#bts over the garden wall | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

wishesunderthestars · 1 year

Text

Eunoia // Ch. 24

eunoia (noun): beautiful thinking, the possession of a well-balanced mind, which exhibits goodwill and kindness

Pairings: Hybrid! BTS x reader

Summary: You are a world famous director and you have dedicated your life to your job.You have everything you could ever dream of; wealth, recognision, talent, your friends and family. But loneliness isn’t cured by success. So what happens when you somehow rescue seven hybrids? Can they fill the void?

Genre: Angst, fluff, hurt/comfort, eventual smut

Word Count: 8.2k+

Warnings: past abuse, past sexual abuse, cursing, past violence, mentions of blood, panic attacks

Masterlist

Chapter 1, Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23

If you read this, please take some time to vote for BTS at the MAMAs on the Mnet Plus app and for the AMAs on the website VoteAMAs.com or on Twitter.

The taglist is now closed.

There was a deep lull after dinner, surrounded by fairylights on a late summer night with your bellies full of delicious food. You and Seokjin had cooked Michelin-level lasagna and for dessert the best custard tarts you had ever tasted. Seokjin truly was extraordinarily talented at cooking and baking. He could have been one of the best chefs in the world. The only obstacle was his DNA. There were no famous hybrid chefs, probably there were no hybrid chefs at all. For most people it was near impossible to look past the animal ears and tails.

“What are you thinking about?” Seokjin asked. You were the only ones left at the circular bench around the table. You were laying with your back against his side and your head on his shoulder.

“Nothing. Everything,” you said.

You couldn’t see his smile but you imagined it lighting up his face. Seokjin was always beautiful, he was one of the most beautiful people you had ever met. But when he was smiling, he was magical.

“You can never turn it off, can you?” he asked, bumping his hand with yours. You didn’t hesitate to take hold of it and intertwine your fingers.

You looked up at the stars. Away from the heart of the city, they were bright and endless. “I don’t think that’s possible. It’s part of my charm.”

That pulled a laugh out of him and you reveled in it, in the ordinary sanctity of the moment. You took in the view of the garden and hybrids scattered around.

Namjoon and Hoseok were sitting by the pool, their feet dipped in the water, while Hoseok spoke excitedly about something moving his hands around, his tail wagging behind him. Namjoon listened to him like he didn’t want to miss a word falling from his lips. Jimin was curled around Yoongi on the grass, his eyes were closed and you could tell that he was purring without having to hear him. Yoongi was gazing at the stars peacefully, his arms at his sides. Further away, Jungkook and Taehyung were flipping through Jungkook’s latest sketchbook. Taehyung would stop him from turning the page sometimes to run his fingers over a sketch.

Taehyung was still reserved but he was slowly but steadily bonding with the other hybrids. Jungkook had happily told you that they had spent the afternoon painting together and proudly showed off their masterpiece, an artistic mess of colorful lines and funny faces that wouldn’t have looked out of place at a modern art gallery. You had said you were going to hang it up in the gallery unless Taehyung—whose cheeks had turned red for the first time—wanted to keep it. Timidly and in the best english he could master, he asked if he could take it to his room. While the lasagna was in the oven, you and Jungkook put it up on the wall above his bed.

“Summer is ending and I barely felt it,” you said. When you were younger you used to spend summer days swimming and chase the nights until you found the sun with your friends. This year you had only seen the sea from afar or through the window of a plane. “I miss the sea. I miss swimming in water that isn’t in a pool. We should have gone on a trip somewhere with a beach and not as many people as Los Angeles.”

“We can do that next year or whenever your next break is. We can find a place that will be warm enough to swim, can’t we?”

“I’m sure we can.” You had no idea when your next break was. Autumn and winter were full with filming, premieres and press tours. The small breaks in-between were for one or two days and you would usually spend them going over emails and talking with executives. But you would make this happen. “I haven’t been on a leisure trip in a while. It would be fun. We could rent a place by the beach, we could go swimming whenever we wanted, spend the day there. I would drag you into the sea because you would be too afraid to go in.”

“I wouldn’t!” Seokjin protested.

You pushed back against him to tease him. “You totally would. You were terrified to get into the pool where you can clearly see the bottom and there are no currents to be afraid of.”

“I didn’t know how to swim then! And I wasn’t terrified, I was a little scared which is normal, that’s all,” he defended himself.

“A little scared isn’t what I would describe it as.”

“I wasn’t terrified! I wouldn’t have got in the pool if I was!”

You laughed at how defensive he was. It was funny to rile him up, if only just to hear how quickly he could speak. You were too focused on him that you didn’t notice that Jungkook and Taehyung had got up until they had almost reached you. Taehyung was hurrying after Jungkook, struggling to keep up with his fast strides.

The bunny called your name excitedly before they stopped in front of you. “Taehyung wants to go to the lake. Can we please go before your break ends? You said we can go swimming in the summer.”

You had been planning to go to the lake but something always came up. It was only around thirty minutes from your house but you hadn’t been there since early spring.

“There is the trip you wanted,” Seokjin said.

Sometimes, it was hard to believe everything was a coincidence.

“Well, it isn’t the sea. But you can prove to me that I won’t have to drag you into the water there.” At his indignant expression, you turned to the two hybrids. “Of course we can go. There aren’t many days of my break left though. We can go tomorrow if you want, stay there until nightfall.”

Jungkook smiled widely and clapped his hands. You caught the twitch of Taehyung’s lips although his head was bent. “Yes! Thank you! I have never gone swimming in a lake. It will be amazing.”

His excitement was contagious, it got your mind brimming with ideas on how to make tomorrow special. “You should ask the others first. See if everyone agrees about tomorrow.”

“They do,” Jungkook said.

You chuckled. “Okay, ask them just to be sure.”

“You could invite John too,” he added quietly. “And Alice. We haven’t seen her these days and Taehyung hasn’t met her yet.”

You weren’t surprised that John was being missed, he was such an important part of your life and as an extent he was an important part of your family’s life as well. Like you, he was on a well-deserved break and it was almost two weeks since the last time you had seen him and the messages you often exchanged didn’t make you miss him any less.

However, you were worried about overwhelming Taehyung. He had met John back in Seoul but those were memories you didn’t want him revisiting and although little Alice was a charmer she hadn’t developed a filter yet. She was a curious child and you wouldn’t be able to answer all of the questions she was bound to have. Not honestly, at least.

“Inviting Alice isn’t a bad idea,” Seokjin said, placing a hand on your shoulder. “If Taehyung is okay with it, of course.”

Jungkook turned to Taehyung then and proceeded to try to explain to him with simple english and a few hand gestures who Alice was. He didn’t fail to mention that Alice was very cute and gesture how tall—or short in her case—she was. Taehyung seemed thoroughly confused in a way that had you wanting to squeeze his cheeks.

“Hobi,” you called. “We need your help!”

Hoseok’s fox ears twitched. He shot up, ran barefoot across the garden and tackled Jungkook, who was delighted to be in Hoseok’s arms. Both of them laughed wildly, bumping their foreheads together.

“What can I help you with?” he asked, his mouth forming a heart.

“We are planning–” you started but were swiftly interrupted by Jungkook.

“We’re going to the lake tomorrow!”

Hoseok’s face lit up. “Are we? I’ve never been to the lake! Are we really going?”

“If everyone agrees,” you conceded.

It had slipped your mind that Hoseok and Yoongi hadn’t been there on your last trip. It had been only a few weeks after adopting Seokjin as a means to put a pause on your workaholic tendancies. It wasn’t likely that they had ever visited it. Other than Namjoon, no one was very keen on treading the treacherous ground that led to the lake on their own. The trip was a chance for the hybrids to get out of the house and experience something they didn’t get to do often.

Seeing John and Alice was an added bonus. Hoseok lit up like the sun when you told him to ask Taehyung if he was comfortable with them joining you. Taehyung looked at you, his gaze heavy with thousands of things he didn’t say. He averted his eyes too soon as if he caught himself doing something improper.

“He said if that’s what you want,” Hoseok translated.

You cursed the language barrier. There were thousands of things you wanted to say too, you could build mountains with them and watch them grow taller and taller until they crumbled. There was no point in them, not when he couldn’t understand. It wasn’t the same hearing it from someone else.

“It isn’t about what I want. It is about what he wants,” you said. Hoseok translated again and Taehyung looked confused like there was something he couldn’t understand.

“He doesn’t mind,” Hoseok said in the end.

Even if he did, you doubted he would tell you. There wasn’t anything more you could do.

Jungkook looked at you expectantly, his eyes wide and sparkling. You gave in, “Alright, go tell Namjoon and Yoongi and make sure they agree. I will text John to see if they can make it.”

He jumped up and down—a reaction that could be due to his bunny genetics and was way too cute for you to handle—before running off to tell them. By the way they were looking at you and their superior hearing, they had already heard most of your conversation.

You leaned back against Seokjin again as Hoseok took Taehyung by the hand and followed Jungkook, gesturing at the direction of the lake as he spoke.

“Looks like we’re going to the lake tomorrow,” you said, typing a message to John. “You’ll have to brave the forest again.”

"Sadly, there isn't. Unless you can fly."

He groaned purely for show. “Not again! What have a done to deserve this? These feet weren’t made for dirt and roots. Isn't there a way to get to the lake without walking through the forest?"

A new message appeared on your screen. John was as diligent at texting as he was in every other aspect of his life and he disapproved of your tendency to see the messages but leave them unanswered until later.

“They don’t have anything planned for tomorrow and Alice is apparently jumping all over the house right now, singing that she will go to the lake tomorrow to see all her new friends.”

“She is adorable,” Seokjin cooed. “I want to squeeze her.”

“You can do that tomorrow. She likes the attention.” You straightened and grabbed his arm, wrapping it around your waist before sinking back. “Better.”

Not many preparations were needed for a trip to the lake. After all, it was only a relatively short walk from your house. If you needed anything, you could send Namjoon who could make it back in half the time compared to the rest of you. That of course didn’t stop Seokjin from waking up before the sun had risen to make an array of snacks and baked goods to take with you.

You found him in the kitchen, wearing his cute pink apron streaked with flour. He was determined to make the best cheesecake any of you had ever tasted because you had mentioned it was Alice’s favorite. There was no chance you could changed his mind so you joined him. You worked together in the chef’s kitchen for about thirty minutes before Jungkook and Jimin arrived set on helping you.

The cute baskets with the blue and white ribbons you had brought back from Virginia were filled with sandwiches, pies, croissants, cupcakes and the much-anticipated cheesecake. The delicious aroma lured the rest of the hybrids to the kitchen. Hoseok batted his eyelashes at Seokjin who fed him a cupcake while a few more disappeared mysteriously.

Helen and her team would be arriving soon to do a deep cleaning of the bedrooms and the main rooms. The Castle hadn’t had a good cleaning since you arrived from Seoul. At first, you were worried about raising any questions about Taehyung’s presence and after his papers were ready, you were worried about him feeling uncomfortable with new people in the house. Your trip to the lake was the perfect chance for the Castle to get a good day of cleaning. You had also asked the company that made the piano currently residing in Jacob’s studio to send some people to move it to the living room and they would be coming later in the day.

The doorbell rang for the first time this morning. John had texted you that they were on their way so you knew who it was without looking through the peephole. Alice trapped you in a tight hug and you picked her up, turning around in circles to hear her laugh.

“Put me down! Put me down,” she said, her breaths short and mirthful.

“Should I? Are you sure?” you asked, bumping your noses together.

Alice scrunched her nose, nodding. “I need to say hello to my friends. I said hello to you.”

You chuckled and put her down. “You’re right. Go say hello to them, they’re waiting to see you.”

Jimin and Hoseok had followed you into the living room and they were the first ones to be attacked by Alice’s super tight hugs. She might be tiny but her hugs were inescapable.

“She likes them a lot,” John said. A pink sparkling backpack, a stuffed mermaid hanging from one zipper, was slung over his shoulder.

“Alice likes everyone a lot.”

Hoseok had picked her up to take her to the kitchen and Alice placed a large kiss on his cheek to thank him.

“She has good instincts about people. She disliked that Walker guy the moment she met him.” Josh Walker was a producer you had worked with twice in the past and vowed to never work with again. A huge gossip in the worst way possible and a master at avoiding responsibilities. “And she didn’t–” He cut the sentence in the middle.

“She didn’t like Jacob either,” you finished for him. Alice was a polite kid but it was obvious when she disliked someone. She hugged you, held your hand and sat on your lap and she only spoke to Jacob when it was necessary. And it wasn’t just you, it was the same with Taylor and Zayn, who she both loved very much. Only Jacob didn’t get the same treatment. “You can say it. I’m over him, you know.”

John’s smile said more than any words could. “I believe you are.”

You believed you were too. You had been for a long time. He was a part of your past and you were done living in it. Sometimes you forgot about him now when once his name was was written all over the Castle. The memories were faded, more radiant ones taking their place.

“I think out of everyone she was the happiest when she learnt we broke up,” you said. “She was so pleased she’d never have to play nice with him again.”

At the time, although it had seemed funny to you, it had also hurt a little. In the end, it was for the best.

“She was trying to play matchmaker and get you together with her favorite teacher. It was one obstacle out of the way.”

You laughed remembering how she would show you pictures of him, telling you he was very handsome and very clever and he liked reading books just like you. One day you had been with John when he went to get her from school and Alice had dragged you inside to meet a very much awestruck teacher.

“At least she has forgotten about that now,” you said.

