of the Beesly-Halpert house as you entered.

Cradling Cece, you headed into the living room, having done this routine 100 times before. No matter whether it was last-minute or had been planned for months, whenever Jim and Pam asked you to babysit, there was a fair bit of chaos involved.

You sat down on the sofa, rocking Cece in your arms. Jim entered moments later, his tie slung over one arm and a handful of baby toys in the other.

“Thanks for coming at such short notice,” he said. “I honestly thought Andy would never be allowed to perform in local theatre again.”

“Are you kidding? I’m always happy to,” you hummed, grinning down at the perfect little baby in your arms. You’d always suspected that their kids would turn out to be annoyingly perfect.

After your summer internship at Dunder Mifflin had ended, you’d left that weird few months of your life behind — except for Jim and Pam. They’d pretty much been the one good thing to come out of your time there, and so here you were. A year and a half later, being their on-call babysitter for Cece Halpert.

“Are you sure this is okay? We really don’t have to go,” you heard Pam from over your shoulder, and chuckled.

“Trust me, I would’ve done anything to get out of my house tonight.” Your voice faltered slightly, and Pam slowed in her movements.

You cleared your throat, not liking the feeling that was settling over the room. “Plus, I wouldn’t dare deprive you of seeing Scranton’s most talented actor on stage,” you added, voice dripping with sarcasm. “Go, have fun.”

You saw Jim exchange a familiar look with Pam over your head. She quickly dropped beside you, pressing a kiss to Cece’s forehead, then yours. You wrinkled your nose in fake disgust, smiling as they hurried out the door.

They arrived home at about 10pm, Cece long asleep and you curled up on their sofa, watching reruns of Boy Meets World. You hardly noticed them come in until the sofa cushions either side of you shifted. You just about jumped out of your skin, looking between the couple who had apparently appeared out of thin air in a mix of amusement and frustration.

“You did that on purpose,” you grumbled, sitting back. They laughed, not even trying to deny it.

“What, you through having a baby would make Jim ‘grow out’ of pranks?” Pam teased. “He has to get his fix somehow.” You rolled your eyes, going to turn the TV off, but Jim grabbed your wrist.

“I need my eyes to be cleansed after seeing what I just saw,” he explained, his voice dramatically pained. You giggled, raising your eyebrows.

“That bad?”

“There was no ‘bird’ this time, so that’s a plus.”

Now, you descended into your favourite part of these nights — just sitting and chatting with Jim and Pam. What with Scranton’s range of people being fairly small, they were kind of your only friends here outside school.

The conversation ended back on pranks, and you were struggling to keep your laughter quiet enough as to not wake Cece.

“I swear, the next time I’m going into work late I’m gonna ask him to pretend to be me,” Jim grinned, clearly proud of his plan.

“Okay, but any photos on either of your desks, you have to retake them with him in it,” you spluttered. “And you have to film it!”

You turned back to Pam as you said this, catching her mid-eye roll. You scoffed.

“I think she’s mocking us, Halpert,” you mused, tilting your head. Pam raised her eyebrows.

“She acts as if she’s so above it all,” Jim added, his smile adding an affectionate tone to his words. “But she loves pranking Dwight just as much as I do.”

“That’s because it’s Dwight. He deserves it.”

“Hold on, I seem to recall the both of you dolling out a fair share of pranks to me,” you said, defensive.

“That was because you were new,” Pam replied. “And it was hardly a prank — look at us now!” She smiled, and while you could have ended the ordeal there, the relationship the three of you had didn’t exactly come about by ending things when they should have been ended.

“Who would’ve known I’d be suffering the consequences over a year later,” you muttered. You didn’t need to look up to know the expressions of fake-hurt that they were surely both bearing.

“I seem to remember a particular prank,” Jim said under his breath. Now you kind of wished you’d stopped.

Anticipating what was to come, you leaned forward, making to leave the sofa — but Jim was ready, and his hands easily found their way to your waist. The moment his fingers curled, you fell back into the sofa, unwilling to put up such a tough fight for a tender moment.

“Jim!” you laughed, his hands scribbling up your sides to pinch at your ribs. You couldn’t help but squirm, and his year and a half of experience was evident as he kneaded his thumbs under your arms, sending you into hysterics.

“Sorry, Y/N, you insult my wife, this is what you get,” he said, shrugging in apparent oblivion to your laughter.

“I was insuhuhulting you tohohoo!” you managed, challenging his smirk with a (less-voluntary) one of your own.

“My mistake,” Jim continued, unphased. “Pam Beesly-Halpert, will you defend my honour?”

“Gladly,” came the hum from behind, and before you could get in a word of protest, another pair of hands found your stomach, nails trailing across to your sides and swirling against your hips. A mumbled mess of various curses was all you could direct to Pam.

“This is so much wohohorse,” you giggled breathlessly, Pam’s tickly fluttering alongside Jim’s ruthless tickles to your ribs driving you half-insane. Your head tilted back to meet Pam’s eyes, her grin almost as wide as yours. You held her gaze as you snorted, a sense of frantic joy and peace written across both your faces.

Having you apologise was unrealistic, so they eventually let up. 6 months ago, in this same position, you remembered curling up, pushing them away until you calmed down. But now? Now, you just lay there, chest heaving and smiling wide.

You stayed like that for a little while longer — you didn’t really know how long. You were almost starting to doze off when realisation struck.

“Um, I should get going,” you said, getting to your feet.

“Oh...yes, of course, let me get the money.” Jim went to grab his wallet, but this time, it was your hand on his wrist.

“You don’t need to pay me. You guys...this...you’ve already ‘paid’ me, you know?” You shifted, unnecessarily uncomfortable in the place you so desperately wanted to call your second home.

Jim just nodded. He knew when not to press. You said your goodbyes, and the two walked you to your car.

“Y/N, you don’t have to come over just to babysit,” Pam said softly. “We care about you, okay?”

You nodded. “Okay.”

A squeeze to your shoulder, a hand closing the car door. Security, care you couldn’t find elsewhere.

You’d never felt more grateful for a summer internship.

