#i had a dream that i made these drawings so naturally i woke up and made them fr | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

heesdreamer · 1 year

Text

SILENCED (1)

MASTERLIST

GENRE ➩ enhypen zombie apocalypse au!

SUMMARY ➩ navigating life 1 year post end of the world was already difficult as you avoided rotting corpses with hefty appetites and groups with various bad intentions. things get harder when you run into a group of survivors, 7 boys who make it impossible to run away.

WC ➩ 10.7k

WARNINGS ➩ all things that zombies bring like gore and death lol, sexual content, main character death etc

AUTHORS NOTE ➩ this was originally a one shot story but under request from people that read my stories before i post it’s going to be a multiple part series! hope you enjoy the first installment as it builds up the world and characters plz let me know your thoughts and guesses (NOT PROOFREAD)

Whenever you pictured the apocalypse, the end of the world that people often talked about over drunken hypotheticals or PG-13 level horror, you pictured it loud.

Thunderous even, a deafening mixture of screams and cries behind the roar of fire and destruction.

You imagined utter chaos and it was never quiet in your head when you did so, a clear built scenario that you never paid too much mind to, considering the absolute fantasy of it all.

So now that you were almost a year deep into the official end of humanity, you were a bit thrown off by how different it was from your previous assumptions. Sure, there had been fire and screams and it definitely wasn’t lacking chaos, but most days you found yourself in complete ear ringing silence.

The soundtrack of your day to day life rarely extended past birds chirping, the crunch of leaves and loose sticks under your boots as you attempted your way through forest filled terrain.

It’d taken you a while to leave Seoul, first being held back by fear and panic and then not wanting to leave the comfort of your known surroundings.

It was easy to figure out how to survive there after a while, knowing when it was safe to leave your apartment and scavenge the nearby stores and when it was time to draw the blinds and let’s hoards pass by undetected.

You’d sit with bated breath as you listened to soft groans and bodies bumping against your front door as they mindlessly made their way down the hallway and eventually off to find something that had made a noise or distracted them.

When you imagined the apocalypse before you hadn’t really considered the different types that could occur. You suppose chemical outbreak or maybe even a world war could’ve been possible, far fetched but possible nonetheless. Maybe even multiple waves of natural disasters, wiping out cities and land masses in its wake.

Somehow, the dead rising hadn’t crossed your mind.

The creatures that had lingered outside your door all those months ago weren’t like anything you could’ve possibly dreamed up in your anxious mind, defying science and all rationality with their mere existence and hunger based drive.

It didn’t bother you as much now, having spent weeks frustrated over the mechanics of their mobility, the reasoning for their immortality.

Now you felt somewhat close to them, these days hunger being your main reason for existence and almost your entire train of thought from the moment you woke up to the second you fell asleep. This was the same thing that had finally driven you from the city, the stores running dry eventually and leaving you no choice but to turn to nature for nutrients.

You thought about this comparison now as you came to a slow stop, lowering yourself down into a crouch as you listened to the branches snapping off in the distance.

The knife in your hand felt heavier than normal, eyes darting around the forest as you took in your surroundings and made a quick escape plan in case it was more than one undead, in case you needed to run and run fast. You didn’t want to leave just yet, having followed a deer into the woods a few hours ago and you were in desperate need of an actual meal.

Shifting your weight onto your heels, you listened to the sounds come closer and then stop when they reached a bush a few yards ahead of you.

Your head was cocking in confusion, grip tightening around the leather of your knifes handle as you waited for it to continue its approach. The bush rattled a few times, keeping your attention tightly locked on it as you held your breath.

“Put it down.” A low voice was sounding behind you and you froze, feeling the cold metal pressed against the back of your head before you even registered the fact that somebody was speaking.

It’d been weeks since you’d heard something so real, something so human other than your own voice and you felt a sudden wave of dizziness at the fact you were clearly stuck.

For a brief moment you considered spinning in place and attempting to disarm him, relying on your own swiftness taking him off guard and beating his reactionary speed that would cause him to pull the trigger before you even saw what he looked like.

This plan was put to rest quicker than you could think it through, the bush rattling again as another figured pushed its way through the thick leaves. You watched his face pull into a wince when he saw you and you furrowed your eyebrows.

“Hyung.” He muttered and you heard a sigh from behind you, their plan clearly not entailing this interruption. “She doesn’t have anything on her.”

The one behind you didn’t say anything about this, still not taking his gun off you considering the fact you’d made absolutely no move to lower your own weapon like he had originally instructed you. You remained still despite a wave of fear washing over you at the realization you had nothing of value for them to take other than yourself, a sudden reminder that the apocalypse was scary but being a woman was scarier.

“Go.” He was speaking again, still in that low timbre and the boy from the bush winced again, shaking his head like he wanted to deny the order but also taking an instinctive step forward like he was accustomed to taking them.

You couldn’t get a grasp on their dynamic or what they exactly wanted from you, the boy stood in front of you looked nervous like he had a thin idea of what would happen and he didn’t agree with it. You considered for a second if this was a situation worth trying to talk your way out of, eventually deciding to just let things take their course with your limited options.

“You don’t need to kill her, let’s just leave her here and go back.” He was taking another step forward and he continued to look over your shoulder, eyes only darting down to yours for a second in a silent plea for your cooperation. “She doesn’t know which way we’ll go”

“She was tracking.” The boy behind you was immediately noting and you almost cursed under your breath at the fact he was right. If you wanted to follow them you could, their tracks in the dirt obvious to you now that you’d spent months learning the skill.

“Then we tie her up and leave her, but we don’t need to kill.” He was shaking his head in exasperation and you could hear the boy behind you let out a frustrated sigh.

You had no doubt in your mind that if he was alone he would’ve killed you without a second thought, swift and silent in the way he had approached you from behind and keeping his gun firmly pressed against your skull. Despite your confusion you were silently thankful for the others boys resolve, although it came off as weak to you.

“If you’re going to tie me up in the woods you might as well kill me yourselves.” You were speaking for the first time and both boys reacted immediately.

The one behind you was shifting on his feet to stand firmer, pressing his metal into you while the other in front was giving you a helpless look, clearly upset you had immediately undone any progress he was making for your release.

It was silent for a few moments after that as they looked at each other and you wondered what conclusion they were coming to with just their glances. You hadn’t done yourself any favors in your statement but it was true, leaning you defenseless this close to dark was more of a death sentence than a bullet in your brain.

“We can take her back with us.” The boy from the bush was eventually whispering in a last attempt at keeping you alive, hands coming forward in a plea. “Not as a guest just as a prisoner for now, until we figure out what to do with her.”

You almost laughed at him but decided against it although figuring there was no possible way that would be allowed considering two seconds ago they were about to kill you. However the silence, and lack of immediate rejection, from behind you made you second guess.

You were being pulled to your feet before you even could process him moving again. “You’re explaining it to him, I’m not taking the heat for this.”

His tone was harsh but tired and you were startled at the fact he was actually taking you with, even more fear sinking in as you realized the ‘him’ he was referring to meant they weren’t out here alone. For some reason you hadn’t considered them being with a larger group.

The other boy didn’t say anything but you imagined he gave some form of silent acceptance considering the fact you were suddenly being moved forward harshly with your hands held behind your back.

You hadn’t seen the second boy yet but you were unnerved considering he was able to hold both your wrist together with a single hand, still keeping his gun pressed between your shoulder blades as you moved clumsily through the woods.

From their dynamic you had assumed they were alone, your first mistake, and that he was the leader out of the two of them. Hearing his words about explanation you realized the hierarchy wasn’t that simple and there was clearly somebody they both answered to outside of each other.

“Are your hands okay?” You looked to your left to see the kinder boy following you as you walked, staying at your side with his gun tight in his hands now.

The boy behind you sighed at his question and you weren’t sure exactly how to answer. They were hurting and if you saw any way out of this you would’ve complained, made a sarcastic comment that could potentially get your ass kicked if they weren’t feeling up for jokes at the moment.

Instead you offered him a small nod and turned back to face forward so you didn’t trip.

Your options now were to die here and now, act out and become more of a hinderance than their willing to deal with. Or go along with them and most likely end up being killed eventually anyways, maybe after at least one more night of sleep. You kept your mouth shut for the time being and kept walking.

“We should’ve blindfolded her.” The boy behind you was muttering after an hour or two went by and you vaguely heard the sounds of chatter and fire crackling off in the distance now. “He’s going to lose his shit.”

“Maybe we have Jake talk to him first.” The other one was whispering from beside you as the three of you slowed to a stop, accessing the situation before approaching with a stranger in toe.

It was clear to you now that this group was far larger than you had anticipated. They continued to whisper new names and you listened to the overlapping conversations off in the distance, your heart beating so fast it hurt as you skimmed through the different scenarios this could end in.

While they were distracted you were taking your chance, throwing your shoulder backwards to hit the first boy and taking off in a sprint back the way they had taken you from. You ignored his cry of shock and the others frantic plea for you to stop and come back as you whipped through the trees.

The sun was setting now so any tracking skills you had was completely useless, relying on nothing but your feet and the surrounding terrain as you attempted to put as much distance between you and the others as possible.

You could hear the two who had brought you back with them starting to yell out for help and despite cursing under your breath in frustration, you didn’t blame them and saw it coming before you even ran. You were a stranger and now you knew exactly where they were located, going from a hostage to a threat in seconds.

It had only been 20 minutes of running before you had exhausted yourself from lack of pacing, slamming against a tree and bending over with your elbows to your knees to try and catch your breath.

You could hear shouts in the forest behind you along with groans that brought on the harsh reminder you had more than one enemy in the woods. Their yells and loud feet over leaves and sticks were going to continue to bring more of the dead down on you and you were starting to panic completely.

Before you could think about it anymore or start running again, something heavy was slamming into your side and you were hitting the ground hard.

You flew across the leaves and mud before flipping over onto your back with a shout and scrambling away from whatever had rammed you before you even registered what it was. Another boy, not the one from the bush, was bouncing back to his feet considering he’d also hit the ground after he tackled you and was approaching you swiftly.

He looked furious but you couldn’t tell what type of weapons he had in the dark, kicking you feet out as he gained on you and hitting him in the knee.

A groan fell from his lips and he bent to grab his leg as you pulled yourself off the ground and instinctively reached down towards your thigh for your knife, finding the holster empty and immediately remembering it’d been taken from you hours ago.

He chuckled at your obvious dilemma although it lacked humor, an annoyed expression on his face like you were wasting his time. He was suddenly lunging at you again and although you were fast, he was definitely bigger and you let out a scream as he pinned you back down onto the floor.

Your stomach was pressed tightly against the dirt and you felt his knee land on your back, holding your arms tightly so you couldn’t break free from his hold again.

“Stop fucking moving already.” He was grunting from above you as you continued to thrash and attempt to kick at him despite slowly coming to the realization there was no getting free.

“Hyung.” Another voice was screaming out, obviously following the sounds of your cries and screams to find you. You twisted your head against the dirt to see the boy from the bush approaching you with a few others behind him.

“Sunoo go, you’ve done enough.” Your attacker was spitting from above you and you saw a flash of hurt over the others face, immediately taking a step back towards the rest of the boys who were watching the scene with varying expression.

Sunoo, the one who had brought you here in the first place, was clearly experiencing guilt as he looked down at you but you weren’t sure if it was for you or for causing an issue for his group. One of the boys behind him was reaching a hand up to grab his arm, pulling him backwards softly so he didn’t have to watch.

“Heeseung it wasn’t his fault.” You didn’t recognize the boy who was speaking now, approaching from the side, but you immediately could tell from his low timbre that he was the one who had held you at gunpoint. “I fucked up, we didn’t know what to do.”

“You kill her.” Heeseung was forcing the words out through gritted teeth and you were squirming again underneath his knee, the pain in your back excruciating as you started to find it difficult to breathe. “Or you leave her to the rotters, but under no circumstances do you bring her back to camp.”

Sunoo was glancing at the boy who had said something with a furthering expression of guilt and upset considering the fact those ideas had both been rejected by him. You thought about saying something, about pleading for your life or negotiating a deal where they could bring you far away and leave you somewhere you couldn’t find your way back.

You quickly decided against it considering how serious the boy above you was speaking, also piecing together this was clearly who was in charge and was being discussed in the woods previously.

The others boys were watching in the distance and you were trying to count them to see how outnumbered you were, eventually giving up considering how dark it was and how dizzy you were getting from being pinned against the floor. It was definitely more than you could handle and there was clearly no use in trying to out run them again considering how silently and quickly Heeseung had caught up to you the first time.

You hadn’t even heard him before he came out of the trees and it’d only taken him a second to bounce back onto his feet despite the tackle almost completely knocking the wind out of you.

He had you beat in all aspects and you didn’t feel like poking the bear would be the best move if you wanted to survive the night. That might not be up to either of you however considering the low groans that were starting to fill the forest.

Between the darkness and the almost echoing night air you couldn’t quite tell which direction it was coming from and judging by the way the group of boys starting to look around with their weapons raised, they couldn’t either.

You were being pulled up off the floor before you could think for another second and you sucked in a big breath now that your lungs were no longer restricted, immediately faltering when you were aggressively yanked around as Heeseung started to move towards the boys.

He was flinging you around like a rag doll and you heard him give out a low whistle, the others immediately forming a semi circle defense while everyone started to move in sync through the forest back towards where their camp was. It was a practiced routine and you would’ve been impressed if you weren’t technically their opponent right now.

“Pick your damn feet up.” He was speaking lowly into your ear with irritation and you let out a grunt as he continued to drag you.

“If you gave me a fucking second maybe I could.” You were spitting back and thrashing your torso forward slightly so his grip on your arms would loosen, he didn’t say anything about this and just glared at you as he let you get your balance so you could travel back to the base faster. “Thanks.”

He scoffed but didn’t reply to your sarcastic comment, traveling swiftly in silence on guard in case more than one dead came out from the dark woods.

By the time you got back to the camp, the fires were put out and nobody else was around. You weren’t sure if that’s because it was late or because everybody who lived here was apart of the group trailing behind you.

The camp was mainly made up of tents, some smaller like they were only fit for a pair and some large with big wooden stakes to hold them up. There was a few RV’s you could see from where you were standing and some trucks that could possibly run but for the most part they were large rust buckets littered with blood and dirt residue like the rest of the worlds vehicles.

You were being pulled into the largest tent before you could finish your observation and sat down in a chair furtherest away from the opening. You almost made a comment about them thinking you’d run again but you decided it wasn’t the best idea.

Only two of the boys followed you inside after Heeseung, the one from earlier who had attempted to take the blame off Sunoo and another you didn’t recognize.

“So what’s the plan then?” He was the one who spoke first and you glanced at him from under your messy hair, shifting uncomfortably as Heeseung tied your hands behind the chair tightly.

“First this idiot needs to tell me why he brought her back in the first place.” After he was finished and confident his ties were strong he was circling back around and approaching the familiar one, you couldn’t see his face anymore but his back was tense and straight. “What were you thinking?”

He cocked his head slightly but he didn’t seem deterred or intimidated by Heeseung’s demeanor, only breaking eye contact to spare you a quick glance.

You wondered if he was worried you’d give up the fact it was Sunoo who had practically insisted they bring you back. It was interesting that despite telling him he had to be the one to take the heat originally, he had immediately stepped up for the blame once he realized Heeseung was truly angry.

“She’s a tracker.” He brought his gaze back to the other boy as he spoke calmly. “She would’ve found us if we just left her and I saw no other option.”

The boy you didn’t recognize was looking at you now with a curious expression and you turned your head to look at him for a second, not able to get a good read on what he was thinking or what side of this argument he would be on. You wondered if this was the one mentioned earlier, Jake.

“You should’ve killed her Jay.” He was holding your gaze as he said it and you were taken back by his comment, not expecting him to be so blunt and cold.

Jay, despite being the one to originally put a gun to your head, also looked thrown off by this and faltered in his calm expression for a second and he looked at him. “Are you serious?”

“Jake’s right.” Heeseung shook his head, confirming your previous suspicious and Jay let out a small laugh of disbelief, taking a step away from the two boys back towards the entrance.

“I’m just supposed to blow her brains out right in front of Sunoo, just because there’s a slight chance she’d follow us?” He was holding his hands up in frustration and you shifted uncomfortably in the seat again, causing their heads to turn towards you.

Heeseung was approaching you swiftly and you watched him as he took large steps, gasping when his hand was reaching up to grab a solid chunk of your hair in his tight grip. He pulled slightly to make you look at up him, bending slightly so he could hold eye contact with you.

“How many people are in your group?” He was speaking steadily and low but you could feel the warning in his tone.

You were shaking your head in denial and confusion but stopped when he tightened his grip and repeated himself louder and more agitated. “How many?”

“I don’t have a group, it’s just me.” You were wincing and trying to hold his gaze, failing miserably due to the pain and intensity. Your eyes went over his shoulder to look at Jay and you gave him a desperate look. “Tell him it was just me.”

He didn’t say anything and you didn’t expect him to, only asking out of pure panic and as a last ditch attempt to plead your case. You weren’t afraid to die but if you could help it, it wouldn’t be in some random groups tent just because you were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Heeseung was loosening his grip on your hair as he looked at you but keeping his hand on the back of your head, a silent warning in case you decided to act out in any sort of way. You watched him with your breath held as you waited for him to say something or react in any sort of way. He was just studying your expression like he was attempting to seek out some trace of a lie on your face.

“You can track.” He was stating suddenly but you took it as a question and nodded repeatedly as best as you could with how close he was to your face. “Can you hunt?”

You were nodding again but slower this time, not quite understanding where this was going. He was looking over his shoulder back at the other boys and Jake gave him an incredulous look that only confused you further before you slightly pieced together what he could he implying.

“You’re not serious.” He was laughing but it was devoid of humor, glancing at Jay who was stony faced as he looked at you. “Heeseung, you can’t be serious right now. Let her stay?”

You felt a wave of sickness pass by as he confirmed what you were thinking and you hoped you didn’t look too appalled visibly. You didn’t like this idea anymore than the thought of them killing you, never being in a group by choice. You didn’t necessarily play well with others and certainly not after they held you hostage and tackled you in the woods.

