#She tried hiding in a bush but her wings were bright so I saw her

[fionas-treasure-chest]

The Lizard and the Hare

Listen to your heart, said the voice, it will save your life.

Beeyong’s fingers tightened around the grip of her spear. Her eyes narrowed as she watched the thrashing beast and the dragoon locked in combat with it. She held her breath each time the beast lunged or swiped at the bounding viera and released it each time he narrowly slipped away. And her arms ached from how tightly she tensed up in wait.

“Hang on…” she said in a whisper lost to the westerly spring breeze.

Beeyong narrowed her eyes and wrenched her attention away from the other dragoon. She looked at the beast's scaly face, with several sword-long fangs that dripped with saliva and a lashing tongue that bled from where the dragoon had struck moments before. Past that were three eyes across its head; each covered in a hood of impenetrable-looking scales. Further along, the creature's head was more of those shining armor-like scales covering the soft flesh beneath…

Except for a single ilm that didn’t shine like the others. An ilm of flesh that wasn’t covered by the scales.

Beeyong had noticed the weak point as soon as she arrived and knew she could drive her spear down through it to the creature's brain. But she was in a poor position to leap unless she wanted to risk the creature noticing her and moving out of the way.

No, the voice agreed, You have to wait until the creature turns around.

Beeyong agreed with her inner voice that cared more for cold precision than warm heroics. But it didn’t feel right to wait in the wings while the other man fought for his life.

But, the voice countered, he took the same risk as you. He knew the risks.

Beeyong shook her head and refocused on the task at hand and prayed to the twelve that the other Dragoon could hang on.

The Au'ra watched as dragoon and beast fought head to head for what felt like hours. The beast's tongue beat back every thrust. The dragoon leaped out of the way of every swing. The air rang out in the sounds of metal scraping hardened scales or the heavy thumps of footfalls as the creature spun and whirled.

And through it all, Beeyong watched. And each time she doubted herself the voice would whisper once more…

Listen to your heart. It will save your life.

Beeyong prayed for the Dragoon’s safety beneath her breath. And it seemed like her prayers would come true as the beast grew more fearful and deliberate with its strikes.

Then the creature lunged out and threw its body forward landing a massive paw on the Dragoon pinning it beneath its ponderous weight.

The dragoon grunted and cursed as he struggled to free itself while the creature’s toothy maw drew ever closer. It opened its maw wide and drooled over its meal to be…

Now, said the voice.

Beeyong jumped from the bushes screaming a warrior cry. The spearpoint shone as the light reflected off the shining gray metal.

The beast tried to turn its head, but Beeyong had leaped with the sun at her back, and the bright shining morning blinded the beast. So it never saw beeyong land on its back and drive her spear cleanly through its skull via the small patch of scaleless flesh.

The creature roared and flailed about releasing its hold on the dragoon, who clambered away. And both Beeyong and the dragoon watched as the creature rattled through its death throes then lay still in the dirt.

The dragoon turned towards Beeyong. His green eyes were tired from the vicious combat, but his smile was wide, energetic, and peaceful.

“So like, thanks for the save!” said the dragoon in an odd accent. “But like, where’d you come from?”

Ignore the fool, the voice said.

Beeyong shook her head and gestured towards her hiding spot.

“I was returning from an adventure and saw you needed a hand. So, I helped.” Beeyong said.

Liar said the voice, you wanted to prove you were strong. Able to do what he could not.

Beeyong’s face scrunched from the voice’s sharpness. The dragoon didn’t seem to notice.

“Sh’yeah? Well like, you totally saved me. So like, if you’re going anywhere near Tailfeather I’ll treat to some drinks. The brewer out there makes some like, incredible pale ale.”

Ignore him. Move on.

Beeyong looked away from the dragoon and took a step towards the town of Aleport, her original destination. But the dragoon reached out and grabbed her shoulder.

“Hey like, I’m Kristjan. What’s yours?”

Beeyong barely choked back an exasperated sigh that wasn’t hers.

“I’m Beeyong. I’m glad I could help.”

Kristjan lifted his hand off Beeyong’s shoulder.

“Sh’yeah! Me too. But like, I don’t see too many Dragoons outside of Ishgard. How’d you get on that path?”

Beeyong blinked.

She had never been asked that before. Even her attentive lover had never thought to ask why she chose to train in the skills that she did. And at one time the answer would have simply been ‘to adventure’. But the answer wasn’t fully accurate. At least not since she was exposed to the voice.

She shut her eyes and searched for the truth within her heart. And what she found was the voice.

You jump to prove yourself. To become stronger than anything that could hurt you.

The answer was cold and self-confident in a way that shocked Beeyong. Was strength truly what mattered to her? While it certainly felt good to best a beast in a single strike that Kristjan could not in several dozen more. But to tell him and herself that that’s all that mattered felt like a horrible betrayal of who she was.

She could ignore the question outright and continue on her way to Aleport’s Aetheryte. But to do so without addressing Kristjan felt like an even greater wrong.

Beeyong opened her eyes and told Kristjan, “I don’t know…I just want to become closer to the leaping lizards from my home.”

The voice had nothing to say.

#FFXIV #ffxivwriting #ffxiv au ra #viera #ffxiv_viera

[dreamescapeswriting]

Make Me Stay ~ Changbin [M] [Request]

WORD COUNT: 20.5K (As of this moment the longest imagine on my account….whoops)

GENRE: Non Idol Au, Mechanic Changbin, slow burn(first time doing slow burn fics) Smut, fluffy, SMUT, cute fluff lil angst, hapyy ending 

PAIRING: Mechanic Changbin x Fem!Reader

The sun from the sunset was beaming down through the windshield of your 1967 Volkswagen beetle causing you to squint as you continued driving down the old dirt road. The sun setting was always so bright and in your face, it made it hard to see anything going on around you. The sat nav on your phone had convinced you that this was the right way but it didn't seem like it at all. There were no buildings around for miles. Just trees, bushes and more trees, a serial killer's favourite place to be hiding out.

"Stupid thing," You mumbled as you pulled up towards a huge gate that looked like it lead onto the private property in front of you, you hissed punching in a new address into your phone. All you were trying to do was get into the city, you'd been doing a huge road trip alone, exploring Korean since you'd lived there most of your life and hadn't explored much. Many people told you not to be "stupid" that it could be dangerous all alone, not to mention lonely or boring but so far you'd enjoyed all of your time. You'd managed to do a lot of sightseeing on your way around the places you'd been, you'd gotten to do a lot of things you wouldn't normally do if you were with friends. The drive had given you space to think over things in your life, it gave you the time to think over everything that was waiting for you back at home...Which was a whole lot of nothing since you'd basically worked in a dead-end job for the last 6 years of your life in order to take this trip. Busan was the third to last place on your list to tick off and so far you hadn't even gotten into the town yet, you were right on the outskirts, the middle of nowhere surrounded by trees and a whole lot of nothing.

"Don't! Don't you dare!" You cried out as your car began to judder forward when you were driving down the back dirt roads, smoke coming from the back of it where the engine was. You wanted to scream out but you held it in thinking it was probably nothing, smoke normally meant that the old engine was just overheating itself. It was perfectly normal.

"No!" You whined out to yourself as you pulled into a small layby near some trees, praying to yourself it would just be the heat. There was nothing around you for miles thanks to the shoddy GPS system on your phone you would have thrown the thing out if it wasn't the only way you would get out of this situation.

Kicking the wheel of your car as you walked to the back of the car to check out what was wrong with the engine if it was the radiators you could fix the issue yourself. It did it occasionally, well more than occasionally, overheat. It would do it every day to the point where you had to carry around water in huge cartons just to make sure you could look after it. As soon as you opened the boot of the car you were met with smoke to the face and you groaned looking inside, you weren't a mechanic but you already knew it didn't look good. There was oil splotched all over the place and bubbling out of the oil dip, something looked as though it was snapped and there was a major stench coming from the engine yourself.

"So much for an easy fix." You mumbled slamming the boot shut and groaning at the thought of being stuck out in the middle of nowhere with nowhere to go. The private land was about four miles away and you knew there was nothing around you for miles in any direction,

"Piece of shit," You whispered as you looked at the small light blue beetle all of it beginning to rust with how old it was.

"I didn't mean it, baby," You whispered as though you had hurt the cars feelings. You put a small kiss on your fingers before placing it on the wing mirror, then you began scrolling through your phone you searching for your recovery number. Having no idea if they would have a branch out in the middle of nowhere or be able to find you out here. You were so far from any major towns, you hadn't seen a single signpost anywhere to give to them over the phone.

"Hi, I've broken down and I have the cover with your service. The only problem is I have no idea where I am..." You trailed off hoping that there was some way they could help you out even though you had no idea what to do yourself. There was some typing on the other end of the phone then a soft voice came through,

"Not a problem love, we can track your phone with our systems just give me one moment," The woman on the other side of the phone seemed pleasant enough to talk to, she hummed while she was typing on her computer.

"I can see you're location, unfortunately, we won't have an official truck out there but we can send someone from a nearby towing company." That was better than the thought of being stuck out forever so you agreed.

"That would be great," You whispered as you got into your car, wanting to stay as warm as you could since the air was starting to drop. It might have been the summer but the nights were always chilly,

"I'll send you the name of our drive and the licence plate as soon as I find out myself," You thanked her for all her work, giving her your insurance information and making sure she had everything she would need before hanging up.

"Hyunjin?" You questioned as a huge truck pulled up beside you on the road, it had been the first sign of anyone else since you ended the phone call. No one had driven down or up this road which made you wonder if the house you'd pulled up at was abandoned.

"That's me, you're-" The long-haired blonde man looked down at a clipboard as he got out of his white truck, much like your small blue Beetle it was starting to rust from how old it was. It must have been a family business, he didn't look any older than you did to be having a van that old.

"Y/n? Driving the 1967 Volkswagon?" He glanced up again and smiled at you, he wasn't at all what you had pictured when you got the text with his name. You always imagined tow drivers to be old and creepy looking but Hyunjin seemed genuinely nice, though you couldn't always judge a book by its cover.

"I haven't seen one of these in a while, what's wrong with it?" He looked impressed by the car so you smiled, taking him around to the boot to show him the engine. Opening it up and wincing at the sight as soon as you did so,

"I seem to have run into some engine troubles," You mumbled as he looked inside the boot and hissed, the sight was enough to make you cry. You knew for a fact it wasn't going to be cheap fixing all of this, not to mention you would now have to find a new place to stay since you hadn't exactly planned on staying in the town. Just passing through after doing some sightseeing.

"I'll take you to Changbin, he does repairs and he's the closest garage to here." You looked at him while nodding, slamming the boot shut and smiling to yourself as Hyunjin helped you up into his truck to wait while he got the car ready on the back of his van.

"Changbin!" You looked around as Hyunjin walked you down the gravelled pathway towards a rundown looking garage shouting out the name of the mechanic. If you hadn't seen the man working on a car in the back you would have thought the place was deserted, the building looked like it would fall apart and the slightest bit of wind change.

"Changin?!" Hyunjin cried out again as he tried to gain the attention of the man who was currently bent over a car and rapping along to some music that was playing. The man was wearing dark blue overalls that were tied around his waist but you hadn't seen his face yet.

"Wait here, I'll go and talk to him," Hyunjin told you as he rushed off over to the car, you hummed and glanced around taking in the sight of everything around you. There was a house beside the garage that looked to be in better shape, you assumed it was where this Changbin lived. Hyunjin had been telling you about him on the drive over, that they'd been close friends since school, how he and a few of their other friends had wanted to start a boy group together when they were kids. It was nice hearing what people dreamed about, back home no one ever discussed that sort of thing. They only cared about what job you wanted after school, dreaming wasn't allowed in the town you grew up in.

"You own the 1967 Beetle?" A voice questioned from behind you snapping you out of your small dream, you jumped up a little before nodding and turning to face whoever it was. From the overalls he was wearing you assumed he was the mechanic, Changbin, he smiled shyly at you and you grabbed the keys from your pocket. Changbin smiled at you but you couldn't help but take notice of what he was wearing, his overalls were tied around his waist, he had a white tank top covering his top half but it was covered in oil and sweat, it made him look incredibly hot. Shaking your head you snapped out of the daydream about him and gave him the keys to your car, Hyunjin had dropped it off at the top of the driveway for you not wanting to clog up Changbin's workspace.

"She's old, the family passed it down and I had her fixed up. The engine seems to have gone bye-bye on me...I think the timing belt snapped, I know for sure the oil has...bubbled over-" You stopped talking when you saw how Changbin was staring at you. His eyebrow was raised at the way you were talking about the car, when Hyunjin told him what was happening inside your engine he assumed you'd have no idea but you seemed to have a pretty good one to him.

"Most people don't know what's wrong when they bring it in," He chuckled softly truly impressed that you seemed to know what was wrong. That smile could have melted your whole heart if you stared at it long enough, it sent a warm feeling throughout your body just seeing him smile. You smiled back at him feeling the need to laugh a little as you both walked in the direction of your car falling into a comfortable silence as Changbin looked up at the vehicle.

"You weren't kidding when you said old," He laughed softly stepping over to the car and unlocking it. He ran his hands over the bonnet and smiled to himself, it had been so long since someone had brought anything decent for him to work on. He'd been surprised when Hyunjin mentioned the year and model,

"She's a classic," You mentioned looking at the expression on his face as he opened the doors to see all of the original interiors was still intact. Right down to the radio dials and cassette player that had been installed in the later models, it was a sight to see nowadays since many people would modify them.

"Holy fuck." He was truly stunned by how well it was still kept together, you didn't see it much now unless the person restoring the car was only doing it to sell it on or keep for a display piece.

"This is insane, I'll have to order the pieces in the fix it but you're welcome to stay in my house in the guest room until it's finished. It would be my pleasure to work on this car." He mentioned as he looked up at you, both of you heading towards the boot to take a look at the engine. Hyunjin had mentioned that Busan was a good two-hour drive if you wanted to get a hotel so you decided to take up Changbin's offer of a room. Hyunjin said he was a good guy and so far he seemed relatively normal and nice to you, who were you to say no to someone being good at hospitality.

"What happened?" He questioned when he took a look at the engine his face scrunching up as he was hit with smoke, you winced as you saw the look of disgust hit his face.

"Driving down a dirt road because my sat nav told me to, turns out I was wrong and then when I was on my way out, Buggy here gave out." He raised his eyebrow when he heard the nickname that you had for the car, you looked down at the floor feeling slightly shy at the look he was giving you.

"Everyone names their car," Your voice trailed off making Changbin smile even more as he nodded his head in agreement with you. He shut the boot as he began walking you back in the direction of his garage.

"I'll have everything priced up by the morning for you," He spoke as he walked into the main area of the garage as he went to lay your keys down.

"I don't charge people for staying at the home, it's just empty without anyone around." He mumbled as he began noting something down on a pad of paper, you weren't able to make out his handwriting so you didn't attempt to.

"Head up to the house, make yourself at home. Do you have any clothes with you?" He questioned as he looked up at you, wondering if he was going to need to lend you some of his own clothing or if you would be okay for now.

"In the car," He threw you the keys then he began writing down again, you headed off back to your car.

Wanting to get some comfortable clothes for the night, you twirled the keys around your fingers as you walked. Thinking over how nice everyone had been to you so far and how comfortable you already felt with a stranger. Hyunjin waved goodbye as he pulled out of the driveway when you reached it,

"Have a nice night! Tell him to give you some of Lix's cookies! You'll never regret eating them!" You laughed softly as Hyunjin waved his long arm out of the window and drove off down the road. You wondered how many people Changbin had allowed to stay over when he did their cars up and if he had a lot of business being out in the middle of nowhere.

Slamming the bonnet shut you took your overnight bag in the direction of the house, not paying attention to anything happening around you as you looked into your bank savings account. The money that was left was going to have to go on the car which meant your road trip would be officially cut short. Locking your phone you slid it into your bag before you let out a loud squeal, somehow you'd lost your footing on all the peddles that lined the floor causing you to slip. Falling over and smacking your head and ankle onto the ground as you let out a loud groan, wincing as you tried to get up on your own.

"Y/n?!" You looked up to see Changbin rushing over to you with a panicked expression on his face. He'd heard the scream and came rushing out from the garage to see what had happened, he hissed as he saw what had cut your head open on the floor.

"Here," He pulled off the tank top he was wearing and it took everything inside of you not to stare at his body in awe, he had huge biceps which you saw earlier but his abs were to die for.

"How did you fall?" He questioned trying hard not to laugh when he saw your eyes drifting to his body. He reached out with his hand covered in his tank top to dab the blood away from the small cut. From what he could see it wasn't major, just a small scrape that he could clean up indoors if you needed to.

"I-I wasn't paying attention," You hissed trying to stand up and that was when you and Changbin looked down at your ankle that was the source of most of your pain.

"I'll get you some ice and some painkillers, you'll have a headache soon." He then ripped his tank top in half as if it was made of nothing but tissue paper then gently wrapped it around your bruised ankle to help put some pressure on it while a makeshift bandage.

"The ice will bring the swelling out, then I'll get heat to help." You whimpered as he wrapped his arm around your waist and forced yours around his broad shoulders.

"I'm sorry I'm such a pain." You grumbled as he helped you limp in the direction of the main house that was in front of you. You'd only just met him and now you were using him to get around his place of work and home,

"You're not a pain, I'll get the first aid kit if you wait here." He sat you down on a grey sofa and you looked around, it was quite a large open home. The kitchen opened right into the living room, there was a wooden staircase right in front of the front door entrance which you assumed leads to the bedrooms.

"Here it is," You heard Changbin acknowledge followed by a small bang low groan came from him making you giggle a little, you covered your mouth to stop yourself from laughing.

"Do I need to be in charge of the first aid kit now?" He chuckled as he walked over to you from a small cupboard shaking his head at you,

"I hit my head on the shelf." You held back the second small giggle that was trying to escape from your lips and looked at him as he came over to you. He was rubbing the back of his head as he walked towards you. Sitting down next to you on the sofa as he looked through the small green box,

"I haven't had to use this in a while so I hope it's all good," He was biting down on his lower lip while reading through the contents of the box, checking the small butterfly stitches were okay to use. He didn't know if they went out of date or if they stopped working,

"Will it hurt?" You questioned nervously as you saw what he had in his hand. He gazed at you, you were biting down on your lower lip while watching his hands on the stitches with wide eyes.

"No, it's just a slight tugging sensation that's all." You nodded as he moved closer to you, his face inches away from yours as he began applying the small strips to the cut on your head. It wasn't anything major but he thought it would be best for your sake.

"This might hurt," He mumbled as he slowly took off the makeshift bandage from your ankle glancing up at you to see if you were okay. Your face was scrunched up in pain as you waited for him to do something else,

"It's swollen pretty bad but I don't think it's broken," He whispered to you as he slowly ran his hand over the skin you grimaced as he began applying a bandage around the bottom of your foot and up your ankle making sure it was secure enough, but not too tight to cut off your circulation.

"I'll go and get some ice after I've taken you to the room." He helped you up again, wrapping his arm around your waist as he got you up from the sofa. Waiting for you to steady yourself before he attempted to move,

"T-This is really nice of you, you shouldn't have to put up with a client like this." He shook his head at your words promising you that it was fine, it was really no big deal to him. He told you how he'd looked after his older sister in the same way whenever she was clumsy enough to hurt herself.

"Are you close with your family?" You yawned halfway through the questioned but he got it, helping you hop up the stairs as he nodded his head watching your feet carefully as you both walked.

"Pretty close, my sister and I are more like friends than siblings. It's nice," He chuckled as you hopped onto the landing and then tried to stand on your own. It wasn't because you wanted to seem tough but his hands on your waist was making your heart skip a beat and it was distracting to have him touch you even in an innocent manner. You couldn't help but let your mind wander onto what else his hands would be good at doing such large, long fingers. You shook your head trying to ignore the thought as he began to walk you into one of the rooms.

"I'll get a heater inside, I know it gets quite cold in this room in the summer." He sat you down on the edge of the double bed, it was in the middle of a plain white room. Wooden beams on the ceiling that were lined with posters of different artists, some you'd heard of others you hadn't, it must have been his own childhood room by the looks of it or his sisters you couldn't tell yet.

"I'll go and get some blankets, make yourself comfortable." He spoke to you as he headed out of the room, not being able to stop the smile on his face from the moment you stepped foot on the property. He grabbed the blankets from the airing cupboard, shutting it carefully as he made his way back to your room,

"I found a fluffy one and then a-" Changbin cut himself short when he saw you fast asleep on the pillow, you looked so peaceful laid there like that. He smiled weakly grabbing a spare pillow from beside you and carefully placing it under your bad ankle to make sure it was elevated for the night. Then he made sure to cover you with a warm blanket so you wouldn't get cold in the night. He sighed to himself going to get your bag from the living room to bring up to the room for the morning when you would need it.

Changbin walked up towards the top of the stairs to see if you'd woken up yet, he'd been awake for the last two hours getting the parts for your car ordered in so you could rest easy knowing that they were on their way into the garage. He'd had to call a bunch of companies since the car was so old but the thought of telling you that he couldn't fix it broke his heart. He could already tell how much you loved it from the short period of knowing you. 

"Y/n?" He called out when he heard a floorboard creak inside the room, you stared at the door wondering what to say or do in this situation. You had no idea he was on his way up, you were just on your way out of the room to use the bathroom. Last night you had been too tired to even question anything going on, where anything was and what you should even do when staying in someone else's house. Sleepovers had never been like this because at least before staying over you had been friends but, you didn't know Changbin. 

"I made breakfast if you're hungry, it's downstairs," Changbin said to the door as he realised how unsure you must have been about what was happening. To him letting out a room or two for a night was no big deal. He would do it if a customer couldn't get into the town for a hotel or one of the boys were staying over for the night, so he hadn't thought about it until now. 

"Also I laid some fresh towels out in the bathroom if you wanted to take a shower," You pulled the door open as he spoke and you nodded at him. He looked just as good as yesterday only this time he was in fresh overalls and a new tank top.  

"This is really nice of you, thank you again." He looked down at your ankle to see you were hovering it in the air, panic rushed through him as he thought about it possibly being broken or worse. It hadn't looked bad last night but now he was worried about it. 

"It's okay, just a little sore. The shower will help," You promised him when you noticed the concerned look spreading along his face, you didn't want him to have to worry about this since it was your fault for falling over in the first place. Changbin smiled shyly as he looked back up at you, 

"I'll come and turn the shower on, it's a little tricky if you don't know what you're doing," You followed him along towards the bathroom, limping whenever you put too much pressure on your ankle trying to ignore the floorboards that would creak whenever you stepped on them. It made you wonder how Changbin had ever snuck around as a kid. 

"Thanks," You whispered, leaning against the door frame as he hung over the side of the bathtub, turning the shower on and fiddling around with the dials. The water rushing down as he held his hand out to see if it was okay for you.

"The towels are on the heated rack, should be nice for when you get out." He smiled brightly at you, promising to get you some new bandages for your ankle while he was downstairs. 

"Thank you...Again," He chuckled at you shaking his head and reminding you again that it was his pleasure. 

"I'll be downstairs, scream if you need me." He joked playfully, walking out of the bathroom and heading back down to the kitchen. 

His phone was lighting up with text messages from Hyunjin asking what had happened the night before with you. Changbin made the mistake of telling Hyunjin that you'd fallen over and how Changbin's heart had been racing when he was sitting so close to you. Now the boy wasn't going to let Changbin get away with it without giving him some details, not that there were any details for him to give away.

Changbin: Nothing happened. We don't even know one another. Stop being a creep. He hit send and shook his head, going back to making some breakfast for you both, making sure to keep it hot in the oven while you were showering. Nothing was worse than cold food...Other than Hyunjin who had set yet another text, this time a huge paragraph.

Hyunjin: All I'm saying is...You haven't seen anyone in a while, she's cute, you're cute get to know her- Changbin stopped reading when he heard a thud followed by a scream coming from you, he dropped his phone onto the counter. 

"Y/n?!" He cried out rushing up the staircase and towards the bathroom knocking on the door rather loudly his voice coming out panicked as he spoke, 

"You okay?! Answer me if you're alive...I-I don't wanna walk in," He stuttered at the thought of having to walk in there while you were indecent. The mere thought of it causing his hands to get sweaty as he waited for you to give some kind of response to him, he bit down on his lip. 

"I-I'm okay, I slipped...C-Can-" You groaned at the thought of asking someone you barely knew for help, sitting there in nothing but a towel. You clutched the towel around your body, you'd slipped while wrapping the towel around yourself losing your footing on the water and your bad ankle. 

"Can you help me up? I slipped, I'm decent." You told him as you realised he must have thought you were naked or something. The door slowly opened and Changbin walked into the room turning a bright red colour as he saw you leaning against the bathtub on the floor. A blue towel wrapped around you tightly, he came closer to you as he spoke,

"Here," He wrapped his arm around your waist and helped you up onto your foot so you could keep your bad one up in the air, helping you out of the bathroom. 

"I have more bandages in the kitchen when you come down I'll wrap it up for you and get some ice." He was walking you carefully and slowly back to the bedroom while you tried not to get embarrassed over the fact that you'd fallen over twice in his presence and were now standing in nothing but a towel in front of him.

"I'm not usually this clumsy," You informed him as he pushed open the door to the bedroom you were staying in. He let out a low chuckle as he looked at you shaking his head as he thought back on what he'd said before he went to cook. 

"You know...When I told you to scream if you needed me I didn't mean it literally," He winked at you playfully, he had no idea where the wink came from but he liked the fact that you seemed to get shy, letting out a giggle and looked down at the floor. The simple wink had somehow sent your stomach into a frenzy and made your heart skip a beat.

"Will you be okay?" He questioned once you were sitting safely on the edge of the bed, he noticed how you'd made the bed again and he smiled at how thoughtful it was. Normally whenever someone stayed over they left the cleaning for him to do when he wasn't busy. 

"Yeah, I'll be right down." You whispered to him as you look at your bag that was sitting on a chair beside the bed, you wondered what you could wear that wouldn't bother your ankle too much, Changbin smiled before leaving the room and going back down to the kitchen. 

Changbin: She fell again, starting to think she's almost as clumsy as Jisung. I'll talk later. With lightning speed, Hyunjin replied immediately trying to tease his friend. 

Hyunjin: Ever thought she's falling on purpose so you'll save her? She was in the shower remember. The text ended with a suggestive string of emojis to which Changbin groaned and threw his phone into the drawer, wanting nothing more to do with Hyunjin that day. 

"I made tea as well, or I can make some coffee if you prefer," Changbin called to you when he heard small hops coming from the staircase. He glanced over to see you in a pair of high waisted shorts a band t-shirt, his eyes travelled up your legs as he took in the sight of you.

"Tea is perfect," You breathed out in relief as you reached the bottom floor without falling over or hurting yourself this time. 

"Come and sit," Changbin pulled out a white wooden chair that was in front of a kitchen island and you waddled over to him, watching as he began opening some drawers. Pulling out bandages and scissors before coming over to you to get you bandaged up for the day. 

"I have to finish that car I was working on yesterday but you're welcome to do whatever you want, watch a movie, or a show or something." He spoke calmly as he knelt down in front of you, carefully wrapping the new bandage around your ankle, pulling it a little tighter so that your ankle was secure. 

"I'll probably watch a movie, Hyunjin said that Busan is 2 hours away?" You wanted to confirm that Hyunjin was telling the truth and it wasn't just some trick so he wouldn't have to take you. 

"Yeah, two hours and from here to Seoul it's around four in a car." He cut the end of the bandage off before tying it around your leg and smiling up at you to show off his handiwork.

"I'm not a nurse but I don't think its that bad a job," He told you as you complimented his work on your ankle, 

"Well if you handle my car like you've handled me I'm sure she's in perfect hands." Changbin began blushing a deeper red than before and you smiled at him, you'd never had that effect on anybody before. 

"I'll get you some tea," You thanked him shyly and looked around again, the house was cosy and small but it did make you wonder about where his family were. There were photographs of them on the wall, they all looked so happy together,

"I know you mentioned your sister last night...Where is she?" It probably came across as you being nosy but you were generally interested in getting to know Changbin as a person. He came back to the kitchen island with plates stacked high with food for the both of you, he set them down before looking at you. Walking away to get the drinks as he spoke to you,

"Well my sister went to Seoul National University and my parents moved out there with her. I stayed to run the family business," He came back to the table again with tea for you both and sat down on the chair beside you, 

"You grew up out here?" He nodded at you, he could see where this was going so he cut you off before you could question him on school and friends. It was the question everyone asked whenever they came out here, 

"It's not as quiet as you probably think i is. There are some farms further down the road and then a small school where Hyunjin and I met the rest of our friends." That explained how they'd met, you'd wondered in the van when Hyunjin told you how far away everything was. You would have assumed they were homeschooled since everything seemed so far away from them,

"I thought you were going to tell me you travelled two hours a day for school," It was normal, you knew people travelled further for other schools, he shook his head at you. Telling you the only time they'd travelled to school was for high school and it was an hour-long bus journey there and back.

"What was school like?" You questioned as you began eating some of the food that Changbin had prepared. Withstanding the urge to let out a moan of delight when you tasted it, it was far better than you had imagined for a mechanic. It made you wonder who had taught him how to cook and if he got it from his mother or father, 

"Y-You okay? Is it not good?!" Changbin panicked as he read the look on your face, he couldn't tell if it was a good shocked face or a bad one. You were very hard to read for him at the minute and it scared him a little, he hadn't realised it until now but he'd been trying to impress you. 

"No! No! It's actually really good, I didn't- I didn't expect it." You admitted shyly and Changbin chuckled, his friend Jeongin had said the same thing when he first cooked for them all.

"My dad taught me how to cook growing up, Mum taught me cars." He admitted as he looked at you, you had a smile on your face as you looked at him intrigued to know more about him. Much like his your smile hadn't left your face yet. 

"School." You told him as you waited to hear more about his childhood and how he'd grown up around here, 

"School was normal I guess...We formed a friend group, tried to start a band as every young boy does." You giggled at the thought of it, pushing a piece of pancake into your mouth and shaking your head, 

"Not just boys, I wanted to be in a girl group but not many others did." You admitted to him as you began exchanging stories from your "girl group" days which turned out to be more of a solo carer turned into, the one singing job at a talent show followed by you never singing in front of people again. 

"What was your group name?" You quizzed when you were drying the dishes up for him. The conversations had been going back and forth while you ate. He'd told you all their stage names but not the group name itself, 

"I think we called ourselves Stray kids, we-" He started laughing through the sentence as he thought back on everything and shook his head, 

"We called ourselves that because we always strayed away from the usual kid's stuff," He shook his head at the memories and looked at you wondering the same question, 

"Your turn. Your group name?" He questioned, turning off the hot water and drying his hands while he stared at you. You were shying away from the question and shook your head, 

"It was something dumb, unlike Stray Kids which seems like a good name..." He wasn't going to let you get out of this one though, he wanted to know the ins and outs so he shook his head, 

"Come on, I told you mine." He pressed, moving closer to you and sitting down on the chair beside you, you groaned laying your face in your hands as you thought back on it all. The name had just been something you randomly thought of on the day, a 12-year-old you didn't have much imagination for names at the time.

"The group was called January Spice...I formed the group in January...Clearly, and I liked spicy food." He began to laugh softly at the time and you moaned, rolling your head down on the countertop in front of you. 

"Laugh away, you had stage names remember. SpearB," You mocked playfully earning a playful glare from Changbin as he got up from the counter. 