#ticklish!reader #tickle fic #the office tickle fic #jim halpert tickle fic #pam beesly tickle fic #the office tickle #pam beesly tickle #jim halpert tickle #jim and pam x reader #jim and pam tickle reader #ler!jim #ler!pam #jim and pam tickle fic #reader insert #ticklish reader #jim halpert x reader #pam beesly x reader #nova writes #sillyfeathers the office #tickling

[joon-ipersgirl]

O6 - “the jaded jessica rabbit”

genre: mafia!au, angst, fluff, slow burn, mystery-thriller

pairing: namjoon x reader (f)

word count: 3.8k

warnings: cursing, mentions of alcohol, some vulgar-is dirty talk at the end (not the way you think lol)

summary: charismatic. beautiful. fearless without question. the ambitious team of seven young men in charge of spiral, downtown district’s hottest new club, go above and beyond to provide 100% satisfaction to their clients.

after an eventful night out, you have no choice but to join the team for property damages greater than your intern salary. challenging a series of events that can no longer be left to coincidence, secrets threaten to burst at the seams as your professional and private life collide, and another - more sinister - debt is added to your total. 

how far are you willing to go to pay back your pound of flesh? remember, nothing is ever as it seems...

a/n: hello everyone! wow, i received some really nice comments about this fic so thank you. like seriously. i’ll keep you guys posted on discontinuing or not. i only have a few more parts pre-written so i may just post those and decide after. either way, i hope you enjoy. this was fun to write :) leave me an ask and let me know what you think and any theories as to what you think the boys are up to!

full masterlist // series masterlist // previous // next

Staring at yourself in the full length mirror in your room, you conclude you look crazy. How Suga had approved this uniform is beyond you, especially as winter hasn’t let you out of her cold, damp grip. You adjusted the waist of your skirt again as you try your best to make sure your ass isn’t hanging out the bottom. At least the neckline of the t-shirt is high enough that all of your assets aren’t on display. You guess you could appreciate how nice your legs look in the sheer black stockings you’d paired with the look.

You try your best to fit the vibe Spiral is going for and keep your makeup fairly neutral except for the bright red matte lipstick across your lips. Your hair was swept into a slick low bun, a few tendrils left out to frame your face. Though it probably isn’t part of the vibe, you throw on your chunky gold hoops to add some personality. Honcho could kiss your pretty little ass if he didn’t like it.

A soft meow! broke you out of your inner monologue. “Rosalia!” you coo at your shared Russian Blue cat. She saunters into the room and makes herself comfortable on your Queen-sized bed. “Don’t wait up,” you tell her as you grab your small backpack and trusty black, wool overcoat. It was time to head to Spiral.

“This must be the new spot for the young folk, huh?” your Uber driver, George, asks as he pulls onto the interstate. He’s an older man that could have probably been your grandfather. You pay him no mind. Maybe he would get the hint that you weren’t interested in having a conversation if you barely respond.

“Hmm?”

“You’re the third young woman I’ve picked up to head there tonight,” he explains. You look up at him quickly through the rearview mirror.

“Oh really?” you ask absentmindedly. George nods, his cap looking to flop off of his head.

“Oh yeah. They were so excited about it being back open since it got closed down for that robbery they had 2 months ago, though I don’t know if those young boys can handle running an establishment like that,” he mutters.

“Why do you think that?”

“They aren’t paying their respects to the elders in the business. Respect will go a long way you know?” he adds as he exits off the highway and heads towards the “party” area of downtown. You sit up, intrigued by what he’s saying.

“Respect to the elders? In the business? What do you mean?” you inquire again.

“You can’t just pop up on someone else’s territory without explaining what you’re doing there, even if it was an order for expansion,” he explains. You glance out of the window; you were close to the club. Time is running out.

“I’m not sure I understand what you mean, sir.”

“Of course you do, young lady.” George smiles at you through the mirror as you stare at him confused. “Robberies of that sort don’t just happen outta nowhere,” he elaborates, his words seeming to take on another meaning. You open your mouth to respond, but he cuts you off with a whistle.

“Wow, it didn’t look like that when I was just here.”

You turn to look out the window and your eyes widen as you take in the line, the neon red sign brightly illuminating the street. It wraps around the corner of the club and extends down the street past where your eyes could see. Numerous patrons are huddled together to stay warm as they brave the chilly wind. It’s only 9pm and the club doesn’t officially open until 10pm. Had news of the re-opening spread so quickly?

George pulls up to the curb. “You be safe now, miss,” he says pointedly, turning in his seat to deliver his seemingly innocent warning.

“You too. Have a good night,” you tell him as you step out of the car and he tips his hat in response. The conversation leaves you uneasy as he pulls away and you’re left on the corner of the street looking very much so like the woman of the night you feel in your uniform. You don’t stand for too long as the icy wind slashes across your legs, forcing you to head inside.

You approach the front of the line, much to the groans and protests of the people at the front. You ignore them. No one had told them to arrive at least an hour early and subject themself to this kind of torture for a few measly drinks and to rub up and down on another equally sad individual.

“Y/N!” Jack calls out to you from the front door of the club. He looks good in his own large bomber jacket, black skull beanie pulled low over his dark brown hair and the tips of his ears. Though he’s the size of any pro NFL quarterback, you could only see him as a rugged teddy bear when he grins at you like that.

“Jack,” you greet him with a soft smirk of your own. “How are you?”

“Good. Cold, but good. Ready for tonight?” he asks cheerily.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” you said, chuckling. He smiles at you again and holds the door open.

You duck under his arm and slip off your coat as you head down the stairs. Spiral looks incredible after the renovation and you’re surprised at how well everything flowed together; Min might actually know a thing or two about interior design. The new, red neon lights along the floors and the ceiling add to the ambience and the sleek black marble furniture fits in well with the leather booths.

Standing around the bar where the rest of your coworkers in their uniforms. Jin, Luca, and Moon are setting up behind the bar, the three of them looking like the city versions of Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. Not necessarily in that order though; Luca would definitely be Hades. Honcho and Suga chat quietly to one another while Savannah prattles on with Tae, her arms moving wildly as she explains whatever story she’s so into. Jeon and Micah are tucked on the other side of the bar, a comfortable silence settling between them. Giselle sits alone on a bar stool as she scrolls on her phone completely oblivious to her surroundings.

“Good evening Y/N. So nice of you to grace us with your presence,” Moon remarks. You ignore the way his eyes flit across your body as you approach the bar.

“Finally Kid. We’ve been waiting,” Suga calls from where he stands, his mint hair falling into his eyes.

“You guys act like I was 45 minutes late or something. What’s going on?” you asks.