“She hunts.” He said it like it was obvious and you couldn’t deny the fact it was a valuable asset nowadays as human-made resources slowly died out. You’d noticed it yourself back at your apartment, having to venture out further and further every time you went for a run.

“Riki hunts.” Jake was quickly shutting him down and your interest piqued.

“Riki is learning to hunt but it’s not enough.” Jay was adding into the conversation now, still looking at you as he spoke like he had been since he entered the tent. “It’s almost winter and we can’t keep taking these day long trips every time we’re low…. and we’re always low.”

It was silent for a few moments while they looked at each other in frustration and you once again tried to understand the hierarchy and dynamics at play here, falling short every time. Eventually Jake was scoffing and exiting the tent, slamming the flap down as he left in anger.

Heeseung swiped a hand at Jay, dismissing him too and you didn’t miss the small nod he gave you before turning on his heel and following after the other boy.

That left you and Heeseung alone in the tent and he was taking a step away from you finally, watching you curiously as you took a breath finally and held his gaze tight in yours. You felt a dull ache in your back from his knee and your wrist were screaming for release from your constraints.

“Think of it as a trial.” He was turning away from you for a second as he started to talk and you stared daggers into the back of his head. “I don’t kill you now and in return, you don’t do something stupid.”

You watched him as he started to face you again with a stern look on his face, a hint of youth underneath the hardened exterior, and his eyes shot down to your feet and then back to hold your gaze. “Don’t give me a reason to kill you.”

——

You hadn’t spoken to him again but he didn’t seem too bothered by your silence, only muttering small commands as he dragged you out of the tent and towards one of the RV’s.

You were being left there for the night and you tried not to move much after he cut your restraints with a warning full glance, not wanting him to mistake your movements for another attempt at an escape. Despite not wanting to be there any longer than you had to, your chances were slim out in the woods by yourself.

You figured it wouldn’t hurt to stay a few nights, slipping out whenever you had gained their trust and didn’t need to sleep in a guarded metal bucket.

He’d left you with one of the boys you recognized from earlier in the woods, the one who had gently pulled Sunoo back after he started to get scolded. He looked the opposite of gentle now as he glared at you from the foldable table on the other side of the RV, gun hanging loosely on his lap and he watched you.

“Is there something on my face?” You were eventually muttering, not able to stop yourself as irritation bubbled to the surface.

You hadn’t asked to be brought back here, not even remotely putting yourself in this situation, yet everybody was acting like you were purposely causing issues or trying to harm them.

“You shouldn’t be here.” He was shaking his head and the deep tone of his voice threw you off slightly considering how young he looked.

Despite his youthful features, you could tell he was just as weathered and worn by this new world as everybody else was, you included. His eyebrows were pulled tight and his skin was darker in random sections like he had permanent dirt stains.

He was watching you as you observed him quietly, fidgeting slightly the longer you scanned his features and frame.

He was tall, a lot taller than you and even the other boys you’d encountered long enough to get a good sizing up done. You tried not to focus in on the tears in his clothing or the blood stains surrounding his knees and hands, not wanting to make him more uncomfortable than you already were.

“If you don’t want me here, why not just let me go?” You were shrugging like it was a nonchalant thing to ask, feigning ignorance that he clearly didn’t buy judging by his scoff and annoyed expression.

“And get in trouble for no good reason? Are you stupid or do you think I am?” He was letting his gun lean against the table, deciding you were more of a bother than an actual threat.

You shrugged but didn’t talk to him again for a minute of offer him a response to his question, knowing it would just further upset him. Considering the two of you were clearly stuck with each other for the night you didn’t see the point. “I’m Y/N.”

He was sighing as you spoke again, your voice softer than before as you shifted on the uncomfortable half bed Heeseung had sat you down on. You watched him watch you for a few seconds before he finally responded.

“Riki.”

——

You weren’t sure when you had managed to fall asleep, at some point just laying flat on your back and listening to the sounds of the forest off in the distance as they mixed with Riki’s soft breaths on the other side of the RV.

Apparently you had considering the fact you were being shook awake aggressively, jumping up with a start and reflexively striking the person who had woken you.

“Dude what the fuck.” Jake was standing near your bed and shielding his face from any further assault, a pained look on his face. You gave him an incredulous stare at his reaction, not quite sure how he expected you to react to being vibrated awake by a stranger who had encouraged your death last night. “Make yourself useful.”

He was turning and leaving after that quick statement and you groaned, flopping backwards onto the uncomfortable mattress for a second before kicking up and out of the bed, following him outside before he got too far away and you were lost in the camp.

“You’re going out with Heeseung today.” He was explaining as you jogged to catch up with him, trying to ignore the stares and whispers from the other boys as you passed.

“Does that mean I get my knife back?” You were asking him despite already knowing the answer and he shot you a quick glance at the sound of your voice, looking away as you furrowed your eyebrows.

“First piece of advice, don’t ask stupid questions.” He was stepping forward towards a different tent than last night, holding the flap open with a raised arm until you got the hint and ducked underneath it with a muttered word of thanks. He followed behind you and you saw Heeseung and two other boys sat around the tent, gearing up.

Sunoo was there and he faltered for a second when he saw you, another look of guilt washing over his face as his shoulders tensed. You gave him a small nod but it didn’t seem to appease him in anyway.

The other boy wasn’t looking at you, instead focusing on the disassembled gun in his lap as he meticulously cleaned it and cleared his throat. His hands were fast and swift, no hesitation or question in his expression.

“They’re going on a run too.” Heeseung was speaking and you looked up at him to see who he was talking to, surprised to see him already watching you. “We are heading off in the other direction.”

You were nodding and fidgeting in place, not quite sure how to respond to him in a way that didn’t immediately showcase your frustration. You weren’t thrilled about going out into the world with no weapons and no clue if this guy had good intentions, maybe this was his way of killing you as quietly as possible. He obviously wasn’t expecting you to hunt with your bare hands so you weren’t sure why he was bringing you along.

Still, you didn’t bother arguing with him and after a few more minutes of prep you were following him into one of the trucks off away from the main camp.

“There’s a town about an hour away.” He was muttering eventually as he drove, the heavy rumble of the old engine almost putting you to sleep if it wasn’t for the aggressive way the truck jerked every time he amateurly changed gears. “We cleared it for food but at the time we weren’t thinking about other types of supplies.”

You were watching the side of his face as he spoke and he spared you a glance at your silence. “You think there’s still stuff left now?”

“Possibly but it’s worth a shot. There’s a reason you’re out here and not in Seoul just like us, a lower populated town means maybe less survivors passed by when everything went to shit.” He was sighing as he spoke but seemed hopeful as he tried to convince you.

He wasn’t wrong for the most part, you had traveled to a more rural area in hopes for less of the dead and more towns left undiscovered. You figured if this didn’t end soon then there would be no place left that wasn’t completely cleared out.

Heeseung was large and sturdy but you didn’t miss his sunken in cheeks and darkened eyes, clearly lacking vital nutrients and a healthy lifestyle. It wasn’t that jarring considering you hadn’t met anybody who was doing particularly well but being in a group with larger numbers certainly made things a bit more uneasy.

You took a second to study him as he drove, trailing your gaze from his black long sleeve down to his matching cargo pants. His weapon holster was tightly pulled around his thigh similarly to how yours normally sat and you were suddenly reminded how defenseless you currently were.

“How do you know I’m from Seoul.” You didn’t necessarily feel like talking to him anymore than you had to but if you were going to be stuck with him in charge of your life, maybe some small talk wouldn’t hurt.

“Riki.” He spoke bluntly but it answered your question considering the fact you’d spent most of the night talking to the younger boy after the tension between you had calmed down. “Nice to hear you actually talk occasionally.”

“Maybe I’m more inclined to speak with people who haven’t tried to kill me.” You were quipping back and he let out a small chuckle at your sudden change in tone, not taking any actual offense.

You understood why he had done what he did and he knew you understood but that didn’t mean you were happy about the way things had went down and were continuing to go. You didn’t want to be with them and that much was clear but at some point he had figured if you had somewhere to go, you would’ve put up more of a fight.

The truck jerked particularly hard around another turn onto a dirt road and he swore under his breath, yanking at the shift knob until it slightly smoothed out again.

He gave you an awkward glance out of the side of his eyes and you tried not to chuckle at his terrible manual driving skills. You figured eventually everybody would adapt to things they hadn’t needed to before but it was slightly amusing to know most of the world was desperately trying to adjust to things you’d always had available to you.

You didn’t bother telling Heeseung you could drive a stick shift better than anything else, having been taught in one back in high school. He didn’t need to know how good you were at setting camouflaged rabbit traps or that you weren’t half bad with a bow. Your skill set was better kept a secret until you could get as far away from this group as possible.

By the time you were finally pulling up to a small town, if you could even call it that considering it was just a few old wooden buildings and shops in a U shape, Heeseung seemed to have relaxed a bit.

“We’ll be in and out.” He was carefully instructing as you got out of the car and you nodded although you were feeling frustrated about having no weapon. “Stay close by in case you run into an issue okay?”

Despite your upset and undeniable feeling of vulnerability, the run was going smoothly for the most part. You were quick to enter buildings behind Heeseung as he checked for undead and you had actually managed to get a bag full of supplies that could help the group through the winter.

Your guard was lowering slightly considering you’d come across little corpses, the small town seemingly sheltered from the horror the rest of the world had been subjected to.

Neither of you talked much, the mission being at the front of your minds and you were thankful for the lack of distraction.

It wasn’t until you were on your fourth building, some old auto shop with a connecting garage, that you realized how mistaken you had been. Heeseung was still outside the front door, fidgeting with something old and rusty that you couldn’t quite place.

Whatever it was, he seemed determined to unearthed it from the weeds that had grown around it and you impatiently shoved past him into the store. He offered a small scoff as you pushed through but didn’t bother chasing after you or demanding you wait, also making the mistake of being relaxed.

The second you entered the shop and the door closed behind you, a small gap left open considering the door was also subjected to the growing nature that almost converted the entire building, you smelt it.

Throughout the many months you’d been getting accustomed to the apocalypse and all it’s trials and faults, you still hadn’t adjusted to the overwhelming stench that came along with awaken corpses. It was especially murderous when they moved in masses or were left rotting since the start.

“Heeseung.” You were calling out in a hushed voice, slowing down your steps and looking around the store with confusion. You ignored the fact it was the first time you’d said the boys name and how casually it slipped out, listening in to his small hum of acknowledgment from outside. “Do you smell that?”

You could hear him setting down the metal thing he was obsessing over and pushing the door open swiftly, looking at you with a worried expression.

Before he could speak or confirm your senses, you were hitting the floor with a shriek.

It took you a second to realize why you had fallen but the moment you started to think straight again you could feel the tight bony hand wrapped around your ankle, having dragged you down onto the dust covered floor. You sucked in a sharp breath and scrambled back the best you could, kicking at the walker who had gripped your pant leg.

You could see it now, halfway stuck underneath one of the fallen shelves and desperate in the way it’s jaws snapped around nothing.

You were still kicking it when you realized the groans suddenly starting up were far too loud to be coming from the single walker in front of you, understanding with a wave of panic that your shriek had clearly awaken whatever amount of dead it was that was causing such an odor.

“Fuck.” Heeseung was entering the store swiftly and rushing over to you, immediately stomping the rotted skull of the dead that was holding you with his boot.

Ignoring the amount of blood and brain matter that sprayed out on your face at his action, you accepted his hand and let him pull you up and off the floor.

There was no time to dust yourself off as you both heard crashing and groans coming from the connected auto garage, clearly full of dead that had been starving for far too long. They were pouring out in pairs from the small doorway and you and Heeseung stood frozen as you tried to think of a way out of this.

They were coming from both sides of the aisle, filling up the only exit route back to the open door and sufficiently trapping you in the store.

Your fingers were twitching and reaching down to your empty holster, cursing once you remember you had no weapons on you and turning your head to glare at Heeseung who was already watching you with a panicked expression.

His eyes shot behind your head and you almost jumped out of the way, expecting something dead and hungry behind you, before he was reaching a hand out to grip your arm and pull you with him.

You didn’t object despite your confusion and you followed him swiftly, groaning loudly when you understood he was leading you towards the back of the shop where a small maintenance closet was hidden behind some tool carts and brooms.

“Hurry up, help me.” He was shouting back at you as he started to throw things out of the way and you unfroze, helping him clear the way to the door.

You were spinning around once finished to see the hoard closing in on you, a flustered shout pushing past your lips. “Heeseung.”

“I’m trying.” He groaned, his leg propped up against the wall as he kept trying to pry open the old rusted door with all his weight.

Finally, he was stumbling back in your direction and you grabbed his arm to stop him from falling into the awaiting arms of the dead that were now only a few feet from being able to grab onto you. He was immediately catching his footing and ushering you into the closet before closing it tightly behind the two of you.

You sat with bated breath and you waited to see if it would hold, the bodies of the corpses smacking against it as they clawed and practically shrieked with hunger.

Heeseung was holding the doorknob tightly so it wouldn’t spring back open and although it was dark, flashes of light that managed to break past the dozens of shoes outside the door, revealed to you his fearful expression that didn’t help calm your nerves.

You opened your mouth to speak and ask him about what you were supposed to do but his eyes were shooting to your in a glare, his free hand coming up to cover your mouth as he shushed you.

Your eyes widened at the fact he was suddenly touching you, looking down at the hand over your face and then back up at him as he swiftly ripped it away and shook his head, gesturing to the door like you were stupid for trying to make any noise.

He didn’t look at you again as you furrowed your eyebrows in annoyance but nodded in understanding, realizing he wanted to wait until they had settled before showing any sign of life. They could definitely smell you and had no reason to give up, only driven by hunger, but you figured eventually something would come by and distract them.

Which gave you some hope that you could get out of here safe, not wanting to die stuck in a smelly auto shop closet with Heeseung, but you also let out a small sigh knowing you’d be waiting here for a long time.

For the first time since you’d been rushed inside the small space, you took a second to look around. It was tiny, so small that if Heeseung was standing straight and not bending slightly to keep the door held shut, his shoulder would be touching the other wall.

To make matters worse the opposite width wasn’t any bigger, the toes of your boots smushed against his with no room to scoot backwards or make less contact.

Eventually he was slowly letting go of the metal door knob, moving barely an inch every ten seconds as you both waited to see if they were going to suddenly rip the door open and devour you whole. It was clear after a few minutes that it was sturdy enough to keep you hidden behind it for now, you’re not sure you could say the same about the next few hours however.

Heeseung sucked in a much needed breath and leaned backwards against his side of the closet, his knees pointing out towards you in result.

He was watching you with a curious expression and you glared at him in silence, not sure if you were allowed to talk yet or if it would result in his large hand over your mouth again.

“In and out.” He was whispering it so quietly it almost looked like he mouthed it. You could still barely see him but you could hear the smile in his voice as he joked about your failed plan, the light catching his eyes as he peered down at you. “You good?”

You were nodding but shifting uncomfortably, suddenly remembering how close of a call you’d had now that things were calmed down enough for you to think properly.

“It really had me for a second.” You whispered back to him and shook your head, avoiding his gaze as you looked at the vibrating door. “I shouldn’t have let my guard down like that, it was stupid.”

“Then we’re both stupid.” He was muttering back and you tried not to be too curious why he was being so nice to you despite his harsh leadership within the group. “At least you weren’t alone.”

You were scoffing and shaking your head, his boot scooting forward towards yours in a warning to keep your noises at a low volume. He couldn’t exactly make out your expression considering you were placed lower than him and getting less light on your face but he could practically feel the death stare you were sending his way.

“It’s easier to be alone.” You were countering in a stern tone. “If I’m stupid alone I’m just dead but if I’m stupid in a group then I’m guilty. It’s on my hands.”

“It would’ve been on mine if you’d gotten bit back there.” He was cutting you off and you stopped abruptly, looking at him with parted lips. “But the same thing goes for if I die out here, if I don’t get back to camp, back to my family then that’s on me too. Not trying just because you’re alone isn’t an excuse.”

His tone was heavy now and you felt bad for getting him so frustrated considering how carefree he’d been for most of the day, possibly enjoying not having to direct orders and commands for a few hours. You imagine that if he was able to he would’ve stormed off and left you with his heavy statement.

Instead the two of you sat in the silence of what he had said and listened to the groans only a few inches away from your heads.

You were shifting suddenly and he looked back at you in question when you accidentally bumped against his stomach, not having room to move your arms anywhere.

“Is that why you lead them then?” You tried to keep your voice soft and questioning, not wanting him to mistake you for accusatory.

You didn’t want to fight with him again especially since he had saved your life not too long ago, potentially twice with his quick thinking to get the two of you into the closet.

“It just happened.” He was whispering back and his tone was slightly guarded. “We knew each other before and when.. everything went to shit they came to me one by one.”

“I was scared shitless, I mean sure I’ve chauffeured them around for a few years and I’d handle calling in our takeout orders but now I’m supposed to keep them alive?” He sounded flustered and you listened to him quietly, letting him talk.

For some reason it hadn’t occurred to you to wonder how long they’d known each other. They seemed comfortable and they worked fast and efficiently like they had experience with it but you’d seen similar things in groups who met only at the beginning of all this, being forced to learn how each other works to survive.

You briefly remembered Riki saying something about high school and Jay but you didn’t fully make the connection, maybe you just didn’t want to.

But listening to Heeseung so earnestly talk about the responsibility he carried as the leader and the eldest you felt a wave of understanding, immediately followed by the desire to run far far away from the inevitable care that comes along with a group this tightly knit.

“We left Seoul the first week in Jungwon’s old van.” He was continuing on and when you raised an eyebrow in question he was nodding in realization. “That’s the one who was cleaning the gun, he’s out with Sunoo right now.”

“How many more of you is there?” You hoped he didn’t think you were asking him in an attempt to get information on the group that would assist you in your escape, although you halfway were.

“Just Sunghoon, I don’t think you met him.” He was mumbling and you thought for a second before shaking your head.

That made a total of seven and a wave of fear washed over you at the thought. As of now you were leaving no matter what and as of now they weren’t going to let you just go easy, meaning in some form this was your opponent. Seven men who were capable and seemingly willing to kill you if necessary with the exception of one or two.