"I need to go work on the cars, do you want me to set the TV up?" He questioned as he pointed over at the tv while looking at you, but you had a better idea,

"C-Can I come?" You questioned, the thought of being alone in the house would bother you too much and you wanted to get to know him better. Changbin's heart warmed at the thought of you wanting to spend time with him more than you had that morning at least, 

"Sure. We'll take a chair out so you can sit while I work." He laughed picking up one of the barstools from the kitchen island and heading out, you limping slowly behind him as he went to open the garage doors. 

"Bliss," He called out randomly in the silence, you frowned looking at him. It had been quiet while he worked on the car for a couple of minutes, you didn't know if he wanted complete silence or if it would be okay to talk. He was bent over the hood of a car as he worked on the engine, he could tell you were confused by the lack of response, 

"You said everyone names their car, mine was called Bliss." You nodded along with him now following along with what he meant, 

"Was?" He whined out at the question and thought of his car, he hadn't been away from it since the day he'd gotten it until his parents needed it. He knew they would need it more than him so he gave it up. Changbin had his choice of cars around the yard that they bought from people over the years. But none of them was 'Bliss', his dream car. 

"Out in the city with my parents, they needed it to get around." He told you as he placed his hand on his chest, faking hurt for dramatic effect splashing oil all over his clean white vest top.

"Now I just have Dave," He groaned facing over at a Ford Pickup truck that was sitting beside the house, 

"He's only good when I need to go into town and come back with all of the snacks Felix makes for me,"

"Felix is the one that bakes right?" You remembered both Hyunjin and Changbin telling you about him. Changbin said that Felix was better than him at cooking but it was hard to believe when you'd ate Changbin's food. 

"Yeah! I think I'll see him before your parts come so you can have some of his cookies for the road," He laughed going back down into the hood of the car while you stared at the floor feeling a sinking feeling in your chest as you thought back on that. You'd totally forgotten about driving back home. Ending your road trip short and yet the one thing that was making you feel down the most was leaving here, you'd loved spending so much time with Changbin it felt as though you'd known him longer than you had.

"Yeah- Sounds good," Changbin could hear the uncertainty in your voice and he decided to look back at you, turning his head as he caught you looking a little sad. 

"Can you pass me the adjustable wrench?" He questioned snapping you out from your daydream, you reached for it and handed it over to him in silence. He could tell that making you think of home had struck a nerve so he looked back down at the car trying to come up with something to distract you from it, 

"Why did you leave home? Why did you decide to go on the huge road trip alone?" He licked his lips as he began fixing the engine again not glancing over at you. You took in a deep breath and shook your head thinking over it all. 

"I- I don't know, I just..." You'd never said it out loud to anyone before in fear of hurting their feelings but where you lived was awful. No one did a thing about their dreams, they worked in dead-end jobs like they were running their lives on autopilot all of the time.

"I looked around and realised there wasn't a single person there, whose life I wanted." By now Changbin was resting his hands on the closed bonnet of the car and staring at you, he watched the way your face contorted thinking back on everything back home. He could tell you didn't want to go back there, 

"So you travelled to find somewhere you wanted to stay?" He cleaned off his hands on a towel while he waited for your response, 

"Maybe..." You whispered not wanting to admit that you may have found somewhere. That it was Busan was seemingly like a great place despite not seeing it as a whole yet, you sensed it was probably Changbin making you feel like you wanted to stay.

The rest of the day was spent with you and Changbin getting to know one another on a deeper level. He told you about his time growing up and you did the same, exchanging horror stories from your high school years and what you had done for a living before going on the road trip. 

Now you were both watching a movie together, it was some horror movie that his friend Minho had suggested you both watch together. Though it wasn't really scary...At all. Changbin thought he'd only suggested it because he had you over at the house and "watching horror movies scared girls into your arms" was something Minho always used to say in school. But you weren't scared, in fact, you were laying your head on Changbin as you drifted off to sleep, Changbin smiled when he heard you murmur in your sleep. Holding onto his arms as you got comfortable against him, snuggling your head into him. He knew if you were awake you would be far too shy to do this which was why he wrapped his arm around your shoulder enjoying the moment while he had it. He drew your body closer to his as he got comfy. It somehow felt natural to be in this position with you, as though you'd done this a million times before. 

"C-Changbin," He heard the small whine of his name leave your lips and he froze in place wondering if you'd woken up and felt him holding you or if you were dreaming about him. He blushed at the thought of him being in your dreams and glanced at his phone, it was getting late and he had to be up early soon but he didn't want to leave this position. He wanted to stay right here with you but sleeping on the sofa caused back pains, he would know after the many nights he'd spent on it after crashing. 

The next morning you rolled over to stop the sun from blinding you in your face but ended up rolling over and hurting your ankle as it came into contact with the edge of the bed.

"Shit," You hissed, sitting up straight and looking down at yourself, you were still in the clothes from yesterday but, you were in the bedroom. You could have sworn you'd been sitting downstairs. It was the last thing you could remember, you were watching a horror movie with Changbin and pretending to be a little afraid so you could hide in his arms. Looking back on it now it seemed silly and childish but you wanted to hold onto him or have him hold you, even if it was just a little while. You hadn't meant to fall asleep beside him and have him carry you up to the bed, now you felt like such a fool.

"Y/n? You alright?" Changbin asked as he came out of the bathroom from his shower, he was about to head into his room when he heard you moving around in the bedroom. Pulling up your black jeans you hummed at him, pulling the door open as soon as you were dressed. Then you walked out showing him that you weren't limping around anymore while you did the best you could not to whine out. It was still hard to walk on but at least now you could do it on your own and without limping, he chuckled softly so you looked up at him. Your mouth could have dropped to the floor when you saw him standing there in nothing but a towel. His body on full display for you to see, beads of water dripping down his arms, abs and face. As he looked at you your mouth ran dry as you realised you were staring at him as if he was some model in a magazine. This time it was your turn to get shy and turn away from him as you got embarrassed.

"I'm heading into the town today, the market will be on. You're welcome to join me if you'd like." He told you as he turned his back on you, heading towards his bedroom so that you wouldn't have to be shy about staring at him anymore.

"Y-Yeah! Sounds great, I-I'm gonna go- Make a drink." You stuttered out as you tried to make it down the staircase as quickly as you could with your bad ankle. Changbin sniggered to himself as he heard you mumbling to yourself about staring.

"He can see you staring you idiot," Was the last words he heard from you before he went to change into some clothes for the town.

Instead of his usual attire, Changbin came down in dressed in some blue jeans and a white t-shirt while he pulled on a black jacket.

"We'll take Dave, no doubt Felix will have baked up a storm last night and I need to get some food while I'm in town." He told you as he walked into the kitchen where you were sitting. You'd made you both a hot cup of tea while you waited for him, wanting to trip yourself over for staring at him the way you did. It was clear from his actions over the two days he wasn't feeling the same way that you did, you had to stop fantasying about him and get on with it. Changbin was just there to fix your car and you would be out of there. It was as simple as that.

"Y/n?" Changbin called out as he stood beside you looking down at you, your hands were clamped down tightly on the mug you were holding. There was something on your mind anybody with more than one brain cell could see that.

"Sorry, what?" You muttered shaking your head as you realised he had been speaking to you the entire time and you hadn't noticed until now.

"I asked if you want me to put your tea into the travel mug for the drive?" He held up a pink travel mug and shook it so you would see what he was talking about, you nodded shyly at him and he chuckled taking the mug from your hands. As he stood at the sink he glanced over his shoulder at you, wanting to know what it was that seemed to be bothering you.

"What's on your mind?" He questioned as he poured the hot liquid into another container. A part of him hoped it was about what had happened upstairs and you would either confirm or deny your feelings for him but it was wishful thinking on his part. Neither of you had known one another that long and he didn't want to tell you his feelings too soon in fear of ruining what would be a lovely couple of days together.

"Going back home...The thought of it just lingers." You mumbled as you lied to him, you'd never ever been a good liar even your mother could tell when you lied to her. You couldn't exactly be straight forward and tell him that it was he that occupied your mind all morning and night. The situation on the top floor landing creeping back into your mind, which then took you back into thinking of the dream you'd had the night before. Nothing special had happened but Changbin had been there. You couldn't even remember what had happened, only that he was there and you kissed.

"Hmm," Changbin hummed as he looked at you knowing that it was a lie. Your eyes were locked on your hands and your body language had become blocked off to him, he hadn't known you long but he already knew your thinking of home face and that wasn't it. Whatever it was that was on your mind had you biting your bottom lip and playing with your hands nervously.

"Well, maybe you'll like Busan and you'll have found a place you want to stay." He nudged your side trying to wake you up from another daydream and he walked you out of the house in silence not knowing what to say to you to make things easier on your mind. This was the most you had been quiet around one another and it was starting to feel a little awkward.

"I'd offer to buy breakfast on the drive but if I do that I think Seungmin and Chan might kill me. They serve food all day from the moment they get there. You'll love it," As he spoke to you you looked at him and smiled as you tried to forget about kissing him in your dream and seeing him almost naked. At least now you'd both seen one another in nothing but a towel and you had nothing to be embarrassed about.

"What are they like?" You had questioned him on his friends before but nothing major, now that you were going to meet them all you wanted to know what you were in for before you got to the market and they would get to hang with you all day.

"Jump in, we have a whole two-hour drive. I'll tell you all about them," He chuckled as he looked at you, the chuckle made you feel more relaxed as you realised he was just breezing over the fact you'd seen him in a towel.

"In return though-" He started as he turned on the car of the pickup truck, turning the radio down from the last time he had been in the car alone. He didn't want to deafen you with his music blasting out suddenly at you.

"I want you to sing for me, otherwise I'm going to throw you to the boys. Like a sheep in a lion's den." You raised your eyebrow at the statement and turned your head to the side trying to think if that was the correct saying.

"I thought the saying was 'I'll feed you to the wolves'?" He licked his lips at you and shook his head acting confident in what he had said to you.

"Not anymore, I changed it. Find a song and start singing," He winked at you, nodding over at the glove box where he kept all of his CD's.

"Whoa. You have a lot of music," You mumbled as you flicked through the multiple CD holders he had inside to try and find a CD where you would at least know one song on it.

"I have to keep myself entertained on the long drives somehow," By now Changbin was pulling into the main road and heading into the town ready to listen to your singing.

By the time you pulled into a parking spot, you knew all of the boy's names, how he'd met every one of them and some small details about them all. Changbin and you had sung together, which led to some rather interesting duets in the car mostly you being shocked by how well Changbin could make up a rap on the spot. He could have had a huge music career if he had stuck it out.

"I just don't want to seem nervous," You told Changbin as he playfully teased you for wanting to know who all of his friends were when you got out of the car. Changbin slammed the door and laughed again, Hyunjin looked up from his phone as soon as he heard your voice and he smiled quickly sending a text to everyone that you were there.

"Is that Y/n I hear? Changbin hasn't scared you off then?" He laughed loudly gaining the attention of other people around you as you looked at him. You smiled back at him as you shook your head at his question,

"Not yet!" You giggled as he rushed over to you and Changbin, greeting Changbin with nothing but a nod of his head before turning to you.

"I hope you're enjoying your stay at Hotel-Dela-Changbin," You laughed softly and began talking with Hyunjin about Changbin's rapping in the car but Changbin began gushing about your singing voice.

"So where shall we start?" You questioned as you looked around you, you were still standing at the edge of the parking lot looking around for something. The market area seemed huge with both and indoor and outdoor market area, a huge building with floor to ceiling windows letting you see everything inside. You didn't dare admit to Changbin you'd never been to one before, the closest thing you'd gotten to a farmers market is a market stall in your home town that sold books.

"We'll start outdoors, Seungmin text saying he has some breakfast food ready for us and that Chan is getting angsty just waiting there." He chuckled glancing from his phone and up to you to make sure that would alright with you,

"Great let's go-" Your sentence was cut short by a loud whimper as you went to walk on your foot a little too eagerly and twisted your ankle, you wanted to cry out in pain but you held it back. Changbin instantly reached his hands out to grab you protectively and Hyunjin watched from the side a little shocked by how protective of you Changbin was acting.

"Ankle again?" Changbin questioned as he steadied you in his arms holding onto you tightly trying to make sure you didn't fall.

"Y-Yeah," The stutter in your voice wasn't because of your ankle but because of how he was holding you. His hands were on your waist, his breath against your neck as he stood close to you, stopping you from toppling over onto your face. Your heart began to pump as you felt him draw you closer to him, his chest against your back as you felt his heart racing just as yours was.

"Alright love birds, let's get moving." Hyunjin joked hoping that Seungmin had seen it from the stall he was working on. He clapped his hands together as he waited for you and Changbin to start moving together so he could get back to his job on directing everyone in the right places. Changbin looked at you as he linked his arm with yours, slowly walking with you in the direction of Seungmin and Chan who were both watching you from a distance. Smirking to one another as they watch you and Changbin engage in conversation with one another, staring up into one another's eyes getting lost in one another rather than paying attention to anything around you.

"It's like those old romance movies Minho claims he doesn't watch," Seungmin joked to Chan who was laughing softly at the thought of it. They could already tell that Changbin liked you a lot, they'd known him for a long time and knew he rarely smiled that much unless it was someone he really liked.

"I thought Changbin was going to join a nunnery he'd been single for so long." Felix joked as he loaded up a box full of baking goods for you to take back to the garage. All nine of you were sitting at a bench in the indoor market while you had some lunch together, Changbin and you had done a full lap of the outdoor market. Walking slowly, of course, to make sure you didn't hurt your ankle. The whole time you spoke about his life again, what he had planned for his future if he wasn't going to run the garage but now you were here with them all.

"Felix!" Changbin groaned as he playfully hit his friend for bringing it up in front of you, he didn't want you to know how long he'd been single in case it put you off him.

"It would be a monastery anyway since...Changbin is a dude." You whispered joining in on the playful teasing while Changbin started nodding sarcastically and licked the inside of his lip.

"Yeah! That's it! You encourage them!" He yelled at you jokingly but you held onto his arm and shook your head, promising him it was just a joke while Felix told him it wasn't.

"The boys and I were going to chip on getting you a Monk outfit." A biscuit was thrown in Felix's direction while you let out a loud surprised shriek as Changbin got up from the seat suddenly.

"Do they always act like this?" You questioned Chan who was sitting beside you watching them both, Changbin got up from the table and began racing after Felix around the indoor market, chasing him in and out of stalls and around people while you giggled.

"Sometimes, Changbin normally rises above it." He whispered turning to look at you as he tried to figure out how you felt about Changbin. Your eyes hadn't left him, watching him chase the smaller boy of the group around, yelling out that he would kill him amongst other playful remarks.

"To be blunt," Chan started once he realised he couldn't read what you were thinking based on your facial expression. As you turned to look at him your face softened wondering what it was that he wanted to ask, you placed a forkful of cake into your mouth and waited for him to continue on.

"Do you like him?" You almost choked on the piece of cake you were eating as he asked you point blankly about Changbin.

"What?! I don't- We don't know- I-" Chan smirked when he saw how easily flustered you were getting with the question, it was obvious now what the answer was even if you weren't saying it yourself.

"You do?" He questioned, biting down on your lip you looked back over at Changbin before nodding. It would be no use lying to yourself about your feelings for him so you weren't going to bother trying to hide it.

"Yeah. I do. Don't...Don't tell him? It's dumb but we haven't known each other long and I don't want things to be awkward-"

"Don't want to be awkward?" Changbin asked making you jump in your seat and look up at him, you were instantly hit with nervousness as you thought he'd heard you and Chan talking about him.

"Nothing, can we take a walk? I want to stretch my ankle for a little bit." Chan slyly tapped his nose at you as a way of telling you that he would keep your secret so you began heading off to look through the indoor market.

"Cute!" You expressed once you saw a stand selling handmade outfits for animals, you walked away from Changbin who was buying you both a hot chocolate and over to the lady who was serving.

"Do you own a pet?" She asked you as you looked through everything,

"No, but now I want to." You whined, Changbin chuckled as he caught you whining and walked over to you, looking through everything as he greeted the woman at the stand.

"Changbin, watch while I have a bathroom break?" He nodded at her and she rushed out of the booth going towards the bathroom while you giggled at everything. Picking up a bow tie that would go around a dogs neck,

"Look, it would suit you." You giggled as you adjusted the neck to fit around Changbin's. Holding it around his neck as you stared into his eyes, getting lost in them as you looked at one another.

"S-So cute," You whispered dropping the bow tie on the floor as you both leant closer to one another. Your heart was in your throat as you moved closer to one another, your lips inches away. Changbin wrapped his arms around your waist as your you were about to kiss when someone let out a loud screech. Changbin backed away from you first making you whine as you looked down at the floor acting as though you weren't just about to kiss one another. The fact that he pulled away first made you feel as though he didn't want to be that close to you,

"Binnie!" You heard a female voice cry out before someone came bounding over to you both, pushing you back a couple of steps and causing you to knock into the stand.

"Watch it Flair!" Changbin yelled moving away from her and holding onto your elbow to stop you from falling over anymore and then he stared at the girl. She had long jet-black hair as she stared at you, giving you a dirty look the second Changbin held onto you.

"What are you doing here? I thought you never wanted to see me again?" Changbin questioned her once you were steady on your feet. Minho, who had seen the entire thing began making his way over to move you out of the firing range. Whenever Flair saw Changbin it ended badly, the last time she'd seen him she flipped out never wanting to see him again but now she'd seen him with someone else Minho knew what was bound to happen.

"I still love you silly, we should go for a drink." Her hands were holding onto his biceps as Minho reached your side,

"Come on," He pulled you over in the direction of the table where the boys were again so you could be alone and not have to listen to their fight.

"Flair again?" Jeongin questioned when they all looked over at Changbin who seemed to be turning red in the face as he spoke back and forth with the girl.

"Who is she?" You questioned shyly, not wanting to look as though you were jealous, you had nothing to be jealous over. It was only a small kiss and it hadn't even happened, though your rapidly beating heart would say otherwise.

The drive home had been silent except for the music that had been playing through the speaker system. Changbin and you hadn't spoken since the almost kiss in the indoor market, he'd come to stand at the table and told the boys he best start driving home before it got too late which meant it was your cue to leave as well.

Now you were heading up to the bedroom to get some rest for the night, holding onto the railing instead of relying on Changbin to help balance you.

"Y/n?" Changbin questioned as you hand touched the golden door handle on the door, you turned your body to face him as you forced yourself to look him in the eyes,

"I'm sorry. Flair...She's a little too much and she's my ex...I had to talk to her-" The boys had explained who Flair was to you, she cheated on Changbin multiple times with different guys to the point where they had their relationship as open but Changbin wasn't allowed to date anyone else. If he even looked at another girl Flair would flip out on him and ''break up'' the relationship without a second thought. When they finally did have a real break up she swore she never wanted to see him again, until she got needy and followed him everywhere. Then claimed she never wanted to see him again. Minho had explained she'd only gone up to him at the market today because she'd seen him with you and got jealous.

"It's fine. It's not as if we're dating, right?" You knew it was wrong to snap at him but you did so anyway, walking into the room and slamming the door behind you. Changbin stared at the door sighing to himself, he should never have stood there to speak to Flair, he should have just taken you away and finished the kiss. Now things were going to be weird between the two of you.

As soon as you knew he was gone from outside of the door you let out a cry into your hands, it seemed stupid crying over a boy you weren't with but it hurt how he left you there like that for someone else.

When the sun woke you up that morning you didn't bother moving from the bedroom, you just rolled over onto your side and began to scroll through your phone trying to distract yourself. There had been someone at the front door earlier that morning talking with Changbin but the voices were muffled through your door, so you weren't able to make out who it was or what they were talking about so you just went back to sleep for a few hours until now. 

Sighing to yourself you sat up in the bed deciding that hiding from Changbin wouldn't be the most mature thing to do in this situation so you wanted to go and see him, at least try and talk this all over with him. Smooth things out at least. You changed into another pair of jeans and an oversized button-up that was in the bottom of your bag and headed for the stairs finding your ankle perfectly fine to walk on today, unlike the previous days when you could barely use it.

"Changbin?" You called out nervously as you reached the bottom to see that he wasn't around, the living room was empty and there were no signs of him in the kitchen. Nothing but a plate and a used mug in the sink that was waiting to be washed up.

"Changbin?" You walked out to the front door checking to see if he was in the garage but the doors were shut and locked and Dave was missing so he'd most likely gone out somewhere but you didn't know where that was. 

As you made your way back towards the kitchen there was a small note on the coffee machine you hadn't seen before, 

One of your parts was missing, went out to Seoul to get it. Won't be home until late, food in the fridge, Lix said he'll come round after 11. See you later x

The small kiss on the end of the handwritten note gave you hope that he wasn't mad about whatever happened the night before between you. The almost kiss lingering in your head as you thought back on the market incident. Maybe there was hope for you both yet but your stomach was still in a nervous spin as you realised he'd left you alone with not much to do. There was an hour before Lix would be arriving so you were going to do the best you could to get something to eat in the house and then clean up. It was the least you could do since Changbin was letting you stay here for free this whole time. Trying to distract yourself from thinking about Changbin the whole time, there was no use sitting around and crying over a boy.

"Changbin wasn't kidding when he said you could sing, huh?" Felix laughed as he walked right into the house. The whole house was filled with loud music, he heard it as he pulled into the driveway. You'd been playing it for the last hour as you cleaned up the house. It wasn't as though it was unnecessarily dirty, just random stains you knew how to fix. 

Felix placed the key he had into his jacket pocket and walked further into the home, taking off his shoes not wanting to mess it up. The boys all had their own key to both the house and the garage, Changbin made them make copies for whenever he was away and needed them to come and look after the place for a couple of days.

"Ah! Hi!" You yelled as you got up from the floor turning off the music so you would be able to talk to one another without yelling at each other. 

"Hey! I brought you guys some more cookies, I even had Sengmin whip us something up for dinner." He placed the containers into the fridge and walked over to you to see what you had been doing. That was when he noticed that the stain in front of the kitchen sink was gone. Chan had dropped some oil a few years ago and it ended up seeping into the small grooves of the floor. 

Felix greeted you with a hug although you hadn't known him longer than half a day you already felt close with him. In fact, you felt close to all of the boys which were nice since you'd never had that kind of friendship before. Everyone back home just sort of tolerated one another, put up with each other for the sake of the town since it was only small and there were only so many people around. Yet another reason to stay away. There everyone knew one another, here they did too but it didn't seem as toxic as it did back home.

"Thank you, Changbin loves your cookies. I haven't tried them yet but if they're anything like your cakes though I'm sure I'll gain a few pounds while I have the last few days here." Felix frowned as you spoke about leaving. From what he'd gotten from Changbin the day before you were starting to like your time in Busan, which made him and the boys wondered if you would be staying. It wasn't uncommon for people to visit and plan to stay in the future.

"Last days?" He tried to bring it up casually as you both walked over to the sofa to talk for a while but you knew why he was asking. 

"I have to go home right? I can't stay with Changbin all the time...There aren't really any places for me to stay other than here..." You trailed off slowly not knowing if Chan had told anyone else that you admitted your feelings for Changbin to him yesterday. Felix smiled softly at you as he looked at you.

"Chan told me that you might have a crush on him," You scoffed at his words, 'crush' was one of the biggest oversimplifications you could have used. It made you feel as though you were back in school and had a crush on one of the popular kids.

"That would be the understatement of the year." Felix sighed at you when he saw the look on your face, it looked as though you were really upset about something and he wanted to know what it was that was on your mind.

"What happened? Minho said that he saw you and Changbin with Flair but-"

"We almost kissed when she interrupted then when we got back to the house I sort of - maybe kind of...Snapped at him for something that wasn't his fault," You dramatically rolled back to lay on the grey sofa, closing your eyes and groaning about how if you could do it over you would. Felix met you with a breathy chuckle as he looked over at you laying down on the sofa with your eyes closed.

"You could talk it through with him...Tell him how you feel? I mean after the almost kiss it means he confirms his feelings for you." Forcing your eyes open you stared up at Felix, you had so many questions you wanted to ask him but you didn't know if he would be comfortable with answering them. Changbin was his friend, Felix wasn't yours you had to remember that. 

"You're worried about Flair right? If you are you have nothing to be worried about... From what I heard Changbin set her straight yesterday." To distract yourself a little you walked to the kitchen to make you both a hot drink to have together. Trying not to make it seem like you were prying for too much information. 

"Set her straight?" You wondered if that was why he had been so tense the night before and hadn't spoken in the truck ride home. Not that you did anything to help aid that either, you could have just as easily spoken to him too you just choose not to. Deciding it would be better to sit in a dull silence rather than talk it out like the adults you both were.

"From what we heard, Flair isn't planning on sticking around in Busan much longer. Then last night Changbin gave her that little extra nudge to move." You looked at Felix with a raised eyebrow handing him his mug of hot coffee as you sat down beside him on the sofa once again. Pulling your knees into your chest as you stared at him, 

"Was Flair his first love? Was that why he put up with so much from her?" As much as he didn't want to talk about his friend behind his back he thought it would be important for you to know it. Since you'd expressed your interest in Changbin and it was clear to him and the boys Changbin liked you back. 

"They were each other's first love, Changbin had been crushing on Flair Hard. For years. I'm talking since we were in little school to high school..."

The story went on until Felix had told you the ins and outs of the relationship. The first time Flair had cheated until the last time when Changbin finally had enough of it all and called it all to an end. She'd been the worst of the worst for him and it took him so long to realise it. Felix took off not long before nine that night so you just began watching a film on the TV. The plan was to wait for Changbin to come in so you could greet him and talk everything over but it wasn't panning out that way since your eyes were getting harder to keep open with each passing second. 

Changbin walked into the house to find you asleep on the sofa a movie running on the screen while there was a mug of half-drunken coffee on the coffee table. He grinned to himself as he quietly dropped the truck keys on the table and stepped over to you, looking over your face while you snuggled into the sofa. You were covered by a small blanket while clutching a small stuffed toy in your arms he'd never seen it before so he could only assume you'd brought it along with you,

"Cute." He whispered to himself as you scrunched your face up in your sleep dreaming of something that wasn't nice by the looks of it. 

"Come here," He whispered to himself once again, taking the blanket off of your body before lifting you up into his arms just like he'd done that second night you'd stayed over. He couldn't expect you to sleep on the coach given how uncomfortable it was, he watched your face as he walked carefully up the staircase to your room. Being careful not to drop you as he walked towards the bedroom you were staying in.

"Changbin," He froze in place as he reached the door of your bedroom, he'd just tucked you into the double bed and was about to leave when you called out his name. 

"Y/n?" He glanced back at you and sighed when he saw that you were still fast asleep on the bed, mumbling his name to yourself. He was sure he could run a hover around the room and you would still be out cold. He shook his head while laughing softly at the sight of you, then he sighed to himself making himself leave the room as he thought about everything. The almost kiss in the market. The ranting text messages he had sitting in his phone from the boys complaining about how he had dealt with everything. Including a string of new messages from Felix updating him on what had happened in the house.

Felix: She's caught up on this whole almost kiss...You should tell her how you feel...

Felix: I'm leaving. She's going to try and stay awake to talk to you. Talk to her. She'll be good for you, you know it, the boys know it and I know it

Changbin ignored them though, throwing his phone onto the sofa as he looked around the kitchen. The boys were always on his case about moving on so this was nothing new from them but he didn't need the pressures of everyone else around him on top of him as well as his own pressures about you. As he walked further into the kitchen he noticed that the usual oil stain on the floor was gone...He'd been trying to get that out for years and you'd only been here a few days and it vanished? He was going to need your secret that or he needed you to stay around forever to be his personal stain remover. Who was he kidding? He wanted you to stay around because having you there had made him happier than he had been in the longest time. Anyone with a functioning brain and two eyes could tell that. He groaned to himself as he thought about how rude he had been, he should have offered to take you to Seoul with him, there was no reason for him to have been out all day either. He'd wasted so much time in the City just trying to avoid coming home to the weird tension that had been in the air the previous night.

The next morning Changbin had woken up first - as he always did - and headed out to your car to start working on it. Working on cars was the only thing he could do to help clear his mind and help him say the things he needed to say without them coming out as complicated, fixing cars helped him focus.

When you woke up and saw him out of the window you knew it was now or never, you had to speak to him. He was working on your car so you only had a couple of hours to get yourself to talk to him, starting with a hot drink. In your mindset, no one could be mad or upset if you brought them a hot drink. That and it would give you that tiny bit longer of procrastination while you worked out what on earth you were going to say to him when you went out there.

"I-I made you a drink." You whispered as you brought him out a mug of tea with the biscuits that Felix brought round the day before.

"Lix baked fresh cookies so I brought them out too." You mumbled to him as you set the small tray down on one of the empty workbenches not knowing how else to pluck up a conversation. No words came from him as he continued working in the back of your car, glancing over at you when you weren't looking. Today you were dressed in a pair of dark blue denim overalls and a white button-up which made him smile at the thought of you both looking alike, but he went back to the car ignoring the sweet thoughts he was having about you as he continued his work. He still had no idea what it was he wanted to say to you. If he should bring up the kiss or if he was just supposed to ignore the whole thing had happened.

"Look I was hoping-" You stopped talking when someone knocked on the wooden doors of the garage interrupting you, you both glanced over to see the delivery man holding a box for Changbin.

"Drop it anywhere, thanks, man." The box said had a brand of spray paint on the side which the delivery man dropped over by the doors.  

"I was hoping that we could talk about the other day-" You'd tried to start once the delivery man was gone but Changbin cut you off this time. He began talking about the car instead of looking at you, staring into the engine as he tried to talk.

"It'll be done by tomorrow at the latest. You'll be out of here before you know it." He didn't even look at you while he spoke it pissed you off more than it probably should have. That he didn't even have the guts to look you in the face while he toyed around with your feelings like this.

"Changbin I wasn't talking about the car-" You tried to speak once again but just like before he cut you off.

"I just need to get an oil change and some stuff, let it settle. You'll be out of my hair by morning." The wording of his sentence pierced you both in place like a deer caught in headlights, your heart thumped against your chest as he told you what he thought about you. Changbin put down the wrench he was using and slowly looked over at you to try and assess the situation. Your eyes were starting to fill with tears as you thought over what he had said. 'Out of my hair' was he sick of you already? Did the boys read him wrong and he didn't like you back at all?

"Out of your hair, r-right...Okay." You stuttered out as you tried not to burst out into tears right there and then, trying to leave the comment alone but it kept repeating itself over and over in your head. Anger began to bubble up inside of you as you thought about it longer and longer,

"You offered me to stay...If it was that big a deal you could have told me to go...I-I could have found a hotel-" He cut you off trying to explain why he'd said what he'd said.

"I didn't mean it, I was just-" This time you cut him off,

"Just what? Because it sounded to me like you meant it! What's your problem? We went from almost kissing to you ignoring me, passing me off as nothing but a visitor and claiming I'm in your hair!?" It came out more of a question than you throwing accusations at him, he licked his lips as he began to feel the guilt coming onto him. He hadn't meant it all, he was just trying to push you away. Pushing people away was easier for him than to accept they were willing to stay with him.

"If I'm that big a deal I'll leave now!" You knew yelling wasn't going to solve anything in this situation but you couldn't help but feel mad at him. You turned to leave out of the garage doors when he seized your wrist in his grasp, stopping you from leaving him there.

"I didn't mean I wanted you to leave..." His voice was coming out calmer now as he looked at you, trying not to hold back the feelings he could feel rushing to the surface. It scared him that he was finally starting to feel something stronger than he had for Flair all those years ago and now he was going to have to admit it out loud it worried him. He didn't want the thing that had happened in the past to repeat themselves.