“Did you go clock in?” Honcho asks, ignoring your question. You shake your head. “Do that, put your stuff away, and then come back here. We’re having a staff meeting.”

You nod and set off towards the employee lounge. It’s a fairly small room with some lockers available to store your things as well as a miniscule refrigerator to store some snacks as you wouldn’t be leaving until at least 3am. You carefully fold your coat as best as you can before shoving it into one of the lockers and shutting it closed.

The cold metal of the lockers presses into your back as you lean against it for support. It’s finally hitting you that you’re back at Spiral. Where you shot a gun. Where you shot a man. Where you got shot at. You look at the slight burn that’s on your upper forearm. You let out a shaky breath. Fear couldn’t get the best of you now. You had work to do, clues to discover, and a man to find before he found you first.

“Took you long enough!” Honcho calls out as you perch on the edge of the bar stool. A roll of your eyes is your only response. “Great. Everyone’s here. It’s opening night and the line is wrapped around the building. People still want to experience us, and experience us they shall. You all have your positions. Do your job well, and we shouldn’t have any issues. Anything else to add?” Honcho turns to Moon.

“Be engaging and if there are any issues, find myself or Honcho. Only.” Moon directed his last comment to you. “Suga?”

“Don’t fuck up,” Suga says with a shrug and the room erupts in laughter. “Let’s have a good night.”

The meeting is dismissed as Suga heads up to his office and you use the last 20 minutes to do the last of the prep of our stations. Tae has started spinning tunes from his booth as you vibe out. Jin and Luca are tending to the downstairs bar while Moon heads up to the VIP lounge. You and Giselle are tasked with serving tables on the main level, Savannah and Micah on the second. Jeon had left to man the main door with Jack. Everything is set.

You peek at Jin as you secure the little black fanny pack with the notepad and pen to take orders around your waist. Your conversation from earlier in the week flits across your mind and you narrow your eyes in determination; it was time to get to work.

“Here!” Giselle calls over the increasingly loud music. “It’s tequila!” She pushes the shot into your hand. You can hear the chatter of people starting to enter the establishment faintly. You toss the shot back and she grins. It was definitely time to get to work.

“I need a strawberry daiquiri, a lemon drop, a mango margarita, and a blue hawaiian!” you yell to Luca as you lean over the bar, waving the ticket in your hand to try and grab his attention. He serves his customer at the bar before grabbing the ticket from you.

“It’s fucking crazy in here!” he yells back. You nod and look out into the crowd.

Spiral hadn’t been open a full hour and a half, but it was like there was no room to walk. Talk about packed. The air is thick with heat and hormones as people dance in the middle of the floor, bodies swaying sloppily from the amount of alcohol they’d already consumed. You’re grateful you’d decided to tie your hair back because Gods knew how it would look after your shift was over. The demand for drinks hadn’t slowed down once, putting your personal mission on hold.

“Order up!” Luca calls and shoves the drinks over to you on a tray. You huff as you balance it in both hands and head back through the crowd.

As you approach your table, your mood sours. Instead of there being four girls sitting in the booth, a fifth has arrived. Your favorite crime scene investigator. Her hair hangs down around her shoulders in loose waves instead of the tight ponytail it was in when you first saw her. Her white off the shoulder dress clings tight to her body as she rests on the edge of the booth, her legs crossed. You set the tray down a little harder than needed as the rest of her friends jump.

“Oh. It’s you,” she says in disdain. You ignore her as you set their drinks down in front of them.

“Hi, my name is Y/N and I’ll be your server tonight. Can I start you off with anything or would you care to see the menu?” you ask, giving her the usual speech. She looks bored as you stand there waiting.

“Hmm, nothing that you can give me. Have you seen Moon? I need to speak with him,” she says.

“He’s working in VIP. I’m not sure if you have the clearance to be up there,” you say with a smile. She glares at you.

“You barely have the clearance to work here,” she spits. Just as you’re going to respond, you feel a heavy hand on your shoulder.

“Y/N, why don’t you go on break? Jennifer, so nice to see you again. Shall we?” It’s Honcho. If you weren’t so angry, you would have been frightened at his ability to move so swiftly in a crowded room.

Jennifer, in all her raggedy glory, brushes past you with a smirk. You barely resist the urge to drag her back by her half-assed waves and pummel her smug face into the pretty black, marble table. Watching her saunter up the spiral staircase makes your blood boil. Who did she think she was? You excuse yourself from your patrons once you make sure they no longer need you and head for the restroom. If the boss says it was time for a break, who were you to oppose? It was time to figure some things out.

“Y/N!” Jin’s voice is barely audible over the blaring bass Tae is blasting. You roll your eyes.

“I’m on break!” you yell to him as he beckons you over.

“I need you to do me a favor!” he shouts as you approach his side of the bar, Luca hurriedly making drinks on the other.

“I need you to stop lying to me, but I guess we all can’t get what we want,” you say with a shrug and turn away.

“Y/N, please. Honcho hasn’t come back down for this order. Can you run it upstairs for me? I’d do it myself, but -” He gestures to the people surrounding the bar waiting for his attention.

“I told you, I’m on break,” you emphasize.

“Please,” he asks once again, resting his hand on top of the bar. You glare at him.

“Fine, but you owe me,” you say pointedly. He flashes you a beautiful smile before setting the tray filled with a glass of white wine, a pint of beer, and a whiskey sour.

“You’re the best!” he calls as you heft the tray onto your shoulder and make your way to the stairs.

The second level is less crowded than downstairs, but all the booths are occupied with men in luxurious suits and their companions dressed in their finest dresses. It reeks of expensive perfumes and stuffy cigars. Some of the velvet curtains are drawn and you didn’t want to know what could possibly be happening behind them. Honcho is nowhere to be seen and you grow impatient as the tray’s weight settles into your arms. This was becoming tiring.

“Hey Y/N! How’s it going? Do you need some help?” Savannah chirps as she ducks through one of the closed curtain booths, her blonde hair a little disheveled. Interesting. Definitely didn’t want to know what kind of sunshine service she was providing.

“Uh, yeah. Have you seen Honcho? These are his drinks,” you say gesturing to the tray in your hands.

“Hmm, not for the past few minutes. Maybe he’s in the back?” She points to the hallway leading to the third level. You sigh. You’d been sent on a wild goose chase.

“Alright. Thanks.”