Heeseung’s silence made you think he knew what you were thinking and he shifted so he was standing again, no longer leaning against the wall.

This put him even closer to you and you held your breath at the proximity, only letting it out in a moment of shock when his hand was coming up suddenly and touching your face like it had earlier.

You were jumping backwards, at least as far as you could in the tight space and he was shushing you with furrowed eyebrows and a finger to his lips, glancing at the door in worry and then back to you as he continued what he was originally doing.

It took you a few seconds to remember the walker he had stomped on, to remember the blood and rotted skin that had splattered all over you.

Heeseung was gently wiping your face off with his hands, using his sleeves at times for the areas that were particularly covered. You felt your cheeks flush in embarrassment, his large hands stiffening for a second when he realized how awkward this situation was.

He was taking his hands away swiftly and clearing his throat, shuffling backwards again and avoiding looking at you. It was silent for a few minutes and you felt suffocated by it.

“You didn’t lose anybody.” You broke the thick air by speaking again and he flinched before looking down at you. “Since Seoul, did you lose anybody?”

His eyes flashed with something heavy and sad and you imagined he was thinking about his family, slightly curious why he had left without them and what had happened before the other boys showed up alone at his doorstep. Then he was shaking his head to answer your question.

“Then maybe you’re more fit to lead than you thought.”

——

“Was he scared?” Riki’s voice was ringing in your ear again and you groaned softly, leaning back on your pillow and trying your hardest to ignore his constant questions. “I mean, I’ve never seen Heeseung scared. What was it like? Did he cry a little bit?”

After a few more hours had passed in the closet, your suspicion was correct and eventually something passed by that caught a few of the undeads attention. The stragglers had wondered outside the auto shop and the rest immediately followed the noise and movement.

Heeseung and you had waited another half an hour just to be sure before slipping out finally, backs aching from standing straight and rigid for so long.

You’d gotten in the truck with the supplies you found earlier in the day and headed back to the camp, not wanting to risk your luck any further and needing to beat the night as the sun slowly set.

The boys had affectionately greeted the two of you when you arrived, or more so Heeseung as you hovered awkwardly behind and watched them all. You saw a boy you didn’t recognize and figured he was Sunghoon, finally having faces to all the names.

They all carried different expressions of worry and upset and you watched them scan his skin for injuries or scratches, eyes crinkling with relief when they saw he was safe and returned to them. Your heart felt heavy and your stomach turned as you watched the display of care and love towards each other.

You’d caught Jake’s eye for a second and he narrowed his at you, causing you to swiftly give him a nod and slink back into the RV you’d been assigned to.

The same RV that you were now groaning in as you listening to the young boy, the youngest boy as you had found out yesterday, talk your ear off with questions about what it was like to be stuck in a closest with his hyung.

“He cried like a baby.” You were muttering and he laughed softly before shaking his head, able to tell you were lying to him. “I’m serious, my shoulder was soaking wet by the time we got out of there.”

“You know you’re funny when you’re not glaring at me.” He was remarking and you scoffed softly. “The others don’t joke around anymore so I don’t either.”

He sounded younger than he looked when he said it, voice steady like he didn’t even process the weight and sadness of what he was saying. Maybe he’d already started to forget what it was like to be a teenager with no responsibilities.

For a second you zoned out picturing him before the apocalypse, a younger Riki wearing a school uniform and excitedly chatting with the older boys. Maybe he was shy or maybe he was just as talkative and mischievous as he seemed to get the few times you’ve talked to him.

You were abruptly broken out of your daydreams when you heard shouts coming from outside the RV, immediately sitting straight up in the bed and locking eyes with Riki as his widened in fear and concern.

As far as you knew, everybody had turned in for bed. Heeseung didn’t like any one leaving their tents after dark, a heavily suggested curfew seeming to be followed religiously and you couldn’t think of good a reason for the boys to be disobeying this.

You were standing up swiftly and making your way towards the small door, being stopped by a hand wrapped around your arm.

Riki was shaking his head with a panicked expression, pushing you back into the RV. “What are you doing? You can’t go out there.” His voice was urgent and he took a step between you and the door.

His protective expression was making you feel sick and your expression turned stony, moving to push past him but stopping as the door was flung open without either of you touching it.

Sunghoon was stood panting, looking up at you guys from the surface level. He took a step up the RV’s metal steps and glanced behind him with a hard look on his face. Now that the door was open you could hear the shouts louder and also the groans that accompanied them.

“We have to go.” He was rushing out and your mouth parted slightly, looking between him and back to Riki who Sunghoon had been watching since he opened the door.

The younger boy was shaking his head as his shoulders dropped and you felt a wave of upset and guilt for him wash over you, knowing this had been his only home for the past year considering the fact he wasn’t permitted to runs as often as the older boys.

“I’m sorry Rik, there’s too many we don’t have any choice.” Sunghoon was shaking his head sternly but his eyes were soft as he looked at his friend. “You need to pack and we have to go, both of you.”

His eyes moved over to you hesitantly and he lost the affection in his gaze, you didn’t take any offense to it and nodded your head as he turned to rush back to help the others buy some time. You touched the younger boys arm and he jumped slightly before looking down at you with a heavy expression.

“Let’s pack your stuff okay?” You whispered and your unusually gentle tone just made him feel worse, curling in on himself slightly as he nodded and started to grab what little belongings he had scattered around the RV in an attempt to make it feel more like a home.

He was done quickly and you were getting ready to exit the vehicle and join the others when he was grabbing your arm again to stop you.

You almost turned to scold him for wasting time and not letting you go but stopped in your tracks when you realized he was holding a gun out in between your bodies, gesturing for you to take the weapon.

You considered saying no for a few seconds, knowing Heeseung and the other boys wouldn’t be happy with you for accepting and most likely would also scold Riki for giving it to you in the first place. The need to survive overtook this and you took the gun from him, nodding in appreciation.

The second you stepped outside you understood why the only option was to abandon the camp. The dead were pouring in from every side of the forest, their groans mixing together and attracting more and more every minute that passed.

Your eyes were darting around try and spot the other boys but you couldn’t see them in the chaos, feeling frustrated and panicked as you heard Riki’s breathing getting more strained from beside you.

Eventually you spotted Sunoo at the same moment he saw the two of you as well as he was rushing over to you with a serious expression, eyes bouncing around to check if it was safe to stop and talk.

“They’re out past the river.” He was explaining swiftly and you nodded despite having no idea how to get there. It seemed to make sense to the two boys however because they were quickly turning on their heels and disappearing into the woods, looking back a few times to make sure you were following behind them.

Sunoo was running ahead of both of you and your heart clenched watching him take out a few stragglers that were making their way towards the over run camp, his knife effortlessly going into their rotted skulls as he kept rushing through the woods.

Eventually the groans got quieter and you could hear the light splash of a stream, catching sight of the other boys huddled together before the saw you.

“They’re here.” Jake was announcing when he picked his head up and saw the three of you approaching. He stood up and rushed to meet you halfway, checking Sunoo and Riki for injuries before his eyes landed on you.

His gaze trailed down to the gun clenched in your hands and for a second you thought he’d take it from you, demand you leave or maybe try to kill you here and now so they didn’t have another thing to worry about. Instead he took a step closer and briefly scanned over your body, similar to the way he was doing to the others.

“I’m okay.” You breathed out and you weren’t sure why you said it, just wanting to get his concerned look off of your frame as soon as possible. He nodded his head but lingered on your for a second before turning and walking back over to the others.

You followed behind him to see what the boys were surrounding, watching as they all pointed at a crinkled map and spoke in hushed voices. They carried bags on their shoulders and you vaguely noted that Jungwon’s was full of the guns he was always taking such intense care of.

“We’ve been that way man.” Jay was sighing and shaking his head and he pushed Jake’s finger away and moved it further down the map. “From here to here it’s not clear, dead ends or there’s just nothing left.”

“Well we can’t go north.” Sunghoon was countering and you could see a large red X over the area he was referring to. You wonder how long they’d been planning an escape plan with no luck.

You listened to them talk for awhile with a sick feeling in your stomach, wondering if you should help and throw out the idea that was brewing in your mind. On one hand this was your chance to escape considering they had no home to even protect anymore, you could sneak out or hold the gun in your hands to one of their heads until you were far enough away that they wouldn’t follow.

This could be your only opportunity to be back on your own, not owing any sort of debt to a group that was dealing with their own conflict.

Riki was looking back at you suddenly with a worried expression and that thought was immediately out the window as you let out a small sigh, upset at yourself for what you were about to do, before stepping up towards the boys.

“I know a place.” You were rushing out and they all turned to look at you. Heeseung’s eyes were softening at your sudden want to help and you nodded at him. “It’s a few hours south but I stayed there for a few weeks before I kept moving away from that area.”

“You think it’s still there?” Jungwon was asking, his first time speaking to you directly since you’d arrived to their group. His voice wasn’t as harsh as his glare though and he seemed genuinely curious, not suspicious of your motives.

“It was gated.” You shrugged and bent down, bumping into Heeseung’s side and causing him to sway in his crouched position. You were touching the map and felt relieved to see the area you were referring to wasn’t crossed out or circled. “It might not be but it’s worth a shot. Plus we don’t have many options.”

“We?” Heeseung’s voice was soft from beside you and you turned your head to look at him, flushing slightly when you realized how close to each others faces you were.

“Yeah.. we.”

——

913 notes · View notes

yanderecrazysie · 9 months

Text

Curiosity (Yandere Tsukishima)

This was a Quotev request!

Title: Curiosity

Pairings: Tsukishima Kei x Reader

WARNINGS: Yandere themes, swearing, suggestive themes, non-consensual touching, seriously creepy vibes from Tsukishima

Summary: Tsukishima seems like a normal guy, except that he’s always writing in that journal of his. When you decide to see what he’s up to, you learn that he’s anything but normal.

curiosity

/noun/

a strong desire to know or learn something:

DAY 1

It’s the first day of school again. (Y/n) looked beautiful as ever today, I missed seeing her in her school uniform. Of course, I’ve been following her around town over the summer, but I missed seeing her in a skirt. This is the last year I see that until I make a move, as I doubt she’ll wear skirts to university.

I’ll do my best to draw what she looks like, since this is a special occasion, but there’s no way my art can do her justice.

Tsukishima Kei was a quiet guy, which, you supposed, was common for smart kids. You hadn’t known him well throughout high school and you doubted you’d have much time to get to know him, since the end of your third and final year was nearly upon you both.

One interesting thing you always noticed is that he was always writing in a journal of sorts, sometimes sketching away in it instead of writing.

You always wondered what it said.

DAY 17

(Y/n) smiled and waved at me today. She does that to everyone, I know, but I couldn’t breathe when she turned her divine attention on me! I felt like, even for a second, I had her undivided attention! I’d do anything, ANYTHING to get that on me again. I’d fucking kill everyone she knows if that means she’ll look at me and only me.

Tsukishima always gave you the distinct vibe that he wanted a friend, especially after his only friend moved away last year, but that he didn’t know how to approach anyone. You sensed a sort of longing when he looked at you and you wondered if your friendliness appealed to his loneliness. Perhaps he was awkward or shy?

You felt bad that you hadn’t had time to talk to him, but life really was just too busy. You always tried to be friendly when you passed him in the halls or made eye contact.

It was the least you could do.

DAY 33

I love (Y/n) so much that I was willing to dig around in her trash can to find that lip gloss she’d thrown away. How many guys would do THAT for their girlfriends? She only wore it a few times since she didn’t like it very much, but that just meant I had so much of something her precious lips had touched.

I felt like I was in heaven putting it on- like I was kissing her! I had dreams about doing just that and I woke up feeling happier and more refreshed than I had been all year. I need more.

You’d always felt like someone was following you and like your things were disappearing, but you wrote those feelings off as paranoia. Maybe you should take those things seriously, but who had time for that? You were on the student council, an honor student, and preparing for college.

Why didn’t you see the red flags?

Were you really so colorblind?

DAY 52

I went to her house and climbed in through the window. Thank goodness she’s on the first floor.

I went straight to her bed and just laid on it and inhaled her scent from the pillows and blankets. She’s on vacation and I miss her so much, so I really couldn’t help doing all this. It’s her fault for leaving me.

I wonder if she wants our room to look like this or if she has a better one in mind. I’m not a fan of the color but, if she likes it, who am I to disagree? I just want her to be healthy and happy with me. I’ll make her.

You were a naturally curious person. That’s probably why you did so well in school- you had a thirst for knowing why and how that many people your age didn’t care for. You never just wanted to accept things without an explanation. Better to be informed.

Sometimes you were called nosy or told to mind your own business, but you couldn’t help it. You also had a bad habit of eavesdropping and “investigating” on your own. You’d do great in a Nancy Drew book, but it annoyed real-life people.

It’s really no surprise that, when you went to grab Tsukishima’s left-behind notebook, you couldn’t stop yourself from peeking inside and reading some of the entries and looking at the drawings.

DAY 82

I peeked through her window at just the right time and caught her getting undressed for a shower! I think I’ve died and gone to heaven. Words can’t describe the experience, so I’ll draw what she looked like instead:

You felt sick. For once, you wished, desperately, that your curiosity was nonexistent. If you could take back everything you’d seen in the last few minutes, you would.

You’d just go off to university, blissfully unaware, and never see that freak ever again. How could he write and draw such things? How could he violate your privacy like that? How dare he-

“You read it, didn’t you?”

The empty classroom went so silent you could hear a pin drop. Your horror felt like metal weighing down your stomach and throat. You couldn’t swallow, you couldn’t breathe.

Tsukishima was right behind you, inching closer each moment, but you couldn’t hope to turn around or run away. You were petrified, rooted in place like you were a statue. A statue with wide eyes and terror etched into your features.

You wanted to claim you hadn’t but the journal was still open in your hands, opened up to a disgusting drawing of yourself and your eyes couldn’t tear themselves away from it. Even if you wanted to futilely make up an excuse, your mouth wouldn’t form the words. You couldn’t so much as squeak.

As he stands directly behind you, his hands caress your waist, finger pads sinking deep into the flesh through your shirt. You shudder in disgust, but that’s the most movement your body can even make.

Even as his fingers dance at the hem of your shirt, daringly searching upwards against bare skin, you can’t move or make a sound. You wished you were a fight or flee kind of person and not a freeze.

You feel his lips brush against your earlobe and you violently shudder as he speaks into your ear a few chilling words.

“Don’t you know what curiosity did to the cat?”

#yandere #yandere haikyuu #haikyuu!!#yandere one shot #one shot #yandere x reader #yandere tsukishima #tsukishima kei

220 notes · View notes

foranpo · 1 year

Text

ੈ˚☆ 11:59pm.

˚ʚ b.stray.dogs. ˚ʚ chuuya. ˚ʚ fluff.

ੈ♡˳────── enjoy the reading <3 ──────

"I believe there is something larger than our lives waiting for us."

You spoke with a wide smile on your face, a tremendous joy of being able to see, for the first time that month, the starry sky of the city.

So many lights, so many stars, so much hope.

An intense and infinite vastness of black was embellished by hundreds of stars, constellations to be created with the simplicity of human imagination and hope.

So much darkness. So much nothingness. But so many stars. So many dreams.

"Where?"

Chuuya let a long yawn escape his mouth, too tired from the day he'd had, too snug by your presence.

"Somewhere. In the universe."

You raised your hand and let your delicate fingers draw hopeful paths among the stars and planes, all your attention focused on that fascinating landscape.

"And what can be greater than life? What is bigger than the miracle of life?"

Chuuya shrugged his shoulders and leaned back, closing his eyes and letting the gentle spring wind caress him with the delicacy only worthy of mother nature.

You remained silent, looking for an answer to Chuuya's question, wondering if there really was something larger than life. It should exist. It had to exist. There is so much diversity in the universe, why not promises of something greater? Something less painful than life?

"Hope. Freedom."

Two simple words.

Two simple words that were stuck on your lips as soon as the night blinded you with its beauty. Two simple words that, when pronounced by you, gained multitudes of meanings and made Chuuya open his eyes and look at you. Two simple words and Chuuya woke up from his tired routine, the idea of a crash in his system being more than enough to entice him to share that moment with you.

And how beautiful you were.

Bathed by the hope of the stars, painted by the tenderness of the moon, exalted by the freedom of the night. You were beautiful. That night, bewitched by promises from your imagination, hopeful of lives yet to be lived, you were beautiful in Chuuya's eyes.

And maybe, just maybe, all your desire for hope and freedom was justified when you yourself resembled the child of the night, the moon, the universe.

"And when we get that hope and freedom? What do we have left?"

Chuuya didn't know why he was nervous, he couldn't understand why his voice trembled softly asking that question. But when you looked up at him, your eyes sparkling with the enthusiasm of the conversation, your smile expanding with the eagerness to answer, Chuuya understood why.

"Each other. And I think that's enough."

Chuuya stared at you, totally lost in your words, drunk on hope, on freedom, of your confirmation. Each other. Each other. Each. Other.

"That's enough."

When he faced the luminous night again, getting lost in your conversation that was endlessly repeated in his mind, no smile, no twinkle in his eyes, nothing blossomed in Chuuya but the hope, the promise, the certainty that you would have each other. In this life. In this universe.

ੈ♡˳───── feedback is appreciated <3 ─────

#i honestly dw #i have this thought on my head for so long #wondering who would like to be part of this conversation #and while writing chuuya popped in my head and here we are #very much small very much all over place very much me ig #;bungou stray dogs constellation;#chuuya x reader #chuuya x you #chuuya x yn #chuuya fluff #chuuya imagines #chuuya drabbles #chuuya oneshot #bsd x you #bsd x reader #bsd fluff #bungou stray dogs #bungou stray dogs x reader #bungou stray dogs x you

162 notes · View notes

so-very-small · 7 months

Note

Okay but you can’t just mention a g/t nightmare and NOT tell us. Come on Spaci! Spill the beans!!!

OKAY SO

In the dream I lived in a futuristic city along a coast. Everything was packed densely together, full of skyscrapers, absolutely no nature other than the beach. The beach was dirty, litter and emissions from all the buildings making it gross. The water was murky green, and the entire town was a tourist trap that didn’t care about nature or keeping things eco-friendly.