John sent you an amused look. “Wait until she gets back to school and she remembers how dreamy her teacher is and that you are still single.”

“Let’s go find your little troublemaker before the boys kidnap her,” you said, eager to end the conversation. John was gracious enough to grant you that.

In the kitchen, Alice had spotted Yoongi and climbed on the chair next to him. She had developed a soft spot for the panther hybrid since her last visit. On his part, Yoongi didn’t know what to do with a small human and how to entertain her. To his credit, he was doing just fine.

Hoseok was doing silly dance moves to make her laugh and Jimin was sitting on Yoongi’s other side dragging his nails down the panther’s back. Yoongi didn’t react. Jungkook and Seokjin were tying the ribbons on the baskets into bows and Namjoon was attempting to do the same unsuccessfully.

The only one missing was Taehyung.

“Okay, we’re almost ready to go,” you said, calling everyone’s attention. “Can someone go get Taehyung?”

“I’ll go. He must be awake by now.” Hoseok offered and left to fetch him.

Alice’s large eyes turned to you. “Is Taehyung the tiger hybrid daddy told me about? He said to be extra polite to him. Is it true that he doesn’t speak english?”

“He understands the basics, Hobi helps with the rest. He translates what we say to him so we can all understand each other.”

She nodded like it was the most important thing she had heard today. “But why don’t you learn korean? Won’t it be easier to talk to him then?”

You stared at the six-year-old for a long moment, speechless. “That would make things easier, wouldn’t it? Maybe we should try.”

Alice smiled widely, showing one missing tooth and one half-grown. “You should. Mommy says understanding others is important.”

“She is right,” John said, patting her head. “You should listen to others and understand them.”

“Mommy is always right,” Alice emphasized. “More often than daddy.”

John sighed in a ‘I’ve-listened-to-that-many-times-and-I-am-not-going-to-argue’ way. “Thanks, monkey. I appreciate it.”

Alice giggled before her attention swiftly shifted, like children’s attention tended to do, to Yoongi’s tail and the way it moved. Luckily she didn’t try to pet it and didn’t ask either, remembering how John had told her it was rude last time. She restricted herself to asking questions like if he could move it at will, whether it hurt if he accidentally sat on it and more. Yoongi answered willingly, if a little flustered at the attention.

John weighted the baskets in his hand. They were full to the brim with delicious food and if you had let Seokjin get his way, there would be more. Enough to feed half the city.

The doorbell rang again, signaling that Helen and her team were here. John followed you to the living room to greet her and catch up. It was strangely like they were your parents when they talked about you. They acted like you weren’t standing right there and listening to everything.

Since you were little more than a ghost in this conversation, when Hoseok and Taehyung climbed up the stairs, you went with them back to the kitchen. Alice had gotten her hands on a vanilla muffin and her mouth, nose and cheeks were smeared with blue icing.

You put your hand on your waist and regarded her. “You can get anything with your puppy eyes, can’t you?” Alice gave you an innocent smile, her lips painted blue. “Who fell for it first?” She pointed at Yoongi and your stern facade cracked. Apparently it wasn’t only Alice who had a soft spot.

“It’s just a cupcake,” Yoongi said, trying to sound nonchalant.

“It is just a cupcake but it will fill her stomach with sugar and then she won’t eat the food Jin worked so hard on,” you said, grabbing a napkin.

Alice licked her lips. It didn’t make them look any less blue. “Jin worked hard on the cupcakes too. They are super good. So good I could eat ten of them.”

“Thank you,” Jin said, his cheeks bunching up in an adorable smile. “But eating ten of them will make your stomach hurt.”

Alice opened her mouth to speak while you wiped the icing from her face before her eyes landed on the hybrid she hadn’t met. “Is that Taehyung?”

“Yes, this Taehyung,” you said, still trying to clean her face as best as you could. “And right now you look like the Cookie Monster.” Alice giggled like fairy bells.

Taehyung was looking at Alice in wonder.

“Taehyung, this is Alice. She is John’s daughter,” you said, getting up to throw the now blue napkin away. Alice’s face was as clean as it could get without washing it with water.

Hoseok didn’t translate, it was simple enough english for Taehyung. “Hi,” he said, waving at her shyly. You resisted the urge to coo at him.

Alice waved back enthusiastically. “Hello! You are very pretty.”

Taehyung’s lips parted in surprise. “Thank you,” he said shakily.

Helen and John walked in then, a broom in Helen’s hand. For her, it was an accessory. It didn’t mean she would start cleaning by sweeping the floors.

“Goodmorning to everyone,” she said in greeting. Her smile had a motherly quality to it that made people want to be on their best behavior around her. “I see you’re all ready for today. And someone has already dived into the food.”

John eyed his daughter and the pink and white dotted cupcake liner left on the table. “What did we say about sweets in the morning?”

She smiled sheepishly. “Morning is for fruits, we eat sweets after lunch,” she recited.

“What is that then?”

She put her elbows on the table and cupped her face with her hands. “It is a special day today. On special days we don’t have to follow that rule. We ate cake in the morning of your birthday.”

“You’re too clever for your own good,” John said then looked at you. “She’s starting to sound like you, finding loopholes.”

Alice giggled, pleased at that.

“I don’t do that,” you protested.

“Oh yes, you do. And you know that you do it,” Helen said, pointing at you with the broom. “You can get out of anything by talking. I remember Amelia telling me that those poor professors of yours at University had no idea what to do with you. You used to send them those emails when you were absent, right?”

You glued your lips together, searching for a way to get out of this. “I was practicing diplomacy.”

“Is that what we call that now?” John asked, amused.

“Forget it,” you said. “Let’s go, let’s go. We have a lot of walking to do and it’s best to be out before the heat spikes.”

It was a beautiful day, the kind of Californian weather you would see on postcards. The sky was clear except a couple of fluffy white clouds gliding across. The perfect day for a small adventure. You had worn your bikini underneath your clothes, planning to go in for a quick dip in the lake and you had persuaded Seokjin, Jungkook and Hoseok to put on swimming trunks. Alice was also wearing her swimsuit, the wide neck of her shirt didn’t cover the hot pink strings.

In your backpack, you had packed a first-aid kit, two bottles of sunscreen, a pen and a notebook—just in case you got inspiration—, a towel and anything else you thought you might need. You had written down a list last night on your phone and you hoped you hadn’t forgotten anything.

Your way down to the lake was filled with laughter as you stepped over protruding roots and each of you tripped at least once. Excluding Namjoon, who in his many walks had memorized each stone and root. John was carrying both a basket and the small portable fridge stocked with water bottles, fresh orange juice and lemonade, coca cola bottles and a few cans of beer. Jungkook, Namjoon and Yoongi were holding the other three baskets.

The moment you emerged from the trees, Alice sprinted to the lake and dipped her hands in. “It isn’t cold!” she shouted. “Can we go swimming?”

“Why don’t we rest for a bit first?” you asked. Swimming would be a great relief from the summer heat but your legs were tired from walking and your throat dry.

Namjoon stood next to you and placed a hand on your back. It sent a pleasant tingle up your spine. Wordlessly, he handed you his water bottle and you gulped down half of its contents.

You and Jimin laid down the two large checkered blankets, one in red and white and one in blue and white. On top of them, you placed the baskets to stop any sudden gusts of wind blowing them away. It was too early to unpack the food. You had finished breakfast not an hour ago and you weren’t hungry yet.

Alice bounced over to the fridge and rummaged through it for a drink. Victorious, she held up a bottle of coke like a trophy.

In the hour you hadn’t checked your phone, a line of messages had filled the screen of your phone. You had pulled it out to look at the time. Nine thirty. Seven emails from work and four texts, two from the producer of the Raven Cycle and two more from the showrunner. A reminder that soon, this would be over and you would go back to leaving as the sun rose and returning when it had long left the horizon.

But it wasn’t over yet. This was a day of relaxation and you wouldn’t let yourself ruin it. You put your phone on silent and shoved it deep inside your backpack.

Hoseok shouted your name before he was crushing on you, sending you down on the blanket. His laughter filled the air as Alice also jumped on you. She was as light as a feather but you both groaned when she landed on you.

“I caught you,” Alice proclaimed. “I win!”

You were roped into playing hide and seek with the two of them, Jimin and Jungkook. Taehyung sat on the edge of the blanket watching you. He looked like a painting by a long dead artist, whose name was shadowed by his art. Someone who dreamed of beauty but lived in pain.

In a truly unpredictable turn of events, Alice got Yoongi to join you. He was quick, much quicker than you. To run away from him, in a childish fit of desperation, you took off your shirt and your shorts in record speed and dove into the lake. Only a few steps from the shore, it was deep enough for you to disappear in the water. The shouts and the laughter got muffled. Water took over your senses, they were dull under the surface but the world was so vibrant.

You emerged and swallowed mouthfuls of air. You must have stayed under longer than you’d thought because your lungs ached for it.

When she saw you, Alice cheered. “I’m going in,” she told her father and John didn’t oppose her. He helped her take off her clothes and she ran to you, water splashing everywhere. You swam to the shallow part and she fell right into your arms. Over her head, your eyes locked with John’s. He trusted you with her.

You goaded Seokjin into getting in the water too, reminding him what he said to you last night. It took a few tries but soon he was in the water with you, Alice clinging to his waist like a koala. You didn’t stray far from the place that your feet could touch the ground just in case. You were a great swimmer, good enough to act as a lifeguard, but you took care so it wouldn’t come to that.

After a lot of playing around, throwing water at each other and seeing who could swim the fastest—Alice won each time, complaining that you were letting her win—you climbed up the rocks and rested back on your elbows. Your skin and hair were dripping water, the sun slowly drying you. You watched Jungkook and Seokjin chasing each other as Alice and Hoseok acted as what looked like referees. For what, you weren’t sure.

This would be one of the first scenes of a movie. Bright, beautiful and full of life. Summer music playing in the background, a soft but happy song. You could see the montage in your mind, the way they would cut and stitch together the scenes. The close-ups and the movement of the camera.

Or it could be the Supposed Victory, just before the disaster. Before everything went wrong and the world crumbled. A moment of unrestrained joy when the protagonist believed everything would work out.

Or it could be the ending. It didn’t feel like one.

Alice was sitting next to Taehyung the next time you looked for her. His mouth wrapped clumsily around english words you couldn’t read as he pointed to her hair. Alice touched her head before a bright smile took over her face. She unclipped one of her rainbow butterfly clips and offered it to him. He held it reverently like it was a small miracle, unsure what to do with it. Alice took it again and clipped back the strands of hair that were falling in his face.

She was a force of nature, sweeping up everyone in her path. You longed for the sweet innocence and her pure heart. She was everything that was good in this world.

You wondered who you would have become if you had parents like John. Parents that would always be there for you, do everything for you, give you everything they could. How different would you be? Would you have the same drive? The same unrelenting ambition? If your parents had cared, would you be there, in that moment?

No, probably not. You decided you didn’t want that then. You had found your own family. You weren’t connected by blood but by choice. They had been there when you needed them in all the ways your biological family failed to be. You didn’t want to be any other version of yourself but this. The one who had them, who loved them, the one who was loved by them.

Seokjin, wrapped up in a fluffy blanket, wet hair falling in his eyes, called for you to climb down to eat. The food was piled on the blankets and Jungkook was already munching on a piece of pie. Dutifully, you descended, pinching Seokjin’s cheek passing by. He complained but it was drowned by the delighted noises as the food was revealed.

“Wait, wait,” you said, getting up not a full minute after you had flopped down on the blanket. “I want to take a photo before the food disappears.”

“Quickly,” Jungkook begged, eying a sandwich lovingly.

“For you, as quickly as I can.”

That seemed to make him happy. You reached into your backpack for your professional camera, it was in a padded case that had cost you as much as a regular camera would. In University, you had taken a few classes of photography as a part of your degree. It was useful for your profession and for your social media presence. Most of all, it was good for memory keeping.

You rushed to a spot a few meters away from the blankets and lowered yourself to find the best angle. “Smile!” you called.

You captured around five photos and looked through them. Taehyung was smiling, tentatively at first, just a tiny tilt of the lips and wider in the last ones, following the others’ example.

The photos were beautiful. As magical as a fleeting moment of happiness you would never forget. You were going to frame them.

“Give me the camera,” John said, getting up.

You gazed at him suspiciously. “What are you going to do with it?”

“Take a photo. What else would I do?” he joked. “Go sit with them. Get in the frame."

You giggled, sitting down at the blanket. Alice didn't waste any time and climbed into your lap. You wrapped your arms around her waist and she leaned back into you. On your side, Hoseok threw an arm over your shoulder and smiled blindingly.

John handed you back the camera and everyone gathered around to peek at the photos. Alice pointed to every photo and said it was her favorite until she concluded that her favorite was the one that you were kissing her cheek because you were in it and it was cute.

"I see how it is. The photos she is in are the ones I'm not in," John said.

"I have so many photos with you," Alice shot back, opening her arms as if to show how many they were. "You can't have it all."

Not even John could stop himself from dissolving in laughter. Alice was an expert at throwing your words back at you.

When everyone was satisfied with the photos—you put your camera by your side, easy to reach in case you wanted to take more photos—lunch began. Swimming created a weightless hunger, a kind you hadn't felt in any other circumstances. Food tasted ten times better after you had been swimming. Seokjin's food was already delicious so it tasted like magic, the way you imagined all that mouth-watering food from movies or books would taste.