You dodge a drunk woman who seemed dangerously close to breaking a heel, the pint of beer sloshing over the side and soaking the front of your shirt. You clench your jaw in anger. Slamming the tray down angrily on one of the high tables, a few of the customers jump at the noise. You know your smile is not friendly by the way they lower their heads and avoid your gaze as you march past. At this point, you were taking an additional half an hour break; they owed you.  

The bathroom on the second level is empty as you try to wipe the stench of beer from your shirt. Your first night and you’re already fed up with Miss Fake Jessica Rabbit, Jin and his favors, and the spilled drinks. In fact, you’re highly irritated. You’re ready to go home. Giving up trying to salvage your shirt and resigning to smelling like beer for the next 2 and a half hours, you head to exit the restroom, but stop when you glimpse the back of Jessica Rabbit herself.

“I don’t know, Moon. It’s not looking too good on our end.” You tuck back behind the door, leaving it slightly ajar to hear what they’re saying. Thank Gods for the acoustics of this hallway.

“Didn’t this case just get planned?” he asks. “Vance was supposed to secure this contract for us after we were down for those couple of weeks. What happened?”

“I don’t know. Things have been a little busy with Julian going haywire. I haven’t seen Vance in two weeks. Someone mentioned something about reputations and what not -”

“We just started this operation. We barely have a reputation, Jen,” he emphasizes. “But we’ve been damn good at what we do, so I’m not understanding what the issue is.”

“What are we not understanding?” You almost stumble back as Min passes the restroom but catch the door with your fingers before it can slam shut. You exhale slowly as you recover, peering through the small slit of the door again.

“We just lost the Fader contract,” Moon tells him.

“Wait, wasn’t that supposed to come out tomorrow? I thought we had it secured before it was set to be released.”

“So did I, but Jen said Vance couldn’t pull through. Something about reputations -”

“Reputations? If anything, we should be getting great reviews; I’ve been quick and effective with every job you’ve sent me on. So much so, we couldn’t take on all the clients because of demand.” You can hear the confusion in Min’s voice even with the music still thumping. “What changed? How is that affecting our operations?”

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Jen replies. “This is bad for business which is in turn bad for me.”

“There has to be something we’re missing. Min, do you think you could contact Santi-”

“Have y’all seen Y/N? She’s not on the floor and Savannah said she was looking for me,” Honcho’s voice rings out and you squeak, letting the door slam shut, effectively cutting off the sound of their conversation. Shit. You duck behind the partitioning wall and try to calm your breathing as someone knocks on the door.

“Is everything okay in here?” It’s Honcho.

“Everything’s great! Just slipped on some water and fell, but I’m good!” you call to him, cringing at your lie.

“Y/N? What the fuck are you doing up here?”

“I work here. What do you mean by what am I doing up here? I was trying to find you so I could give you your fucking tray with your drinks, but you were nowhere to be found,” you reply with just as much attitude, finally appearing around the corner and facing him. He looks at you confused as you stare him down.

“I was busy with a -- customer. Come on, you have work to do,” he says while grabbing your wrist.

“And you don’t?” you retort as he pulls you into the hallway where Min, Jennifer, and Moon are still standing. They look surprised to see you.

“Kitten!” Min exclaims as you approach them. “How’s your shift going?”

You shrug. “It’s going.”

“Shouldn’t you be getting back to work?” Jennifer asks rudely. You can just make out the frown on her face under the low lighting of the side hallway.

“Shouldn’t you have chosen a better outfit to solicit on a corner?” Honcho snorts and she glares at both of you.

“Kitten is feeling a little fiesty today,” Min hums, leaning against the wall.

“Y/N, you can’t say that to customers,” Moon chides you though you can tell from the faint showing of his dimples he’s amused at your words. You raise your eyebrows at him.

“Hmm, I guess it wasn’t dirty enough for good ol’ Jen, huh? How about on your knees in the back of the alley behind Spiral?” you offer. “Maybe you’ll get off if he reprimands you the way he’s trying to do me,” you ponder.

Jennifer’s face is red with anger as she continuously opens and closes her mouth to respond. You smirk as your own anger and irritation settles in your belly, happy that you’d gotten under her skin. Apparently too well as she rears her hand back and slaps me across your face. Tears spring to your eyes from the force of the blow and you blink at Honcho as you slowly comprehend what’s happened. She had well and truly slapped you. You whip your head around to face her and she gasps as she had now just realized what she’d done.

“Holy shit,” Honcho whispers. You grin as you step forward to stand in front of her, holding your ground. You were tired of her shit.

“Is that the way you like it, Jen? Hard slaps to the face?” you goad. “What about your pretty little ass, hmm?”

“Y/N, stop. That’s not necessary.” Moon steps in front of you, blocking your view of an almost teary eyed Jennifer. Ah, an angry crier. Your favorite.

“Oh come on, Moon. It’s just a little teasing, isn’t it? Just like how you all do to me. No harm, no foul,” you say nonchalantly, but your words have a sharper tone. The irritation of the night was getting to you.

“Y/N, let’s go downstairs,” Honcho says as he tugs on your wrist, trying to diffuse the situation. “Give everyone some time to cool off.”

“I am cool. I’m not going to hit her and ruin my chances of filing an assault claim,” you say with a chuckle. “You guys wouldn’t even have to testify against your little friend. The cameras will witness for me. And I can walk by myself, thanks. Continue whatever business you guys had going on,” you reply with a wave of your hand.

“An assault case! Are you crazy?! Bitch, fuck you!” Jennifer calls from around Moon’s large frame. You roll your eyes as you spin around to face them again.

“I’m as crazy as they come, babe. Pencil me in once you're done with your lover boy and I’ll let you know if I can squeeze you in with the rest of my appointments! Business is booming as they say!” you yell back and blow her a kiss. She scowls.

The four of them watch you go and you only rub your stinging cheek once you know you’re out of their eyesight. For a small woman, she had a heavy hand and you’re grateful it hadn’t been a punch; you couldn’t afford a trip to the dentist. It was time for you to cash in on that favor Jin promised you as you head down the spiral stairs. An old fashioned on the rocks is calling your name. You could use the ice.

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[f1uffy-turtle]

Soul Bound Chapter 3: Scrying of the Soul

Amity squinted at the blinding light of the chandelier above her head as she woke up. Her head was foggy and she couldn’t make out anything at all around her. She took a moment to rub her eyes before taking a moment again to bring everything into focus. She was in her room again, exactly the way she left it.