"Then what is your problem? You've been so-" This time it wasn't Changbin cutting you off with his words...He smashed his lips against yours. Instantly it was as if the fight had melted away from you, you couldn't remember what you were mad at him for, all that matter now was that he was kissing you deeply. Your arms wrapped around the back of his neck as you stood up on your tiptoes to deepen the kiss, Changbin smirked against your lips. Biting down on your lower one so he could gain access, pushing his tongue into your mouth as he made out with you. Your lips mouthing in sync with one another as you finally got the dream kiss you'd been wanting this whole time. Changbin's arms snaked around your waist, luring you closer to him as he made out with you on the spot.

"N-No, not here." He whispered as you began to run your hands up his shirt. He had to remember you were both in the middle of the garage, anyone could walk in and he didn't want that. He kissed both of your hands as he pulled them out from under his tank top, then he kissed down your neck, pulling you in the direction of the house instead.

Clothes were strewn around the bedroom as you both rushed to undress one another, you bit down on your lip taking in all of his body in one look.

"Like what you see baby? You couldn't get enough the other day." Changbin teased you as he thought back on the morning you'd seen him in nothing but a towel, you whined at him before pushing him to lay down on the bed.

"Can you blame me? Look at you." You purred as you bit down on his bottom lip dragging it down as you then began to kiss down his neck, leaving a small mark as your lips travelled. Kissing down every inch of his body until you got to his boxers. Despite him still having his underwear on you could already tell how large he was from the tent in his boxers. Your mouth watered as you looked up at him, taking your hand and palming him through the thin black fabric. His lips parted to let out a low grunt as his head rolled back against the pillows of his bed, no one except for him had done this in such a long time he'd almost forgotten what it felt like.

"Oh shit." He whispered breathlessly as you continued to palm him slowly not knowing if he wanted it faster or not since you'd never discussed this before. Biting down on your lip your eyes were fixated on his erection, you pulled down his boxers and bit down on your lip you watched as his cock sprang up to his lower abdomen.

"Y-You don't have to-" Changbin was cut off when he let out a loud moan as you took the head of his cock into your mouth, swirling your tongue around the head while you looked up at him. His head was rolled back against the pillows with his eyes screwed shut, he was in ecstasy with every small kitten licks you were giving to him. Taking in some air you took all of his cock until he filled your mouth and hit the back of your throat. Scrunched your eyes shut you continued to bob your head around him, moaning whenever he would hit the back of your throat.

"Fuck Y/n. You're doing s-so good, oh fuck!" He grunted as he bucked up into the back of your throat. You hummed around him as he pulled your hair out of your face, staring at you to make sure this was okay.

"F-Feels so fucking good." He moaned out as he began fucking into your throat, his cock pushing in and out periodically making you gag around him but you did your best to keep your gags to a minimum wanting to please him. His grip on the back of your head tightened as he continued before letting go and letting you catch your breath, you pulled off and began pumping him.

"Look at you," He moaned out sitting up slowly as he ran his thumb over your bottom lip making you suck the string of saliva and precum from it.

"So fucking hot." He grunted out as you stared up at him, taking him back into your mouth and all the way to the back of your throat until you gagged again.

"Ugh shit," He moaned out as you began bobbing your head up and down around him, he could feel the smirk on your lips as you continued to take him into your mouth. You moaned out around him as you reached down to rub yourself through your panties, you hadn't realised just how wet you were getting from the ordeal.

"Do you want some attention now baby?" He cooed looking down at you as he removed his cock from your throat. You looked up at him with parted lips, nodding slowly. Changbin chuckled bending down to pick you up and lay you on the bed,

"Look at you," He whispered to you as he slowly pulled down the black lace panties yo were wearing and watch your arousal slowly stick to them. He chuckled darkly before kissing each of your thighs. Shyly you pressed your thighs together trying to hide from him but he spread them apart, kissing up to your core.

"You're beautiful, you don't need to hide." He promised you as he bit down softly on the fleshy part of your outer labia humming against your skin as you moaned.

"I've not even started yet," He chuckled before plunging his tongue between your folds, lapping over your clit as you bucked up against his mouth. Crying out his name as you screwed your eyes shut. Changbin chuckled against your core amused by the sounds you were letting out.

"You sound so good." He whispered to you as he continued pushing his tongue in and out of you, sucking on your clit whenever he wanted to. He laid your legs over his shoulders, pulling you to the edge of the bed to have better access to you.

"C-Changbin!" You gripped onto his black locks pushing him deeper into you as you began to feel dizzy from the feeling of him pleasuring you. Your toes were starting to cur as you felt your orgasm getting closer and closer with each flick of his tongue. Your mind was starting to go blank as he continued to fuck his tongue into you.

"C-Close." You whimpered as you looked down at him not knowing if he wanted you to cum on his tongue or not but the small pull on your waist as he stared into your eyes gave you all the confirmation you needed. He gripped onto your hips with one hand before pushing two fingers into you and began pumping them in and out of you. You screamed out as his name as your walls clenched around his digits tipping you closer to the edge.

"Fuck! C-Changbin please," You whimpered as you began to cry out his name, he continued with his thrusting fingers and he hummed against your core.

"F-Fuck!" You cried out as your cunt began to spasm out of control, clenching and unclenching around his fingers as your orgasm ripped through you. You were letting out loud desperate moans of his name as you bucked up into his mouth cumming on his fingers and tongue.

"Good girl," He whispered as he pulled his fingers from you, licking them clean as he kissed back up to your lips. Making out with you on the bed as he ground his hips down against your core, you wrapped your legs around his waist as you kissed him back.

"N-Need you," You whispered to him as you began pumping him in your hand between his legs, he looked at you nervously as reality began to set in. He had no condoms in the house since he'd not had any need for them the last couple of years.

"I-I'm on the pill and I'm clean," You whispered to him as though you could read his brain.

"M-Me too...N-Not that I'm on the pill that I'm clean-" You cut him off by kissing him again and giggling softly at how stuttery he was for someone who had just been eating you out like it was his last meal.

"Shh," You whispered to him as you began to line the head of his cock up with your entrance, running the tip over your core as you moaned out. He groaned out when he got himself wet with your juices,

"S-So fucking wet for me," He smirked going back to his previous attitude around you he continued to tease himself and you as he ran his cock over your opening.  Pushing his hips forward until he sunk all the way into you making you cry out in pleasure and tilt your head back. Every inch of him was filling you up, you could feel him at your hilt.

Once he knew you were adjusted to his size he began to slowly push in and out of you, holding onto your hips as he made out with you lovingly.

"Mmm f-fuck," You cried out as your eyes screwed shut. His hips began to pick up speed as you dug your nails into his back.

"Y-You can go faster," Panted as you pulled away from the kiss, biting down on his neck urging him to snap his hips in and out of you. He grunted lowly as he positioned his hands either side of your head giving you the full view of the arms you'd dreamt over. His cock felt incredible inside of you, slamming in and out as he continued to piston his hips vigorously. You felt complete there with him, with his cock filling you up and every moan of your name that fell from his lips.

"I-I've been dreaming of this since the day you came here," He admitted as he continued to thrust into you, kissing down your neck as he held dug his hands into the pillows.

"M-Me too," You whimpered back to him tilting your head so he could have better access to your neck.

You were squirming and crying underneath him with every thrust, your heels digging into his ass as you tried to get him deeper inside of you as if it was even possible. It already felt as though he was rearranging your guts, you knew it wouldn't be long until you were cumming again.

"So fucking good." You mewled out as you looked at him, stuttering out the words as you lost the ability to speak the pleasure inside of you making your brain go numb. Changbin smirked as he began to fuck into you harder, moving his hands to hold your hips down to give him more leverage. Gripping onto your skin as he slammed into you, your screams filled the air with the sounds of your skin slapping together and wetness.

"Changbin!" You screamed out, gripping onto his huge biceps as he continued to fuck into you. Only getting encouraged from your moans, he looked into your eyes and chuckled. He could see how close you were getting,

"Close?" He questioned as he continued to slam into you, leaning down to kiss you sweetly, you nodded at him and grunted into your neck when he felt you clench around him.

"Cum for me," He whispered as he began to slam into you once again. Causing you both to cry out as your walls contracted around him. The walls of your cunt squeezed around him tightly as you felt your orgasm rip through you, Changbin moaned out loudly as he continued to fuck you through it.

You moaned out again when you felt him twitch inside of you pushing himself into place as he came into you, holding onto your hips as you kiss his cheeks and nose.

"S-Shit," You both breathed out heavily as he pulled out of you and laid down beside you on the bed both of you panting as you began to giggle softly turning your head to look at him.

"I-If it wasn't obvious before...I like you a lot." You giggled at him and he moaned out at the cheesiness of it.

"I like you too," He whispered as he linked your hands together on the bed, bringing your hand up to his lips as he gently laid a small kiss on it.

Changbin fed you strawberries as you laid on the sofa, you were dressed in one of his flannel shirts while he wore some shorts around the house.

"Open," You parted your lips waiting for the fruit and he smiled bending down to kiss your lips gently when he placed the fruit into your mouth you made sure to suck on his fingers and smirk up at him.

"What?" You giggled innocently and he shook his head,

"The real question is, are you ready?" You frowned at what he meant,

"Ready for what?" He began leaning down to you and kissed your lips, running his hands between your thighs and chuckling.

"Round 2." He chuckled evilly as he pulled you into a deep kiss, discarding the strawberries onto the table as he pulled you up to sit on his lap.

Humming to yourself as you rolled over you expected to find Changbin laying in the sheets with you but you were met by a cold empty bed, the sheets were cold so he'd clearly been out of bed for some time. You let out a whine as you thought about the night before, gripping onto the sheets around your body as the memories came flooding back to you. Round 1,2...3..4..eventually ending at 8 when Changbin couldn't keep going on or keep up but now the bed was empty you were confused as to where he could be. There was no note by the nightstand and his clothes were gone so you just assumed he'd gone back to working out front so you decided to surprise him. You slipped out of the sheets and walked over to the shirt of his you'd been wearing the night before and slipped into it, along with some panties and a pair of your short heading for the stairs. If he was outside working you would just take him a morning cup of tea and greet him with a small kiss, nothing seemed more romantic than that right now. Apart from maybe having Changbin back in bed where he could hold you for longer, you already missed his touch and longed for him to have his arms around you again. 

"Morning, I made you a cup of tea..." You said to Changbin as you walked into the garage, he was covered in light blue paint, oil and sweat so he'd clearly been out here longer than you had originally thought. He was washing his hands on a towel when he came to face you, looking down at the towel instead of up at you.

"Why are you covered in paint?" You giggled as you handed him the warm mug of tea, taking in the appearance of his - what you assumed was originally a nice white tank top but now stained blue and black. He took the mug without looking at you and placed it down onto the table. He hadn't looked at you once which was starting to make you worry. 

"I erm...I finished the car." He mumbled to you, walking in the direction of the garage doors. You frowned wondering which car he was talking about when you noticed the blue colour that he was covered in matched the same colour as your car but, you hadn't asked him for a paint job.  

"Mine?" Your voice cracked as you questioned him. He began walking out of the garage nodding his head at you while he rooted through his pockets for something. You could hear all of the keys jingling around inside of there so he was probably looking for yours.

"I woke up at 2 am and I couldn't sleep so I just came and finished it. You can leave whenever you want." His voice was coming out cold as he spoke. You stared down at the floor he walked out without even so much as a glance at you, your heart was thumping against your chest. 

Had the previous night's events meant nothing to him or had they completely slipped his mind? You felt the pit in your stomach begin to grow as you thought about him wanting to leave even after the night before. He told you he liked you, you spent the night together, kissing hugging, making love and talking with one another until you finally fell asleep with your head on his chest. It had been all you could think about since the moment you woke up and now that he was just brushing it under the carpet as though it happened all of the time for him. You worried if that was all it was to him, nothing but a one-night stand for him to shake off and leave. You hoped it wasn't but the ground felt as though it was pulling you into it with each passing second he had his back to you without mentioning the night. 

"Do you want me to leave?" Your voice came out hoarse as you did your best not to cry right in front of him, the one thing you didn't want to do was influence his decision on letting you stay by your emotions. Changbin stared forward at your freshly painted car that was waiting for you to go of course he didn't want you to go. He wanted you to stay right here in his arms for as long as humanly possible but the thought of making you stay when you had so many plans to finish your road trip tore him apart. He didn't want to be the one to cut your dream short, he'd seen how happy and excited you were about the road trip, he wasn't going to be the one to ruin that.

"You have things to do. I have things to do." He said emotionlessly as he turned around to see you standing there in his shirt. His heart lept up at the sight of you in his clothes but then he noticed the tears welling up in your eyes as they began to turn red. 

"R-Right...Yeah." You stuttered out blinking the tears away as you stared down at the ground, brushing your face off with your hands. He came closer to you to give you the keys to your car you snatched them from him rather quickly so you wouldn't have to look at him any longer, 

"I'll pay you...T-Then grab my stuff." You mumbled to him as you felt your heart begin to ache with each passing moment he stared at you blankly. He pushed down the guilt he was feeling towards you all of the emotions he was feeling towards you and nodded his head. 

"Sure. I'll write up the receipts for everything. The paint job was free." He grumbled as he walked past you without batting an eyelid, only confirming to you that last night had meant nothing to him. Sighing to yourself you began walking back to the house as quickly as you could not turning to look at him. Changing out of his shirt and putting on your own clothes. 

Changbin stared down at his hands as he wrote down on the pieces of paper you would need for your insurance company, he couldn't help but feel awful for what he was doing to you but you deserved better than this. Better than him. He closed up the garage doors since it was closed for the day.

Felix: Get Y/n to come into the town when you've finished her car, I have cookies for her and you. It'll let her put the car to good use. Sighing to himself he locked his phone and looked over his shoulder, you were storming over to your car with tears gushing down your face. He already felt terrible for everything he was doing but he knew if he stopped you from leaving he would feel even worse. There was nothing worse on this planet than having your heart broken or your dreams cut short. Changbin had no idea that he was doing both of those with one swift action.

"Felix said he wants you to stop by town, he has some snacks," Changbin said as he brought over your receipt, you didn't say anything as you signed your details onto the form scribbling a signature along the bottom line and giving the pad back to him. Changbin frowned as he noticed it was yours and not some random insurance company that you were with. 

"What?" You questioned looking at the expression on his face as you shut the hood of your car, taking the keys round to the driver's side door and opening it.

"Insurance companies pay for repairs, not people..." He whispered as he looked from the papers and up to your face. 

"Not on mine. The car is too old." Your replies were coming out short and abrupt, Changbin didn't blame you since he was the reason you were upset in the first place. 

"So where are you going next on your road trip?" He was doing his best to come across pleasant but you pulled you shook your head at him. 

"Into town. Home. Can't afford the trip anymore and it seems like nothing is keeping me in Busan." You pushed yourself into the car avoiding eye contact with Changbin as you started up the engine resisting the temptation to tell him how great she sounded now. Changbin's heart fell into the pit of his stomach as he realised that you were just going to go home. Somewhere you had expressed multiple times that you didn't like and didn't want to go back to. 

"Can I go now? Is the paperwork okay?" You questioned as you stared at him, he nodded slowly and you began backing out of the drive, ignoring the urge inside of you to look at him before leaving. 

Changbin:: I fucked up. Make her come back, tell her she forgot something! Tell her to come back! Do something. Anything. You guys are good at lying! Changbin sent the text to the huge group chat that all of the boys were in and he panicked as he began to think of losing you forever. He didn't have a way of contacting you, your number wasn't on any of the paperwork just your name. He figured you would finish your road trip and move on but now that he knew you were just going to go back home he began to feel his heartbreak.

Changbin: Seriously this isn't a drill guys I need you to make her stay!!! He hit send followed by five of the siren emojis to show that this was an emergency and that they needed him t help fix this as soon as possible but none of them was replying to the messages. Just reading them without a word in response to him. 

Hyunjin was the first to see, followed by Felix and Chan who were no doubt together at the markets which meant they could do something to help out. Fear began to set in as Changbin wondered if he could race into town after you and talk to you himself but he needed to stay here, in case with some kind of miracle the boys convinced you to come back.

Two hours later Changbin was sitting in his living still waiting for a response from one of the boys when his phone finally began to ping his text notification sound. He hadn't been able to sit still since the moment you left the drive. He'd been pacing back and forth having arguments in his own head about how he should have just told you to stay in the first place, there was no need for him to push you away when all of the signs pointed to you wanting to stay in the first place.

Felix: She won't stay. Says she's heading into Seoul for a few hours to sightsee? Maybe you can catch her? That was all Changbin needed just a chance, he could get to Seoul within four hours and make this all up to you. Fix everything and prove to you that this wasn't just a one night stand to him that the whole thing had meant more to him that he was letting on. Racing over to the door he grabbed the keys for his truck and began to rush out of the door, dropping the keys five times before he finally got into the truck and started it up. He would get to Seoul in four hours or less even if it resulted in some kind of speeding ticket he didn't care. All he cared about was seeing you one last time even if you yelled at him or cried at him for what he was doing he wanted to see you. Convince you to stay in Busan, with him...for as long as you wanted to.

Dropping the keys onto the table Changbin wanted to scream out in frustration. He'd gone into the city to try and find you but it was impossible since he didn't have your number and you hadn't told the boys the exact places you were going to go. He'd gone to every possible tourist place he could think of but you were nowhere to be seen so he headed home in defeat. Ringing the boys to try and get answers but none of the boys were replying or calling him back. 

"Why the long face?" Changbin's heart jumped as he heard your voice come out of nowhere, you were standing in the kitchen pouring boiling water into eight different cups that were in front of you. He had been so lost in his own mind he hadn't even seen you walking around the house with the rest of the boys, all of them doing their own jobs in the kitchen and living room. As you poured out the water you turned to look at Felix,

"Lix can you get another mug?" You called out behind you but Changbin was just staring at you with wide eyes, trying to figure out if this was some kind of dream he was having but he didn't remember falling asleep. Maybe that he'd crashed on the way home and this was some kind of weird coma dream he was having about you. 

"Jesus, you look like you've seen a ghost mate." Chan sarcastically called out as he walked into the house from the back garden looking around for some oil and the plate of meat Jisung was supposed to be prepared. 

"What are you all doing here?" Changbin didn't mean for it to come out cold but he was confused as to what was going on around him, all of the boys were just chilling in the house. He stared at them all but his eyes went straight back to you as you looked up at him.

"I invited them over, I figured we could have a barbeque together. Chan brought his own, insisting it was better than the rust bucket you have sitting out there-" You mentioned as you walked over to Changbin, handing him the mug of tea as you smiled up at him.

"I agree by the way, why did you let it get so rusty?" You groaned at the thought of cooking food on something like that but Changbin stared at you as he shook his head, ignoring your question. 

"I thought you left." He whispered confusingly, discarding the mug onto the table beside him and cupping your face in his hands as though you were the only ones in the room together. He ran his thumbs under your eyes and licked his lips as he resisted the temptation to kiss you.

"I did, I went to the markets and Felix showed me your many...many...many texts," You whispered to him putting an emphasis on 'many' since it hadn't just been two that Changbin sent to them all. When the boys began reading and not replying to him he began writing out essays about how he felt about you. Leaving out no details about why he wanted you to stay and how he needed you to come back to him. 

"But I wanted to get back at you for making me feel bad...So I made them tell you I was out in the city while we came back here for this." You gestured around you as you looked around the boys who were all staring at you both waiting to see what would happen next. Changbin shook his head at you knowing he deserved a lot worse than just going into the city on a pointless goose chase. 

"I don't deserve you," He whispered as he looked down into your eyes, leaning forward to kiss you. His eyes fluttered shut along with yours as your lips were about to touch when Jeongin cleared his throat. Standing beside you as he held out a bowl of potato chips for you to take some from, tapping the sides of the glass dish as he waited patiently.

"Kind of...Having a moment here-" Changbin nodded between you both but you grabbed the chips and smiled up at him innocently, 

"I have to go and help cook. Go and change, you smell like oil and sweat." Tapping his chest playfully you headed out to the back yard where Chan was waiting for you to start grilling some meat with him. Felix smirked at Changbin who was staring off after you, only now did he realise you were back in the shirt from that morning. You had it tied around your midway as you paired it with some high waisted shorts, you looked amazing in anything but so much better in his clothes. 

"I like her, she makes you work for what you want." Felix chuckled as he passed Changbin to head towards the back yard turning back to look at Changbin who was still a little lost on everything happening, 

"She's right though, you stink." He called out right before going out of the door and greeting Chan and you with a hug. 

Later that night when the boys were all passed out asleep in their spots on the sofa and the floor you were in the kitchen cleaning up the dishes. You wanted them to rest while you did the washing up since most of this had been your idea. Changbin walked up behind you snaking his arms around your waist and putting his head in the crook of your neck. He could feel your pulse began to quick against his lips as he placed a small and innocent kiss on your skin. 

"I'm sorry," It was the first time he had said sorry to you for everything all night. You'd spoken to one another about other things but you never had enough privacy to talk about the one thing that was on his mind the one thing he needed to talk to you about. 

"I never should have pushed you away...It was wrong." He admitted, looking at you in the small mirror above the sink, your eyes met as you smiled softly at him telling him it was fine with your eyes. He placed another kiss on your neck and you bit down on your lip trying to concentrate on the dishes rather than the way his lips were making you feel. 

"I'm here now, aren't I?" You whispered to him as you drained the water from the sink turning around in his arms and wrapping yours around the back of his neck. He ignored the water trickling down the back of his shirt as he stared into your eyes. He had no idea how he was going to make up for what he'd done to you but, he was going to do whatever it took every day for the rest of his life if he had to.

"I never want you to leave again," He mumbled to you as he looked over at the boys, one of them was mumbling in their sleep as they turned over on the bed. Jisung snoring loudly, too loudly as though he was faking it so Changbin looked at you,

"Let's go somewhere we can talk privately." He pulled his arms away from your waist and took your hand into his, leading you up to the bedroom so you could talk without whispering or fear of being listened in on by some of the boys. 

Laying beside him on the bed you let your head lay on his chest listening to the way his heart thumped against his chest as he drew patterns into your skin with his fingers. Neither of you had said anything since coming up the stairs twenty minutes ago, you just laid together in a comfortable silence just listening to one another's breathing. Enjoying the company you gave one another.

"I never would have pushed you away if I'd have known you weren't going to go on your trip...I didn't want to be the reason you stopped your road trip or your dreams..." He broke the silence as he said the same thing he had told the boys over their messages. He knew you already knew all of this but he wanted to tell you face to face. He owed you that. 

"I pushed you away the first time because I was scared of what happened with Flair happening again...That night we spent together meant more to me than I could ever begin to tell you." His heart was beginning to beat faster as he told you everything that had been planning on his mind over the last couple of days. The truth spilling out of his lips like a tap that couldn't be shut off.

"Changbin you don't have to-"

"I want to." He stared down into your eyes as he sat you both up, sitting across from you as he stared back into your eyes. Crossing your legs you looked at him smiling weakly, you were getting tired from the night before and being up all day.

"For the first time in a long time, I've felt myself getting happier...To be honest for the last few days being with you has made me feel like I'm floating on a cloud." You laughed softly at the words he was using and he smiled, your laugh was like music to his ears he would listen to it all day if he could and would do anything to make you laugh. 

"When Flair interrupted that kiss at the market it made me realise just how much I liked you. Before I would drop everything and go running back to her but with you it's different. You've taken over my heart and you're the only one who runs it now." You looked at him, your eyes were starting to tear up as he spoke exactly what was going on in his mind.

"I got scared. I pushed you away but I promise never to do it again if you promise to stay?" You looked at him turning your head to the side as if you were going to challenge him on what he was saying to you. You licked your lips slowly,

"Make me stay." You whispered softly to him challenging him as the corners of your mouth turned up into a smirk, he smirked back at you. Cupping your face in his hands before bringing you into a loving kiss just like the one from the night before, running his thumbs over your face. Sparks came flying from your body as soon as he touched you and your mind went blank, you wrapped your arms around the back of his neck as you rose onto your knees to deepen the kiss with him. Falling down to lay on top of him on the mattress as you both made out, slowly letting one another remove each other's clothes until you were in nothing but your underwear. It was going to be the best new start in a new town you'd ever had, you couldn't wait to spend the rest of your life there with him.

Tagline: @taestannie​ @kneel-begyourpardon​ @channiewoo​ @minholuvs​ @lkwonmj​

#skz #skz x reader #skz imagine #skz imagines #skz smut #stray kids #stray kids x reader #stray kids imagine #stray kids imagines #stray kids smut #stray kids x you #stray kids x y/n #skz x you #skz x y/n #changbin #seo changbin #seo changbin x reader #seo changbin smug #changbin smut #chanbin x reader #changbin imagine #chanbin imagines #seo changbin imagine #seo changbin imagines #bang chan #lee know #lee minho #minho #hwang hyunjin #hyunjin

[tchallasbabymama]

Troubled Waters Prologue

Hey y’all! Some of you may have seen this already, but I took it down and reworked it a little bit. Check out my masterlist to read my other stories, and let me know if you want to be tagged in anything. Enjoy!

Word count: 1,723

Aziza [a-zee-za] noun: A benevolent magical species with moderate stature, pointed ears, colorful wings, and deep brown skin that always has a slight glow. They enjoy music, dancing, and frolicking with human children. They also have a propensity for plant magic and hunting and tend to dwell in or around the rainforest.

Long before humans ever stepped foot in Wakanda, the aziza were appointed guardians of the land by the panther goddess, Bast. Aziza lived in harmony with the other magical beings, with a few exceptions, and the queen of the aziza ruled over all of Wakanda. That is until these strange, magicless creatures stumbled into the forest one day and were immediately accosted by some of the more malevolent beings that inhabited the land. Several aziza sprang into action to protect the newcomers and were able to stop the evil obambo from possessing them and driving them mad. When the heroic team of aziza brought the defenseless humans to the queen, she welcomed them into her kingdom with open arms and gave them their own plot of land that was locked between her forest and a dangerous mountain range.

When left to their own devices, the humans began to fight with each other over resources and the right to rule. Queen Ani grew tired of the fighting and called on Bast to help end the constant wars. The goddess instructed her to find a man named Bashenga and bring him to her garden. Apparently, her favorite flower had a strange effect on humans. To all the other beings under her rule, the flower simply acted as an ointment of sorts, but it made humans powerful. Queen Ani followed Bast’s instructions and ground up the petals for Bashenga to consume. She buried him in the rich soil, and when he emerged minutes later, he was a new man. He was a leader, a champion, a king.

Humans and magical beings lived in harmony in isolation from the outside world for centuries until a strange thing started happening on the continent. People were disappearing from the western coast, and when the queen of the aziza heard about it, she brought it to the human king’s attention. King Amir refused to help out of fear of exposing his kingdom to the world, and Queen Onara became incensed. She couldn’t believe he was turning his back on his own kind. The queen wanted nothing more to do with him and his cowardly people, so she called on Bast again. The goddess made another realm within Wakanda for the magical creatures to live in. Onara assumed it would be difficult to get the other species on board, but, as it turned out, most of them were eager to get away from the humans. It seemed the only ones that actually liked them were the aziza, but that quickly changed upon hearing of their negligence. A few even chose to travel to the new world in disguise to help the humans that had been taken. The aziza operatives did their best to help them, but there were just too many for them to save. Their numbers were few, but they were able to perform small acts of magic to help where they could.

Over the years, magical creatures became a thing of the past to the Wakandans. They became bedtime stories and folk tales, but nobody truly believed in their existence anymore except for the children the aziza would occasionally visit when they felt like being playful.

————

One sunny afternoon, a little aziza was playing down by the river when she sneezed, and her surroundings changed. Everything looked almost the same but slightly less vibrant despite the bold greens and blues around her. She turned around and couldn’t see her village in the distance, but instead, she saw a boy about her age splashing in the water.

She emerged from behind the bushes and called out to him, “Sawubona!”

The boy looked up, and his eyebrows furrowed. He was sure he had been alone.

“Um, mholweni...ungubani?”

“I’m Nia. Who are you?”

“You speak Xhosa?”

“I speak a bunch of languages,” she giggled. “You speak Zulu?”

“Yeah. I bet I speak more languages than you,” he challenged her.

Nia’s face scrunched up as she counted up all the languages she knew.

“I speak thirteen so far, but I’m only eight,” she shrugged.

“Wow, thirteen?! I can only speak five.” He looked dejected, and she hated seeing the look on his face, so she quickly changed the subject.

“Can I swim with you?”

“Sure, but...where did you come from?” the boy asked as he looked around. “You just sort of came out of nowhere.”

Nia was young, but she knew she was in the human realm. She had visited plenty of times with her ubaba and knew it well. She just wasn’t sure how she got there this time. However, she knew not to tell him exactly what she was, so the little aziza tucked her ears under her colorful headband as she stepped closer and tried to think of a good explanation.

“My ubaba says I’m sneaky like that,” she shrugged. “Want to play tag?”

“You’re it!” he yelled as he splashed her and swam away as fast as he could. She cut her eyes at him and wiggled out of her clothes before jumping in after him. She quickly caught up to him, much to his surprise, but he stopped when it was his turn to chase her. The boy noticed something strange on her back as she swam away, and he grew concerned.

“What happened?”

Nia quickly turned around, confused by the tone of his voice, “To what?”

“To you. The scars,” he pointed to her back.

“Oh,” Nia had to think fast again. “It’s just a really big birthmark.”

“Really? That’s so cool! It looks like two wings,” he mused before his eyes lit up and he gasped loudly. “What if you can fly?”

“I wish,” she said with a certain sadness to her voice that confused him. He noticed the heaviness in her eyes and decided to lighten to mood a little by splashing her in her face. It worked, and they were off again.

The two of them spent the afternoon splashing away in the river, laughs echoing loudly as they played until a deep voice called out, and the boy froze.

“T’Challa!”

“Coming, baba!” he yelled back before turning to his new friend, who had just figured out that she had been playing with the Crown Prince of Wakanda this whole time. “I have to go. I’m not supposed to be out here.”

Nia’s face deflated until she looked at the shadows and realized too much time had passed since she left home. She nodded solemnly, and they swam to shore. They begrudgingly got dressed in silence until T’Challa spoke up.

“Can I see you again? I had fun today… I don’t get to have fun often,” he looked at the ground, and she hugged him tight to make him smile.

“I can come back tomorrow,” Nia said, making his face light up.

“Deal!”

The two kids said their goodbyes, and Nia watched as T’Challa ran through the trees towards the disembodied voice. She turned around to leave the same way she came and jumped at the sight of her father.

“Did you have fun?” he asked with a mischievous glint in his eye.

Nia nodded enthusiastically, “I made a friend!”

“I saw,” he chuckled. “How’d you get over on this side?”

“I sneezed,” Nia shrugged as she grabbed her ubaba’s hand, and they shimmered back over to the magic realm. That night, he began to teach her how to clear her mind and travel between the realms intentionally. Nia took to it quickly, and she was excited to explore the human realm, her mother’s realm, more than ever before.

Amare, an aziza, and Celeste, a human, met and fell in love while he was stationed in New York for his first tour as a secret operative. When Amare heard about what the human Wakandans had allowed to happen to their kin, he jumped at the chance to make a difference. It was a dangerous job, dealing with humans and the occasional fae, but he loved it. Almost immediately, he met and fell in love with Celeste, a vivacious and opinionated brown-skinned beauty from Harlem. They lived together for two blissful years before they found out they were expecting a child. Celeste was over the moon, but Amare couldn’t help but worry. There had been very few half-human, half aziza babies over the years, but they always took a massive toll on human mothers. Amare knew then that he might have to say goodbye to the love of his life. Sadly, he was right. The baby’s higher need for energy to fuel her growing magic drained her mother dry, and Celeste was even too weak to push. She didn’t survive the cesarean.

