#only sans Snow so far

[hongism]

what lies beneath us. - c. san (m)

➼ genre; fluff, smut, slight angst for the first half but i make it better quickly promise ➼ pairing; san x afab!reader ➼ au; established relationship, college au ➼ warnings; explicit smut ➼ rating; m/18+ ➼ wc; 6.4k

one busy semester is all it took for you and san to find yourselves struggling to find footing in the storm that is your relationship, yet rather than let go, he asked for one more week, one more day, one last chance to help get you back to shore

part of the ...and it's snowing collab.

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➼ smut warnings; unprotected sex, oral: m, vaginal fingering, praise, body worship, service-top san, san has some slightly submissive tendencies, coming inside

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You normally wouldn’t find yourself in Wooyoung’s apartment on a Tuesday morning, sitting at the bar counter beside his roommate with two mugs of coffee sitting on the granite between you, but you also haven’t had any leisure time to waste lately. It’s a miracle that Wooyoung is even up before ten o’clock, though that might be in part due to you pleading desperately over the phone to come over.

“Oh, you make her coffee but not me? The fuck is up with that, Hwa?” Speak of the devil, Wooyoung comes into the kitchen still rubbing sleep from his eyes.

“She’s a guest, you live here. And I had to wake you up because you slept through three alarms so my sympathy levels are close to zero right now.” Seonghwa flashes a faux shrug despite the heated glare he’s sent. Wooyoung lets out a huff but lets it go in favor of redirecting his attention to you.

“Right, well, what did you need to talk about so badly that it couldn’t wait until the afternoon?”

“San is coming over tonight, I couldn't do the afternoon,” you mumble.

“Is it about him then? Did something—” he waves a hand through the air like that’ll explain his thoughts, and when confusion shows on both your face and Seonghwa’s, he gives up “—did something happen between you guys?”

“It feels a bit awkward,” you admit over the rim of your coffee mug. Wooyoung scoffs at that, but Seonghwa is far more forgiving than your best friend in that he sends you a sympathetic grin. 

“Awkward?” he prompts, toying with his own drink. Wooyoung pushes away from the counter and turns to the coffee maker.

“I don't know. Yeah, awkward, a bit. I guess. Like we don't know what we're doing or how to be in a relationship anymore.”

The brutal semester you both just suffered has been the main factor in the wedge in your relationship. Weekends full of studying, ones that you spent together at the start of the semester when he would come to your place or vice versa so that you could be together even while working. Then, San started picking up more shifts at his part-time job, and you had to redirect your focus to a particularly important internship that required you to forgo those weekends in the blink of an eye. You did have two weekends free of school and work, but San had to rush home during one of those on account of his mother falling ill. The other one was shot by you falling ill with the worst cold you’ve known in all your years of living. San came by that Friday with your favorite chicken and beer, but you couldn’t bring yourself to risk getting him sick when you knew how important the semester was to him too. It didn’t keep him from coming by again Saturday and Sunday both, soup was delivered to your front door along with voice messages wishing you well throughout the night. Even your text conversations were fizzling into oblivion by the time finals rolled around, which only served to amplify your feelings of dread. 

“Has he been acting differently?” Wooyoung tunes back into the conversation, this time more serious with his tone. “Like, he's pulling away or something?” Wooyoung stands on a different footing in this conversation and knows things Seonghwa doesn't in terms of your relationship with San. He's been there for you since well before you started dating San, and you're certain that he'll be there for you if it were to end tomorrow, the next day, or years down the line. 

“It's gonna sound so childish and stupid but he hasn't been calling me nicknames since the semester ended.” You tuck your hands into your lap and shrink into yourself a little, feeling the hot burn of shame well up inside.

“That's not stupid at all, y/n,” Seonghwa reassures barely a second after you finish your train of thought. “That's not.”

“He's right. That's totally unlike San.”

“Not! Helping!”

“I'm just being honest?!”

“Look, y/n, I don't want you to start having doom thoughts or thinking the worst — that doesn't mean his feelings for you have changed.” You’re starting to think that you should’ve asked Seonghwa for advice from the start instead of Wooyoung. “Maybe he's feeling that awkwardness you are too, or maybe he's feeling insecure. The only way to know is to ask. Have an open and honest conversation about it.”

“But…” You glance past Seonghwa to look at Wooyoung's back. Without even needing to look back, he seems to feel the weight of your stare.

“You're scared that if you bring it up, the worst will happen and y'all will break up.”

“We've been dating for so long that I don't know what I would do if that happened. I don't know how to be single, no offense to either of you, but it's just that we've been together for so long now. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if it ended.”

“If…” Wooyoung bites his words back as though he's unsure of how they will come out. “I don't want this to sound harsh, but if all it takes for him to lose his feelings for you is one busy semester, then that's not someone I would want you to have a future with. I know it's not up to me and it's not my business, but I want you to value yourself more than you value your relationship with San.”

“I truly don't think he's lost his feelings for you, y/n,” Seonghwa cuts in again, hand darting out across the counter in your direction. “Woo is right; you should value yourself more than the relationship you're in, but that doesn't mean you can only have one of those things. They can coexist.”

“What if I’m fighting for something he doesn’t want any longer?” you inquire softly and under your breath.

“The spark isn’t gone, y/n, I’m certain of that much. Maybe you just… need to find a way to reignite it!” The coffee maker dings loudly behind Wooyoung. And like it’s turning on a lightbulb in Wooyoung’s head, his expression turns suddenly bright. “Why not do just that? It’s been half a decade, to be fair, so really you can’t be blamed if things feel a little stale. If you went and did things that made you fall for each other in the first place, wouldn’t that help a bit?”

“I hate to say it…”

“You always say that when I’m right!”

“Ignoring him, that does sound like a good plan, y/n.”

Despite the reassurance from both your best friend and someone you consider to be far more mature and wiser, it doesn’t fully quell the concerns settling in your gut.

It’s only been six days since you last saw San, though you would argue that it feels a lot more like six months given how absent you both have been from each other’s lives of late. While that isn’t particularly your fault or his wholly — it’s definitely a joint effort that’s kept you apart — it does make your skin itch with anxiety every time you think about seeing him again.

It’s all culminated into this moment right now, where you sit on the edge of your couch waiting for the doorbell to ring and announce his arrival. You want to see him, desperately so, you’ve missed him so incredibly much that you can hardly stand it. And yet — you’re rooted to the cushions riddled by anxieties. You tried to rid yourself of the lingering stress after leaving Wooyoung’s apartment by doing chores properly for the first time in months, going so far as to run to the grocery and restock some necessities as well. You hate to be the type of partner who cannot do anything alone without associating it with your partner, but San was on your mind throughout the day.

Will he feel the same as you even though the flame keeping your relationship alive has been inching closer and closer to nothingness? The two of you don’t fight, in fact, your friends like to say that things go a little too smoothly between you two, and while that’s true, they aren’t aware of what it looks like when you and San aren’t getting along. It looks the way this semester has, slow conversations that lead nowhere and less time spent in each other’s presence. You aren’t fighting right now, but you certainly aren’t all sunshine and rainbows. The weather mirrors your emotions — dim greys shrouded by white flurries of snow that have been falling since early afternoon.

You clench your fingers around the seam of the couch cushion. No part of you wants to play the part of the overbearing partner: if you’re too eager to see him, wouldn’t he find it off-putting? 

The doorbell rings.

It takes a moment for you to brace yourself for impact, standing and walking over to the door as slowly as you can manage without it seeming like a deliberate delay. The second you open the door, however, your worries melt away for a moment. 

San smiles so brightly like you’ve not gone a second without reveling in each other’s presence. The weather is clinging to his coat still even though he had to climb three flights of stairs to reach your door. The little snowflakes are beginning to melt into the fabric.

“May I come in?” The facade cracks a bit. It’s not like him to ask such things, but you choose not to hold it against him now.

“Yeah, yeah, I finally had time to clean the other day so everything’s — nice.” 

If your smile is strained, he says nothing about it, stepping over the threshold and into your apartment like it’s the first time he’s ever done so. He’s polite all the time, but now it makes those seeds of doubt sprout further because you’ve been together for five years now, what reason does he have to act like a stranger in your home? A home he’s been in time and time again, one he’s slept in, fucked you— 

“Do you want ramen or pizza?” You force the thoughts to come to a halt before your expression turns bitter.

“Let’s do ramen, I’ll cut up the vegetables for you.”

There’s an elephant in the room that it seems neither of you wants to address, and so you keep your mouth shut just the same as San with the thought of “maybe this awkwardness will pass after tonight”. You watch him remove his coat and hang it up on the door while still picking at your nails. He extends a hand to you, one you take eagerly, and you lace your fingers through the gaps between his. A bit like a well-oiled machine, you think, something that Wooyoung had noted about the two of you as far back as freshman year of college. San presses his lips to the top of your head. You lean into the touch ever so slightly. 

You share in a quiet synergy that carries you through the motions of preparing food, with no conversation exchanged aside from a “watch for the knife” and “careful, behind you” on occasion. You’re still trying to psyche yourself up to bring up what’s truly on your mind, so you aren’t sure that you’d be able to get any conversation out without it spiraling into insanity right off the bat. For the moment, for now, you want to simply drink in San’s presence. 

He hums as he opens a cabinet in search of bowls, but they aren’t there. 

“Oh, I—I moved the bowls to the other side.” Three months ago, your mind adds. It would do nothing but add salt to a blossoming wound. San stops dead in his tracks too. He seems to suffer the same crisis that you do right then. After a few seconds of mental buffering, he resumes his humming and shifts to the adjacent cabinet like the moment didn’t happen at all. 

You sit beside each other at the bar counter, atop the uncomfortable stools you’ve had for well over two years now, but it offers a weird comfort because it’s familiar, it’s something San knows, it’s something you share and have shared for years. 

“Thanks for the meal,” San says, still wearing a bitten-back smile. 

“Of course. Thank you for helping.” But the detrimental reality of not speaking to someone properly for a long while is that part of you forgets how to make conversation with them. There is nothing for you and San to “catch up on” seeing as you’ve been keeping each other updated on your lives through dry text conversations. “Um…” He’s eyeing you carefully now, and you could pass off the watering in your eyes as the spice of the food, but he would call your bluff in an instant. The funny thing about doubt is that once it’s taken root, it’ll keep growing back no matter how many times you chop at the stem.

“What’s wrong, y/n?”

“It’s just — I don’t — are we breaking up?”

San freezes halfway over his ramen, chopsticks nearly falling from his fingers as he rushes to put his noodles back down. Your shoulders start shaking before you can stop it. He doesn’t stop you from turning away from him, but San has always been endlessly patient and gentle with you so you don’t expect him to ask you to look at him anyway. He does rest a hand atop your forearm though, and his thumb drags small, comforting circles over your skin. 

“Talk to me, y/n, what do you mean by that? Why would we be breaking up?” The words themselves sound calm. There’s a slight quiver to his tone, however, that makes you want to crawl inside yourself and disappear. “A-Are you wanting that?” Your continued lack of response makes San more urgent than ever, and he shifts his hand to your leg, spinning you to face him. You can’t be certain of the expression on your face (though you’d wager there is some degree of hurt); whatever San sees makes him let out a distressed noise from the back of his throat. “Come here, duck, talk to me.”

Standing on somewhat shaky legs, you push yourself closer to San, and he instinctually moves his knees apart to let you tuck yourself into the space there.

“Don’t cry, baby, I’m here, you can talk to me,” he murmurs, hands cupping your face in his hands. You reach down to cling to his shirt like it’s a lifeline. 

“That’s the first time you’ve called me that in weeks. This is the first time we’ve spent time together in six days. We’ve barely spoken or spent time together all semester, and I know why — I know we agreed that school and work have to come first. I know that.” Your voice drops to a whisper as you lose the confidence to speak. “I didn’t think it would mean losing you though.”

“You haven’t lost me, y/n. I’m still here, with you, loving you just as much as ever.” San smiles a little as you push your cheek further into his palm. “My feelings have not changed. I thought about you every day, wondered how you were doing, and if you responded to my texts late, I hoped you were eating well and getting enough rest. I listened to your voice memos rooting for me every night. Your face was always the first thing I saw in the morning because I still keep that slideshow of you as my lockscreen.” Reaching around to the back of your neck, he gives you a little tug, and your foreheads bump together. “The thought of you helped get me through the semester because I knew that it was you who was waiting for me at the end of the tunnel.”

“Sannie…”

“How long have you been worried over this, baby? You should’ve come to me the moment you started having doubts. I wouldn’t have let this go on if I had known.”

“I thought I felt you pulling away so I was scared to bring it up. You weren’t calling me nicknames anymore, and I started reading into it too much and freaked myself out.”

“I’m so sorry, y/n. Don’t put the blame on yourself, it’s not a crime to have anxieties. I didn’t even realize I stopped using them. I suppose I just got swept up in my own feelings and wanted to call you by your name as much as possible.” He nudges you with his head again. “Because I missed you so dearly.” Your lips turn up at the corners, a gesture that doesn’t go unnoticed by your boyfriend. “And because I adore you so so much, my y/n.”

“Stop that.” You hope he doesn’t, truly.

“But I’m so mushy and full of love for you, y/n.”

“You’re gonna make me blush.”

“Oh, I can think of other ways to do that, baby.” San stands, subsequently pushing his body into yours, but your hands are still on each other, his moving down to caress the back of your thigh before he hooks his fingers around the bend of your knee and hoists your leg up over his hip. “I haven’t been good to you, my sweet,” he murmurs close to your lips. “What kind of boyfriend am I if I let you feel unwanted?” Your heart skips a beat as he grips tight at your other leg, then you’re suddenly weightless for a second as he hoists you up to his waist.

“We just ate—”

“I don’t plan on letting that stop me.” You let out a gasp as San traces the line of your jaw with his lips, hot breath spilling across your skin as he carries you from the kitchen. “Unless you want it to?” This damned man knows what he’s doing, he knows the hold he has over you — your brain is already turning into a foggy mess of want, and even the prospect of waiting two minutes for him to lay his hands on you is too much to bear. Your nails drag across his shoulders, tugging at the thin material. He misses the doorknob to your bedroom thanks to your antics, sending you against the wood a little harshly and forcing the air out of your lungs. “Sorry, sorry.”

“Still on the pill.”

“Hm?” he echoes, managing to turn it right on the second try and popping it open properly.

“I’m still on the pill,” you repeat. San freezes in place to stare at your face. You bring a hand around to toy at his parted lips with your thumb. “So you can fuck me raw.”

San becomes so dumbstruck that his jaw moves up and down over and over without any semblance of noise coming out.

“Fuck, you’re gonna make me come in my pants like a horny teenager,” he says under his breath. You drop your head back and laugh. San’s hold on you feels so blissfully warm. You didn’t even have time for this during the semester, sometimes thanks to your workloads but more often thanks to sheer exhaustion. A few solo jaunts before bed are hardly enough to please you the way San does. Based on how tightly he’s gripping your ass, he seems to feel exactly the same.

“It wouldn’t be the first time.”

He manages to get you both to the bed without further incident, laying you down on the mattress with a sort of reverence that makes your chest swell with emotion. Even through the barrier of clothing, his fingers are hot and sear a path from your hips up your waist then right back down again as San wastes no time in stripping you of your pants. 

“I missed you so fucking much it’s insane.” You want to respond, but the sight of your lover dropping to his knees at the foot of the bed stops you in your tracks. All you can do is lie there and watch him tug your pants off, lips moving to kiss each bit of exposed skin along the way. Goosebumps rise across your body when he kisses his way up higher. His broad frame cages you in the closer he gets to your face, and despite his hands being on the somewhat small side, they feel all-encompassing when they’re sneaking under your shirt and exploring the skin beneath.

“I missed you more,” you murmur, catching his chin between your fingers and angling his face upwards so you can properly look at him. “I love you so so much, San. More than I can put into words.”

“Yeah?” You make no effort to pull him higher although he moves as though you do and climbs all the way up to be right over your face. He hums before dipping down to kiss the corner of your mouth. “I think I’ve missed you more still though—” another kiss, this time to the opposite side of your mouth “—but you’re welcome to challenge me on that.”

“San,” you whine. He pulls back and sits back on his knees. Your brain goes totally blank watching him take his shirt off. It’s something you’ve seen time and time again, truly nothing new or foreign to you, but something about it now makes your gut twist in on itself. He’s lost a bit of the muscle you’ve grown accustomed to seeing on him, now softer around the edges, at the waist and across his stomach. It doesn’t curb your desire for him in the slightest; if anything it makes you want him more, to cling to him tighter and feel him firmer against you.

He throws the shirt down to the floor and drags a hand through his dark hair. His legs are splayed around yours, putting the prominent bulge in his pants on full display before you.

“I want you to use me, y/n.” He grabs your hand from where it’s resting against the bed and brings it to his chest. You dig your nail into his flesh like it’s second nature to do so. “Tonight, for your pleasure.” His eyes trail after your every moment, watching as you sit up and pull your legs out from under him. You graze the underside of his dick ever so slightly yet it’s still enough to make his lashes flutter. 

“Then…” San is like putty in your hands, conforming to every move you make while still maintaining that unbreaking eye contact. He turns with you, and you climb off the bed to stand despite feeling seconds away from toppling over. All it takes is the slightest push against his chest for him to lie flat on his back. “Will you be good for me?” 

His response comes in the form of a bitten-back whine thanks to you cupping the bulge of his cock as you withdraw your hand. It’s intoxicating to strip him of his jeans and feel every inch of his pretty tapered waist. You urge him to move further up on the bed, making room for you between his legs once you’ve tossed his pants down beside yours on the floor. The tip of his cock peeks out the top of his underwear, already stiff and leaking precum onto the elastic band. Saucy nudes here and there don’t do him nearly enough justice, you think. You tease just the bit of him that's exposed with your tongue, licking at the sensitive and swollen head, and he twitches beneath the fabric. Humming to yourself, you inch his underwear down just far enough to put his whole member on display, along with his balls, but you don’t go any further than that. It’s enough for you to get your mouth around him, after all, and that’s exactly what you do without giving San any time to brace himself for the touch.

He lets out a desperate moan the moment your wet heat envelopes his length, fingers curling into his palms around the comforter. His hips twitch with the desire to thrust upwards, but he keeps himself firmly planted on the bed, fulfilling his end of the bargain for you and being so delightfully good. The weight of him on your tongue isn’t nearly enough; you want him buried deep inside you as soon as possible, and you’d go on and do it now if you didn’t think it would hurt like a bitch given how long it’s been since you’ve taken him. San isn’t distracted enough to miss the way you retract a hand to touch yourself, and he fights to speak through broken moans.

“I w-wanna touch you, pretty.” You lift yourself off his cock until just the tip sits on your lower lip.

“I’ll let you later when I ask you to fold me in half and fuck me into the mattress.” You sink two fingers into your hole, taking San back into your mouth to revel in that full feeling again. You’re just as needy as he is, in reality, because your walls are already coated with arousal and it pools around the base of your fingers in such a way that it makes your cheeks flush. San’s noises aren’t helping in the slightest — for as quiet as he is in day-to-day life, he is ever so vocal when it comes to sex, especially when his cock is buried in your mouth. He’s just long enough to push right into the back of your throat, making it far easier for you to take him fully. 

“Your mouth feels so — fuck, fucking good, baby.” If you weren’t preoccupied, you would love to return his words with your own, so you settle for tugging at his balls a little. It earns you a delightful little yelp, and his hips buck up to drive his dick further into your throat than expected. “Hngh, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

“I want—” you don’t finish your train of thought, too rushed to bother with it as you scramble to rid yourself of your underwear. San greets you with his hands when you climb back onto the bed and grabs hold of your waist. He tugs and pulls at your shirt until it’s gone too, leaving you with nothing more than your plain black bra. However, even that San seems to find issue with, because he toys with the clasp until it comes loose and throws that aside too.

“Beautiful,” he murmurs, settling back against the mattress. He’s always told you this is his favorite position, to see you straddling his hips and bouncing on his cock, though he favors missionary quite a bit as well because it lets him see your body and face while he’s fucking you (despite how much he loves your ass). His cock is trapped between your pussy and his stomach now, hard and throbbing for the same kind of stimulation you so desperately crave. You drag your folds along his length a few times just to tease San, but he grips your hip in warning. In hindsight, you should have let him finger you open more before because the stretch is far more than you remember — not enough to hurt, but enough for you to really feel every inch of him entering your body. It makes you writhe atop him, your spine arches, and you drop your head back. San holds you like you're a precious gem, thick arms circling around your waist as you rest your hands on his chest. The position gives you some much-needed stability, but San's fingers have begun to get severely distracting. He rolls his thumbs into your skin, pausing only to squeeze and pinch at the more sensitive parts of your sides. 

“I’m gonna start moving,” you whisper like being too loud will break some sort of seal. San nods and unwraps his arms enough to simply hold your hips. Despite the decrease in definition of his muscles, his strength doesn’t seem to have gone anywhere, because he lifts you with such ease that it’s a bit dizzying. Still, he lets the control rest in your hands. You sink down slowly on his cock, letting your walls get used to the drag, before doing the same motion two, three more times. The first whimper to fall from your lips is what snaps your resolve. San’s hold on you remains firm but only to ease the strain on your thighs as you begin to pick up your pace. 

“Beautiful, beautiful, you’re so beautiful, my sweet.” San rolls his hips up in time with your movements, driving his cock up into your cunt as you drop yourself onto him, and it reaches so deep inside you that you see stars behind your eyelids. “Missed you so much, missed this, seeing your body through photos wasn’t enough — fuck, it wasn’t enough.”

“How many, ah, times did you come to those photos, hm?” You crack one eye open to watch San’s face. He’s already flushed with want, but the red in his cheeks deepens more upon hearing your question. You lean your weight further into your hands. “I fingered myself so many times thinking of you, Sannie. B-But, hngh, it wasn’t good enough. Not as good as your cock. Nothing… n-nothing feels as good!”

San thrusts up with more vigor now, all but taking over for you to go slack above him as he drives your hips down with his hands and pushes his length into you from the opposite direction. Then, suddenly, his movements falter and stutter to a halt, and he looks just as shocked as you are when his cock twitches against your walls. A blooming of warmth fills you right after, along with the realization that San has just come inside you without warning.

“I-I’m sorry, I — I didn’t mean to, ah, I thought I would last longer.” He slings an arm up over his eyes, and the red in his face deepens in hue. “I’m sorry, I should’ve let you come first.” You click your tongue against the roof of your mouth. Leaning down over him, you peel his arm away from his face so that you can see his shamed expression better.

“Your dick is far from the only thing that can make me come, babe. Right?” 

He nods a few times, but there’s still a pout on his lips. You kiss it away. 

“Then—” you detach yourself from his body, bringing about an unwelcome emptiness as his spent cock slips out of you, and roll onto your back beside him. He watches with rapt attention as you spread your legs and open your pussy to him. “Why don’t you?”

San moves with surprising haste for a man who has just come, rolling into the space between your legs, and while you expected him to just use his fingers to get you off, he hooks his hands around your thighs and shoves his face into your used cunt instead. It yanks a startled moan out of you, and it’s only amplified when he closes his lips around your clit. He’s lucky you don’t give him a concussion with how quickly you slam your thighs around his head. You don’t notice that he’s moved a hand until fingers are prodding at your leaking entrance and urging the come he just pumped into you back into your hole.

“O-Oh, San.” 

Normally, he takes his sweet time eating you out, bringing you to the precipice of orgasm before sending you right back down time and time again without release. Though, either out of lingering shame at coming early or simply out of a desire to make you unravel, San laps at your clit so eagerly that it sends shudders through you. You can feel your blood rushing lower as he urges you to come, walls clenching around his fingers. It only takes another second more for the first wave to hit you, and it makes you scramble to grab hold of San’s hair as he keeps curling his fingers over your sweet spot. He does so throughout each wave of your orgasm until tears burn the corners of your eyes and you’re all but pleading for him to grant you some mercy.

“You — you had nothing to prove, you know,” you say between desperate attempts to catch your breath. San giggles and looks up at you from his lewd position. “Ugh!” You shove his head away from you half-heartedly just to spare yourself more embarrassment.

“Oh, come on, don’t be like that, duck!”

You only go as far as the pillows, turning back to him immediately and opening your arms to welcome him into them. 