The green-haired witch took a second to mull through her head. She tried to pull out memories, but the fog was too dense to even walk through, let alone see any of what was in front of her. She took in another breath and relaxed her shoulders. She unclenched her jaw as her mind started to clear just enough to where she could see the memories; her mother, her head, the note. She knows about Luz. She didn’t know what her mother would do to her, but Amity knew it wasn’t good.

She opened her eyes again and immediately rushed over to her door. Locked. Amity cursed under her breath. She knew that the door itself only locked from the inside, so if she couldn’t use her key to get the door open, then the door had to be magically sealed. She drew a magic circle and a key appeared in her hand. She took the key to the lock and it didn’t budge.

Amity dispelled the key and looked out her window which hung over a 2 story drop. She practically almost vomited in her throat as she looked down the edge of the windowsill and into the courtyard that was now overcast with the shadow of night. Amity summoned her scroll and looked for the only name she could think to call at the moment.

Luz woke up groggily as the scroll buzzed in her pocket. She felt a sharp pain stinging in her side. She was sure that she broke something, or at least something was broken before. She shouldered through the pain as she went to pull out the laminated glyph. She was relieved that now she was able to contact her friends in a way other than raven or crystal ball now, considering that Amity helped her figure out how to summon a scroll via glyph. If someone wanted to talk to her, it would rumble in her pocket, waiting for her to answer. It worked just like a smart phone back on Earth and she wouldn’t be happier for it. It activated in her hand as she moved it up to her face. She noted the time; 10pm. She had been asleep for almost eight hours.

Luz grimaced through the sharp pang in her lung as she shifted her weight on the couch and rolled over on her other side. She looked at the message that popped up on her notifications first. It was from Amity.

Hey, Luz? Do you want to meet me at the library so we can help each other on the whole song writing thing? I think I want to give it a shot.

The human looked at the scroll with a mix of excitement and confusion. She shot a message back to her. The rapid thumping of the “keyboard” shot through her arm and into her side and she winced in pain. That didn’t exactly stop her.

I would love to, but isn’t the library closed at this time?

I can take care of that. I just need to be somewhere other than here at the moment if that’s okay?

I gotcha. I’ll meet you when I can. I’ve had quite a rough day myself.

Amity read the last message once she was done changing into her everyday outfit and hoped to the half-deceased body that made up the Boiling Isles that everything would be alright with her. She pocketed the scroll and opened the window as wide as she possibly could. She swung her foot over the windowsill and twirled her finger to summon an abomination on the side of the building. The cold night air embraced the witch as she lowered herself onto the purple muck before commanding it in a whisper to lower her to the ground.

“Hey, Mittens!”

Amity started at the sound of her siblings that she almost fell over.

“Sneaking out of your room, that is so unlike you. What’s the occasion? Can we come?”

Amity scoffed, “It’s none of your business. I just need to get away from Mom for a bit.”

“Exactly why we want to come,” Emira replied. “She’s kinda been in a tizzy ever since she came home today. Do you know what that’s about?”

Amity sighed in frustration. “Fine, you can come. I’ll explain to you guys on the way, can you guys just keep it quiet!”

“As a mouse.” Emira winked at her sister, pinching her fingers together.

“Though,” Edric interjected, “Do you know how we can probably get down?”

Emira scoffed at him before twirling her finger in the air, drawing a circle and summoning butterfly wings for the both of them. Edric wanted to complain, but as long as he got out of the house in one piece, he didn’t mind. Amity waved them on to get going as they jumped out of the window from their own room and they all maneuvered past the other open windows in an attempt to remain hidden.

They could practically hear the doors to Amity’s room swinging open as they went down and some unintelligible shouting. That didn’t matter to them now. They left it all behind them as they raced on towards the Bonesbourough Library.

~~~

Luz sat on the stoop in front of the library as she waited for Amity to arrive. Leaving the Owl House was much easier than she expected once she woke up from Amity’s messages. Eda had left a note on the kitchen table saying that she had gone out to get something at the Night Market, though something in her gut told her that it might be a lie. Whatever she was doing, she just hoped that her mentor would be safe. Luckily the pain in her side that was still burning when she got up had subsided and ended up feeling like a small bruise compared to what was there before. She still couldn’t help but wince whenever she moved that side of her body. If she knew any healing glyphs, then she definitely would have used them on her way here. She thought maybe if she were to work with Viney the next time they met in a lab next time, maybe she could inspect what healing project they would be working on and copy a healing glyph that might appear there. Though, that would be a lot harder than it looked and almost as impossible as the plant glyph. A challenge like that won’t stop her, though.

She looked out into the night and reminisced on the first night that she stood here. That night really showed Luz a different side of Amity. Before, she saw her as a bully who feels like she has to be on top of everything. Even then, she wanted to reach out to her to at least try and be her friend. But, with Edric and Emira in the picture, she saw that she had bullies of her own to deal with. Luz could only imagine what kind of antics could go on at home and she worried over her.

“Hey, Luz!”

She didn’t expect to hear the sound of the twins approaching her, let alone see them right in her face. She toppled over right as she saw them and just laid there for a moment before processing what even happened.

“Heyyyy, guyyys. I didn’t expect to see you here.” Luz sat up cross-legged and tucked her fist under her chin as she looked at the twins; her cheeks flush from embarrassment. She tried desperately to hide the pain that she still felt, but to no avail. Amity pushed through her siblings and offered the human a hand.

“Yeah, they weren’t supposed to be here.” Amity picked Luz off of the ground and noted the smell of fresh detergent overlaid with something sweet and flowery. She remembered that Luz noted before, a flower called Lavender back on Earth was one of her favorite scents. Her mind was getting off topic, she had to focus. “They asked to come because they also wanted to get away from Mom for a bit.”

“Yeah, I’ve never seen her that pissed off before, and after hearing what Mittens, here, did, I completely understand.” Emira shot a cocky grin at her little sister, “Never thought you’d have the guts.”

“Whoa, whoa wait. What happened?” Luz’s head was spinning. Everything was happening so quickly that she didn’t know what to think or how to process all this new information.

Amity sighed. “Look, let’s just get inside and I’ll explain everything.”

She gestured over to their siblings. Edric walked over and produced a piece of parchment similar to the one that they had when they were with Luz the last time. He held it up to the lock and they all watched as the parchment turned to embers and ashes before them. The lock contorted before doubling and tripling in size, inviting the teenagers into the library. He gave Amity a nudge before saying “Looks like you’re one of us now, Mittens.”

Amity’s brow furrowed as she watched her brother strut inside the enormous keyhole followed by her sister as her dark green braid trailed behind her. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Luz with a small, reassuring smile on her face. She couldn’t help but return the gesture as her shoulders relaxed and her heart lifted out of her chest. She took in a deep breath as she ran her fingers through her brown roots and took her hair tie off, leaving her hair to fall out of the half-ponytail that she almost always kept it in. It felt freeing for her, almost in a symbolic sort of way. She took the hand of the human who she noticed also had her face red in her cheeks as she looked entranced at the sight of the new Amity. She couldn’t help but giggle a little bit before cocking her head towards the door.

“Let’s go.”