I lived in a tiny apartment with several roommates, and one day I was overlooking the beach from my balcony when I noticed a woman standing on the water. She was normal sized, but entirely vibrant blue, and after a second I realized she was made of water as well. She was a bit off from the coast, and anything that came within a radius of her wound up sinking rapidly. She didn’t move, she didn’t speak, she just stood there.

The next morning I looked, and she was twice as tall as the day before. I could see the water swirling around her body, and her wide eyes. Every day I would wake up, and she would be taller. People started talking about it on the news, more tourists came to see her. The beach was fully crowded as she grew bigger day by day. No one could get close to her without drowning, so no one was able to make contact. She just kept still, silent, eyes wide in an angry glare as she stared at the city without blinking.

Eventually she was taller than most buildings. Then taller than all the skyscrapers. The ocean level started to lower because she was drawing all water from the Earth to make herself bigger. Other countries and towns began to have draughts, costal cities had their oceans recede then vanish, and she kept growing.

She stopped when there was no ocean left. I scrambled up the fire escape of my apartment, absolute dread in my chest, and climbed to the roof. From dozens of stories up, I was only eye level with the top of her foot. Her body extended so far beyond the clouds, but I could still see the absolute malice in her eyes.

There were parts of her body that were filled with oil spills, and just looking into her you could see a world of plastic and trash. She was the outcome of pollution, and I realized that this was simply the Earth’s way of getting revenge, reclaiming itself. I was terrified, but I couldn’t be mad at her. I understood.

And then she took a step onto land, absolutely decimating the city underneath her.

And then I woke up.

#idk if this needs a tw pls let me know #i woke up like. MAN #she was so so hot and so so scary

38 notes · View notes

demonichikikomori · 6 months

Text

Blood-Drunk and Psycho!

Yan!Vamp!Lilia Vanrouge x GN!Reader Word Count: 767 Tags: Blood/Neck Biting/Fear Play

Art by kiui_oshii_ on Twitter

It's the season is all. Hehe!~! Happy happy, Halloween!~! Another fic for 13 Lovely Hauntings and this time it's Lilia. Sexy vampire Lilia... I love writing him as a vampire even though he's technically not? Yana is weak for not giving us a sexy vamp!Lilia. Make him drink blood... Coward...

SUMMARY:

A very hungry Lilia forces you into a game of Hide and Seek. Make sure you kill Silver when you both wake up.

Your chest heaved as you sat behind a thick, rotting tree among the many within the foggy forest. Your hands clamped tightly over your mouth as you struggled to collect yourself. Hide and Seek. Just a game of Hide and Seek with Lilia. Trapped in a dream because of Silver, who was nowhere in sight to rescue you from his father.

You hadn’t expected the dream to feel so real when you had napped beside Silver and Lilia during a study session. You recalled the younger man mentioning that his Unique Magic had something to do with sleep. But he never finished as his head rested against his textbook and he began softly snoring. And somehow, you too had drifted to sleep.

Now? You were trapped in a reality that only existed in a dream. And you had been met by Lilia who was standing alone in the thick, dark forest. His naturally upbeat demeanor had been reduced to a suffocating hostility, and what made you see him as nothing more than a starving beast. You tried talking to him, asking where Silver had gone, but you were silenced with his smiling face inching towards yours. His hands gripped your upper arms tightly as his pupils began to expand with excitement.

“Why don’t we play something together?”

He left you no other choice, throwing you into an unwilling game of Hide and Seek. If you all woke up before he caught you, or before Silver found you, you would win. But if Lilia found you first? You lowered a hand to the flesh of your throat. You could feel your pounding pulse quickening and the goosebumps prickling along the skin. You swallowed down the fear and slowly rose to your feet. You couldn’t hear footsteps anymore. Lilia must’ve gone somewhere else to look for you. With slow steps, you trekked through the thick dark forest. The sky was blacker than ink spilled across paper. There was no moon, nor stars to help you on your trek. You would have only yourself to rely on until you could find Silver and hope to snap him back into reality.

The air around you was like a collection of icy hands. They rubbed over the nude parts of your skin as you frantically looked around for a glimpse of Lilia. It felt like he was drawing this out purposefully. A sadistic game of cat and mouse where Lilia would stalk you within the darkness and allowed you to fearfully evade his hungry gaze. You stopped to look around, even choosing to look up and see if the Fae was floating among the branches. And yet, there was no sign of him. It filled you with a sense of relief and the feeling that maybe you had a chance. You moved faster through the forest and listened to the sound of your heart beating in your ears. You had a chance. You would be just fine.

And there he was. Your heart skipped with joy as you spotted Silver, speaking happily with a group of woodland animals in a small moonlit clearing beside a glittering pond. You reached out to him, preparing to call out until a hand grabbed you from behind. A gag could be heard as the hand yanked hard on the back of your collar and threw you to the cold, wet Earth below you. Lilia had caught you before Silver found you.

Lilia pinned you to the mossy earth below you with a hand forced over your mouth, allowing you to kick and thrash in an attempt to break free from his hold. His blood colored eyes admired the fearful expression you wore, a faint rouge bloomed across his pale, porcelain skin. “You don’t understand how delicious you look when you’re terrified. It’s such a breathtaking view from above.” He chuckled quietly as he leaned in close, his body resting on top of yours as he straddled your hips. “Now that I have found you, I shall be claiming my reward. Not that you have any say against it.” He cooed gently as he lowered his head towards your throat.

You weakly thrashed and kicked until you felt a pair of pointe fangs pierce your skin. And suck. With Lilia’s body pressed against yours, forcing you into the ground, you were slowly submitting to the fae drinking your blood with soft sucks and gulps. You were becoming light headed as Lilia hummed happily. Savoring the warmth and flavor of your blood with no intention of stopping soon.

He wouldn’t stop until Silver woke up from this dream.

Tagged Accounts: @candlewitch-cryptic

#13 Lovely Hauntings #yandere lilia x reader #lilia vanrouge x reader #lilia vanrouge x you #lilia x reader #lilia vanrouge #lilia twst #lilia twisted wonderland #vampire lilia

40 notes · View notes

jkoo-njoo · 1 year

Text

College crush - 2

summary : college au | when the frontier between a crush and an obsession blurs, how can you draw the line ?

pairing : shy n clingy bf! jk x black fem! reader

genre : fluff, soft yandere | headcanons

word count : 2007, on going

warnings : stalking, fixation

author's note : it took me a while to overcome writer’s block for this story but I woke up motivated this morning and I literally just finished writing all of it in one sitting 🤭 there will be 2 or 3 more chapters left after this one ! hope u enjoy loves ♪(๑ᴖ◡ᴖ๑)♪

previous | next / masterlist

2/ forbearance, solitude & craving

- Enactment of the plan

it is time. his plan is finally in motion

he’s going to get you, at all cost.

he already had a good amount of photography in stock but he spent the week producing a fresh batch of pictures for the application

he took his camera and clicked everywhere towards everything

stills of landscapes, animals in action, objects and art pieces, people moving…

he had to make his application absolutely perfect to be sure he’d be with you

and he did ; his work was outstandingly pretty and always held some sort of longing/nostalgic feelings that could be felt by the observer

you could tell in them that the photographer took his time to wait for the correct angle, the perfect movement of the subjects and the right amount of reflection of light before he captured each images

this batch process was so amusing and sort of therapeutic to him because he got to get back to photography, which he didn’t have that much time to do since he started college

but the best part of it all :

he started taking pictures of you.

he didn’t even intend to do it at first

him taking a broad picture of the campus’ park wanting to capture the nature coupled with the students go on with their occupations

but when he looked back at it, there you were

on the 3rd plan, almost totally blending yourself with the paysage ; yet looking so outstandingly beautiful… almost angelic

then he decided to hit click more often whenever he would run into you

he always made sure he’d stay far enough so that you don’t notice him ; but close enough so that he could capture you in the upmost quality

each picture were of you doing insignificant things like walking around campus with your earphones on ; reading at a local café ; eating and laughing with some friends of yours ; studying and looking so cute with your frowning eyebrows

he held each one of these so close to his heart

he even created a whole folder on his computer compiling all of the photos he took of you

he was dreaming of the day you’d pose just for him, looking right in his objective with your bright eyes and piercing gaze

he was dreaming of the day you’ll be his and all he would do everyday is follow you around with his camera and snap pictures of you doing anything with him

anyways

he submitted his application for the club and of course got accepted

the first classes would start two weeks from now

he absolutely couldn’t wait to finally be near you

- battling loneliness

he was right : he definitely couldn’t wait.

the two weeks are up and the first photography class starts tomorrow

the wait was overbearing and painful

but he swallowed his suffering

because he knew that patience is the most important part of the plan.

for it to work out perfectly it was necessary to wait

to pass time, on top of taking more pictures of you, he started to write poems

his feelings for you were growing more and more everyday without a mean of escape ; he had to find something to externalize them before he turned absolutely crazy

at the beginning, it wasn’t exactly poems, but little journal entries destined to you, since he cannot contact you directly just yet

technically he could but he was far too much of a coward to ever try to make a move in real life

the messages started soft and short — like 2/3 phrases short — and were very descriptive with no definite style whatsoever

“seeing your beautiful face made me feel so happy today. You are the ruler of my heart.”

but.. he felt so… ashamed ? uncomfortable ? because he never wrote anything before and he thought it was so lame

the more he wrote, the more he got bold and tried new ways to express himself

so he started using more imagery and very sentimental turn of phrases and the little messages turned to poems, each longer and more complex than the previous ones

“if anyone asks me to prove my love for you, I’ll ask them to let you speak on my grave and watch how I come back to life right before their eyes, to bask in your angelic voice and presence.”

he wanted to write the best poems so that you could really see how much love he held for you

so that he could prove to you that he was perfect and deserving of your love and attention

he was getting more confident in his writing but he felt like it would never be enough to truly capture the entirety of your outstanding beauty the purity of your heart and aura

and each poem or picture from afar reminded him of how lonely he was, and how you weren’t his yet

but he had to stay strong, because soon he’ll be close to you

- eventually : the liberation

he had so much trouble to sleep

he was so excited because today was finally the day he’d been waiting for for so long

the day of the first photography class

he wanted to look good and make a great first impression so he spent half the night choosing an outfit

settling for a baggy grey t-shirt and black cargo pants because he didn’t feel ready to be noticed by you just yet

and he definitely needed to update his wardrobe… too much dark and baggy clothes

he noticed you were very stylish and he daydreamed about going shopping with you more than once

he wanted to be your doll to dress up as you please and have matching outfits with you

he also wanted to see you in the clothes that he chose himself just for you. he’s convinced that they’ll suit you so well

so much so that he had a ton of carts waiting on lots of different website, just ready to buy and send for you to wear

anyways

he was so so nervous

but, his excitement exceeded his nervousness and apprehension

he barely ate anymore these days but at some point he decided to eat properly, get back in the gym and do his skincare

because he knew that you wouldn’t want your boyfriend to not take care of himself

and if he cannot care for himself, how can he even pretend that he’ll be able to care for you ??

he was proud of himself and his love for you because you made him a better man without even meeting him yet

he knew that each and every day he was becoming more and more perfect for you

fast forward to the afternoon, and 2pm

the class started at 2:30 pm, be he came here early just so he could admire you enter the class, and also choose the best seating area for the both of you

he settled for the middle row on the very left side

because he knew you love to sit on the front row on the right side. so this place would allow him to look at your side profile and stare at you all that he wants without you noticing him.

it was perfect

time went by, and the classroom started filling up slowly

he knew you’d come in last, so he put a little book on one of the chairs in the front row so nobody would take your spot

and just like clockwork, you arrived right before the class started

the only chair available the one that he reserved for you

you looked around to see if the person who left the book was here, and your neighbor told you that he saw nobody claim back the seat so you just sat there

when you did, shivers travelled his whole body from head to toe.

he felt so proud of himself and also so thankful that you were accepting his first ever move towards you. His first proof of his love for you.

the class started but he did not listen one bit

he was so mesmerized by your beauty and your closeness

he was already following you around to your place of study like the library or cafes to look at you ; but he never got the courage to get any closer.

you being just 2 rows in front of him was the closest he’s ever been

he was savoring each and every second, before a miracle occurred.

the photograph professor called out your name and asked you to present yourself in front of the class

apparently everyone would have to

he quickly pulled out his phone and started the dictaphone

then you spoke up and started presenting yourself in front of the whole class

he felt himself melt on the spot

your voice so clear and full of assurance, as you spilled precious details about yourself that he’ll spend the rest of his life cherishing

you said that you love photography, you draw, you write and you read. And you talked about being really excited to start this class and do your best to express yourself through your photography

he could cry right here and there. this was so much more than he would even dare to ask for

but he was getting nervous again. because this means that he would have to present himself next

he started shaking his leg uncontrollably and his hands started sweating. he didn’t expect to have to speak up and be noticed by you so early in the plan

but he had to be strong for you and not let his timidness consume him

his time came. everyone turned around to look at him, including you

he couldn’t bear meeting your gaze and looking at you in the eyes so he looked straight in front of him, aiming towards the professor

however if he did hold your gaze, he would have seen how your eyes kind of lit up looking at him

it was so difficult for him to speak up and not stutter but he did his best

you only had to say what brought you here and your other hobbies. Some people told more, some less. He opted for the less.

« Hello all. I’ve been doing photography for years and decided to enroll as soon as I knew of the existence of this club. Other than photography, I enjoy gaming, working out and writing poems. That’s all »

the professor thanked him and moved on the the next person

he felt his nerves relax and released a breathe he didn’t know he was holding

he hoped he made a good impression on you mentioning working out and writing. Since you love writing, you have now a second shared interest and he also overheard you talk about how you like fit guys so he was sure he hit all the right spots

he spent the rest of the class not listening one bit, just looking at you being focused on the class

at the end of it, he pretended to take longer to pack up his things and when everyone left the classroom he went over to your seat

your sweet scent lingered on the spot and he was incredibly jealous of the person that sat next to you

you smelt a mix of vanilla and cinnamon with a hint of sweet citrus fruit

he wanted to bottle up the air and take it home with him if he could

he went back to his dorm with so much contentment and happiness within his heart

now that he got you close he wanted more. and he would have it

for the first time of his life, he grew confidence and decided to act on his impulse

and his impulse led him to accelerate the plan : he’ll contact you even from afar.

#lufy’s fics ♤#thebtswritersclub #bts x black reader #bts x poc reader #jungkook headcanons #jungkook x reader #jungkook fanfic #jungkook fluff #jungkook scenarios #yandere jungkook #soft yandere #bts fanfic #bts imagines #bts scenarios #college au #college crush update #jungkook is becoming more and more obsessed as time goes by 🫣

249 notes · View notes

honeybeezgobzzzzz · 11 months

Text

𓅨 Your Fate is Sealed With Mine: Chapter Ten

Your Fate is Sealed With Mine: Y/N Burgess is the granddaughter of Alex and Paul, and after having spent so many summers at their manor and always wondering why she was forbidden from entering the basement, she descends the steps into the world of the Order. She broke out the being that had been trapped in that glass cage, but what does he want with her now that he is free?

Warnings: Language, Alcohol Consumption.

To Note: Morpheus/Dream x Female!GranddaugterReader, based on Netflix’s ‘The Sandman’, Reader now has long-ish hair for plot reasons (Just so Morpheus can tug on it later).

Word Count: ~2.0k

Previous | Masterlist | Next

You woke to urgent touches to your face and Paul’s voice pleading for you to wake up. Airing out a soft groan, you peeled back your eyelids and blinked up into Paul’s worried face. Relief flooded his features.

“Oh my darling, I thought I lost you as well!” Paul nearly sobbed out, his hands running over your hair like he was still unsure if you were really awake.

“Grandpapa? What’s wrong?” You questioned in confusion, moving into a sitting position and looking around. You were back in your room. “How did I get here? The last thing I remember…” You trailed off, your eyes going wide as the memories flooded into your mind. He put you to sleep! “Son of a—“ You cut off your curse when you saw how red Paul’s eyes were. “Grandpapa, what’s wrong? What happened? What do you mean by ‘as well’?”

Paul looked dreadful, his eyes were tinged red, no doubt from crying. You could see that not only did his eyes look red but exhausted as well. He hadn’t had a good night's sleep. Paul took a seat on the edge of your bed and took your hand in a rambling grasp. Whatever had happened, it was terrible and was a result of you releasing the man in the basement. The king of dreams would not simply go back to his domain after being trapped for over a century without punishing those responsible for his imprisonment… or at least responsible for not freeing him.

“It’s Alex, he won’t wake up.” Paul sobbed, drawing your hand to his mouth and pressing his lips against your knuckles. “Darling, he won’t wake up!”

So that was his punishment. To have unending dreams. How fitting to be punished by the king of dreams by never waking up…

“Grandpapa, I’m so sorry,” You told him with genuine apologies. “I couldn’t just— I couldn’t leave him there. Not when we’re…”

“We should have known that he would choose you,” Paul sniffed, bowing his head and now pressing his forehead against your joined hands. “You are so innocent, Y/N, so understanding. It is only natural that he would choose you over the rest of us. But you should never have been forced to take on a punishment that your great-grandfather earned.”

“It’s not a punishment, grandpapa,” You spoke gently, reaching up with your free hand to touch his cheek. His brown eyes met yours. “He has no intention of hurting me, never has. If anything, he’s dragged me out of trouble in his kingdom more times than I care to admit.”

“You were a little troublemaker growing up,” Paul sniffed again before chuckling. “Always had your nose in everyone’s business. It was hard keeping up with you, your imagination ran wild.”

You let out a small giggle.

“Yes, well, he likes to call me his little troublemaker.” You softly said, chewing on your lip. “Also calls me stubborn… really grandpapa, he hasn’t done anything to hurt me.”

“We should have told your parents the truth the moment those nightmares started, oh darling you should never have gone through what you did as a child. No child should ever have to experience that.” Your head dipped down as you pursed your lips. That was true. He and Alex could have said something to your parents, could have shown them the reason for your torment. But they had stayed silent.