You were filled to the brim yet when the desserts were out, you couldn't stop yourself from accepting the piece of cheesecake Seokjin thrust in your direction. The cream was soft and light and the homemade blackberry jam elevated the taste.

Alice was attacking a bowl of fresh strawberries and dipping them in chocolate. The chocolate dripped, staining her mouth and hands but she didn’t care.

“Are they good?” you asked.

She nodded enthusiastically, giving you a big smile that showed off her chocolate teeth. She lifted the bowl towards you.

“That’s too much sugar for one day,” John said but didn’t say anything else to stop her.

Jimin was laying his head on your shoulder, drowsy after a big meal. You picked up a strawberry from the bowl Alice was holding up for you and dipped it in chocolate. Acting thoughtlessly, instead of bringing it to your mouth, you nudged it against Jimin’s lips, coating them with chocolate. His mouth parted easily, letting you feed him. A blush tinted his cheeks as he bit down.

His pink lips looked sinful covered in chocolate. His tongue darted out to lick them clean. You couldn’t take your eyes off him.

“Thank you,” he whispered. “Can I… Do you want one?”

Your heart was beating louder than it should. Alice had turned her attention back to Yoongi. When your eyes locked, you couldn’t read them. You never could.

You turned back to Jimin, his eyes mirroring the sky. “They do look delicious.”

Jimin picked up a strawberry and—a little clumsily—fed it to you. Your lips nearly touched his fingers, only a breath away. It was the best strawberry you had ever tasted. Nothing could ever compare to it.

“I want a strawberry too,” Jungkook said, timid in a way he wasn’t often anymore. Like he wasn’t sure you would indulge him.

“Come here then, bunny.” As soon as you finished, Jungkook crawled across the blanket to sit on your other side. He opened his mouth, waiting. Your brain was a train wreck, going off the rails, jumping off bridges.

You lifted a strawberry to his lips the way you had done with Jimin. He munched on it slowly, his eyes not leaving yours as if he were hypnotized.

You should snap out of it.

“You’re so messy,” you joked to lighten the atmosphere between the three of you. “How did that chocolate get on your cheek?”

Jungkook stammered and you grabbed a paper towel laughing. Everyone soon followed and Alice managed to get a photo of Jungkook with your camera before you could clean his face. It had to be enough.

"I'm going for a walk," you announced a while later, feeling bloated. "I need to move. I feel like I ate a small town.”

“Where are you going?” Hoseok asked. He was stretched on the grass, his head laying in Seokjin’s lap. Seokjin’s fingers were tangled in his hair.

You shrugged. You hadn’t thought of where to go exactly, only that you had to get up or you would fall asleep with a heavy stomach. “Just a walk around here. There are some parts of these shores I haven’t seen in a while.”

“Don’t be too long,” Jimin said.

“If you’re gone for more than thirty minutes, I will send a search party,” John remarked. He was braiding Alice’s hair back because she had been whining that it was getting in her face. Meanwhile, she was drawing with Taehyung in his new notebook. He didn’t look like a doll then but a little confused, a little fond. A little happy, if you dared to hope.

You pocketed your phone and made a note to yourself to check the time. You wouldn’t put it past John to actually send a search party after you.

“I’ll go too,” a voice spoke up, surprising you. Yoongi rose to his feet smoothly like a predator, his tail curving behind him. Everyone was staring at him but he pretended he didn’t notice.

You couldn’t tell him no. You didn’t want to tell him no. Going on a walk alone with him didn’t spark the same anxiety it would have a month or so ago. You were a little nervous but the flutter in your stomach wasn’t unpleasant. He had changed and maybe you had too.

“Okay, then, let’s go,” you said, inclining your head towards the forest. “We will be back soon.”

Yoongi followed you silently into the labyrinth of trees. There must be something he wanted to talk to you about. You didn’t believe he had joined you simply because he wanted to go on a walk. Yoongi was more solitary than any of the hybrids and although you were getting along better now, you weren’t his first choice of company.

Of course, your mind jumped to the worst possibilities. He had noticed what was happening between you, Namjoon and Seokjin and he was going to confront you about it. Growl and snarl at you the way he had done so often in the past. And what would you do then? He wasn’t going to harm you, you were sure of that. He wasn’t. But his words sneaked underneath your skin so easily, burrowed deep inside you and refused to budge.

It didn’t have to be something bad, you reminded yourself. It could be something else but you couldn’t think of anything.

He would find out about the three of you either way, regardless of how long you put it off. You were a family, you thought of them as your family even if Yoongi didn’t—you had a feeling the rest of them did. It was important for you to be honest with them. If he exploded, if he sneered and accused you of manipulating them, it would hurt too much. You had grown too comfortable with this new Yoongi and it would shatter a piece of you to go back. But you would try. You would get over it. You would have a few new cracks but that’s how life was, you got a little more broken as time passed.

“What are you thinking?” Yoongi disturbed the silence between you.

“Nothing interesting,” you said, ducking underneath a low hanging branch. The summer heat was muted in the shade of the forest. In there, you could forget that you were in California.

Yoongi’s footsteps echoed yours on the drying soil. “You are making that face you make when you are troubled.” Sometimes, you forgot how observant he was. He may not speak much but he was paying attention.

"It's just…" You weren't sure how honest you should be with him. "It's everything. There's too much going on and I've been too much in my head about it."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Talk? Right now?" you asked. The walk was supposed to help you clear your head and contemplate the situation you found yourself in. Now, one of the main characters starring in your worst case scenarios was offering to listen to you. “Are you sure you want to listen to me rant?”

You saw Yoongi shrug from the corner of your eye. “Are you going to?”

“Don’t feel like ranting today.” You looked up at the mosaic of the sky through the branches. “It’s too good of a day for that. My problems will be right where I left them when we get back home. I should let them go for a day.”

Yoongi hummed. “You should but you don’t look like you’ve let them go. They are still there.”

“I’m trying. It isn’t my fault they won’t go away. It’s too busy in here,” you tapped the side of your head with a finger, “and it’s a headline. It’s hard to look past it.” You had never been good at letting go of things easily. Fears, relationships, people. Your therapist would tell you to find the root of that and unravel it. You hadn’t touched it yet.

“It’s your head,” Yoongi said. “You should be the one to decide what are headlines and what is the fine print. Hell, throw away pages if you don’t want them there. Or hide them away to look at some other time.”

Your fingers grazed the rough bark of a tree. That wasn’t how you looked at it. Your brain threw things at you and you had to deal with them. Most of the time, when it came to matters like this, you weren’t the one controlling it.

“I hadn’t thought of it like that,” you admitted. “I guess I could make a new headline. A better one. Something like ‘Family trip to the lake. Everyone is required to have fun.’ How does that sound?”

A smile tugged at his lips. “It doesn’t sound too bad. It could be worse.”

The trees thinned as you got closer to your destination. This part of the shoreline wasn’t open and spacious the way the place you had picked for your picnic was. Trees dotted the ground and the the water was lower than the ground. A deck that had fallen in disrepair stood alone at the edge.

A path half overrun by vegetation led up to a house that didn’t fare much better. Vines were growing up its wooden walls and a large tree was leaning precariously on its side. It must have been abandoned for years, ten or more if you had to guess. Mold, stale and earthy, permeated the air. Two of the windows were broken. The one remaining curtain was moth eaten.

You liked to imagine its history and the reason it was abandoned. A family lived there for generations but when the times got faster and industrial, they left it in favor of the heart of the city where opportunities were said to lie. A grandson inherited the house but didn’t have the means to take care of it and no one would buy it. A family spent their summers there, swimming in the lake and lighting fires at night, the kids grew up, got jobs and forgot about this place. Memories weren’t enough to keep it alive and even they were gone.

That’s when your inner-storyteller jumped out and the stories turned darker, more interesting. Embroidered with intrigue, isolation, curses, ghosts and death.

Yoongi looked at the house in curious interest.

“I discovered this in my first trip to the lake. There is something compelling about it that makes you want to learn more about it, about the story behind it,” you said. “Who it belonged to, why it is abandoned.”

“Everything is about stories to you,” Yoongi observed.

You followed the overgrown path up to the house. “We are stories. Each day, each moment, many moments together. The world is a story. Sad and happy, exciting and boring, sometimes disappointing. Who we are is a collection of stories. The ones we tell and the ones we keep locked deep inside us. They shaped us, even the ones we don’t remember.”

“If the world is a story, is that why you do what you do? Because you don’t want to be a villain? Someone the audience won’t like?”

Birds chirped in the distance, the song of summer’s passing. The lake was calm but you thought you could hear it licking the rocks and the old deck.

Your whole life you had studied stories. You were fascinated by them, the feelings they evoked, their messages, their hidden meanings, their structure. It was why you were a good director and screenwriter, why people were drawn to your movies and shows. You could fundamentally understand stories, pull them apart until you reached their bare bones and build them up again. Everything was about stories.

Your life had to be the same then. You were a story like all the others. What set you apart?

You weren’t the villain, you couldn’t be. You didn’t want to be.

You remembered all the times in your life you had likened yourself to a character trope or thought how a situation would have unfolded if it were in a movie. Perhaps you were too focused on stories, too deep in worlds that didn’t exist. Did that influence the way you acted? The decisions you took?

“I’m not a movie hero,” you said instead. “I don’t think I try to be one. I try to do my best. Stories are about morality in a way and everyone can perceive them differently. Everyone will have their opinions.”

Yoongi stood next to you, your shoulders touching. “You act like a movie hero. Who would go into a hybrid auction, put themselves in danger, with nothing to earn?”

“Someone foolish.”

His lips quirked up, untangling something in your heart. “That too, I guess.”

“I went in the first time,” you said, looking at the rundown house. “The roof looked like it would fall down any moment but I went in anyway. I wanted to see what was inside, what life was left in it.”

Yoongi snorted. “You went into a house knowing the roof could fall down on your head?”

“I told you, I have my foolish moments.” There were too many of those to count. Little ideas overtook your rational side and tempted you. “I wasn’t alone though. At least I had that much common sense.”

You didn’t say that you had been with Jacob. It felt weird to mention him like his name would be intruding.

“Did you find anything?” Yoongi asked like he really cared about the answer.

“Not much. A few pieces of rotten furniture, a couple broken plates in the kitchen, a very very old vase. Little signs of life. There were lines carved on the wall, horizontal, like they were measuring children’s heights. Scratches on the kitchen counters. There was a frame broken on the floor, I couldn’t see the photo well, it was yellow with age.”

Together, you looked at the house quietly, picturing the life it once held.

“Let’s walk some more before our time is up and John sends a search party for us,” Yoongi said, his fingers brushing the delicate skin of your wrist. The touch was light as a feather. Autumn and winter rolled away and it was spring again. The melting of snow, the first flowers blooming.

“Don’t underestimate him. If we’re late, he is going to call a search party.”

“I don’t underestimate him. I know he will.”

Please comment and reblog it motivates me to keep writing

#castlebangtan #bts #bts x reader #bts hybrid au #namjoon x reader #jungkook x reader #jimin x reader #seokjin x reader #yoongi x reader #hoseok x reader #taehyung x reader #poly!bts #poly!bts x reader #bts fanfiction #bts scenarios #bts hurt/comfort #bts angst

1K notes · View notes

lachimolala22019 · 11 months

Text

Heart full of love

Chapter 1

After losing a beloved person to a war of greed and money.

She never thought a business trip to a small village would lead her to her fate.

She never thought the heart that was once empty will be filled with so much love and adoration for these seven men who she would do anything for.

For first time after the incident her heart was full of love.

They were her family and she will burn anyone who dares to harm them.

Pairing: Hybrid!BTS X Hybrid!reader

Genre: poly, hybrid, mates

Warning: mistreatment.

Masterlist

The loud sound of a metal pipe hitting the iron door made me wake up with a jolt. With my ears pressed to my head, and dilated eyes I look at the door of my room in fright.

I came back to my senses after hearing Marine yelling for us to wake up. It was already seven in the morning, but there was no sunlight coming from the cracked windows. The sky was still covered in thick clouds.

I got up from the cold floor rubbing my eyes to start my daily schedule.

Luckily there was no water on the floor near me through the dripping roof. I would have had to work with damp clothes if my clothes got wet.

The walls however were soaked in water and the mold had gotten worse. There was a strange smell all over the room.

I decided to ignore it as I was already used to it and went out to wash up before I had to get to work. There were around 20 hybrids in the faculty the work was divided between them. I and 6 other hybrids were in charge of cleaning the building.

Walking towards the bathrooms there was a queue of hybrids, I spotted Nate in the line and went toward her.

Nate was a rabbit hybrid who was in charge of cleaning the building with me. Nate came into the faculty a year before me but she was the same age as me.

She was the closest thing to a friend I ever had.

When I came, Nate was the person that was assigned to me to tell me about my work in the faculty. Unlike others, she didn't look at me as if I was her enemy.

Standing behind her, I smiled at her as she faced me. She had a sad pout on her face almost as if she was about to cry.

"What happened Nate?" I asked holding her cold hand in mine.

"The building is a mess because of the rain and thunderstorm, it is going to take us so much time to clean today."

I finally noticed the floors which had a few small tree branches, leaf and mud lying on it. If this was the condition of the bathroom I couldn't imagine what the hallways and canteen look like as they were fully opened.

The fact that the building was near a forest didn't help us at all.

"If we can't clean the building before lunchtime we won't be able to eat," Nate says as she moves forward in line.

"I know, but we can't do anything other than hope that we finish cleaning on time. There are still 6 hours before lunch.", I tell her as we move forward since it was now our turn to use the bathrooms.