~~~

Edalyn Clawthorne was never past ending someone’s life when it came to extreme measures, but the absolute raw energy of her rage was only let out this much once before, when Lilith kidnapped Luz, threatening her life just to get her to join the Emperor’s Coven. Really to get petrified, but Lilith didn’t know that at the time. She didn’t need to hear all of what Luz needed to say to understand exactly what was going on. Whoever this Almade was, he was a liar and a manipulator. She was used to those kinds of people, to scamming others out of their snails and other people attempting to scam her. But this was a different breed. He wanted something from her kid to the point of almost beating her to death. And he had the gall. No. He had the audacity to lie to her and try to pass off as a decent unassuming professor. She wanted answers, but that didn’t matter to her. What was first and foremost on her plate was to see this man’s head on a pike.

The Owl Lady wandered the streets of Bonesbourough, through the back alleys as to not arouse suspicion of the Emperor’s Coven guards that lined the majority of the populated streets ever since the failed petrification. They only really seemed to be focused on finding her, or her beast form, rather, than actually keeping the peace. It was almost like a twisted version of those nomads who once served as Animal Control, except when those guys were there to actually do their jobs and protect the lives of others when called. These guys are only focused, seemingly, on putting her down. They were bastards, the lot of them. All part of a system so hell bent on controlling others. Part of a system so hell bent on controlling her.

She scaled a nearby trellis on the side of the alleyway and used it to lift herself up to the rooftop overlooking the small city. She could almost see the skull of the Titan overlooking the library. She took in a deep breath. It had been so long since she had done anything like this. It was too risky to use Owlbert, her staff, to fly over the rooftops. So, she had to be careful as she hopped from rooftop to rooftop, only using her staff to fly over particularly large gaps whenever the guards weren’t looking in her general direction.

She went around the perimeter in search of the man like a tiger circling her prey. Each rooftop she landed on, she made sure to remain vigilant. She was sure she saw a shadowy figure looming over in the distance on top of the library. She blinked again to make sure she wasn’t just seeing things and it disappeared. She didn’t care if she was just seeing things or not. She was only focused on what was in front of her. She tapped her staff on the ground and Owlbert woke up cooing in her ear. The owl palisman remained groggy, but understood what needed to be done as his eyes glowed a bright yellow. Eda swung her leg over the staff and it launched her across the entire length of the city. The guards nearby took note of the loud sound that came from where she launched and rushed over to investigate.

The Owl Lady swooped in and perched herself on top of one of the library’s spires, jerking her head back and forth as she searched for her target. She made sure to keep her feet firm against the rough deep green shingles as she avoided the moonlight that reflected off of the round stained glass window.

“Funny, that I find you here.”

Eda whipped around and swung her staff at Almade, who flinched before he got the wind knocked out of him and was sent flying into one of the flatter parts of the roof with a loud crack. He groaned in pain as he struggled to lift himself up.

“Funny, indeed! I was just going to say the same thing about you.”

The man laughed as he got up, ignoring the pain rushing through him and the blood that poured out of his mouth.

“What are you even doing here anyway? Are you here to find your child and scold her for leaving the house when she’s been clearly injured? Are you going to punish her? Lock her up in some infernal dungeon in the depths of that wretched house of yours?”

“Ha! You are clearly projecting something. But no, I would never do that to my Luz. You were the one that almost killed her, so I did the most logical thing a mother should do. I’ve come here for your head.”

Almade’s hand dripped with blood as he slammed it firmly on the ground. A golden light radiated from him as the brick and concrete cracked and crumbled, forming a large, stony abomination.

“Then come and take it.”

~~~

Luz felt a rumble outside of the library. Did the Boiling Isles ever have thunderstorms? Earthquakes? She didn’t know, but whatever it was, her legs started to go numb. She wasn’t sure if it was because her injury had been spread throughout more than just her side or if what’s outside scared her that much. Her heart raced as she went over to Amity’s side.

“Do you know what’s happening out there?”

Amity shivered as she gripped on the human’s arm as tightly as she could.

“I have no idea.”

“So, what happened between you and your mom?”

Amity stopped for a second. She never even thought about telling her that the fact that she was in love with the human was the reason that her mother went ballistic. That and telling her off wasn’t exactly the best idea either. She felt a chill run up her spine as she gathered how to even tell Luz what happened. Would she even tell her that she even had a crush on her? No, she can’t tell her that just yet. As much as she wanted to, now is the absolute worst time to tell her. She’s already processing a lot already.

“The long and short of it is my mother got after me for something and I ended up snapping at her.”

“Wait what? You yelled at your own mother?!”

“Tch, yeah. I’m honestly surprised she didn’t kill me right away after that happened considering how Ed and Em described her rampage.”

“I could only imagine.”

“But I wouldn’t know. She kept me under a sleep spell afterwards and locked me in my room.” Amity clenched Luz’s arm a little bit tighter. Tears started to well up in her eyes. “I don’t even want to know what she had planned for me after that.”

To Amity’s surprise, she was enveloped in the warmest hug that she ever experienced. Her heart began to race as she processed for a moment what was happening.

“You’re safe now. That’s all you need to know.”

Tears streaked down Amity’s cheeks as she buried her face into the human’s shoulder. It took everything that she had not to impulsively kiss her. She wrapped her arms tight around Luz.

“Okay, ow ow ow, that’s my bad rib.”

“Oh,” Amity pulled away from her. Her face felt even hotter than before that she was sure that her tears would have evaporated. “Sorry, that’s my bad.”

“Hey, love birds!” Edric called out, “We’re gonna look around and find something to do! Good luck!”

“We’re not-!” Amity growled. “Just go!”

“Alright alright, we should leave them alone.” Emira chided her brother. “See ya around, cuties!”

Amity’s face couldn’t be redder than it was right now, but she didn’t know if it was due to the embarrassment or how angry she was at the twins. Good thing she didn’t tell them about her crush on Luz either or they would have picked on her a lot harder than they already did. Though, it did make her wonder if she was being that obvious.

“Whaaat was that about?”

“NOTHING!” Amity said that louder than she intended and cleared her throat. “It’s-it’s nothing.” She let out a sigh.

“So what happened after you got out?” Amity asked. “You said that your day wasn’t that great either.”

“Yeah, Almade kinda went crazy. He chased me around with a treelike abomination of all things. It nearly killed me.”

Amity’s eyes widened. “Come again?”

“You know, treelike! Like he took the dirt and roots of a tree and it made an abomination like GRRAWRRRR!”

“No-no I know what you mean by that, but are you sure that it was an abomination and not just plant magic?”

“Well, it had eyes and it followed commands and everything. I saw Almade using nonverbal commands to control it and he was somehow using glyphs against me. Ones that I haven’t even seen before. They seemed to be made of some cardstock or something stiff because I know all my glyphs were either ruined or smudged in my bag. Probably not the best idea, to be completely fair. I should have a better way to carry those next time.”

“Were his glyphs gilded?”

“Yeah, why do you ask?”

“We’ve got a book to read!”