“Perhaps, but I’m not entirely sure it would have made a difference, my parents only wanted a normal child. I think we both know that regardless of what you would have done, my childhood wouldn’t be normal.” You paused, once again looking around your room. “How did I get back in my room?”

“If I’ll be honest, I’m not exactly sure. When we checked the basement Ernie and Fred were there, but you were missing. Herman is the one that found you already in your bed.”

“Glad to know you have the decency to put me to bed after making me go to sleep.” You muttered beneath your breath, your lips twitching in the corner.

“Sorry, darling?” You waved Paul off.

“Just talking to myself, grandpapa, I’m just talking to myself.” Taking a deep breath, you looked down at your body as realization slowly dawned on you. You felt fully rested for once and you didn’t have one fleeting feeling of terror or pain. When was the last time you were this well-rested? When had you slept without nightmares? You couldn’t remember. Perhaps dreams and nightmares were finally returning to normal. They must be with Dream back in his realm. You moved to slip from the bed.

“Darling, do be careful, you’ve been out for nearly an entire day.” An entire day? No wonder you felt so well rested… your hands gripped the end of your bed while you rolled your stiff neck.

“I’m not going to go charging around you know, I haven’t felt this good in a long time, grandpapa,” You spoke while dropping your fingers to your wrapped forearm. It ached slightly, not exactly a new occurrence, but you had hoped that it would be getting better by now. “I’d like to see grandpapa Alex.”

“Oh I don’t know, darling, he isn’t in the best of shapes at the moment,” Paul spoke hesitantly. You eyed him with determination.

“That’s never stopped me before, grandpapa.” You told him, rising from the bed. Determination was setting in, you gave him one last look. “This is something I must do.”

“Your Burgess is coming out once more,” Paul sighed before nodding. Giving him one last faint smile, you strode from the room, heading for the opposite end of Fawny Rig. The quietness of the manor that you always used to like, now felt eery and uncomfortable. Looking outside as you walked, you noticed that it was storming, rain coming down in sheets that blanketed the grounds to the point where you couldn’t even see the gardens. Was it a coincidence or a reflection of the effect of releasing Dream from his glass prison? Upon reaching the master bedroom of Fawny Rig, you slipped into the room to see Alex’s nurse tending to him while he struggled and thrashed against the blankets.

“Mum,” The nurse whispered, backing away from the bed and excusing herself. Staring at your grandfather, you wish you could feel entirely worried and sympathetic toward his current predicament. But there was a sliver of you that simply knew that this was his penance for his hand in Dream’s entrapment. In the back of your mind, you heard a crack of a shotgun and the splattering of blood. Then flickers of images flooded your mind. Raven feathers soaked in blood scattered on the basement floor, rage and despair. Devastation. Your eyes dropped to the worn hardwood. Yes, Alex had earned this punishment. You walked over to the bedside and took a seat in the empty chair.

“I wish things had been different, grandpapa,” You spoke, reaching for the hand currently clawing at the bedsheet. “Great-grandfather put you in a difficult position and I wish you could have found the courage to do the right thing.” You paused and pursed your lips, holding onto his hand despite its want to thrash and claw. “Perhaps if you had been stronger, or maybe not so suffocated by your brother’s legacy…” You chuckled. “Oh I suppose it doesn’t really matter anymore, we cannot change what has been done and the only thing I can do is try to right what has been wrong for so long.”

You sat there, holding his hand for a good half hour, feeling every jerk his hand gave and biting your lip at every whisper that passed through his dry and cracked lips. At this point, death would be his only salvation and until then, he would be locked up in a prison of mental torture. When the grandfather clock in the hall called out twelve, you placed Alex’s hand back in place and walked out of the room, not looking back and having no intention of ever returning.

“I’ve really missed this, you know,” Jemima said from her seat next to you. You countered her words with a raised eyebrow at first.

“What? Club hopping with me? It’s not exactly an activity I can endorse, Jem. We’re out of university, let’s start acting like adults shall we?” You spoke, running your finger around the lemon drop martini you had ordered a good hour ago. You and Jemima had decided to meet up in London to catch up since you had moved out. You could do for a stress-free ladies' night out, but not once had you felt relaxed while out. You were dressed nicely, let Jemima play with the makeup and hair you had for the night, and generally looked hot. So why didn’t you feel like in a party mood, or at least happy to be out?

“You’re one to talk, Y/N/N, you look like you just broke up with a lover whom you loved with all your heart. What is up with you?” Jemima returned with a snort, eyeing you with skepticism. You took another sip of your martini, ignoring the way she was looking at you.

“Honestly? I’ve not a clue…” You said, looking down at the bar top and chewing on your lip.

“Is it about your grandpapa? Because I can understand you’re upset about his state…” No, no it wasn’t that. You knew that much, but it was something you couldn’t quite put your finger on.

“I’m still surprised he’s alive given his age,” You told Jemima. “This, this isn’t exactly unexpected.”

“Maybe you just need to go splash some water on your face? Brighten up? Don’t actually do that of course, you’ll ruin your makeup.” Jemima offered, raising her hands and making little shooing motions at me. “Go on, Y/N, run to the loo, freshen yourself up. Perhaps even a pep talk… and come back with the attitude I would expect from you.”

Pushing your drink towards her to watch over, you gave Jemima a look as you slid from your seat and wandered towards the back of the club. You passed a few girls giggling to themselves while fixing each other’s hair and slunk your way into the bathroom. There were already several women throwing up in the stalls, their friends holding back their hair, others retouching their hair and makeup, and some were stuffing whatever they could get their hands on into their clothes to endow their assets. You weaved your way up to the counter and looked at yourself in the mirror. It was your reflection, but your eyes reflected that brilliant blue mercury. Even if he wasn’t with you physically, you knew that he was in some other shape or form. Total privacy wouldn’t ever exist in your world.

Then again… he was off taking care of business for The Dreaming. One hundred years must have built up many problems so you were most likely going to have a period of lax watchfulness on his part. Perhaps this was a chance to live on the wild side. You contemplated having a fling, kissing a random stranger you met here in the club. Maybe even going further… do something to take your mind off of recent events.

You wouldn’t dare…

That little… your eye twitched in your reflection. Correction, he was still watching, even if you couldn’t feel him. Damn him for having such a lovely-sounding voice, as if he didn’t already have a beautiful mortal form already going for him. Why did he have to chase you away from every man or boy you tried to get close to? Maybe it was time to try out women…

You think that would make a difference?

You could hear the snort and disbelief in his tone. Of course it wouldn’t, not with an entity practically older than time. Relationships and flings were off the table it seemed. You glared at your reflection, washed your hands, and left those glowing silver eyes of your reflection behind. Slipping back into the swarm of moving bodies that matched the beat of the current song, you headed for your drink, determined to get so drunk that you would forget the world for a little while.

Date Published: 9/16/22

Last Edit: 5/29/23

Previous | Masterlist | Next

#dream the endless x reader #dream of the endless x reader #morpheus x reader #lord morpheus #sandman x reader #the sandman netflix #dream of the endless #dream the endless #the sandman #morpheus

55 notes · View notes

late-to-the-magnus-archives · 3 months

Text

Yellow City, Chapter Nine - a Malevolent AU

Arthur is getting a lot better at goals.

Real goals, not imagined.

And like a rock thrown into water, he is making ripples.

Chapter nine of Yellow City, a continuation of Cloud City. Note: explicit content.

AO3

--------

In dreams, Arthur remembered.

In dreams, Arthur saw.

In the beginning, four years ago, Hastur took Arthur unto himself to remake as he willed, for Arthur had been laid bare.

It began with healing.

Arthur fought.

“No! I don’t want… stop!” he tried as power flowed through him, soothing tortured nerves, easing blood flow, calming fever.

His ear was half-gone, blown off when he’d used the black mirror, and the taper in his lobe exploded.

“No,” Arthur moaned as Hastur replaced it with something that did not feel like an ear, did not feel like flesh, and Arthur wept.

It hurt in this place. Everything hurt, every time he opened his eyes and tried to comprehend more than three dimensions, a world that misshaped time like mud squeezed through clenched fingers.

Hastur healed all his wounds, and all his little illnesses (There. Now your heart will beat for many more years, unhindered), kept him and cleaned him and touched him and would not let him die.

Arthur refused to eat.

Hastur made him, anyway.

Arthur begged for death.

Hastur did not grant it.

Faroe.

Arthur was a remarkable human (according to Hastur, who knew humans, or at least thought he did), but even he could not hold on to sanity forever. After three weeks of simply being in Carcosa, denied death, Arthur could take no more, and he let go.

The cracks and scissures formed by Faroe’s wedged truth shattered, and his thoughts fell underfoot like pieces of filthy mirror.

In the beginning, Arthur woke.

The room shifted, blurred, settled (damn hangover) into his Cloud City apartment, perfectly safe to look at, ordinary in every way, and his partner (Hastur, for years now, Hastur) stood over him with odd limbs undulating and an eager, deep growl.

“H… Hastur?” Arthur mumbled, feeling like his lips and tongue might be made of caulk, of cotton strands and pine tar.

“Arthur,” rumbled He (funny Arthur couldn’t recall him having a body), cupping Arthur’s face with one tentacle (and his ear felt weird), directing his stuttering gaze. “Look upon me. Ah… I can taste your madness. You are ripe for picking.”

So none of that made sense, and Arthur weakly shoved at the limb under his chin. “Quit it.”

Hastur leaned in, frissoning all over in anticipation (and Arthur felt that delicate tremble against his throat). “Your mind aches. Your thoughts tremble. Love me, Arthur, and I will make it all better. It is time. Look upon me, and love me.”

And Arthur looked (and Hastur slid between cracked thoughts and seeped beneath splintered floorboards of the rickety mind-shack Arthur had built)

And Arthur loved (and always had because Hastur was his partner and it was the most natural thing to do).

And Arthur spoke. “Wh… where’s… the…” His lips were nearly numb. He licked them.

Hastur was growling (purring?) and brought a glass to his lips. “Beautiful,” he murmured.

Arthur drank. Some sweet juice; a fruit he couldn’t place, had never encountered, but oh, it was so good. He licked his lips again. “Late?”

Hastur had no eyebrows to raise. He gave the impression anyway. “Late? For what?”

“We… have a… client,” Arthur said, and rolled (slowly, agonizingly, every muscle aching) out of bed and onto the floor with a thunk.

Hastur seemed to find that funny.

“Ass,” said Arthur without rancor, and pulled himself up. “What… what did I…” It was so hard to think, like jumbled pieces of glass in a bag, clinking, impossible to put together without drawing blood.

Yes?” Hastur prompted, and tugged down Arthur’s second-best suit jacket (yellow itchy thing, too itchy, and Arthur began tearing it off almost at once).

“Don’t let… don’t… let me drink that much again,” said Arthur, disrobing like an irritated toddler. “This isn’t any good. If I…” His thoughts stalled.

Hastur tried again, tucking in Arthur’s button-down shirt (a different fabric this time, just as yellow, but Arthur did not like it on his skin, and had handfuls of it in shreds as he staggered away).

Arthur made it to the sink (some kind of… basin?) and splashed (perfumed) water on his face.

Hastur fussed again, and Arthur let him. Wherever, whatever. He needed the help today to look put-together. “If I puke and lose this client, I’m blaming you,” said Arthur.

Hastur rumbled. “Well, we can’t have that. What are you trying to do?” And he helped Arthur into (another yellow thing, this one soft as whispers, absolutely sheer and hiding jack shit, but it felt good, it felt light, airy, unconstricted, and Arthur did not tear it away) a trench coat.

“Solve the case, of course,” said Arthur.

“What case, my little detective?”

Arthur turned to glare at him, and the world spun (too much too big too angled too wrong).

Hastur steadied him. “Careful, Arthur. We can hardly have you wounding yourself after all the work we’ve put in, hm?”

Whatever that meant. “The cat.”

Hastur’s many limbs went still. “The… cat?”

“Yes. You know. Mrs. Nickerson’s cat.”

“I do not know a Mrs. Nickerson,” said Hastur, thoughtful, sounding almost confused.

“You’ve got to start reading the case files,” said Arthur, taking his hat (there was no hat) and adjusting his tie (there was only a wide collar of a light, lacy gold that didn’t itch). “If you’re going to make full partner, you need to.”

Hastur looked delighted. “Am I close to making full partner, Arthur?”

“Close. But you know that. Did you get blotto, too? Guess today’s lesson is how to handle a case when both of us are stupid hungover,” Arthur said (because it made sense because that’s why Hastur didn’t know because they’d handle this together like they handled everything). He headed for the door.

He did not feel or register Hastur picking him up, carrying him away from the wall he’d been about to run into, and letting him out the front of this temple like releasing an animal to the wild.

It was too bright, and too fucked up, too leaning and tall and strange, and Arthur fell to his knees, whimpering, aware for all of two seconds that he cowered under two fucking suns, that utterly inhuman beings stared his way, that he wore little more than a sheer napkin and shivered In humiliation and a light breeze.

Then the glass shards in his broken mind shifted, clinked, and he saw the rain-spattered sidewalk of Cloud City, the elegant bronze towers dimmed by eternal gloom, the ordinary dark windows staring at him like eyes he’d grown used to, living here for so long.

And he stood. And then

(Is that… a human?)

(Hastur’s human. That’s the one who stopped Y’golonac.)

(Oh, shit. He’s fucking pretty.)

(Of course he is. Did you think Hastur would bother—)

remembered where the clues led, and what the ransom note threatened, and he turned and ran.

His square-toed oxfords slapped the wet cement (his bare feet slapped on the smooth, golden pavestones) as he ran, and Hastur—who had no need to run—floated alongside him, looking utterly fascinated.

“Little detective,” said Hastur, his many tentacles just hovering around Arthur as if to keep him from running into a telephone pole. “What are you doing?”

“He’s gonna kill the cat!” Arthur cried. “That’s what the note meant! That’s the riddle!”

(What’s he shouting about?)

(I don’t—)

“Oh?” promoted Hastur. “So you’ve solved a riddle?”

“Worthy does as worthy is,” Arthur recited off the top of his head, feeling his jacket pockets (he had no pockets) to find the note. “Cat’s paw claim is sure to fizz. Wills and airs both be choked out. Can’t catch me, I am a trout.”

Hastur laughed. “What?”

Arthur ignored that laugh. He knew Hastur sometimes struggled with empathy, and it was okay, he was growing, he was learning. “It’s a play on words! Air… heir. The cat inherited it all, and he’s gonna choke the cat so he can get the Nickerson fortune!”

“Really?” said Hastur. “Well, that certainly is crea–”

“There he is!” Arthur howled, yowled, bellowed, and flung himself physically at Thomas Nickerson, ungrateful grandson of belated Helen Nickerson, spoiled all his damn life, rotten with wastrel indulgence, and cut out of the will because he’d already spent more dough than there even was to inherit, and Thomas held the fluffy white cat by the throat right out in broad daylight because he was going to choke it and throw it into the Lake (and that’s where trout came in), and—

Arthur tackled a servant carrying an armful of white linens.

He was far too small to knock the deeply confused being down. The servant spooked, anyway, three of its mouths sending up a panicked sort of hooting, trying to lift the linens, to which the human—an actual human—clung like its life depended (oh, like his life depended, that was kind of obvious, actually) on it.

“Give me the cat!” Arthur snarled. “Let go! You fucker, you’re going down for this!”

And everybody in the square (so many) stopped to see just what the hullabaloo was about, and Arthur battled (thought he fought a man half his age and half as smart) to rescue the still-breathing, panicked cat.

Hastur laughed.

And Hastur laughed.

(And the servant chirped wildly, and Hastur waved his tentacles and informed everyone that yes this was happening and the human would have his way.)

Arthur stumbled back, clutching sheets and towels, talking to them as soothingly as he could, petting between where he thought they had ears.

The servant took off.

“Go ahead and run!” Arthur shouted. “I know where you live!”

Stunned silence. Gods stood, mouths agape, staring with more eyes than usual.

Hastur laughed.

“Aw, cut it out, he can’t help having a flat face,” said Arthur, bringing the cat (warm fabrics) over. “Look at him. He’s so scared. It’s okay, buddy. It’s okay. We’ve got you now. Nobody’s going to hurt you ever again.”

Hastur was laughing so hard that golden tears splashed down his face and onto the pavestones like sparks, like drops from the sun. He struggled to speak. “You… ah… saved the cat, little detective?”

Arthur nodded, grim. “We saved the cat. That’s what matters. Let’s go get him some tuna, and then get him home. I think we got a can in the office.”

Hastur’s laughter resumed.

Nine years, Arthur thought as he opened his eyes this morning. Nine years was a long time to be together.

They’d solved many so cases. They’d saved so many lives. Their reputation was solid as Lester and Yellow, Private Investigators, so when Arthur had offered to take Parker in as part of that asshole’s probation, the judge agreed.

Truly, Arthur and Hastur had never hit a problem they couldn’t solve.

Except one.

Nine years. That was too long to have let this particular goal go. Arthur rolled into his partner, determined, because he’d still never made Hastur breathy, and today, by gods, Arthur would make it happen.

Arthur was drowning.

Arthur was bobbing to the surface for air though he’d never swum.

Arthur was

(“He’s beautiful like this, isn’t he?“)

(“About to be filleted like a fucking fish? No!“)

desperate to make Hastur sound like that, to bring him to the point of groaning, to

(“You are jealous. I understand.“)

(“Fuck you. I’m not.“)

(“You are, and you will watch as punishment.“)

find the place, discover the touch, unearth the spot that would make his partner shudder the way his partner made him.

Hastur was a hard nut to crack.

(“Oh, gods, what’s he doing?“)

(“Worshiping me.“)

And Arthur wasn’t quite sure what he did, how he did it, but somehow, he got Hastur to bloom.

To open, to spread, to expose some unknowable part of himself that Arthur chose to taste in spite of unknowability, and Arthur explored, kept his tongue busy and his hands busier (lucky birth defects, so many dicks to choose from), focusing and concentrating until

(Hastur’s breath quickened)

(So did Parker’s)

He earned a groan.

Hastur’s shudder, all those limbs writhing and twisting like waves, the heat flashing through Hastur’s hide like some kind of liquid fire just beneath that dark surface, and then

(“Oh… gods…” and Parker made a sound like going briefly airborne at the crest of a hill before coming down hard)

Hastur rumbled and the room caught on fire.