There were 4 bathroom in total 2 were used by the girls and the other two by the boys.

After cleaning up and wearing our clothes again we went to the storage room where the cleaning supplies were kept. The other 5 hybrids already picked up their cleaning supplies and went to work.

Nate and I were in charge of the 2nd floor along with James an otter hybrid.

He never talked to us choosing to ignore us and doing his part of the cleaning silently. I didn't know how old he was but seeing his height I could tell he was at least a few years older than us.

Without wasting any further time we quickly picked up our supplies and went to the second floor with the help of stairs.

James was already there picking up the broken branches and shards of a broken glass window.

We spent the whole morning cleaning the 2nd floor. James had already left as soon as the cleaning was done. There was no call for lunch, so we knew we still had some time before we had to go.

I went toward the open window and looked at the small garden, there were some wild plants and weeds with overgrown grass. A small gust of wind blew making my hair blow back, as I closed my eyes to feel the cool air. The scent of wet soil was calming my mind.

I looked back as I felt someone tap my back.

"Y/n it's time for lunch, let's go." Nate said with a tired smile feeling hungry after all the cleaning.

I just nod and followed her, there was a strange ache in my chest and my head felt a bit heavy.

We went to the canteen to have our fill and sat at our usual table. The food was bland the bread was stale, but it was good enough to eat. We also didn't care enough about it as long as we were getting something to fill our stomachs and keep us alive.

Nate and I spent some of our time talking about the adventure we had done when we were roaming the streets, and playing some games I once saw the children in the playground playing.

The rest of the afternoon was uneventful I went back to my room as the headache was getting worse and worse. Laying down on the room floor I closed my eyes from exhaustion.

I woke up with a sour throat and pounding in my head. I had no idea what time it was but looking at the dark room and silent hallway it must be nighttime.

My throat was hurting badly I wanted water. I got up from the floor and went to get water from the water jug that was placed at the front desk.

The sound of strong wind was the only thing to be heard in the building.

"It looks like it's going to rain again," I said moving forward in the pitch-black hallway. If it was not for my hybrid eyes I would have tripped on something.

As I reached the front desk I picked up the jug of water and drank some before putting it down.

The sleep had already left me so I decided to go to the garden to take my mind off my throbbing head. I went to a silent corner in the garden and sat on the damp grass which hasn't dried fully yet.

Looking at the sky covered in dark clouds I thought of nothing and decided to close my eyes and fall back on the ground below me trying to relax.

Taglist

@fluffy-canada-pancakes @mageprincess7 @queen-in-the-shadows @ddaeng-angmoh @missseoulite @sugarrush-blush @demarie04 @singukieee

#hybrid au #hybrid bts #hybrid reader #reader x bts #bts x bts #yoongi x reader #bts ot7 #bts ff #jimin x reader #jin x reader #jungkook x reader #namjoon x reader #taehyung x reader #hobi x reader #mates #ot7 x reader #ot7 x yn #bangtan ot7

107 notes · View notes

kingofbodyrolls · 3 months

Text

Sprout | knj | two

← previous | s.masterlist | m.masterlist | next →

Summary: You love your plants, you love your garden, you do not love your new neighbor. You hate him with all your might— he wrecks everything you hold dear so you do the only reasonable thing: retaliate.

Pairing: Namjoon x female reader

AUs: neighbors au, gardening au, non!idol au → strangers to enemies (mostly one sided) to friends to lovers

Genres: slice of life, smut, humor

Rating: mature

Word count: 3.8K

Warnings: even more stupid and petty behavior from reader; cussing, name calling and all that. Sexual tension and frustration.

Disclaimer: I do not own BTS or know them personally and this work of fiction is purely fictional and for entertainment purposes only. The actions and personalities described in the story do not reflect those of BTS— it’s just fiction. Also, if you would kindly read the tags/warnings before reading, that would be lovely: and if you don’t like whatever is described in the tags, just hit return and find something else to read. Thank you 🌸

Author’s note(1): Jungkook has gotten enough 😏

Taglist: @svnbangtansworld

It’s been cross posted to AO3 if you prefer to read there 🙂

Jungkook insists you're being petty, taunting you daily with the idea that your actions stem from an overwhelming affection for your neighbor. Yet, the truth is far from it. It's the opposite. You despise him with every fiber of your being. His incessant disruptions and the havoc he wreaks on your belongings fuel the flames of your animosity. No, you do not love your new neighbor; you fucking hate him.

Jungkook makes a passing remark about ‘pulling pigtails,’ but you shut out the rest.

Almost every day, the cacophony of your neighbor entertaining a friend reverberates through the walls. The persistently loud ambiance raises questions. Why does he insist on keeping the window open? Is it deliberate, a perverse invitation for everyone to bear witness to the audible symphony of his intimate moments?

Frustration simmers within you, and you roll your eyes in exasperation. Attempting to address his disruptive behavior has become a futile exercise; each conversation degenerates into a heated exchange, with curses hurled in his face as you storm off in a storm of indignation.

He's shattered your plants and disrupted your sleep on countless occasions, pushing the boundaries of your endurance. The cumulative weight of these relentless intrusions threatens to break the last thread of your patience.

You've descended to the point of desperation, resorting to hurling eggs at his windows in the dead of night. Sleep eludes you, haunted by the persistent echoes of his nocturnal escapades. His moans have become an indelible soundtrack, an unwelcome intrusion into your restless nights. Who keeps their window open when they have sex?

You reluctantly acknowledge the summer heat, considering the possibility of their sweltering encounters. The intrusive thought catches you off guard, and a wave of irritation washes over you. Why on earth are you dwelling on the intimate details of his encounters with his girlfriend?

In a surge of frustration, you realize it's high time to teach him a lesson in manners. Fueled by determination, you smash a few more eggs against his windows, each impact echoing your resolve for retribution.

Upon reentering your house, you find Jungkook awaiting your return. His exasperated greeting speaks volumes: “What have you done now?” he sighs, rolling his eyes at your seemingly perpetual antics.

“Just gave him back some of his own medicine,” you declare, the matter-of-fact tone underscoring your unapologetic stance.

“You know, this is getting real close to vandalism. If you're into him, why not just knock on his door and jump his dick?” Jungkook's nonchalant shrug accompanies the pointed words, the blatant suggestion striking a nerve and hitting uncomfortably close to home.

“As I've reiterated countless times, I do not like him, and I certainly do not want to fuck him,” you groan in exasperation.

“Yeah, sure,” he retorts with another eye roll, his tone carrying a hint of dejection and weariness, as if he's utterly exhausted from dealing with your antics.

The eagerly awaited new glass for your greenhouse has finally arrived, and to your surprise, Jungkook has generously offered to install it for you. Despite the restoration of your sanctuary, the scars on your beloved plants remain irreparable. Now, as you stand in your greenhouse, determined to breathe life into the space once more, you find solace in sowing new seedlings for the upcoming winter.

The ritual begins as you carefully select seed packages, opting for spinach, bok choy, and broccoli, each choice bearing the promise of a fresh start.

With purposeful steps, you retrieve trays for the seedlings, the promise of renewal in your hands. Each tray is tenderly filled with fresh soil, receiving a gentle spray of water before the tiny seeds find their new home. Another layer of earth, a careful drizzle of water, and finally, a protective hood is laid over the tray. This makeshift greenhouse environment promises a nurturing haven for the sprouting seedlings as they await their moment on the greenhouse shelf.

The creak of the greenhouse door signals Jungkook's entrance, and as he steps in, a cascade of words spills forth, “I had a chat with Namjoon,” he starts, his eyes sweeping across the lush foliage that envelops you.

Your gaze locks onto him, eyebrows raised in a quizzical arc. “Who is this ‘Namjoon’?”

“Our neighbor,” he declares with a matter-of-fact tone, and your jaw drops, seemingly unhinging itself and plummeting all the way to the ground.

“Why are you fraternizing with the enemy?” you exclaim, delivering a playful slap to his shoulders. Why would he do such a thing?

“He’s actually really nice. You should go talk to him. Apologize.”

Jungkook suggests, and you find yourself dumbfounded by the words escaping his lips. Apologize? You? The incredulity echoes in your thoughts as you grapple with the absurdity of the idea.

“I won’t do anything of the sorts,” you huff, arms crossed in frustration, embodying a defiant stance reminiscent of a thwarted child denied a coveted desire.

“Ah, he's under the impression you're a mean bitch anyway,” he taunts, a derisive laugh escaping his lips, and you feel the surge of anger igniting within you. No, not in your cherished sanctuary. With conscious effort, you unclench your hands, previously balled up in frustration, determined to maintain the sanctity of your safe space.

“He’s a jerk anyway, a stupid single dad who screws anything with a pair of nice tits,” you state, infusing your words with a palpable venom.

“That was actually his nephew. No kids for him. But those girls he brings home? They do happen to have some impressive assets,” he says, a smirk playing on his lips. A flicker of realization crosses your mind—Jungkook might be deliberately riling you up for amusement, and, begrudgingly, you acknowledge that his tactic is working.

“Maybe you should go over there and have a threesome with him, huh?” you fume, the words laced with a hint of bitter sarcasm. Simultaneously, you find yourself seething not just at him, but at your own lapse for even entertaining such a thought.

He just chuckles. “Damn, you've got it bad. I almost feel sorry for you,” he says, the laughter persisting and your blood simmering with an undercurrent of venomous rage.

It's finally a Friday, and you and Jungkook are settling in for a movie night. You've crafted the ideal dinner and laid out an enticing spread of snacks for later. Everything promises to be perfect and relaxing, except for one disruptive factor: your neighbor, Namjoon, relentlessly booming loud music through his speakers.

He's got friends over, and it seems like a full-blown BBQ is in swing. A row of cars lines the street beside his house, and the distant hum of lively chatter reaches even into the sanctity of your own home. The noise is unmistakable, almost intrusive, and you find yourself cursing silently. Yet, you're left with the bitter realization that complaining won't change a thing.

“We'll just crank up the TV volume even higher,” Jungkook nonchalantly suggests, a casual shrug of his shoulders betraying his indifference to the escalating noise outside.

You sulk, conceding to Jungkook's practicality. Yet, deep down, you ache for the serene days when Seokjin and his wife were your neighbors, their presence a stark contrast to the relentless clamor that now defines Namjoon's presence.

As you stir the contents of the sizzling wok, your culinary focus momentarily breaks. “I just hope he doesn't turn this into an all-night party,” you mutter with a tinge of irritation, your tone carrying a subtle edge of anger.

“You can't fault the guy for having friends over,” he asserts, retrieving glasses from the cabinets and setting the table, “Just because you don’t have any.”

You shoot him a disbelieving look, a frustrated huff escaping your lips. “I do have friends. They are just not that loud!”

He rolls his eyes at you, an amused chuckle escaping his lips like fleeting notes of laughter dancing in the air.

You scoff, shutting down the stove and placing the pan, still radiating warmth, on the table with a protective mat underneath.

“Do we have wine?” you inquire, and Jungkook nods, gesturing towards the fridge. Your appreciation swells for him, always ensuring there's a bottle of red wine chilling inside during summer. Somehow, it just adds a delightful touch to the flavor when it's served slightly chilled.

You return to the kitchen, swing open the fridge door, and snatch a bottle of wine. “Would you like some too, Gukkie?” you ask, extending the invitation to Jungkook.

“Yeah, sure. I can't let you go on a solo mission to finish the entire bottle. It's not good for you,” he playfully teases, a hint of truth in his words. You can't deny the tendency to turn a newly opened bottle into an empty one by the end of the night.

You snag a couple of wine glasses on your way back to the table, pouring a generous amount for both of you.

“Let’s eat,” you utter in a soft breath, gracefully pulling out your chair, the enticing aroma of your culinary creation making your mouth water.

“Yeah, I’m starving,” Jungkook declares, swiftly settling into his seat across from you, greedily reaching for the wok you've prepared, ready to dive into the feast.

“Aish, it’s so good,” he mumbles with delight, savoring each mouthful and punctuating his words between bites.

“Thank you. Living with a culinary genius has its perks, doesn't it?” you playfully muse back at him, a satisfied grin lighting up your face as you bask in the warmth of his compliment.

“You know I am,” he responds, taking a hearty gulp of his wine, and you follow suit. Despite the distant noise of your neighbor and his rowdy friends, you find solace in Jungkook's company, the laughter and friendship drowning out the chaotic soundtrack from across the fence.

Now that dinner is done, and you've migrated to the couch with your wine and an enticing spread of snacks, you ask, “What do you want to watch?”

Jungkook chuckles eagerly, snatching the remote with a gleam in his eyes and declares, “Bring it on!”

You playfully roll your eyes, teasing, “You just want to watch women in short skirts, you creep.”

You chuckle as Jungkook defends himself, insisting, “You know I watch it for the plot.”

You shoot Jungkook a teasing look. “It better be the first one.”

“Of course. But the third one was also pretty good,” he says, triumphantly locating the first Bring it On movie.

Jungkook is inexplicably engrossed in Bring it On, and you can't quite decipher if it's for the skimpy outfits or the intricate choreographies, or perhaps a bit of both.

Observing him playfully mimic the dance moves, even from the confines of the couch, makes you chuckle like a fool.

The echoes of your joy abruptly shatter, drowned out by a sudden, jarring noise from outside—a disconcerting symphony of splintering wood that startles you, leaving an unsettling air lingering in the room.

This can’t be good.