“I came too early, of course I had something to prove,” he adds once he’s snugly placed against your chest. You slot together like two pieces of a puzzle, his head under your chin and your breath stirring the messy strands of hair in your path. “I’ve fallen out of practice. When was the last time I did that? It’s embarrassing…”

You can’t contain your laughter.

“You always come a little early when I ride you.”

“That’s not fair!”

All you can do to soothe him is pat his head. You feel a tad sticky and gross all over, but San’s warmth more than makes up for it, and if you’re not careful, you’re certain you’ll fall asleep within minutes. A small sniffle coming from the man atop you chases thoughts of rest away in the blink of an eye though.

“San?”

“’m okay, promise.”

“You’re crying, baby, that’s not ”okay“.”

“I just,” he inhales and licks over his lips, skating across your sternum in the process. “I wasn’t sure I was gonna stay afloat without you.” You comb your fingers through his hair.

“Tell me when you need me and I’ll be there. Always.”

“I didn’t want to disrupt your schedule and get in the way.”

“You have to trust that I’ll take care of myself and my responsibilities even if I help you too. You always tell me that when I worry over the same things. It goes both ways, San, okay?”

“Okay.” He nods against you. “Okay, I’ll try to remember that. As long as you don’t lock yourself away when things get tough. Rely on me if you need strength. And talk to me when something is on your mind.”

“Alright, we have an agreement.” Out of nowhere, you remember Wooyoung’s suggestion from this morning. Picking at a stray piece of San’s hair, you mull over your thoughts some more. You could let things settle as they are now since things seem to be back to a pleasant state of balance. But even so, would it do any harm to try anyway? “I’d like to go on a first date again. With you. I want us to go on a first date again.”

“Hm?”

“Like… I want us to go out like it’s the first time all over again. And feel that excitement and giddiness we had back then. We don’t have to, it’s just a thought. I don’t know. Maybe it’d be a good thing after this semester.”

Silence overtakes the room. San’s breathing is so steady that you think he’s fallen asleep, but the second you try to shift and see his face, he tilts his head up and looks into your eyes.

“Alright. Let’s go on a first date again.”

…

“I figured we’d go to that little Thai place by the grocery before heading over to the Christmas light show?”

“Oh!” Your thoughts rearrange themselves around his words. “That sounds really nice, yeah.”

“The guys wanna meet up at Wooyoung’s after for chicken and beer, but I told them I’d leave the decision up to you.” He tilts his chin a bit to the side as he speaks, lips quirked up at the corners, and you find yourself so incredibly fond of him all over again.

“Let’s see how we feel after walking around.”

You offer to drive tonight, but he denies you quickly, whining about how he filled his tank full of gas just for tonight so you don’t push the matter any further than that (though, you still tease him a bit once he opens the passenger door for you). When he turns the car on, music starts blasting through the speakers, a song you recognize well, and the dash shows that he’s been listening to the playlist you made for him at the start of the last school year. 

“Sorry, forgot the volume was up so high.” He scrambles to twist the dial down, but you stop him with your hand, gripping his wrist lightly and giving a firm shake of your head.

“I didn’t realize you still listened to it. Normally you just have the radio going.”

“Ah, well,” San’s cheeks are a bit flush under the low lights of the car, “I suppose I’ve been feeling a bit sentimental these days.” His next move is a bit hesitant; he reaches across the console and lays his hand atop your thigh. You reassure him by putting your hand over his, fingers curling around his once again. It feels normal and familiar, though you can’t count on two hands the last time you’ve done something as menial as holding hands with San. 

“San?” He makes a noise of acknowledgment while watching the road. “I’ve missed you.” His nails dig into your flesh a little, and the pressure makes your heart clench in your chest.

“I’ve missed you more.” You can only see his side profile, but it’s enough for you to catch the upturn of his lips. 

“I’ve missed you most then.” The statement slips out through a pout. 

“And I love you more than the moon loves the ocean.”

The weight of his hand is comfort enough for you to be at ease for the rest of the drive.

────────────

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[inthedayswhenlandswerefew]

Napoleonville [Chapter 9: Clarence House]

Series Summary: The year is 1988. The town is Napoleonville, Louisiana. You are a small business owner in need of some stress relief. Aemond is a stranger with a taste for domination. But as his secrets are revealed, this casual arrangement becomes something more volatile than either of you could have ever imagined.

Chapter Warnings: Language, sexual content (18+ readers only), dom/sub dynamics, smoking, drinking, drugs, Adventures with Aegon (ft. Sunfyre the Ferret), Willis Warning, infidelity, kids, parenthood, and no more hints for you, start reading!!!

Word Count: 8.9k.

Link to chapter list (and all my writing): HERE.

Taglist: @marvelescvpe @toodlesxcuddles @era127 @at-a-rax-ia @0eessirk8 @arcielee @dd122004dd @humanpurposes @taredhunter @tinykryptonitewerewolf @partnerincrime0 @dr-aegon @persephonerinyes @namelesslosers @burningcoffeetimetravel-fics @daenysx @gemini-mama @chattylurker @moonlightfoxx @huramuna @britt-mf @myspotofcraziness @padfooteyes @targaryenbarbie @trifoliumviridi @joliettes @darkenchantress @florent1s @babyblue711 @minttea07 @libroparaiso @bluerskiees @herfantasyworldd @elizarbell @urmomsgirlfriend1 @fudge13 @strangersunghoon @wickedfrsgrl

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He returns in an afternoon of inescapable golden sunlight, hot and muggy, bumble bees and ladybugs wheeling lazily above tall grass, cumulus clouds like tufts of cotton in a sky the color of Aemond’s eye. You hear him talking to Cadi—she’s out in the front yard making mud pies, earth for sugar and sprinkles of stray pelican feathers—and then the weight of his footsteps on the sinking, sloping porch. He opens the door, never locked, and walks through the living room into the kitchen. From behind, his arms circle around your waist; and you’ve missed him so much—dreaming of waves and storms, chains and blood—that you have nothing for him but softness, gentle smiles and a voice hushed with relief.

“How was Norway?” you ask as you roll out dough on the counter. You’re making a buttermilk pie.

“Fine,” Aemond says, resting his chin on your shoulder. But he sounds tired, low.

You turn around to look at him, raising your fingertips to his unscarred right cheek; he won’t tolerate you touching the left. You leave a dusting of flour across his skin like snow, which you have never seen in person and likely never will. The air conditioner is humming. The little pink Panasonic boombox is playing Africa by Toto. “Did something happen?”

“I just missed you.” Then he brightens. “But I was greeted by some very welcome news when I got back to the house this morning.” He’s wearing his neon teal duffle bag. He drops it to the floor and unzips it; inside you glimpse several Nintendo game cartridges, presumably for Cadi. And you think: I’m always here making things, he’s always bringing them from far away. Aemond takes two small dark blue booklets out of a pocket in the inner lining of the duffle bag and gives them to you. On the front of each is embossed in gold lettering, along with an emblem of a bald eagle: Passport, United States of America.

“…Aemond?!”

“There’s one for you and one for Cadi. I submitted the forms a month ago, but even with expedited processing it took this long. Ridiculous. What does the government do all day besides hunt down social programs to defund?”

“But…but…” You open one of the booklets. A photograph of your own face gazes back at you, serious and serene, taken against the white wall of your bedroom before you knew about Aemond being a Targaryen, or Christabel, or Amir’s exodus to San Franscisco, or the profound futility of everything, it seems. “How…?”

“I took the pictures, obviously. The rest was easy enough to find. You store birth certificates and social security cards the same place where you keep the business records that Amir showed me. Typically people have to go to a passport agency in person, but Criston and I have ways around that. Your signature might have been forged on the applications…but I suspect you won’t be filing any police reports.” Aemond grins, pleased with himself. “I wanted it to be a surprise.”

“It’s definitely surprising.” You stare down at the passports, amazed. “Aemond…this is a lot. But you already know that.”

“The whole time I was gone, I was wishing you could be there too. And now I can take you anywhere.”

Your heart is pounding, helpless childlike exhilaration. “Where are we going?”

“Clarence House in London.”

London: it’s another world, a distant planet, a constellation whose name you don’t know, the lost city of Atlantis.“Clarence House? Is that a hotel?”

“It’s a royal residence,” Aemond says, amused. “It’s officially the home of the Queen Mother, but the whole family goes to Balmoral in Scotland every summer, and while they’re gone they often rent out one wing to guests, not just anyone, trusted people like distant cousins or longtime, aristocratic friends. And the Targaryens…”

“You’re marrying Christabel, and she’s nobility. So you’re basically nobility now too.”

“Yes,” Aemond admits, a little guiltily, perhaps. “But you’re the person I’m inviting.”

“And Cadi.”

Now he’s genuinely puzzled. “Of course. We couldn’t leave her behind.”

Maybe I can handle this. Maybe I can make this work.

And you climb onto your tiptoes to circle your arms around the back of his neck, embracing him, thanking him, thinking: Christabel will have his ring, his last name, his family’s mansion, his acquiescent kiss at the altar of the Chapel of Saint Honoratus of Amiens…but I have what he’s made of, dreams, soul, bones in the abyss of an ocean of blood. Maybe that’s enough.

Maybe.

~~~~~~~~~~

First class, cheerful stewardesses, an array of magazines purchased from a gift shop in New Orleans International Airport: the National Enquirer and Food & Wine for you, The Face and Smithsonian for Aemond, and National Geographic Kids and Zoobooks for Cadi. The Zoobooks animal this month is the eagle, how quintessentially American. You are served antipasto Italiano, shrimp cocktail, Perrier, and champagne (Cadi gets a Shirley Temple) over the Atlantic Ocean. Aemond shows you and Cadi how to chew gum to pop your ears as the pressure builds to pain. When there is turbulence and he leans in close to tell you everything is fine, Aemond smells like Wrigley’s Doublemint, cologne, Marlboro cigarettes like the logo on his red and white jacket. You press your palm to the cool window, and clouds float by through the gaps between your fingers. The world is older than anything you could fathom; the world is brand new.

There is a black limousine waiting outside Terminal 3 of Heathrow Airport. The driver gets out to load the sparse luggage: Aemond’s teal duffle bag, a frayed and battered rolling suitcase that you borrowed from your mother, a Super Mario Bros. backpack that you found for Cadi at Kmart. Aemond doesn’t have much time to spare, only 4 days, practically a long weekend; but it feels like an eternity stretches out in front of you as the limousine zooms through the narrow, winding streets of downtown London, Starship’s We Built This City piping from the radio. You have never had more than a few uninterrupted hours with Aemond before. Now you will have a hundred.

The London air is cool, grey, misty; fresh rainwater bleeds into puddles, dark pools of mirrorlike reflections. With the windows rolled down and clean slate-colored air unfurling in your lungs, Aemond points to the landmarks you pass: Gunnersbury Park, Chiswick House and its gardens, cathedrals, museums, shopping districts, centuries-old cemeteries, stations of the London Underground, the River Thames, Hyde Park, the Ritz Hotel, Buckingham Palace, Saint James’ Palace, and at last Clarence House. It is a boxy white four-story townhouse with columns at the entranceway that remind you of the Targaryens’ estate on the shore of Lake Verret, the beautiful yet temporary home they call The Last Desire.

Aemond says that the entire first floor will be yours for the duration of your stay. There is the Lancaster Room, red and gold, and the Morning Room of creams and weak watery blue. There is the Library, the Dining Room, and the vibrantly pink Horse Corridor named for its ample equine paintings and sculptures; Cadi immediately proclaims this to be the best part of the house. She lingers in the hallway examining the art pieces as you and Aemond proceed to the Garden Room, which looks out upon a sea of lavender and shrubs meticulously shaped into a maze no higher than your waist. It has a golden harp and a grand piano, and a vast bed large enough for at least five people, in your estimation. I wonder if Aemond has ever tried that, you think distractedly. I wonder if there are temptations I can’t satisfy for him.

“You and Cadi can have this room,” Aemond says. He keeps wincing and bringing his hand up to the left side of his face; you doubt he’s even aware of it. “I’ll sleep on one of the couches.” Of course he will; Cadi thinks you’re just friends, and she’s aware he’s getting married to someone else. He knew exactly what it would mean when he bought a passport for her. “Queen Elizabeth and her husband Philip lived here before she ascended to the throne. They loved it so much that at first they refused to move to Buckingham Palace, which is the traditional residence of the reigning monarch. But their insolence was worn down. No one gets to break the rules.”

I shouldn’t be in this place, you keep thinking as you gaze around at the portraits on the wall, the stiff unnatural photographs of royals, the vases, the chandeliers, the fireplaces, the plush intricate rugs, the garden on the other side of the windows. People like me don’t belong here. “Aemond, are you alright?”

“It’s my eye,” he confesses with an uneasy, apologetic smirk. “Sometimes flights…the altitude changes…it aggravates the nerve damage. It’s like needles in my skull. But I’ll be okay.”

“You fly a lot for work, don’t you?” You hurt yourself for Viserys, in body and soul.

“I do,” he agrees. He unzips his duffle bag and produces a bottle of Percocet. “Why do you think I carry these around?”

“Take one,” you say. “Lie down, rest. Cadi and I can entertain ourselves for a few hours.”

He’s relieved, he’s grateful. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. You can even borrow the bed.”

“Back between your sheets, huh?” Aemond says, in pain but smiling through it. He draws a semicircle from the part in your hair down to your chin, a weightless sweep of his fingertips like a kind breeze. “You are incurable. You can’t resist me.”

“I have my own scheme in mind.”

“Do you?”

“Yes.” You grab the front of his Marlboro jacket, appropriate for the overcast London weather. He belongs here, this house, this city, this way of life. He wasn’t made for the primordial heat of the swamplands. You fold into him, close enough to tease, to quicken his heartbeat and momentarily clear the wounded furrows from his brow. “I want my pillows to smell like you. I want to breathe you in all night. It’s how I sleep best.”

“I’ll try not to disappoint,” Aemond says, a little stunned; but he’s elated too. For a moment, you’ve distracted him from his suffering entirely. “I’ll roll around all over them. I will mar the bedding irrevocably, the Queen Mother will never invite me back.” And he watches as you leave, his gaze transfixed and meditative and—more than anything else—hopeful.

“Hey, honey,” you say when you find Cadi in the Horse Corridor, poking a 100-year-old oil painting that she is definitely not supposed to be touching. “Let’s go explore and grab some dinner. Aemond isn’t feeling great, but we’ll hang out with him later.”

“Is it his face?”

You are startled. She knows so much. “Yeah, actually, it is.”

“He showed me,” Cadi says casually, still peering up at the horse; and you remember the day when he took her out to the front yard after she said she wished you were more like her friends’ mothers. “He even let me touch it. Radical, right? It’s so gross, but super cool too.”

Aemond couldn’t stand for me to see how he was maimed, but he forced himself to endure it for Cadi. “What did he tell you?”

“That I should appreciate having a good mom, because not all parents treat their kids right. He said his dad let his eye get crushed. And he told me he’d bet $1 million that you’d snap someone’s neck if they hurt me like that.”

You reach out to skim your fingers through her dark disheveled hair, smiling faintly, fondly. Cadi doesn’t seem to mind. “He wasn’t wrong.”

“Can we get fish and chips?”

“Totally. I have 50 British pounds in my wallet, I assume that’s enough for dinner.”

“Wow! How much is 50 pounds in dollars?”

“I have no idea,” you say. “Let’s go spend them.”

~~~~~~~~~~

In the evenings, you, Cadi, and Aemond gather around the television in the Lancaster Room and help yourself to the extensive VHS collection stocked for guests. You let Cadi pick: Raiders Of The Lost Ark, The Terminator, Firestarter, the Karate Kid, Aliens. You make popcorn in the extravagant kitchen in the basement of Clarence House and the three of you devour bowlfuls of it as you giggle on the couch, engulfed with throw pillows and playfully kicking at each other beneath the blankets. One night at Cadi’s request you bake Betty Crocker’s Party Rainbow Chip cupcakes with mix purchased at a Tesco down the street; on another you make hot chocolate to sip from antique tea cups. Each day, Aemond has new destinations picked out to tour. You ride the Underground like true Londoners to the Hampton Court Palace, the British Museum, Westminster Abbey, the Natural History Museum, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, Tower Bridge, the National Gallery, the Kew Gardens, Imperial College where Aemond received the petroleum engineering degree he never wanted.

As he shows you the classrooms where he attended lectures and seminars—you aren’t sure what the difference is, though you can sense that there is one—Aemond doesn’t talk about math or oil drilling. Instead, he tells you and Cadi about the people he learned about in the history classes he managed to slip into his exacting schedule like splinters into flesh: Sir Harold Gillies who pioneered plastic surgery in his treatment of World War I veterans, Phillis Wheatley who was enslaved as a child and became a renowned poet and abolitionist, Boudicca who led a rebellion against the Roman invaders and upon her defeat succumbed to some tragic, enigmatic doom. Aemond loves stories like this, you can see the light that sparks into the crystalline blue of his right eye. There is nothing he deems more heroic than people who took circumstances beyond their control and made something worthwhile out of them.

The night before the flight back to New Orleans, you’re staring at the crown molding of the Garden Room as Cadi snores softly from the other end of the massive bed and silvery moonlight covers the world. You can’t stop your thoughts from roiling like the North Sea; you can’t stop thinking about desks and chairs and books and clever blue-blooded girls jotting down in their notebooks not cake orders but mathematical equations or dates of conquest. When you breathe in the smoke and cologne Aemond left on your pillows, it tastes dark and forbidden. You climb out of the bed, roomy Bob Dylan t-shirt, pink cotton shorts, hair loose and wild, bare feet.

He is outside pacing around the sundial in the center of the garden, puffing on a Marlboro cigarette and pondering the full moon. “Can’t sleep?” Aemond asks, exhaling smoke as he glances over at you.

“You must think I’m stupid.”

“What?” He stops pacing. “Why?”

“Imperial College,” you say. “And the sorts of people who go to places like that. You must have known a lot of women who could recite Shakespear and name all the kings of England, all of Jupiter’s moons. Things I never learned. Things that I have no use for. I don’t write books or design machines or study the secrets of the universe. I bake cupcakes.”

“And they’re brilliant,” Aemond says, smiling. “I don’t think you’re stupid.”

“No?”

“No,” Aemond insists. “I think that if you’d been born where I was, you would have done far more with it.”

“Aemond…” You walk across the wet cobblestones to meet him by the sundial. It’s been raining again. The night air is chilly, foggy, painting you with goosebumps. “You still have time to become who you want to be.”

“No. I don’t.”

It’s coming from somewhere, distant but still audible, a parked car or a nearby building: Kyrie by Mr. Mister. Aemond chuckles, flicks the end of his cigarette into the lavender bushes—surely against the rules—and takes your hands in his.

“I remember this,” he says as he dances with you slowly, clumsily; you don’t know the steps. Still, you don’t want him to stop. “In your kitchen.”

He remembers everything. “Right before we went to Olive Garden for the first time.”

He sighs, pretending to be exasperated. “Of course that’s the part you committed to memory.”

“I’ve held onto a few other details too.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Like how small the back seat of your Audi Quattro is.”

“A limousine would be far more comfortable. I should invest in one.”

You laugh as he twirls you and you trip over your own feet; he pulls you upright before you can fall to the slick cobblestones. And you think: This is real. No matter what happens between him and anyone else, what we have is safe and extraordinary and real.

“I’m glad you’re here, Cupcake,” Aemond murmurs through your hair, holding you without seeking more. “You and Cadi.”

You want him again, or you’re so close to wanting him that the line is less of a boundary than a quagmire, indistinct edges and quicksand that can drag you down to drown in it. “I never knew that this was possible. Thank you, Aemond.”

“It can be like this all the time.”

Not all the time, you think, knowing that there will always be Jade Dragon, the Targaryens, the stock market, the world, the past and the future, Christabel. But some of it.

Is that enough?

~~~~~~~~~~

Willis agreed to you and Aemond taking Cadi out of the country on one condition: that you return her to him the second you arrive back in Napoleonville. It’s late Tuesday afternoon when the plane’s wheels hit the runway and squeal to a halt. Aemond has left his red Audi in the Park-and-Ride lot. You collect the car and soar west on Route 10 into the red-gold horizon, chasing the setting sun.

“Daddy!” Cadi bellows when she throws open the front door of the Assumption Parish Sheriff’s Office, waving his gift bag excitedly. Inside is a refrigerator magnet, several packages of McVitie’s Digestives in different flavors, and a miniature red-coated Queen’s Guard to keep on his desk, perpetually covered with disorganized papers and crumbs from innumerable desserts. From her poster on the wall, Heather Locklear simpers at you. At the center of the dartboard, poor Tommy Lee is impaled in four different places.

“Comment ca va, cherie?!” Willis opens his arms to hug Cadi when she barrels into him. He guffaws, his eyes are shiny; he has missed her. “Ya had a real good time, I reckon?”

“It was totally tubular. But I’m glad I’m home now. Can I get a horse? His name is Patches and I love him.”

“Huh? What the hell ya need a horse for?” He peeks around Cadi to look at you, a curious blue gaze beneath the thick dark bangs of his mullet. “What’s she talkin’ ‘bout, sugar?”

Beside you, Aemond groans irritably. Then you hear a voice from one of the holding cells, almost always empty: “Hey, cake lady.”

“Aegon?!” you and Aemond say at once, and sure enough, when you check the last holding cell there he is: unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt, blue shorts, rainbow flip flops, hair like he’s been in a hurricane, a new eyebrow piercing.

Aemond asks Willis: “What did he do?”

Willis picks up a clipboard from his cluttered desk and begins reading. “Possession with intent to distribute cocaine—”

“I told you, I wasn’t distributing anything! It was for me!”

“Aegon, shut up,” Aemond pleads.

“Possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of methamphetamine less than 28 grams, operatin’ a vehicle while intoxicated, possession of MDMA, possession of alcoholic beverages in a motor vehicle, operatin’ a vehicle with a suspended license, resistin’ an officer…” Willis flips the page. “Speedin’, reckless drivin’, disturbin’ the peace while in an intoxicated condition, possession with intent to distribute Xanax, theft—”

“What the hell did you steal?!” Aemond demands.

“Burritos. I forgot my wallet at home.” Now Aegon is indignant. “But I saidI’d get them back! They didn’t need to call anybody about it!”

“Aegon, Taco Bell does not offer payment plans!”

“I can release him to ya, I guess,” Willis tells Aemond in a slow drawl.

“I really appreciate that. I’m so sorry about him, I’m absolutely mortified, I’ll pay whatever fines you want—”

“Wait, no,” Aegon says, panicked. His hands are gripped around the iron bars. “I don’t want to leave.”

Aemond stares at him. “You’re asking to stay in jail…?”

“I can’t go home. Stephanie’s there.”

“Of course she’s there. You knew she was flying in for the wedding.”

“Please let me stay here until she goes back to Monaco.”

“Definitely not. How’s everything else?”

“There’s something wrong with one of the Lake Verret rigs. Viserys mentioned a…a…I don’t remember, a dirt dump or something.”

“A mud pump?!”

“Yeah! That’s it. That’s what he said. It exploded.”

“Fuck,” Aemond hisses, then remembers that Cadi’s still there. She gives him a sly grin. You messed up, she means. Aemond looks to you, apologetic, disappointed. “I’m going to have to drop you off and then head straight home. There are messes to be mopped up.”

“No,” Aegon moans as Willis unlocks the holding cell and then wrestles him out of it when Aegon resists. “No, I’m a felon! I’m a danger to the public!”

“Don’t,” Aemond snaps, and this time his brother listens.

You say goodbye to Cadi—she barely notices—but as you go to follow Aemond and Aegon out of the Sheriff’s Office, she has a question. “Aemond?”

He stops. “Yeah, Cadi?”

“Can I go to the wedding?”

“Weddin’?!” Willis exclaims. “Already?!”

“Not mine,” you say.

“You really want to go?” Aemond asks Cadi with some reticence. But he seems to be considering it.

“Well, yeah. Mom said she and Amir are going. You’ll be there. Lots of cake will be there. And I’ve never been to a wedding before. I want to see what it’s like.”

Aemond turns to you, then to Willis, searching for permission. “It’s alright with me,” Willis says. “As long as someone there is keepin’ an eye on her.”

“It’s your choice,” you tell Cadi. “If you’re interested, I have no objections. But you have to be nice to Christabel.”

“Christabel?!” Willis says.

“That’s Aemond’s fiancée.” And there is a collective uncomfortable silence: Willis nodding slowly as he squints at you, Cadi chewing on her thumbnail, Aemond looking down at his Adidas sneakers, Aegon staring vacuously at the Heather Locklear poster on the wall.

With Aegon squeezed into the back seat, Aemond drops you off at the home Cadi calls the Fall-Down House. The new house hasn’t closed yet, but probably will in the next week. The adolescent gator is sunbathing in the last of the daylight in one corner of the yard; you can hear the pink Panasonic boombox inside playing Another One Bites The Dust.

“Ho, you’re back!” Amir cries, jubilant. He hugs you energetically, staining you with the flour on his hands; he’s been watching the bakery while you’ve been gone and keeping every cent of the profits in recognition of his labor, as agreed upon. “How was London?”

You give him his souvenir: a purple t-shirt with Princess Diana’s face on it. “Rainy. Wonderful.”

“Did you have any kinky sex in the royal grandma’s bed?”

“No,” you say, laughing. “But it was…I don’t know how to describe it. Calm. Normal. Easy. Like we could live that way forever.”

“So you’ve decided to be his Camilla.”

“Some moments I have. Other times I haven’t. But more and more, I just…” You try to decide what you mean. “The thought of giving him up feels impossible. And Christabel…they’re so distant with each other, so disconnected, so platonic. Their relationship doesn’t feel real. Maybe I can ignore it. Maybe this is the best I can hope for.”

Amir pushes his tortoiseshell glasses up the bridge of his nose and raises an eyebrow. “It might feel more real in three days.”

The rehearsal dinner is on Friday; the wedding is only 24 hours later.