~~~

Eda slammed an ice glyph on top of the abomination’s head. The creature groaned as its head was being engulfed by the crystallized water. It jerked around trying to throw the older witch off of her balance. She jumped off and slammed the brunt end of her staff into the monster’s head, shattering it to bits. The abomination fell over and crumpled into a pile of rubble and dust. She was surprised at how heavily enforced the building was if it could make an abomination of that size.

“So what’s your deal anyway? You infiltrate Hexside and pose as a teacher. You wait until my Luz is alone and you just up and attack her? Don’t ya think that’s rushing the game a little bit?”

“It doesn’t matter to me. What matters is that the job gets done, then I’ll be free from my own control. Luz is using you, Edalyn.”

“Yeah! To help learn magic, and even then she goes to school anyway. Kid wouldn’t even hurt a fly unless I or anybody else she loved was in danger.” She snorted.

“That’s not what I’m getting at. She’s using you as a proxy, trying to become a better witch so that she could have the human world invade The Boiling Isles. Why else would she run into such a lowly criminal and ask for help?”

Eda slammed her staff into his neck at such a speed that he was sure that she could have broken it with that blow if it weren’t for his manacle.

“Don’t you ever talk about my child like that!” The Owl Lady hissed, “It’s one thing to even try to kill her or – whatever you were going to do – but, it’s another thing to even try to gaslight me into thinking a stupid lie like that!”

She slapped a fire glyph on his stomach and jumped to the side as his tunic burst into flames. Almade writhed around in agony as he ripped and tossed his tunic off of him, revealing all the other burn marks and grafts adorning his body. He looked at Eda with a pure rage before falling over, his illusion passing through the roof of the library.

Eda cursed under her breath as she summoned her scroll to call the house. She let it ring for a moment before Lilith picked up.

“Oh my Titan, Edalyn! I was so worried for you!”

“Can it, sis! Have you checked to see if Luz was alright?”

“Uhhh, I was actually about to call you about that.”

“About what?”

“Luz left to see Amity at the library, apparently she was having a bad day as well and she wanted to comfort her.”

Eda sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “Luz, what would I do without you and your big, dumb heart? Luckily, I’m at the library right now. I’ll call you and tell you if anything happens.”

“Just be careful. He could be anywhere.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, he just tricked me with an illusion! Cheap bastard took advantage of my rage.”

“Well, I could have told you that.”

“Buzz off.”