Amare brought his baby girl back home to Wakanda, and they lived in a small home near the rainforest on the outskirts of the Border province that he had enchanted to straddle both realms. He raised Nia the same as any other aziza child, but they often traveled to the human realm so she could be among her people. Before popping over to the other side, he’d always cast a glamour spell to hide his wings, making them lay flush against his back so that they looked like intricate tattoos. Nia was always jealous of her dad’s bright orange wings since she never got hers, just the giant wing-shaped scars that covered her back. She always felt a little broken, like she wasn’t as good as the other aziza kids, so when she met T’Challa she was excited to have her first human friend. Or so she thought.

Nia went back to the river the next day and waited for T’Challa. She waited and waited, but he was nowhere to be found. She tried again every day for a week, but he never showed. His absence started to weigh on her, and Amare hated to see his little girl look so sad. After day seven, he put a stop to it and Nia eventually gave up on her so-called friend. However, the pain of his abandonment never really went away.

Next Chapter

Taglist: @maddeningmayhem, @theblulife, @motheroffae, @love-mesome-me, @toni9, @bribrisback, @impremenior, @ljstraightnochaser

#cecewritessometimes #black panther au #black panther fanfiction #t'challa x oc #black!oc #troubled waters

[dzamie-oc]

02 - Gothic

I’m not too big on gothic stuff, but I know Bloodborne does it and Hollow Knight feels... close enough. So I made a bit of a post-Radiance dragon AU with some gothic architecture, heavily inspired by @deniax18‘s fantastic HK dragon AU art.

Length: ~2k words Rating: T (mild descriptions of violence, one innuendo) Summary: Ghost still feels drawn to fight, as a creature of the void. Luckily, he is not alone.

-----

The enigmatic being awoke on the bench, any remnants of its dreamless slumber hidden by its bone-white mask, and the darkness hidden within. It climbed onto the ground, one inky, black paw at a time, and set off immediately on a course it knew well. It was not a dragon - or, perhaps it was; it had never deigned to think on the matter - but rather an area where nothing else was, which took the shape of a dragon. It passed rows of glowing torches, and the firelight bounced off of its mask and dull blue wings. However, its main body remained unlit, not as though there were no torches, but as though no light - torches, lamps, even the sun - had ever shone where it strolled. The dragon’s stride did not break as it passed several shops and the home of a dragoness who would consider it her friend: it might be called dutiful, if it had had a sense of duty by which to walk.

By the town limits, the mayor had instructed a warning to be posted: “Danger! Monsters, rascals, and bandits roam this road!” The dragon, however, walked by just as it had many times before. And, like so many times, something rustled in the bushes, just out of sight of any possible onlookers. A burst of fire streaked through the still air as a trio of dragons leapt out on the unusual traveller, fire in their jaws and fierce, metal points adorning their claws. The masked dragon rushed forward in a burst of speed, slipping past the fireball, and with two quick swipes of its own claws, the first attacker fell, unconscious. It refrained from killing such foes, reserving its lethality for those less deserving of another chance. The shadowy dragon twisted its head to face its mask towards the remaining two, and they sprung.

The next dragon’s paws were batted away with ease before fangs made of nothingness itself sank into its assailant’s neck. It silently watched the remaining dragon, who hesitantly dipped their head in surrender... and to take hold of their compatriots’ tails, dragging them back into the shadows of the bushes. And then, once again, the hole in the world turned its attention back to its journey.

It made quick time to the city proper, alternating between a steady trot and sudden bursts of speed. The first time it had made the trip, it had spent quite some time staring up at the towering, spires and steeples, marvelling at the intricate carvings of dragons... and of other things, which were not dragons and yet were portrayed as reverently as the scaly residents. It would never admit to such a thing, of course; it maintained that it had no mind to think on something as arbitrary and ornamental as art. The ornate city gate was closed, as it was every time it journeyed to the city, and a pair of dragons, twice its size and adorned in matching silver armor, sat and watched it approach.

“Hey!” shouted one as he flicked his wings and brandished his weapon, a straight blade attached to the flight-capable limbs. “Purpose and identification! Travel is restricted here, on order of the Prince!”

The dragon-shaped darkness did not slow.

A low growl escaped the guard’s throat, and he rose into a crouch. This got his partner to extend her own wing and place it on his back, trying to calm him. “Let it pass,” she said, “we don’t know who or what it is, but it’s done this dozens of times.”

“It’s a threat is what it is! Not even the decency to show its face!” he spat back. Before the dragoness could say anything against him, he leapt at the void.

His wing blades clashed with a clang against its pure black claws, forcing it back. The guard pressed on his assault, even slashing upward when the anomaly tried to leap over him. The force of that clash, too, propelled it up - it was remarkably light, even for its smaller size. He was too slow to turn for it to land and rake its claws across his armor, but the metal proved too sturdy for its strike. The guard’s wing lashed out - it ducked under - and again his armor withstood a blow. The dark dragon sprang back, and light gathered in its jaws, issued up from somewhere deep within itself. By the time the armored dragon realized that it was not fire he was staring at, the blast of energy had engulfed him. It sought all the cracks in his armor, every unprotected part, and seared through his scales. He did not burn, for burning damages the body. It was as though his soul itself had been set ablaze. When the last wisps of energy cleared from under his metal uniform, he lasted one step before his legs buckled, and he collapsed. With its mask as expressionless as a mask ever was, the being of darkness strolled past him, then stopped at the dragoness.

She looked down at him and snorted. “Look, kid, would it kill you to get some papers? It’ll go a lot faster for you, and it’ll save the captain on the guards’ medical bills.”

The strange dragon stared blankly at her for several seconds, then extended a tattered wing, revealing a bag hidden beneath it. Hiding its head beneath its wing, it shifted its mask back to rifle through its possessions, then deposited a mouthful of coins in front of the dragoness. Enough to pay for the healing magic her cohort would need.

“That’s not really what I-”

Its paw pushed against the small, metal pile, particularly dark against the lustrous currency. Something that wasn’t a coin rested atop the pile; the dragoness leaned down to take a look. It was a bright white flower, almost glowing softly in exactly the way the mysterious dragon’s hide didn’t. She reached one careful paw to it and picked it up. The blossom looked incredibly fragile, but also incredibly beautiful.

The clang of something hard against metal interrupted her thoughts. The strange being had pressed its masked head against the gate. “So is this a bribe or an attempt at courting?” she asked it in a deadpan voice.

The dragon shook its head.

“Well, regardless, I still can’t open this gate for you, so-”

With no warning, darkness engulfed it, or rather, engulfed its mask and wings, leaving the rest of its body to continue being darkness. The guard dragoness gasped in shock as the usually solid void visitor flowed between the twisting metal gate, before the shadows retreated back into its body.

This time, the clang of metal on the gate was from the sole standing guard pressing her forepaws against it, staring dumbfounded at the weird... not-a-dragon. It watched her for a second longer, then nodded its head and continued walking, as though it had not stopped for the guards and gate at all.

It watched as it passed windows and doors of the well-carved, enormous buildings around it. The dragons within, and the ones it occasionally passed on the street, no longer carried the madness it had encountered when it first visited the city. Their eyes were bright with cunning, a pride in their perfectly fashionable clothing, and sometimes a simple joy for life, but that was all; no longer were they in the thrall of an eldritch abomination. As such, it had been a good while since it had had to sharpen its claws on their scales. It knew this was good, and yet it was driven to fight. For this reason, it sought out the palace.

The bridge was down, but it preferred the faster route of leaping and gliding across the nominal moat; in a city of dragons, it couldn’t keep anyone out any more than a regular door, but, reportedly, the king had insisted on it. The downpour from one of many draconic gargoyles splashed its tattered wing with water, but it was nothing a quick shake under the cover of the arch of a buttress couldn’t solve. This time, the door was open, and the castle guards barely glanced its way as it trotted along inside.

Stained-glass representations of the Prince and his father adorned the entrance hall on one side, while paintings of the Prince doing princely things hung on the opposite walls. It barely spared these a passing glance, and instead swiftly climbed a set of stairs. Its path to the throne room was hardly the most efficient, but it knew it well. It passed a dragon with brown scales, idly levitating himself as he studied magic and conjured a sphere of energy in his paw. Against his will, however, the orb quickly flew towards the living shadow as it passed by; it ran forward to dodge it with practiced precision and lead it into the floor, then ran over to its “attacker.” The scholar’s eyes grew wide as he saw another, more powerful glowing ball form in its mouth, and blinked a little to the left of existence with a teleport, just before a massive burst of energy angrily stormed through the space he had just occupied. The void dragon turned its head left and right, then continued on when it saw no more of its assailant.

Finally, it stood before the door to the throne room. An enormous arch, filled with double-doors. On each door, the king’s advisors had been carved: the foremost scholar of magic, the pioneer in the sciences, and the guard captain of the time. Above them was the king himself, appearing larger than any dragon had any right to be. It was from a time before the Prince, before the maddening horror had swept through the kingdom.

The hole in the world put its paw against the doors. It could sense that there were no gaps to flow through, and those that did exist were protected by the Prince’s own magic. To its side, two guards spared a quick look at it, though they knew it and the Prince well enough to leave it alone. And so it stayed there, standing still, its paw against the door.

Then, the door cracked open. Immediately, the void consumed itself and surged forward, before relinquishing its possessions to reality a moment later. Half a dozen spears were leveled at it from a line of dragons guarding the Prince. Behind it, the captain sighed, standing with her claws clutching the door’s handle. “My liege, the ghost is back. And it still goes through me.” Unlike most of the guards, she wore a mask similar to the Prince and the dragon-shaped darkness, and a full red cape rather than armor. She lashed her tail in annoyance, and the needle-like spear tied to her tail snapped around, forcing the visitor to leap away.

“Ha! Why, Hornet, perhaps you ought to stand to the side when it does that.” The Prince, adorned from neck to tail in gleaming, ceremonial armor, gestures to his guard with a forepaw. “You lot are dismissed from this room. Hornet or I will send for your return after my chat with the ghost.”

Hornet pulled the doors open fully for the exiting guard, then shivered. “Look, I just don’t like feeling the void itself... IN me.”

The Prince gracefully strode to the doors and applied several wards to them. “This in spite of what the tabloids say? Anyway, just stay and watch from the corner, then, alright? It’s been improving, and we may need a judge.”

The caped captain grumbled, but picked out a spot by one of the stained-glass windows to lay down on. She turned to watch them, for entertainment and to learn how she could improve, herself.

Like a ritual, the ghost and the Prince took opposite sides of the throne room. The small absence from reality flexed its claws and bared its fangs. The Prince stretched his body, magically removing his armor. Beneath was, too, a complete lack of existence, exactly as dark as his visitor, and as dark as nothing else could be. He let out a powerful roar, confined to the throne room by his wards, and then the two beings of void leapt at each other.

#hollow knight #hk ghost #hk hornet #hk hollow knight #dragon #au #fanfic #fanfiction #writing #writers on tumblr #smaugust #smaugust 2021 #text

[cl-01-kestis]

My Little Rebel - Inquisitor!Cal Kestis x Female Rebel!Reader | Part 2

Summary: Reader finds herself tangled to Cal the Inquisitor by an accidental force bond that was created during their first meeting. Cal is on her tail everywhere she goes and she has no choice but to put up with it.

Warnings: None

It had been a whole month since you met Cal the Inquisitor, you were now far away as possible from Kashyyyk and you planned on keeping it that way for a long time. There were a lot of things about that planet that creeped you out, but nothing was more bone-chilling than the night you met Cal.

You found out from a few of your former colleagues that he was the newest addition to the Inquisitors, the Eleventh brother - Cal Kestis. You said his name countless times in your head, sometimes when you were on your own you’d say it out loud just to test how it sounded on your tongue. In your head, you replayed the night you met him everyday since it happened and it was giving you sleepless nights and tiresome days. You hated to admit it, but you wanted to see him again. There was something so terrifying yet fascinating about him, you swear you were going to die that night, if it weren’t for the fact Cal liked you enough to spare your life. But then again, any other Inquisitor would never do what he did, not in a million years. If it were another inquisitor, you would be dead the moment you stepped foot into the forest.

Your Rebel friends noticed the difference in your attitude the more days that went by that you had met Cal. You started looking almost dead-like from the lack of sleep, you hardly had anything to eat but when you did it was mostly at dinner. Occasionally you’d be spotted early morning in the cafeteria eating some bacon and eggs. But aside from that, you never ate during the day. Your loss of apetite was caused by the thoughts racing through your mind, as was everything else that changed about you.

After a long month of working your ass off in a Rebel base on Yavin 4, you finally got some time off from work and fixing x-wings. You spent your first few days locked up in your room, doing nothing but sleeping and occasionally going out to the cantina. A few of your friends visited your quarters and hung around for hours, sometimes staying overnight and getting drunk with you to have a laugh. Other than that, your break from work has been pretty calm so far and not much has happened.

That was until today.

You woke up late as usual, going to your refresher and getting changed into some black sweatpants, a T-shirt and dark green cardigan. Your hair was messy and you ruffled it with your wet towel as you exited your refresher, only to freeze in your spot after sensing that something was off about your room. You walked out, looking around every corner and crook of your room before sitting down on your bed, unnerved as the silence of your room made you feel slightly in danger. As if someone was watching you.

You were no force sensitive, but it didn’t take a force sensitive to acknowledge the fact that there was something definitely wrong going on. You checked everything in your room, making sure everything was how it should be and constantly looking out your window to see if anyone was there. It was obvious something wasn’t right, you grew frustrated over it and ended up leaving your room shortly after to get some air. You shoved on some sneakers and took a blaster with you just in case you got yourself into some trouble whilst you were outside.

On your way there you greeted many other rebels and said hello to your friends, making sure all of them were alright in case any of them had sensed anything wrong - it seemed like it was only you. You tried shaking off the weight sinking into your heart the closer you got to the exit of the Rebel base. Your feet sped up, you checked behind you to see if anyone was following you - no one. A few mechanics smiled and waved at you as you passed them, waving back but not as happy as you intended. You blamed it on your worry at the fact that you were running away from possibly nothing.

Your eyes scanned the outside area around you, your breaths coming out as short and raspy as you whipped your head around and looked in all possible directions. The weight in your chest was growing heavier, you tried walking one way, only to realise the weight in your chest was in fact pulling you somewhere. You were scared to even walk the way you were supposed to, legs shaking as you approached an x-wing ship in the distance - the ship that belonged to you. You looked around cautiously to see if anyone was around and watching you, gulping down the lump growing in your throat the moment you finally approached your x-wing and pressed a hand firmly against the lower left wing as some form of protection. You ducked underneath the wing, approaching the edge of the Yavin 4 forest that surrounded the Jedi temple and rebel base you were all hiding in.

With one quick glance behind you, you looked back at the forest; only to stumble back and land on your backside harshly once your eyes landed on a menacingly familiar Inquisitor.

Cal was here, right in front of you. You realised how dangerous this would make the situation, you unknowingly just exposed the location of the rebel base but for some reason Cal didn’t look as though he was going to attack. No, he wasn’t here for that, he was here for you.

“Hey Gorgeous” Cal smiled, crouching down and holding out a hand to you in a kind manner, his bright auburn hair falling in front of his yellow eyes which glistened the moment they linked with yours. You shivered, your eyes looking away as you took his hand and he lifted you up fairly quick, making you almost fall forward and accidentally into him as you tried regaining your balance. Instead of pulling you away, Cal wrapped his arms around you and held you close like a teddy bear.

“Miss me that much? I’m flattered” Cal smirked, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear and his smirk growing wider when he saw how flushed you had become. You pushed away from him suddenly, clearing your throat and immediately checking behind you to see if anyone saw him.

“Relax, I’m blending in... think I’m doing a good job?” Cal asked in a humorous tone, spinning around to show off his outfit which consisted of a green toned poncho, brown combats and black boots. Underneath the poncho was a black polo neck. You couldn’t help but feel a tinge of a smile creep up on you, causing you to purse your lips quickly in an attempt to diminish it.

“It’s... alright for an attempt, where did you get it?” You were scared to ask but couldn’t help it, you were sure Nur didn’t have those type of clothes and you sure as hell the Fortress Inquisitorius didn’t have any clothes like that.

“Stole them” Cal said simply, stretching his back by twisting his torso slightly and causing you to cringe when a small crack was heard.

“You sure you didn’t kill someone and then steal their clothes?” You joked at first, but Cal didn’t laugh. You went dead silent and your face went still.

“Nah i’m just messing with you” Cal broke into a smile and for some reason you felt as though your heart was in your throat, chest flushed with sudden warmth as you watched the Inquisitor smile.

“That’s not funny” You shook your head and playfully shoved Cal, surprised at yourself with how comfortable you were within a matter of seconds.

“Well you’re no fun” Cal rolled his eyes playfully ans crossed his arms, almost making you smile once again. Cal’s eyes flickered from you to your x-wing, his hand reaching up to press his palm against the lower wing behind you and smiling to himself as if he was impressed by the space craft.

“So what do you do here?” Cal asked with sincerety, feeling the metal slide across his fingertips as he trailed the along the wing and onto the body of the ship.

“I work as a mechanic and sometimes I pilot this ship as backup, you know, if there’s any unexpected Imperial sky squadron incoming and there’s not many pilots around to defend them off” You said, opening up to Cal little by little and looking back to see him with a pleased expression.

“Fascinating, how long have you been a mechanic?” He asked, eager to know more about you and leaning on the side of your ship, getting comfy and occasionally looking behind you to see if anyone was approaching or nearby.

“Almost 7 years, I think, I started working on ships when I was very young. My mother was a mechanic as well” You chuckled at the end, shrugging your shoulders and smiling at Cal who nodded.

“Your mother part of the Rebellion?” He asked.

“Before that actually, she was a mechanic for the Army of the Galactic Republic, working on clone ships and Jedi cruisers, she was pretty high up” You explained, remembering your mother’s oil stained face and grimy hands which she always used to tickle you with as a young girl.

“Pretty impressive” Cal’s voice grew quiet, looking as though he was deep in thought until he saw a few rebels pass by, ducking down into some bushes and hiding until they were out of sight.

“So you’re continuing your mother’s legacy?” Cal stood back up and dusted himself off with a flushed face. You nodded and smiled, leaning back and forth on your heels as you stood rather awkwardly.

“Yeah, I... guess I am. My mother... got caught in a ship crash and died 6 years ago, it’s a shame really” Your voice held hesitance and sorrow, lowering Cal’s mood immediately and making him frown in sympathy as your eyes looked away from his and you inhaled a shaky breath; remembering your mother’s smiling face.

“I’m sorry to hear that, I know losing someone is never easy” Cal said, empathetic as he pressed a comforting hand on your shoulder and took a step forward, cautious not to scare you as he came close.

“Have you ever lost someone?” You asked, looking back up and surprisingly melting into his touch instead of pushing away like you should’ve.

“My master... he saved my life but in exchange for his” Cal’s face shifted and you saw how much the memory effected him, his eyes became teary and you had a sudden impulse to give him a hug. But you kept your distance, raising a hand and cupping his face and tracing a thumb over his cheek as a tear left his yellow eyes.

There was a moment of silence that ripped through you and Cal, he looked up and his eyes connected to yours, and suddenly everything froze. You kept your hand cupped on his face, your thumb caught the falling tear on his cheek and you felt a flush of warmth envelop you, as if someone was hugging you tightly. Cal opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out, simply an unreadable expression all across his face as he stared at you deeply.

“Someone’s coming” Cal said suddenly, sensing them before he could see whoever was coming. You frowned, a sharp pang of pain plunged in your chest, you didn’t want him to go. You didn’t even look behind you to see who was coming, your eyes were glued to the Inquisitor in front of you and you couldn’t see to look away.

“I’ll see you later, my little Rebel, don’t miss me too much okay?” Cal pulled you close, cupping your face and pressing a firm kiss against your head before letting you go and disappearing into the deep forest full of greens and browns. You didn’t even see where he went as you felt a tap on your shoulder and turned around to see your rebel friends, smiling and asking you if you wanted to go out with them for a drink.

Only then did you start feeling morivation, Cal’s visit seemed to knock you out of your lazy state and you suddenly wanted to go out and have fun. But then again, you wished it was with him.

What’s going on with you, why are you feeling this way towards a man who makes you feel like your life is on the line every time you see him? He’s an Inquisitor, you’re a rebel, you shouldn’t be feeling anything towards him. But you couldn’t help but feel your heart quicken and face flush with blood as soon as he appeared.

He’s only seen you twice, you needed to control yourself - you thought as you joined your friends and started walking away from your x-wing, sneaking one last glance at the forest and feeling the same pain in your heart the moment he left.

#fallen order #star wars #cal kestis x reader #cal kestis x you #cal kestis

[smalltragedy]

* ryan destiny, cis woman + she/her | you know kira blake, right? they’re twenty four, and they’ve lived in irving for, like, ever? well, their spotify wrapped says they listened to babooshka by kate bush like, a million times this year, which makes sense ‘cause they’ve got that whole lazily stretched out in a ray of light, daisy shaped irises and daisy chain braids, performing an intricate dance to move the ocean's waves thing going on. i just checked and their birthday is october 31st, so they’re a scorpio, which is unsurprising, all things considered. ( james, 22, est, they/them )

hllo ive hd kira in my head fr a bit bt i also know ntohing abt her! this is me winging it even though i hv no right to <3 this is my third character maybe whose birthday is in honor of ella n coincidentally 2/3 of them r in this rp. yea im messy smirks sexily.

DEATH, GRIEF, DRUGS TW

mini playlist.

wuthering heights ;; kate bush / babooskha ;; kate bush / dreams ;; fleetwood mac / california dreamin’ ;; the mamas & the papas / lavender moon ;; haroula rose / time of the season ;; the zombies / after the storm ;; kali uchis / left hand free ;; alt-j / always forever ;; cults / wait a minute! ;; willow / your dog ;; soccer mommy.

statistics.

full name: kira blake

nickname(s): keely.

birthday: october 31st, 1996.

zodiac: scorpio sun, cancer moon, aquarius ascending. 

mbti & temperament: esfp & catalyst / sanguine. 

label: the ebullient.

sexuality: bisexual.

pinterest.

biography.

born to two original hippies which hs pretty much set up who kira is fr the rest of her life <3 the type of ppl who didnt like the boundaries of marriage n held off frm it fr as long as possible until theyd hd a spur of the moment elopement involving a celebrity impersonator at fannie’s <3 yea theyre lesbians lets go <3

nvr rly took things srsly until kira ws like 5 yrs old n then they were like ah gee ah fuck we probably shld probably settle settle. n they job hopped n worked many odd jobs until they found their footing in careers they liked n one of them probably does like. blown glass art. n the other prob fixes old computers n other ~vintage~ mementos of the past fr ppl.

they make a decent living n they live in delpinius heights n they try a few times fr another kid bt it nvr rly works out (raises an eyebrow. adopted siblings anyone?) n fr the most part kira as a child spends her time running around town and tugging on the hem of other’s shirts to ask them small favors (mostly to play a game with her)

often left unsupervised as a kid, bt not in the way tht her parents dnt care (bc her parents love her a lot a lot a lot like she is their world) bt in the way tht they simply raised her the way they were raised. running amuck all day n coming home jst in time fr dinner, front porch light always on, cat always waiting faithfully on their stoop.

pretty evident frm a young age tht kira’s mind saw things differently, in a different light - the world an array of light n mystery n sound n taste n sometimes those collided n created new experiences. prob hs some form of synsthesia bt dnt ask me which one yet. she’s a painting prodigy with an excellent understanding of color theory.

always ws known as a kind of like. rambunctious kid. a well meaning class clown who cld nt keep her mouth shut fr the life of her. grew up constantly with a yellow card beneath her name in school bt ws always well liked by her teachers n classmates alike.

jst a very bright child who did well naturally bt always ws turned more towards art.

feel like her parents very noticeably turned a cheek when she started smoking weed w the cool older kids when she ws 13. the type of person who wnts 2 b liked so bad she’d jump over a hurdle fr it. hs jumped over many hurdles n many fences n many other obstacles to be liked bt does it without breaking a sweat.

(edit: nw tht i think abt it hwevr i dnt think she does tht anymore i think while a bit of a mess atm she. likes herself. n doesnt rly want or need the approval of others anymore she jst does her own little thing. bt when she ws younger? she jst wnted 2 b friends w the entire world.)

nothing bad rly happened fr like. a good bit of her life. got into psychedelics at some point in high school n tht only heightened her artistic abilities. most of her high school art portfolio ws probably done while high bt <3 does it matter.

hd a high school sweetheart n they were pretty serious like. full on in love. a total believer of soulmates kira ws jst like. this is the one. there is nobody else i cn imagine my life with.

death tw

death tw

death tw.

death n grief tw // yea. sometime during their freshmen year of college. car incident. kira ws nvr the same though she’d like to pretend tht nothing’d ever happened. like theyd nvr existed. like she didnt plan out their entire lives together hiking thru hills n valleys n boating across various bodies of water n traveling together until they were old n wrinkly. end of death tw //

cld nt explain 2 u why kira hd bought a van n completely demolished it only to drain all of her savings remodeling it bt nw she lives in it by the beach. hd dreams of travelling the world bt cannot go long distances in a car without feeling sick. sees planes n feels envy. stopped painting fr a long time bt she’s started back up recently. took on surfing. told her parents tht it ws fine n tht she ws fine n theyre concerned bt shes always by the beach, her van rarely leaves. she’s trying her best bt its only been a few yrs n i think ppl cn sense tht shes jst nt the same cheerful girl as they once knew. end of grief tw //

anyways. tugs on my collar. tht’s kira! she lives on the beach n surfs everyday n is obsessed with daisies n is prob growing her own shrooms somewhere. 

personality & facts.

always been very emotional n a little dramatic. nt a drama queen bt is a little messy n does not hv like. many rational thoughts up in there. very cup full or cup empty.

regardless though she hs an. overall reputation fr jst being. enjoyable to be around. her her little moments bt shes also pretty like. laidback. in a way. KDSHFSDLKHGHFLKSD

prob bc she smokes a lot or is often <3 on a trip if u know wht i mean <3

god. got obsessed with the 60s n 70s aesthetic at some point n hs not gone back evr. big fan of psychedelic rock. is a prodigy painter bt her life dream outside of traveling ws always to own her own record label. hs nt happened yet, maybe will never happen? works at a record shop though n does hide the good vinyls tht she wants away frm the customers.

very cheerful n usually uplifting n she doesnt like to b negative around others bt smtms she cnt control it n smtms thinks tht ppl r out 2 get her jst out of. anxiety. hs long bouts where she’ll sit in a still sort of sadness n then shake out of it n hop back into conversation like nothing’s happened bt. its fine we’re fine kira is fine.

shes not gullible or naive bt wants to believe tht everybody hs a heart of gold even if its false. keeps giving ppl second chances bc she hs a savior complex n thinks she cn change ppl.

is very into zodiac n will judge u by ur chart. knows everybody in town’s natal chart. even newcomers. it’s a little scary hw quick she finds this information bt its very important to her.

kind of like. into spirituality bt i wont lie its very surface level n a little superficial. learning tarot cards bt cannot fr the life of her memorize the meanings so smtms she jst makes up things on the spot. hs so many crystals she will not stop buying them.

i think a part of her is desperately trying to cling onto tht like. think positive. self care. msg thts super prevalent online without addressing or actually helping any of her problems. it is her flaw </3

hates to admit when she needs help. wld rather do everything herself.

head is a little in the clouds n her parents r a little concerned fr her bc shes nt rly doing much rn bt like. she jst needs time i think. shes jst doing her little thing.

does not give up on ppl easily she absolutely hates dropping ppl frm her life even if she grows 2 resent them over time which is bad bc she is bad at hiding when she is upset at someone or when she doesnt like someone.

like shes jst passive aggressive abt it n does not properly communicate <3

bt this is rare i think ... negative feelings abt other ppl

self centered bt not selfish if tht makes sense. she will do things fr others without a problem n sometimes trips over herself 2 do it bt at the end of the day i think she cares abt herself the most.

hs only been in love once bt hs hd many infatuations n many like. admirations n very surface level feelings. her body is a temple n she loves 2 b worshipped.

prob does fkn. beach yoga. probably vegan bt also maybe breaks tht every once in a while. almost noncommittal its hard 2 distinguish between her being carefree, not taking care of herself, or jst hving commitment issues? flaky or not? who knows.

feels jst a bit too strongly bt tries to contain it. jst full of multitudes or smth. idk. icon <3

like. cares bt doesnt care. does thinks tht r purposely self destructive n then acts like shes like. cool girl monologue frm gone girl. bt does it while being like peace n luv on earth x

ok thts all i hv goodbye

wanted plots.

a pseudonym 2 fool ‘em... ;; jst hd this idea pop up bt i like the idea of kira going undercover 2 expose cheaters. whether she does this on her own accord or is personally requested by smbdy is up in the air. a plottable point. she h8s cheaters n is chaotic good she prob thinks shes the relationship vigilante testing the strengths of other’s relationships. once again she cld b. specifically going undercover fr smbdy 2 help them out. im sure she wldnt go 2 very. extensive srs measures like actually. sleeping w the assumed-cheaters bt once again. world is our oyster n i lov drama?

crystal visions ... ;; once again. shes super into crystals n astrology n she will base sm of her opinions of others on it. this is nt just abt her being judgmental of others bt also jst. catching her running around in the rain trying sooo hard 2 fkn. charge her crystals in the rainwater bc she forgot 2 charge them under the full moon the night b4. this is her giving wrong tarot readings. she hs no idea wht shes doing at any given time bt acts like she does know. acts like she knows the entire world. she gives crystals as gifts n will do ur natal chart for u bt will also pack her things n leave if ur a capricorn.

time of the season... ;; i dnt knw admittedly. this song’s abt being horny so perhaps? perhaps. kira isnt rly able to keep a grasp on long term relationships rn due to. factors in her life so she hops frm person 2 person often. smtms jst flings smtms its jst a relationship accidentally led on. shes noncommittal n a little flaky atm when she’s usually ride or die fr others. perhaps this is all in the name of some good fun! world? oyster. 

literally anything .dsfskhdkgs ;; god. shes so new i jst dnt know. childhood friends. current friends. friends shes hd frever. enemies n ex lovers n ppl shes constantly pushing away or scorned lovers or both or anything?? she pushed them out of the roller rink to make more room fr herself or maybe they did tht to her. perhaps theyre both constantly pursuing some sort of fkn. meaning in their lives tht they cnt quite grasp. mayb they go on an acid trip together. who knows. 

#irvingintro #death tw #grief tw #car accident mention tw #drugs tw #specifically weed n psychedelics i think

[reaperintheroses]

My Pilot

Poe Dameron x Reader

A/N: this is the first time I’ve ever done head cannons and written starwars. This is relatively long and I’m not super proud of the ending. Same as last time I tried to keep it gender neutral so if there are any pronouns for the reader other than they/them please let me know so I can fix it. Also requests are open.

Warnings: death, angst, reader is pretty malnourished in the beginning, there isn’t a ton of dialogue, hinted use of a sedative, hospitals, passing out, talk of execution, angst, fluff.

Now you had lived on Hosnian Prime for about as long as you could remember 

You didn’t live directly in the city but more in the countryside

So when the first order invaded your planet your small town was one of the first to be taken over

Now it was important to note that your mother and father had fought for the resistance against the empire all those years ago and you had kept your father’s resistance jacket. 