~~~~~~~~~~

“You really should consider writing a cookbook, dear,” Alicent says from where she sits across from you. The dining room table is covered with flickering pink candles, bouquets of wildflowers, drinks garnished with cotton candy and Pop Rocks. Balloons bump against the ceilings, their long ribbons streaming down like the tentacles of a jellyfish. The stereo is thumping out Caught Up In You by 38 Special. Everything is pink and red: the colors of love. Yet just like at the engagement party, no one is talking about the couple getting married tomorrow. You could almost forget that there’s going to be a wedding. That makes it easier; and if denial is the terrain you live on now, so be it. That is far less agonizing than the alternative.

“Oh, no,” you demur, taking a sip of a cotton candy cocktail. You exchange a glance with Aemond, sitting several seats down from his mother. He is in a suit—black and white, fitted, faultless—and smiling, proud of you. “A book?! I couldn’t. Not in a million years.” I never even finished high school English.

“But all of my friends from home are captivated by your recipes, darling, and it would be so much easier if I could simply send them a copy of a cookbook rather than trying to describe every dish to them! Please consider it. Do you promise?”

“That I’ll think about it? Not too taxing a commitment. I suppose so.”

“Good,” Alicent chirps, then turns to whisper something to Criston, who drapes an arm briefly across her shoulders and gives her a reassuring little embrace. Amir is chatting with Aemond about San Franscisco. Christabel is talking to Helaena, who has been forced into a voluminous, magenta taffeta dress that she clearly despises; her chameleon Dreamfyre lurches around the table, occasionally stealing tastes of people’s food. Daeron, with Tessarion perched on the back of his chair, is trying to discuss something called seismic testing results with Viserys but getting ignored. Viserys is deep in conversation with Christabel’s father, the marquess, a large loud man whose booming voice drowns out everyone else. The two of them seem delighted, celebratory, very much in their own world. Their schemes have come at last to fruition. Christabel has several younger sisters in attendance—her bridesmaids—but no mother. You gather from pieces of dialogue you’ve overheard that her mother died when she was a child, a terrible and irreparable loss. Otto is so bored he’s flipping through a picture book about Kiribati. Aegon’s wife, Princess Stephanie of Monaco, is a headstrong, charismatic, and rather critical woman with short dark hair. She notifies Aegon each and every time he fails her, which happens frequently: You’re using the wrong fork. You missed a button on your shirt. You haven’t fucked me properly in over two years. You didn’t send flowers to my grandma’s funeral. This is evidently Aegon’s worst nightmare; he has disappeared upstairs in an effort to escape her.

Dinner is finished, and dessert has been brought by the servants. It turned out more like a crepe cake than a Napoleon cake—the layers of puff pastry didn’t want to fluff up as much as they should have—but no one seems to notice. This time, you and Amir knew the dress code expectations. You are both wearing black to fade into the backdrop like shadows, like distant memories. You are invited guests, but you are also locals, inferiors, recipients of charity.

“Where’s Aegon?” Helaena says. “He has to try this cake, it’s delicious! The cherry jam cuts the heaviness of the cream and pastry dough and makes it a perfect dessert for summer! And the color is delightful! It looks just like blood!”

“Where the hell is he?” Viserys demands, looking around, twisting in his chair. “It’s his brother’s rehearsal dinner, for Christ’s sake. One night of this importance and he can’t handle it? I swear to God, if he’s snorting or smoking anything up there I’ll have him committed to an institution—”

“I’ll find him,” you offer as you stand from the table. You have to visit the bathroom anyway, too many glitzy pink cocktails; two birds, one stone. You depart from the table and Aemond’s gaze follows you, a low heat that is building towards incineration, a baiting promise of dark euphoria that you can no longer pretend you don’t want desperately, defenselessly. Christabel gives you a sweet little wave. She is dripping in gold—dress, heels, jewelry—and seems happier tonight, more self-assured. Perhaps with the wedding so close, her trepidation concerning Aemond’s commitment has evaporated. Surely it is too late to call off the ceremony now. Tonight they feast, tomorrow they recite their vows, and then…

But no, you don’t think about the honeymoon. You will not allow yourself to. It can’t exist to you, and that is how you’ll survive this. Christabel will be in one universe, you in another, two timelines that never cross like something out of Star Trek. And the way she and Aemond interact is so impersonal, so untactile, that it is not so difficult to treat anything beyond chaste pecks on cheeks as an impossibility.

At the top of the staircase, Vhagar is lurking. She wags her long twiglike tail when she sees you and licks the knuckles of your left hand. You give her a pat on the head—and then several more when she whines as you try to leave—then at last she lopes off down the hallway.

Aegon is exactly where you’d assumed he’d be. He’s in his bedroom hunched over his computer and hammering furiously at the keyboard. There’s white powder on his fingers and in his thin mustache. On the screen, bizarrely, is what appears to be neon green grass and an ox-drawn wagon like the ones from the pioneer days. Sunfyre the ferret is stretched out across the bed napping, his angular face resting on his paws.

Aegon whirls around to face you. He is wearing a lime green satin suit but has forgotten to put on a shirt under it. “What? What? What do you want? I’m playing Oregon Trail. I have dysentery.”

“You have what…? Never mind, it’s not important. You need to come downstairs and eat some dessert. People are wondering where you are.”

“I’m busy.”

“If you don’t make an appearance on your own, Viserys will come looking for you. Also there are some Cap’n Crunch treats I left on the kitchen counter that you might be interested in.”

“Consider me tempted. I’ll be down momentarily.”

“You better be,” you tell Aegon, then retrace your steps back to the kitchen. Amir and Christabel are both there getting cans of Pepsi from the fridge and making very cumbersome small talk…or perhaps only Amir thinks it is that much of a burden. Christabel is chattering blithely away about different types of wildflowers. He gives you a look like Oh thank God, an excuse to escape and wastes no time heading back to the dining room.

“Did you notice what’s playing now?” he asks you just before he vanishes, then points towards the stereo in the grand foyer. You listen; it’s Money For Nothing by Dire Straits. “You think they know this song is about class warfare?”

“You should tell them,” you joke.

“Yeah, if I want to end up on Unsolved Mysteries.” Then Amir is gone.

“How are you doing?” you ask Christabel to be polite. You open the refrigerator and start hunting for your own can of Pepsi. “Excited? Nervous? You seem a little more relaxed than the last time I saw you. Are the wedding jitters finally dissipating?”

“They are,” she says, and when you glance back at her she is wearing a bashful sort of smile. It’s not an expression you can read. You resume digging through the refrigerator for a can of Pepsi; Amir and Christabel might have taken the last ones.

“That’s good,” you say noncommittally, hoping she’ll leave. But Christabel doesn’t leave. She seems to have something she needs to say. Just as you spy a lone can of Pepsi at the very back of the refrigerator and lean in to grab it, she proceeds to unburden herself.

“Well, you know, I was so concerned about me and Aemond before. I had no conviction that he especially liked me, and we never had anything to talk about, and he was so dreadfully undemonstrative…I was just beside myself, truly. I didn’t know what to do. But I feel much better about everything now. Norway was so good for us.”

Norway?

You close the refrigerator, your ice-cold Pepsi can clutched in your hand. You’re going cold all over. Slowly, you turn towards Christabel, glittering in her gold dress.

Norway???

“He took you on the North Sea trip.” You hear the words, but it doesn’t feel like you’ve said them. They sound flat and dazed.

“It’s a bit of a secret,” Christabel says; and again, her smile has no cruelty or sharp awareness in it, but her cheeks are pink. She’s blushing. What does she have to be embarrassed about? “My father doesn’t know. He wouldn’t approve. But I just felt…I felt ready, you know? I’m sure you understand what I mean. You aren’t so clinical and aloof about everything. I had to know if Aemond and I really had something between us before we got married.”

“You felt…ready?” Ready for what? Ready for WHAT, Christabel?

“I asked Aemond to take me with him. I begged, actually.” She giggles. “I won’t try to be proud about it! And finally he said yes. We stayed at a lovely hotel in Bergen, and during the day he would have to fly by helicopter out to the rigs, but at night…”

You’re staring blankly at her. You can’t believe what you think she’s going to say. Surely it must be something else, anything else—

“It wasn’t my plan to ever be intimate with a man before marriage, but sometimes…things change. Minds change, circumstances change. And I knew I wanted it. And it went so well! Now what do I have to be nervous about? All the uncertainties are resolved. Now we just sign the paperwork and start our lives together.”

He took her to Norway.

He slept with her in Norway.

“I hope it was just as good for him,” Christabel muses, a compulsive sort of oversharing. But she has had a few cocktails and she thinks you’re nonjudgemental and there’s probably not a single other soul she feels she can be truthful with…so why not the girl who got knocked up at prom and had a baby at seventeen? Surely she’s in no position to judge. “It’ll be even better once we can…you know. When we’re officially trying for a baby and there’s no need to worry about any precautions. I want Aemond to enjoy himself as much as possible. I want to be a good wife to him.”

You feel dizzy; you feel violently ill. And now you see everything: Aemond kissing her with his mouth open and ravenous, his hands between her legs, his hips pressed to hers, peeling off her clothes and learning how to make her moan, make her wet, make her come, and you think of how careful he must have been with her, a girl with no past, no ex-husband, no childbirth that nearly killed her, no stretchmarks and no baggage, just a smooth pristine rivulet of flesh that was so pure and uncontaminated it was weightless, and you can hear—though you don’t want to, though it feels like it will kill you—how tender he was, how encouraging, not a dominant who drinks down fantasies like a vampire sustained by blood but just a man, and a man who has at last found a woman he doesn’t need to grab, bite, bruise, handcuff to a bedpost to feel satisfied with.

He took her to Norway and he never told me.

You are saying something, and Christabel is nodding appreciatively, accepting the sage wisdom of a tarnished life. Your words don’t matter. They are folktales and charms, the croaks of bullfrogs, the whispers of the wind through Spanish moss, the Morse code of ripples in the water of the bayou. You are a novelty and your counsel is a souvenir; one day when she is living in California or Argentina or Australia or Alaska or her ancestral castle back in the U.K., Christabel will tell Aemond’s children: Once I met a nice single mom from Napoleonville Louisiana, and she told me to follow my heart and not let anyone shame me for wanting to be close with my soon-to-be husband.

Vhagar trots into the kitchen and begins nudging her massive head against Christabel’s bare knees. “Hi, big girl!” Christabel coos as she pets the blue merle Great Dane, clearly accustomed to this. “Who’s a giant gorgeous girl? You are!”

What did I expect? I knew they were getting married. I knew they were going to sleep together.

Yes, you knew it, but you hadn’t felt it, and now you have.

I can’t do this, you realize. I thought I could but I can’t.

“Christabel?” Alicent is calling like a windchime. “Darling, there are just a few more things we have to discuss before tomorrow, will you come back to the table please?”

“On my way!” Christabel replies obediently, and she gives you a quick, impulsive hug before vanishing.

I’m going to be sick. I’m going to have a heart attack. I’m going to drop dead right in the middle of this fucking kitchen.

Leaving your can of Pepsi forgotten on the countertop, you escape to the living room and then out the French doors into the garden. You run past the pool all the way to the pond full of multicolored fish you once hadn’t known were koi. You drop to your knees, then lie down on the cold cobblestones, and when it hits you again—Aemond touching her, Aemond loving her—you rupture into sobs that are breathless and shuddering. You try to stifle the noise with your palms; you clasp them over your mouth and smother your wails. It feels like you’re being ripped apart; it feels like you’re in labor, but there is no end, no consolation of a new life, no point at which your body chooses whether you live or die. It is only a razored wheel that turns in you again and again and again, shredding muscle and splitting bones.

There is a hand on your shoulder; someone is patting it awkwardly. You look up to see Aegon standing there. “Sorry,” he says. “You look…not good.”

“I’m really not good. I’m fucking terrible.” Your face is soaked and stinging with tears, your voice is strangled.

“Do you want some coke?”

“No, Aegon.”

“Do you want a ride home?”

“From you? Yeah, for sure, getting impaled by a stop sign would be a great next move for me.”

“I’m totally fine to drive.”

“Can you just pull Amir aside without anyone else noticing and tell him to say his goodbyes and then meet me in the driveway, please? He drove me here. I need him to take me home.”

“Okay,” Aegon says, and then: “Thanks for the Cap’n Crunch Treats. Thanks for remembering something I like and caring enough to bring more. No one really does that around here.” And he’s gone before you can think of a reply.

To get to the driveway without going though the house, you climb over a 5-foot wrought iron fence swarmed with rosebushes and ivy, no easy feat in a black Kmart dress and matching ballet flats. You acquire a dozen shallow gashes on your hands and forearms, but make it to the Ford Escort just in time for Amir to meet you under the full, cloudless moon, tossing his car keys from one hand to the other.

“What did—?” Then he sees your face. He gasps, knowing how bad it is. He’s never seen you like this. He didn’t know it was possible for you to look like this. He unlocks the Ford Escort and joins you inside, turning the key in the ignition. “What the fuck did Aemond do to you?!”

“I have to go home. It’s over, it’s over, I can’t do this.”

Amir is spinning out of the driveway. “Did he hurt you, did he—?!”

“He fucked Christabel in Norway,” you say, sobbing uncontrollably. “And I know I have no right to be jealous, I know we don’t have a conventional relationship, I thought I could handle this but I can’t. I can’t stop picturing him with her, and hearing it, and I…I…I don’t understand why this hurts so goddamn bad.”

“Babe,” Amir says gently, a palm on your trembling thigh. “You’re in love with him. That’s why.”

“This is killing me,” you whisper. You’re shaking all over. You feel like you’re battling for every breath.

Your best friend—your only friend—is quiet for a long time. “Don’t go tomorrow,” Amir finally says. “You don’t need to see the wedding. You shouldn’t put yourself through that. I’ll go, I can handle the cake alone, especially if Cadi’s with me to help with carrying plates and stuff.”

You don’t say anything. You stare out the nightscape window and mop tears from your face with McDonald’s napkins you find in Amir’s glovebox.

“Did you hear me? I don’t think you should go to the wedding tomorrow.”

“I won’t,” you agree hoarsely. “I can’t watch them have my wedding.”

“Willis is dropping Cadi off in the morning, right? I’ll pick her and the cake up from your house and bring her back when it’s over. You can tell her whatever you want…you have another cake order to work on, you’re sick, you’re injured, your mom needs a ride to the doctor, whatever.”

“Okay,” you whimper.

“Hey, look at me.”

You do, sniffling, shivering, in agony.

“You don’t deserve this. You deserve better than this.”

I don’t think I do. I think if I did, it would have happened by now. But you know Amir will not accept this answer. “Okay,” you say again, trying to make yourself believe it.

In the gravel driveway of your sinking house, Amir asks if you want him to say. You tell him no, you want to be alone, you have to think, you have to plan. Really, you just don’t want anyone to see you this shattered. It’s humiliating, it’s like you’re an animal, like something less than human needing to licks its wounds in a dark place. You walk into the Fall-Down House and flip on the kitchen light, artificial yellow luminance. You don’t start the air conditioner. You don’t touch the Panasonic boombox. You stand there mindlessly in the sounds of the bayou: cicada screams, owl hoots, the far-away hissing of gators. The wedding cake is in the refrigerator, banana bread, cream cheese frosting, a kaleidoscope of wildflowers painted by Amir’s expert hand. He’s leaving. Aemond’s leaving. Everyone is leaving.

There are tires crunching on gravel in the driveway, there are footsteps on the sloping porch. He is able to yank the door open because you never lock it. He blows in like a storm that kills.

“What the hell happened?!” Aemond shouts. “Why did you leave?! You didn’t even have the decency to say goodbye to me—”

“You took her to Norway.”

Aemond’s face goes from furious to lost. “Why would she tell you that?”

Not That’s not true, not Let me explain, not It didn’t mean anything. Your stomach sinks, a basket full of stones. “Because she thinks I’m her friend.”

“It wasn’t…” Aemond sighs. “It was a last-minute thing, and it was her idea. She really, really wanted to go to Norway, and I figured…you know…what’s the difference between the wedding night and a few weeks before it? So yeah, it happened—”

“Oh God,” you whisper, starting to sob again.

“And then I came home to your house, to your doorstep, because I missed you the entire time. The entire time, every hour, every minute, and there are no exceptions, okay, are you listening to me? I took her to Norway because I had to. I took you and Cadi to Clarence House because I wanted to. What I do with her is a reflex, an obligation, I’m on autopilot, I’m thinking of you to get myself hard, I don’t know how else to express to you how completely different these situation are in every single goddamn way.”

“She said it was good,” you say huskily, tears snaking down your cheeks that are raw from trying to dab them dry.

“Of course it was good for her!” Aemond flings back. “I’ve had a lot of casual sex, I know how to make women come, it’s a math equation, it doesn’t mean we’re soulmates!”

“I know I have no claim to you, but I…” You gaze out the kitchen window, dark and still, nothing to see but stars and lighting bugs. “I can’t do this.”

Aemond asks, kindly now: “What do you want?”

I want to not have to beg you to choose me. “I want this to be over.”

“No,” he says, panicking. “No you don’t.”

“I do.”

“You’re going to give this up as soon as it gets painful? I’m not worth fighting for, what I can do for you and Cadi isn’t worth a little pain? Because I’m no stranger to it either. You think I’m not hurting, you think nothing ever keeps me awake at night?”

“You could leave your prison any time you want to. But instead you built a brand new one around me.”

“You don’t understand what the kind of responsibility I’m beholden to feels like.”

“Yeah, a town named after Napoleon is the right place for you,” you seethe, enraged. “You’ve felt so fucking small your whole life that now you’re starving for what it tastes like to be in control. But I can’t let you destroy me. I can’t let my daughter grow up watching me settle for less than I need from a man. She’ll learn to live the same way.”

“I can’t believe you’re doing this.”

“Aemond,” you say, and you wait until he looks at you. “Do you really want children?”

When he answers, his voice frayed and his right eye misty. “I love Cadi.”

“That’s not what I asked. Do you want children of your own with Christabel?”

“I have to,” he says, miserable.

“No,” you plead. “You cannot have a baby with that girl. You can’t, Aemond. You are going to ruin so many lives, not just your own.”

“I have to,” he says again.

“Then get out. Viserys owns you, and Viserys wouldn’t want you here. He would want you back at the mansion impregnating your child bride.”

“She’s a legal adult, she’s 19, and she wants me, she begs for me, I’m not twisting her arm—”

“Then go!” you roar, striking him hard, both palms to his chest. Aemond doesn’t budge. “Get out, go home, go have kids you won’t give a fuck about just like Viserys never cared about you. Go repeat the cycle all over again. I’m done. I can’t be a part of it.”

“I won’t be like him,” Aemond swears.

“You will be. You already are.” You shove him again, but still, Aemond doesn’t move. You know what he’s waiting for, you know the right word to say. But you can’t get it to launch from your lips; it catches in your throat like a blade through the windpipe. “Get out!”

Your fingers hook into the lapels of his black suit jacket and stay there; you can’t let go. You’re both breathing heavily; you can hear it, you can feel the heat in the air. You keep his jacket gripped in your hands, he can move no closer, no farther away. When he leans into you, you breathe in his smoke and cologne; when his hands cradle your face, you feel the benevolent power that once gave you peace.

I want him. I need him. Not forever, no, I understand that’s not possible. But just for right now.

You look up at him and Aemond kisses you, his lips and tongue claiming you like untouched land; he puts down roots, he slits the jugulars of trespassers.

Here. Now.

You drag him down with you. When you drop to the floor, you strike the back of your skull against the scuffed, sloping wood and bite back a yelp.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Aemond says, though it isn’t his fault; he reaches for your head and cushions it with his right hand. “Are you okay?”

“I’m okay.” You’re tearing open his white shirt; tiny translucent buttons go flying in every direction. Your palms glide over his chest, up to his throat, to his jaw, to knot in his hair. He reaches beneath your dress to slide off your panties, then buries his fingers between your legs. You moan helplessly, needfully, spreading your thighs wider for him. No man has ever been able to do this to you before: to make you forget everything, to make you feel—if only for a moment—beloved, worthy, chosen. He’s kissing you like he knows this is the last time. You’re touching the left side of his face and he doesn’t even notice, he won’t realize until later that there was a time when he was cured.

Aemond pulls his wallet out of the pocket of his suit pants, flips it open, and roots through it until he finds a condom. He starts to rip it open, moving with desperate speed, dire impatience.

“No, don’t,” you say. “Please don’t. I want all of you.” And I won’t get another chance.

He exhales in deep, ecstatic relief; he wants it too. You’re soaked, you’re ready, you’re aching for him like mending bones. He eases himself into you, gasping, and you are stunned by how good it feels already, how close you are, every rope of nerves and muscle glimmering with an opening heat that builds higher and higher, the reverse of a tornado finally touching down on earth. His hands are linked with yours and pinned to the floor above your head; he’s kissing you, he’s moaning into you, he thrusts deeper and harder when you beg him to do it.

Aemond untangles one hand from yours and reaches low to stroke you. Your fingers find his again and catch him, capture him, bring his hand back to the floor where it can be entwined with yours and his weight can hold it to the scraped wood. “I don’t need it, I’m close. Stay here. Stay with me.”

“I’m here,” he whispers, panting; and the friction of his body against yours overtakes you, and when you come it is blinding, bone-breaking, a whirlpool that traps you for what feels like over a minute, soaring highs punctuated by the illusion of fading over and over again until you think you can’t stand it, and only then does it end, Aemond collapsing on the floor beside you covered in your sweat and your wetness, you feeling the remnants of him bleeding down your bare thighs.

You drag yourself upright—muscles sore in your belly and back and thighs—and roll onto your knees so you can stagger to your feet. You tug on your panties so he doesn’t drip out of you onto the floor. Then you straighten the skirt of your black dress, turn on the little pink Panasonic boombox—it’s a U2 song, Where The Streets Have No Name—and begin washing a muffin tin that was left in the sink.

Aemond stands up and runs a hand through his hair, getting his bearings. He looks down at his pants and fixes his zipper and belt. He tries to close his shirt and then remembers you tore off the buttons. They lie scattered across the floor, useless.

As you scrub the muffin tin, you hear Aemond’s footsteps behind you. His palms begin at the small of your back and then skate around your waist to encircle you.

“Stop,” you tell him; and immediately his hands fall away. Aemond waits for you to say more, but you don’t. You don’t even look at him.

He walks to where the kitchen becomes the living room—you can tell by the creaks in the floor—and again, he waits. After a while he says: “I’ll call you when the new house is ready.”

“No. Have Criston handle it. I don’t ever want to talk to you again.”

“You get that I’m in love with you, right?” Aemond forces out, and when at last you turn to him there is the metallic glistening of tears on his right cheek. “I never feel this way about anyone. I don’t know how to handle it, I didn’t even know it was possible. But it’s true.”