Not the room. Hastur’s pleasure, spilled and burning, and Arthur pushed through that small pain to hang on to this wildly difficult victory he’d dragged his partner through.

At some point, it blurred.

At some point

(Parker’s moan, soft, trying to stifle it, somewhere over in the corner)

Hastur took over, but he never said my turn, he never started the filleting, and when he wrenched Arthur’s climax from the roots of his soul, it hurt and fulfilled and emptied and eased and slowly calmed Arthur’s shakes and coaxed him back to breathing without screaming and wrapped him tight in the impossible incredible many-muscled limbs Hastur was lucky enough to be born having.

Arthur could barely move. The burning from Hastur’s pleasure still lingered, there, but not terrible, a pleasant heat, like the sensation after a spicy meal.

“My little detective,” purred Hastur, and closed Arthur’s eyes.

He woke gradually, warm but not burning, empty but not drained, and happy for it.

No thoughts. No memories. No things to shake this feeling, this safe place, this being-wanted, this—

“I don’t wanna,” said Parker, hoarse.

“You must,” said Hastur, amused. “The magic took you; embarrassment will not save you from dehydration.”

Them.

Parker.

Alive.

He remembered.

Faroe. Parker. Asenath. Hastur. Shub-Niggurath. Dag—

Dagon. He had something to do for Dagon. He had… there was…

Arthur’d had a plan, known it was good, and could not recall what It was for the life of him.

“Fine,” Parker said.

“There we go, my little traitor,” said Hastur.

Parker coughed, then spit. “Fuck you!”

Hastur laughed softly.

“I fucking swear. You get off, and you’re more of a dick than you were before!”

“Drink. Your. Juice.”

That one was a command, dark and terrible, and Arthur shivered though it only passed him by like a stampeding Waste Beast.

Parker apparently drank because he fell silent.

Arthur shifted. If he opened his eyes, would he lose his plan? He didn’t have his plan. He needed to get his plan back.

He had to be mad to find his plan.

“There you are, Arthur,” Hastur purred, turning his name into something not safe for kids.

Arthur chose to open his eyes.

It hurt and stabbed and made his eyes water until it didn’t.

Gloomy. It must be late in the afternoon. “Fuck, did I sleep all day?” he said, wiping his face.

“We are fine, little detective,” Hastur purred, touching a cold glass of some indescribable juice to his lips.

Arthur drank thirstily. Whatever Parker’s problem was, Arthur didn’t share it, and this was delicious. He finished the glass. “I had an appointment today. Did it get moved?”

“Yes, of course it did,” soothed Hastur, who seemed to be in a pretty good place and wanted Arthur to stay there, too.

“Oh,” said Arthur, and considered this seriously. “I’m not late?”

“You’re not late.”

“I… I still need…” The plan was there, clear as crystal. How could he have forgotten? “What’s your goon’s favorite food?”

Hastur purred. “Which goon, little detective?”

“Miss June’s. I don’t know her last name. Not trying to be disrespectful.”

“Her last name no longer matters. And her favorite food is fish.”

“Fish. Yeah, that tracks.” The plan was coming together. “Do we have a bunch of fish?”

Hastur chuckled darkly. “We certainly can. Why?”

“I want to pay her to go someplace. Wait, she’s not here listening, right?” said Arthur, raising his head to look around.

Parker stared up at him, looking wrecked. His hair stuck out. He was unshaven. He looked like he’d seen the ghost of his grandfather.

“No, little detective. She is not here,” said Hastur.

“Okay. Here’s what I wanna do. I want to hire her to come with me today, and I know we don’t have the extra budget to pay her properly.”

"Budget is not an issue,” said Hastur. “She will go where I say.”

“Sure, but I won't rob a dame of her time. I want to bring her with me to meet Dagon.”

Hastur went still.

“But... why?” said Parker, voice high, sounding lost.

“Because no father should be without his kid,” said Arthur, low, rough, and then fell into

(rolling twisting screaming sobbing)

something. A headache. Maybe being hungover. Yeah.

Parker was standing (when had he done that?) and staring at Arthur with wide-eyed horror.

Arthur’s cheeks itched, and his breath was unsteady. The light was different, as if time had passed. It felt like he’d been crying, and tears had dried on his skin. That made no sense. He tried to scratch.

“No, no,” Hastur gently chided, and cleaned his face.

Arthur immediately forgot about it. “So that’s what I’d like to do. I mean, we have that appointment. Might as well bring her along in an official capacity so… you know. She won’t just take off.”

“Wait, we're back to that? I’m not getting this,” said Parker, and scratched irritably at his five o’clock shadow. “Is this about the vote?”

“No,” said Arthur. “Dagon couldn’t be bribed, anyway. I mean, he’s not a good person, or anything, but he’s like a lot of these mob bosses: they have a set of standards, their own right and wrong. If I tried to bribe him, it’d backfire.”

Parker stared. “But what are you trying to do?”

“You have been answered,” said Hastur. “And… perhaps he is right. I have… kept her from him, though it was my right. It has also been my right to return her.” He seemed thoughtful. “And he did treat my pet very well.”

“What the fuck are you saying?” said Parker.

Instead of answering, Hastur changed the subject by picking Arthur up and dressing him. “Sing for me, Arthur.”

Immediately, Arthur sang, lilting into a folk-song that grew more haunting as he went. “‘Oh, where are you going?’ said Milder to Moulder / ‘Oh, we may not tell you,’ said Festel to Fose / ‘We're off to the woods,’ said John the Red Nose / ‘We're off to the woods,’ said John the Red Nose.”

Hastur chuckled darkly. “Of all things for him to choose…”

“What?” said Parker. “It’s just an old bar song.”

“Is it, though?” rumbled Hastur.

Arthur loved this song. It suited his voice, and he could make it achingly sweet, hinting with just tone at how dark it could be. “‘Oh how will you cut her up?’ said Milder to Moulder / ‘With knives and with forks,’ said John the Red Nose / ‘Oh that will not do,’ said Milder to Moulder / ‘Great hatchets and cleavers,’ said John the Red Nose.”

“It is a song of sacrifice and justice,” Hastur said. “It speaks of hunting a giant wren—a mythical bird so large it required a wagon to manage it—which would then be cut up and given to the poor. Humans sang this when deposing kings and portioning out their wealth! We chose to let them keep this one when we rebuilt the world.”

Parker shuddered. “Why?”

“Because originally, it was a sacrifice to us,” said Hastur.

Arthur was into it now. “‘Oh who'll get the spare ribs?’ said Milder to Moulder / ‘We'll give 'em all to the poor,’ said John the Red Nose.”

“Beautiful,” said Hastur, who meant it, and cupped Arthur’s face with one tentacle.

Arthur had forgotten the plan. The appointment. Everything except that touch and approval. He stared at Hastur, enraptured. In love.

(Which wasn’t quite what Hastur had wanted but who could complain?)

“Dagon’s waiting,” said Parker sneakily.

“Yeah,” said Arthur, mind jolting miraculously onto its tracks like a train dropped from the sky. “We should go.”

“Very well,” said Hastur.

Parker wasn’t done. “I’ve been looking at that letter from the Keeper,” he said.

“Mm,” said Hastur, who was smoothing down Arthur’s suit (sheer yellow cloth) and making pleased sounds.

“Matches other shit I’ve been hearing, you know?” said Parker. “When I was with Y’golonac.”

Hastur paused and looked at him. “Explain.”

“There isn’t another human here, apart from the witches and me,” said Parker, “and unlike all the rest of us… Arthur hasn’t died. He’s hasn’t been really claimed. He’s fair game.”

Hastur was very still. Arthur sat in the tangle of his tentacles, fiddling with the tiny tips wrapping around his fingers.

Parker shrugged. “My god—”

“I am your god now,” Hastur growled, warning, several of his limbs lashing.

“My god said once you got bored, he’d take him. Was gonna use him to torment me.” Parker shrugged again.

“You are trying to get me to hurt you,” said Hastur like far-away thunder. “No.” He put Arthur down.

Arthur headed for the door. “Let’s move, fellows.”

“I’m saying there’s a fucking pattern,” said Parker. “Shub-Niggurath talked to him. The Keeper threatened to take him. And I am not telling you this for your fucking sake, which you damn well know—”

“Should’ve castrated you,” Hastur muttered as if still considering it.

“—but for his,” said Parker. “Because I hate you. But he… he’d be worse off. With anybody else around here, it’d be worse for him. And I owe him that much.”

“You owe him? After he took your life?” said Hastur mildly.

“I was going to take his,” said Parker to the floor.

“How delightfully honest,” said Hastur like it tasted bad as they all stepped into the daylight.

Arthur took the lead, jogging, then stopped and turned. “Fish! I need fish. In some kind of container with ice, so it doesn’t go bad. That’d be a fucked-up bribe, right? Rotten fish?”

Hastur, sounding amused, produced a beautiful wooden box out of thin air. It was carved, top and bottom, with runes that changed with every blink. “What lies within will not go bad.”

“Perfect. Hastur, you’re a genius.” Arthur took it. “Where’s June?”

“Hastur,” said Parker.

“Play along,” warned Hastur.

Parker sighed. “Hastur. He’s not gonna be solving any fucking cases in a freaky old library, is he? How’s he gonna be if he can’t solve cases, huh? How do you think? What’ll he have left to think about? I’ll tell you what, he’ll think about Fa—”

Hastur gripped him by the jaw. “You want to be punished,” he said. “I know this. You seem to think the only two options are permitting you to be offensive, or smacking you around. There are many other options, and I warn you now that you do not want to know what they are.”

Parker trembled.

“You two okay?” said Arthur, suddenly and inconveniently aware.

“I think we understand each other,” said Hastur, and let go.

Parker looked pale again. “Fuck,” he said quietly.

“Parker?” said Arthur. “Are you feeling all right?”

“Oh, look,” said Hastur flatly. “Here she comes.”

June no-last-name-anymore came jogging around the corner, eyes only for Hastur, clearly already on the job.

Hasur held up one hand, palm facing her.

She stopped.

Arthur cleared his throat. He thrust the box into Parker’s hands and adjusted his (non-existent) tie.

“Are we really doing this?” said Parker.

“Shh,” said Hastur.

“Miss? Could I have a moment?” said Arthur.

June tore her gaze from Hastur reluctantly.

“I’d like to hire you,” said Arthur, cutting right to the point. “Just an escort deal. A few hours. You don’t have to bodyguard, or anything.”

June looked back at Hastur.

Arthur took the box back and held it out. “It’s fish. Enough for at least a few good meals. You do the escort job, it’s yours.”

“I serve the King,” she said, her voice husky (hot, Arthur thought).

“Hastur, help me out here,” said Arthur.

“Do as my pet wishes,” said Hastur. “It seems we will be entering more elaborate schemes, now that we have a bigger cast. Delightful.”

“Who are you even talking to?” Parker said.

Hastur chuckled low. “Little traitor, we always have an audience.”

Parker looked around.

Perhaps The Defiler, in spite of sycophants, did not garner much focused attention outside of immediate need, but Hastur…

With the Hastur the Unspeakable, it was always a show (and Parker knew that), but the addition of his absolutely loony, lovely human guaranteed a special kind of entertainment (and Parker had not known that).

The ones Arthur tackled complained. The rest got a good laugh out of it, and from all windows, from entrances to the deep, from between the cracks in tree bark, from around shady corners, thousands of eyes watched.

Parker hunched, shoulders slowly rising toward his ears.

“Lead,” said June. “I’ll follow.” She flexed her hands, long and tipped with claws (and Arthur saw strong hands, scarred hands, hands that maybe got their knuckles often split).

“Let’s do this,” said Arthur.

“Yes… with a detour,” said Hastur. We shall swing by the warehouse.”

“Sure,” said Arthur, and took off (again) at a jog.

Parker groaned and followed.

No father should be without his kid.

This was not a good idea.

No father should be without his kid.

This was the most important idea.

Arthur’s awareness already trembled before they reached Dagon’s enclosure, and people were speaking but it all just became smeared vowels, and the day was hot but he wouldn’t remove jacket or hat, and the sweating maybe was due to what he now did instead of the hot, hot, day, and he knew Hastur asked if he wanted to stop but he knew he could not stop or he wouldn’t be able to remember this plan again because it hurt too much.

It mattered. At least one father here should get his child back.

He was hitching, crying, when he ran through the hedge into Dagon’s enclosure, followed by Hastur this time (whose side trip to Nath-Horthath’s temple had taken so little time), and Arthur was pretty sure he called Dagon’s name.

Reasonably sure.

He might have said She’s here she’s alive please look at her she’s alive but maybe he just thought that instead.

And there was roaring (too much) and trembling ground (too much) and the box was lost and Arthur was lost and the world turned upside down and lightning words clashed in a growl-language battle above his head.

Arthur fell to his knees, covered his ears, and screamed.

He didn't know he'd gone unconscious until he woke.

Shade. Cool water, dripped onto his head from a handkerchief (a bit of yellow cloth, torn from somebody’s garment). Arthur came to, feeling like he was waking from a dead faint, barely able to keep his eyes open, dizzy.

Parker sat by him, dabbing his forehead.

The storm of sounds was gone. Had it even existed? It seemed like a bad dream. Birds chirped. The gentle sound of lapping waves caught his attention (because water was bad, the Lake was bad, the ocean was bad), but when Arthur turned his head and squinted, he saw clear, shining water, not at all the scum-skin pond that had been before, and he had absolutely no idea where he was.

“He fixed it up,” said Parker, who’d been on enough crime scenes with Arthur to read his expressions pretty well. “Since you been here. He cleaned it all up. Guess that timing was good.”

“What?” said Arthur. He felt like an overcooked noodle. “Where’s Hastur?”

“Knocking at a damn door that won’t open,” said Parker firmly.

“What?” said Arthur. He felt like fruit so rotten that picking it up meant being knuckle-deep in mush.

Parker sighed. “Why in fuck should I even tell you? You won’t remember.”

Arthur huffed. “Try me, you asshole.”

Parker side-eyed him. “Fine. Turns out your girl June was indeed one of Dagon’s—his line, anyway, though not directly his. But after… fuck.” Parker looked away for a moment. “I didn’t know how bad it got, okay? I didn’t know. I thought… I thought getting rid of the gods would be good. I didn’t know that it would’ve been curtains for all of us.”

Arthur stared at him. “Having trouble following you, pal.”

Parker rubbed his face and sighed. “After the Fire of Y, and Earth got locked up by Shub-Niggurath, and so fucking few humans remained, they harvested everybody they could here, and when all the pure-bred humans were gone, they went after half-bloods. That includes Dagon’s family, since he made most of them. Look, there just… weren’t any humans left. Okay? Shub-Niggurath had her witches, and the rest of the gods hadn’t… I don’t know. Planned ahead.”

“How could anyone plan ahead for something like this?” said Arthur gently. “The Fire of Y killed billions.”

“More than billions.. Because it took out lives here, too,” said Parker.

Here. As opposed to there. Here, which was not Cloud City.

Arthur almost lost the thought, then closed his eyes tightly, putting his hands over them and breathing deeply. Not now, he thought. Don’t lose it now. Stick with it. Keep it together.

“You okay?” said Parker.

“How could the Fire of Y destroy people in another world? Do you mean the gods fucking eating everybody?” said Arthur, each word carefully chewed on and chosen.

“No. This is the Dreamlands, Arthur.” Parker sounded hollow. “It exists because people dream. Everything in it comes from dreams. So when everybody’s dreams turned to burning radioactive nightmares, followed by mass extinction…” He sighed. “The Dreamlands are fucked. Fucked, Arthur. There aren’t enough humans left to dream it into better shape. Not even the gods are safe out there.”

Arthur’s breath was quick, shallow; it was so hard to hold on, felt like standing on a ledge, maybe high on the outside wall of a building, barely pressing against the brick by core strength alone. “Dagon threatened to throw me out there, though. Like a joke.”

“It was a threat. Because even if you did survive, Hastur could never have found you. It’s hell out there. Why in fuck do you think they’re all here?”

“They’re… what’s here?” said Arthur, sure the world was trying to spin to the right, then resetting, then spinning to the right again, over and over, vertiginous.

“All the damned gods,” said Parker. “Your fucking King in Yellow gets away with so much because this is his home. He read the writing on the wall. While everybody else was freaking out and trying to get humans, he reinforced his city. He made it big, with places for everyone, with enough power and enough protections that when the gods needed a place to go, they had one. But he’s fucking in charge.”

That’s why I can do what I want and nobody can tell him no. “But he’s not. The Outer Gods…”

“Don’t get involved much. The one who gave the formula for the Fire of Y? Banished. The Keeper? In her weird hidey-hole. Shub-Niggurath? In her Wood. They fucked off, Arthur, abandoning everybody under them just like those gods abandoned us.”

“But they didn’t,” said Arthur, his voice weak. “They saved us.”

“Saved.” Old bitterness seeped through, virulent and acrid. “Saved us for what? For them! The few who are left, trapped in those fucking cities, dying off slowly.”

“No,” said Arthur. “No. My family was from Harper’s Hill. It was a little tiny village. We traveled to Cloud City. We weren’t born there.”

“I know that, fucker,” said Parker. “That isn’t my point.”

“Then what is your point, Parker?” And Arthur threw his last chip on the table. He sat up and met Parker’s eyes, knowing as he did that he wouldn't have long in clarity. “We fucked it up. We destroyed the world. They didn’t have to save us.”

“We didn’t come up with the Fire of Y!”

“Yes, we fucking did. Just because somebody said ‘here’s how you make it worse’ doesn’t absolve us! It makes us the bad guys, because they knew it would be worse, knew it would cost lives—not just soldiers, but children, grandmothers, cats and birds and puppies—and they did it anyway!”

Shouting, for whatever reason, had kept Arthur focused through that, and for a few moments more.

Parker stared.

The world smeared. Cloud City’s Priest Park spilled over it Carcosa’s wild glory like paint, and Arthur could actually see it, actually look around without it hurting so much, and so he did.

Dagon sat cross-legged by the water (and she barely came to his knee). Before him stood June. Neither made eye-contact; they spoke quietly, words Arthur could not hear, but seeing them like that, seeing them talk, was all it took to undo him.