Eda hung up the scroll and looked down to find a bunch of Emperor’s Coven guards surrounding the area. This wasn’t looking too good at all.

~~~

Amity remembered only being in the forbidden section of the library once or twice when she was locked in before, mainly due to her curiosity, but also because she really didn’t have much else to do. The Emperor’s Coven deemed these books banned from every other resident of the Isles to read aside from the ones that were the highest up the ladder in the Coven like Lilith or the infamous Kikimora. She was actually surprised that they kept all of their criminal files in here of everybody they sent into the Conformitorium, even the ones that were thrown in there for childish or mundane reasons. It really didn’t take a lot at all to get thrown in there on the Isles. She remembered Luz told her once that she and King got thrown in there just by ignoring the “Don’t Step on the Grass” sign and called the attention of a guard. It was actually pretty funny how easily you could set them off like that, considering how harmless the guards themselves are. Though, one book in particular always stood out to her, but she never did take note of the author before now. It was a recent edition after all. It arrived just shortly after King’s whole book publishing fiasco.

It was a book bound in purple leather and a black cloth stretched around the spine. The edges of the pages and the engravings in the leather were all lined with gold leaf and the headband was as intricately sewn as possible. The writing on the spine read “The Scrying of the Soul by Robert Almade”.

Just seeing the author’s name now made Amity’s stomach turn. Of course he would write and bind a book this beautiful and this horrifying all at the same time. Although it may be worth it to check out, it wasn’t what she was looking for. She searched through the various files as Luz went to pick it up. Amity pulled out a file that read “Almade” and flipped it open. She cringed at the various pictures that were laid out in front of her and brushed them aside, but kept the ones in view of various glyphs that he either carved out on the walls or drew in his own blood. A mug shot taken of him revealed that there were no grafts or burn marks of any kind. He looked pale and famished. The color and fullness had been taken away from his cheeks and the look on his face read remorse. Not anger. Not sadness. Remorse. Almost as if he was apologizing to someone for the actions he did, his eyes begging for him not to be punished. Amity remembered wearing the same look on multiple occasions whenever her mother would scold her for whatever arbitrary reason and sometimes even dragging her father into it. Most times, he would remain reluctant to join in, but he wouldn’t dare upset her. It was almost like she scared her more than he was allowed to care about his own daughter. Amity skimmed through some of the headlines and pointed out one that stood out to her.

“Here! LOCAL WILD WITCH DESTROYS HIS HOME, KILLED HIS FATHER AFTERWARDS.”

“Oh wow! That is dark! Gimme!” Luz said, making little grabby hands.

Amity stifled a laugh.

Quit being cute, you goofball. Someday, I swear it’ll kill me.

She continued reading. “Robert Almade, aged 24, as of last night had destroyed his own home. Witnesses say that Almade emerged from the wreckage with multiple cards adorning his body, all with gilded runes that nobody else has seen the likes of before.”

“That must be the glyphs!” Luz butted in. She thought about it for a moment. She always thought that she was the one to rediscover glyphs after many in the isles had rendered it a lost art due to how the evolution of bile sacs in a witch’s body made it useless. There must be a reason that Almade was using them because he could use magic like any normal witch by summoning abominations. Was this limited somehow?

“Luz, uhhh, there’s more to this.” Amity told her. “After he rose, he carved another one of these runes on his palm and grabbed the body of his father with it. There was a glowing light and then nothing left. Zeil collapsed on the ground, seemingly dead. The witness walked closer before seeing the body reanimate itself with a purple glaze overshadowing its eyes. They called this creature a Husk. It then stared directly at the witness before he darted off in the opposite direction. They ended up calling this person a ‘Soulomancer’. Almade was apprehended not long after and taken to the Conformitorium, scheduled for a burning.” Amity shuddered as she read that last sentence.

Luz looked at the date of the article. “Uhh, Amity, this article was dated 3 weeks ago. This is insanely recent.”

She flipped the page to find another article. “Oh, Dios Mio.”

ESCAPED! THE WILD WITCH DUBBED “THE SOULOMANCER” ESCAPED HIS BURNING!

Luz grabbed at her neck. She was so glad that she wasn’t turned into one of those Husks. She looked down at the book that she carried and noted all the love and detail put into the binding. She was going to find out how to get away from him. She could survive, but she didn’t know how. If she hadn’t been revived by Eda and Lilith, she would have been a goner. But why did it have to be her? Why her of all people? Did he have a grudge against humans or is it all just wanton bloodlust? He seemed to lash out at her more during her lessons with him, so the former is definitely still on the table. She tucked the book under her arm.

“I’m gonna go on ahead and check out this book that he wrote. If there’s anything that could help us out, it’d be in here.” Luz reached her hand out towards Amity. The witch replied with a smile and accepted it.

“Right, let’s head to the hideout.”

Amity’s secret hideout in the library wasn’t too much of a secret anymore, considering Luz as well as her siblings all knew about it. As long as they don’t spill it to anyone, like Ed and Em did to Luz when they met her, then it’ll be alright. She was actually surprised that the librarians themselves didn’t even know about it. Amity pulled on the book that acted as a lever and Luz immediately jumped on one of the bean bags that Amity had recently set up in the room when it came to the two of them actually hanging out in here. The human pulled the book out of her arm and started to read.

The witch smiled as she saw her crush at work, focused on the task at hand. She walked inside before closing the door behind her. She couldn’t help but feel a chill up her spine as she closed it, but paid it no mind.

“This is crazy, Ams!” Luz said as she pointed to a page on the book. “Look, right here says that these symbols are what make up the glyph system on the Isles! He must have really studied this kind of thing hard.”

Amity looked over the human’s shoulder. She was right. The page before her was laid out with a lot of specific shapes, most of them looking like the runes that they used on the Isles today for their native language, Arshoya. That language had almost been lost to their tongue today under Belos’ rule when he started to put the English language under the curriculum at their schools, but for whatever reason, maybe because it was easier, they had them keep the writing system.

“You know, it’s funny.” Luz pointed out. “Your guys’ runes on the Isles look scarily enough like alchemic symbols on Earth.”

“Wait, alca-what now?”

“Alchemy. It was this crazy study of magic or turning lead into gold or something developed back on Earth.”

“Wait a minute, I thought humans can’t perform magic.”

“Well, they can’t now, but I don’t think that’s ever stopped them from at least trying in the past. After all, these symbols exist. Look, this one-” She pointed at a circle with a dot in the middle of it. “-represents the Sun in Alchemy. At least, that’s the only symbol that I know. But it’s the same symbol that is used on my fire glyph.”

As she said that, she produced a card that wasn’t crumpled from her bag and drew her fire glyph just to demonstrate before quickly shoving it back into her pocket, hoping not to accidentally activate it.

“Wait, I don’t understand, that could just be coincidence. You can’t be too sure that our runes could be a shortcut or reference or whatever to design your glyphs.”

“It’s not designing. I’m learning from the island around me, at least and I’ll use whatever reference I’ve got.” She sighed as she stared at the book. The human looked back to Amity’s golden eyes. “And plus, it’s worth a shot.”

The witch could see the soft determination in Luz’s face, one that radiated of her characteristic hopeful outlook on life. Luz, her little light.

Someone knocked on the bookcase and Amity groaned as she got up. This was seriously the last time that Edric and Emira would pick on her in a moment like this. She went to slide the door open.

“You know guys, I am really getting tired of you guys picking on me, so why don’t you mind your own business!”

But it wasn’t her siblings. It wasn’t either of them at all.

~~~

Edric and Emira sprinted down the various book shelves as they raced over to the direction of the hideout. Neither of them heard Amity scream that loudly before and they knew that she wasn’t just excited. They leaped down the balcony, summoning illusions to soften their fall. Once they finally reached the hideout, shock spread through both of their faces.

Amity’s body lay on the ground before them, her eyes rolled to the back of her head. Luz scrambled backwards with her eyes wide and bloodshot and her mouth agape. Almade’s book was thrown across the room with its pages spread wide open.

“What did you do?” Edric asked softly with a fire behind his voice.

“I-I don’t – I didn’t-.”

“LUZ!” He grabbed the collar of her hoodie as he lifted her up off the ground. Tears trailed down his face. “WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SISTER?”

It wasn’t long before Luz started bursting into tears as well. Looking over to where Amity’s body lied. She was splayed out on the floor with her eyes closed. The human looked over to her to try and find any sign of breathing. Anything at all.

But there was none. Amity was dead.

Tears streamed down Luz’s face and pooled up under her chin. Why did it have to be her? Why didn’t she save her?

Why?

#Soul Bound #The Owl House #Ghost Fic #CW Major Character Death #MCD #Angst #Protective mama eda #Edalyn Clawthorne #toh eda #Robert Almade #Luz Noceda #toh Luz #Amity Blight #toh amity #lumity #cw blood #Edric Blight #toh edric #Emira Blight #toh emira #Odalia Blight #toh odalia #intense chapter