“It’s not enough,” you say simply, and resume scrubbing the muffin tin.

He waits in silence, thirty seconds, a minute, two minutes. Then the door opens and shuts—like the jaws of a beast—and he’s gone.

#aemond targaryen x reader #aemond targaryen #aemond x you #aemond one eye #aemond x reader #aemond #aemond fanfiction #hotd aemond

[incorrectbatfam]

If the members of the batfam wrote memoirs or essays about themselves, what would their opening hooks be?

Dick: *record scratch and freeze frame* So you're probably wondering how I ended up here.

Jason: This is the story of how I died. Don't worry, I got better.

Tim: It all began on the day of my actual birth. Both of my parents failed to show up.

Damian: A caution to those who have an inferiority complex: stop reading right this second. The Homeric epic of my life will only make you feel more useless.

Duke: According to all known laws of city planning, there is no way a city like Gotham should be able to exist. It's infrastructure is too weak to build its fat little buildings off the ground. Gotham, of course, runs anyway, because the city doesn't care what humans think is impossible.

Cullen: The first rule of Tumblr is you don't talk about Tumblr.

Stephanie: ...I can explain.

Cassandra: Hi my name is Cassandra Wu-San Black Bat Orphan Cain and I have short bat-colored black hair (that’s how I got my name) with purple streaks and red tips that reaches my mid-shoulder and cold black eyes like limpid tears and a lot of people tell me I look like an Asian Amy Lee (AN: if u don’t know who she is get da hell out of here!). I’m not related to the Biblical Cain but I wish I was because he’s a major fucking hottie. I’m a bat but my teeth are straight and white. I have pale white skin. I’m also a vigilante, and I live in a comic book city called Gotham in New Jersey where I’m the second Batgirl (I’m twenty-four). I’m a goth (in case you couldn’t tell) and I wear mostly black. I love Hot Topic and I buy all my clothes from there. For example today I was wearing a black bodysuit with matching holsters around it and a black leather jacket, yellow fingerless gloves and black combat boots. I was wearing black lipstick, white foundation, black eyeliner and red eye shadow. I was walking outside in Gotham. It was snowing and raining so there was no sun, which I was very happy about. A lot of Rogues stared at me. I put up my middle finger at them.

Barbara: Do you ever look at someone and wonder what is going on inside their head?

Harper: A long long time ago in a city far away...

Carrie: Bruce told me I can't insert audio so let's just say you got Rickrolled.

Kate: The definition of gay? Me. The definition of disaster? Also me. My picture's in the dictionary twice, suck it.

Alfred: In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and more bat-children. And at this point I'm not so sure about death.

Selina: "Mom I want Bruce Wayne" "We have Bruce Wayne at home" The Bruce Wayne at home:

Bruce: Look behind you.

#dick grayson #jason todd #tim drake #damian wayne #duke thomas #cullen row #stephanie brown #cassandra cain #barbara gordon #harper row #carrie kelley #kate kane #alfred pennyworth #selina kyle #bruce wayne #batman #batfamily #batfam #batboys #batbros #batgirls #batkids #batsiblings #batman family #dc comics #headcanon #crack #tw swearing #tw death mention #long post

[strong-with-the-sarcasm]

Part 3 - If you could’ve seen

Dp x DC: Regent!Jazz, Vigilante!Jazz

Masterlist Part 2

“If you could’ve seen how I looked yesterday, a hopeless disaster, but I’m getting better at being faster.” -Never Look Back by The Nearly Deads

Jazz wasn't so proud to admit that she had many regrets about her life choices.

Taking the Crown was a fine line between terrifying and glorifying, with the many scars and callouses Jazz now bore from the hours of training (at Pandora's behest) a misgiving that was required for the sake of survival.

Hurting her little brother was the heaviest weight on her chest.

It hadn't been that Jazz meant to cause Danny pain from escaping Amity Park, but he'd already died there once from the portal and almost a second time when her parents the older Fentons captured Phantom in a thermos and strapped him down.

They had crossed a line, the point of no return, and Jazz was done trying to fix her broken family. The moment they cut into Danny while he screamed "I'm alive, I'm alive!" was the renouncement of their right to their own lives.

Jazz had enacted Vengeance for her little brother, the hero in death he shouldn't have had to become. For all the Unquiet Dead and Neverborn ended by the Fentons.

For her lost childhood. For her lost humanity.

Slash, slash, slash went the Regent's sword. Blood spattered the walls of the lab, mixed with the ecto already there from a fight for one's existence.

One slash, two, three Blood is on your hands already. 

Frostbite would later, admist the ice and snow of the Far Frozen, that as a Liminal Jazz had triggered a rage state due to both her emotions and her unintentional ecto-starvation.

It wasn't enough to absorb it from the environment anymore, not with the Crown and summoning her ecto-sword. She would have to consume raw ecto to replenish her levels and diminish the chances of another blackout rage.

(Frostbite and Danny would never know that Jazz was fully aware of her actions.)

(She just didn't care anymore, Danny was more important.)

Danny had healed over the few months they were in Gotham, his incision wound now a grotesque Y-shaped scar over his scrawny chest that would never fade. His ecto-levels were improving with constant exposure to a natural portal, corrupted as it was, and slowly he was gaining back his sense of self.

Jazz didn't talk much anymore, but Danny was all too happy to argue with her- about her ripping him away from his haunt, killing his parents, his friends, and going out as a vigilante almost every night.

(As she had guessed, Danny was relieved that the Joker was dead and not a ghost.)

(He'd never know that Joker had returned as a ghost, but the Regent crushed his core before he could even form words.)

(Both Sam and Danny approved of her trophy though.)

At the other end of Crime Alley, tucked away in a safe house, Jason Todd was dying.

Well, so he thought, as his heart ached in his chest and beat so fast it could almost rip itself from his rib cage.

(If he was a lesser man, he might’ve gone crying to Bruce for help, but not in this life.)

Jason had collapsed on his bed in full gear, sans helmet, as the pain began to wrack his body. Was he truly dying again?

(He wasn’t ready to. Not again.)

And to think his night started so well.

He’d woken up a few minutes before his alarm went off, the hazy dregs of sleep trying to lure him back in, back to the rather nice dream he’d been having.

(Feminine build in bloody armor, a teasing grin, soft lips against his own.)

He didn’t even have patrol that night, his one day off a week he could just relax as Jason, not Jay Peters or Red Hood- only for it to be ruined by the emergency alert on his phone announcing that his murderer had broken free again.

Fucking Joker.

Old familiar rage simmered low in Jason’s gut, but much to his surprise, his vision didn’t tint neon green. No haze of being on the verge of a blackout rage at the mere thought of his murderer.

Nothing.

(What was going on?)

It wasn’t as if the Pit Madness could just be gone, right?

Right?

(Jason Todd was no a fool, the Madness was still there.)

(Just… sedated. Like it didn’t need to boil to the surface anymore where it concerned his murderer.)

And for the first time in a very long while, Jason felt like himself again.

Until the agony began.

A/N:

{I swear I try writing something that’s not angst for once and this is what I get. Great. Well as long as someone likes it, right?}

{Oh and sliding in an AU for Jason too! Not Halfa!Jason, because I’m not a particular fan of how I would write it. But something more akin to what he was when he dug himself out of his grave pre-dip in corrupted Ectoplasm ala League of Assassins.}

#dp x dc au #dc x dp crossover #dpxdc #dp x dc #jazz fenton #I tried writing something more positive and this is the result #more angst for the pile #yay #at least we have the mounted clown head right? #and Jason POV! #Jason is a… trope.

[sansxfuckyou]

new setting (new ideals)

Summary: Wherein John Dory accidentally sneaks into the home universe of Sans after a very small margin of victory in the latest multiversal tourney; things escalate in unprecedented ways after the local scientist sizes him up to scale.

Warnings: swearing, drinking, god i am so sorry for this

Authors Note: @ohposhers @bulliestrolls someone needs to put you two in the fucking slammer for drawing sansdory, and then they need to put me in the slammer for writing sansdory. for the sake of enjoying this fic please picture JD as a lot more creature than in canon.

John Dory was small enough to fit inside of Sans' coat pocket.

Sans discovers this the hard way when the ex leader of brozone falls out of his pocket after his return to Snowdin.

"Ain't snow fucking way." Was what Sans managed as he stared at the unmoving body in the snow, far too small to be considered the average monster for the underground. The Troll would be eaten without a second thought, mistaken for the bugs Muffet doesn't provide protection for.

He plucks the tufted tail and holds up John Dory like he's a dead rat. Of course he snaps awake as soon as Sans is holding him at eye height, and with a screech he's flung aside as the skeleton lurches back.

Sans pauses to catch his breath, "Okay, so you're not dead. That's good."

"Where am I?!" Was John Dory's instant question as he shook the snow from his hair and brushed himself down.

"Pipe down pipsqueak, I won't let you get squished," Sans said as he took a seat on the snow. He held out a hand, "We should probably get you situated with Alphys, size you up a bit."

John reluctantly stepped onto a gloved hand and took a seat on the palm, it was cold and unpleasant. His tail thwipped loudly despite his size, "Anything else in mind to get me back home?" The words are agitated.

"Want me to leave you here?"

Silence.

"Thought so, I'll give you a hand in figuring it out, but you're playing by my rules bud."

"How were you the reigning champ for years on end?"

"The girlies liked me for my dry humor, MILF hunting attitude, and undetermined backstory- and my infinite fuckability of course."

"Must suck not having a dick."

Sans just gives a hum before giving John a gently toss, only a few inches but he still yelps and clings desperately to phalanges when he lands back in Sans' hand. It garners a chuckle from the skeleton, "Pal, I got extremities you couldn't even dream of, and no, that isn't an invitation to start listing 'em off."

John Dory shuts his mouth.

"Don't be shocked if Alphys tries to fill you up with needles and probes."

"With what-"

"She's a curious gal."

-/-/-/-

Thankfully the resizing process involves a lot less probing than Sans said it would, which John is eternally grateful for. He'd like to avoid having a cold piece of metal shoved up his ass if possible. The process just required a small blood sample and some weighing before he was resized with one little ray.

And then he was the exact same height as Sans, give or take a few inches.

"Proportionately, I can see why you won," Sans said, hands stuffed in his pockets and expression same as always. It's far too hard for John Dory to read, he can't tell if it's sarcastic or genuine.

"Thanks." He shrugs off the compliment because he doesn't know how to take it.

"Is it easier to see why I was the reigning champ?" Sans asked.

"You're the furthest thing from 'sexyman' out there," John Dory said before he could actually think about the words exiting his mouth.

Sans laughed, "Tell it to The Onceler, if you can convince him to take me off the bracket then I'll stop trying my best."

"You don't try at all."

"The girlies like me for that."

"What is it with you and the girlies?"

"What makes you think that the guys were voting for me?" Sans shot back, "Think you can walk and talk? I know a shortcut."

"Good point," John Dory said, "I can walk and talk."

"Cool." Sans holds out a hand.

"What?"

"Gotta hold my hand to take the shortcut."

John places his paw atop Sans hand and the grip the motion is received with is far too intense to be considered normal. But a shortcut is a shortcut, and he'll just have to take help to get around this universe until he can get home.

-/-/-/-

"Ketchup?"

"Yeah man, ketchup." Sans tossed a bottle to John Dory as he spoke, the Troll catching it with ease.

"You expect me to drink ketchup? I've had worse, but what about alcohol?" John asked.

"Bud," Sans began, "The bartender is a living flame, you really think he wants to be handling highly flammable stuff?"

"Fair point, but can you actually get drunk offa ketchup?" John asked, and he gave this slanted smirk as he spoke, partially leaning an elbow on the bar. He's gotten more comfortable after a week in Sans' hometown, he lives in the room under the sink in the skelebros household and made it his own until later notice.

Sans gives a hum, "Wanna find out?"

John grins before popping off the cap, "Try me."

-/-/-/-

"What do they put in this shit, Sans?" The words are spoken with a giggle and despite the ache in his head John Dory goes back for more.

"Tomatoes," Sans answered with, still slowly downing his first serving of ketchup.

"It's gotta be more than that, bonedaddy," John Dory purred, leaning a little bit more on the bar and resting his chin in his hands.

A distinct azure rises to Sans' face, "I think you've had too much ketchup."

"You meant it."

"What?"

"When we were in the lab, when you said I looked hot. You meant it, you like me," John deduced rather skillfully despite his inept state.

"And if I do?" Sans asked.

John pauses, "It'd be hot, Sans and John Dory double teaming the tourney."

"Alright, we should get home," Sans said, sliding off his bar stool and holding out a gloved hand.

John Dory took it and slid off his own stool, his tail wagged about lazily. His face is burning up and he looks oddly lovesick, a realization that Sans makes the choice to ignore until he can contemplate it late at night. Alone. In bed. By himself.

The Troll slinks an arm under Sans' shoulders, face resting atop the fluff of his hoodie and nuzzled into the collar of his turtleneck, he still clutches a hand tightly. He gives a contented hum, "Your jacket's soft."

"I know."

"You're soft."

"That's an odd thing to say considering I'm all bones."

"I'll show you bones."

"We really gotta get you home."

"And then?"

"And then you're going to sleep, no goodnight kiss."

-/-/-/-

Another week passes and Papyrus suddenly has to deal with the fact that Sans and John Dory are being overtly romantic.

"Your teeth are cold." John Dory would always say whenever he tried to kiss Sans.

"The girlies like it." Sans would always answer.

And sometimes John Dory would try again to get the usually snapped shut jaw open, or he'd say, "I guess I'm one of the girlies."

They'd laugh and after a small beat of silence continue on with their day.

Maybe it's selfish that Sans is keeping John Dory from a way back to his own universe, but he's pretty sure the Troll doesn't mind. He's stopped asking when he'll get to go back home at least, and Sans is benefiting from having someone around.

It makes the resets more tolerable if nothing else, and Sans just doesn't tell John about them. About the times he's watched everyone die and everyone live, he never speaks a word of it. And unless Frisk brings it up, he won't have to know of the amnesia or the violence.

And they can keep living their happily ever after.

#sansdory #trolls fanfic #undertale fanfiction #sans undertale #john dory trolls #john dory #sans #undertale #trolls #yes i sprinkled in some fanon sans at the very end. for funsies. #writing #fanfic #fanfiction

[rebouks]

Previous // Next

Brynn: Why here? Wyatt: It seemed far enough away… [Brynn squints as Wyatt shrugs off the question, literally and figuratively; silently waiting for more] Wyatt: I’m not falling for that trick. Brynn: I am nosy, so what? Wyatt: [sighs] My grandma was born and raised here; I came to visit her once, when I was little. Brynn: Only once? Wyatt: It was a long visit. Brynn: Was she nice? Wyatt: Very. Brynn: Do you sometimes wonder what life would look like if you stayed? [Despite the answer being yes, Wyatt shakes his head; there’s no point dwelling on such things] Wyatt: Did you stay in Del Sol? Brynn: I move back to San My-.. is not much better. Wyatt: Hm. Brynn: I am happiest I ever been, but is just a different type of cage. Wyatt: Wha-… Brynn: Oh, I should go. [Wyatt follows Brynn’s gaze, eyeing her companion suspiciously as he trudged toward them through the snow] Wyatt: Alright… Brynn: You have phone? Wyatt: Yeah, why? Brynn: I put my number in it. Wyatt: Why? Brynn: Friends don’t have to live in same country, do they? Wyatt: [scoffs] Friends? You’re not wired up right. Brynn: Neither are you… … Gael: Did you just give that guy your number? Brynn: Maybe. Gael: So, you do know him? Brynn: [sighs] Is long story I not willing to tell. Gael: Fair enough-.. you hungry? Brynn: Starving.

#ts4 #sims 4 #simblr #ts4 story #sims story #forever in between #fib #brynn franz #gael gilbert #wyatt shaw #hmmmmmmm #⚆_⚆ #u prolly don't wanna know that story anyway gael... #also #the surname 'yoshida' which wyatt has adopted was his grandma's maiden name #which is kinda cute ngl

[yuyu1024]

One and only

Pairings: San x Y/N

Genre/tags: established relationship, mafia

Warning: fluff but still 🔞 smut/angst, unprotected sex, cursing, semi public, pet names, jealousy, clingy, mention of blood and death, blowjob/handjob [lmk if i miss anything]

Words: 4.4k

Disclaimer:

- this story is just made up

- english is not my first language, please be nice 😊

Note: posted this during holidays🎄⭐️ but i deleted my acct bcoz of stupiditttyyyyy? 🙃 anyways... almost done reposting my one shots. I'll try to post my short series soon.

***

It's holiday season. Everyone you know are all busy preparing for the coming christmas. Your friends are busy buying gifts for their love ones and they are also excited planning all their trips or dates with their each own special someone. Whilst you on the other hand, you are not planning anything.

"Y/n, what are you going to do this christmas?" One of your friend asks

"I'll be visiting my parents on the 25th." You answer

"That's all?" She asks

"Do you want to come with us? My family are going on a staycation on this fancy hotel... I can ask them if I could bring you." The other friend suggested

"No... it's fine. I'll be at home. I deserve a break too from all the work I've been doing..." you answer

"I get it... you deserve it yes.. but... are you not sad you are not spending Christmas eve with someone...?" The first friend ask

"Even a date?" The other one adds. "You know... if you only accept the guys wanting to take you on a date or atleast get to know you... I'm sure you have a boyfriend now."

You laugh at how worried they are with you spending Christmas eve alone.

"I'm fine. I'm happy."

Being the "single one" in your friendship group is nothing new. It's not that you don't want to meet anyone or get to know someone but it's just that you are not actually single. None of them knows that you have been dating this guy for quite some time now.

You are not hiding him or your relationship because you are embarassed about him. You are just respecting his privacy and for safety reasons as well.

He is the son of the leader of the famous mafia in the country. Everybody knows their family. They fear them. Everyone thinks they are the most dangerous beings to exist. However little did they know, they only look mean as hell. But these men, all have hearts and kindess to help anyone in need. They just don't publicize the good things they do.

"Okay... whatever you say... just call us when you need someone to talk to when you feel alone."

"I'm fine girls... seriously... and enjoy your vacation. Don't mind me. Spend your time with your boyfriends and family... okay?"

"Okay." Both of them say at the same time.

"Great!"

Then after a few more minutes chatting with them your phone alarm buzzes. It's a reminder.

"Oh crap! I need to go now!" You say in a hurry. "I had to go to this shop my mother told me to go... I need to drop her gifts for her friend who's in the city for vacation."

"Okay... sure..." both your friend stands up and hugs you.

"Happy holidays! See you after more than a week." You say

"See you and stay safe! Be careful running in the snow okay? You are clumpsy." The first friend says

"I will."

"Bye!"

You wave goodbye one last time before running out of the coffee shop.

You are really in a hurry. It is true that you have to meet your mother's friend to give them the gift. You were supposed to meet the park near the hotel they're staying at. It's not that far from where you and your friends met so you just decided to walk from there.

Then while you are on the walk, you decides to text your lover to let him know where you will be at.

Y/N: I'll be at the park in front of Crescent Hotel. Meeting my mom's friend to give her present.

After sending the text, you put your phone in your sling bag and didn't checked if he read it or replied. You are in a hurry so it didn't crossed your mind.

"Y/n?" A motherly tone of voice calls your name as you just walk pass through the crowd to step foot in the vicinity of the park.

You turn around and see Mrs. Jung together with her son waving at you. Smiling, you carefuly run towards them and quickly hug Mrs. Jung. "Long time no see!"

"Indeed!" She hugs you back and pats your head. "Oh my gosh! You have grown... such a beautiful lady."

You shyly giggle as you can't accept the compliment very well. For you, you just look alright. Not as beautiful as your mother.

"It's been so long since you last came back..." you say

"Yeah. We didn't get the chance to come back the last two years. But we're here now." She says smiling

"By the way, this is mother's gift. She says sorry she can't give it to you personally. She's at the province now taking care of grandpa and grandma."

"Oh, it's fine. I understand. Tell them I wish them a happy holiday and good health."

"I will."

Then her son, Wooyoung, standing next to her greeys you. "Happy holidays."

"Happy holidays." You smile back.

You two then hug and pat each other's back.

Wooyoung and you are classmates in highschool. You two became friends because of your parents. Before you two would always have sleepovers so you could both play and watch movies together. But since they migrated abroad, you two became a little distant. Still friends but not as close as before.

Plus one factor that might've affected that is before he flew away, he confessed his feelings for you. That he liked you. However, you told him that even you like him too back then being highschool and being in a long distance relationship is not ideal for the both of you. It's sad but it is true. Especially bot of you were so young back then.

"You still as pretty as I remember." He says to you

"Stop!" You hit him on his arm. "You still compliment me like the way you used to in highschool." You say.

"You know I'm just being honest." He says, warmly smiling

"I know." And then you notice that he looks mature that from what you remembered seeing him two years ago when they last visited. "You look different."

"Well it's his married aura now." Mrs. Jung explains

"M-married?" You gasp looking at them two back and forth. "You got married?"

Wooyoung is smiling ear to ear. "Yes." He answers then showing his ring. "I got married to the love of my life just almost a year ago."

"Oh my gosh! Congratulations!" You jump and hug him again. "I'm so happy for you!" You clap as you let him go. "Is she with you guys?"

"Unfortunately no... she can't travel because she's just a few months pregnant and she's in bed rest."

"Married and soon to be father!" You are estatic. "What a blessing!"

"Thank you!" Wooyoung is so proud and happy about her wife and their soon to be child.

The catch up with the Jung's is so light and warm. They all have good things to talk about that excites you. It's been a while since you saw them and you are so happy that everything is great with them. Especially after them losing the father figure in their family. You are glad they are doing well.

****

An two hours later, you are on your way to your apartment building, carrying a few things you bought from the groceries that you need at home when you decided to check on your phone.

SAN: I thought you're meeting your mom's friend. Who is the guy you are hugging?

SAN: You hugged him not once but twice!

SAN: why are you touching his arm.

SAN: why are you laughing so much :(

SAN: who is he?????

SAN: baby

SAN: baby...........

SAN: stop talking him.

SAN: baby!

SAN: :(

SAN: you are leaning on to him?????

SAN: are you cheating on me in public?

SAN: HE HUGGED YOU

SAN: AGAIN

SAN: WHAT. IS. THIS.

SAN: baby!!

SAN: ㅠ_ㅠ

You snort a laugh as you read how he whines in his texts. You could hear him say all these even just from the messages. He's so jealous.

Y/N: where are you?

(No reply)

Y/N: okay...

Y/N: If you don't reply...

Y/N: you're not welcome to come inside my apartment again.

Y/N: bye~~~

You proudly smile after you sent the text. Coz you know San will immediately rush to get to you after reading your text.

However, what you didn't expect is that minutes later when you're about to turn to the corner of your building and about to get to the steps to the entrance, you notice a tall figute standing. It's San.

"You're not going to invite me in your apartment anymore?" He says his brows arching and lookinh down at you.

He's wearing something casual and comfy. A beanie, black fitted shirt and a grey sweat pants.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, "And why are you wearing so little clothes! It's cold!" I rush to him

"You said you will not welcome me in! So I ran!" He is sweating and you can see heat coming out of his body.

"Ran from where?"

He pouts. "There." He points at the black car parked across the street.

"I see... so... you were following me?"

"No." He looks away

"I thought we've agreed about me having one bodyguard... camouflaged as a normal civilian in a distant... why are you following me now?"

"I promise. I was not supposed to follow you..."

"But?"

He looks down and takes the the two shopping bag you are holding. "I miss you... I was at the gym when I received your text that you were going to meet a family friend..."

"And...?"

"And... I thought I could pick you up... give you a ride home after..."

"But...?"

He sighs, giving up. "Fine. I'm sorry. But I do swear... I went out because I really do miss you."

"Then if you do miss me....why just let me know... visit me... we can hang out."

"Sorry."

You chuckle as you see him lower his head even more. He's so cute when he's like this. A total 180degrees opposite of his charisma when he's in his mafia mode.

"So... you want to come in and stay?" You ask tilting your head to the side, searching for his face. "But if you have plans or things to do with work... it's fine. Beside, I'll be leaving tomorrow to visits my--"

"You're leaving?"

"Yes. I did told you about my grandpa being sick right?"

"Oh. Right."

**

Both of you then start to walk in the building. You want him to get inside quick and get warm since he forgot to bring a jacket with him.