So it wasn’t helpful that if you were discovered to have any links to the resistance, old or new, that you would be executed

You weren’t going to get rid of the jacket, it was the last piece you had of your parents

Though 5 days later when the first order came knocking on your door you realized that you probably should have done something smarter with it than just hide the jacket under a loose floorboard in your bedroom

They asked if it was fine to do a random search to make sure you weren’t hiding any illegal contraband

They were in your house for maybe ten minutes before they found the jacket

You had a fast and unfair trial where you were quickly sentenced to death 

Your parents would be so disappointed if they knew you just stopped fighting

You stopped caring about what happened to yourself. 

They stored you in what used to be the small city jail and kind of forgot about you

You had no clue how many days had passed or what season you were in now

The only time you really felt something was when one of the guards came in and told you that you had three days left

You just nodded and went back to sleeping, tears staining your cheeks

Death was scary, man how could you not be scared

So much to your surprise a little while later a loud bang woke you up

Shooting up you looked around for somewhere to hide and when you realized there was nowhere you backed yourself into the corner of the old cell

‘Was this the end’ you wondered in the longest three minutes of all time as you waited to see what had caused the large noise

So when a man wearing the ugliest shade of orange you ever had the misfortune of laying your eyes across slid into your view 

Let’s just say your interest was quite peaked

He started yelling that there wasn’t time to waste and you just raised your eyebrows

He managed to get your cell open and grabbed your hand pulling you through the building, turning around every few seconds to make sure that you hadn't died 

When you stepped outside the first thing you felt was shock

At the time of your arrest and trial, it had been in the dead of winter and from the looks of it it was almost summer

The second thing you felt was self-conscious about how you looked and smelled, you weren't going to deny the man in front of you was quite hot regardless of the blood and sweat all over his suit

The third thing you felt was pain

The sunlight felt far too bright and it blinded you for about a minute and then started to give you a pounding headache

Keeping your eyes shut you just trusted your rescuer to help guide you so that you wouldn't have to open your eyes and face the bright suns beating down on you

You had no clue how long you were running for all you knew was that it was a long time and a while back you cut your leg on a bush or something

You opened your eyes a little later and saw that you were face to face with an x-wing

He climbed up and started hitting different switches trying to prepare the ship for take-off

He shouted down to you to hop up and that one you were safely in hyperspace he would help you clean your leg

Grabbing the later you swung your body into the ship and strapped yourself in

You heard shouts coming from a distance and your eyes widened 

You didn’t want to rush him but you were starting to get scared 

Right as the stormtroopers started to approach where you were the ship shot up off the ground 

When the shit started to leave the planet’s atmosphere you started to get a little dizzy

Lights started swimming in your vision and you reached for the sides of the ship to help steady yourself

Right as the pilot turns around and starts to ask a question you slump forward in your seat a pounding headache causing you to pass out

You woke up strapped to a bed in a very strange place that smelt strangely of lemons

Citrus smell set aside a strange place is still a strange place 11/10 would not recommend 

After quickly shaking your head to clear the fuzzy feeling you started to struggle in an attempt to escape the straps that kept you tied to the cot

Before you could even manage to undo the first one though the pilot came running in along with a nurse and one or two more people 

The pilot put his hand on your forehead telling you that your okay and that the nurse was just going to give you something to help you calm down

You stop struggling but only because a large sleepy feeling is taking over you 

Your holding onto the cliff of consciousness with only your fingertips you can feel the pilot smoothing his hand over your forehead telling you that it's okay to let go and that he’ll be here when you wake up

The cliff breaks and as the last pebbles fall into the dark abyss of sleep you fall with them.

Waking up round two is a little better

You look over and see the pilot asleep in a chair next to you, snoring softly

It’s endearing honestly

Without all of life’s stresses and the fate of the galaxy resting on his shoulders he looked way younger

Earlier when the two of you were racing against stormtroopers and fighting to escape your planet he was hot

But now he was just plain cute

You coughed slightly and he jolted out of his sleep

He hit a button above his head before sitting up and stretching 

He looked down at you and you looked up at him with a questioning look

“Your safe, they aren’t gonna hurt you anymore,” he replied back down to you in a soft tone

Oh thank the gods

The two of you just stared at each other for a few more minutes before a nurse came in and kicked him out so she could do an examination without him distracting her

She started asking you questions about when you last ate, how much fluid you had consumed in the past day, etc.

It was hard to answer 

She talked about how you would need to be fed through a tube to help get your strength back up but once you got back to a sustainable weight you would be able to start eating solid food again

You nodded at the appropriate time trying to show your focus but your mind was elsewhere 

You couldn’t stop thinking about the pilot 

You think somewhere in her information dump she realized that you were thinking about completely off-topic things

She made to leave and right as she was about to swing out the door you opened your mouth

For the first time in months, you started to speak

You croaked out a gentle “where am I?”

Your nurse smiled at you and replied “Oh honey, you’re on the resistance base.” she left the room without another word and you shut your eyes as you smiled feeling small tears of joy seep out of your eyes

The pilot would come and visit you almost every day and tell you about everything and nothing from small things like what some of the members of his squadron did at lunch to things like his family back home on Yavin 4, to occasionally stories about his mother who was in the resistance along with your parents. 

Even when he couldn’t be there due to missions he would always write you a letter before you left, telling you to keep your head up and that he would be back soon to tell you about all the stars 

Every time you missed him you would read his letters, sometimes your shoulders would shake with silent tears, and others with full out laughing fits at the small jokes he would put in there. 

He once told you that you were the first person he would come see after he returned regardless of what he had to do once he returned

In the very beginning, he would come to you straight after he landed but the smell of gasoline gave you a headache and that gods-awful flight suit made you want to kick him so you told the nurse to make sure that he showered after returning from a mission before coming to see you 

You hadn’t worked up the nerve to talk to the pilot yet. You were worried that he would see you as all healed up and abandon you for the next person he saw who he fancied, you heard the nurses gossip sometimes about him

NOT to imply that the pilot fancied you, nor you him. 

You didn’t like him, nope not one bit

You told yourself this all the time but the moment he flashed that damn smile at you it was like the wall you had built around your heart constructed exactly with those words would fall a small bit and once he left you would have to spend hours reconstructing it by telling yourself that he was just watching over you to make sure that you pulled through and then he would leave you in the dust

Love was scary

But when your pilot came to visit you he would talk and talk and talk, and when he wasn’t there? You would fantasize a life with him once this war was over

When you started calling him your pilot?

Honestly couldn’t tell you the line was kinda blurred

You would tell yourself every time he would come that this would be the time you talked to him

It never happened

You were talking plenty now

You would talk to the nurses when they would bring you food or come check on you

It was just nerve racking to talk to your pilot

But when he came in next time, with an encouraging nod from your nurse, you replied to something he said

He just asked a question about what you ate 

Normally he would just throw in that question before telling you about what the cafeteria had for breakfast 

Before he could answer his own question you just replied quietly “toast and eggs”

He started to answer his question before doing a double take and looking back down at you 

“You talk?” you just smiled at him playfully, reveling in his shock for a moment

It wasn’t nearly as bad as you anticipated 

After that conversation came far easier

Now at this point your probably able to walk around the infirmary and the base during night when there isn’t as many people

But the fateful day came where it was suggested that you eat in the cafeteria 

Yeah you thought taking was hard? This felt nearly impossible

Luckily you were able to come to a compromise and you would wake up early and go eat before most people got up

So there you were standing in front of a display of food with almost no one else around

You felt like a fish out of water and at peace at the same time

You just grabbed the first peace of fruit you saw and a small slice of bread before going to sit down

You started to calm down and eat in peace 

You were in your own little world so when you felt a hand on your shoulder you practically fell out of your seat you jumped so high

There, your pilot was standing looking surprised

He gestured next to you and you just nodded your head

The two of you quickly recovered and soon enough he was talking your head off, telling you about a crazy dream he had

Your pilot made you feel very comfortable 

So you started to eat breakfast with him every day

This quickly became lunch

And dinner

This was how you met his squadron

You became quick friends with most of them 

These meals quickly became apart of your daily routine 

You looked forward to seeing your pilot and his friends 

So when your pilot did not show up for 4 days straight you started to worry

You were able to catch snap in the hallway one day before dinner and ask where he was

He told you that he was on a solo mission but he should be back in a couple of days

So when he didn’t show up nearly two weeks later you started to get worried

Snap told you that he had been lost in action and if they didn’t hear from him in a week he would be declared dead

You felt empty

You wanted to feel something

Anything

But you just felt empty

You quietly thanked snap and just went about your day

You didn't speak for a while after he told you

They held a small ceremony for Poe

But after that everyone just kind of forgot 

it felt like there wasn’t nearly as much joy in the base as before

The squad gave up on trying to get you to talk 

You stopped coming to meals daily 

You would maybe show up for dinner once a week

You just shut down

You started to run

You hated running but it was a good distraction

You would run around the base four times once a day

And one time during your run you heard a speaker in the communication center crackle to life

You slowed down but didn’t stop

So when you heard your pilots voice over the speaker you ran straight into a wall

Everyone stopped what they were doing

He was requesting access to land

His squadron was in the room

They all looked at each other trying to figure out what to do before snap gave the go ahead

He made eye contact with you before the entire squadron started running towards the hanger

You made it there first and watched his x-wing, looking a little worse for wear, land 

He crawled out of the hatch as people started rushing around trying to help him or look at the damaged ship

His squadron started hugging him and asking him questions

You started to turn around, you obviously offered no help here you could see him later

Little did you know your pilot was just trying to shake everyone off so he could get to you

You pressed the button to open the door but before you could get through a hand grabbed your shoulder

You turned around and there he was

Blood coating his forehead, his clothes a mess but somehow still smiling

You started to tell him off, saying that he needed to get checked out and make sure that he was okay and then check in with his squadron, after that he needed to clean himself off, change, and he looked like he could use some sleep and you told him as much. You should definitely be at the bottom of his list of important things to accomplish

He cut off your rambling by grabbing your chin and putting his mouth to yours

You squeaked in surprise and froze for a second before melting into his warm embrace

He smelt like gasoline and saltwater

You pulled away and looked at him

He smiled at you and you knew in that moment that you would have hung all the stars and suns in the galaxy if it meant he would smile at you like that again

He started to talk about how there was this great place to eat a few planets away and how the entire time he was away you were all he could think about, and he knew in his mind that when he got back if he didn't even try to talk to you about the feelings he had bottled up that he might just combust.

You just smiled again and nodded

He hugged you again and you just squeezed him right back

You felt the stars align and as you gripped the jacket he was wearing that was so similar to your fathers you felt a feeling you hadn’t felt in so long

Hope. 

#poe dameron x reader #star wars x reader #poe dameron x you #poe dameron x y/n #poe dameron headcanon #poe dameron x gender neutral reader #gender neutral reader

[satsuki2406]

OPEN SKY Bakugou Katsuki x Reader

“…And never, ever forget that, your dreams are the wings that’ll help you fly.”

(L/N)(Y/N) has always been forced to live according to others’ expectations. As a member of the powerful and influential (L/N) Family, she has had to live with the heavy weight of seeing others write her destiny with no choice but just obey. But when (Y/N) finally decides to risk it all to take the only opportunity to regain the control of her own life, everything ends up going horribly wrong. Surrendered and disappointed, she receives one last chance to prove to herself and to U.A, along with some unexpected help that this was not a crazy and meaningless waste of time.

Maybe this plan could work after all…

PAIRING: (Bakugou Katsuki x Reader)

GENRE/WARNINGS: Romance, Fluff, Angst, Mentions of sex (nothing explicit tho), dark themes, My poor attempt of comedy, family dysfunctionality, toxic relationships, Strong language (Courtesy of King Lord Explosion Murder 💥), Manga Spoilers.

STATUS: On going

Masterlist \(￣︶￣*\))

5-Let's Get Things Straight

“Well, enough of this awkward little chit chat, let’s get to the point, shall we?”

You immediately tensed at hearing her words, nerves twisting your stomach. Kaguya propped her elbows over the table and interwoven her fingers to lean her chin over them. Her violet eyes, cold and unperturbed landed over your trembling (E/C) ones.

Your grip in the carte tighten just like the muscles in your throat making it hard to gulp the lump forming in your suddenly dry mouth. Seconds felt like hours and for a moment you could feel the air being knocked out of your lungs out of sheer uncertainty.

Although inexpressive, Kaguya’s gaze was intense and petrifying, making sweat accumulate around your collar by the second. You kept like this for a couple of seconds until her stoic expression slowly morphed into an amused one as her eyes slowly squinted and a smirk formed on her plump, glossy lips.

“My, my, are you afraid little cousin? Am I making you uncomfortable in any way? My deepest apologies, I’ve been said that I can make people a little… wary.

“Of- Of course n-no, or is there a reason I should?” You mentally scolded yourself for stumbling on your words, biting your lower lip to keep it from trembling.

“Absolutely not! You shouldn’t! The simple fact that you think I’m remotely capable of attempt to harm you in any way certainly pains my poor heart little (Y/N)~” Kaguya admitted while making a dramatic pose clenching the left side of her generous chest and posing the back of her hand over her forehead to accentuate her ‘hurt feelings’.

“But, you know…” She pondered, her voice taking a more low and dark tone, a harsh contrast to the honeyed voice she used before.

“…There’s a reason why people say that ‘if you own nothing, fear nothing’ don’t you think?”

“What are you trying to imply Kaguya? Stop batting in the bush already.” You snapped trying to hide your fear with impatience and irritation in an attempt to reassure yourself that you still had control of the situation on hand, or at least you tried to.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, calm down (Y/N), I’m just playing with you, believe it or not, I have a playful side, no need to overreact that way, unless…You have something to hide? Hmm? Oh! I’m dying to know! Is goody-two-shoes (Y/N) tangled in some scandalous event that none can know about? Is it a boy? Did you overdraw your credit card or… did something in your academic life happened recently?”

At this last statement, your breath hitched and your blood ran cold. ‘No! Why did she know?! How?! No way!’ You slowly looked up to Kaguya again, a smug expression on her face, she had you cornered, just where she wanted, deny it was useless at this point, your reaction had sold you immediately, at this rate there was not so much that you could do. You were not willing to let her have her way with you, if you really wanted to flip the tortilla on your favor, you’ll have to be bold. So, this was the game she wanted to play? Then two can play as well.

You looked down again, your eyes covered by your bangs, and a little smirk forming in your lips.

‘Smile, and your enemy won’t know what you’re thinking about’

Kaguya noted this and her mischievous smile flattered a little.

“As scandalous as have an affair with your bodyguard and being overheard while performing such lewd acts by a big number of my house’s maids during the Charity Brunch that my mother organized last summer, no, I can assure you nothing of this nature is happening with me. And I may confess that although that bathroom was thoroughly cleaned, I haven’t been able to use it since you ‘christened it’ it results really inconvenient to go all the way to next washroom.”

At this point, Kaguya’s snarky expression abandoned her face completely being substituted by one of shocked disbelief. Her eyes trembled and you could hear the clatter of her teeth.

Before she could retaliate your ‘outrageous accusations’ Hiro reentered the patio where you were, pushing an elegant looking cart carrying a silver platter, a pitcher, a couple of crystal cups, and fine-looking silverware.

“Sorry for the delay ladies!” Hiro said while he put the cups on the table and poured water in them, Kaguya and you kept eye contact the whole time, she was visibly livid, with her arms crossed over her chest, her fingers tapping frenetically over her forearm waiting for the waiter to leave. Lastly, he served the plater in the center with some colorful looking canapes and smaller plates for each of you.

“To begin, I brought one of the newest additions to our menu, Salmon and Caviar Crostini, we started with our fabulous homemade French Baguette grilled to perfection, slightly brushed with high quality Spanish extra virgin olive oil, Norwegian smoked salmon, fresh avocado slices, a little dollop of Crème Fraiche topped with 100% authentic Beluga Caviar and a sprinkle of thyme and dill to perfume and decorate. I hope you enjoy them, now, would you like to begin with some drinks before you order?”

“White Bordeaux, Cheval Blanc 1942” Exclaimed Kaguya.

“Sure thing, one cup of White Bor-”

“No, the whole bottle, something tells me I’ll need it” She sneered, her eyes always fixated on you.

“O-Of course, and for you (L/N)-sama?” Hiro asked with a nervous smile now conscious of the pretty evident tension in the room.

“Umm, do you have Thai lemonade?”

“Yes of course! Would you like it iced or frappe?”

“Frappe please.”

“Alright, a White Bordeaux and a frappe Thai lemonade…” Murmured Hiro while he finished scribbling on his notepad. “Please, enjoy your appetizers, your drinks would be ready soon” And just like that he took the same bar cart he came with and strolled away as soon as he could from what seems to be the eye of a hurricane.

“T-Thank you” You shyly muttered while you saw him disappear in the hallway. When you turned again to glance at your cousin, her face was now bent over, her expression unreadable and the upper part of her face shadowed by her hair. The aura she emended was dark and dense.

You gulped, noticing her now obscure presence, you fidgeted your fingers over your lap thinking how to approach the situation now. Did you go too far? If she knew about the U.A situation it wouldn’t be a good idea to be on her bad side, should you apologize? Maybe it would be the best approach since-

“You really like to run your mouth, don’t you?” She suddenly whispered; it was barely noticeable but you could hear it clearly as it interrupted your ramping thoughts.

In the blink of an eye she abruptly studs up from her seat charging towards you, her left hand was slammed against the table for stability while the other one quickly found a place over the soft skin of your cheek with a resonant slap. Before you could start to process what just happened, she gripped your bangs bluffly bringing her face closer to yours.

You gave her a brief glance when you felt her scalding breath on your face, even with the thick layer of tears distorting your vision, the terrifying scene was bright and clear, her eyes were livid and insane, you always knew she had a temper but this was a completely different level.

“You really must be feeling gutsy, today don’t you?! Do you think you can smart mouth me? Yes, I’ve been having sex with Soichiro, and?! Like I was the first or last to have a liaison in this family or this so-called elite circle. Unlike my stupid, stupid father I know how to handle my personal life, do you really think the hag cares who I get into my bed? You really are naïve or just straight up​ stupid if you think you can threaten me with such a weak move like that.”

Her tone was abrasive and mocking, agitated at some parts but in a whole, confident. Simultaneously, you gripped her wrist in a poor attempt to loosen her iron grasp in your now sore scalp.

“You on the other hand are immersed in a really big pile of shit, and the most comical of all is that you put yourself in it! Did little (Y/N) wanted to play hero? Being just like that showoff media clown All Might? Ha! How amusing!”

“-ver…” You mumbled.

“Huh? Talk properly when you are addressing me brat!” In cue, your hold on her wrist tighten up and your foggy eyes looked at her with newfound courage.

“Never dare to talk like that about All Might! The only reason you and all of us can have this peaceful and safe life is because of him.” You clenched your teeth furiously to the point you thought they would break. “So, spear me your bull and shut up already.” You both kept an intense starring contest until Kaguya’s hard expression broke and stared at you with an amused and more relaxed expression, she pushed you to your seat, finally releasing your abused locks. You carefully pated it down trying to relieve the pulsating soreness in your scalp.

“Well, well, well, who would have said that you could have a bite on you, huh? You’re not the spineless puppet I thought you were after all.”

Now your attention was directed towards the sound of approaching wheels, probably belonging to the same cart that Hiro brought minutes ago. Hastily you tried to accommodate your hair and uniform the best you could, the last thing you wanted was more rumors or gossip going around speculating nonsense like usual. Quickly you gave a glance to your cousin who quietly munched on one of the canapes and sipped on her water cup.

Hurriedly, you took a couple of the overpriced pieces of toasted bread on your plate and took some gulps of water to calm your nerves.

“Oh! I see you are enjoying the hors d'oeuvre!”

“On point as always Hiro, thank you.” Kaguya said while she delicately cleaned the corner of her lips with her napkin. “I’m pleased to hear that, what about you little lady?” Hiro addressed you while he poured the exquisite golden liquid inside the wine bottle in Kaguya’s awaiting cup.

‘Little lady?’

“O-Oh, really tasty indeed, my compliments to the chef.” You just had a bite of it, it was well balanced and everything, but…simply not your piece of cake. You preferred something less complicated and more…homey.

“I’m sure that he’ll be happy to hear that, now, are you ladies ready or you need more time?”

“I’m ready, but, I’m craving something different from what I usually order, what can you recommend?” Kaguya said. Their words at this point transformed into white noise as you got lost in your own thoughts, to be honest, you weren’t even hungry at this point but you were sure you’ll regret it at 2 am when your growling stomach won’t let you rest quietly. But beyond that, what actually concerned you was that in fact, she knew. So, what was her propose? Blackmail sounded the most plausible, but what could she actually get from you?

“(L/N)-sama? Are you ok?”

“O-Oh! Yes, I’m ok! Can you repeat yourself please?”

“I was asking you if you were ready to order?”

“Right! The food! Can I…umm…the-the seafood fettuccini please.”

“Alright! A roast quail in truffle sauce and a seafood fettuccini coming! If you need anything please press the red button on the right side of the table and I’ll be glad to assist you.”

You both nodded as he retracted in the hallway once more.

“So,” Said Kaguya while sipping on her wine. “as you can imagine I didn’t bring you here out of my good will. Apparently, some little audacious punk decided to throw any precaution overboard and apply to Japan’s most prestigious hero school, instead of following the way that her family already had arranged for her, a guaranteed place of work, a generous wage, an empire already constructed for her to take and keep her cushioned, pampered life. So, tell me, make me understand dear cousin, why throw everything to the wind and complicate everything going the hard way knowing your percentage of success is of less than one in a googol?”

“I’m doing what I feel is the right thing for me, following my own dreams and ambitions, not what is convenient or easy, as you said, I do not pretend to be a spineless puppet like the rest of you.”

“Ok, ok calm down. I’m going to humor you for a second about this illogical, dream nonsensical gibbering you are talking about. You apply to this U.A school, and become a hero, help people and all those unnecessary details, you make your dreams come true and you live happily ever after beating up villains with luck enough to don’t die in the process, the end.” Kaguya slowly swirled the cup in her hand while she talked to you not breaking eye contact.

“But tell me, how in the hell do you pretend to even start this little dream of yours if you don’t even have your mother’s or even better, grandmother’s approval? As you already know she has control over everything that happens with every single one of us. Chess pieces that she plays according to her own convenience, do you think we would be what we are today if everyone would have done what they liked and follow their own passions and ambitions? I think you know the answer.” She took one last sip emptying the cup and placed it on the table to fill it again. “Yamashita Takahiro, does that name ring a bell to you?” Kaguya asked.

“Yes, he was an ancestor of us, the one who started everything, the first doctor.”

“Precisely, he was really famous and reputed back in the Meiji period, he even was one of Ogata Kōan’s last students before he passed away in 1863. After that, his son became a doctor, and his son, and the son of his daughter, and so on.”

“In 1939 they founded a small clinic in Yokohama that grew with time extending and expanding in different locations throughout Japan, out shadowing all the other small hospitals and health institutions with their outstanding service and effective methods. We were the first ones to offer free treatment to poor people who couldn’t afford decent health care. That of course is still being reflected in all our foundations and payment help systems like the (L/N) Foundation and The Healer Charity, just to mention some." Kaguya said matter of factly.

“Yes, I already know that, grandmother made sure to drill it inside our heads as soon as we could walk, not to mention that it is part of Japan’s history as well. So, your point is?”

“My point is, we are huge, (Y/N), we have over 160 years in business, even before quirks appeared over 120 years ago. It gives us credibility, reputation, experience, and medical and moral authority above all the others. An image that grandmother exploited to transform us in what we are today, and reach our own Golden Age. But, some rumors have been circulating in the media recently. More like a leak of information.” Kaguya murmured with a sour but serious expression.

“You mean…?”

“Yes.”

“Well, they aren’t rumors, they are truth. Grandmother has forced us to do what she saw fit in order to keep the party going; a multimillionaire, successful, and pretty lucrative party. As you said we are chess pieces that she moves according to what the situation requires. And force us to study medicine and control our lives in every way possible is definitely one of her master moves.”

“Yes, but the general public does not need to know that, the right pressure would bring that party down. It, of course, started as something really mild, insignificant even. Some little urban legend running down on the internet brought to light by some blogger on 4chan or Reddit user. But it has been getting out of control the last week." She said irritated.

“So anyway, because of this problem, grandmother decided to make some exceptions, she would maybe make a couple more in future years, it depends.” You immediately stopped mid-air when you were about to take another sip of your lemonade.

“What do you mean with exceptions?”

Kaguya smirked mischievously at your reaction, delighted that she pushed the right buttons so easily.

“Well, I think you and I know what I mean (Y/N), Your so wanted chance to be a hero, without no one to stop you, not your mom, not the bossy hag, all to the contrary! They would be the very ones to encourage it, giving you the wings to reach what you wanted all your life! But for that to happen, you’ll have to work with me, we only have 3 days to prepare, so the time is an important fact in this.

So, my dear sweet cousin, do you accept or not?

.

.

.

🏷Taglist:

@bakasbitch18  

@alex-sulli​

#bnha x reader #boku no hero academia #bakugou katsuki x reader #bakugou x reader #katsuki x reader #bakugo katsuki x reader #bakugo x reader #mha x reader #my hero academia #boku no hero academia fanfic #my hero academia fanfic #bnha fanfiction #mha fanfiction #bnha #mha #bakugou #bakugo #fem reader #angst #fluff #Multichapter #series #female oc #male oc #dysfuntional family #frienship to love #shinso needs more screen time #yaoyorozu #momo #yaomomo

[kumeko]

Title: goodbye my hopeless dream

A/N: For the Sylvgrid BB, for watercolorvigilante’s heartbreaking work. I love the angst of separating the Faerghus Four.

Summary: Five years ago, Sylvain had thought they could fix it all. That they could bring Dimitri to the Alliance, that they could end the war and save everyone. Yet…Felix lay face down, Ingrid sobbing on her knees, and Dimitri frozen forever mid snarl. He wasn’t sure how he could pick the pieces up after this, but he had to try.

…

…

…

…

Something was burning. Sylvain stuck his lance in the dirt carelessly, ignoring every lesson he’d ever learned about proper weapon care, and closed his eyes. Something was burning. Possibly someone, the air was full of fat and smoke and his throat grew drier with every breath. There were dozens of small fires nearby, the only outcome in the middle of a battlefield, where mages scorched the earth and fiery arrows rained down on their ashes.

 He opened his eyes. Before him spread a war-torn field, survivors picking dragging themselves off the fields and to their respective armies. Something bitter filled his mouth as he saw the bodies strewn across the field, blood pooling in the mud. Crows cawed as they perched on bare trees, their beady eyes taking in the field, and vultures circled above as they eyed their food.

 Five years ago, the Battle of Lion and Eagle had been nothing like this. Five years ago, they had all been just kids fighting for bragging rights and victory letters to send home, for stories to seduce strangers and that shiny glory that had seemed all too important at the time.

 Five years ago, he had been in with the Kingdom, not the Alliance. Now his Golden Deer family were scattered across the field, helping each other back. The Empire was long gone, Edelgard leaving behind the wounded and the dead alike. The Kingdom was torn apart, shredded into pieces. And Dimitri…

Sylvain shivered at the memory. The one-eyed, raging monster he’d seen hours ago hadn’t been any friend he’d known. The only thing that had motivated him was a long-nursed hatred, one that Sylvain hadn’t seen for all the years he’d known him.

 Or maybe he had avoided seeing it, just like how he was now avoiding the dead spread around him, trying not to look at their faces. He didn’t want to see another classmate he used to sneak out with, another beauty he’d flirted with in the shadows.

 He was certain Ingrid was doing the exact opposite. She’d always had a masochist streak and unlike him was probably all too intent on memorizing every person she’d killed.

 Sylvain looked up. It had been hours since he’d seen her Pegasus. “Ingrid?”

 Dread filled him and he yanked his lance out of the dirt. This was Ingrid he was thinking of. She was unkillable. Even Felix’s hardest glares and Sylvain’s worst lies hadn’t done the job.

 “It’ll be fine,” he muttered. Whistling, he waited impatiently for his steed to gallop over. His horse’s silken mane was matted in blood and dirt. Grabbing the saddle, Sylvain slung himself over. “I bet I look just as bad,” he murmured, patting his horse’s neck once before squeezing his thighs. “When we find Ingrid, I’ll make sure she gives you her special mixture.”

 His horse nickered and quickly trotted through the field. Sylvain scanned his surroundings as they moved, searching for the pure white Pegasus or even just Ingrid’s blonde hair. As he looked, he avoided checking the bodies, refused to check the bodies.

 There was no need.

 Ingrid wouldn’t be lying in the dirt like that. Not after all the times she’d yelled at him for his slovenly room.

 Instead of blonde, he spotted pink. He turned his head.

 Ingrid would have stopped.

 Sylvain gritted his teeth and guided his horse across the field. A tired, limping Hilda looked up blearily. With her stockings torn, hair awry, and a nasty cut along her chest, she looked as bad as he felt. She even dragged her axe instead of carrying it. “Hey.”

 “Hey.” He slipped off his horse, wrapping an arm around her waist as he helped her out of the ditch. “You’ve looked better.”

 “I’d say you’ve looked worse, but that’s a lie.” Hilda grinned crookedly as she leaned on him. She felt impossibly small, nothing at all like the mischievous woman who was Claude’s right hand. “Glad you made it.”

 “Me too.” Sylvain swallowed. “Did you see Ingrid?”

 He held his breath as she frowned and shook her head. “No…not for a while.” Noticing his face, Hilda squeezed his arm reassuringly. “I’m sure she’s fine. She’s a strong bitch.”

 Sylvain couldn’t laugh at the old joke. They’d exchanged it many times after Ingrid had scolded them or knocked them on their asses during practice. “She’s really strong.” His voice came out more of a whisper than he’d intended.

 “The strongest,” she agreed, pulling away. Leaning on her axe, she patted his back. “You go find her.”

 Sylvain hesitated. “Your chest—”

 “Needs Marianne’s loving attention,” Hilda interrupted, winking. Though, with the dirt streaked on her cheeks and her pale skin, she didn’t look half as flirty as she acted. “I can make it back from here.” She forced herself to stand a little straighter but for all her acting, she couldn’t hide her wince. “Who knows, maybe Ingrid’s there already. She’ll be too busy nursing me to health to take care of you.”

 Hilda waggled her brows. He wanted to smile but he couldn’t muster the energy.

 Ingrid would have helped her regardless.

 For all of her faith in him, he’d never been half as good as she’d hoped and not even a quarter as good as she was. “I’m sorry,” he muttered, letting his guilt and fear chase him as he vaulted onto his horse once more, spurring it through the field as though death itself were after them.

 Hilda wasn’t critically injured, at least. She could stand and she could joke and one of the others would find her in no time. They’d laugh about it later and she’d tease that he had tunnel vision when it came to Ingrid. The dense idiot that she was, Ingrid wouldn’t understand until maybe years down the road, when he told her everything.

 He clenched his fist. “Ingrid? INGRID!”

 The only response were the grunts and moans as other survivors crawled, hoping someone, anyone could come to their rescue. He’d save them all after he found Ingrid. He’d personally pick them up, carry them to Flayn and Manuela. He’d even wrap their bandages himself.

 He just had to find Ingrid first.

 “Sylvain!”

 A familiar gold caught his eye, and for a moment Sylvain thought Ingrid before realizing it was Claude’s torn cloak. He pulled his reins tight, heels digging into his horse as he came to a stop just beside the tired leader. Byleth wasn’t by his side for once. Maybe she was out there, picking up her former students.

 Maybe she’d already found Hilda.