Dread tightens its grip as you hastily set down your wine glass, exchanging an apprehensive glance with Jungkook, who springs to his feet beside you.

In tandem, you dash outside, propelled by a mixture of curiosity and concern, completely neglecting to grab your shoes in the urgency of the moment. The scorching heat beneath your bare feet goes unnoticed amidst the unfolding commotion though.

Your jaw plummets to the floor, a potent cocktail of shock and fury brewing within you as you absorb the unfolding spectacle before your eyes.

Namjoon, your neighbor, sprawled on his back—ON YOUR FENCE. It's a chaotic scene, with plants strewn about, the garden bed fractured, and soil spilling over, all within the wreckage of your once-pristine greens and veggies.

Your fists tighten as you stride toward Namjoon, his apologies echoing amid the laughter of his friends on his lawn, his clumsiness laid bare for all to witness.

Jungkook trails closely behind you, anticipating your next move. Yet, you remain silent, a brooding tension enveloping the air—a silence he recognizes as the precursor to something bad.

Fury courses through your veins, reaching its boiling point. Another act of destruction by your neighbor, and the question reverberates in your mind: Is this a deliberate vendetta against you? Jungkook tries to steady you, grabbing your arm, but you resist, pushing him away as your frustration simmers on the edge of eruption.

“You fucker!”

Rage consumes you, and you unleash a guttural scream at your neighbor, still seated on the ground, taking stock of the havoc he's wreaked.

“I’m sor–”

You halt his feeble attempt at an apology with a sharp interruption. “I've had enough of your apologies! Why is everything I own a target for your destruction?”

He meets your gaze with a hint of confusion, yet beneath the surface, a touch of melancholy lingers in his eyes.

Ignoring his apologies, your voice cuts through the air, demanding, “Enough with the apologies—just stop wrecking my things!”

Your voice reverberates with frustration, “Do you have some grudge against plants and nature? Is that it?” The rage within you intensifies as you survey the scene of dead plants and crops gone to waste.

Jungkook's grip tightens on your arm, his voice soothing yet cautious, “Hey, take it easy. It was probably an accident.”

Namjoon's head bobs in agreement, “Yeah, it was. I'm truly sorry, and I'll repay you for what I’ve broken,” he starts, while a few of his friends extend a hand to help him up. However, the lingering laughter among some of his friends only adds fuel to your anger.

“That's the least you can do, you jerk!” you spit back at him. He meets your gaze with initially downcast eyes, his expression softening for a brief moment. However, it swiftly transforms into a hiss, and his eyes sharpen as he locks onto yours, a tension hanging in the air.

“Why can't you accept a simple apology?” he hisses at you. His voice remains calm, but beneath the surface, a tinge of anger adds a sharp edge to his words.

“Because I hate you! You're a fucking jerk!” you roar back at him, your voice filled with seething rage. Panting and huffing, your chest heaves with the intensity of your emotions.

“You're incredibly immature with all the name-calling. What have I ever done to you?” he retorts, his brows furrowed, eyes sharp as a blade. The tension between you becomes palpable, so thick it could be cut with a knife. Even his friends fall silent, and Jungkook takes a cautious step back.

You unclench your fists, pointing accusatorily at him. “You killed my plants!”

Fury consumes you, a torrent that drowns reason. It feels like an uncontrollable storm, not the result of too much wine, but a tempest of pure anger. Without thought, you lunge at Namjoon, an instinctual reaction to the destruction he's caused. Yet, Jungkook, swift and decisive, intercepts your wrath, restraining you. Your hisses of frustration echo against Jungkook's grip, a primal response to the injustice you're forced to endure.

Namjoon raises his hands in a defensive plea, “I'm so sorry, I’ll make it right. I’ll reimburse you for the damage,” he utters, cautiously retreating as if stepping on fragile ground.

As Jungkook pulls you away, you shoot a heated promise back at Namjoon, “I’ll find a way to make you pay for this!” Your words echo with resentment, leaving a lingering threat in the air, while Jungkook apologizes for the fiery display of your frustration.

Namjoon shoots you a puzzled and pained expression, clearly trying to decipher your veiled threat, while the whispers from his friends amplify around you, filled with phrases like ‘what a crazy bitch’ and ‘did she just threaten you?’

That’s it.

You've reached your breaking point.

Namjoon has obliterated your plants, wrecked your greenhouse, trampled your garden beds, disrupted your sleep, and turned your once peaceful life into chaos. He's become a true menace, and it's time to impart a lesson he won't forget.

Fueled by anger, you snatch a screwdriver from Jungkook’s toolbox, its cold metal gripped tightly in your hand as you storm outside. The plan is simple: a flat tire for Namjoon, a lesson he won't soon forget. It's time to make him understand the consequences of messing with your life.

As chaos reigns within your mind, one crystal-clear resolution emerges from the tumult: Namjoon will pay for what he's done.

Jungkook’s voice echoes in your mind, a beacon of reason, yet you swiftly drown it out. Right now, you're not in the mood for rationality.

The stillness of the night embraces Namjoon's car, parked on his driveway. A rare moment of quiet settles around, a welcomed respite from the usual chaos. Maybe, just maybe, tonight you'll find solace in the arms of uninterrupted sleep.

Stealthily, you tiptoe up Namjoon's driveway, shrouded in the comforting cloak of darkness. Each careful step carries the weight of a clandestine mission, a secret endeavor hidden from prying eyes. This covert operation remains shrouded, a secret held close to your chest, shielded even from Jungkook, who would surely dissuade you from this path if he were privy to your foolish actions.

Despite a flicker of self-awareness that deems your actions petty and excessive, an unyielding surge of red-hot fury propels you forward. In this moment, reason takes a back seat, eclipsed by an insatiable desire for justice, consequences be damned.

As you crouch beside his sleek black SUV, a fleeting moment of uncertainty flits through your mind. The vehicle, undeniably stylish, momentarily gives you pause. Is this truly a sound decision? A twinge of guilt tickles your conscience — breaking his property, a dance on the edge of retribution.

Yet, the echo of shattered greenhouse glass and ruined plants resounds, emboldening your resolve. In your mind, it's a retaliation justified by his transgressions against your cherished possessions.

The rage within you surges, and the screwdriver in your hand feels like an extension of your fury. Your knuckles whiten as you pull back your arm, poised to plunge the tool into the rubber of his car's tire.

“What do you think you're doing?”

Your hand freezes midway in the air, the screwdriver poised for revenge. As you turn your head, you're met with Namjoon's stern gaze, his silhouette emerging from the shadows of his porch.

Fuck. fuck. Fuck. You’ve been caught.

Dread floods your senses. The fiery heat in your veins extinguishes, replaced by an icy chill, as if the harsh grip of winter has suddenly settled in your bones. In this moment, the realization hits hard – you've been caught, and the expletives echo in your mind like an ominous drumbeat.

He draws near, towering above you. His height, unnoticed until now, commands attention. Full eyelashes frame his gaze, and his dark hazel eyes pierce through you with the same sharp intensity as earlier tonight, sending an involuntary shiver down your spine.

“I asked you a question.”

Your momentary lapse into obvious distraction snaps to an end. You retract your hand along with the screwdriver, rising slowly and deftly slipping it into your pocket.

“I was about to teach you a lesson,” you declare with unwavering confidence, standing before him. Your resolve remains unshaken, observing the visible frustration settling on his face.

“Teach me a lesson?” he counters, his calm demeanor barely concealing the underlying hint of anger etched across his features. Yet, his composure remains intact, a stark contrast to your own unbridled intensity.

“Yeah, you broke all my stuff. Now I’m breaking yours,” you retort, a nonchalant shrug accompanying your words as if it's a matter of common sense, downplaying the gravity of your retaliatory actions.

His laughter catches you off guard, leaving you momentarily uncertain about how to respond.

“Are you the mastermind behind the glued mailbox?” he chuckles, and though confusion paints your expression, you nod in acknowledgment.

“The eggs too?” he inquires, a forced smile gracing his face. Despite his attractive features, it's hard to overlook the fact that he's a complete jerk.

You nod, acutely aware of the significant height difference between you. His towering presence leaves you feeling uneasy, as if his stature alone holds a certain dominance over the situation.

He chuckles once more, and an unsettling chill races down your spine. “You really are a crazy bitch,” he remarks, his laughter carrying an undertone that sends shivers across your entire body.

You involuntarily recoil, the discomfort quickly replaced by a tidal surge of rage, sweeping through you like an unstoppable tsunami.

“What did you just call me?” you spit back at him, fists clenched at your sides. His calm demeanor and laughter only fuel your growing anger, leaving you frustrated and huffing with indignation.

“You heard me,” he clarifies, a reluctance to reiterate evident in his tone.

“What you're doing is also vandalism,” he begins, his calm tone belying a subtle threat, “and I could call the police for that.”

Your eyes widen as you grasp the weight of his words. The gravity of your actions finally hits you full force. You wouldn't want that, but you understand it's within his right to do so.

“You vandalized my stuff first,” you retort, the edges of your anger slowly dissipating. Crossing your arms under your breasts, you draw his attention, his gaze lingering for a moment before he takes a deep inhale, as if contemplating his next move.

“You navigate through life like a child. Did your parents forget to teach you some manners?” He shakes his head, exhaling, and a subtle relaxation sweeps across his features. Then, with an audible inhale, he seems to brace for your response.

“I didn't vandalize your stuff. It was an accident. What you're doing is no accident. It's with intent and purpose,” he clarifies for you, his tone calm, sending chills down your spine. It dawns on you. He's right. You did intentionally break and ruin his stuff, while all he did was perhaps be clumsy.

“See the difference?” he questions, taking in your form. Your shoulders sink down, and you exhale as if the weight of guilt has settled on them.

Realization hits you like a ton of bricks. You do see the difference. You've been so foolish, consumed by the desire for revenge. Now, as the gravity of your actions sets in, you fully understand if he decides to involve the police. Shit.

“I'm so sorry. The anger just consumed me. You destroyed my plants, and I…” Your voice trembles as tears threaten to spill over. You sniff, desperately trying to hold back the flood of emotions.

“I totally understand if you want to involve the police. No more petty shit from me,” a wave of regret and shame washes over you. Your body trembles, and the first tear betrays your composure. As you quiver, you bite your lower lip, tasting the metallic tang of remorse.

You step back from Namjoon, your voice filled with remorse, “I'm truly sorry, Namjoon.”

Before you pivot away, you observe him, the epitome of cool, calm and collected, yet beneath that veneer, a hint of sorrow tinges his expression – what could be the source of his melancholy?

Author’s note(2): Thank you so much for reading! 🌸 I appreciate every like, comment and reblog, and please don’t be afraid to let me know what you think; your kind words makes me extremely happy 💜

← previous | s.masterlist | m.masterlist | next →

24 notes · View notes

davidtennantgenderenvy · 1 year

Text

HERE IS A COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF PROBABLY MOST OF THE STUFF I LIKE! Feel free to ask me about any of it

PERSONALITY TYPING: INFP 4w3 (471)

BOOKS: Grishaverse, Lord of the Rings, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Song of Achilles, The Prince of Tides, The House in the Cerulean Sea, Harry Potter (unfortunately), Gone With the Wind, His Dark Materials, A Far Wilder Magic, The Hate U Give, The Outsiders, The Devil and the Dark Water, They Both Die At The End, Riordanverse, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Warriors

MOVIES: Titanic, Dead Poets Society, It’s A Wonderful Life, Little Women 2019, NOPE, Pan’s Labyrinth, The Sixth Sense, Terminator (especially 2), Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Addams Family (1991) The Shawshank Redemption, Parasite, Knives Out/Glass Onion, Tar, Harriet, Romeo and Juliet (1968), Interstellar, Forrest Gump, Schindler’s List, The Princess Bride, Get Out, Lady Bird, Silence of the Lambs, The Truman Show, The Wall, 12 Angry Men, Recovery, so so many animated movies (especially WALL-E, The Prince of Egypt, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Howl’s Moving Castle!), SOME Marvel movies (mostly guardians and spidey)

TV SHOWS (live action): LOST, Breaking Bad, Doctor Who, Person of Interest, Good Omens, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Downton Abbey, Ted Lasso, My So Called Life, Stranger Things, Broadchurch, Alias, Sherlock, Maid, The Last of Us, Dark, Happy Valley, Takin’ Over The Asylum, The Sandman, Heartstopper, Jessica Jones, Andi Mack, The Queen’s Gambit, Derry Girls, The Office, A Series of Unfortunate Events, 1899, Mare of Easttown, Around the World in 80 Days

ANIME AND CARTOONS: Fullmetal Alchemist (both versions), Avatar, Steven Universe, Phineas and Ferb, Death Note, Assassination Classroom, Demon Slayer, Attack on Titan, Monster, Spy X Family, Ouran High School Host Club, My Hero Academia, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Toradora, Gravity Falls, The Owl House, Cowboy Bebop, Erased, Mob Psycho 100, Kotaro Lives Alone, Ducktales

MUSIC: Queen, Taylor Swift, My Chemical Romance, Adele, Jeff Buckley, Will Wood, Olivia Rodrigo, The Beatles, Billy Joel, Hozier, The Proclaimers, Mitski, Fiona Apple, Brandi Carlile, Janelle Monáe, Alanis Morrissette, Sinead O'Connor, Nina Simone, David Bowie, BTS, Stray Kids, Day-6, Kelly Clarkson; Guns N Roses, Muse, Beyonce, Lana Del Rey, Pink Floyd, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, George Michael, Heart, Radiohead…

MUSICALS: Les Miserables, Great Comet, Ragtime, Phantom of the Opera, Hadestown, Hamilton, Wicked, Come From Away, Matilda, Falsettos, Jesus Christ Superstar, Anastasia, Evita, The Last Five Years, The Sound of Music, West Side Story, The Clockmaker’s Daughter, Ride the Cyclone, Sweeney Todd, Parade, Little Shop of Horrors, Cats, In The Heights, Into the Woods, She Loves Me, Sunday in the Park with George, Lizzie, Newsies, Bonnie and Clyde, The Secret Garden, The Wild Party, Cabaret, Putnam County Spelling Bee…(I also love Shakespeare!)