People who you walk pass as from the lobby to the elevator are all looking sus as they see San. They must be thinking how crazy he is walking around with such little clothes during winter season.

But knowing San, even though people give him looks and judgements he does not give a fuck.

"Would you like a hot milk? Maybe hot coco or..." you ask as you both reach your apartment door enterimgg your pin. "a warm jacket to bring when you leave? You still have a few clothes here with me... the ones you left..."

Then as soon as you enter and the door beeps signaling its locked and closed, San drops the two shopping bag on the floor and cages you in between his arms.

"I've missed you." He mumbles into your ears.

You close your eyes, lean your head on his shoulder and allow him to embrace you tightly. "Me too."

"I'm sorry I've been away this past few weeks..."

"It's okay."

"I wish I could've helped you decorate your place."

"You're so sweet." You whirl around to face your lover. "I know you are really not into Christmas really... it's fine. I don't want to force you to do it every year with me."

"No..." he pulls you in closer and places his hand at the back of your head. "It's important to you... so I have to... you know you are my everything. And I will do anything to make you happy."

"Aww..." you lay your head on his chest. "You're the sweetest tough guy that I know."

He tenses a little. "I should be the only sweet and tough guy you know!"

You laugh at his reaction. Your lover is a jealous type and he does not know or even tries to hide it. You sometimes like to tease him about it.

"Hmm... I don't think so..." you let go of him and take the two shopping bags from the floor and go straight to the kitchen. "I know a few..." you add before you start unpacking the groceries

"Baby..." he follows you to the kitchen.

"I have classmate and still friends with are tough guys. They are sweet and kind too."

"Who? What do they do? Are you talking to them? I need to know details about them!" He is sulking

While you on the other hand, just enjoying his reaction. "Also... Wooyoung..."

"Who??!?"

"Wooyoung..." you repeat. "He's the first guy whoever protected me... from the bad guys..."

He goes silent.

"He protected me to the bullies in highschool. He's a cool guy. And....sweet."

He is though. Wooyoung is such a good person and reliable.

"Is that the guy from earlier?"

You nod as you finish the rest of the unpacking. "We finally saw each other after two years..."

"You knew him before me?" He sounds a bit hurt

"Yes. I know him since highschool." You answer before you walk out of the kitchen and finally removing your coat and scarf revealing your knitted top. "He migrated abroad with his family..."

"Is he your ex?" His face suddenly changes. He's not sulky anymore. He's more on the really jealous San now.

You appoach your lover, who's standing in the middle of the room, take his hand and kiss his knuckles.

"No..." you suddenly reasurre him. "Don't get jealous okay? He's a friend."

"But you hugged him... three times." He pouts

"Because I was so happy to see him plus he told me good news." You put your hands around his waist and give him a quick smooch on his lips. "He got married and expecting his first baby..."

"Oh." San's lips slowly curves into a smile.

"So... now you're smiling."

"Well..." his cheekbones show his happiness

"Why are you getting jealous all the time huh? You know you're my only lover..."

"They are a lot of hunters in this world baby. And you are one heck of a prey." He lowers his head, leaving delicate kisses on your jaw. "If only I could tell the whole world you are my queen...my everything... then boys will not try to hit on you."

"It's okay... and I don't care about those boys... I have you. My Sannie. You are all I need and want in my life."

"Aww baby..." his hands goes lower, cupping your ass with both hands. "I love you..."

"I love you too."

He hums and then nuzzles his face with yours. "Maybe I should stay for the night..." he smiles, "What do you think?"

"I think you should..." you whisper before crashing your lips to his.

The sweet smooch gets deeper the moment he opened his mouth and allowed you to explore your tongue in there.

The sound of your kisses echoes all throughout the apartment. Kisses that are longing and hungry. Kisses that are in duet with his whiny moans.

"Fuck." He smiles and looks at you with endearing eyes. "Baby, you're driving me insane!"

"Do I?" You kiss him again. Teasing him by sucking his lower lip before letting him go.

"Maybe let's have dessert first before we have dinner." He pulls you up and you automatically wrapped your legs around his hips. "I'll cook later... don't worry."

"I love desserts." You say

"Perfect."

He carries you from the living room to your bedroom. He slowly puts you down in bed, sitting, before he goes down to his knees so you're eye to eye.

"May I undress you?"

"Please..." you kiss him on his cheek. "My Sannie."

A grin forms on his lips. He starts from pulling your knitted sweater off, revealing your black bra filled with your plump breasts. Then his hands goes from your behind to unzip your skirt. You helped him by getting up a little so he can pull it down in a go.

"Hmm." He bow down his head and lay his cheek on your thighs.

"You're so warm..." you murmur. You placed your hand on his bare face.

"I'm warm because of you." He raise his head to look at you. "I am alive because of you."

"San..." you call his name and kiss his forehead.

The way San say you are his everything and his life can sound exaggerated to others. However for him, he meant it. And people will understand why he says it like that if they know the full story how he and you met.

***

You two met more than two years ago. You were on your way home from your work at night. You decided to drop by a pharmacy to buy your first aid kit supplies because you've ran out. You are clumpsy and usually hurt yourself when cooking so you always need it refilled from time to time.

And then while you were on your walk, under the pouring rain, you heard noises from a dark alley just a few blocks away from the pharmacy. At first you wanted to just ignore it but then the moment you saw the guys guys wearing baggy clothes and masks, you made sure you made a sound that will startle them thinking someone is coming. It was effective coz they fled.  You saw them ran and you panicked but luckily they didn't hear or saw you. As you were hiding from across the street.

You waited a few minutes before completely running across to check who got hurt.

When you got there, San was on the floor. He was beaten up, sitting and his back leaning on the wall. His eyes were closed and not answering you when you asled him if he's fine so what you did was dial the hotline, for help.

However, after a few rings San abruptly grabs your phone and ends the call.

"What are you doing?" You asked, panicking. "We need to call the ambulance... or the police..."

"No." San insisted. "I can't go to a hospital."

"Why not? You're bleeding!"

Blood was running down the concrete and straight to the drainage.

"It's not deep." He mumbled

"What the heck? You are bleeding! You might die!"

He smiled at you even his face was bruised and his one eye barely opening. "If you keep talking loud... they'll come back. And then we'll both die."

You covered your mouth and looked around.

"Just help me get up and go to my car."

"Are you sure?" You say quietly

"Yes. I can't go to the hospital nor the police right now." He grunted as he tries to get up slowly. You helped him immediately. "I have my first aid kit in my car."

"I have to... in my bag." You said as you try to carry his weight, his arm around you.

"Good girl." He said.

You helped him with his cut. You are not the bravest person in the world but back then you managed to clean his cut,  staple it, covered it with bandage and even helped him get into his new set of clothes.

Yeah, the day you first met San you already saw him naked. You were stunmed when he asked you to undress him completely especially when you saw his length up close and personal. But you forced yourself to be focus that time. And hurray to that you managed to undress and dress him.

"I'm sorry... this is our first time meeting..." he said, grunting in pain.

"It's fine. Glad I could help." You said as you finally relax beside him at the backseat.

"You're wet."

"Excuse me?" Your eyes widened, making laugh

"I meant... your clothes."

"Oh." You blushed so bad. Embarassed.

"I have one extra shirt. It's big enough to be your dress... if you want to..."

You didn't answered him.

"I'll look away. Promise."

"Okay. I don't want to get sick."

You picked the extra black shirt from his luggage. You started to undress the second he looked away. The car is heavily tinted and the parking lot is closed so no one is around except you two and his car. So you felt a bit at ease undressing even you should not.

Long story short. After that night, San became obsessed with you.

He thanked you hundred of times and made sure to get to know you. He thought he was doing all of it because he's just thankful. That's it. But then even just a stranger, when you almost got into trouble because of his life, he learn how important you are to him.

Since then San kept you safe. You have guards 24/7 and always around you. And because of that almost incident, you can't publicy reveal your relationship.

***

"Your scent...I love how you smell..." he murmurs. "It's the same scent I smelled when we first met." He kisses your skin in between your thighs.

Slowly he peels the thights off you revealing your cold skin.

"You're wet." He smiles again. Then kisses your stomach sending chills all over your body.

"Because of you..." you say as you lay your back on the bed.

He climbs on top of you slowly as he kisses every inch of skin. "My one and only..." he hums

"Your one and only..." you say before closing your eyes and absorbing all the sparky kisses he's giving you.

He pauses when he reached your shoulder so he can slip off his shirt, exposing his buff yet lean body.

"Look at me." He says

You open your eyes, seeing his pecks, firm arms and tight abs. "You're so beautiful..." you mumble

He leans back down so he could kiss you again. He sucks your tongue before he insert his to your mouth. Exploring every bits of you.

"Oh San..." you moan his name as you switch places with him.

You are now on top. Lips still attached to his whilst you unhook your bra and throw it on the floor.

You take his hand and make sure he gets a handful of you. "Damn..." he snarls looking down and admiring your bouncy breast.

"I love it when you touch me." You breathe as you watch him enjoy squishing your boobs while you move your hips, making sure your clothed wet core is rubbing over his still covered dick.

"You sound naughty..." he smirks, reaching for another kiss.

"Only for you." You kiss back.

Everything is going smoothly and steamy between you two. You continue to make out and enjoy every bits of moment you can have. Not until San's phone rings.

"Oh for fuck's sake." He throws his head back, frustrated.

"Answer it. It might be important..." you say as you stop kissing and licking his peck.

"I'll make it quick." He says before he picks up the call. "Yes?" His voice changes in seconds. Firm and husky.

You don't mind him working like being on meetings or doing phone calls when you are together. You understand his job. All that matters to you is, he's with you.

***

The call have now passed 15minutes. You are starting to get bored. You know the call is important. It sounds important. However, you are as horny as fuck. You two have been making out and teasing each others kinks since earlier so your naughty hat is on.

You smile to yourself as an idea hits you. "I love you..." you whisper, which he can only hear.

His glances down at you quickly, smiling, before he continued listening to the person across the line.

The smile is not enough for you as a reaction. You get up on your knees and kneel between his legs. He is watching you. You already got his attention just by showing him again your figure.

"I love you..." you whisper again. But this time it sounded more alluring.

You bend down to reach the waistband of his sweatpants and pull it down, just enough to let his length free. He is hard as a rock.

"Baby..." he whispers his phone is away from his face.

"I'm entertaining myself as I wait." You answer.

"Ah, yes I'm still here. Sorry." He says to the person he's talking too.

Lowering your head, you open your mouth and let your tongue touch the tip of his length. You could feel his body tenses as you do it more.

"Ahm... yeah. I get it." His voice breaks for a bit there. He cleared his throat and then grabs your one wrist with his free hand. "Maybe... we should wait." He says

He is referring to you but I guess his answer matches the topic they are talking about. But as you being a tiny bit naughty tonight, you shake your head and continued to tease him.

Giving him little kisses and licks at the beginning before fully sucking him hard and whole.

You watch him as pleasure him. He's working so hard not the break and moan your name like the usual.

You know he likes what you are doing. He is leaking and his length is twitching at every swirl of your tongue around it.

"Can we talk about this some other day?" He snaps. "I just need to fuck my girlfriend now or I'll explode." He was silent for three seconds and then, "good." Then he ends the call and throws his phone on the floor.

"Who is that?" You got worried by him saying he'll fuck you instead of continueing the business call.

"It's Seonghwa. And don't worry about him." He grabs you by your hair pulls you a bit closer. "Focus on sucking my dick... and make me cum."

A grin spreads across your lips. "What will be my reward... if I make you..." you then teasingly lick from bottom to tip. "Cum?"

He grabs you by your jaw and kisses the corner of your lips. "I'll fuck you 'till sunrise and make sure you can't walk... meaning you will need my help for you to visit your parents..."

You giggle, excited and challenged. "Okay... challenge accepted."

#ateez x reader #ateez fanfiction #ateez x y/n #ateez fanfic #ateez x female reader #atz x reader #ateez imagines #ateez smut #smut #fanfic #yuyu1024 #ateez choi san #san x y/n #ateez san #san x reader #atz san #atz x y/n #kpop fanfic #kpop smut #choi san smut #ateez scenarios #ateez hard thoughts #ateez angst

[cowboysandpilots]

Hangster | Words: 733 | Warnings: None

Bradley is always cold. It’s not his fault, he was raised in San Diego with the sun and the surf. Now, he and Jake are on assignment in the frigid arctic that is Canada. Its really not that bad, they’re in a hotel room, but the thermostat is on Jake’s side of the room and he seems hell bent on torturing Bradley. There’s snow on the ground outside and Jake is keeping the room at a crisp 15°C and Bradley is dying.

“C’mon Bradshaw. How can you be such a pussy?” He gives Bradley that signature cocky smirk. Luckily, Bradley can barely see it with the way he is burrowed in the hotel blankets. In the back of his mind, he knows that he shouldn’t have the hotel blankets this close to his face, who knows how well they’ve been cleaned or who’s been in them, but his warmth was more important at the moment.

He scoffs. “I’m not a pussy, I’m just cold. How can you be such an asshole?” He spits back.

It was Jake’s specialty. They both knew it, and they both knew he wasn’t going to stop anytime soon. “It’s a gift,” that smirk didn’t leave Jake’s lips. “Seriously, though. Have you never been stationed somewhere cold?”

Bradley huffs softly and he swears he can see his breath. “I have it’s just always warm when I come inside, unlike now. Can you stop being a dick and turn the heat up?”

“No, I don’t think I will,”

Even with his eyes closed, Bradley can see the smugness that comes through in Jake’s voice. He knows exactly what the mans face looks like. The thin blankets aren’t doing anything to help how the cold has seemed to seep into his tired bones. “I’m going to take a shower,” he hopes that the hot water will do it’s job and warm him up.

He has to push past Jake to get to the bathroom and the man seems to think this is a game, chuckling as he blocks Bradley's way. Once he’s in there, with the door closed and the far on to block the steam, he dreads stripping his clothes even though the water is already heating.

The water feels better than Bradley remembers, it feels like his first shower in weeks even though he showered yesterday before they left. One night. Just one night in the hotel before they go to base tomorrow. He can survive one night. If only he can survive getting back out of the warmth of the shower. It’s touch and go for a few minutes once the water turn off. He rushes to get his towel on and his body dried off so he can pull on his sweatpants and hoodie all before he gets cold.

Jake seems to have given up on his little game because he’s sitting on his bed flipping through tv channels. Bradley moves as quickly as he can to get back in the bed, but he doesn’t miss Jake’s eye roll.

Bradley doesn’t know when he fell asleep or what time it is when he wakes up, he only knows that he’s not cold anymore. It takes him an embarrassingly long time to realize exactly why he’s not cold anymore and it’s because he’s got two strong arms wrapped around his chest. He leans back into the touch before he realizes that the only other person there is hangman. His eyes widen and his body goes tense. "Hangman? What the hell are you doing?” he grunts sleepily.

“Go to sleep rooster. I’m not turning up the heat so I sweat all night, but I’m never getting to sleep listening to your teeth chattering all night. I found a solution.”

Bradley wants to question it. He wants to poke holes in Jake’s logic and ask how he won’t be too hot with their bodies pressed together, but truthfully, it feels nice to have someone else in the bed, so he keeps his mouth shut.

It becomes a routine after that, they share a bed anytime they need a hotel, at some point Jake just stops asking for two beds altogether. They’re more relaxed in the morning and they sleep better at night, which also means they fly better. Even their superior officers tell them to keep up whatever it is they’re doing and who are they to argue with that?

——

💭🎁

#hangster #jake hangman seresin #bradley rooster bradshaw #tgm #top gun: maverick #sereshaw #hangster fanfiction #hangster fic #rooster x hangman #my writing

[jeankluv]

Snow on the beach || Trafalgar Law x fem!reader

Chapter I: The new girl

Words count: 3,8k

Warnings: none(?)

Notes: this is inspired by one of my fav books, it will be a multiple part story, I still don’t know how many but please enjoy. Sorry if there are any mistakes English is not my first language.

Materialist || Next chapter →

𓈒⠀𓂃⠀⠀˖⠀𓇬⠀˖⠀⠀𓂃⠀𓈒

You still didn’t know what you were doing in that place, it was freezing, isolated and without any coverage. But you need it, you need to be away from everyone you knew, you need to find yourself and leave those toxic thoughts and people.

You took a deep breath and looked at the map, the house you were going to be staying, it was far from the station, really far.

“Shit…” You said under your breath. “I really booked the most isolated house in the whole town, didn’t I?”

You sighed and started walking, carrying your bags. Despite the freezing weather there was no snow, so you were grateful for it or else you wouldn’t make it to the house.

There wasn’t a single soul in the streets, you could understand why, the weather was freezing. You should’ve called a taxi or a Uber, although it was probably impossible there were any around here. You kept walking, making small stops to catch your breath. It was until a car passed you by and slowed down parking a few meters away from you. You froze, you have seen enough crime documentaries and films to know how this works. The man that got out started walking towards you, waving his hand. Before reaching for you, he slipped and fell to the ground.

“Eh?” You let out.

“Auch!” The man sat and started sobbing his head. “Always the same…”

“You okay?” You said without moving. Holding strongly to your suitcase, just in case you need it to throw in his direction and run away.

The man then stood and started walking towards you. I’m going to die, y/n you have to react! He is much bigger than you but you are faster!

“Young lady! My name is Rosinante, I’m a police officer in the town!” He said, once he was close enough.

A police officer? Dressed like that? You thought about looking at his clothes. He was wearing a heart shirt and… a dark red hood with two heart-like shapes hanging?

“Oh! I know I don’t look like one but here, look!” He said showing his license, he really was a police officer. “Sorry if I scared you! But I was going back home from my shift and I saw you carrying those suitcases with you. Where are you heading to, young lady?”

“It doesn’t matter… Now, if you let me I would like to keep going, sir.” You said starting to walk.

“I can take you. It seems like we are heading in the same direction!” He smiled.

You were really hesitant, could you really trust him? But the sun was already setting and you were still far from the rented house, so it could be a good option to accept his offer, besides he didn’t look like a bad guy.

“Okay… thank you, sir.” You said.

He took one of the suitcases and started walking to his car. “Please call me Corazon or Cora-san. I’m not that old to be called sir.”

You simply nodded. Corazon? Is it because of all the hearts in his shirt?

“You don’t talk too much eh?” He said once both of you were in the car. “What’s your name?”

“No sorry, I’m just tired… my name is y/n.” You smiled.”

“Nice name and tell me y/n, what are you doing in this small town?”

“Getting away from everything, I guess.” You really didn’t want to talk your head hurt and you didn’t want to bother a stranger about your personal problems.

You just wanted to get in a bed and sleep for the next 24 hours at least, your body was exhausted after traveling so much.

“You came to the perfect place then.” He smiled. “This has to be one of the most remote places on earth. Getting away from the busy and fast life of the big cities will be easy here.”

You wished it was only getting away from that type of life but it was much more than that. He didn’t say a word after that, you guessed he understood that you didn’t want to talk about it, so he stayed silent.

“You’re staying in the house that is in front of the beach right? The old lady that used to live there moved back with one of her sons and now it’s for rent, so I guess you will be staying there.” He spoke after a couple of minutes.

“Yeah…” You simply responded.

“That’s great! We will be neighbors!” He said. You gave him a small smile.

The trip continued for a couple of more minutes, until he stop on the side of the road. You looked outside the window and saw the same house that you found on the website when you were searching for a place to stay. Corazon helped you getting your suite cases from his car and take them to the door of the house.

“Thank you, for helping me.”

“Don’t mention it, now that we are neighbors you can come and ask for anything. If I’m not at my home, I will probably be at the police station.” He said placing the suite case in the floor.

“Thank you again Corazon.” You smiled at him.

“Alright y/n! It was nice to meet you! I hope we can get a long.” He smiled.

You both said goodbye and you entered your new house. You took a deep breath, you were exhausted and the house felt so cold, not only for the fact that outside there was probably five degrees and inside there must be like ten or so but because everything looked so empty and lonely.

You sighed, at search for a heater or something to warm the house. You looked around but you couldn’t find anything, there was only a chimney but you didn’t know how it worked.

“Shit…” You murmured.

You opened your suite and took a jersey from it and took one of the blankets that you found in the house. You covered yourself with it and prepared a tea, there wasn’t almost anything in the house. Tomorrow you need to go to the town and buy food. But for now, you could only drink that tea and go to sleep.

You were exhausted, so falling asleep that day wasn’t difficult and almost after throwing yourself into the bed you fell completely asleep. It wasn’t until the next morning you woke up with the sound of someone banging on your door. You looked around, a bit confused after sleeping so much. Checking the clock you saw it was ten in the morning. You drag your feet to the entrances and look who was outside, it was Corazon dressed in his police outfit.

You opened the door and greeted him. “Good morning Corazon.”

“Good morning y/n! Did you sleep well?” He smiled at you.

“I did, thank you again for yesterday.”

“Stop thanking me. I’m here because I’m on my way to the town and I assumed that you would need to stop by the supermarket. So if you want I'll take you there.”

“Oh! But you probably need to go to work, I can go on my own. So please don’t worry.”

“Y/n, if I’m offering it’s because I can and I want, so please don’t worry.”

You considered his offer for a moment, it would really help if someone could bring you closer to the town, you knew there was a bus but it passed every hour, you had discovered it the hard way when you arrived at the station yesterday. It is true that you could wait for it to happen again but Corazon really seemed determined to take you. So you nodded and told him yes, he told you that he would wait for you outside while you got ready, so you went to get ready quickly, you didn't want to make him wait too long either.

You cleaned up and put on something a little warm, you really didn't know if you were going to be able to get used to that climate at some point. When you decided to come here it was because of the beautiful beach and the tranquility that seemed to exist, not because of the cold and winter had not yet arrived, so you were really afraid of what winter would be like in this place.

You left the house and saw that Corazon was already in his car. You got in it and Corazon started the car to go to town. The trip to the town was quiet, Corazon told you about the town so you could get to know it better, she also told you that you could go to the police station if you had any problems.

"This may be very nosy of me, but do you plan to look for a job in town?"

“Oh… yes, I have money saved but it will eventually run out, so if I would like to look for a job. Do you know any place that is looking for a worker?” You turned your face, looking at him.

He stood there for a moment without saying anything. “Mmmm… I think the restaurant of the town might be looking for a new waitress. You could ask the owner, Zeff, if they need a new worker.”

“I will, thank you for your help Corazon.”

“Do not mention it and I know I already told you but if you need anything, you can always come to the police station.” He stopped the car, you already arrived at the center of the town. “If I’m not in the police station you can either ask for Sengoku or in the hospital ask for my son, Law. But don’t worry, everyone is really nice around here, I’m sure you will get along really well.” He smiled.

“I will keep it in mind. Now I will go and start exploring the town.” You joke. “Thank you for the ride. I will see you around.” You said leaving the car.

“Bye bye y/n!” He said and left with the car.

You looked around, Corazon left you in the center of the town where most shops were, well actually the few shops. You decided to do the necessary shopping first and then go to the restaurant to ask if they needed people. You entered what seemed to be a supermarket, the establishment was relatively empty, you knew that few people lived in the town but it was also quite early, so it was normal that it was almost empty. You began to look and take what is necessary to start in your new "home". The people who came across you greeted you, almost as they had known you all their lives, Corazon was really right. With what you need already in the car, you paid for everything and left the establishment. Time had passed faster than you expected as you went from store to store, buying what you needed, until you arrived at the restaurant that Corazon had mentioned, the only one in town. You entered it, finding yourself in a cozy environment full of noise.

“OI SANJI!!! I WANT MORE MEAT!” You heard someone screaming from the other side of the restaurant.

“Give me a damn minute!” A blonde guy who was serving responded.

“You’re too slow stupid cook” Was a green haired guy who talked this time.

The blonde guy stopped what he was doing and turned around to face the guy. “What did you say stupid bastard!”

You watched them as they fought, wondering what to do, everything was so crowded and everyone there seemed busy at the moment.

“Excuse me.” You approached one of the people there. “Do you know anyone named Zeff?”

“Zeff? Yeah he…” But the person was cut out before ending the sentence.

“Hello beautiful lady.” The blonde guy from earlier appeared right next to you, making you jump. “My ask, my lady, why are you looking for that old man?”

“I was told that they might need people to work here, so I’m looking for him.”

Before the blonde guy could speak and an old man appeared from inside the kitchen, he was told that he had a long mustache.