 “Claude.” Sylvain tried to smile. It came out like a grimace. “Have you seen Ingrid?”

 “Straight to the point, huh?” Claude chuckled wryly, pulling his gloves off his fingers. His arms had small burns on them, the attacks of enemy mages, and Sylvain tried not to think how much that must have hurt as he loosed arrow after arrow. “No, not yet.”

 “Hilda’s that way,” Sylvain blurted out, unable to stop himself. He jabbed over his shoulder. “She’ll need help.”

 “Oh.” Claude blinked, resting his hand on the flank of Sylvain’s horse as he looked. His dragon wasn’t with him. Sylvain tried not to wonder why. “I’ll get her then. Thanks.”

 They stood there a moment, neither of them moving. Sylvain’s horse panted, nostrils flaring as he caught his breath.

 “I…I didn’t think it’d end like this,” Claude admitted quietly, barely audible over the wind. “Edelgard…I knew she wouldn’t listen, but Dimitri?”

 It was like a gut punch, remembering Dimitri. When he and Ingrid had heard Dimitri had survived his execution, they’d sworn to bring him over to Claude’s side. Dimitri had been a reasonable person, after all. He should have been reasonable now.

 Goddess, why hadn’t he been reasonable now? Sylvain thought, looking away. “I thought he’d come around.”

 “Me too. We could have avoided so much…” Claude trailed off. It wasn’t like simple bloodshed could describe everything they’d experienced here today.

 “Maybe next time,” Sylvain croaked, licking his chapped lips nervously. The air was still far too dry. It was hard to breathe. “We can talk to Dimitri again. Maybe after he’s had time to calm down.”

 Claude snapped his head to him, his expression unreadable. After a few, heart-pounding seconds, he pointed to his left. “Is that a Pegasus?”

 Immediately, Sylvain jerked his head up. Further up the hill, almost at the treeline, he could just make out a white horse. A pure white horse, sitting on the ground.

 It had to be a Pegasus. It had to be Ingrid’s. He squeezed his thighs, urging his horse into a gallop as he hastily shouted, “Thanks!”

 He really did have tunnel vision. Sylvain couldn’t tell anyone, even himself, how he got to Ingrid, what the route was like, anything really. He just kept his eyes fixed on the white horse, watched as its sides became wings and the saddle on its back took on the familiar markings of Ingrid’s. There was no blood on it, as far as he could tell, no injuries at all aside from a few ruffled feathers.

 That was good, right? It must have been tired after the long fight. Maybe Ingrid was letting it rest before heading to camp. “Ingrid?” he called out as he reached, jumping off his horse without even waiting for a response.

 The silence worried him. She wasn’t beside her steed and she’d never abandon her partner. “Where is she?” he murmured, patting her Pegasus’s nose. Her partner whickered, turning to his right and further up the hill. A bright green cloak stood out amongst the bushes, a familiar coil of blonde braided hair crowning it.

 Ingrid.

 She was kneeling next to someone. He could just make out their legs, still and unmoving. Of course, she was taking care of an injured solider, the bleeding heart she was. He’d bet the farm that she hadn’t even thought to look for him before doing that.

 And if she was doing that, she couldn’t be that injured. Sighing with relief, he jogged to her. “There you are.”

 Ingrid looked over her shoulder, cheeks stained with tears. “Sylvain,” she rasped, closing her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

 “Sorry for—” He couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe after he saw Dimitri lying in front of her. His chest squeezed and he stumbled the final few steps to her side.

 Unlike the raging man he’d seen hours ago, Dimitri was utterly still and calm as he lay there. His bright, blue eye stared unseeing at the sky, his mouth half-open as though mid-way through a roar. Ingrid whimpered and Sylvain stared at the lance stuck in Dimitri’s chest.

 Luin.

 Bile rose in his throat and Sylvain barely crawled forward more than a few steps before he vomited in the bushes. Oh no. Oh no no no. He could just picture it now. Dimitri and Ingrid. And Felix—Sylvain couldn’t stop himself before he looked for a familiar fur-lined jacket.

 There was a sword in his hand. He’d died as he’d lived. Sylvain vomited again.

 “It’s my fault,” Ingrid sobbed, curling into herself. “I’m sorry.”

 His heart broke a second time at the sound. Wiping his mouth, he forced himself to his feet and stumbled back to her side. Sylvain forced back his uneasy stomach, forced back his growing numbness and pain, and gathered her in his arms, crushing her to his chest. “It’s not.”

 “It is,” she repeated, apologizing over and over even as she pressed into him. “It is.”

 And he couldn’t argue with that, not when her lance was in Dimitri’s chest. It wasn’t like five years ago, when she’d been crushed after they’d changed houses—no one could have predicted the looming war, the fact that they’d be disowned by their own families for something as simple as following their beliefs.

 It wasn’t like years ago, after Glen’s death, when Dimitri had broken down, Felix had hardened, and Ingrid had holed herself in her room. It hadn’t been anyone’s fault then. They’d been just kids, taking on more than they should have.

 Now, there was only Ingrid.

 And Dimitri’s blood was on her hands.

 Bile rose once more, pricking his tongue, but he forced it back down. She’d break if he said anything else. She’d break and then he’d break with her. Sylvain buried his face in her hair and shook his head. “Not true.”

 “I…I did it,” she sobbed, her fingers digging into his sides.

 “He would have killed you.” He realized the truth of his words as he said them. Dimitri would have killed her. The others from their house might not have. Annette and Mercedes and maybe even Dedue could have been talked down, but not Dimitri.

 Dimitri hadn’t been himself for a long while.

 Maybe he’d always been like that. Felix had been right, calling him a boar.

 “He would have killed you,” he repeated, stronger now, hugging her tighter. Sylvain could hear her breath, hear her heart beat like a frightened rabbit. She was alive. She was in one piece. She’d made it through. “You had to protect yourself.”

 “I could have injured him,” she mumbled, pressing herself closer as though to hide away from it all. “I could have knocked him out.”

 “Anyone else, sure, but not Dimitri. Never Dimitri.” Sylvain closed his eyes. Even before it all, Dimitri would never let himself get captured. Killed, sure, but never captured. “He’s too strong. Was too strong.”

 The was stung, burned on his tongue like an ember. Felix had been loyal. Dimitri had been a friend. They’d never be anything else anymore. They might never be anything but the two, angry bodies on the grass. It was hard to remember their smiles when all he could picture was their pale, frozen faces.

 “I should have tried,” she insisted, shoulders shaking as she cried. “I should have…I…he’s dead, Sylvain. Dead. They both are and I…”

 “I know, I know.” Sylvian stroked her hair, pulling back just enough to press a tender kiss on her forehead. Years ago, she’d done the same for him when he’d killed his brother; he wasn’t sure when he’d started looking at her differently, but he was certain the roots of it had been then. He hoped it brought her twice as much comfort as it had given him, this warmth, this forgiveness and love and gentle acceptance.

 She wailed, a wordless cry that sounded more animal than human. He remembered the maids talking about banshees and their mournful screams, and it had to sound something like this. Still stroking her hair, he let her cry it all out, his eyes closed so he didn’t have to see Dimitri or Felix. There was probably a better way to help. Mercedes and Annette had been good at it. He should have learned from them when he had the chance.

 He should have done so much more before this all happened, but he’d been barely able to help himself for years, let alone others.

 And now it was just them.

 No, not just them. Sylvain bit his cheek. That was what had caused this war in the first place, this stubborn belief that they had to stand alone. That was why he and Ingrid had left the Blue Lions in after all, for Claude’s vision of unity. There was Raphael and his hugs, Hilda and her jokes, even Marianne and her quiet companionship.

 He could try again. Better this time, in fact. Ingrid hiccupped and he pulled away slightly, still keeping her in the circle of his arms. Now that he was looking at her properly, he could see the cuts on her arms, the gash on her side. Small injuries, for fighting Dimitri, but injuries nonetheless. Sylvain knew every trick in the book when it came to convincing Ingrid to do something that was good for her, even if it was something as unrelenting as guilt.

 “Let’s go back to camp together,” he suggested gently, brushing her hair out of her face. Her puffy eyes, still red from her tears, started to slide away from his, to where Dimitri’s corpse grew colder with the passing minute. Before she could, he carefully cupped her cheek, forcing her to stay still. “We need to get patched up.”

 “But…Di…Dimitri and Felix,” she mumbled, not fighting him for once.

 “We can get them later.” Sylvain didn’t even have to try this time, he just smiled. She’d always been able to draw those out of him, even if she never realized it. “I’ll come back.”

 “Me…Me too.” Ingrid shook her head. “I’ll help.”

 He bit his lip before reluctantly nodding. There was time to argue about that later. “Okay. Can you stand?”

 She nodded. Sylvain wrapped an arm around her waist, slowly hoisting her up as he stood. Keeping his grip firm, he called for his horse. “I’m not sure if I’m ready to fly, so let’s take my horse, okay?”

 “Sure.” She sounded distracted, but he didn’t think much of it. With everything that happened, it was hard to focus. As his horse stopped beside him, he let go and quickly adjusted the saddle bags and straps. “You get on first.”

 Ingrid didn’t reply and when he turned around, she was beside Dimitri once more. Silently, he cursed himself as he ran back to her side. “Ingrid!”

 She didn’t respond, unbuckling her cloak instead. Gently, she spread it out over Dimitri’s body, covering him like she used to put blankets on them as kids, all tired out from practice. Leaning forward, she pressed a chaste kiss on his cold forehead. “Could you give me your cloak?” she asked, her expression unreadable.

 Sylvain didn’t hesitate before yanking what was left of his off and draping it gently on her shoulders. Ingrid shook her head, pulling it off. “It’s not for me.”  

 She moved a little further into the forest, to Felix this time, and tucked the cloak around him. Her fingers shook as she brushed his hair out of his face. Kissing him on the cheek, she whispered something he couldn’t hear before getting up.

 “Let’s go back.” Ingrid grabbed his hand now and this time he didn’t let go.

 “Yeah.” He didn’t ask her what she said. Sylvain had his own, private words for them, things he’d never repeat to anyone. When they reached his horse, he still kept his grip tight as he hopped on first. She raised a brow, the closest to a positive expression he’d seen so far. Not bothering to explain, he helped pull her up, settling her on his lap in a side-saddle manner.

 “I haven’t ridden like this since we were kids,” Ingrid commented, a little stiff as she looked at her dangling feet.

 “Not since you realized knights had to ride on their own.” He waited a second before asking. “Just this once?”

 “It’s silly.” Yet, she didn’t jump off, didn’t protest, just leaned against him.

 He released the breath he didn’t know he was holding as he wrapped his arms around her, taking the reins and urging his horse into a gentle trot. “That’s not a bad thing.”

 “No, it’s not.” She closed her eyes. “Thanks.”  

#sylvgrid #sylvain jose gautier #ingrid brandl galatea #claude von riegan #dimitri alexandre blaiddyd #hilda valentine goneril #felix hugo fraldarius #fe3h #fire emblem three houses #fanfic

[maple-writes]

[Image ID: Banner image reading: The City of Eventide, Chapter 34, Maple-writes. End ID]

This is it! The last chapter! It still feels so strange to think that this really is the last one.

###

Each day grew longer than the last and the sun shone a little stronger, burning off morning spring clouds. Dylan made good on his promise to visit unannounced one afternoon. He showed up with a firm knock on the door and a greeting loud enough to wake me the rest of the way up. For hours he lingered in the kitchen, half occupied with putting the finishing touches on the egg salad sandwiches Fallon sent him along with but more occupied with filling me in on everything and anything. Tea in hand I barely spoke as the sun made its way down the sky, casting long shadows across the street outside and dimming the light through the windows all while Dylan replaced the usual quiet of the day. It was nice though, hearing someone else’s voice even if I did end up forgetting details and names in his stories.

The vitamins weren’t so bad aside from remembering to take them, and once I got used to the taste neither were the other supplements the doctor suggested. Even now Ginger stopped by sometimes to check on me and deliver updates on the goings-on back at the college, letting me know I could come see her there anytime. She’d smiled, assuring me that if I ever wanted to return to work with her we’d take it as easy as I needed.

Ember’s attempts to get me out of the house came fewer and farther between, dropping down from every night to maybe once or twice a week. Every time my heart skipped but two nights ago we made it to the 24 hour gas station store. Under the too-bright lights the night vanished outside and I had to remember to take every breath deep enough to keep my head from spinning and there were too many choices and items lining every shelf and fridge and nowhere to hide but Ember kept by my side. She walked me through and let me rest my hand on her forearm, letting some of the warmth and calm seep from her skin through mine.

We bought drinks and the lights and hum of refrigerators disappeared as the door closed behind us. Stepping between shadows cast by vacant gas pumps we didn’t make it much farther than the store that night, but for the first time some of the tension melted under quiet streetlights. Chill air cooled my lungs and settled my head. The two of us talked all the way back home and together in the living room until far too late. She really shouldn’t have been staying up that late with her job interview tomorrow, though she was quick to reminded me it was only in the afternoon.

Her interview went well, and by the end of the week she’d been called back for a second and a week after that they offered her the job as a deckhand on a fishing vessel. From what she told us it sounded hard, and she’d be gone for long stretches during the season, but her excitement was contagious. Striker ordered take out to celebrate and we ended up only going to bed long after the sun had set.

Yawning, I pulled my shirt off, crawled into bed and drew the blanket snug around my shoulders. After all the excitement and celebration I sunk all the way down into the pillows and sheets.

A rattle came from my window, then another and I sat up, squinting in the dark. Grey-blue in the evening dark, a wing flashed into view then a beak tapping at the glass as a seagull fluttered by. Cirrus. It had to be. Otherwise some poor bird was very, very lost.

I hopped out of bed and opened up the window just as he glided back around. He landed on the windowsill in a blur of feathers, tucking his wings neatly to the side and shaking out his tail as he came to a stop. His head tilted left and right, pupils dilating a moment before finding the right focus.

“Hey Cirrus.” I leaned over, resting my elbows against the windowsill. “It is you, right?”

The gull ruffled his feathers, puffing up and laying them flat again in one smooth wave. He raised his beak and stuck out his chest as he watched me sideways. I smiled, warmth spreading from deep in my chest. Of course this was Cirrus. Hard to believe the last time I’d seen him was back at the cabin. How long ago was that now? I’d lost track.

Cirrus turned, webbed feet tapping against the wood of the windowsill in the quiet of the dark. He faced the street, dark and empty, glancing back at me over his grey shoulder. I frowned. Did he want…

“You want me to go with you?”

He gave a quick nod, holding his head sideways to lock me in one of his little eyes. I swallowed and wrung my hands together. How far would he want me to go? What if something happened? I hunched my shoulder, hair falling in front of my face as I stared down at my arms.

“I, I don’t know Cirrus.” How was I supposed to tell him? How was I supposed to tell him I hadn’t gone much further than a few blocks from home on my own since I got back. “I don’t know.”

A weight landed on my shoulder, webbed feet against my skin. Cirrus pushed his beak through my hair to poke at my cheek. He settled down, feathers of his belly soft against my skin. I sighed and turned my neck to see him through the corners of my eyes.

Even if we hadn’t gone far nothing horrible happened whenever I went out with Ember. I held Cirrus’ stare for a moment, watching him blink and turn his head. If something did go wrong Cirrus would have seen it before, right? He didn’t know what Ginger did but it wouldn’t be the first time he’d helped. I could handle this. If I could handle the cemetery in the middle of the day I could handle a walk in the middle of the night.

I sighed again, straightening up slowly to give Cirrus the chance to hop down. “Alright. Let me get dressed first.”

Cirrus waited outside, perched on a nearby streetlight and watching as I finally stepped out into the night. I shut and locked the door as softly as I could behind me, trying to keep the nerves already wrapping around my throat in check. A flurry of feathers made me look up a second before Cirrus landed softly on my shoulder. Webbed feet tapped quiet on my jacket and grey wing-tips tickled my ear as he turned. He stuck his head out a second, caught my eye and flew down the street.

“Hey!”

I took off running after him. My feet fell loud and echoing in the quiet side streets and alleyways, chasing flashes of white feathers under spaced-out streetlights until I staggered to a breathless stop. Hands on my knees and hunched over on the sidewalk, my heart struggled to keep up with my lungs and my legs burned. Shit. How long had it been since I moved this much? Cold air scraped at the back of my throat. I coughed and tried to catch my breath. By the time I looked up Cirrus was gone.

I grit my teeth. “Damn it.”

A seagull’s call pierced through the quiet, shrill and laugh-like. Sounded like he wasn’t too far, towards the waterfront. Of course he’d want me to meet him there. I pulled myself back upright. He’d have to wait though because I wasn’t about to run the whole way there.

I’d almost caught my breath by the time the gentle lapping of the waves caught my ear, soft and rhythmic against the deserted shore. A full moon hung bright over the ocean casting liquid silver over the dark water and the white crests of incoming waves. I slowed as I stepped out onto the beach. Full moon. Cirrus, he hadn’t waited for me here after I’d gone home, had he? Waited and hoped I’d show up for him only to leave disappointed like he had so many times hoping his mother would come around.

He’d understand why I hadn’t come, if he’d waited here for me at all. I bunched my shoulders against the wind and shook the thought from my head, picking my way across the dark beach to the usual place. Tiny creatures, insects, arthropods, they scurried away from my path with every step. Moment by moment the lights of the city faded to a faint glow at my back to give way to blue-dark night.

A figure sat on a washed-up log, turning when I rounded the bend. A woman in an ink-black evening gown that billowed around her ankles when she stood and faced me with a polite smile.

“Well, you’ve sure perked up since I last saw you.” She paused, waiting, but I only squinted in attempts to place where we might have met. “Ah, you don’t recognize me.” She gestured to herself with a black-gloved hand. “Cirrus’ sister. Call me Hadley.”

We had met, hadn’t we. I furrowed my eyebrows and tried to remember back but couldn’t see much more than a blur, a haze of feathers and loud voices that seemed to rumble through the air and into my own lungs.

Hadley though either hadn’t noticed or didn’t mind, catching me with a nod as she settled back down on the log. “Cirrus should be here soon.” She shot me a smirk, raising her head high. “I have been instructing him on how to shift his form but it can be hit or miss. He wanted to see you though, so I agreed to help him out tonight.”

She leaned back resting her hands behind her and facing the shimmering sea. Her head tilted just a moment as I sat beside her. This close she had the same barely contained power Cirrus did, cold and powerful like a harsh wind biting through my clothes. She kept quiet, watching as wave after wave lapped at the rocky shore. Slowly, I ran my hand over the worn bark of the log, tracing over ridges and bits where the wood had torn and weathered away.

“Ah,” Hadley stood, smoothing down her dress in the breeze. “Sounds like he’s done.”

The bushes growing beside the beach rustled, and a moment later Cirrus stuck his head out, one hand covering half his face and casting a sheepish look at Hadley.

She half chuckled to herself with a short glance back at me. “One moment.”

Without waiting for any kind of response, she stepped out of sight behind the foliage and the night dark. She said something, mumbling and chiding but too low for me to make out, Cirrus responding with something indignant and defensive but without any teeth behind his words. I smiled, leaning forward on the log to try and peek around the bushes and shadows. That was Cirrus alright.

The leaves rustled again, branches snapped, and Cirrus swore as he stumbled out onto the beach. He found his balance and shook himself out, looking just like I remembered. Same hair, same eyes… I jumped up from the log and throwing my arms around him. He balked a moment, surprised, before returning the embrace. His clothes were warm and smelled like storm-bearing winds, familiar and new at the same time. I leaned against him, pressing my forehead against his shoulder a moment before standing up again, throat tight.

“Miss me?” Cirrus grinned, already knowing the answer.

I nodded. “Its different, with you gone.” Maybe not quieter now that Ember was around, but different. I swallowed and turned away, a hand to the back of my neck as I glanced out to the ocean. “I don’t know if you were waiting for me here, but I’m sorry if you were.” My voice dragged along. “Things haven’t been easy.”

He shrugged. “I wouldn’t know, I haven’t been around here either. It’s been a whirlwind.” Cirrus huffed and crossed his arms, shaking his head to the dark pebbles.

“Oh come on Cirrus!” Hadley scolded, coming up around behind him and messing up his hair. She snickered as he tried and failed to duck out of the way. “You had a great time. Do you think I missed you flirting with that pretty noble lady?”

Cirrus flustered, uncrossing his arms and stumbling over his tongue. “She started it!” He shook himself out with another huff, crossing his arms tighter than before. “But yeah, alright. It wasn’t all bad.” He watched his sister as she retuned to her perch on the log, a half smile on his face, before turning back to me. “You’re looking better than last time I saw you. At least like you’re not about to get blown over by the wind.” Cirrus paused a moment, just standing, watching me as the breeze slipped silent between us. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you with so much colour in your face.

Even at in the dark? I looked away a moment, watching the moon hang bright over the gentle swells. Maybe he had better night vision than I did because Striker had said the same thing.

“I uh,” I faced him again, tucking my hands in my pockets and out of the chill. “I’ve been seeing some doctors since I got back for a while now. I guess it’s working.” The wind picked up again and I hunched my shoulders until Cirrus stepped to my side, blocking out some of the gale. “Ginger was saying the other day she’d be alright with me coming back to the college.”

“You going to do it?”

I shrugged, pushing rounded stones from side to side with the toe of my shoe. “I… I hope so. It’s been a while.” A smile played at my lips. “I kind of miss it actually.

Cirrus snorted. “Bored at home already?”

This time I grinned, full and toothy. “Maybe.”

He rolled his eyes but kept quiet, attention drifting up from me to the lights of the city down the beach. I glanced back over my shoulder to follow his gaze only a moment before focusing back on Cirrus. In the dark he looked just like I remembered, like nothing changed. Like he hadn’t been gone for months now and he’d never returned to life as a dragon. Like Ember hadn’t moved into his bedroom and he was going to be in the kitchen tomorrow morning when I got out of bed.

A deep ache spread sharp through my throat, all the way up to the floor of my mouth and I looked away. He had his own life now. His own life somewhere far away. Somewhere I couldn’t go and find him like I used to. He’d come to see me this time tonight but how long would that last? I swallowed. He wouldn’t forget about me now that what he’d hoped to happen for years and years finally came about, right?

“Do you remember back then when I couldn’t speak my name?” Cirrus spoke low, eyes still drifting over my head to the city. “That day you found me?”

I don’t think I would ever forget, he must have known that but I nodded all the same.

He paused, hesitating before speaking again. “It hurt for a long time. I used to dream of hearing it again, to be who I was again. But then…” Cirrus finally tore his gaze from Eventide. He looked down at me, the faintest of the distant light reflecting in his eyes. “It didn’t feel the same anymore. I’m keeping Cirrus. I just wanted you to know that.”

“Really?” My voice came out smaller than I expected, thinned and brittle. “You don’t miss the other?”

Cirrus shrugged. “I can’t say I don’t, but I don’t know, I couldn’t bring myself to part with this name yet.” He half smiled. “My mother wasn’t exactly thrilled but she’ll get over it.”

From what I’d heard of her, I wasn’t surprised. “You’re still going to come and visit, right?”

“Of course.” Cirrus casted a sidelong glance at his sister still seated on the log and gazing out to sea. “Though it might be a while yet before I get the hang of shape shifting alone.” He paused a moment before turning back to me. “I’ll be around. I’ve got at least a couple more centuries of watching over Eventide’s storms after all.”

That long? I guess it made sense. He was a dragon after all. I smiled but broke halfway by a surprise yawn. What time was it?

A warm hand rested on my shoulder as Cirrus’ laugh drifted over the crashing waves. “Keeping you up?” He grinned down at me as he turned towards the city. “I’ll take you home.”

We walked along the beach towards the soft city lights. At this time of night we had the sidewalks to ourselves, only the occasional car passing by the empty roads. My arm brushed his, contented warmth easing from him to me. I quickly ran out of things to update him on since coming back to Eventide and he took over most of the way home telling me all about his sisters and the trouble they’d get into. Even in the low light I could see how he flushed talking about the woman Hadley had brought up on the beach. I smiled, struggling to keep my eyes open and half leaning against his shoulder as we walked.

He sounded happy.

#

Sun sinking low in the sky relief pooled in my chest seeing how quiet Eventide College was this time of day. A handful of people milled and wandered around the front stairs, some chatting and laughing in the gold-tinged light. Inside the front lobby soft echoes of conversation drifted through the still air and the little coffee shop sat nearly empty with the last few customers before closing time rolled around.

My footsteps echoed through the empty halls, clicking against the stone stairs spiralling down towards Ginger’s basement. I hadn’t told her I was coming but surely she wouldn’t be unhappy to see me all the way out here.

The air chilled and a familiar presence brushed against my arm. I slowed, letting Cynthia gently press up against my shoulder as her relief and excitement slipped through my skin. A smile spread on my face and I held out a hand. She knew me. She knew how to be gentle, how to contain herself unlike the panicked, desperate spirits who needed my help.

She slid though my palm, passing cold up the veins of my arm all the way up where they joined together in the subclavian. Good to see you again. It’s been a while.

I nodded along, continuing down the stairs as she settled in deeper tucked under my first rib. Been a while was an understatement. I swallowed. Had anyone told her what happened? It must have seemed like I’d just vanished one day, Ginger too. Charlotte filled me in. We were all worried about you for a while there. Glad to see you back on your feet. Thanks.

The stairs opened up to the little underground hallway, my footsteps booming in the quiet. I tucked my hands in my pockets and shifted as Cynthia nestled herself more comfortably towards my chest. Here to see Ginger? I nodded. If she’s here. She is. Saw her come in a few hours ago. Good. Good. Does this mean you’re going to stick around? I turned the last corner, slowing to a shuffle. Had I even considered not coming back here? Even if Ginger had told me I’d never be able to come back here would I really be able to just… Stop?

Even if you change you mind, her grin crossed my face, you should still stop by. You’re the easiest living person to chat with to come through those doors.Really? Faster than hijacking Charlotte’s computer. Fair enough.

I paused in front of Ginger’s office, the door slightly ajar. Cynthia stilled under my skin, cold and fluid. Could you give us a minute? Right. Was good to see you again Asher. She shifted a moment before breathing out through the thin skin at the top of my chest and vanishing somewhere through the walls of the college. Alone I stood another moment in front of the door. I took a deep breath, rested my hand on the door handle and opened it up just enough to poke my head into Ginger’s office.

She looked up from her computer as soon as she saw me. For a moment surprise seemed to flash across her face but in a heartbeat it shifted to a wide, fang-filled smile.

“Asher! Welcome back.”

#the city of eventide #chapter 34 #last chapter #my writing #it's just #wow #i've been working on this since like #late 2018 i think #i'll have to write up a real post to get my thoughts out sometime

[fictionalcharactersrbetter]

Changing Fate

Hermes x OC

warnings: None for now, but in later parts yes

Blood of Zeus has become my new favorite show, and once I saw Hermes I fell head over heels in love and now I can’t stop writing about this sweet gorgeous boy, so here’s the first part of a series with an OC I made last week. Enjoy!

Cassandra’s POV

It was mid morning when I was rudely awoken by the birds singing loudly out of my bedroom window. I glared at the bright blue and yellow winged creatures looking at me from their perch on my windowsill before groaning and yanking my blankets back over my head. A few minutes passed in relative silence before the birds started singing again, and I blindly threw my pillow in the direction of where I thought my window was, aiming to hit the birds, my face still buried in my mattress. I heard a crash echo through my room a second later, and I sat up quickly, my head spinning. I looked around, finally spotting where the flying pillow had slammed into my easel, knocking over my paints and brushes from where I had almost fallen asleep trying to finish yet another painting. I was almost done with my latest portrait, and today I would be going into the village to sell it to one of the craftsman’s wives who I had sketched the week before. My mother had always told me that I was born to be a painter, yet I didn’t believe her. I thought I was mediocre at best, and felt as though I would never match up to the artist my mother was. She could make colors come alive, and when one looked at her paintings they felt as though they were at the meadows and lakes that she sketched so effortlessly. I still yearned to be something more, and always knew that there was something missing, but I still couldn’t figure out what it was. Sighing softly, I stood up, walking over to pick up the mess, when I heard a knock at the front door. Looking in the mirror across from my easel, I took in my messy unkempt blonde hair, my sleep glazed hazel eyes, and my white tunic that was still splattered with dried paint, and grimaced. Deciding that there was no time to fix my current appearance, I stepped around the cluster of paints and brushes on the floor and walked out of my room, straightening out my hair as best as I could before opening the door. A man who I recognized as the son of the woman I was currently painting was standing awkwardly on my porch, his deep brown eyes looking me up and down briefly as he ran a hand through his cropped ginger hair. I raised an eyebrow when he didn’t say anything and continued to stand there looking at me. “Is there something I can help you with?” I asked, a hint of anger in my voice as he straightened up, blushing profusely. “Uh, y-yes. my mother wanted to ask when you were going to send her the painting she requested last week,” he responded anxiously, and I rubbed my eyes tiredly. “I am almost finished. Tell her I’ll bring it to her later this morning,” I said curtly, trying desperately to end the conversation. The man nodded, getting the cue that it was time for him to leave before I smacked him with a pillow as well. As soon as he turned around I shut the door, taking a deep breath before walking back to my room and cleaning up the mess of paints and brushes strewn across the floor. Setting up my workstation, I quickly got to painting again, only finishing up just as the sun was nearing its highest point in the sky. Once the paint was dry, I changed out of my paint splattered tunic and into a light blue one, brushing out my hair and braiding it before slipping on my sandals. Rolling up the painting, I quickly walked out of my house and into the forest, hoping desperately to get back home soon and make dinner before the sun went down. 

As I walked through the familiar path that I always took to get to the village I suddenly got the strange sensation that I wasn’t alone, and I stopped, listening for any abnormal sounds. At first I heard nothing, but after a few moments I heard the soft sound of someone breathing, along with the cracking of twigs from somewhere behind me. holding my bag closer to my chest, I narrowed my eyes as I looked around, trying to spot whoever was following me. “Who’s there?” I shouted, but my question went unanswered. Quickening my steps I started to run towards the village, but was stopped as I felt a hand on my shoulder. Screaming, I shut my eyes tightly and threw my bag at whoever was behind me, hearing a yelp and a thump before racing behind a cluster of bushes to see if I had successfully caught the culprit. Slowly peeking out from the foliage, I was shocked to see a young man face down on the forest floor, his long brown hair braided down his back. I waited for a few moments to see if he would get up, and when he didn’t I slowly crept from my hiding place to get a better look. As I stood in front of the unconscious man, I felt my face heating up as I saw his toned and muscled limbs, and wondered how exactly a man of his stature ended up in an artisan town. Wanting to take a closer look, I knelt down by his head and was about to lift it up when the man moved and I screamed again, watching as he sat up and rubbed his head before turning towards me. As his light blue gaze locked with mine I felt the world stop for a moment, and I felt the sudden need to ask him if he was single. Shaking my head to clear those absurd thoughts away, I stood up, crossing my arms as the man looked up at me dumbly.  “Who are you, and why were you following me?” I asked, trying not to stare too long at his perfectly chiseled chest. The man seemed at a loss for words, rubbing his neck awkwardly before responding, “I was trying to find my way to the town, and i got lost along the way. When I saw you I thought I would let you lead the way so I wouldn't try to find my way on my own and end up not knowing my way back.”  His voice was light, and it sounded kind, which brought a little relief to me. Letting some of my initial anger dissipate, I looked him up and down, noticing a rather large welt forming on his forehead from where I had not so graciously hit him in the face with my bag. “I...I’m sorry for hitting you earlier. I panicked, because I thought you were going to hurt me,” I apologized, seeing a grin start to form on the man's face. He laughed then, the bright and cheerful sound sending a shiver down my spine. “It’s alright. Trust me, I’ve dealt with worse,” he told me with a smile, and I found myself blushing yet again. As I was about to ask him his name, I heard my stomach rumbling, and I smiled sheepishly. “I haven’t eaten food since yesterday morning,” I admitted, seeing his eyes widen. As I felt my mind grow fuzzy I stumbled a little as I tried to walk, and the man was suddenly at my side, helping me to stand. “Let’s take you back home,” he said softly as I leaned against him tiredly. “No, i cant. I still have to get this painting to a woman in the village. She’s practically chomping at the bit,” I protested, but the man instead hoisted me into his arms like I was a sack of carrots, carrying me out of the forest. Deciding against further arguing, I sighed, resting my head against his warm chest. After a few seconds I heard him take a breath, and I raised my head, looking up at him as he glanced down at me. “I don’t believe I ever asked you for your name,” he said, and I laughed, shaking my head. “My name is Cassandra, but everyone here just calls me Cassie,” I responded, and he smiled gently at me. “That is a beautiful name,” he remarked, and I blushed, looking away. As soon as we reached my home he put me down, and I glanced up at him. “What is yours?” I asked, curiosity overcoming my desire for food, and without sparing a single breath he answered, “my name is Hermes.”                    