VIDEO GAMES: basically just Super Mario Bros and Undertale but boy do I love Super Mario Bros and Undertale

YOUTUBERS: Schaffrillas Productions, Cinema Therapy, The Authentic Observer, Matt Rose, PMSeymour, Katherine Steele, The Swiftologist, FilmCooper, Sideways, Anthony Fantano and too many others to mention

FAVE ROLES I’VE PLAYED: Elsa in Frozen, Morticia in The Addams Family, Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, Iolanthe in Iolanthe, Juror #8 in 12 Angry Jurors

#not bothering with tags this is just literally for my followers/anyone who visits my page #also I didn’t want to duplicate titles by medium #Like putting LOTR in both the books and movies section #for space ya know #so if there’s a good adaptation of something on this list assume it’s on here too in spirit #LOTR are literally my favorite movies of all time but there’s more space in the book section #Same with PnP Harry Potter etc

50 notes · View notes

park-jimin-isnt-real · 7 months

Text

🍂 pairing: yoongi x reader (platonic) 🍂 rating: pg 🍂 au: "over the garden wall"-esque 🍂 genre: autumn?? a lil spooky, a lil whimsy, a lil mystery; not quite angst, not quite fluff 🍂 this part: you wake up on a bench in a forest, with no memory before then of recollection of how you got there. the person greeting you gives you three options: going into the Great Unknown (never to be seen again), wandering the woods (until you become an Edelwood tree), or spending a month in Devil Town. 🍂 tw: none for this part 🍂 wc: ~3.5k 🍂 track: Devil Town ~ Cavetown: "Life's alright in Devil Town, yeah, right, no one's gonna catch us now." (subtrack, Come Little Children ~ Adriana Figueroa, FamilyJules) 🍂 devil town masterlist 🍂 main masterlist 🍂 an: ahhh i can't believe it's finally here!! super special thanks and shout-out to @theharrowing for being the catalyst, inspo, and beta for this little project. i really hope you guys enjoy this and please let me know what you think!

"Led thru the mist, by the milk-light of moon..."

A warm forest canopy greeted you when you opened your eyes, the vibrant reds and oranges of the leaves dense enough you couldn't see the sky. The surface beneath you was hard and cold, with uncomfortable ridges digging into your back. The air was a little chilly, a little misty. You looked around, trying to get your bearings.

The tree trunks were thicker than you'd ever seen before, the bark on them nearly black, with strange holes and creases that almost looked like faces. Slowly, you sat up, carefully moving your limbs to stretch them out. You were lying on a bench, you discovered, in a small clearing next to a well-worn path.

Why did you wake up on a bench?

How did you get here?

"Hey." The voice was quiet and calm, but it still startled you. You thought you were alone out here. "How are you feeling?" You turned towards the sound and watched as a person came into view, almost like he was materializing from the mist between the trees itself.

"Who are you?" You asked as you moved backwards on the bench, hoping to keep some kind of distance between him and yourself. If you had a better idea of where you were, you would've run.

"I am the Guide," he answered, coming further out of the shadows. His hair was light and windswept, his face soft, his cat-like eyes deep and sharp. He kept his hands in the pockets of his coat. You weren't sure if that was comforting or not.

He also didn't really answer your question. "What does that mean?"

"It's pretty straight forward," he responded, "I guide. And I know you have plenty of questions, so just get them out now."

For right now, at least, he didn't seem to be a danger to you. If he was, he would've done something by now. Or maybe he was luring you into a false sense of security, getting you to drop your guard, and then he would strike. Still, he was offering answers of some kind, and you were in desperate need of those, however you could get them.

"Where am I?" You asked as you looked around again, hoping for greater understanding of the woods you had awoken in.

"You are in the Unknown."

Your gaze shot back to him, the Guide. "What does that mean??" You snapped more than asked, because while that was technically an answer, it still didn't tell you anything.

The Guide only shrugged, "If anyone knew, it wouldn't be called 'the Unknown', now would it?"

You could only blink at him, at his non-answers that he probably believed to be helpful. It took you a moment to regather your thoughts and move on to the next most pressing question. "Okay, so, what am I doing here?"

He didn't respond immediately this time. Instead, he opened and closed his mouth, the look on his face growing increasingly more frustrated. You glanced down, a movement in his coat pockets capturing your attention. It looked like his hands were shaking, or maybe he was clenching and unclenching his fists.

"I can't tell you that," he finally said, his voice less soft and comforting, carrying a bit of that frustration in its tone.

"Why not?"

"I can't tell you that either," he huffed. You opened your mouth again, but he continued, "And before you ask why again, know that I want to. I always want to. But I can't get the words out of my mouth. I'm not allowed to."

You felt just as frustrated as he looked. "So what can you do?"

That question seemed to relax him again, his body returning to its odd stillness as he continued to stand there. "I can tell you about the options you have now that you're here."

"Options?" You repeated. "Like what?"

The Guide finally pulled one of his hands out of his pockets, holding a single finger up. "Well, option one: you can walk off in that general direction," he gestured to your right, "towards the light, and enter into the Great Unknown." You turned to look where he indicated.

The path that the bench was next to led either left or right, and the way right was significantly brighter than its opposite. Despite the friendly glow, you felt unnerved.

"But don't people always say 'don't go into the light'?" Because going into the light often meant death.

"And you could listen to them," he said. "Those who choose to go into the Great Unknown are never seen or heard from again. But ultimately, that choice is up to you."

So that way was definitely death.

You looked back at him, hoping for something better. "And option two?"

"Option two is wandering around the woods here," the guide looked around at the trees, "until you eventually and inevitably turn into an Edelwood tree, whose wood—according to legend—is then harvested and turned into oil to be used in some ancient lantern that harbors the soul of the Beast that also wanders the wood."

Now you looked at him like he was crazy. "I'm sorry, what??" He didn't miss a beat or bat an eye, his voice stayed the same even, monotonous tone, he said all of that like it was just another day here, wherever you really were.

"According to legend," he repeated, then shrugging, added, "again, no one really knows. Supposedly, a couple of kids arrived in the Unknown a while back, and they defeated the Beast before taking their leave." He looked away from you again, turning his gaze to the closest tree and slowly looking up. "But if the Beast were truly gone, then why are people still turning into Edelwood trees?"

You paid closer attention to the trees surrounding you now, with their nearly black bark and face-like holes and creases, and felt hundreds of empty eyes fall on you in return. How many people had wandered through the woods here for the forest to become this dense? How many ghosts of screams could you hear echoing on the breeze?

How long would it take the same fate to befall you?

"Is there a third option?" You asked, much more subdued than your recent questions. Part of you wondered if the trees could hear you as well.

"Of course," the Guide answered, and you felt your shoulders relax just a bit at that. "Your third and last option is to spend a month in Devil Town."

You had to close your eyes and take a moment to breathe, to tell yourself to remain calm. "Devil Town."

"Yes. It's not an actual town of devils, that's just its name."

"And no one knows why?" You guessed, opening your eyes to glare at him again.

He merely shrugged, "If we did, it wouldn't be in the Unknown."

You forced yourself to breathe slower, counting to ten in your mind. Yes, the Guide had answered every question you asked, but every answer was a non-answer. They didn't satisfy any of the curiosity you possessed, they simply led to more questions and even more non-answers.

"So my options are, one: definitely death; two: becoming a tree; or three: going to someplace called Devil Town?"

"For a month."

"Huh?"

"If you choose to go to Devil Town, you can only stay for a month," he explained.

"What happens after a month?"

"You get kicked out and you have to make an official choice. Either the Great Unknown, or the woods."

"So if death and tree are my only options in the end, then why bother with Devil Town at all?"

"Well," he started, but then paused. He looked frustrated again, like there were things he wanted to say but wasn't allowed to. Finally, he sighed. "They're your only options in the end right now. Depending on how things go in Devil Town, when your month is up you could have some other, more rare options opened up to you."

That was the first bit of good news you had heard since you woke up. "Like what?"

"Like..." he paused again, still struggling against whatever force was trying to keep him silent. When he spoke again, this time he sounded strained. "Like staying in Devil Town permanently, or, even more unlikely, going home."

You almost stood up in excitement. "If I spend a month in Devil Town, I can go home?"

"Maybe. Again, it depends. There's a lot of things that factor into that becoming an option, and very few have ever achieved it."

"But there's a chance," you insisted.

"Yes," he conceded, starting to relax again.

Part of you wanted to jump up and start heading to the ill-named town, whatever direction it was in, but the other part of yourself held back. "Is that chance worth it?" You dared to ask.

"That's up to you," he responded, yet another non-answer.

You rolled your eyes, wondering when this cycle of questions and non-answers was going to end. "Well, you're the guide! Guide me!"

The Guide shook his head, "I can only guide you towards the Great Unknown or to Devil Town, but you have to choose first."

Something about that made you curious. "Did you choose Devil Town?"

"I did," he nodded, "and then I chose to stay."

"What's it like there?" If this was your best option, you at least wanted to know as much about it as you could before you officially chose it.

He shrugged, "Life's alright in Devil Town. There's not really much to do there, but plenty of people to talk to."

"When does the month start?"

"Once you set foot in the town limits. After that, you have to stay within those limits, or things start getting… messy."

"Messy how?"

"I can't talk about it," he almost snapped, probably getting annoyed at your ability to ask questions he can't answer the way he wanted to. You wanted to ask about that, but figured he wouldn't be able to tell you about that either. "Now, is Devil Town your choice?"

You took one last look to your right, towards where the Great Unknown lied, and then looked up at the trees around you. Death and tree would not give you a chance to get home. You took a deep breath, relishing the cool air, and stood up. "Yes. I'll go to Devil Town."

The Guide nodded, then turned towards your left and started down the path. "Follow me."

You walked behind him in silence. He didn't seem to be much for conversation now that you had made your choice. You looked around as you walked, trying to take in and appreciate your new surroundings, but the trees all looked like they were watching you and you couldn't hear any animals hiding up in the branches. The only sounds you could make out were your combined footsteps on the dirt and the wind rustling through the leaves.

You weren't sure how long had passed before you finally cracked and broke the silence yourself. "Do you have a name?"

"I am the Guide," he responded, rather curtly in comparison to your earlier questions.

"That's a title," you shot back. "Do you have a name? Something people call you when they're talking about you or they're trying to get your attention?"

He didn't answer you right away, and you thought he wasn't going to, that you would go back to walking in silence. After a bit more walking, however, he sighed and said, "I did once. Now I am the Guide, and that's how people refer to me."

"Just, the Guide? There's nothing else?"

"Yes." He stopped walking to turn and look at you, and you nearly ran into him. "Whoever we came to Devil Town as, that's not who we are anymore, so we don't have these 'names'." The Guide turned around again and continued on his way. "You'll understand more after some time there."

You didn't move for a moment, lost in thought wondering what he meant. How did someone just not have a name anymore? And why did he sound a little sad when he said it?

You shook yourself from your ponderings and ran a bit to catch up with him. The last thing you wanted was to get left behind, in fear that you'd end up lost and then turn into a tree anyway. You didn't ask him any more questions, instead letting him guide you in peace.

Soon, you could see a break in the trees ahead of you, and through the mist you could make out the silhouettes of buildings. You started to feel anticipation crawl up your spine as you grew closer, and you wondered at what point you crossed the town limits. Had your month started already?

You could practically feel the mist on your skin as you came out of the tree line, moist and sticky and cold. You wrapped your arms around yourself and walked a bit closer to the Guide, not wanting to lose him. In front of you, Devil Town came fully into view.

The streets were made of cobblestone, with not a sidewalk or stoplight in sight. People loitered around the sides of buildings made of brick, or by lampposts that flickered as if their light was from a candle instead of a lightbulb. Everyone was dressed similarly, in coats that looked fuzzy and warm, with plaid scarves wrapped tightly around their necks. Many of the adults wore formal hats, while children had beanies or earmuffs.

It was like you stumbled into a ghost town that someone had decided to bring back to life, albeit unsuccessfully, and the remnants had yet to fade away again.

As the Guide led you further into Devil Town, an important question came to mind. "Where will I stay?" There were so many small buildings and even smaller shops, but you had yet to see anything that resembled a house or apartment complex.

"With the Fool," he answered, though it didn't give you any more confidence. "He has a book shop with a spare room. That's where most people like you stay until the month is up."

"How do I unlock the option to go home?" You whispered this question, not wanting anyone to overhear you. Home must be a touchy subject for those who were still here. "Is there something specific I need to do?"

The Guide only sighed in frustration, a sound you were starting to get used to. "I can't tell you that." It didn't deter you this time, you simply changed your question.

"What can you tell me?"

He took his time answering you again, this time waiting until the two of you were standing in front of a wooden door. With one hand on the doorknob, the Guide turned to look at you. The intensity of his gaze—locked dead onto yours—forced you back a step.