“Hey,” said Parker, thumbing away some of Arthur's tears. “Hey, it’s okay. It’s good. I… are you still there? Fuck. I was trying to explain…”

“You don’t have to. Family… family’s important,” said Arthur.

“But I do. Listen. Something’s going on with your god, okay?”

Dagon raised his enormous hand, bigger than June’s whole body (about the size of a loaf of bread in Arthur’s mind) and somehow, gently, lightly brushed her cheek with his knuckles.

Parker sighed. “Your god is possessive. He traded for June fair and square like… I don’t know. Centuries ago. Before the Fire of Y. Dagon agreed back then because who the fuck cared? He had thousands of offspring. But she’s the only one now.”

“I know she’s all he’s got left,” said Arthur, hearing estranged family, mother dead, siblings killed in war. “She ran away because she wanted something more than her father could offer with his crime shit, but she ended up with a mob boss, anyway.”

“Uh.” Parker took a moment to adjust. “Sure. But. But the thing is… Hastur gave her back. I don’t think you’re getting this. He gave her back. He doesn’t do that.”

“I told you before, Parker,” said Arthur. “He’s not who he was. He left that life to work with me to help people, instead of hurting them.”

Parker stared. “You can’t be right,” he whispered. “Gods don’t change.”

The world still tried to spin. Arthur lay down in the soft, clean grass. “Where’s Hastur now?”

“Trying to visit the Keeper.”

Arthur blinked at him. “Why?”

“To bribe her.”

Arthur frowned. “Why?”

“Fuck if I know. I think so she leaves you alone.”

Arthur wrinkled his nose. “Why?”

“What are you, two?” said Parker.

Arthur stuck his tongue out.

Parker laughed weakly; it came out wheezy, creaky, as if he hadn’t done it in a long time. “Yeah, go on, you whacko.”

“I’m… I’m tired,” said Arthur.

“Thought you might be. Just fucking rest. I’ll keep watch.” Parker stared over at Dagon and June. “Fuck, he’s being weird, too. But you only talked to him for like thirty minutes!”

Arthur snored.

Parker stared. He swallowed. He looked down at his hands. At the fingernails that had been ruined by fungal infection barely a month ago, and now were shiny and strong.

Breeze carried the scent of blooming flowers over them both. A fish leaped from the water to catch a bug and splashed back down, joyous.

Parker shook. “If I were a crazy man,” he said to nobody, and only said because there was no one near, “I’d almost think my god wanted you so bad because of whatever this is. Fuck. You got to me, too.” He looked at Arthur in the grass, staining his golden sheath, unselfconsciously splayed in sleep like a child. “What the fuck are you?” Parker whispered.

There was no reply.

-------

Notes:

The song Arthur sings is called Cutty Wren. This version is sung by Chumbawamba (yes, Tubthumping Chumbawamba) because the world we live in can be an amazing place.

#malevolent #malevolent fic #malevolent au #malevolent fanfic #hastur/arthur #kiy/arthur #arthur lester #kiy malevolent #tw:explicit

10 notes · View notes

stesierra · 8 months

Text

Sorry to disappear, guys. Things have been crazy over here. But I am surviving! My brain is just mush. So here's a tag game to get me back to thinking about my WIPs.

@fishythewriter tagged me!

My words are: Bone, Soul, Knife, and Blood. I'm drawing from Court Phoenix. I'm tagging @macabremoons and anyone else interested with the words moon, frail and death.

Bone

Chujulan’s hands settled on my shoulders. “Kerra? What’s wrong?”

“I saw a ghost,” I croaked. Our shaman had warned us often of these daylight demons. They had no power to possess or hurt at night, but by day they were a constant threat. When she was alive, she’d prevented such dangerous spirits from entering our lands. Now that she was dead, my village lay vulnerable. And I had no protections from them at all.

The princess’s grip turned painful, her nails digging through my shirt. “Impossible. Ghosts aren’t real.”

“The city doesn’t believe in ghosts?” How stupid were they?

She snorted. “The others are obsessed with them. But I refuse to hide myself from the sun or cower behind the city’s wards because of them.”

Was that why the city-folk always visited our village at night? Because they were afraid of encountering ghosts?

“And if ghosts exist, why did I see nothing?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But the sun had half-blinded me, and in those blind spots, it appeared.”

"You saw a ghost in after-images of the sun?"

Her doubt irked me. “The dead don't have bodies. If they want to make themselves known, they have to make do with whatever nature provides, unless they possess a human or animal. That's what our shaman said.”

Her hands released my shoulders. “Maybe. I don't know much about loose spirits.”

“Why not?”

“The city is warded. Nothing without a body can exist there. Nothing possessed can walk through.”

I nodded. It wasn't dissimilar to what our shamans did. At home those wards were caught up in little bundles of bird bones or in blessings written in the corners of our paper windows. “But don't you all tell stories about them? About wandering spirits and lost souls?”

“The only tales we tell of ghosts are warnings. The only wanderers we care about are those who wander for a reason.”

“A reason?”

“Revenge.”

Soul

I went to bed, but it didn’t help. Whenever I was awake, my head and muscles tormented me, as though both were about to crumble to pieces like rotted wood, and my heart fluttered in my chest, too weak and too fast. When I dreamed, it was of my village on the other side of a great chasm, grayed to a ghost by smoke. I moved away from it, as if I stood on the walking city’s edge as it roamed across the steppe. I couldn’t jump off or run to it. I could only watch it vanish in the distance. And I woke with tears in my eyes and a horrible emptiness in my soul. My father’s words echoed in my mind: “If you move to Skyfire, the city will sink its barbs into your soul. Your anchor will be torn from the earth. And you’ll fade to nothing and die.”

I tried to tell myself this was just some disease common to the city folk. But as I burrowed under my blankets, I knew it wasn’t. I didn’t get sick, not like my non-magical siblings, and I’d never felt so empty. Maybe my father was right; maybe I was dying, and by now I was so far from my village I would never find my way back. And I didn’t want to go back. I wanted to live here with Hes, wanted to rise to become someone important the way a blacksmith never would.

Knife

Chujulan frowned. “Go to bed,” she advised. “You look like shit.”

“What do you care?” I muttered, too sick to care about manners.

She cocked her head at me. “You remind me of someone.”

Something about her tone made me look up. I couldn’t read the expression on her face. “Who?”

She didn’t answer for a minute. Then she said softly, “Her name was Cherin. In our ancient tongue, it means 'long-life' and is given to bring good fortune.” Her lips twisted in a not-smile.

“I take it she got neither.”

“No,” Chujulan said. “She died on the surgeon's table. She was only fifteen. And just starting her menses, although it was late.”

“Was she another landbound?” I asked, still bewildered by her interest.

“She was my only full-blooded sibling.”

“Oh. I'm sorry.” What else was there to say? “Why did she have to go under the knife?”

Chujulan's brows lifted. “She had her menses.”

I tried, “And that made her... sick?”

Her humorless laugh jabbed like a needle. “You’re so ignorant, Kerra. You’ll never survive in this city if you don’t learn.”

My face flushed hot. “Then tell me what you mean. How else am I supposed to learn anything?”

Her smile bent in all the wrong ways. “Listen to the gossip. You’ll find it anywhere. The day-wakers love to talk about us. Almost as much as the lordly.”

“You mean about the rials?”

“Who else? To speak lightly of sagan or regalie is to court ruin. But what are his bastards but dogs on a leash?”

“I am pretty sure you could have most of them killed.”

“Not lightly, not citizens, not unless I wanted to justify it to my father's judge and risk my high position at his side. So they watch and talk. And if a rial, upon reaching puberty, is plied with drugs and liquor and carried away, they place bets on whether she will ever return.”

I was fascinated despite my headache. “You came back.”

“Yes, because I didn't die.”

“Where did they take you?”

She shrugged, a hand running across iron chair beneath her. “To the surgeons, as I said. It's a safe procedure for boys — the city has made eunuchs for as long as it's castrated deer bulls. But we women they must cut open and gut like a rabbit, pulling out the bits they don't like. When Cherin,” she said and paused. “When my sister went under the knife, she died before they even stitched her back up.”

It was a nightmare story, and one I simply could not comprehend. I whispered, “Which bits did they take?”

“The womb. The tissues associated with it. Everything needed to bear a child.”

"Why?" I blurted.

“As long as we are sterile, we cannot seek to claim the herd throne. No one would back a contender without hope of heirs.”

“They think you'll try to rule otherwise?”

“The sagans have always feared a coup, sometimes even rightly. So they have seen that no rial will ever spark a civil war, nor serve as a lordly's figurehead.”

Blood

“The Ferd-Marshal sent you a note,” the girl said as I inspected the garment. She held out a sheet of paper.

What in the world was a Ferd-Marshal? I put the outfit down on the pile and said, “I can’t read.”

She stared at me, as though I’d declared that I could fly. I refused to be embarrassed. I was a villager, not a city-woman, and we didn’t write things down.

She said finally, “I’ll read it to you.” The girl smoothed her fingers over the paper.

“Kerra,

This should be delivered with your new outfits. They’re fireproof, so Heslibra shouldn’t be able to turn you into a torch any longer. Wear them every day and forget your old clothes. This is your costume now. Clothes and makeup are a language you’ll need to learn to read. Lying about your status by wearing the wrong outfit or eyeliner is a capital crime. So stick with what I’ve sent you.

If the Breaker of Legends summons you — and he will — tell him the sagan says you answer to Batoktoa directly and not to him. He’s insufferable.”

Chujulan had written this. She must have. So she was the Ferd-Marshal, whatever that meant.

The girl folded up the note and dropped it on my table, as if I had any use for it. As she turned to leave, I blurted, “Can you arrange for a new mattress and blankets to be brought here? I don’t know who else to ask.”

She frowned at me. “What’s wrong with the ones you already have?”

I choked on words for a moment. “They’re covered with blood! Someone died in that bed, and I’m not sleeping on it!”

“Oh,” she said, looking at the door to the bedroom with wide eyes. “I thought they cleaned that up.”

“Well, they didn’t, whoever they are. Can you arrange for a bed or not?”

The girl pursed her lips. “I suppose. Something will arrive before morning.”

Before morning, because the city-folk stayed awake all night and slept all day. This place was clearly mad.

Tag list for everything

@anonymousfoz

@moremysteriesthantragedies

@elizababie

@sm-writes-chaos

@bellascarousel

@palebdot

@macabremoons

@the-dragon-chronicler

@teacupsandstarlight

@vorskra

@wrenofthewords

@amostdelectablescribbler

@savvy-minnow

@mysticstarlightduck

@phantommill

@gracewritesbooks

@aziz-reads

@owlsandwich

@symbioticsimplicity

@squarebracket-trick

@fishythewriter

@koala2all

@rmgrey-author

Just chapters and snippets

@da-na-hae

#tag games #Court Phoenix

20 notes · View notes

ajerzaaddict · 6 months

Text

Jerza Week 2023 - Peace / War

The day began perfectly for Jellal. He woke up five minutes before his alarm clock rang. Morning sunlight infiltrated his room through the curtain, which signified it was a sunny day. After going through his morning routine in the bathroom and having a light breakfast, he dressed in the clothes he already picked last night before sleeping and left his home.

It was a little bit cool outside and the air was crispy in the autumn season, but the weather was generally pleasant. He got into the car parked outside his house, which he rented yesterday, and drove to Erza's place. The road was quiet during the holiday and he arrived at Erza's place ten minutes earlier than their meeting time.

When Erza came out from her house and saw Jellal, she beamed and greeted him good morning. The warmth of her smile and the sweetness of her voice melted Jellal’s heart instantly.

Jellal had everything planned for his first date with Erza. They watched a comedy movie which made them laugh from the bottom of their hearts. The restaurant at which he had reserved a table for lunch not only offered a fantastic view of a beautiful beach, but also one of the most popular parfaits in town. The satisfied look on Erza’s face when she enjoyed the dessert was so adorable that it made his heart flutter. Having filled their stomachs with delicious food, he took Erza to the nearby nature park to spend the afternoon sightseeing. They were amazed by the wonders of nature, and happy to have each other’s company to share the experience.

Things went so smoothly, too smoothly, that Jellal almost questioned if it was only a dream. From his extensive experience, Jellal Fernades was a man who was closely linked to misfortune that it was a regularity to have obstacles appear unexpectedly which interrupted whatever he had planned. He thought that it might be that Erza, who always had a positive vibe in her, had made a positive influence on him too.

It didn’t take long for Jellal to realize that his thought was a bit too naive and he should never draw the conclusion before the day was over, when the car broke down on their way to dinner. He tried to fix the car but he was not familiar with the machine at all, and could finally accept that he needed to call the rental car shop for help.

“Sorry, Erza.” Jellal apologized in a dejected tone. “They said it will take them at least two hours to come. And we have to cancel our dinner booking.”

“No worry.” Erza only smiled reassuringly at Jellal. “Let’s take a rest while waiting for the rescue to come.”

She took Jellal’s hand, making him follow her to a tree at the roadside. She took off her shoes and sat down under the tree, and asked Jellal to do the same. Jellal obliged without question, sitting down beside her.

Jellal crossed his arms and looked up at the sky. Seeing the familiar stars twinkling in the clear night helped to lessen some bitterness he felt over the candle light dinner which had been canceled, but if not, would have been the perfect ending for their first date.

Being deep in his own thoughts, Jellal was slightly startled when hearing Erza sneezed. He immediately took off his coat and placed it over Erza’s shoulders.

“Thanks.” Erza leaned against Jellal; their shoulders touching. “Not only for the coat, but for everything today, Jellal.”

Jellal uncrossed his arms and scratched his head. “You are welcomed. But I’m truly sorry for the broken car and for making you wait for rescue in the wild and endure the chills and starve for the night.”

“You remember saying that you will no longer beat yourself up over every failure you made, Jellal?”

“I did.” Jellal nodded slightly.

“Good. And I don’t think the broken car can even be counted as your fault. It may be a little bit cold to stay outside at night and it’s a pity that we have to cancel the dinner, but these are all no big deal. So there’s really no need for you to apologize for the circumstances we are in now, which is beyond your control.”

Jellal fell into a moment of silence as he digested what Erza said.

“Alright.” He breathed a sigh as he felt his mood improving after he took in Erza’s advice.

“I really enjoyed everything we did today.” Erza continued, speaking softly. “Even though we do nothing like now, simply quietly staying together under the night sky, I can still enjoy the moment.” Erza turned her head to look at Jellal with a timid smile. “Because you are with me. It is what matters to me.”

Jellal held Erza’s gaze for a long moment before he turned his head away; his face blushing a little.

“Thank you, Erza. Your words mean a lot to me. You mean a lot to me.”

Jellal could feel that whatever negative emotions he had felt before, all disappeared in the air now. He recalled every single moment he spent with Erza for the day, and all her sweet smiles and hearty laughters. He finally accepted that their first date was still a perfect one even though they ended up spending the night in the wild without food. They were together, sharing good things and facing difficulties together, which was what matters.

He wrapped his arm around Erza’s shoulders, pulling her closer, as he found peace at heart.

#jerza #jerza week #erza scarlet #jellal fernandes #oneshot #my writing

14 notes · View notes

snowfoxsakura · 3 months

Text

Genshin-sona/self instert thingy wooooo

(I inserted the plushie i have irl too bc why not)

her name is still Sakura despite beng from sumeru but i'll explain that in a sec))

long and kinda sad/trauma filled/edgy backstory bc im incapable of making happy backstories for my self inserts))

She is the child of 2 adventurers from sumeru. as a toddler she always joined her parents' adventures. one day as they were going to inazuma through a ship they came across a big storm. that storm wrecked the ship and seperated her from her parents. no matter how much she tried to go near her parents and save them she couldnt do anything as a little girl. as what remained of the wrecked ship was sinking she hit her head, seeing a light blue light before falling unconscious.

she was later found by a wlw youkai couple on an inazuman shore unconscious, holding her plushie and a cryo vision, protected by a cryo shield. a shield that broke only when she woke up. Due to the head injuries and the trauma she suffered, she had forgotten alot of stuff including her own name and the faces of her parents. the 2 youkai decided to adopt her as they have always wanted a child and gave her the name sakura because of her pink eyes and flower shaped pupils. the 3 later moved to sumeru in order to be safe from the vision hunt decree.

Growing up she was surprisingly energetic and happy. she had a big imagination that made playing house with other kids so much fun and she gained a reputation for coming up with the wildest scenarios and stories.

She was never interested in being an academia researcher. her interest was more in visual arts and crafts. drawing, painting, crocheting etc. but her biggest passion was sharing her stories so she started practicing acting, later getting in zubeyr theater. quickly befriending alot of people there including Nilou.

due to her childlike nature people are very 50/50 about her. some find it cute, some dislike it. but her childish nature and big imagination caused her to be the only grown up who can dream and see the aranara in sumeru ((yeah even the akasha couldn't completely make her unable to dream, it limited her creativity alot tho))

in her dreams she would play with the aranara and lesser lord kusanali, who she knew as nahida and thought she is just a regular kid until the samsara incident.

outside of theater work she likes to take walks around the forest and draw anything she thinks is pretty. she always carries her pencils, brushes and paints in the bag she made herself.

in the archon quest she helped the traveler figure out they are in a repeating dream with nahida, who she found out is lesser lord kusanali way before the traveler.

if she was in the game she would probably appear in the nahida archon quest and any quest relating the aranara

for her world quest,i think it would be about her finding out about her birth parents and real name through the irminsul and her dreams with nahidas help. that would make for some emotional cutscenes xp

Playstyle: she is a cryo catalyst support and shielder. her skill makes a shield and creates energy particles when enemy hits the shield. her burst freezes enemies without needing hydro kinda like Zhongli's burst, also applies cryo to enemies and buffs elemental reaction dmg

i feel like she'd be a 5 star but idk y'all can decide

and before you ask,

Yes our oc's can be friends :3 and you can draw them together

(only as friends tho, or maybe mentor/ student too, idk just dont make it romantic, she already has a bf lolol

i might post him soon too)

#art #digital art #artist #artwork #artists on tumblr #my art #digital drawing #digitalart #oc artwork #self insert #genshin oc #genshin impact oc #genshin impact self insert #self insert oc #oc lore #genshin impact

10 notes · View notes

in-need-of-gally-content · 5 months

Text

|Chapter•Twenty•Six|

•|Masterlist|•

Although (M/n) was enjoying spending his time with Gally again for the past few days, he hadn't been able to shake off the memory of him saying something about falling in love before cutting himself off. He didn't want to pressure Gally into telling him who it was, it would only make him look like a hypocrite. So he didn't.