#blood of zeus #hermes #boz hermes #boz x oc #romance #angst

[horrorkingdom]

The Satellite Images

A friend of mine showed me how to use Google Maps. I'm sure you've seen it. It lets you use satellite images to look at locations all over the world. A few years ago, I was in a car accident. Since then, I really don't leave the house that often. It's difficult, and the idea of a seeing a car drive by me makes me feel lightheaded. I was fascinated by the fact that I could see all over the world, almost like being there. I could virtually walk down the streets, and it almost felt like I was really there.

I became instantly hooked. It gave me a real eye on the world. I could go to almost any major city, and I did. I'd seen streets in China, Japan, Germany, and England... so many places. I'd even gone to tourist attractions like the Great Barrier Reef and Dracula's castle.

My favorite was to go to random places in major cities and see how many people and animals I could find. The faces of the people were always blurred to protect their privacy, but it was still enjoyable to see them out there, enjoying their life, walking like it was no big deal.

"She must have good taste," I laughed.

I zoomed in closer and noticed the grey bag she carried on a grey and purple shoulder strap. She was walking in a relaxed manner, one hand trailing the wall beside her. I bet if I could have seen her face, I would see that she was smiling. I began to feel a little sad. I let my hands fall onto the arms of my wheelchair and looked at her for a minute more. I wished that I could be there, walking so carefree with her. That wouldn't happen though, until I died. I was stuck in this chair. I sighed and zoomed out of Tokyo. Enough of this for tonight. I turned off the computer and went to bed.

—

I got up early and decided to look around Paris. Paris was always fun. I liked the look of the city, with all of the old, beautiful buildings and so many people to watch. I randomly zoomed to an area and saw a street, lined with old brick buildings, a few small shops, and an old tan brick church. Ahead was an intersection, and dozens of people walked by. A balding businessman walked quickly past, looking back at an old woman, hair covered with a scarf, carrying a large purse. A curvy woman in black pants that were too tight stared into a store window, and two women led a group of small children around a corner.

I spun the view around a few more times, and then saw something peculiar. Sitting on the bench at the bus stop, were two people. One of them was a young woman with her feet stuck in front of her in a relaxed manner. She was wearing a pair of red sneakers, like my own. I was startled for a moment; as I noticed the black pants, white t-shirt, and black hooded jacket. Her dark brown hair was tied loosely behind her head. A grey bag sat on the bench beside her, the shoulder strap hooked over her shoulder.

"This is crazy," I thought. "It can't possibly be the same woman. This is a different country, different continent even. How could it be her?"

This was stupid. It wasn't as if these were live photographs. They were taken ahead of time and then stored. It's not like she was in two places at once. She could just be a traveler. Besides, without seeing her face, it was impossible to tell it was the same person. Brown hair was probably the most common hair color in the world. Those red sneakers were something I purchased online. I'm sure a million other people did too. I shook my head and went to fix some lunch.

When I got back online, I decided to look at Berlin. I picked a random street, as usual. It looked pretty empty. There were brick buildings lining the streets, looking more like factories than anything else. There were also empty lots, full of long grass and piled gravel. There wasn't much to see at all, really. There was a line of motorbikes and a car with two German flags sticking up from it. After more searching, I found one kid. He looked like he was dressed for school, a jacket thrown over his bag. He was intently looking at some kind of mobile device. I was disappointed. I started to leave, but then I caught something out of the corner of my eye. I turned the view, and there they were. Those damned red sneakers.

She was standing on a street corner, next to some kind of signpost. She had a hand on the post, looking down the street, as if waiting to cross the street. I stared, in shock. How could she be there too? Even if she was traveling, there's no way I would find her every time. Even finding her in Paris would have been one heck of a coincidence, but this? This was crazy. Was this some kind of joke? Had Google decided to play a prank on its users that used their product so much? It would have been a great joke...

I did a quick search, looking for a note about a woman that shows up like Waldo. There was nothing. I looked through articles on strange things you can see on Google Maps, but none of them mentioned the woman that travels the world with you. This was crazy. Had my self-imposed isolation driven me mad? Had I become so lonely that I created a hallucination for myself?

Leaving the Berlin image on my screen, I sent a text message to a friend, asking him to look at the locations. I asked him if he saw the same woman. Then I waited, hands sweating, heart thumping in my chest. I jumped when my phone beeped with a return text message, ten minutes later.

The text read, "I see the lady you're talking about in Berlin. I didn't see her in Paris or Tokyo. Is this some kind of game, or what? Are you okay?"

I didn't respond, instead returning to the locations in Tokyo and Paris. There she was. She was there, but it was different. She no longer sat on the bus-stop bench, in Paris. She was standing in front of it, looking for something in her bag. In Tokyo, she was blocks away, squatting down to pet that calico cat. I shivered. Who was she? What was happening?

I switched the map to Brussels. It was another city street. It was lined with old looking buildings, with shops on the ground level, and what I guessed was apartments above. I quickly scanned the streets. They were empty, other than a stocky woman in a bright blue sweater. I did a second sweep. She wasn't there. I sighed in relief. I couldn't believe I was getting so worked up about this.

It was nothing but a coinci-- I stopped, my eyes frozen on the screen. There was a building at the point of a fork in the road, white with a black-ironwork-framed balcony jutting from the second floor. I hadn't seen her, as I had been looking at the sidewalks. There she stood, standing on the balcony, her head tilted in the direction of the camera, almost like she was coyly looking toward me. My breath caught in my throat.

I switched to Sydney. She was leaning against the wall, inside the doorway of a bright blue Carricks Pharmacy building. London showed her getting ready to step onto a red double-decker bus, her head turned to look over her shoulder. She was everywhere I looked. She stood on a brick sidewalk on a bridge in Venice, she walked across a yellow barred crosswalk in Zurich; and in Hong Kong, and she stood between a Wing Lung Bank and a McDonald's adjusting the strap on her bag. In each picture, she came closer and closer to looking directly at me with her blurred out face.

My heart felt like a terrified bird, slamming around inside my chest. I couldn't catch my breath. I wasn't sure what to do. I couldn't call the police. Should I send screenshots to Google?

I clenched my fists tightly and closed my eyes. Who was she? Was she following me? Was I following her? I wish I could see the expression on her face, know what she saw when she looked back at me. I wanted to get out of the chair and run. Why is it that the only thing that made me feel free again, was the thing that made me feel even more trapped? I had to know.

I typed in the name of my town and zoomed into a random street. It was a couple of miles from my house; the gates to the city park were shown in the clarity of daylight, despite it being night here. There she was. There... There she was. She was only a few miles from my house, standing under the ironwork arch that stated the name of the park. She looked directly at the camera, directly at me. I felt like I might throw up. She was near me, and she was watching me. She was coming for me. What did she want?

I typed in the name of the apartment complex where I live. I could see the outside of the building. The parking lot was full of cars, and there were a few blurred out children on the playground. I searched everywhere for her. She wasn't in the parking lot or on the sidewalks, not hiding between the buildings or standing in the playground. I even scanned each of the cars, behind the bushes, and each of the blurred windows. She wasn't there. I curled tightly around myself and lay my head down on the desk.

This place was safe. I didn't leave the apartment anyway. I would never use Google Maps again. I would never see her again. She could stay at the park for all I cared. I smiled to myself and was surprised to find a tear slipping down my face.

"I'm safe," I said to myself in a whisper. It felt good to hear it out loud. "I'm safe."

As I said it, there was a knock at the door. A chill ran down my spine. I had a camera hooked to my computer that showed who was at the front door, which made it easier for me, with my mobility issues. I slowly reached for the control to show myself who was outside, but my hand trembled furiously. As I touched the control, I realized my mistake. The last of Google's images that I'd seen had only shown the outside of the building. Just the outside.

I looked at the screen and saw a woman in a white t-shirt, black pants, black hooded jacket; and carrying a grey bag with a purple and grey striped shoulder strap. Of course, there were those red sneakers. She looked directly at the camera, her face still a complete blur. As I tried to stifle a scream, she raised a hand and knocked loudly on my front door.

#explore #beginner witch #spirituality #sigils #journal #creepy #creepypasta #horror #horror community #truefacts #true stories #follow #new to tumblr #scary stories #creepy photo #Reddit

[israltale]

Croma’s Creation.

Cross couldn’t believe what happened recently. He knew of the multiverse. He knew of so many Timelines, but recently, a lot of Timelines were destroyed or just… disappeared? He noticed in his own Timeline the disappearance of his Comrades, the Bad Sanses, but also of the Light in his Soul. Dream had disappeared as well, did that mean this Timeline was the next to vanish? He needed to find out what was going on, so he went to the one Skeleton who could tell him. “INK!” Cross yelled as soon as he found the Protector of AUs. 

“Cross?! What brings you to me?” Ink asked, his Eye Lights changing, while he looked at the Monochrome skeleton.

“Ink where is everyone? Why did all of them suddenly disappear?”

Ink looked at him quizzically. “Oh?!? They didn’t tell you? They all went to this AU that suddenly appeared out of nowhere!” Ink said. 

Cross looked at him in disbelief. Nightmare and the others went there, without taking him with them? … Unlikely… They would have taken him with them, but if not, Dream would have, because he would never go alone after his Brother. “Take me there.” Cross demanded. 

Ink looked at him for a while. “Fine.” Ink lastly said and splattered Cross with Ink to open a path for him. As Cross fell he could hear Ink laugh insanely. Did Cross mistake something? He may not know for now, his Mission was to get his Friends back.

Cross woke up surrounded by a thick Forest, huge trees looming over him. “Where?” He jerked up to his feet, calling his sword to be on guard. There was no threat around him, only singing birds, some rabbits looking at him in wonder and nothing more. Cross looked up, the bright blue sky greeting him, the sun shining through the trees to lighten the clearing. He wondered where he was now, was this the new AU Ink had spoken of? Carefully and on guard, Cross went through the clearing. 

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU LOST HER?!?” Cross jumped into one of the Bushes nearby to hide away. In front of him was a man in a long dark purple coat, staring down at a soldier?

“I’m so sorry, Master Grima.” The soldier cowered in front of him. 

“Is it that difficult to catch a single Woman?” He hissed at the Soldier, kicking him to the Ground. “You know how much I want her beating Heart in my HAND and you IDIOTS can’t even do THAT!” 

Cross frowned in silent, this Man had no good intentions. Killing a Woman? How cruel can one be? “FIND HER!” He yelled at the soldier, the poor man hurried away. 

Cross needed to find the Woman and Protect her. He carefully made his way down to the Town he had seen in the Distance; it was hard to not see it because the whole town was glittering in the sun getting through to it. Then and there he hid in bushes or behind trees because the soldiers were patrolling and he was not from this AU. The Town he had seen was made of jewels and gems, crystals and other expensive stuff, but the People walking on the golden tiled street were more humble as rich, maybe it was just how the Houses were built there? The Monochrome Skeleton was amazed at the sight, a thick flora growing all around, Children playing happily with one another. People standing on the sides of the Street to talk to one another. It seemed almost harmonic. 

“Did you get lossssssst.” Someone hissed behind him. Cross jumped, calling his large knife. “Calm, Ssssstranger.” 

The Skeleton was amazed, before him was a Woman, but her lower half was that of a Snake. Something he didn’t see yet. “I’m sorry… I’m new here.” He finally said, very carefully lowering his Knife. 

“I can sssssssee that… Maybe our High-Priesssssst can help you.” The Snake Woman said, starting to move somewhere. Cross wasn’t sure if it would be safe to follow her, but then again, she wasn’t armed.

The woman brought him to a silent place, some gemstones growing out of the earth, before a crystal clear Lake came into view. It was far away from the Original town and it seemed it grew Night already, but the Lake seemed in bright Daylight, while everything else around them had turned dark.

“THERE SHE IS!” Cross was in alert immediately, Soldiers running away from them, but they chased someone. Cross blinked, they hunted after a young woman with very long red hair, she wore a white dress that faded into a dark purple. Cross growled, the Royal guard in him getting the upper Hand as he ran after them. 

“Ssssssttttooooooopppp!” He could hear the Females Voice, but nothing of it mattered anymore. A Woman was in need of Help and he would be ashamed till he dusts to not have done Anything. But the Soldiers lost the Woman in the deepest of the Forest. 

“Damn… she escaped again!” One of them grumbled. “Master Grima will not be amused…” The other whined. It seemed the Woman knew this Forest pretty well and wasn’t running away from them just Today. But Cross flared with determination. He would have a Talk with their Master. The Soldiers brought him to their Master, without them knowing, but Grima was not amused, like one of the had predicted. 

“What IMBECILES YOU ARE!” Grima shouted. “Why can’t you catch one damn Woman?” He hissed at them in sheer Rage. The two Soldiers cowered before him, begging for his Forgiveness, but it was in Vain. He would not forgive them. His rage unleashed. Cross starred as the Man grew a pair of leather skinned Wings, growling darkly at them, only to pierce through their armour with a long sharp Tail. The Skeleton watched in Shock as the two soldiers' skin was melting and only Bones remained, but not for long, before the remnants dust.

Grima inhaled sharply. “I will catch her myself… Ripping her Heart out will be the greatest pleasure for me.” He said darkly, this was enough for Cross. He summoned his red glowing Knife and charged at the Man before him. His determination burned deeply in his Soul. Grima turned, just in time to see the Knife coming down on him. The Man dodged just last second. “Who are you?” He growled.

“Doesn’t matter to a pile of dust!” Cross hissed and charged at him again. Grima growled, he had still enough Rage to fight this little Skeleton off easily. Or so the Man fought, because the Monster burned with Determination. Not giving up easily. 

“You dare to go against the King’s Advisor?”

Cross gave a dry laugh. “I don’t care who you are.” The skeleton was about to charge again, the fight already on for a while, as the King Advisor seemed to grow. Cross stepped back, the Man did grow and actually deform. No this was Bad! The monochrome Skeleton needed to stop him. Cross took a deep breath, taking all his remaining Determination and Magic for one last Attack. He needed to finish him off before he changed. So Cross jumped at him with all he had left. He could make use of the Seconds Grima needed to change into a huge six eyed Dragon, it was enough for Cross to slice right through his not hardened Chest Scales, hitting right through the sensitive heart. He saw the HP dropping rapidly, before Grima started to Dust. But it was too expensive. Cross couldn’t move anymore. He felt his own HP dropping, while he tried to urge his aching bones. He needed to find something to recover…

But he couldn’t move, no matter how hard he tried, no matter how much he wanted, his Bones didn’t obey him. Cross started to laugh dryly, seeming like this was his End, without finding out if his comrades and the Light of his Soul were here or not. He relaxed a bit, he would dust anyway so he could at least do it while thinking of the others…. But before his Body started to give out on him and his soul would shatter it reached out to something, throbbing with Power. Cross gasped, as his soul absorbed the Power source. His Bones in pain, while his soul burned with the struggle.

The sudden surge inside him made him gasp in pain, it felt like his bones were pulled apart, as if someone was ripping out limb after limb, while his Soul burned, the Power wanting to overthrow him. Whatever it was it tried to take over, something Cross could not let happen. Still it was such great Pain surging through his tired bones. Until finally his scream echoed, only for the calm Forest to hear. What happened after that, Cross can’t remember.

Footsteps echoed through the Forest, guided by the pained howls and the sorrowful gasping of someone in Pain. The Moon was up high in the Sky guiding the Path for the one wandering so late into the dark Forest. “This smell… Grima?” a skeleton clad in greenish grey clothing stepped into the remnants of a Battlefield. Dust laying there and another skeleton, wincing in Pain. “He is not from here.” He drew closer to the monochrome Skeleton, his green eye lights lit by the Crescent Moon’s pale light. “This Skeleton… I need to bring him to Arisa.” He whispered to the silent forest, the wind howling in answer to his Words, rustling the leaves.

He carefully lifted the one in Pain, noticing the burning bones and the fight of two kinds of Magic inside his battered Soul. It was alarming and made the other hurry through the Forest, deeper into the Darkness. Soft sounds of a Flute calling for him, getting louder the closer he reached the dark Castle. The Melody familiar to his green Soul and even bringing salvation for the pained on his Back. 

“Sir Cobra!” Someone called for him on the stairs of the dark glowing castle, there and then some soft blue hues. 

“Alure, inform the Infirmary.” The one calling for him was a small Skeleton with two purple Horns, a small purple Tail behind him. 

“Yes, Sir!” He said hastily before bolting off. 

“Another one?” A deep Voice asked. 

“Yes… I found him deep in the forest… Grima’s smell is all around him…” Cobra said, as someone peeled from the Darkness. A Skeleton covered in good. Six cyan coloured Horns on his Head, a pair of leathery bat like wings and four tails trailing behind him. “I will inform the Guardian.” The Goop covered Skeleton said. 

“Thanks, Narish.” Cobra answered before he went off to get Cross into the Infirmary.

“Dearest Guardian.” Narish walked up to a figure standing on one of the dark Balconies, looking out into the Forest.

“Narish, Co came back?”

Narish nodded. “Yes, with another Skeleton, i do not know what has occurred but he seemed in Pain.” The Person he went to turned around. 

“He brought him to the Infirmary.” It was the Woman Cross had tried to Save, but she did not know this. “I see, I will go down.” She said, walking up to Narish. He softly stroked over her Cheek. 

“He smelled Like Grima… so do be careful, even with Cobra and Alure there.” The Woman nodded softly.

“I will, Narish.” She went down to meet Cobra at the Infirmary. Alure running around to find things to ease the unknown monochrome Skeletons pain. “Co.” 

Cobra turned. “Arisa.” He said softly. 

“He is not from our AU.” She said softly, walking up to the plagued Skeleton. 

“No, I found him in the Forest… with a big Pile of Dust and Grima’s Smell.” Cobra reported Back, watching her sit beside the burning Skeleton. 

“Yes… Grima’s Magic is battling this one’s Soul.” She said softly. Alure stopped, staring up at her. 

“But Lady Millenia!” 

Millenia smiled softly. “I know.” She said, before she started to sing a soft Lullaby. Her voice sounding softly in the silent room helped the one fighting in pain. He calmed down, the burning of his bones finally easing up and he went to a soft slumber.

Cross woke up with an aching feeling to his soul, he felt stronger, but also not himself anymore. He had grown, that much he could feel already. 

“Oh!” A soft gasp was close to him, but Cross was not feeling well enough to jump up and get his Knife. His hazy eye lights finally adjusted, he was in a white room and it smelled like disinfectant and medicine. 

“Guardian! Guardian!” He heard the soft male Voice again, tilting his throbbing head to see a purple tail disappear through the Door.

“He woke up?” Cross was about to drift away again, only to jolt as he heard a female voice enter the room. 

“Yes, Guardian.” Cross moaned slightly, everything was still in Pain.

“Do not rush. You have gone through severe Pain and change.” He blinked, finally seeing a small skeleton with two purple horns, staring with purple eye lights worriedly at him. But his gaze was drawn to the Woman he had seen Running from the Soldiers. 

“Where….” 

She smiled a bit, sitting down in a chair. “This is the Vicinity of Chaos, deep inside IsralTale. You were found in the sleeping Forest, wracking with fever and Magic that was not your own.” She said calmly. 

“The Man… Gr….Grima…” Alure looked up to the Female in shock. 

“Stay Calm. Focus on recovering yourself with the new Magic coursing through your Soul. Once your Body is not in Pain anymore, we shall talk. Alure will Tend to your needs.” She said, the small Skeleton nodding. Cross wanted to thank her, but the emptiness of unconsciousness claimed him again.

It had taken a few weeks for Cross to recover. Now he was in the huge Throne Room, in front of the Leader named Narish and the Woman he had met before. Cobra was the one who had found him, or so Alure had told the curious Skeleton. 

“How are you feeling with the new acquired form?” Narish asked in a deep voice. Cross had noticed the changes, a large purple tail had grown and four purple horns on his Skull. His Canines had gotten longer as well and he was now 8’3”. Alure told Cross that he had turned into a Dragon Hybrid, still Skeleton but also with the abilities of a Dragon. “Are you willing to share with us, how it came to you entering Hybrid Life?” Narish asked.

Cross nodded. “My timeline lost my comrades and someone very dear to me, so I went to the creator Ink…. He had brought me here where i overheard a man yelling at a Soldier.” Narish nodded slowly. “A Snake Woman wanted to bring me to the High-Priest, who might have helped me get back to my AU, but all i saw was a Woman… This Woman ran from soldiers.” Alure looked up to Millenia. “I followed them till they lost sight of her and then followed them to their Master… Grima?” 

Cobra sighed. “So you fought with him?” Cobra asked.

Cross nodded. “I could beat him with the last of my Magic and Determination… but what happened then I have no clue… I know there was a throbbing Power my Soul clung to as I prepared to be dusted.”

Narish looked back to Millenia. “Your Soul absorbed what was left from Grima, battling with his soul over the Reign of your Body and Mind.” Millenia said. 

“Oh… so that is why… I am this now?”

She nodded softly. “Yes, as a Monster absorbing the Soul of a Dragon is a huge risk to not only enter Hybrid territory but also maybe losing yourself…”

Cross sighed softly. “I see… so… How should i go on now?” Cross asked, he was a bit confused. 

“Well, the Question is if you want to go with your old Name… Alure and Ii Put them aside after we changed into Hybrids. Starting a new life with it.”

Cross nodded. “Okay.” 

Millenia looked at him softly, like a Mother watching over her growing Child. “You are more than Welcome to build a home for yourself in the Vicinity of Chaos, a Place that welcomes all beings in between.” Narish agreed on that. “For the Time being this Castle shall be a Haven, until you are ready to move on.” 

Cross nodded. “Thank you… and i thought of a Name to start my new Life.” They all looked at him, curious for his Decision. “I will be known as Croma.” He still felt Sad for losing his Comrades and Dream… But it was unclear how the other AU’s would react to the Power a Hybrid hold. 

Cobra nodded. “I shall show you to your temporary Room then.” The Skeleton said, guiding Croma to his new Room. Because he didn’t Plan to leave the Castle. He would be a Royal guard for the Leader of Hybrids.

#IsralTale #DragonHybrids #Croma #DarkMillenia #Backgroundstrory

[iicytodoroki]

𝐴𝑘𝑎𝑖 𝑇𝑎𝑖𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑎𝑜𝑖 - 𝑊𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐴𝑈! 𝐾𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑦𝑎𝑚𝑎 𝑇𝑜𝑏𝑖𝑜

𝘼𝙠𝙖𝙞 𝙏𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙖𝙤𝙞 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩

𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐖𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝! 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐱 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐞𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬! 𝐊𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐲𝐚𝐦𝐚 𝐓𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐨

Prologue > Chapter One 

It’s the mid-Victorian era (Edo period-Meiji era), where trains and electricity are being installed, hierarchy is still prominent, and young yn is on a picnic with her older sister and brother. The family’s parents were not able to attend due to business affairs abroad leaving them to enjoy spring’s blooming wildflowers and the lush green grass swayed by Zephyrus from the west and Eurus from the east.

Kazuko (和子 - first; the obedient) the oldest, your sister was busy chattering with your older brother Kotaro (太郎; shining son) about her marriage of three years. Kazuko’s husband is taking care of their two boys back at home. Young yn was nearby picking the freshly bloomed wildflowers to make a bouquet for her beloved siblings.

“Yn! You should come and join us for lunch!” Kotaro yelled in yn’s direction.

Yn turned around, “Wait, I’m almost done!”

Kazuko replied back, “Kotaro is going to eat your share of the tempura!”

Hearing this, yn quickly set her prematurely mad bouquets at where she was kneeling. Quickly rushing to their family’s short-legged table set-up. Just as she was finished wiping her hands from the damp cloth Kazuko thrusted into her face as she sat, Kotaro was about to take yn’s share of tempura. She tried to swipe it back from her brother, but he was faster and had a taller reach then yn. The eldest looked in amusement at her younger siblings arguing over a piece of fried food while she got the tea ready. 

During their lunch, the siblings spoke about their stories they weren’t able to cover in their letters. Reminisce and laugh on memories from childhood. Like how Kazuko was swooning over her crush when she went to a seminar and Kotaro caught of whiff of it, so he thought it’d be fun to figure out who the fellow was and invite him to their home. Kazuko lit up in bright red and turned from a collected young lady to a stuttering mess when she saw her parents talking to her now husband about the academic conferences he had attended. Another was when Kotaro and Yn were playing on the very same area but twelve years prior, in a game of hide-n-seek but Kotaro thought it would be amusing to scare little yn in the forest. Resulting in tears and tripping to run in the arms of her parents.  

Stuffed and starting to feel drowsy with the warmth of the sun radiating on to the siblings, Kazuko suggested it’s time they take a long leisure walk around the beautiful estate. Yn bolted up from her laying on her back to rush back to her bouquets. She really wanted to get them done before her beloved siblings left her again. Kazuko lives a half-a-day’s travel and Kotaro will be going abroad to meet with their parents since he’ll be training under them. Yn knew Kazuko liked to dry the flowers and use them as decor. Kotaro has been learning to work from the bottom-up in the family business, causing him to travel a lot nowadays, so he likes to press the flowers as he journals and write letters to yn back home. 

I better give Nisan extra flowers since he’ll be abroad, yn thought. 

“Yn, we’ll be walking the usual path if you need us,” said Kazuko, opening her lavender wasaga1 

“Make sure to get me more fragrant flowers for my collection,” Kotaro piped as he walked alongside their Onesan.

Yn nodded and waved with her youthful smile as her siblings turned their backs to face the trail. 

She kneeled down to tuck in her light blue yukata, which was embellished with her mon (family crest of hollyhocks), under her knees. Once yn was done with her sister’s flowers, she set it aside and put some more thought on her brother’s. She noticed his theme did not have as much variety and looked too similar to Kazuko’s. In search of different wildflowers to fit her brother’s taste, yn set down her work to walk along the edges of the forest a few meters on her left. 

Yn hoped to find patches or bushes of different flowers in the forest. But instead you hear rustling ahead of you. Then yn spots a tuft of silver-gray hair running away. 

It looks to be a man, yn thought.

Next she sees the white-haired man pull out his pocket-watch, dropping an apricot embroidered handkerchief in the process. 

“I’m going to be late! Late, late, late!” he mumbled in frustration. 

Before yn could call out to him that he dropped his belonging, he quickly dashed off through the bushes without a trace but the fallen leaves, almost like a rabbit. 

“I know my way around here and surely that man wouldn’t be going to attend an affair so deep in the forest,” yn said to herself. 

With that assumption, yn could give the handkerchief back and return to her original place, so she chased after the man. After all, it would not hurt her to return a lost item and it’d be rude not to. 

In her attempts to keep up with the man, while calling out to him, yn did not notice the contrast in light and thickened foliage under her feet. 

“Hey! Sir you dro-,” yn shouted but got her foot caught in an overgrown root. Propelling her to an oddly large,

.

.

.

dark

.

.

.

cold

.

.

.

rabbit’s hole.

Screaming, yn clutched the handkerchief and shut her eyes in fear of the impending impact that awaits her at the bottom. However, she failed to notice that during her fall, the musty dirt cavern gradually changed to white walls with gold detailing. 

Then everything came to a stop. The wind that was once blowing on yn as she fell was no more. Peaking one eye at the time, yn was kneeling in a grand circular room. Burgundy walls and white marbled floors underneath her. As she scoped the room, she saw the white-haired man go through a door which slammed shut. The sound echoed throughout the room, enclosing the fear in yn that she is in an unknown place and that the only way is to follow that young man. 

Yn got up to go towards the door, not without noticing the change in her attire. Her once light blue yukata has now changed into a puffy light blue dress with a pinafore2. Yn also noticed that she had a dainty necklace with hollyhocks. 

“W-what,” yn said in confusion “this can’t be real…”

After many pinches on yn’s arms and legs, she concluded no more time should be wasted and went back to the task at hand. When approaching the only door in the room, it seemed to be getting smaller. As yn stood right in front of it, she finally realized the door has been miniature-size all along. Stressed on what to do next, yn surveyed the room again. Only for her eyes to fall on a plain corner table with something sparkling in her eye. 

Walking towards it, yn could clearly see that it’s a glass vile tagged with “Drink Me”. Out of options and time, yn hopes for the best and drank its contents. In a matter of a few seconds, yn and everything on her shrank. Checking to see all her limbs and other body parts are still intact, she let out a sigh or relief and raced for the door. 

Turning the knob and opening the door, yn’s eyes widen in fascination. 

To her left and right were gorgeous and ginormous flowers. Large butterflies with wings as clear as day. Tiny birds with starry night wings swooshed passed her by the hair. The songs of the birds were not of the usual twittering or chirping, but harmonized tunes. 

Amidst in her amazement, she hears the familiar muttering of “...late, oh dear my, I’m late again.”

Directing her gaze ahead of her was the young man as he ruffled his hair in frustration before breaking into a run once again. Without a second thought, yn ran after him, determined to never lose sight of him in this unknown wonderland.

1(oil-paper umbrella)

2(sleeveless garment like an apron)

A/N: i hated and loved redoing this. also why the hecc a, i not able to do superscripts on here, i literally copied from g-docs.

#hope you guys enjoy my first series #let me know what you think #the cast is too big so we just gonna put people who will be featured next #kageyama tobio x reader #kageyama x reader #akai taichiaoi #wonderland au #hinata shoyo #sugawara koushi #tsukkishima kei #tadashi yamaguchi #kuroo tetsurou #kenma kozume #lev haiba #yaku morisuke #bokuto koutaro #akaashi keiji #konoha akinori

[kpopchangedme]

Nocturna: Part IV

The fragile peace between undead and lycanth is imperilled your arrival to the Inferorum Castrum. Between the changing power dynamics of the wolf pack and the insatiable urges of the vampire king, you aren’t exactly sure where your loyalty lies.

Protagonists: Bang Chan & You (Im Jaebeom)

Word Count: 5.4k

Genre: NSFW | Supernatural!au | Vampires | Werewolves | Angst | Romance | Love Triangle

Nocturna Masterlist | HALLOWEEN

“G-Gran?” You are so weak you can’t distinguish anything when the old woman runs a cold cloth on your brows.

“Shhh…” She whispers softly. She used to do the same every night you’d have a nightmare after your parents died. “You need to sleep, love.” Feverish, you shiver, and a droplet of water runs down your cheek, burning. It comes again and again. Through the haze, you realize you’re crying and she’s wiping all of your tears one by one, patiently. 