When he spoke, that intensity was carried through his voice, quiet but pointed. "Devil Town is tricky, and those who are here are trickier. Whatever it is you are running from, it won't catch you here. It can't. But that doesn't mean you're safe. Don't trust anyone, not even me, and especially not yourself."

He didn't give you a moment to recover, to process his words, before turning the knob and pushing inside the building, leaving you to follow after hesitantly.

"Ah, the Guide!" A new, deeper, cheerier voice said. "What brings you here? Another lost soul to harbor?"

You didn't like the term lost soul.

You looked around as they spoke, at the shelves and shelves of books. Or, book. Maybe you were tired or maybe you had become too confused, but it looked like every book was an exact copy of the one next to it: same height, same thickness, same color, same title.

What kind of bookshop only sold one book?

"Yes," came the response from the only person you had met so far. "Is your spare room empty?"

"Of course!" You finally looked at the new person, the Fool, the Guide had said. He was much taller, and was actually smiling at you, with deep dimples in his cheeks. He seemed much kinder than the Guide had when you first met him, but his words outside the shop still reverberated around in your head. "It's right this way," he gestured behind him, "please follow me, miss…?" He trailed off, waiting for you to introduce yourself.

That was when you realized, the Guide had never asked for your name. He never wondered who you were, beyond "another lost soul" to guide through the Unknown.

Don't trust anyone, not even me, especially not yourself.

What scared you the most, however, was that you couldn't answer his question.

"I don't remember," you told them, your voice small and shaky in a way it hadn't been since you woke up on that bench. You were confused, you were concerned, but you hadn't necessarily been scared. "I don't remember my name." You looked back and forth between them, hoping for some kind of help, though you weren't sure what either could offer you.

The Guide merely blinked at your words, probably having heard them before, countless times from countless others he's had to do this with since he chose to stay here. The Fool continued smiling at you, also not concerned but seeming to offer you more comfort.

"That's alright," the Fool shrugged, "you can pick out who you are later. I'll help you, if you like." You wanted his offer to be kind and generous, but it only reminded you of the conversation you had with the Guide on the way here and it only added to the fear that now had a solid grip around your throat.

Still, you walked towards the Fool, wanting to lay down and rest and get a proper moment to think and process everything that had happened. You did try to keep your distance from the bookshelves, still put off by the repeating book.

"Take care of her," the Guide said, taking his own steps towards the door.

"You know I will."

"I know you will try," the Guide sighed, "we'll see what happens. And for you."

You looked back at him, "Yes?"

"Your time has started. Be careful with what you do with it." The Guide turned away, his hand on the doorknob. He didn't turn it, though, instead his knuckles were turning white with how hard he was grasping it. "And whatever you do, stay away from the Loner."

The Guide sounded strained again, like he was specifically trying to get those words out, like it was something he wasn't supposed to be telling you but managed to anyway.. With that final warning, he pulled the door open and exited the bookshop, leaving you alone with the Fool.

"Don't mind him so much," the Fool tried again to comfort you as he led you down a small hallway and up a short staircase. "He tries to act all intense but he's practically harmless." You didn't respond, still worried about too many things, still trying to process everything that was happening.

He stopped outside a simple wooden door and gently pushed it open for you. "Here is your room," he said, "get yourself situated, rest if you like. I'll be downstairs."

You stepped into the space, cozy but still void of any life. A single bed, a chair in a corner, a wardrobe in the opposite one. The window was thin and didn't have much of a view, but it didn't let the cold in.

"Thank you, um..." you trailed off, still unused to the strange naming system. You felt especially uncomfortable calling him the Fool.

"The Fool," he said for you, still smiling. A strange and silly part of you wanted to poke his dimples, just to see if they were real. "And you're welcome. Don't worry too much about forgetting your name. Like I said, we can pick one out for you."

With that, the Fool left you alone, closing the door but not all the way, giving you space but letting you know if you needed something you could go to him.

You went over to the wardrobe, gently tugging on the vintage-looking knobs, worried they would pop out if you pulled too hard. The doors creaked open, showing you clothes similar in fashion to what the people in town were wearing, all dark tones with simple patterns, somewhere between vintage pioneer and modern school uniforms. You shrugged off your current coat, the long, dark brown one you didn't remember how you had gotten, and hung it up on an empty hanger.

Then you tenderly sat on the bed, testing out the mattress before putting your full weight on it. It wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world, but it was better than the bench you woke up on.

Why did you wake up on a bench?

How did you get here?

What had you gotten yourself into?

🍂 thanks for reading!! 🍂 tagging: @secfir

#bts #bts fic #bts fanfic #bts writing #bts au #bts over the garden wall #bts autumn #bts mini series #yoongi x reader #devil town #part one #btswritersclub

49 notes · View notes

sugarycandies · 2 years

Text

The Chronicles of Hollow House

Chapter 1

Pairing: BTS x Reader (One-Shots per each member)

Genre: 18+ MINORS DNI, Smut with Plot, Slowburn, Supernatural, Horror-Themes, Angst

Synopsis: A house across the street serves as a warning. It had an outside so perilous and terrifying that no one was reckless enough to strut inside. Regardless, the noises inside the house bud concerningly, nurturing the curiosity of Y/N. One night, she sees someone, something, prowling outside of the house. The following day, she receives a formal invite to a dinner party at the house. She can only wonder what lies inside such an infamously avoided household.

Word Count: 3k

MASTERLIST

*Can be read as separate two-parters (Introduction + Specific Character Chapter)

════════════════════════════════════

Entry #31

The house stood taller than any other on the block. I ran by it today, every time I walk past it I just get the feeling I’m being watched. I hate that thing and I never want to go near it in my life. Who the hell is living there?

(Y/N) lived in a cottage-like house. A well-tended and nice garden decorated the outside, as a small grey brick wall hugged around it, leaving a gate to enter from. She prided herself on making her house look approachable and nice. It was a small house, but a homey one nonetheless. Yet, no one would be even able to see her beautiful exterior other than herself, and that was due to the house.

An enormous, decrepit, and sordid house that sorely sat upon the hill across from her own leaned over any goers through the street. Throughout the years, never once had it been put up the sale, but no one had ever seen anyone outside of the house before either. Whenever a package was left outside, or the mailbox got too full, the mail inside if it disappeared. Sometimes when someone came to knock on the door, no one would come to answer. It has been sworn that truly, no one ever lived there at all.

It was a full moon, hanging above the two houses on the solemn street. (Y/N) sat in her kitchen, making herself a meal, stirring the pot that held some pasta boiling inside. Her kitchen was compact and woody, but fit the vibe of her house. While she cooked, she hummed along to a song playing on her phone, a distance away from her.

Suddenly, she heard a loud ‘thud!’, making her stutter for a second, freezing. She carefully listened as she felt her limbs lock up. The noise had originated from the end of the hall, echoing through. She didn’t feel as alone as she was before, and she had never felt so terrified of that feeling. It crept up her back and whispered along her neck, locking her joints. Slowly, she reached over to her phone, pausing the music to listen closer. Tap. Tap. Tap.

Looking around her kitchen, she reached for a steak knife nearby, gripping the handle tightly. She flipped the blade around in her hand, the sharp side out first. With an inexperienced hand, she pointed the knife outwards as she looked down her hall. Darkness cascaded across the walls, making the end of the hall imperceptible. The light switch mocked her from the other end of the hall, forcing herself to plunge in.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

(Y/N) walked further into the hallway, fearful, but pushing through as she flicked on the light, making the walk seem much less intimidating. The knife led her forwards as she tried to listen again for the noise. A crash came directly from the door next to her: her bedroom door.

(Y/N) sharply inhaled in preparation for what she might see. She slowly opened the door, leading with her knife. She used the tip of her foot to push open the door, it creaked open meticulously, dragging onwards. The breeze brought her skin to goosebumps, and in front of her she saw her window, pried up, curtains flipping around in the breeze.

“Whoever the hell is in here, I’m calling the police!” she yelled, holding her knife as she looked around, not seeing anyone, “So you better fucking run!”

“Mrrreow!”

(Y/N) gasped as she looked down, just to be met with a black cat rubbing up against the door, pushing it open more. Looking closer at her room now, she noticed a couple of candles had been knocked down, as well as some beads. Her trashcan had been ransacked.

“Oh,” she whispered feeling a bit more sympathetic now. She must have left open the window on accident, although she swore she hadn’t, “Poor baby, are you hungry?”

The cat meowed again, before jumping over to her desk when suddenly he came eye to eye with something. The cat quickly grabbed a small ring on her desk, took it in his mouth, and jumped back out the window. (Y/N) gasped at how quickly it had happened.

“Hey!” She yelled looking out the window, running over to it, “Give that back!”

(Y/N) pushed through the window and looked out, watching the cat scurry across over to the house across the street, the house. Outside of the house was a figure that she could barely make out in the distance, slowly reaching down and petting the cat, it was large and extremely muscular. It grabbed the ring out of the mouth of the cat, and slowly held it up, he had large claws that barely silhouetted in the light. (Y/N) gasped as she watched, was this the person who lived next door? The figure turned and met eyes with her as she hung out the window, and she felt a strike in her chest.

He had glowing, yellow eyes.

She lept out of the window and slammed it shut, quickly shutting her curtains and drawing them tight. Her fingers ran up to the top of the window and locked it in place. Who? No, what, was that? Anxiously (Y/N) ran her fingers through her hair as she tried to keep her composure, her chest pulsing upwards and down with her heavy breaths to steady her posture.

Yellow eyes haunted her dreams.

The next morning, (Y/N) woke up, sleeping in without the sun to wake her up, curtains drawn still. She moved her limbs sluggishly as she rubbed her eyes, looking into the mirror to see dark circles drawn below. The knife still sat on her dresser. Hungry, she walked out to make something for breakfast.

Ding dong!

Her head whipped over to the door. She gulped. Slowly, she heads over to peak through the eye hole, squinting one eye to peer through. All she saw was her porch and the house that loomed into the distance. No one. An envelope slipped under the door, and she stopped looking for a second confused before she peered through the hole again. No one. How the hell did the letter get there?

The envelope was a deep red, a wax seal elegantly placed holding it together. Ms. (Y/N) was written on the front. Curiosity pulled her like she was drawn by a string to the letter, as she shakily picked it up. She dug under the wax seal and lifted it up with her nails, a small cardstock-like paper inside. A note, that had been addressed to her.

Dear (Y/N),

You are humbly invited on this day, October 24th, to visit our humble abode, Hollow House, on the top of the hill. We believe we have something of yours, and now you have a secret of ours. We’d like to discuss it over a humble dinner. Tonight at 5 pm, show up and knock on the door three times in quick succession. State your name, and the door will be unlocked for you. Head down the hall, and you will meet my butler to bring you to us.

If you fail to arrive, we will have to take measures into our own hands.

Dearly,

Kim Namjoon

(Y/N) felt her hair rise as she read the letter. She couldn’t tell if was a threat or an invitation. She ran her finger over it before looking at the time, she only had a couple of hours. Part of her didn’t want to go, but the last sentence kept her going.

If you fail to arrive, we will have to take measures into our own hands.

Despite everything in her begging for her not to go, to pretend she had never seen the invite at all, she showed up. Right at 5 pm, she trekked up the hill, looking decently nice. She wore a tight red dress, wearing lipstick to match, and a jacket that hugged her shoulders from the cold. Every single part of the letter had shown an element of elegancy, so she felt pressured to present so.

Heading up to the door, she noticed the intricate detailing of the wood. It had to have been decades old by its victorian style, but still, the gold on the knob was perfectly shined as if it hadn’t aged past a month. She raised her fist, knocking three times. Upon the third knock, the door swung open on its own, almost knocking (Y/N) back in surprise.

The hall was a mahogany wood, dressed in a red carpet and wallpaper. Old paintings and portraits of men hung against the wall, seven men, in particular, each to their own frame. She looked across the frames, were these family members? The air was thick, and she felt crowded and tight as she walked down the empty hallway. There was an ethereal chorus of people around her blind to the eye.

“Hello?” She called down the hallway, an opening was at the far end, and she kept going down the hallway, hesitant.

“Goodevening (Y/N), we’re expecting you.” She gasped, feeling the voice upon the back of her neck.

When she turned, she was met by a tall man, dressed in a nice black suit, his hair slicked back. She could have sworn he wasn’t there before.

“My name is Seokjin, I’ll show you to Mr. Kim.” He said with a bow, “Please, follow me. I will take your coat.” he swiftly wrapped an arm around her, taking her jacket off. He slung it over the arm that hung at a 90-degree angle in front of him, bringing it with him.

“Uh- thank you,” she said gulping, “How did you get behind me, I could have sworn there was no one there.”

“I was there the entire time,” he said simply as he walked, not addressing the concern fully. There had been too many strange coincidences over and over again, and (Y/N) was getting overwhelmed with trying to find rationality in all of them.

She was brought to a long table, seven seats across it. At the end stood a man, with his hair slicked back, and hands folded. The rest of the men held their heads down, the only other seat open

“Good evening,” The man at the end of the table said, “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Kim Namjoon, the owner of this house.”

Seokjin moved to pull a chair for (Y/N) out, motioning for her to sit, to which she hesitantly complied. He moved past to stand behind Kim Namjoon’s chair, watching from afar.

“I believe last night you saw something, unexplainable.” He said, narrowing his eyes. Two of the boys looked further down, pouting, “In trade for this ring, If you promise not to disclose any information we give you, we will explain.”