“Sanji, stop bothering the young lady.” The old man told the blonde guy, Sanji sighed and murmured something for himself while the old man approached both of you. “I’m Zeff. So you want to work with us?”

You nodded. “Yes I just moved in and I’m looking for a job. I was told that you might have a job for me here.”

“Yes we have a place for you, since this little bastard is always getting distracted.” He pointed at the blonde guy named Sanji. “Your help would be very useful.”

“Thank you so much sir.”

“Please call me just Zeff. Would you like to stay for a bit and see how things work around here? Don’t worry I will be paying you if you stay.” He joked.

“Oh yeah, of course. I would like to start as soon as I can.”

“Alright, Sanji, teach the new girl how things work out here and when your friends leave, come inside to show her everything.” Sanji nodded. “And don't flirt with her, you understand?”

“Yes old man.” He said with a sigh.

“You know I will kick your ass if she mentions feeling uncomfortable or anything right?” Sanji looked in another direction ignoring Zeff. “By the way, I haven’t asked you your name.”

“It’s y/n.”

“Well y/n welcome here.” He said and left, leaving you with Sanji.

“Well my lady.” He turned to look at you with the biggest smile on his face. “Come with me, I will show you around this shitty place.”

Sanji started to show you around, how the things worked there, he also showed you the kitchen, where you had the opportunity to meet the rest of the workers.

“You’re the only waitress here?” You asked him when both of you got out of the kitchen.

“Yes, I’m actually a chef but most of the time I’m out here working as a waitress. Weekends are busier since a lot of people come to spend their days near the sea, but now that you’re here my lady, everything will be easier.” He smiled.

You were about to respond when an orange haired girl spoke. “Sanji, stop flirting with everyone you see, the poor girl will end up running away.”

“It’s okay… don’t worry.” You looked at her.

“Please don’t be so polite.” She smiled at you. “I’m Nami. And these two are Luffy and Zoro.” She pointed at the two boys behind her, you recognize them as the loud boy screaming for meat and as the green haired boy that was fighting with Sanji earlier.

“HI!! You’re new in town right?!” The black haired guy said with a bright smile. “I’m Luffy, let’s be friends alright?”

His energy was overwhelming and his smile was so calm and heartwarming.

“Luffy, you will scare her.” Nami told her friend. “Sorry for that, he is always full of energy.”

“I can see but it’s nice. Nice to meet you Luffy.” You smiled at him.

The particular group chatted with you for a few minutes, mainly Luffy and Nami spoke, the green haired guy named Zoro, only said a few words. Nami mentioned that you needed to meet the rest of the gang and join them from time to time since you were new in the town. They all made you feel welcomed. The three of them said their goodbyes and left, leaving you and Sanji to clean and work for the rest of the missing day

“Where do you leave y/n? It’s already getting dark outside so I could…”

“Don’t worry Sanji, I will take the bus. Don’t worry.” You told him.

Sanji nodded and you both said goodbye, you went to the bus stop to go back home. Unlike your hometown, the bus stop did not indicate what time the next bus would pass. So you sat in the seat to wait for the only bus that took you home to pass. The minutes began to pass when you noticed that you hadn't taken your shopping bags and your bag with your keys and everything were in the restaurant. You cursed yourself and ran back to the restaurant, but as you feared, it was already closed.

You tried to call, hoping that someone was inside and that they would open it for you, but nothing, there was no answer.

“This has to be a joke…” You whispered. “Fuck!”

How was it possible that whenever things seemed to be going well, everything would break down and go to shit? You didn't want to upset Corazon, but in those moments he was your only option and salvation. Hopefully he was still at the police station. With heavy feet you headed for the police station, trying to think of how you would tell Corazon that you had been clueless enough to leave all your belongings in the restaurant.

“Are you going to go in?” A deep voice spoke behind you.

You turned to see a tall, dark-haired young man. Waiting for you to step aside so he could pass and enter the station.

“Oh… yes. Actually, do you work here? I’m looking for Corazon? He told me I could find him here…”

“Corazon?” He softly spoke. “He is inside.” He said and moved to get in.

You followed him and heard him calling Corazon in a familiar way, they were probably close. You then saw Corazon appearing from the corner with a big smile.

“Oh kid you’re here already? Did your shift already end?” He said and hugged the dark-haired guy.

The guy nodded and said something that you couldn’t heard from where you were. Corazon then looked in your direction.

“Y/n!! Hello, I didn’t see you there.” He approached you. “How are you? Did you enjoy your day in the town? Met a lot of people?”

“Yes, it was really fun and I already got a job.” You smiled. “But I have a problem… I left all my belongings at the restaurant, I can’t go back home or enter it.”

Corazon stared at you and you could also feel how the tall boy that Corazon had hugged was looking at you. Barely 24 hours had passed since you met Corazon and he had already seen your clumsy and clueless side. Stupid y/n you thought to yourself.

“Really? Oh my y/n, you went back to the restaurant to try and take it back.” You nodded but Corazon was already answering his own question. “Of course you did, silly me. Well don’t worry, it happens all the time…”

“No it doesn’t.” The tall guy spoke.

Corazon looked at him and then to you smiling. “Don’t worry y/n, it happens. You can stay with us tonight, we have a spare room where you can stay.”

“I’m so sorry for …”

“y/n stop apologizing, okay?”

“But…”

“No buts, now I will go and get my things. You two.” He said pointing at you and the guy. “Wait for me outside. And Law smiled a bit more, you will scare y/n with that face.” He smiled and left.

So that’s Law, Corazon mentioned him in the morning. So this is his son? You looked at him.

“Are you going to come or are you going to stay there?” Said getting out. You followed him silently and stood next to him.

“So… you’re Corazon’s son?” You tilted your head. He didn’t respond and simply stood there watching the entrance of the station. “He told me you work in the hospital.”

“I do.”

You hummed, he was nothing like his father. Corazon came out and the three of you got in the car to go to their place. Corazon was the one making the conversation, while you talked from time to time. Law didn’t say anything during the whole trip and when you arrived he was the first one to leave the car without a word. You and Corazon got out of the car to go into the house. You were really having blind trust in Corazon, but somehow being around him made you calm, safe.

Upon entering the house you noticed something different from yours, it was that warmth and feeling of home that yesterday when you entered your new home there was not. The walls had pictures of Corazon along with some people you didn't know and Law. You stared at an image of what appeared to be Law as a child holding a frog and a scalpel.

“Law has always been a big fan of surgeries.” Corazon laughed behind you.

“Is he the surgeon here?”

“No, he is just a doctor, we don’t have the equipment to do operations in this small town, you have to go to a bigger town or city.”

You kept watching the pictures, noticing that there weren't any pictures of Law as a baby or Corazon and Law together when Law was little.

“y/n come here.” You went where Corazon was. “You haven’t eaten anything right?”

“I eat something at the restaurant before closing.” You told him.

“You sure you don’t want to do anything? We have plenty of food.”

“No it’s okay, I would like to go to sleep.”

Corazon nodded and showed you the bedroom where you were going to spend the night, he also gave you some old clothes that he had so you could sleep with. When he left, you changed and went to sleep. You woke up hours later, you knew it only had passed a few hours because it was still dark outside but you really needed to drink some water, so you went for a drink. Not expecting to find anyone you walk to the kitchen but there he was Law, reading a book in the middle of the night in the kitchen.

“Hi…” You whispered, not wanting to disturb Corazon who was probably sleeping.

You didn’t get a response, but you knew he heard you because he looked at you. Why was he like that?

“Isn't it too late to be reading?” You asked him while drinking the water.

“You ask a lot of questions you know?”

“And you don’t respond to any of them.”

He stayed quiet, reading and passing the pages of the book he was reading.

“Are you always this rude? I’m trying to be nice and…”

“I don’t want you to be nice or be your friend.” He closed the book and stood up.

“You…” But before even speaking he left the kitchen and disappeared in the darkness of the hallway.

You tried to be positive, that he was just probably tired and that’s why he had that attitude towards you, after all you were a new face, who appeared out of nowhere and was staying the night at his house. You would speak again with him in the morning to fix everything and start all over.

“Be positive y/n.” You told yourself before falling asleep in the bed.

————-

And that’s it for the first chapter, please let me know your opinion on it 🫶

See ya ❤️

#trafalgar law x y/n #trafalgar d law x reader #law x reader #trafalgar law x you #trafalgar law x reader #one piece x reader #trafalgar law #trafalgar d water law

[voidandabyssal]

How about ut and us bros playing minecraft? I'd love to see the kind of shenanigans they'd get up to lol

Sans:

He’s the mining player. He disappears for like three hours and only returns when he has a full stack of diamonds.

Papyrus is mind boggled every time he does because he never sees him leave?? San will be right behind him while he’s crafting and then papyrus will turn around and he’s gone!!

Papyrus swears sans somehow managed to get his shortcuts into a minecraft

Sans and stretch usually team up. Stretch explores around and tells sans where any decent caves are and sans shares some of his spoils with him

Papyrus:

Papyrus busies himself with creating huge muscled statues of himself and sans.

He tries to get sans to join in but gets frustrated when sans just piles a bunch of packed snow into a corner and calls it a day

In their minecraft server theres just dozens of these huge papyrus statues dotting the landscape

If you get up close to them you can see some of them have been griefed. Pools of lava and tnt and such, maybe a few wood dicks attached to them as well

Papyrus doesn’t know who’s doing it but he swears on his life that he will find out.

His anger grows as more and more of these wood PPs ruin his works of art

Stretch:

Its him

He’s the one doing the griefing

Every time papyrus’s pained screams of anguish echo over the mic stretch has to mute himself otherwise he’s gonna get caught laughing his ass off

At least stretch doesn’t do it too much, just when he wanders across another huge statue in the middle of nowhere

How does he do it??? Stretch is 90% sure he’s the only player out this far

Oh and he also explores, gathering all the rare loot so he can do trades

He totally acts like a drug dealer when he does this. Which blue absolutely despises but has to tolerate if he wants his coral

Blue:

Bros the first to be geared up in full netherite armour.

Fully enchanted netherite sword and elytra wings

How??? Anguishes papyrus, we literally just created this world??

A master never reveal his secrets

Nah but he’s the type of player to focus on all the bosses,

He takes the warden as a challenge, and actually manages to defeat him with a stick and some lava

Blue and his army of dogs. They’re numbering in the thousands now. Every day they grow stronger

Sans has to escape to the very bottom of the world just to escape the barking

Also really hates when Stretch tries to act like some shady drug dealer

“JUST GIVE ME MY BAMBOO ALREADY STRETCH!!!!”

#now i wanna play minecraft #undertale #undertale au #undertale headcanons #sans undertale #underswap papyrus #swap sans #undertale papyrus #voidimagines #skeleton household

[written-in-flowers]

Holding On To Humanity: Pt. 1

Pairing: Wooyoung x San, Hongjoong x Seonghwa

AU: Resident Evil 8: Village, Vampires, Shapeshifters,

Genre: angst, smut, drama

Rating: M

Word Count: 7k

Summary: After being subjected to a terrible experiment, Jung Wooyoung wakes up as something far worse than he'd ever imagine. Struggling between who he is and who he was, he must make a decision: does he protect his new family or those he once loved?

Warnings: gender-neutral!reader, vampire!demonline, vampire!wooyoung, shapeshifter!mingi, shapeshifter!yunho, shapeshifter!jongho, doll!yeosang, graphic depictions of violence, mentions of death, blood and injury, descriptions of human experimentation/surgery, canon-typical violence, angst, fluff, smut, light bdsm, anal sex, anal fingerings, rimming, blow jobs, top!San, bottom!wooyoung, switch!seonghwa and hongjoong, and basic sex stuff

Ao3 link

***

“Here’s where I stop,” the coachman told him in a gruff voice. “The horses won’t go any further.”

Wooyoung stared out from the back of the wagon to the road ahead. Stretching about a mile, the harsh cold and snow  made for an intimidating walk. He saw the black rocks covered lightly with snow, and the long wheel tracks that carts and horses made right up to this point. Beyond, it appeared as if very few trekked the rest of the way. He hated the idea of walking through the freezing cold with nothing to warm him but his jacket, pants and boots. His father told him the journey to the castle wouldn’t be easy, but it’d be worth it in the end. 

“Why not?” Wooyoung asked, hoping the coachman might change his mind. 

“The place frightens them,” he said. “They won’t go any farther than this before they start getting riled up. That place is cursed, I tell you.” He faced forward as if looking at the castle himself, “You have to be mad or desperate to go up there.”

“So, I’m to walk the rest of the way?” He didn't like the idea of walking on a cold, dark road in the middle of a tall mountain alone. 

“The castle isn’t that far from here,” he said. “It’s only about half a mile until you reach the gates, then a bit more after that. 

Wooyoung dreaded the answer, but still not surprised. A lot of villagers showed hesitancy when they spoke of Castle Dimitrescu. The mistress of the castle ruled over their side of the village, reigning over them with an iron fist. His mother used to say it was by the grace and protection of Mother Miranda that she didn’t slaughter them all. But, that did not stop anyone from noticing the disappearances or missing livestock. His neighbor woke up his entire household shouting about the maimed carcass of his prized cow, Anita. He told Wooyoung’s father that he found her torn to bits in her stall, large chunks of flesh bitten off right to the bone. Wooyoung said a wolf might’ve gotten into his barn, but he’d said that to try diverting from what really troubled everyone: the beasts ate her. His body shivered thinking of the hairy, snarling, blood monsters who occasionally roam the forests, ravaging anything they can get their hands on. He pictured them feasting on the corpse of young, pretty Camila, who’d gone missing several days ago or strong farmer Elijah who’d been last seen working in his field. Only one person showed no fear upon entering the woods: The Huntsman. 

The Huntsman became the village protector when they slaughtered a pack of monsters who'd broken into the village. Wooyoung never saw them up close, since they rarely traveled into the village and often wore a wide-brimmed hat that covered their face, but they showed a strength and courage he didn't see in anyone else. Their weapons proficiency and skill was unmatched. He would've sworn they themselves were a beast in a much tamer form, with how quickly they dodged and wrestled the monsters to the ground. 

He wished they'd come with him. 

“Well, thank you for getting me this far,” he said to the merchant as he hopped off the wagon. “I wouldn’t have made it before dark if you had not.”

“Mother Miranda says we must show each other kindness and generosity when we can,” he said, tipping his hat, “I pray that you reach the castle safely.” 

“Thank you.” 

He shouldered his bag, and then began the trek up the mountain path. A curving, narrow road thickened by snow stretched ahead of him. He hoped the walk was not long, since the hour grew later and the sun began setting over the dense forests beyond. The higher he’d gone up the mountain, the colder the winds became. The chill blew through his jacket and pants every time he moved, but Wooyoung managed. He was no stranger to the cold since he spent many nights huddled by the dwindling fireplace at home. He did his best not to look between the trees lining the path or walk too briskly. His father used to tell him to keep his wits about him in the woods; to not stare into the trees or run, since then it might invite whatever lurks in the dark to chase him. He’d come too far to be a meal now. 

Wooyoung continued along the way until he reached a tall iron gate. Above the gate, he saw a symbol: a large flower surrounded by four smaller ones over two crossed swords. The insignia for House Dimitrescu. He searched around for a guard or caretaker, but nobody came. Timidly, he pushed on the gate and to his surprise it opened. As he stood there at the opening, a deep dread settled itself into his stomach. The feeling told him to turn back, and find another way to help feed his family. Yet, his determination and pride made him put one foot in front of the other. He had no choice. His father’s crops did not yield their usual abundance, so he suggested Wooyoung take a position in the castle’s employ. He said the families of those who worked in the castle received gold and even food parcels from their loved ones. Perhaps The Lady pays in goods and a bit of gold for service. Wooyoung hoped his work in the castle would feed his family. He pressed onwards. 

The stone castle stood at the end of the road. The gray building looked dark and foreboding. High towers and battlements reached up into the sky, blocking out the bit of sunlight still left to the world, with tall windows surveying the yard below. Seeing the withering or bare foliage around the front entrance, it was no wonder the coachman’s horses steered clear of the place. Even standing at the front steps, every nerve in his body told him to run. The lack of guards or servants unnerved him as well. Didn’t castles have people bustling about? Noise and chatter in the air, bringing life to the silent building? He’d thought so. Regardless, Wooyoung could not turn back now. He climbed the steep steps to the doors, and pulled it open. 

Cautiously, he walked into the small entrance hall. A long carpet went up a short flight of stairs, leading into a room with a domed ceiling. His nervousness set in deeper, realizing how little light filled the room; two tall candelabras stood in inverted walls and another sat on a side table. The priceless antiques and refined appearance truly befitted the aristocratic family. However, it wasn’t these that caught his attention. 

Hanging between the two candelabras was a tall painting of four young men in an intricate gold frame. A blond, two black haired, and one with brown hair. They each dressed in upper class fashion with vests, high collared shirts with silk cravats. They clearly came from wealth judging by how they carried themselves even in a painting. He then noticed a plaque right at the bottom. 

‘Felix, Seonghwa, San, and Hongjoong Dimitrescu’. 

The Lady’s sons. Yes, Wooyoung heard of them though had never seen them before. He gazed around for a moment, expecting to find a servant or a butler welcoming their newest worker, but he found himself completely alone. 

“Hello?” he dared to speak into the empty, dim room. “Is anyone here?”

A faint buzzing sound suddenly came from a hallway on his left  and he gasped. The large swarm of flies move fluidly from behind the oak wood doors and into the entrance hall. He moved to run back outside, panic jumping up into his throat before the swarms blocked his path. Suddenly, three men materialized: a tall one, a muscular one, and a short one. Wooyoung realized at once who they were. Before him stood three of Lady Dimitrescu’s sons, the two black haired sons and the brunette. They each wore long black coats with hoods over their heads. The tallest one came up close to Wooyoung first. Hair the color of ravens' wings, it hung to the side over glimmering dark eyes. His angular features appeared as sharp as the eyes gazing at him. A green pendant around his neck sparkled in the dim lighting, and more dread filled his stomach.

He pushed hair from Wooyoung’s face and grinned widely. Wooyoung shifted his eyes away as the man examined his features. “Oh yes,” he said, turning his face this way and that, "I think he will do nicely. Hongjoong?” 

He scanned over him one more time before the shortest of the men came up next. Hongjoong, as the other called him, stood a few inches shorter than the two men beside him, but the glint in his eyes still sent shivers through Wooyoung’s bones. His bright orange hair created a stark contrast between his face and the hood over his head. He had softer features than the others, and his eyes did not devour Wooyoung as theirs did. A gloved hand caressed his jawline as he admired the younger’s face. He appeared to be examining him like a jeweler with a gem. It unnerved Wooyoung. When he looked away from him, Hongjoong forced him by the chin. Something about the three of them churned Wooyoung’s stomach, and razzled every nerve that screamed to flee.

“I agree, Seonghwa” he finally said, “He is perfect. He has strong bones and his blood seems to pump at a normal rate. He is young enough to withstand the strain. How old are you? Nineteen? Twenty?” 

"Twenty-three," he squeaked. 

"Hm, good, good."

“He’s pretty,” the black haired man behind them said. “Much prettier than anyone we’ve gotten so far.” 

“Looks are not important in the experiment, San,” Hongjoong rolled his eyes. 

“No, but they certainly are a benefit.” 

Wooyoung flinched when he reached for him. Much more muscular than the other two, his cloak fitted his slim frame but hung at his broad shoulders. His dark hair the shade of night parted at his forehead, and loose strands hung over it. Wooyoung would’ve fallen for his chiseled face were it not for the predatory gaze. 

“Are you sure we can't take him upstairs?” he asked Hongjoong, smirking at Wooyoung. "We can hang him on a hook and play with him," he came closer, a strange metallic smell on his breath, "I bet that mouth can make the sweetest sounds…"

“Wha-Wha-” Wooyoung could hardly get his words out. 

“I won’t hurt you, pretty,” San said, drawing closer and closer. Gloved fingers traced his jawline and fell to his chest, and Wooyoung stepped away. “I’ve been told I can be a very gentle lover,” he said before Hongjoong stood between them. 

“You have your own plaything in the cellars,” he hissed. “Go fiddle with that and leave my subject alone.” 

“Ugh, you never let me have any fun!” 

Their words sickened and frightened him. He did his best to conceal his racing heart, the organ that pumped ice in his veins, but he sensed the three of them already smelled his fear. Seonghwa reached to caress his cheek, but frowned when he pulled away. 

“What do you want with me?” Wooyoung heard himself squeak out. 

“Nothing much,” answered Hongjoong. “Just your body."

“My body?!"

"Don't worry," he sneered, "You won't miss it."

He realized then what happened to the servants before him. Quickly, he recalled how eagerly his father insisted he find work in the castle. He’d spent days telling Wooyoung how beneficial it’d be for the family, and how desperately they needed the money. When a family in town started receiving packages after their daughter went up the mountain, he noted how it could be them chewing down on honeyed bread and fresh milk. Did he know the truth and simply hid it from his son? It would’ve saddened him if his panic did not overcome him so easily. He is helping his family. He’s helping by becoming one less mouth to feed. His hands started shaking, and he grabbed the strap of his bag to steady them. 

“It won’t hurt,” Hongjoong assured you. “Well…not right away.”

“Mother isn’t home yet,” Seonghwa told him. “She’ll be away for a while, so there’s plenty of time.” 

"You only need to relax," hissed San. "I know a few things that can help with that."

“No,” he said in a shaky breath. “No, please…I have a family…they’ll come looking for me…”

Hongjoong laughed, “Silly boy. Your family sent you up here for this very reason. Your pitiful father made the arrangements with our man in town.” He then said, “So, do what you’re supposed to, and come with us.”

He reached for Wooyoung’s hand, but not quickly enough. Wooyoung rushed for the large front doors, nearly slamming into them with the force of his sprint, and realizing someone locked them. Over his shoulder, he saw the three men staring at him wickedly. The sound of faint buzzing jolted him alive. 

“Brother!” one of the men called, “Where are you going? You only just arrived!”

Wooyoung didn’t waste time asking for an explanation. Seeing a room off to the side, he made a break for it. Running down a corridor and another flight of stairs, he noticed the moonlight from outside lit his way. How could anyone see in such darkness? Any windows he did see were covered with curtains, which allowed very little light into the castle. He could hear the buzzing growing louder behind him, and he quickened his pace. Bursting through an archway, he ended up in a large room with checkered flooring and a high ceiling. Four strange statues stood guard in front of a doorway, and Wooyoung sensed that this way might be pointless. He needed to find a way out. He rushed through to another corner area, before rushing another hallway. Wooyoung didn’t hear the insects anymore, and this only frightened him. What if they can travel through walls? What if they can become invisible? He shouldn’t have come here. He should’ve gone back home, told his father the Lady didn’t need any more servants, and stayed there. Now, he was running for his life. 

Wooyoung kept running until he ended up in a bed chamber. The fireplace being the only source of light, the orange flames flickered across the walls and gave everything a warm glow. He stared around for a hiding spot, but he wasn’t quick enough. Suddenly, hundreds of flies surrounded him and Wooyoung did his best to shield his face. They must have teeth, since he felt them bite at his arms, torso, hips and legs. Wooyoung grimaced, and swatted at the ones trying to nibble his face, nearly stumbling backwards over a footstool in the process. 

“Ah, there you are, lovely,” he heard San chuckle darkly. The flies suddenly flew from him and swirled around until they created San’s full form. He stared down at Wooyoung, a distinct seduction in his eyes. “Looks like you found my favorite room in the castle. How about I lock the door and we get to know each other better?” 

He didn’t respond. He clambered to his feet, then made a dash past San, breaking through a wall of insects in the process. He flicked off one nipping at his shoulder as he ran. He rushed back down the way he’d come, hearing San’s laughter somewhere behind him, and returned to the room with the statues. Running through the main hall, a high-ceiling with a large crystal chandelier above the checkered floors, he nearly bumped into one of the chairs in front of the fire. He spotted ornate wooden doors up ahead, and charged through them into a dining room. 

A dining room with a long table, side boards, and tall windows, bright moonlight became the only source of light guiding him through. He bumped into one of the tall-backed chairs on his way to the other door, but the pain didn’t deter him. He needed to get outside before they caught him. He saw a pair of doors, and seeing the courtyard outside, realized that might be a way out. 

“Oh, Brother,” San’s voice came through the room in a sing-song voice. “Where are you?”