He had been working on his communication skills with Gally, not keeping everything to himself as he usually did, trying to comprehend that if Gally -or any of his friends- tell him they want to listen to what he has to say they mean it.

"I wanna know what you wanna tell me, even if you think it's dumb or a waste of my time," Gally said to him after he kept doubting the intentions of others, "I wouldn't have asked in the first place if I didn't care, alright? I'm not trying to act nice and as if I care, because then I will be wasting my time, I truly do care, bean."

Somehow, the thought- knowing someone cares about him in any way is still a foreign concept to (M/n), so he was also working on that with Gally. He was just basically restarting his brain at this point with all the parts of himself he had to fix.

And now, on their fourth day working on all sorts of issues he has, they were sitting atop the Watchtower, drinking some of Gally's non-alcoholic drink and snacking on some leftover fries Fry had in the fridge. The silence that surrounded them was nice, and the breeze was chill, the sun had been covered by the grey clouds heading their way and slowly made the natural light fade. It looked like it might rain soon.

(M/n) wouldn't have minded just sitting there in silence, but the Maze was right in front of him, and he couldn't help but ask.

"What happened..." He said slowly, noticing Gally turning to look at him, taking a sip of his drink, "When you went into the Maze? Why did you go?" He finished in a whisper, looking up and making eye contact with Gally.

He saw the blond getting serious and looking away, staying quiet for a while. Gally was debating whether he should say it or not, it wasn't necessarily a happy memory, and it seemed like everything that had a dark or sad story to him was made into a permanent reminder of that time.

But the moment he turned back to look at (M/n), he saw worry in his eyes, genuine concern, and he sighed, deciding he would tell him.

He shifted on his spot and got a bit more comfortable, "I haven't said this to anyone at all, not even to Alby, and..." He hesitated for a few moments, fiddling with the jar in his hand, "It's mostly 'cause I didn't think it would make a difference, whether I said this or not," Gally took a deep breath, and (M/n) silently waited until he felt ready to talk.

Gally appreciated that. He really did.

"I was... Tired. Of the way I was treated. Everything," he briefly looked at (M/n) before focusing back ahead, "So I tried to run away, I didn't even know what my plan was if I'm honest," Gally took a sip of his drink and reached for a fry, "After running into a Griever there's not much I remember, but apparently, I had found my way back and I collapsed when I got to the Glade."

(M/n) turned to look at the Maze Doors, looking as ominous as ever. He watched the Doors for a short while, and that same dream flashed in his mind, seeing Gally in the Maze wasn't just a dream... It was real.

But that didn't help him much, did it? It just brought more questions to his mind.

"And while I was unconscious, I kept having these... Dreams, or I thought they were, because I knew they weren't made up by my fevered and delusional mind," when Gally kept talking, (M/n) looked at him again, paying attention to his words, "I had no idea what they meant, so when I woke up I started drawing them so I wouldn't forget. It was... Weird too because..." He hesitated for a few seconds, unsure of how to continue, "There was someone I could never see clearly, just their silhouette, and whenever I woke up I felt... Empty, as if I was missing a part of me."

There was another silence, and (M/n) couldn't help but wonder if they were seeing the same "person" in their dreams. He had experienced something similar a few times, he could never see who that person was no matter how close they were, all (M/n) could recall was their sense of familiarity.

He wondered, if by any chance... Was that Gally? Or was it someone completely different?

"Alby told me that..." He went back to listening to Gally, he could figure out things some other time, "Someone had sent stuff up to help me survive, along with a note. I... I wish I could say thank you to that person, honestly."

And now, with a deep sigh, Gally was officially done talking.

He wasn't expecting anything from (M/n), maybe a comment to ease the air and go back to cheerful and playful, but he felt (M/n)'s hand wrapping around his, making him turn to look at him.

"I'm glad you're alive, Gally."

This was the first and only time anyone had told him that, he had been thinking everyone was just being nice to him because they had to, not because they were sorry or worried about what had happened to him. They were forced to stop bullying him, so Gally never felt as if he was welcomed in the Glade after that. New greenies had helped to ease the tension, but he always felt left out.

No one was happy he survived that day. But now, (M/n) completely changed how he felt about being alive. He felt thankful to have made it out of that, otherwise, he would've never met someone as great as (M/n).

The thought almost overwhelmed him to tears, just realizing how much he needed someone to care.

They gazed into each other's eyes, unsaid want and longing swirling in them.

Slowly, both of them began to lean in closer, their breathing mixing, lips mere inches away, hearts racing and heated faces, about to finally kiss...

When thunder startled them, making them pull back instantly, and less than a second later, they were drenched under the heavy rain. They should've expected it, the sky had been turning grey, but did it really have to start pouring right that second?

"Well, shuck..." (M/n) chuckled at Gally and they got up, "We should get inside," Gally decided to leave the empty bowl of fries and jars up top, they could pick them up after the rain ceased anyway, and then carefully headed down.

Laughs and squeals were heard as they made their way down the ladders, yelling 'be careful!' to each other between chuckles, until they finally made their way to the ground. They had to get to the nearest place that could provide shelter, and that could either be the Homestead or (M/n)'s treehouse, so they started walking, well, more like jogging under the heavy rain.

However, they were already drenched, what would a little bit more water do?

With that train of thought, (M/n) reached for Gally's hand and made him spin around, catching the blond in his arms. Gally looked down at him and smirked, "What are you doing?"

(M/n) tried to hold in his chuckle as he held Gally's hand, and did an elegant and slightly dramatic bow, "Can I have a dance with the prettiest boy?" There he goes, he said it.

Gally tried to ignore the heat creeping up his face, and decided he could turn the tables around on (M/n).

"I don't think you need to ask yourself for a dance, bean," he was caught off guard by that and he walked closer to hide his face on Gally's chest, unbothered by how soaked his clothes were.

"You're an idiot, did you know?" Gally chuckled and nodded, lifting his free hand to ruffle (M/n)'s hair, splashing water around.

"Well, you're best friends with an idiot, so that makes you a double idiot," (M/n) looked up at Gally with a frown on his brow, but a smile was pulling his lips up, and as a revenge, he decided to tickle him.

Immediately, Gally turned around and ran away with a squeal, "Unfair!"

"Apologize, Gally!" (M/n) yelled while running after him.

"Never!"

While those two continued chasing each other around like idiots, they were unaware of the audience they had, watching them playing in the rain and getting covered in mud, laughing alongside (M/n) and Gally, and enjoying the time they had.

Even Minho and Dan, who had to go back to the Glade as soon as it began raining, saw them rolling on the ground and cackling. The sight made them smile as they continued their way inside to change their soaked clothes.

//////

Despite all the fun they had under the rain the previous evening...

Gally woke up sick. He had a fever and had been sneezing quite a bit.

Being the one at fault that he ended up getting sick, (M/n) decided to take care of him until he got better again. Gally didn't even try to argue with him when he saw (M/n) walk in with a tray and a steaming bowl of soup, Gally felt so bad he didn't even want to argue about that this time, he did not have the strength to fight him over anything anyway.

And since Gally spent the majority of the day sleeping, probably because he felt so bad all he wanted to do was rest, (M/n) didn't have to do much, gave him painkillers for his headache, tuck him in with blankets, and a wet towel on his head to ease the fever. He took care of Gally while he was awake and watched over him when he was asleep.

Only occasionally (M/n) would walk over to his desk, and crouch down to take a closer look at all the wooden sculptures he had done, paying attention to the details some of them had, some even had cute faces drawn on them, and a few other were painted, making spots or lines covering their body, whether it was fully or partially.

And at some point, when Gally woke up almost at dinner time, he turned to look at (M/n), watching him look at his little sculptures.

"Why did you not get sick?" He asked in a hoarse and raspy whisper, coughing right after. (M/n) was quick to handle him his cup of water and help him sit up to drink it.

"Don't know, big guy," after Gally was done drinking his water, he placed the cup down again, and (M/n) decided to mess with him a little bit, "Why? You wanted to take care of me?"

He made a dramatic and playful pout, smiling wide when Gally let out a breathy chuckle, and the red on his face caused by his fever was pretty good to cover how flustered the thought made him, "You wish, bean."

///////

The next day, while Gally was sleeping peacefully in his room, (M/n) found Dmitri as he was walking out of the kitchen with a bottle of water and eating some leftover breakfast.

"Oh, hey (M/n)," he did the 'sup?' greeting with his chin, and walked past him and to the kitchen, grabbing a single candy from the new bag they had gotten two days ago.

"I wanted to ask you something," the Keeper did a 'shoot' signal with his hand, "Is there any way that I can maybe fix the Homestead?"

"You want to... Fix it?" He asked as if he couldn't believe it, and (M/n) chuckled.

"Yeah, why? Is that weird?"

Dmitri proceeded to explain how no one feels entailed to fix anything in the Glade, because it tended to be harder than building, and (M/n) almost couldn't believe it, how could fixing something be harder than building it? That's what he thought, until Dmitri explained why.

The reason was simple, and it was the only one.

If you don't know what you're fixing or changing or whatever it is that you have to do, the whole built section could collapse, or break off more in the very least and most common cases. The Keeper wanted to do a demonstration with the kitchen wall, until Fry walked past.

"Do not break my kitchen or imma break your ass, Dimi," he raised his hands away from the wall.

"Sure, Fry, just wanted to prove a point."

Well, Fry's reaction was pretty much all the point Dmitri had to prove. At least (M/n) understood why the Brick-nicks never really repaired stuff around unless it was absolutely necessary.

And with all the time that had passed, he decided to go check up on Gally, and maybe try to work the next day, after all, Dmitri had explained to him how to do things without making them worse, he just didn't get to see the "make them worse" part of the job interview.

And yeah, he spent his time with Gally and took care of him until he fell asleep again.

//////

"I'm gonna be downstairs for a while, and I'll come to check up on you every thirty to forty minutes, alright?" (M/n) told Gally while placing the newly wet towel on his forehead. He had just taken his painkiller for his headache, and ate some fruit for lunch, although he had to be fed because he said he wasn't hungry, "Or you could just... Make noise if you need me."

Both of them chuckled softly at that, and Gally nodded, getting comfortable on his bed, looking up at (M/n) with glossy eyes.

"Okay, try to get some rest, big guy."

(M/n) walked out of the room closed the door behind him, and headed downstairs, ready to start some work around the Homestead. Dmitri had said he could wear gloves to avoid splinters on his hands, but they usually get in the way, so he decided against it and opened the cabinet with the toolbox, wooden crates and leather bags containing various supplies essential for the Glade.

He took out whatever he thought he might need and what he knew he needed and carried it around in a small bag while he began looking around every room, every wall, every floorboard and every corner of the place. He began checking the Gathering room, and he saw a few holes in the walls, so he went and fixed them. He was done rather quickly with that and he continued looking around.

He even spotted the few leaks Dmitri and Brandon had covered up while he paced around the place.

After a while, with all the holes he could find covered, he began looking at the floorboards, cleaning the dust and pieces of wood would be easier after he was done with the floor, otherwise, he would've had to clean up twice.

(M/n) found himself kneeling on the hallway floor, where Newt's room was, at the end of the hall, he took out sticking out pieces of wood, filled the empty spaces in and sanded them.

He was actually enjoying doing this work, in peace and quiet, he had checked up on Gally to wet his towel again, finding him asleep with his mouth slightly open every time he walked in, and he had done it maybe two or three times now.

He will have to go back soon, but he wanted to be done with the last bit of the floor he had left before he did. (M/n) started humming a different song, just chillin' on his own, when he heard the loud noises of people barging in. He decided to ignore them at first and continued humming since the noise they were making worked to mask the tune he was letting out.

But then, when they were settling down, probably sitting on the couches, (M/n) recognized Stan's voice. He instinctively rolled his eyes and debated whether he wanted to finish working as if nothing was going on, or leave and stay with Gally until they left, act as if they weren't there.

He debated for a few seconds, and when he was about to stand up to leave, part of their conversation caught his attention.

First, he hadn't been paying attention to them until he heard his name. Second, they were making comments about him, and they were indeed worse when he "wasn't" around.

(M/n) was sure they were jacked in the head with how aggressive and/or sexual some of the observations they made were. Those pigs were saying stuff about how they would 'totally screw her', and he stood up, he was not gonna stand there and listen to their comments about his body and personality.

"But... Why would you want to screw her?" The hoarse and raspy voice of the scrawny twin, Sean, filled the room and there was a short silence.

"We thought you hated her?" Derek added, the sound of his gruff voice coming out with a confused tone to it.

Stan clicked his tongue, annoyed at the questions, "To get her to shut up, that's why I want to screw her, shank," (M/n) heard the sound of what was possibly Stan's boots being placed on the coffee table, "Show her where she belongs, under a man."

Yeah, Stan had a very delusional view of himself, referring to himself as "a man". Damn, (M/n) was about to come out from around the corner, throw up on him and leave him sterile for the rest of his pathetic existence with the kick to his ball he wanted to gift him, teach him not to mess around, and to save the human race from allowing "mini Stans" to live their lives.

He was mad. With every day he had to endure the comments and looks, his anger issues were becoming a big problem, all he wanted to do was punch them and break stuff, but who could blame him? Nothing he did worked to get them to stop.

The audacity Stan had never failed to make his blood boil. Screw working or leaving, he was getting ready to throw hands.

"Yeah, doubt Gally would ever allow you to touch what's his, he will probably kill you, or beat you within an inch of your life, mate," Gale argued Stan's comment, and the living room was soon filled with chuckles and snorts from the rest of the Sloppers.

All Stan did was mutter a 'shut up' for them to, eventually, quiet down. Of course, the twins didn't care about obeying Stan, he wasn't their Keeper, after all, Billy was.

"What's Gally's problem anyway?" At Sean's question, Stan scoffed and shifted his sitting position, leaning in and resting his elbows on his knees, as he was about to let the twins into a huge secret.

"Gally is just a pussy ass bitch who acts like a tough guy, but he's nothing more than a scaredy cat filled with trauma, believe me... I know," (M/n) frowned and leaned his back against the wall behind him, remaining hidden from their field of view.

After that, (M/n) stayed in place, listening as Stan proceeded to tell everyone how he used to bully Gally every day, belittle him and used him as he pleased.

Hearing everything he said definitely made his anger issues go haywire, and if he had been holding something, he would've broken it. He listened to everything with his jaw clenched and fists tightly closed.

But after Stan was done, another voice echoed in the room, "So, how are we getting rid of her?" It was Peter, now this was something he had to hear.

"Hm, we have to do something to get her banished and not simply make her get taken to the pit," and that was Jason, speaking for the first time in the past ten minutes.

"Well, she's gotten very similar to Gally, only more level-headed, it won't be easy to make her snap at us, and even if she did, I doubt anyone would vote for a Banishment," (M/n) almost couldn't believe their conversation, they were actually planning for him to get banished from the Glade? He knew he was hated by the Sloppers but... That much? What the shuck did he do to them that was so horrible?

Fry had previously explained to him what a Banishment was after he had overheard two guys talking about it. It was only used as a last resort.

"We will think of something," the twins muttered in unison, it sounded kinda creepy, their voices were emotionless, but at least, (M/n) knew what to expect would happen during the next couple of days.

///////

He remained in his hiding spot until they finally left a few minutes after planning different stuff they could do, now he was gonna be on the lookout for those scheming bastards.

(M/n) sighed when they left and the door closed behind them, and proceeded to finish up what he had left, cleaning up all the dust, and wood on the floor. As soon as he was done he went upstairs to Gally's room.

Upon opening the door and walking in, he saw the blond awake and looking better than he did a few hours ago, "Hey," Gally greeted him and he walked over to sit on the edge of the bed, smiling at him.

"Hi," (M/n) reached his hand and began touching Gally's neck and chest gently, checking his temperature. His fever had gone down quite a bit now, "How are you feeling?" He asked and backed away.

Gally raised his eyebrows and grinned, "Bad, but better."

They chuckled together and (M/n) nodded, "Yeah, I get it, you'll probably be alright by tomorrow, big guy."

Gally did something (M/n) never thought he would see. He pouted and reached for his hand.

"But I like having you as my nurse," (M/n) laughed and lifted his free hand, moving his blond hair away from his face.

"Well, I like it when you're in top condition, it gets boring without you, Gally," the blond felt his face heating up suddenly and his heart beating faster.

He tightened his hold on (M/n)'s hand, staring into his (e/c) eyes and briefly licking his lips, "I feel the same."

They stared into each other's eyes, and felt the same pull from the other day, something making them want to be closer and closer together. And this time there won't be thunder or rain to break their moment-

"(M/n)!"

Except for the sound of Fry coming up the stairs while hollering his name at the top of his lungs. He opened the door, completely oblivious to the moment he had just unintentionally ruined.

"Greenbean, could you chop some wood for me? Thank you!" And he left.

He sighed, and they watched Fry leaving, "Well, duty calls, be right back," reluctantly, Gally had to let go of (M/n)'s hand, and he observed him as he closed the door behind him, the one Fry didn't bother close.

Gally stared at the ceiling of his room and released a deep sigh, rubbing his face with his hands, "What am I doing wrong?"

With both of them left alone with their thoughts, they kept thinking about the same thing. How long could they hold back from just... Doing it? Every moment together, (M/n) began to completely ignore the idea of Gally not liking him back, and Gally thought the same thing about (M/n).

The possibility of their feelings not being so one-sided as they once thought was just too good to be true, but it wasn't completely delusional either.

#gally x reader #gally x y/n #gally x male reader #the maze runner x male reader #the maze runner #the maze runner x reader #tmr gally #gally the maze runner #gally maze runner #ftm reader #trans reader #trans #will poulter #will poulter x reader #will poulter fanfiction

17 notes · View notes