(Y/N) at this point barely cared about the ring, all she wanted was answers to everything that was happening, and she nodded.

“This is Jeon Jungkook,” Namjoon motioned to Jungkook, who was sitting closest to him, and he finally looked up, he held an innocent look, “You saw him and Hoseok here last night.”

“I only saw one man.” (Y/N) corrected.

“Hoseok,” Namjoon said, and another boy stood up.

“I’m so sorry Ma’am!” He quickly jumped out of his seat and bowed, “Jungkook and I were just playing a game, I broke into your house and stole your ring as a bet!”

Namjoon nodded at the apology.

“That’s impossible, it was a cat,” (Y/N) interjected.

“Hoseok here has the ability to turn into a cat,” Namjoon said, and Hoseok slowly sat down nodding. “And Jungkook here is a werewolf.”

(Y/N) paused for a second, at first she could have sworn it off as a joke, but everything in her just told her it was impossible.

“We have protected the supernatural in my family for generations,” Namjoon said, looking around the table, “We have created a family here, and this information and what you saw tonight would put my family in grave danger. I can’t have that.”

“So, werewolves, vampires, all of that is real?” (Y/N) asked looking around, none of these boys were human, and that settled in. It made everything make sense, the letter, the strange circumstances surrounding everything. It was all because it wasn’t rational to begin with.

“Precisely,” Namjoon said, “Their existence has been attempted to be wiped out and portrayed as fiction since their discovery. My family has sworn to protect them as they are as humane as us. I will do anything to protect these people, including covering up your disappearance if so necessary. If you do not wish that, then we can enter a legally binding contract in order to make sure this does not get told to anyone.”

(Y/N) looked at the boys surrounding her. Each of them looked either scared, angry, or both. Namjoon, in the center of them all, hung over them all protectively. She realized then the true nature of this house- the real reason why it felt so abandoned. It was because they had to for their safety.

“Alright,” she nodded, “I won’t tell anyone.”

A collective sigh of relief came from the boys, as they relaxed in their seats. Namjoon let a satisfied smirk come to his face.

“But I want to help.”

Namjoon’s eyebrows raised, and everyone turned to look at her in shock.

“You’re just protecting these people?” she said looking around at everyone, “I’ll help since I’m the only other one that knows. I can bring you all food and run errands outside of the house. I’ll help with whatever is needed.”

“Oh my god, can you get us a tv?” One of the boys peered up, “I’ve always wanted a tv!”

“Taehyung,” Namjoon looked over to him, “You can't spring these questions-”

“Sure.” (Y/N) said, “I have an extra one in my bedroom that I don’t use.”

“Namjoon please let her stay!” Taehyung turned, letting out his bottom lip in a pleading glance, “I like her already! She’s going to get us a tv!”

Namjoon paused and then looked forward at (Y/N). “Fine. We will accept your help.”

“Then introduce me to all of you,” she said with a smile, “I’ll run errands for you so that you all don’t risk exposing yourselves.”

“We will chat over this dinner then.” Kim Namjoon nodded, as Seokjin brought out plates of food for the two of you, “I did promise food after all.”

Entry #32, October 24, 2022.Today I learned about the seven men that inhabit Hollow House (The House), and I have contracted myself to help their cause. Why? A mix of curiosity and empathy. They all seemed extremely sheltered and a bit uptight to rules, and I wanted to alleviate that. Plus, they have all unveiled a secret to me that I have stumbled upon by accident, the nature of their supernatural abilities. I want to know how this works and why the Kim family is the way they are. They seemed like normal boys most of all, minus the occasionally terrifying behaviors.

First, Namjoon, is the (human?) owner of the house, and a descendant of the Kim family. He seems extremely protective and caring about everyone in there, going as far as to threaten to kill me. He invited me over to dinner and gave me back the ring. The others seem to respect him a lot. I’m not sure if he fully trusts me yet. I want to gain that trust.

Min Yoongi didn’t speak much if at all during my meeting with him, but from what I know he isn’t alive. He seemed to float when he walked, and his voice when he did speak was airy and barely comprehensible. He seemed off, a bit too closed off.

Jung Hoseok was the cat who broke into my house, so I assume he is a shapeshifter. He seemed apologetic over the situation from last night. During our meal he talked a lot, so he seems very outgoing. He seemed like a fun person to hang around with and he pushed for conversation.

Kim Taeyhung had the sharpest teeth and didn’t eat his meal in the slightest. All he drank was this deep, red wine that Seokjin poured separately. Yet, he spoke with me a bit, he seems kind of outgoing as well. I assumed from this he might be a vampire, and during the meal whenever his stomach rumbled, he looked at me in hunger.

Park Jimin was simply a mix of the most angelic but dived into the darkest smiles I’ve ever seen in my life. He kept looking at me during the entirety of the meal I had. His eyes were extremely dark, almost pulling me in. I have no idea what sort of supernatural creature he is, I can’t put a label on him.

Kim Seokjin seemed to take on the role of the butler in the house, yet he kept appearing and reappearing at the quickest speeds I have ever seen. He seemed extremely polite, and I didn’t get the opportunity to learn much about him during the conversation as he kept quiet next to Namjoon the entire time. I wonder if there is a way to have a conversation with just him.

Finally, Jeon Jungkook. He is the yellow eyes that kept appearing in my dreams. So he was a werewolf? It was a full moon, so I guess that makes sense. He seemed to have quite an apologetic nature for last night too, but he seemed extremely intrigued by me there. Why did he want my ring in the first place anyways to go as far as to tell Hoseok to break in for it?

By learning more about this place, I’ve got seven more questions to learn about. But I will be the one to uncover what truly they mean, what goes on inside the walls. What are the stories of these people that so have gone as far as to know my name? Part of me wonders what I’ve wrapped myself into. But I’ve gone too far deep now, so there’s no stopping what lies behind the Hollow House.

════════════════════════════════════

Taglist: @otomehideout-indecentconfessions To be added please comment + add if you want to be tagged for a specific character chapter.

99 notes · View notes

ink-flavored · 1 month

Text

Heaven and Angels

BTS Series: ⬅ Table of Contents - Hell and Demons➡ Also available on Neocities! P&J Taglist (Check out my Google form to get added): @elegant-paper-collection @auroblaze@zeenimf @vacantgodling @foxys-fantasy-tales Banner art by @auroblaze

For any story that contains magic, it’s important to have a good idea of how it works and what its limitations are, even if the mechanics of the magic are never explored in the story. I like to have a full idea of what magic can and cannot do in my work, so that it doesn’t feel like a cheap cop-out.

In Pride & Justice, both angels and demons have similar but conflicting magic powers. In this post, I’ll be discussing the angels, and how Heaven functions!

The Structure of Heaven

The Kingdom of Heaven is not a castle in the clouds. It’s not a castle at all, nor any sort of physical place someone might be able to reach. Heaven is one patch in a marvelous quilt of creation, stitched by the One and Only God. Like that same quilt folded into halves, Heaven rests over Earth, a dimension far beyond the stretch of outer space.

Humans, once called back to God after their deaths, can never return to Earth, merely able to peek over the edge and glimpse the world they left. Intentionally so—they were never meant to grasp the power that Heaven might grant, built for Earth and Earth alone. Angels, however, are created in Heaven and able to make use of their higher position, They can slip easily through the gaps in the stitching, hopping from one quilt-square to another. Most of the time, however, angels are working in Heaven, carrying out tasks they’re given by the Almighty to keep Heaven running.

Where the humans stay and where the angels work are separate. Paradise is a walled garden—while there may not be a castle, the gates are decidedly real. Those worthy of Heaven are escorted to the innermost sanctum of Heaven to begin their eternal rest, and on the way, they might pass thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of God’s soldiers. Angels defend Heaven tirelessly, ensuring that worthy souls can enjoy their well-earned peace.

And, as always, preparing for Judgement Day with a hand on their swords.

Angels

The soldiers and servants of God, created by Him to serve the interests of Heaven. They are made to be righteous, born with all capacity for good, compelled to aid humanity, and serve God wherever they go. They operate on a strict hierarchy, like any army should, and prioritize following orders to the letter.

After all, what could be more righteous than carrying out God’s Word?

Nameless

When angels are born, they have no names, nor a solid form. The flaming wheels, hundreds of eyes, dozens of wings, animal heads, and so on are a manifestation of their raw power, beautiful in its own way, but unfocused. Instead of being given a domain to watch over explicitly, God gives them a hidden purpose, a virtue to follow, and the free will to discover it for themselves.

The Nameless angels might take centuries to discover what they were made for. In that time they study under their fellow angels, contemplate God’s Word, and get sent to Earth to work miracles and observe humanity outside of paradise.

Once the Nameless discover the purpose God gave them, they are celebrated, named, and become Realized.

Realized

A Realized angel is one who has embodied their virtue so completely that it reshapes them. This can be any virtue in God’s Kingdom—there are angels of honesty, passion, charity, justice, faith, and so on. Each of the Realized are named for their given virtue and are permitted to choose a secondary form: a form resembling humanity, built in God’s own image.

Angels can choose the ins and outs of their new forms, down to the very minuscule details. Some even choose to keep some of their Nameless features—multiple heads, sets of wings, limbs, and so on. Importantly, though, once an angel has chosen their Realized form, their state is permanent. Realizing the purpose God created them for can only happen once, obviously, and the resulting change is a blessing. Not to be questioned or challenged. In times of great need, they can revert to their Nameless forms for a less concentrated but extremely powerful blast of holy energy.

Once Realized, angels are given more concrete tasks to perform around Heaven. Many are still sent to Earth, and studying under God and each other is an eternal practice, but now they can be equipped as the soldiers they were born to be.

Virtues like justice, diligence, and fortitude join the ranks as Heaven’s army. For organization, honesty, prudence, and temperance maintain the structure of Heaven and keep God’s Word at the forefront. The gentler virtues, like kindness, charity, hope, and faith remain steadfast protectors of humanity and help keep the hardened soldiers in check. The remainder—virtues like patience, humility, love, and passion—are the main force that fly down to Earth to bless humanity, though they play a role in Heaven too. Even their fellow angels need occasional reminders of what they’re fighting for.

Archangels

If all of Heaven is an army, the Archangels are its generals, bringing orders from God down to the ordinary rank-and-file. They rarely go to Earth, and even their fellow angels don’t see much of them. They’re hardly seen outside the few moments when orders are delivered, only carrying out the highest caliber of tasks themselves. All of them sit very close to the Throne of God, a place no other angel is permitted to tread… anymore.

Lately, the orders from the archangels, supposedly the Word of God Himself, have grown erratic and contradicting. Some might even call them paranoid, trying to fix problems that don’t exist, or that would cause a great deal more of them. Since the change, the Archangels have ordered on God’s behalf to tighten ranks, monitor the gates, scrutinize every last soul seeking refuge in the Kingdom of Heaven. Having no choice, the Kingdom of Heaven agreed.

Things are tense among the ordinary angels. God hasn’t been seen outside His throne room for centuries. The Archangels don’t seem to understand the orders they’re giving either. To quell the confusion, they insist that everyone trust in God’s Word and carry out His mission. When the Day of Judgement comes, they’ll all be thankful they did.

Power

In Heaven, an angel’s power is negligible. They serve God, they live eternally, they protect Heaven, but they’re only as powerful as each other. The laws of their realm are not easily persuaded by any but God Himself. It’s when they travel to Earth that their power becomes awesome indeed, able to bend and warp reality almost by mistake.

An angel at their full capacity for power will be able to perform miracles, grant blessings, and heal any wound they touch, but it’s unsustainable to all but the most powerful archangels to remain at their full capacity for long. Without a regular connection to Heaven—the dimension that is the source of their power—an angel’s abilities will begin to wane and become less potent. Eventually, their inherent gifts might drain so far that they become stuck on Earth, trapped as a human with no way to return.

Most rank-and-file angels visiting Earth for short periods use almost all their power in one burst to perform a single miracle, and then immediately retreat to avoid this fate. As all angels can feel the emotional and physical pain of the humans nearest to them, with a very wide range, this makes it easy to find places where miracles are needed. This is especially true of the Nameless, who find it difficult to maintain a presence on Earth for very long anyway. Once Realized, they’re able to focus their miracles to the pain that would best be served by their virtue, aiding humanity in more specific ways.

A minority of Realized angels wander with their powers hidden from the world around them, existing as perfectly average humans until they find an opportunity that suits them best. This is something taken up by angels that have existed for centuries upon centuries, who know their limits well, and have spent time among humans in paradise and on Earth enough to know how to blend in. Although, blending in isn’t always necessary.

When an angel spreads their wings on Earth, usually in preparation to use their power, humans stop seeing them. A being that exists between planes of existence is incalculable for the human brain to process, so their vision is simply edited not to see them. The only ones that perceive the angel are the ones that the angel directs their power to. Once the angel is gone, however, the memory is quickly edited again. Some are left wondering if what they saw was real, some forget it entirely. Either way, a miracle occurs.

So! That was the world-building I have set up so far. What do you think? I hope I got across the domino cascade that leads to the story, and why it starts as soon as Justice breaks the rules—or at least part of it. Because next time, we’re talking about Hell!

Thanks for your generous support, as always!

— Annika

#original writing #original fiction #original character #original characters #spilled ink #writers on tumblr #writeblr #writeblr community #annika talks #P&J #Pride & Justice #P&J: Worldbuilding

5 notes · View notes