He scrambled and ducked behind one of the dining chairs. Buzzing preceded San’s entry, and he spotted his reflection in a glass cabinet door. Wooyoung covered his mouth to keep himself quiet. San’s top half remained human, but his bottom half broke off into the swarm of black flies that glided him about the room. 

“We promise we won’t hurt you,” he said, though Wooyoung did not believe him. “Not much, at least.” Wooyoung heard him give a short sniff, "I know you're in here. I can smell your sweet, thick, hot blood…I can almost taste it on my tongue, and it’s delicious."

He waited until San turned his back to quickly go through the doors into the courtyard. 

“There you are!” 

An iron gazebo stood in the center of the courtyard, which broke off into different sections of the castle. He continued glancing around for signs of the three brothers, since San had been on his trail minutes ago. Wooyoung was certain they meant to toy with him before killing him. They can move faster than him; they’re likely stronger, yet have not caught him yet. Wooyoung needed On the right side, he saw the cobbled pathway lead through an archway out into a garden area. 

Hedges lined the walkways around the expansive space, circling around a bronze fountain statue in the middle. The garden must be beautiful in the spring, but in the winter, it was a frozen eden. Dead trees and withering bushes decorated the space, and ice and snow covered the fountains and benches. Wooyoung’s boots crushed the thin layer of snow on the ground as he ran through to a high wall on the other side. 

“Brother!” It was Seonghwa this time, whose voice came from somewhere in the distance. “Brother, where are you?”

He grabbed onto a thick vine clinging to the stone fence, placed his foot on one at the bottom, then lifted himself onto the wall. He ignored the voices calling to him from inside the castle, and started climbing. It did not take much time to scale the ten foot wall, even if the icy stones and frozen vines burned his hands. He’d been a fool to come here. Desperation and panic numbed him to the sensations around him. He should’ve listened to his gut when he stepped up to the house, but he’d thought of his family. His father made it sound so important that he go to the castle; he said it’d help the family in such a special way. It hurt him to think his father intended to serve him on a platter to these people. Wooyoung wanted to think his father didn’t know and really thought his son was manning stables or serving meals from a kitchen. With all the talk of aiding their family, Wooyoung believed he’d be doing more for them than toiling in his father’s dying corn crops. 

In reality, the best thing he could do is die. 

Wooyoung reached the top of the wall, and swung his leg over the side. He felt a sense of freedom approaching before something swiped at his feet below.  

A large black wolf growled at him from several feet below, yellow eyes glowing at him angrily. Its snapping jaws caused Wooyoung to fall into the garden again, his back hitting the ground hard and sending shocks of pain through his body. He could hear more growling and barking from behind the wall; long claws scratched the hard stone, and feet kicking the snowy earth. The fall disoriented him long enough that he didn’t notice the figure gliding up to him. 

“Ah, there you are!” Seonghwa looked down at him, his hood bringing a shadow over his face. “We’ve been looking for you.” 

In this brief moment of weakness, the overwhelming sounds of fluttering wings filled his ears. He swatted at those buzzing around him, pinching his eardrums with their high-pitched sounds, before Seonghwa and San grabbed his wrists. Wooyoung let out a scream as the two men began gliding again, dragging Wooyoung behind them like a bag in the wind. He glanced around wildly for a way of escape before Hongjoong joined them at his feet. Zooming back into the house, Hongjoong laughed at Wooyoung’s feeble escape attempts. Fear injected itself into him fully, creating a list of scenarios that were worse than anything he imagined previously. Hongjoong soon flew right over him, his body a dark cloud of flies, as he deeply inhaled Wooyoung’s scent. 

“Virgin blood,” he smiled drunkenly. “So sweet. So pure.” He took another hint, then said, “Too bad I won’t get a drop of it…” he then said, “But I am praised for my patience.” 

Wooyoung saw the hallways and stairwells of the castle fly by him until they went into complete darkness. The backs of his ankles and legs started scraping against hard, rough surfaces, and he cried out whenever his ankles knocked onto the floor too hard. Deprived of his main senses, Wooyoung’s body went limp and he surrendered to whatever plans the men had for him. He only hoped his family lived well for his sacrifice.

"Put him on the table," Hongjoong instructed his siblings. "I'll prepare everything else."

San and Seonghwa brought him onto a wooden slab in a dimly lit room. When he glanced around, Wooyoung realized they'd brought him into a room beneath the castle. Soft candlelight hanging above brought light against the black stone walls, illuminating the workbenches and tables of books, chemicals, petri dishes and various works in progress. A laboratory. They did not plan to feed off him. They planned to torture him. Somehow this sounded worse than merely being drained of blood. 

"What is going on?" He asked, panting and crying as San and Seonghwa strapped him to the wooden table. Tears burned his eyes, yet he was unable to wipe them away. He let out a choked sob, his heart racing in his chest. "Wait, no! Please! What are you doing? Stop! Pl-please!"

Hongjoong picked up a jar containing a strange mass inside of it; Wooyoung heard him muttering under his breath, and his fear worsened. He struggled against the straps holding him down, but they’d been put on tightly. Seonghwa meanwhile reached for a clear bottle at a table while San unsheathed a small knife from under his cloak. 

"What is happening?" Wooyoung sobbed though none of them answered him. "Why are you doing this to me?" He cried, "Please, I want to go home. I won't tell anyone anything. Please-"

"-Roll up your sleeve, San," Seonghwa told his brother, coming to him with a vial in hand. 

San did as requested. He shook back his sleeve to reveal his wrist, which he then slashed open with a flick of his knife. Wooyoung grimaced at the thick gash ripping through San’s skin, seeing the blood spill from his wrist to his palm and then into the small vial. Both men waited for enough blood to fill the vial before Seonghwa pulled away from him. This was not before Wooyoung saw the cut seal itself closed. 

"What are you going to do with that?" He asked, horrified when he saw Seonghwa attach a needle and tube to the end of the syringe. "That's blood! You're putting blood in me?"

"It's the only way you'll be one of us," said Seonghwa. "Hold still or this will hurt even more."

"Wha-"

Wooyoung flinched when San tore off his shirt sleeve and tied it tightly around his bicep. Seonghwa straightened out his arm to start flicking the space between forearm and upper arm. 

"Stop struggling," Seonghwa grunted, "I can't do it right if you're moving around."

He should've kissed his mother goodbye longer. He should've hugged his father tighter. Even if he did send Wooyoung to his death, he should've done it. He'd never have that chance again. Seonghwa managed to find the vein, and sunk the needle into it. Wooyoung winced at the pinching sensation in his arm. 

"He has strong veins, Hongjoong," Seonghwa said. "That is a good sign, no?"

"It is."

Wooyoung couldn't look. He didn't see Seonghwa inject San's blood into his arm, but he certainly felt it. A deep searing pain suddenly ran through his veins. It scorched every nerve, causing him to violently shake on the table as it burned him. His screams went unheard by the brothers, who continued their ‘experiment’. He barely felt it when San ripped open his shirt to reveal the thin torso underneath. The pain inside him numbed him to the knife sinking into his abdomen starting from beneath the chest to the naval. Wooyoung could smell the thick scent of blood filling his lungs; it spilled, fast and hot, from the gash in his stomach. He is sure to die now. He cried out for his mother, for his father, for Mother Miranda, their protector and savior.  

Hongjoong finally turned around, and in his blurry vision, Wooyoung saw him holding a glass jar. Wooyoung could not make out the inside, but he saw wriggling and heard ticking as it knocked into the glass. 

“Stay still,” Hongjoong said, unscrewing the lid. “Moving around too much will interrupt the process.”

Wooyoung’s jaw clenched so tight he couldn’t speak. Hongjoong took out the contents of the jar with a pair of forceps. The creature wriggled between the metal clamps, but Hongjoong had no trouble holding it steady. Wooyoung’s eyes widened when it came close enough for him to see it. Fleshy and pink, the creature made Seonghwa and San wrinkle their noses in disgust while Wooyoung screamed in terror. Hongjoong remained unfazed by it all. He placed the veiny beast up against the open wound in Wooyoung, and then sunk it deep inside. The thing whirled around inside Wooyoung’s body, its slimy membrane slicking the opening to go deeper. It took several seconds for him to realize the hard mass in his stomach was the creature. The burrowing sensation added a whole new addition of pain. His fists curled until his knuckles turned white; he thrashed around as much as his bonds let him as the parasite latched itself deep inside him. Soon, he felt his abdomen sickly churning which then began spreading to the rest of his body. His father’s face swam in front of him; the face of the man meant to protect and guide him. He sent him here. He sent his only son to his death. 

Wooyoung prayed it was worth it.

****

Hongjoong stood beside the table where the young man’s body lay still. He watched the man’s body twitch and writhe in his bounds until he stopped all at once. His eyes scanned the body for signs of mutation or transformation; he looked for graying skin or black claws or bloodshot yellow eyes. He expected any moment for the subject to start thrashing, growling and foaming at the mouth as he turned into a Lycan, like so many other failures. Either that or die and never come back. When none of that happened, he gingerly touched the stomach wound. The Cadou parasite’s membrane held regeneration properties, he’d learned, so it often healed whatever wounds it created to enter the body. He felt around for the mass, feeling a hard ball deep underneath the muscle. Hongjoong knew the parasite will assimilate to the man’s DNA and alter his genetic makeup. He hoped injecting blood already infected with mold mutations will strengthen the host’s body and aid in the transformation. It had to work. This must work. 

“He’s not dead,” said San, his voice breaking the silence. “I can hear his heart beating.”

Hongjoong could hear it too. His mind may have gone blank, but that was the Cadou taking over. The last subject took three days to morph into a Lycan, which was then released into the wild by the brothers. 

“That’s good, right? It means he might survive,” San continued. 

“Only time shall tell us.” 

He turned back to his work table where he kept all his notes and books, and put down the jar. This was his last one. If this one did not work out, then he’d need to go back to the reservoir where Moreau kept his stash of parasites. He hoped he didn’t have to. Even if he can now adapt to the cold mountain climate, he still hated going to that eerie, stinking lake. But, if it helped his cause, he'd endure it a million times. 

He promised himself he’d build something marvelous, a creature of pure strength and agility that will make his mother proud. He looked at the books on his table. Hongjoong spent ages researching, collecting, and absorbing any word of information he could about the Cadou parasite and the mold. He’d observed Moreau’s experiments from afar, and read all of his mother’s and Mother Miranda’s notes as well as jotting down his own discoveries. One sheet in particular caught his eye and his heart dropped. 

The crest of House Dimitrescu was a large flower with four flowers at its corners, two swords crossing underneath it. A symbol of feminine strength and unity. His mother often told him she saw herself as the center with her blossoms at her sides. It’d always be her and her children. There’d once been four of them, but that changed so quickly. 

“I found his things,” Seonghwa’s voice cut through his thoughts. “He dropped it in the main hall. We might find something of use in here.”

“Like a name.” 

Lady Dimitrescu still wore Felix’s flower. A black rose she kept pinned to her chest with three others so she could keep them with her at all times. He remembered his youngest brother as he flipped through his journal for a blank page. 

Felix was the last of them to be born. Golden locks falling on the sides of his face, small brown freckles across his nose, cheeks, and ears added to his innocent charm. Hongjoong remembered how his mother fawned over his big wide eyes, and how he’d pout his full lips when he didn’t get his way. His mother adored them all, but Felix had been her baby. He’d also been the most reckless. Hongjoong should’ve kept him back when his younger brother chased The Huntsman. He should’ve told him to stay with Mother, and he and the others would handle them, but no. He should’ve listened to Seonghwa. He should’ve listened to Mother. 

With a gun blast to a window and a gust of cold air, Felix’s life ended in a flash. 

‘Day 0: 

Subject is a twenty-three year old male. A bit malnourished, but has a strong heartbeat and responded to the treatment favorably. I inserted the parasite spliced with infected blood, about half of a vial to avoid one overcoming the other. By touch alone, the Cadou appears to have latched itself to the subject’s stomach and began spreading instantaneously. I wish I could cut him open to see the extent, but that will ruin everything. I have high hopes for this one. He shows real promise.’ 

“His name is Wooyoung,” he heard Seonghwa say. “Somebody sewed it into his shirt collar.” 

‘Further testing needs to be conducted, but I might finally have the weapon I’ve been looking for.’ 

“He’s handsome,” said San. “Mother will love him, I’m sure of it.” 

“Mother cannot know,” Hongjoong said, writing down the last of his notes. 

“Why not?” he asked. 

He didn’t want to tell them, but his brothers knew him better than most. “Because she doesn’t know you’re still doing this,” Seonghwa suspected, “Does she?” Hongjoong heard the outrage build in his deep voice, “Have you been keeping these a secret from her?”

“She’ll try to stop me,” Hongjoong replied. “She’d been so brokenhearted when the first three failed,” he faltered at Seonghwa’s angry eyes, “I couldn’t tell her that I’d continued the experiments without her. She already believes it’s pointless.”

“Mother Miranda forbids us from creating any more vessels,” Seonghwa said. “She told Mother there will be serious consequences if we continue these experiments without her permission. You know how serious Miranda is about the parasites and the metamycete. San and I will already be in enough trouble for helping you, but imagine what she’ll do to the person who disobeyed her orders and stole valuable resources from her?” Hongjoong heard the frustration in his voice. Seonghwa, the eldest, never failed to call out the truth. “Hongjoong, this must cease. These experiments of yours must stop. This must be the last one.” 

Seonghwa always smelled faintly of roses. He wore the floral perfume their mother gave him, saying it overpowered the thick metallic blood on him. Hongjoong liked the combination. He inhaled the sweet blood and roses emanating from Seonghwa, mixed with the warmth coming off him. He knew San watched them, as he always did, but Hongjoong couldn’t help looking over his face. Seonghwa is, no doubt, the most handsome of them all. The romantic artist. The poetic dreamer. The beauty connoisseur. People were drawn to Seonghwa like moths to a flame, and Hongjoong was one of them. 

“But I am so close, Hwa,” he implored, gazing right into his lover’s eyes. “I can feel it. This one will be a success. I know it will.”

“That is what you said of the last one, and they died within a few hours,” he said. 

“Because they were weak,” Hongjoong retorted. “This one is strong. He’ll survive.” 

“Hongjoong,” Seonghwa said gently, “Please, promise us this will be the last one.” 

“We need to keep going,” he replied through gritted teeth. “We need to keep trying until we get the right one.”

“Promise us, Hongjoong,” San spoke up this time. “Mother is still grieving over Felix. If she hears that you’ve been doing this, she might think you’re trying to replace him and become even more upset. Promise you’ll stop.”

“Mother will see I am right when he is ready,” Hongjoong said. “Once she sees how strong, durable, and agile my creation is, she will forget all of that. She wants to kill The Huntsman more than any of the others. She wishes to seek revenge on them, and when she sees that my creation can do what we cannot, she’ll understand. When my creation is fully grown, Mother and Mother Miranda will see the benefits of having such a creature.”

“She said she did not want us going anywhere near The Huntsman,” said San. “She doesn’t want to lose us too.”

“We won’t be going near them. He will,” he nodded to the body on the table. “The Huntsman is not the average villager. There is something different about them. I can tell.” He hesitated, “You two weren’t there. You weren’t there when Felix died.” 

His throat dried up suddenly, and he looked away from them. He’d heard Felix’s cries from the lower kitchens during his search for an intruder. They’d been low, deep grunts as he fought off against a strange figure in a hooded trench coat. Hongjoong recalled standing at the end of the hall leading towards the kitchen, and hearing Felix fight for his life. He’d insisted on joining them in hunting down the person who’d broken into their castle. Hongjoong assured their mother he was old enough, and that he could handle himself. He’d been wrong. He’d flown right to the doorway, intent on handling the Huntsman himself, when the Huntsman shot at the window by the door. Icy cold air streamed into the room, creating a barrier between Hongjoong and the two. His hand instinctively flexed when he thought of the burning, paralyzing ice on his hand. He tried pushing through several times, Felix’s grunts pushing him forward, before it happened. 

The Huntsman grabbed Felix by the collar and threw him into one of the windows. The direct contact caused Felix’s body to stiffen, and Hongjoong watched as his youngest brother succumbed to their one weakness. He chased the Huntsman throughout the castle, grief boiling his blood and fueling his rage, before the Huntsman made it outside and over the garden wall. All that was left of Felix was his torso and crumbled crystals on the floor. Hongjoong remembered kneeling beside him, sobbing and cradling the crystalline body full of regret and self-loathing. The grief worsened when his mother found them. Her cries still echo in his head late at night. 

“They got lucky,” Seonghwa told him. “There is nothing special about them.”

“Then how come we cannot find them, hm?” he snapped, his own guilt starting to fill his chest once more. “Why can’t Heisenberg’s body find them? Yunho and Mingi have a better sense of smell than any one-oh, do not make that face. You know it’s true,” he told San, who’d scoffed. “And Jongho can turn into a damned bird. He would’ve at least spotted a cottage or a hideout, but he hasn’t. I am telling you. That bastard, whoever they are, is not normal. We need someone who can rid us of them for good, and he is it.” 

“Darling,” Seonghwa came to him, cupping his cheek, “What happened to Felix isn’t your fault.”

Yes, it was, but he’d never say so out loud. 

“You’ve already done enough to prepare us for another attack,” he said. “You made us immune to the cold. If they were to come now, no amount of wind or ice could stop us. We do not need any experiment you create.” He pushed brown strands from Hongjoong’s face, “You don’t have to keep doing this. You could possibly end up dead too, if the wrong person found out about this.” 

Seonghwa spoke truthfully, and Hongjoong knew this. He will surely face Miranda’s wrath if she learned what he was up to; his mother might face consequences for her son’s actions. But, they’d understand in time the benefits of his plan. His mother did not always approve of his experiments. He hadn't forgotten his mother’s shock when she found him standing stark naked in their courtyard, letting the cold air touch his skin. Shortly after Felix’s passing, Hongjoong decided he wouldn’t lose another brother ever again. So, he went to work creating a genome that would give them the ability to adapt to freezing temperatures. He tested this mainly on himself: injecting the serum into his arm, then sticking his hand out the window. Starting with a hand, it soon became his whole arm, then his shoulder, then his chest, until finally he could stand in the cold unharmed. His insect form took time to adapt to the change, but soon enough he was able to move as swiftly outside as he could inside. He passed it to both Seonghwa and San, making all three men tolerant of the climate. 

When they saw The Huntsman again, no amount of icy wind could destroy them. 

"If this one fails-" he began to say, but Hongjoong cut him off. 

"-It won't fail," he snapped. 

"If it does," he continued, "This will be the last one."

"What?"

"I won't participate in something that would hurt our mother," Seonghwa said firmly. "She grieves enough for Felix. Giving her false hope of another son is cruel even for you, Hongjoong."

"She's in enough pain," San added. "Even if she doesn't say it. She still has his corpse in her bed chambers. She won't put it in the crypt."

Hongjoong knew this well. He often came across Felix's crystalized torso standing in a glass display in his mother's bedroom. She’d look at it whenever she was alone and weep. It was another reminder of his failure and her loss. He promised himself he wouldn't let Felix die in vain. He created the serum so she may never lose another son to weaknesses. He would give her another one to replace the boy she lost, and this time make him bigger and stronger. 

"Fine," he stated, "If that's how you feel, you're free to not participate anymore. But, I am going to keep trying. The Huntsman needs to be stopped. If you two may not take this threat seriously, but I do. I won’t sit by and let them continue insulting our house. I won’t let them stomp out our bloodline so easily. They will pay for what they have done to us, to our mother, to Felix-” he stopped short, swallowing down the lump filling his throat and taking a breath. 

“Hongjoong,” Seonghwa said, “Felix wouldn’t want you to do something that may get you killed-”

“-Well, Felix isn’t here,” he growled. “He’s dead! He’s dead because I wasn’t strong enough to save him! I promised Mother I’d protect him, and I didn’t!” 

“Hongjoong-”

"-Boys!" A female voice spoke from somewhere above. Their mother may be several feet above the dungeons, but they heard her faintly. "Boys, where are you?"

"Don't you two dare tell her," Hongjoong warned them. 

"We won't," Seonghwa said, "It is better she never learns of this."

"Hongjoong? Seonghwa? Sannie!" He heard their mother call to them again, “Boys?” 

"If this one should fail, she will never know."

"It will not fail."

"Come, let's away," San said between them. "Mother is calling."

The three young men swirled into swarms of insects, and flew from their laboratory into the main hall. Lady Alcina Dimitrescu stood in the middle of the hall in front of the fire, her white gown illuminated by the flames. She sucked on the end of a cigarette holder coolly, letting the thick stream into the air as she contemplated quietly. Standing ten feet tall, her black hair in curls under a wide-brimmed hat, their mother was a woman of elegance and sophistication. Yet, even with this, she still exudes power, and demands the respect of her aristocratic birth. A smile graced her face when they appeared in front of her, immediately turning to them. However, the smile faded when she looked at them closely.

"You've been arguing," she stated, glancing between the three of them.

"Hongjoong tried taking one of the corpses in the dungeons to his lab," Seonghwa said. His creative mind made him a clever liar. "I told him to leave them be since they have no use beyond their blood, but he disagreed."

"I wanted to study them," Hongjoong added. "I wanted to see what made them turn into those undead things."

"It's obviously the blood disease, you fool," Seonghwa rolled his eyes.

"I also wanted to see if I could somehow isolate that disease and use it for-"

"-To get a bigger head to fit your ego?-"

"-If anyone has an 'ego' around here, it's you-"

"-That's enough!" Their mother cut in, looking between the two of them. "I told you to leave those creatures alone, Joongie," she said, walking past them to a chair by the fire. “They are far past any real use to anyone.” 

“I was only curious, Mother,” he replied. His eyes met Seonghwa’s, and the elder stuck out his tongue. 

Hongjoong couldn’t help pecking his cheek. Even if they disagreed, he would never stop loving Seonghwa. 

"How was your meeting, Mother?" San asked, gliding to her side and sitting on the floor, his head on her knee. He closed his eyes as her fingers combed through his dark hair. 

"Heisenberg didn't give you trouble, did he?" Asked Seonghwa, grabbing a wine pitcher from nearby to pour glasses for them all. Sangrias Virginis. Maiden's Blood. House Dimitrescu were famous for their winemaking, having a special bottle with a secret ingredient. 

Virgin blood. 

"Nothing outside the usual," she said. "Mother Miranda wished to discuss the baby again. She senses the child is close, and will soon be in our grasp."

"She already has you and the other lords. I don’t understand why she needs a baby," San said, taking his own glass from Seonghwa’s tray. "Could she not simply take a regular baby and use that? Why this specific one? "

"She believes this child has qualities that will make the experiment favorable" she replied. She took a long drink from his glass, then said, "Nothing can really replace a lost child. You cannot remake them a second time." The three men exchanged nervous glances and drank from their cups. She gave a soft sigh, "I made a decision, my sons."

"Yes?"

"I've decided," she paused, "I've decided it is time to put Felix to rest."

"In the family crypt, you mean."

"No, not in the crypt. He never liked it down there. I thought perhaps in the music room. You know how much he loved music." Hongjoong saw the sadness in his mother's eyes. "He deserves that.”

“What he deserves is vengeance,” Hongjoong said over his cup. He swished the crimson liquid around in the silver wine glass, contemplating his subject downstairs. “He deserves to be avenged.”

“We have already discussed this, Hongjoong,” Alcina said firmly. “You are not to seek out The Huntsman. You boys leave that filthy meatsack to me.” She then continued, “I think he’d look lovely in the nook in the corner.”

“I can paint a portrait of him for you, Mother,” said Seonghwa. “We can hang it next to him.”

“That’d be beautiful,” she agreed. 

Hongjoong did not want to think of what that looked like. He imagined Felix's corpse being put on display in their music room, a grand space across from Seonghwa’s atelier, where the grand piano sat by a fireplace. The family sometimes gathered there after dinner, where Felix played his compositions on the piano or the violin. Hongjoong did not want to think of his body sitting in its glass case, no longer able to play his beloved instruments for their entertainment anymore. It wouldn’t be a music room. It’d be a burial site. They'd carry him there, say kind words and put him in a corner. Hongjoong drowned the vision with more wine, the blood thick on his tongue. He thought about the corpse on his lab table. 

Wooyoung will not be another failure. He'd make sure of it. 