“I had…” Your throat tightens and you let out a whine. “... A-Another nightmare.” Your shoulders jolt overcame with sobs. She pulls you into her arms, hiding you. You cry until you can’t anymore, cry until you fall dead asleep. 

___

You wake up in a bedroom that’s unfamiliar but far more reassuring than the last one. The sun is shining brightly through the three large windows. There’s a fresh breeze coming through, making sheer cream curtains dance beautifully. You have no idea where you are but you are at peace. You’ve cried and slept a lot, then cried some more. Now you are empty, done, dry. 

At least, you are not in pain anymore, it’s a lot better. You sit up to stretch, making the sheets fall from you. Oops, apparently you’re totally naked.

“Good morning,” Chan greets and you jump, startled. Covering yourself a second too late, you locate your friend on the floor. He’s simply sitting there unphased, back pressed to the mattress. “How are you feeling, better?”

“W-What are you doing here?” Clutching to the sheets, you bring both of your knees under your chin to protect the little dignity you have left. 

“This is my bed, y\n.” He smiles faintly, looking away just to stop making you uncomfortable. Were his canines always this sharp, or are you only just noticing now? "The Inferorum Castrum is my home."

“What are you doing on the floor?”

“Guarding you. You’ve been sick for days, but the fever finally broke a few hours ago. You drank too much blood...” His face briefly twists in disgust.  “You must have a lot of questions.” That’s the understatement of the year, you wait for him to go on, but the young hunter doesn’t explain what you’re doing in his bed, naked.

Instead, he stands, crossing the room to casually open a drawer of his dresser. After he finds what he’s looking for, he hands you a black shirt. It’s one of his own, the ones you’ve always seen him in. When he notices you don’t react, Chan hesitates before turning his back so you can dress properly. You wonder if he’s the one who undressed you too. That’s embarrassing, especially if he is to trust and had to spend days nursing you back to health.

“Your First Full Moon is in two weeks. Thankfully, you still have time to familiarise yourself with… Things.” Chan pauses, and you keep your eyes glued to the back of his silver curls to make sure he isn’t peeking as you put his shirt on. As expected, it’s so large on you you’re basically buried under. “That’s… Why I did it that day, so you could have a short period of adaptation.” 

“For what?” He sneaks a glance over his shoulder making sure you are decent. You have absolutely no idea what he's talking about. “When can I go home, Chan?”

Sadness crosses his face for a second, it’s brief, but it's enough to tell you something is deeply wrong.  “I think you should eat first.” He sizes you up and down, walking towards the door. “You’ve lost too much weight fighting vampire venom.” 

“I’m not eating anything!” When you snap, his hand pauses above the knob, in suspense. “Not until you explain everything that happened to me... ” Stopping, you inhale sharply, remembering the details of the giant wolf attack, the pain and the fear. The young man observes from the other side of the room, expression carefully wiped out. “Chan, were you in the Forbidden Forest?” 

Sighing, he steps closer, only changing his mind when he sees you straighten anxiously. “What do you remember from that day?” He looks particularly disheartened, adding; “... And that night.” 

“I went on a hunt alone, as I normally do. On the outskirts and I was attacked by a wolf. I was dying but Jaebeom saved m-”

“Saved you?” Chan immediately interrupts defensive, he crosses his arms over his chest. “Trust me. That wolf wasn’t going to kill you.”

“Trust you?” He bears your accusatory glare like a pro. “What do you know about that beast?”

Please, say it was all a bad dream.

“I do know,” he almost looks mad now, “and I think you do too...”

“You attacked me.” So it was true, Chan is the silver wolf. If your glare could kill, he would be bleeding out on the floor by now. “You’re a monster.”

“A lycanth,” his jaw clenches, “we are shapeshifters.”

Hybrid freaks. That’s how Jaebeom referred to them. “Half-human, half-wolf,” you guess aloud. 

“No, not me... Y-” Chan's mouth remains ajar, but no other sound comes out. Then, he shuts both of his eyes like he swallowed something bad. “Some of us, like me, are born from werewolves mates within the pack. We legacies are rarer now. Lycanth were almost extinct after the war.”

“What war?”

“The Amaranthine Slaughter.” His mouth opens again, then closes. “That’s not important now. You are either born a lycanth, or you… become one... With the bite of an Alpha. You met Jackson, he is our pack's current one. Our highest authority, even parasites have to listen to-”

“But you are the one who bit me...” You don’t like where this is going, not at all. You know Chan like the back of your hand, know when to panic. He's clearly stalling, holding back something important.

“Yes... But I'm from an ancient lineage of Alphas...” He concedes, and you’re pretty sure he’s full-on blushing. “You are my first marking.”

“You… You weren’t killing me…” The room spins, you feel like throwing up.

“I turned you, into one of us.”

The fatality of his words hasn’t hit you yet. “Why me?”

“Hum, I don’t know where to start. I wasn’t expecting...” Chan chuckles clearly flustered, he runs a hand over his face. “The first time I saw you, I-”

“Am I a monster? Just like that!” Ok, now you’re panicking. “A hybrid freak?”

Chan blinks, taken aback and disenchanted, as you stand up. In a second he’s between you and the door, hands raised to try and appease you. He looks more hurt by your lack of interest in his story than your choice of words. “No no, y/n! It’s fine, everything’s going to be alright...”

“I need to see Gran!” He doesn’t budge when you duck under his arm to pull at the knob without success. It’s locked. He has locked you in his bedroom! 

“You’ll be able to visit her soon, after your first transformation.” Chan sounds strained. “I’ll tell you everything you need to know if you just calm down...”

Calm down?

When you stare at him, terrified, he tries to reach for you but you shrink away. This is not a discussion you want to have. Chan isn’t the human orphan you befriended. He’s nothing like the funny hunter you grew to care for and thought you knew. He’s a wolf, and he’s a liar. A cheat that totally freaks out when he reads the fear he now inspires you.

Chan doesn’t wait for you to calm down and clear your thoughts. That's what his experienced brothers and sisters recommended, the ones that already chose a mate. Instead, he makes the mistake of telling you everything. Even if you clearly are not ready.

Everything about what happened in the forest, him, the pack’s history, and this place; Inferorum Castrum.

___

It's only been a week, but you’re allowed outside the walls of the castle during the day, on your own. Well, almost. Even if you can’t see him, he is never quite far. Apparently, he's unable to leave you alone... At first, you were furious at everyone, and you cried a lot. When you were introduced, you refused to talk to the rest of the pack. Now, you are still lost, but you decided only the main culprit deserved your hatred; Chan. He’s the one who ruined your life, your human one.

You still wonder why Jackson agreed of you to join his pack, of all women from nearby villagers. What makes you special that they picked you, that Chan wanted you? Sure, you two had been close for years, but you never got that vibe from him. He never gave anything away, never hinted he might like to spend… You know... The rest of his few centuries of life with you! 

At least there’s freedom in your near future. As soon as you'll master shapeshifting, you’ll be free to go anywhere during the day. Provided that you abide by the Castrum court’s many rules, of course. There’s still a lot you don’t know about, but you’re getting around.

Aimlessly walking into the gardens, you try to work on your new sharper senses, you’re supposed to use your next days to train. You try to focus on the buzzing of a bee’ wings or the smell of one particular flower like Youngjae recommended. He’s one of your new brothers. He explained everything would be easier but even more intense after your first Full Moon; your first night out with the rest of the wolves.

The bright Delta has been the most useful and nice to you, especially since you avoid your ‘mate’ at all costs. You don’t even know where Chan is sleeping these days, you kicked him out of the bedroom and he hasn't come back since. If that psychopath thinks you are going to become his actual partner after what he did... He’s even crazier than you first thought.

Craving the cover of the shadows, you enter the large cedar maze you’ve grown familiar with. If you walk to its center, there’s a bench hidden behind rose bushes. You discovered it the first time you were allowed outside. It’s been your favourite place to nap and think ever since no one disturbs you there. There’s not much to do around at the Castrum except eat, sleep, or get to know everyone by playing games. You don’t feel like doing any of those things today. Tugging a branch to slip behind one of the red rose bushes, you accidentally sting yourself with a torn. Yelping from the pain and surprise, you bring the cut finger to the level of your eyes. Instantly, blood pearls and you stare at the crimson tear, lost in your thoughts.

Blood.

You haven’t had much time to wonder about the vampire that brought you to Inferorum Castrum in the first place. Jaebeom. No one except Chan, not even Youngjae or Jackson, has mentioned your first night here. Still, you’re well aware the whole pack knows what went down... They all heard. Knowing what you do know about this place now, it’s a small miracle the confrontation in the hall didn’t escalate to a full-on fight.

There is a lot of tension within the Castrum. Lycanth and vampires are apparently natural enemies who used to be at war, it lasted over a millennial. An infernal bloodbath known as the Amaranthine Slaughter. Both sides were so busy killing off each other, that they didn’t care about the casualties and destruction they were leaving in their midst. Not until humanity had enough and sought revenge. After two centuries of war, all three species were almost completely wiped out. It became clear they needed to stop killing each other to remain.

The Amaranthine Peace was signed between supernatural beings in the hopes of ending the massacre. Werewolves were the most vulnerable since they used to openly live together in human villages. That’s why the treaty included a special term; Vampires were to coexist with them, waiting for humans’ fugacious nature to forget about their legend. Every Vampire Court welcomed a pack within its castle, usually remote and well hidden from mortals. Thus the Inferorum Castrum became one of those sanctuaries. Jaebeom offered hospitality to his lifelong enemies, the Bang pack, to set an example. 

Vampires may be eternal, but lycanth aren’t, they only live three or four times longer than humans do. So, Chan wasn’t born during the war, but his grandfather was the Alpha who signed the peace treaty. In fact, out of all the rare legacies of your new pack, only Jackson was a pup during the war. It doesn’t keep younger wolves from openly hating the cold-ones though... And the aversion is quite mutual, If there's one thing Jaebeom was clear about with you, it’s that he hates werewolves, treaty or not. 

Since the Amaranthine Peace, life at the Castrum has been fragile and precious. Alphas and noble vampires have been working together to maintain it at all costs. That is the story you’ve been told… 

What the pack hasn’t told you, you’re starting to piece together on your own, slowly. 

Like why Jaebeom did… What he did with you.

He evidently didn’t get you weren’t human anymore. You imagine he knew Chan as one of Jackson’s Betas. He probably wasn’t aware he was from Alpha lineage. That his rank was slowly shifting within the pack, and that his bite could turn. Ah, ranks… Well, that’s complicated and hard to grasp for an outsider, even vampires. Youngjae had to explain them to you at least thrice… As of now. 

There’s the Alpha; the wisest and your leader. His mate is the Lead Huntress, and she is expected to be the fiercest, strongest warrior. You doubt Jackson has a mate at all, you’d have heard about her by now. Wolves are biologically programmed to obey one Alpha, they don’t have a choice. You still don’t fully get that, but they say your bond to Jackson will be stronger after your First Transformation.

The Betas; second in command to the Alpha couple, are skilled warriors and hunters. They keep the pack under control and well organized, Jackson relies on them a lot. The Betas are harder to get close too, you haven’t met many yet. They are mostly legacies, born-wolves.

The Deltas; considered even smarter than most Betas, are in charge of the training of the whelps. Some are also skilled healers, useful in combat. Youngjae is a Delta, and he is taking your training very seriously.

The Epsilons; non-ranking wolves, like you. Apparently, they used to be the largest group within packs before the war, but now there aren’t as many left. Epsilons are rarer, mostly pups that haven’t acquired any valuable set of skills yet.

Lastly, Omegas; always fighting authority... No one ever mentions these troublemakers to you. The fewer, the better.

Lost in your thoughts, you’re still staring at the tiny tear of blood on your finger when Chan appears as if materializing from thin air. He whines, grabbing your hand to assess the damage. 

“Are you hurt?” There’s a deep wrinkle of worry between his brows. Like every time he touches you, warmth envelops you both instantly.

Mates, he explained the first day. Before you can push him away, Chan brings your index to his mouth, gently sucking on your scratch. You’re so stunned by his gesture that you forget you’re supposed to be angry at him. Your lips part in awe, flushing as he licks your finger clean. After a heartbeat he looks up, seemingly realizing what he is doing. Your finger is still in his mouth, but Chan's almond gaze widens. Wolves mate for life, his previous words echo through your mind. What’s with lycanth and vampires with blood?

“I told you to be careful.” Releasing your digit like it’s ardent, he looks somewhat embarrassed. It is hard to actively hate him when every fibre of your being seems to vibrate at his proximity.

“Following me,” regaining poise, you cross your arms over your chest, "again?" 

“Yes,” Chan admits shamelessly, “Jackson asked me too.” 

“And you always do as he says!” You can't help your annoyance. Your former friend looking all cute and innocent after all that happened is too upsetting. 

"Well…” The left corner of his pout jiggles at your outburst. You’ve been going at it every time you see him these days. “He’s our Alpha.” Chan blinks blankly, obviously unsure where you are in your education. “Uh- Jackson is like um… a… How could you… It’ll be like that, you and me… You’ll get it soon, after your First-”

“I know what an Alpha is!” You roar, ducking under a branch to exit his intimate proximity. You need to put as much space as you can between your bodies. This mate bond is making you lose your mind, freaking you out. You can’t even think clear if Chan's near. First Full Moon this, First Full Moon that, there’s never actual explaining with him. “What about what I ask you? I told you… Leave me alone, Chan!” He follows like a lost puppy despite that, only staying a step behind. When you turn to glare at him, his face twists guiltily.

“I’ll do whatever to make us right.” He promises, “I just can’t... Disobey.”

You stop, and he does too, simultaneously. “When can I visit her?” 

“I went and brought Gran some game yesterday, she’s doing fine. She thinks you’re on a hunting tr-”

“When?” You repeat, inquisitive, though you already know the answer.

“Jackson said aft-”

“Don’t bother.” When you turn back to the castle, something catches the corner of your eye; a dark curtain falling back on the window of a room. You catch a breath despite yourself, staring until it stops swinging. It’s the vampires’ wing. That’s one thing that is rather easy to understand about the messy mapping of your new house. Though vampires and werewolves coexist at the Castrum, both equally avoid each other’s company. You haven’t even seen one undead since you’ve been living here, but you are aware there’s plenty of them. 

They live in the West wing, where the sun sets the earliest, and Lycanth – you – live in the East wing, where it rises.  

“It’s not him,” Chan deadpans after a long silence, voice-controlled. He isn't whiny anymore but rather cold. You both know who he means. “He’s been sent away on Council duty.”

“I don’t care.” You lie, although you have a lot on your plate, there’s no denying you do. Not that you have anything special going on with the king just… Ever since that first night, Jaebeom’s not come to see you, not even once. He probably has forgotten all about your existence, you were just a blood bank. Now that you are not fully human anymore, why would he care?

“Do you have any idea how I felt?” Chan asks dryly, all of a sudden. It's the first time he is actually bringing his feelings up. “Or do you not care about that either?”

“I don’t!” You bark back, but even you can tell that it is another lie. Perhaps it’d be easier to truly hate and blame Chan if he hadn’t been your closest friend for years… And if he wasn’t currently taking good care of your grandma, the closest thing you have to a family. You aren’t sure that, knowing what you do now about Chan, you’d made the same deal that night with Jaebeom.

“I was worried sick,” he replies without batting an eye, “I thought he was going to kill you... After... The king took you just to spite me. I finally made a move on you and then you were go-.”

“A move?!” You see it on his face when he understands he messed up bad. You’ve never been one prone to throw fits, but it’s all you can do ever since the bite. You have this anger constantly boiling within, and it's easy to push it all on Chan. “A move would’ve been actually asking me out! Getting me flowers or-”

“You hate flowers.” He reminds, missing the point.

“-or a gift! A move is what Jaebeom made in that room, Chan. Not dooming me into a forced lifelong relatio-”

You regret your words as soon as they slip from your mouth and stop yourself. Not that you don’t believe them, just that he doesn't need to hear that all over again. Even though you’re mad, there’s no denying Chan cares a lot for you. He picked you after getting to know you. Sure, you had no idea what he wanted, but it doesn’t change how he feels. It’s not like your usual self to dismiss people’s feelings like that. He doesn’t need to be told all about what happened between you and the vampire that night because he already knows. He had to listen to it all, has it happened.

“That room.” When he finally speaks again, he looks drained, resigned. He gestures the window with the hovering curtain. “That's Queen Ryujin’s.”

“P-Pardon?”

“I thought you didn’t care about anything or anyone except yourself.” He stares, expressionless, aware his next words have the effect of a stab. “That's his Queen's bedroom.” 

Suddenly, everything is spinning and you reach for your head with both hands for it to stop. Jaebeom is a vampire, he fed on you thinking you were just a lowly human. He hates werewolves, has said so over and over… He is a king somehow, and you’ve… You’ve… How is he married? Does one get that bored when they are eternal?

“Hey... Are you alright?” Chan’s arm wraps around your shoulders to pull you into him.

“Do not touch me!” You growl. Elbowing his chest, you fight back to free yourself. 

“I-I’m sorry,” his arm falls back idly, ‘I just thought…”

He has the decency to shut up then, and that’s how you know his words were absolutely true. In the end, it doesn’t matter. The only thing you’re sure of right now, is that Chan said this out of spite; hoping to hurt you.

“Y/n!” He calls when you leave but you don’t look back. 

You barely hear him, walking fast to the main hall and trying to calm yourself. Lines between your frustration with your mate and the king blur in your mind. When you reach the castle, you are totally hysterical. It isn’t rational at all, but you could murder anyone right now, you can't control it, it has taken over. Of course, the vampire king has a vampire queen! It all makes sense! Still, there’s a small voice in your mind who craves to yell, louder and louder. Why did Jaebeom bed you then? Sure, he called it ‘feeding’, but he did much more than that. 

“Hi, pup!” One of the Betas you don’t know by name, smirks when you storm through the East Living Room. He’s playing cards with two Deltas; Felix and Sana, Youngjae’s mate. His face falls when he sees you don’t slow down. “Jesus, what did you do this time?” The last comment isn't intended for you. The only reason you catch it is because of your new, inhuman, hearing. You’re already running up the stairs.

“Shut it, Minho!” Chan snarls, obviously still trailing you.

You press on through the long stone corridors, the East wing is way more comfortable than the West one. There’s a large window at the end of the living quarters’ corridor, letting in sun and a fresh breeze all day long. No mildew smell, no torches needed at night, all of you can see perfectly through darkness anyway. You barely have time to reach your bedroom before Chan catches up with you. It better this way since you can slam the door to his face, merciless. 

“Y/n!” He barks, also losing his temper for the gazillionth time since you’ve been living here. The built wolf kicks the door you’re leaning against, causing the hinges to shake violently. He probably could burst through, but he doesn’t. “That’s my room too,” he protests, hitting it once more, “you can’t lock me out forever!” On the first floor, Felix and Minho audibly laugh, highly entertained.

“I used to have my own space, you know? At home!” Spiteful, you kick the door with your heel. You too can hit things. You too can be enraged. “That was before you ruined my life, asshole! You can sleep outside, fuck off!”

“I like her,” Felix whispers downstairs, dead serious as he shuffles the cards, “she’s eloquent.” Unbeknown to you, there’s a small audience slowly gathering in the living room, eager to hear you guys go at it again.

“Right!” Chan’s palm hits the wood, and the door vibrates against your back. “Be mad about the bite! Be mad about your former life! Be mad about losing your humanity! You can hate me for that, at least for a while. I understand you need tim-”

“No, you don’t!” Eyes narrowing meanly, you consider opening the door to tell that to his face but decide against it. It’s safer, you might just rip his throat. “You’ll never get it. You were born with this bane. You have no idea what I’m going through because of you.” 

“Fine! I don’t understand anything! Keep cursing me, keep pushing me away...” Chan grunts hollowly, making the hair rise on your body, but not from fear. It's from that something under your skin that’s alive and pulsating every time he’s near. It’s even worse when you’re angry at each other and fighting. “But...” The Beta is a little less explosive when he goes on, though his words still strike you; “Don’t take it out on me when it's about him...  I can’t stand it! It’s killing me!”

Absolute silence falls on the East Wing of the Inferorum Castrum at the comment. You know because you listen intently, breathing rendered heavy by your outburst. You can’t tell if Chan is still there waiting for you to reply with something. You rack your brain, trying to remember why you even started to yell at him today. With you two, it’s becoming second nature, your only way to communicate. He is wrong, this is not about Jaebeom. You should tell Chan that, it's because of why he brought him up. Before you can make up your mind, he is leaving, dragging his feet along the corridor. When the young wolf reaches the stairs, there’s obvious disarray in the living room. He knows the others where eavesdropping with bated breath but doesn’t mind. There’s rarely ever the need for secrecy or intimacy when you belong to a pack. You start to take for granted everyone knows everything about you. As far as Chan remembers, the others also fought with their mates a lot after the marking, it’s just that there was no vampire involved whatsoever. No third party, luckily for them. 

As soon as he enters the room, every head turns to him and he sees that the number of wolves has tripled. They showed up for the dramatic shit show that is his current love affair. He raises a brow, spotting that even Yugyeom and Bambam made it, two incendiary Omegas. God knows where they were before this all started. 

“I hated Sana for a whole year after she turned me,” Youngjae claims, apparently back from his hunt just in time. He’s probably trying to be reassuring, but months of being at each other’s throat don’t sound too appealing to Chan right now. “Cursed her out every single day...”

“He tried to kill me, twice.” Sana deadpans and his arm stretches around her shoulder, patting for forgiveness. Chan doesn’t even bother answering, wiggling from one foot to the other. He wants to go stretch his legs, he craves a turn. He hasn’t been able to escape his responsibilities ever since you joined the pack. Between you yelling at him and your grandmother worrying...

Leaning against a wall, Yeji looks up, hopeful. “Wanna go for a run?” She proposes and Chan smirks at the young Epsilon. He’s yours now, no matter how you feel about it. Yeji will get over her budding crush on him soon.

“Go! I’ll look after your abusive mate for you!” Yugyeom cackles on the sofa. 

“Yeah, we’ll check her out!” Elbowing his friend, Bambam adds; “You still have a few days before the king comes back...” Chan growls at the rebel wolf as a warning. He fully uncovers his canines, but the Omega smiles widely going on; “At least he’s not here to fuck her agai-” 

“Do not talk about my huntress.” In a second, Chan is on Bambam, fisting his shirt and pulling up until their foreheads are pressed against one another. He warns, nostrils flaring and irides glowing yellow; “I’ll kill you.”

“Chan,” Felix murmurs, most sensible, “don’t mind Bam. He’s just-”

“If one of you disrespects her...” Chan’s tone is so low it’s unrecognizable, mouth almost closed. “You’re disrespecting me, understood?” Everyone around the room nods in acknowledgement. It’s not like any would ever stand a chance of winning a fight against the strongest Beta anyways.

“What do we call a wolf that’s whoring around with a leech?” Bambam snickers nonetheless. The Omega must have a death wish. Seconds before Chan guts him – something that is obviously long overdue – a scary howl resounds through the whole Castrum. The entire pack stills at the timed entrance of the Alpha into the living room. They’re all well aware of where he’s coming back from. 

“What do you call a wolf like that, pup? I’m curious...” Though Jackson’s voice is devoid of any irritation, the Omega whimpers and shrinks on himself, frightened.

“A bitch.” Chan barks in his stance, knuckles white on Bambam’s shirt. Jackson hisses through his teeth, apparently appreciative of the slang.

“Clever... How strange, no one ever told me that one before...” The Alpha looks around the room intently. He bursts out laughing when he doesn’t manage to meet anyone’s gaze. Only Chan dares, standing back and releasing the senseless Omega. “Any of you take issue of my personal life?” The large wolf, smiles, bringing his hand to rub the skin of his neck. “Now’s the time, I’m in a lenient mood...” He says it bright and cheerful but none is foolish enough to actually comment.

“Can I go out?” The Beta blurts out, strained. “Or I might just end that cur...” Jackson assesses his second in command for a moment before nodding. Wow. Chan must truly look like shit.

“I’m sure your pup can manage alone for a few hours.”

“Thank you.” The wolf grunts’ immediately shrugging off his clothes as he begins to exit the room. He doesn’t mind the young Epsilon trailing him like a shadow. He craves fresh air, he hasn’t slept in weeks, running until complete exhaustion is exactly what he needs. 

Upstairs, alone in your room, you are mortified. 

The tears you have been crying since your fight with Chan have dried, and you’re shocked by what happened downstairs. You don’t even get why he took your defence at this point, it’s not like you have been anything but horrible to him. You have no idea how you’re supposed to feel or act around the rest of the pack now that you heard all of that.

A bitch.

Lying on your back, you rub your swollen eyelids. Youngjae claimed the mate bond is inevitable. He also said that it’d be even stronger for you because Chan is the one who directly marked you. He’s expected to be the next Alpha and you’re supposed to revere him. You hadn’t realized what this implied before overhearing that fight. Chan has authority, credibility to ensure with the rest of the pack. Youngjae was marked by Jackson, like every other member that wasn’t born from werewolves. You aren’t simply Chan’s mate, you’re also his first. In the future, if you don't act as such they’ll step on him too, you should be careful.

Nocturna Masterlist | HALLOWEEN

#skz #Bang Chan #Stray Kids #Bang Chan Stories #Bang Chan scenarios #Bang Chan smut #Bang Chan Fic #Bang Chan fanfic #Bang Chan Imagines #Stray Kids imagines #Stray Kids Fanfic #Stray Kids Scenarios #Stray Kids Stories #Stray Kids smut #Bang Chan is so damn hot & cute I can't handle myself #Nocturna #Bang Chan Stray Kids #Chan Chan CHan

[windyfiend]

Briony waited, shivering, curled like an animal trapped in the gully, while above her the swarm of eyes watched. She couldn’t hear the words in their whispers but she knew their tone of insult: the Kith laughed at her obvious hiding place and mocked her for the lies she told herself.

Briony hid her face in her arms. Night-insects buzzed too close to her ears. The soft earth sagged as if it thought of swallowing her.

She knew she would never outrun them. She knew she couldn’t hide, and to fight them would offer little satisfaction before they tore her apart like a ragdoll in the dogs’ teeth. She tried to think, but even her thoughts were petrified in fear of the skulls in the night.

A glimmer of light caught her eye.

She raised her head to see a moth perched like a feather on her elbow. It wiggled furry antennae and shivered powdery spotted wings, bright as a tiny living star: a beacon of clarity in the endless dark.

No one was coming to save her.

No one even knew she was gone.

--

A distant rumbling raised Briony’s head.

The moth floated away and took the light with it while Briony climbed to her feet.

The noise grew closer. It rushed and hissed and churned like–

Panic hammered her chest. Briony flung herself at the edge of the gully, dug her fingers into the weeds and clambered against the soil and dragged herself scrambling up over the edge before the water crashed murderous through the creekbed where she’d been.

Briony rolled onto her stomach in the grass, her bleeding hands protective over her head while the spray and splash soaked her.

She was safe on higher ground, but no less in danger.

--

“Briony?”  echoed an elderly voice. At first it seemed a trick of the rushing water.  “Briony, where are you?”

“Gran?” Briony stopped breathing, shocked and frozen. She strained her ears past the rush of the water while her heart screamed for the sound of a familiar voice.

  “Briiiionyyyy!”

Tears spilled hot down Briony’s face while she smiled and sobbed and ached. Warmth and terror flooded her body. Her legs wobbled while she tried to stand and she shifted forward, one squelching step at a time, toward the sound of her grandmother’s voice.

  “Briony, come on, let’s go home!”

“I’m here...” Briony couldn’t speak any louder than a whisper, couldn’t move any faster than a trudge, as if she were wrapped in a shroud of fear that dragged her back for every step she took. “Gran, I’m right here…”

The Kith chattered.

She saw the swarm of yellow eyes shifting and gathering in the dark, their attention turned away from Briony, their hunger drawn instead to the voice that called through the woods.

  “Briony, come home!”

The Kith raced ahead through the trees, trailing streaks of molten light: the swarm converged on its prey.

A frozen chill stopped Briony’s heart. A thought emerged unbidden in her mind that trapped her breath in horror.

She could run, while the Kith were distracted by another victim, and save herself.

Her vision blurred. She bared her teeth and opened her mouth and commanded herself to scream. To call the Kith back, to offer herself to their claws and teeth so that her grandmother might escape.

She didn’t make a sound.

The terror of self-sacrifice gripped her like a blanket of barbed wire, and Briony stood in trembling silence while her grandmother screamed.

The voice shrieked and cut short, followed only by silence.

Briony wrenched her thoughts out of frozen horror and ran away along the edge of the maddening water.

--

She ran for minutes, or hours, or days. The savage trees all looked the same. Every spark of a moth looked like burning eyes. All she could hear was the roar of the water, and once or twice she considered throwing herself into it, to be carried with the current or to drown out of reach of the Kith, but she never did.

Finally she stopped, shivering and sick, consumed by her grandmother’s last sound. She peeled off her water-sodden jacket and dropped it on the rocks. She rubbed her frozen arms but found no warmth. Her eyes burned. She tasted copper and salt.

“You killed me,”  said a voice close behind her.

Terror shocked like electricity in her veins, and Briony whirled to face her accuser.

There stood Runa. Her frizzy hair haloed by a passing moth. Her dark skin sparkling in the spray of water. A splotch of yellow paint on her sweater, soaked in blood.

Briony tripped backward and braced herself against a dark tree. She couldn’t blink. “You’re not real,” she whispered hoarsely. “I’m hallucinating. I saw you--”

“If it weren’t for you…” Runa spoke softly while she took a step closer, “...I’d still be alive.”

“No.” Briony’s voice shuddered, she shook her head, she retreated backward for every step Runa took. The branches and bushes raked at her clothes like demons’ claws. “It wasn’t my fault. I didn’t mean to, I love you--”

“Like you love your grandmother?” There was nothing in Runa’s eyes. “Is it proof that we love you, that we died for you?”

“No…” Briony choked, stepped backward again, tripped over a rock and landed hard on her back. The hollow of a tree gaped wide near her head, jagged and black, as if it might swallow her for her crimes.

Runa loomed over her. “Are you really worth dying for?”

Briony stared up at her best friend, and she remembered all the nights they had snuck away to break into the forbidden parts of the city, like their own little world where nothing could touch them. She would sometimes open her bedroom door and Runa would be sitting on the floor with a bruise on her face and tears in her eyes. She remembered laughter, and ice cream, and dancing, and the comfort of knowing that when they were together, just to exist was enough.

But nothing was enough anymore.

Briony scraped her scabbed hands on the roots and rocks, and she climbed slowly to her feet. There was a deep, icy chasm in her chest, broken wide and gaping, and her terror and her pain fell like victims into the devouring maw.

“No,” Briony answered in a voice both firm and hollow. “I’m not. But you’re gone--” Her words cut into a choked sob, a final rake of sorrow straining in her throat. “...And I’m alive.”

Runa stood in silence. The shape of her began to fade into the black of the forest, then changed. Coils of hair became pointed ears. A tail slithered in the dark. Briony saw the flash of sharp teeth and long claws before the mountain lion lunged at its prey--

Briony stopped breathing. She stood trembling in the dark, her eyes squeezed shut, her head ducked behind quivering arms, waiting for an impact that never came.

A hand dropped firm on her shoulder, and Briony jumped with a shriek. She stared up into the jackdaw’s burning eyes.

“You did good, little puma,” the jackdaw said with a grin. “My name is Felurook. Come with me.”

---

Chapter 8!! This one took awhile. Whoo boy.

#stolen suns #original writing #original fiction