***

A/N: awww, Joongie just wants to avenge Felix and everyone's mad about it :( anyways, please reblog, like, and feel free to shoot me a comment or something if you're up for it. I really love both resident evil and ateez so naturally they got put together lol

#ateez #ateez fanfiction #ateez fanfic #jung wooyoung #choi san #park seonghwa #kim hongjoong #kang yeosang #jeong yunho #choi jongho #ateez smut #ateez angst #wooyoung x san #woosan #ateez matz #ateez woosan

[fanfictionalhooligan]

Oneshot: Dying in Husband!Haganezuka's arms〚WARNING: Severe angst and dark themes〛

This came from the following anonymous heacanon request:

"How would Hotaru react if his wife died in his arms? Or died in general? I love angst I devour angst."

For the art response, I will be repurposing drawings that ironically work well for this scenario under the right circumstances:

❖ - ❖ - Oneshot: Dying in Haganezuka's Arms - ❖ - ❖

“Out of my way –“

“Haganezuka-san, she’s in critical condition –“

“GET OUT OF MY FUCKING WAY! I’ll kill you!”

His voice was shrill and transforming into something unnatural at the words ‘critical condition’ and his eyes were wide with horror.

“Please, Haganezuka-san, it might be best for you not to be here right –“

“I’M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU – get out, NOW!”   

The Kakushi trying to block him from entering the room suddenly cried out in pain and recoiled, then stared down at the deep slash in his own arm in horrified disbelief. Haganezuka had struck a blow with his knife this time. No one had seen him actually do it before, despite so many instances of chasing Demon Slayers.  

The blade was dripping with blood as Haganezuka clenched the handle and marched forward; fear gripped the Kakushis around him like ice and they scurried away from him.

There she was.

His love. His Spring. The blossom that had emerged beneath the snow after a long, lonely winter. There she was - his wife, covered almost head to toe in blood-soaked bandages and IV lines hanging off of her like chains, laying silently and limply upon a cold hospital bed. Her gaze was dull and unfocused and anyone could tell that she was slipping away.

Haganezuka’s blood froze as he paced towards her, as if time had slowed for him to live every agonizing second of this hell. His arms dangled limply at his sides; the knife clattered against the floor, splattering the blood from the Kakushi’s arm as well.

The sound stirred her awake as if she could recognize it in her sleep. She must have known that her husband was nearby if there were knives around. Her eyes opened, focusing just enough to take in the familiar sight of his face. She smiled softly. “Hotaru…”

Her voice was hardly audible, so small and feeble. Haganezuka desperately rushed forward and threw his arms around her, lifting her entire upper body from the bed. “Y-you’re alive…” he whispered, unable to accept that it could change any moment. “The battle’s over. The demons are gone. We can finally live in happiness – hey, are you listening?” His voice shook as her eyes fluttered shut for a moment. His gaze travelled down to her abdomen and the pool of blood that had soaked through it.

There was a stained, crimson-red pole in the corner of the room that had been removed; his face grew pale when it registered that she’d been impaled with it. A pole – a fucking stop sign pole. Of all the things –

“Hotaru,” she murmured, as if sensing that he was about to murder everyone in the room for letting this happen. “It was Muzan. He was…” her voice was faint and almost didn’t finish the sentence. “He…tried to run…we stopped him…buildings and streets were destroyed…”

Haganezuka’s entire body was trembling uncontrollably. She was far too calm. “I – I get it,” he replied. “You don’t have to explain…just…”

She gazed softly at him with a smile. There was something about that tender, glistening gaze that welled up his eyes with tears, and they began streaming down his face and dripping down quietly into her hair. “H-hey…” he began. “Don’t go. Don’t go, you hear me?”

His throat grew tight when she simply kept smiling at him.

“Come on – don’t go, my love. Please,” he begged her. “The battle’s over! The worst is over –“

“Hotaru…” she whispered, making him go completely still as he held her in his arms. “I…I was waiting for you. I wanted to see your face…”

One last time. That was what she meant.

She’d only been holding on long enough to be able to see his face for one last time.   

“I’m here,” he whispered feebly, pressing his forehead against hers. “I’m here and I’ll stay by your side, okay? J-just stay with me, too, okay? Please!”

The Kakushis behind him somberly bowed their heads and quietly left the room.

Her eyes were glistening with tears, too. “Hotaru…I love you. I always will. Whether in this lifetime or the next. The sun will rise for us…”

The seconds were slipping away. “But you’re my sun, don’t you know that? If you d-don’t rise again, I can’t…”  Haganezuka’s voice finally broke into a sob when she closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest, so content to be in his arms with that beautiful, oh, so beautiful, fading smile of hers.

“I love you,” he whispered, holding her tight and his sobs making it almost impossible to speak. “Can you hear me, my love? I love you so much, and I wanted to show you that every day for the rest of our lives. I am the happiest man in the world when you’re there with me, and just… please…please stay.” He wanted her to hear every word, to keep listening, anything at all for just another moment with her.

Her eyes fluttered open just a crack, just barely enough for him to see the green of Spring before it faded back into the winter snow. “Hotaru…the rest of my life has already been the happiest because of you.” Haganezuka’s lower lip trembled as her voice grew quieter and quieter. “You’re here now…and I’m happy.” A single tear slipped out of her eye before it shut for the last time. “I only wish I had more time with you…and…”

She never finished the sentence.

Haganezuka went completely, utterly still. “Misaki?”

Silence. Only silence.

Dark, cold, hollow silence.

Her head rested limply against his chest. While her own had stopped rising and falling.

Haganezuka’s eyes widened and time froze, and the world around them felt like thousands of kilometers away. He slowly looked down and saw that the smile had never left her face – just because she was in his arms for her final sleep. It was at that moment, right then and there, that Haganezuka cried out and wrapped his arms tightly around her, burying his face into her hair, gripping her so tightly that the IV poles fell over as the lines were yanked.  The sobs wrenched through his body, choking uncontrollably and whispering her name now and then even though the sound of it from his own voice only made the tears multiply. Her body was shaking along with his as he cried.

She was gone.

And, after that, swords would be gone.

There were no demons left and they would likely be discarded like useless artifacts of the past.

Those two things, his beloved Spring blossom and his swords - all that had ever made any sense in his life - were taken from him. Just like that.

Haganezuka rested his chin against the top of her head, cradling her and rocking slowly back and forth as if she were simply sleeping and must not be disturbed. Somewhere inbetween his sobs, the glimmer of the knife on the ground next to him caught his eye. He grew still in the cold silence, his gaze suddenly fixated on the bloodstained blade and unable to look away.

Maybe…maybe she wasn’t that far away.

He slowly became possessed by the silence as he simply continued to sit there for hours, cradling his wife’s delicate body in his arms to make sure she could continue to sleep peacefully where she’d been happiest. He was allowed to mourn alone and undisturbed. No one noticed how far down the pit of silence that his demented eyes were staring.

Haganezuka reached towards the knife.

- End

❖ - ❖ - ❖ - ❖ - ❖ - ❖ - ❖ - ❖ - ❖ - ❖ - ❖ - ❖ - ❖ - ❖ - ❖

Are you okay? Because:

THIS IS NOT CANON EVEN FOR AN AU. NOPE. NOPE NOPE, NOT IN THIS HOOLIGAN’S WORLD. This is a “what if”and I cannot with this ending ever make it official. Consider it an AU of an AU for masochistic angst lovers xD

***To address the suicide implication: I was conflicted on whether it’s OOC for Haganezuka, with Demon Slayer being a lot about moving forward even when you lose everything. So in this case, I wanted to portray it more like he was at his darkest lowest point and having a moment of madness that someone else would need to pull him out of if they’re in time. It would be possible for the ending to be a “HEY STOP WHAT ARE YOU DOING” from Kanamori who storms into the room, knowing how impulsive Hotaru is and just having found out that his wife had died.

On another note, I had never intended to do another fic for Demon Slayer, but somehow nostalgia just took over me because I was actually well-known for writing horrific death scenes over at Fandom back in the day xD But damn this was painful.   

Anyway, if your heart is rekt, go read the true happy ending of this story here, come now. Don't worry, it's real.

I hope I did your headcanon justice, anon!

#haganezuka oneshot #haganezuka angst #my fanart #oneshot #haganezuka #hotaru haganezuka #demon slayer haganezuka #demon slayer #kimetsu no yaiba #kny #demon slayer fanfic #demon slayer oneshot #demon slayer angst #fanart #demon slayer fanart #kny fanart #demon slayer headcanon #haganezuka x reader #haganezuka x oc #haganezuka x you #hotaru haganezuka fic

[michwritesstuff]

A Christmas Miracle (Top Gun: Maverick: Jake Seresin)

summary: pilot!female reader (she/her) x jake seresin The Dagger Squad joins Y/N in her childhood home in San Diego for Christmas, seeing as though they can’t venture far from North Island for the holidays. A little bit of Christmas spirit and meddling from Bob and Phoenix is all it takes for Hangman and Y/N to realize that the best gift is each other.

notes/warnings: nothing! just some good ole hangman fluff

word count: 1.2k

When you first thought to have the rest of the dagger squad over for Christmas you didn’t think it would have turned out to be as much fun and memorable as it had proven to be.

Having been born and raised in San Diego your family’s home was nearby, and as much as you wish you could be traveling with your parents to the east coast to visit family, being home was the next best thing. The Navy made it nearly impossible for you all to get away, so inviting the rest of the squad over to your childhood home seemed like the most natural thing to do.

Currently, the boys were scattered across the living room where they had the important tasks of putting up decorations while Phoenix, Bob, and yourself resigned to the kitchen to take care of the food. Well mainly Bob was taking care of the real dinner, Phoenix and you had self-designated the role of making festive cocktails and cookies.

You were placing the finishing touches on your vodka cranberry as you looked above the kitchen island to see Coyote and Payback tossing your grandma’s 1800s vintage snow globe back and forth across the coffee table.

“Javy Machado you better put that snow globe down right now!” you exclaimed.

“Okay okay, relax. It’s not like I’m going to break i—”

Right as he was about to finish his sentence the snow globe fell through his fingertips. Coyote fumbled trying to catch it and reclaim his grip before it could hit the ground.

You tried your best to cross the room as fast as you could but miscellaneous ornaments, shoes, and presents littered the floor, causing you to run and jump over the obstacles erratically.

As you neared closer to Coyote your foot caught on the edge of the rug, sending you flying as you began to fell. Closing your eyes, you braced for impact but before you could feel the hardwood floors beneath your palms you were met with another strong surface, strong but somehow soft and covered in flannel.

“Easy there darling” Hangman spoke.

One hand gripped yours as the other held your body firm against his chest.

You braced his arm as he helped you stand back up. His warm green eyes stared down at you as a light grin broke across his face.

Jake always had a way of making you seen. One look from him was all it took to have your mind a jumbled mess and your cheeks a faded rose color. However, you were usually pretty quick with a comeback. You couldn’t have the whole team knowing about your little crush. You had only told Phoenix and Bob in confidence one drunken night when they had come over for movies at your off-base apartment.

“Thanks” you muttered.

It was soft, barely above a whisper. You weren’t even sure he heard it, but you knew he had when the hand encompassing yours gave a comforting squeeze.

You willed yourself to pull away, running your hands down your side before continuing on to Coyote.

“I’ll be taking that, thank you” you stated, pulling the snow globe from his hands and returning it into its box.

“Sorry Y/N” Coyote stated, you could tell he felt bad.

“No don’t worry, I just know that Nonna would kill me if I broke this. And as much as I love her I kind of always planned on outliving her, you know?” you joked.

The group laughed, the lighthearted mood returning.

“Where should we put these?” you heard Phoenix speak up. Bob and she carried out a tray of drinks and snacks out into the living room, surveying the messy coffee table.

“Right here”

Doing your best to clear the table you moved the Christmas ornament boxes off the table and placed the presents near the tree.

“Jake, will you help me put these up?”

You handed him one of the homemade ornaments you had made last week. Pictures of the team throughout your various hangouts and nights out together.

“What are these?” he stated, smiling fondly at a picture that Rooster had taken of you and Phoenix after a particularly brutal shot of tequila. Your face contorted in disgust as a lime wedge graced your fingertips.

“They’re ornaments. I made them. This may be my home but it’s the holidays and I want you guys to feel just as welcomed and at home.” You explained.

He smiled widely at your explanation and grabbed the box of ornaments from your hand, picking them out one by one and placing them in the spot where you pointed.

-----❅ ❅ ❅-----

House fully decorated and food eaten, the team gathered around the fireplace as they slowly made their way through the liquor bottles your parents had left. Mixed drinks and cocktails were long gone as you traded your glasses for shots and sipping from the bottle.

“Let’s dance” Phoenix exclaimed, pulling you off the ground as Taylor Swift’s cover of Santa Baby played through the TV’s speakers.

You jumped around dancing with Phoenix as the rest of the team began to join you guys.

Without your knowledge Phoenix had been spinning and moving you closer to where Bob had positioned Hangman underneath the mistletoe in the archway of the living room.

A small push from Phoenix sent you bumping into Hangman.

You turned to face him, ready to apologize. But before you could he had taken a step towards you, extending his own arm out towards yours.

“Is there a reason we’re listening to the Taylor Swift version of this?” Hangman laughed, taking  your hand in his to spin you around before pulling you into him.

“What can I say? Love me some country…” you smiled.

“Really?”

“Yeah”

“Even country men?” he asked, a sly smirk on his face as he watched you process his insinuation

“I—”

“Hate to interrupt but, Y/N, Hangman, you’re under the mistletoe” Phoenix stated.

Your face snapped back at her in bewilderment before turning around to face Jake and slowly lifting your eyes to match his gaze. Sure enough a bundle of mistletoe hung above your heads. You lowered your gaze to find that Jake was already looking at you.

“Sweetheart?” he asked, his hand on your waist holding on a little tighter than it had been.

“Oh shut up and kiss me Jake,” you exclaimed as your hands worked up around his neck to pull him closer.

“As you wish” he responded cheekily, his smirk slowly fading as his lips melted into yours.

You had plenty of kisses before, cheesy end-of-first dates, little truth or dares, and drunken make-outs with strangers, but this—

You pulled away breathlessly, admiring the glint in Jake’s eyes and slight blush on his cheeks. You could only imagine that your complexion was as equally flushed.

“Wow” Jake whispered.

“Yeah,” you responded, pulling back slightly as Jake’s grip loosened.

You gave him a small smile before speaking up.

“Country men are pretty lovable too.”

The team erupted into cheers, Coyote and Bob clapping Jake’s back in excitement. Your cheeks flushing more with the obnoxious attention of the team.

You turned to give Phoenix a knowing look. She was the only one who knew where your mother had kept the spare decorations, and you had purposefully left that particular box behind.

“Phoenix, would you like to explain yourself?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she stated, hurrying over to where Bob stood.

“Really?” you questioned further.

“Must be a Christmas miracle” Bob spoke up, a wide and knowing grin gracing his face.

check out my masterlist for more of my work :)

#teentvimagines #top gun masterlist #top gun #top gun maverick #top gun maverick imagine #top gun maverick masterlist #top gun maverick hangman #top gun hangman #jake hangman x reader #jake seresin x you #jake seresin x reader #jake seresin x y/n #hangman x female reader #hangman x you #hangman x reader #jake hangman seresin #jake hangman x y/n #jake hangman imagine #jake seresin imagine #hangman imagine #Spotify

[bunningchaos]

..This was meant to just be a shading test, but it somehow turned out like this.

Anyways, from what I've seen and were told. It's the murderer's birthday, so uh.

Happy birthday to the dusty boi!

Albeit this drawing definitely isn't a good celebration

Dust belongs to Ask-DustTale, on Tumblr!

Swap belongs to Popcorn Pr1nce, on... Uh, where?

Andd, because I felt like it, putting a extra story thingy underneath the cut

This is mainly only for the drawing

Time and time again, the timeline kept on being rewinded back to the start. As if the human whom monopolized the power of 'Determination' had encountered some sort of issue that forced them to go back constantly. Starting all over again, rather than continuing from where the last save point left off.

How unusual, Sans couldn't grasp the situation at all. Even so, this wasn't going to stop him from moving forward with his plans on gathering EXP and LV for himself. All for the sake of hindering the human's progress and to get stronger, much stronger than the vile being that treats every monsters' lives like nothing but toys.

As much as he tries to tell himself, "It's for the better". Guilt still overwhelms him heavily, especially when he land the final blow on his own brother. His one and only precious family member, though that's besides the point. He had to forsake literally everything he knew, his morals, the others that he knew. Even the friends he made from other Universes, having no other choice but to cut contact with them. For the fear of possibly putting them in harm's way just.. didn't feel right.

Not like the current situation was any better! Why?

The current issue, right at this very point, lies in the fact that.. there wasn't any monsters in sight. No matter where he looked, exception for the few that he had managed to dust within Snowdin's town. All of it accumulating to lesser LV than the initial amount he'd normally obtain in the prior resets.

Adding onto the fact that he could barely even get one simple thing done courtesy of the constant reloading and resetting that was ongoing. This in turns, ended up frustrating him more than expected.

Just what the hell is wrong with that thing this time?

Did they finally get bored of dusting monsters and decided to mess with him by screwing with the timeline?

That surely can't be it, right?

Or was it...?

Hell if he knows, pushing aside every single thoughts in his head for the time-being. He made his way towards Waterfall, his slippers damp from the snow, the fluffy fabric making soft 'squish'-like noises with each step that was taken. Disturbing the tranquil silence, where nothing else could be heard other than the subtle noises from the waterfall.

Too peaceful, everything was far too peaceful. In a horrible way, dust could be seen drifting within the air. The atmosphere abnormally tense whilst then temperature dropped to a all-time low, even lower than the snowy region's.

Narrowing his eye sockets, his eye lights glowed dimly. Barely illuminating the darkened surrounding, there having absolutely no light sources other than the occasional echo flowers scattered around randomly. The bright blue glow emitted from those flowers was eye burning, to say the least. Yet it did a pretty good job of lighting up the area, albeit a limited range.

Even so, every single one of those flowers he walked past. All repeated the screams and noises of sheer panic, presumably from the residents of Waterfall. The culprit that caused all those, however, was unidentifiable from just these voice 'recording'. If one can even call it that.

For there isn't a single word nor sound, uttered from the perpetrator.

This definitely wasn't the doing of that disgusting thing, so, who else could it be?

Undyne? No, she isn't the type to harm others. Maybe except the human, after all. Sans did witness her going all out against them multiple times, yet it never succeeded. They were always stronger.. no, they abused their ridiculous ability to reload and kept on trying, when they failed the first few times. Unfortunately, getting the upper hand eventually and finishing off the Captain of the Royal Guard, once they learnt from their mistakes that caused their deaths and losses.

Alphys? Definitely not, she's too much of a coward to even hurt a fly.

Asgore? Yet another no.

So who...?

Unbeknownst to Sans, as he lost himself within his own thoughts. He failed to notice a presence behind him, one that was familiar yet also not anymore.

Within the blink of an eye, Sans was abruptly yanked backwards by a hand grasping tightly onto the bright red scarf that hung around his neck. Startling him right back into reality, his balance being thrown off as he barely managed to keep himself from falling onto his bum. His guard immediately rosed up, however, before he could even react nor do a thing.

A sharp blue bone, was pointed directly at his neck. It was a clear threat, that if he moved even one inch. The culprit wouldn't hesitate to harm him, and knowing of his current stats. He dare not make a move.

For once, in a dreadfully long period of time. He felt fear seep into his body, whoever this was. Is definitely dangerous, even though they didn't give off the same presence as the human.

"..Huh?" Sans uttered under his breath, his eye lights shrinking when he took notice of the all-too-familiar cyan gloves that the other person.. no, monster, was wearing.

It can't be. There's no way, he tried to deter his thoughts away from the numerous possibility that stirred within his mind. Yet it was all for nothing, once the other spoke up

"Found you." The voice was so unsettlingly cold, sending chills running down his spine. His entire body tensing up and freezing in place, he couldn't move. It felt as if his feet were rooted straight into the ground.

Not just fear, but sheer disbelief overtook him entirely. Not at all needing to turn around, to figure out the other's identity. As it was more than obvious, Sans so badly wanted to curl up into a hole and die.

It was Swap, the one other version of himself that resembled his own brother, Papyrus. Especially, being quite righteous and isn't afraid of speaking up plus doing things for the greater good. Due to him wanting to join the Royal Guards, hence having a more, dominating presence and attitude.

So, if that was the case. Why did Sans feel so much bloodlust from him? The one monster that is meant to be.. kind and forgiving, but not naive. At least, not murderous.

"Don't underestimate me, Classic. Did you really think you could cut me off that easily?"

Swap's tone was like a sharp blade, cutting through the tense silence. His entire demeanour had completely changed, there wasn't even a single shred of the once upbeat tone he used to have.

As much as Sans didn't want to cry, his body betrayed him. Bright blue tears welling up within the corner of his eye sockets, this wasn't supposed to happen.

The other skeleton wasn't meant to be here, neither should he be.. this.. malicious. It felt as if this 'Swap' was nothing more than a genocidal freak, with the presence he gave off.

Sans was more than certain he made sure no one else, but himself knew what was going on. He ensured that he left quietly without arising any suspicions.

..Or did Swap just paid too much of a attention to him?

No one could tell at this point, even Sans himself wasn't sure what Swap's intentions even were.

Since his thoughts trailed off, only now piecing together the puzzles of what caused the human to have so much issues.

They were caught up trying to deal with Swap, a completely new and unexpected obstacle.

....

This is going to be troublesome.

#undertale #undertale au #sans au #utmv au #utmv #bunningart #bunningstory #dust sans #murder sans #swap sans #underswap sans #gonna add a extra tag for this specific swap boi #LV!Swap #might do more stuff for him #just maybe

[haveyouseenthisskeleton]

Can I have some skeletons brothers arguments? Like time they really got angry with each other.

Undertale Sans - Sans is pretty chill and forgiveful, and he really didn't have a lot of reasons to get mad at Papyrus as he grew up as, even if he was quite a rebel in his young years, Papyrus was just respectful of all the hard work his brother did to keep them both alive when they were homeless. There's one time though when Sans got mad, well freaked-out mad actually. Papyrus was obsessed by this new scarf his brother stole bought for him, and one day, it got quite dirty. The young kids in town kept mocking him because of this and called him bad names. Despite being a snow storm announced, and Sans firmly forbidding him to get out, Papyrus waited for him to leave for one of his jobs before going to the river to wash the scarf himself. Papyrus fell in the very cold water and only survived because one of the Snowdin Rabbit saw everything and ran to get him out. Papyrus felt so ashamed, and even more when Mrs Rabbit told everything to Sans, who screamed at him for being so immature. Papyrus got angry too, telling that it wouldn't have happened if he listened to what he got to say and that now he will be the talk of the town and that all the kids will make fun of him. Sans slowly calmed down and tried to explain he was just very worried, but Papyrus refused to talk to him before the next day. That's one of the very rare arguments they had in their childhood and Sans still feels a little guilty, thinking that maybe he could have done something else.

Undertale Papyrus - Well clearly that time he let Sans borrow his car and Sans came back with it totally destroyed because he fell asleep driving and hit a wall. Sans promised to pay for the damages, but Papyrus screamed back that he didn't care about the damages but about his narcolepsy which was becoming more and more of a problem because he could have killed himself! He won't force his brother to have a medical appointment, but he will surely call him out on it to make him think about what could have happened if he had driven faster.

Underswap Sans - Blue used to not understand very well Honey's hypersensibility when younger, and there's this one time when he pressured him to get a job for days, driving Honey more and more into a corner until he decided for him and getting him hired in a random place. Honey finally snapped, screaming why he is doing this to him, that he was so insensitive, and that it was not by forcing his hand that he would be better. Blue answered back that if he was normal, he wouldn't be in this situation in the first place. That was too much for Honey, who left the house and disappeared for two weeks. Blue realized his mistake eventually and when he found him finally, he apologized for not respecting his boundaries. That talk however left a mark and Honey never talked with him about his neurodivergence, preferring Asgore or Undyne to talk about these types of things.

Underswap Papyrus - One big fight they had was about Blue's tendency to run towards danger before thinking of a plan, which led him to get shot not even three weeks after he engaged himself in the police. Blue shakes it off like it's nothing, but Honey screams at him to make him realize it is not just about him, that people care about him and that getting himself killed won't make him a hero in the eyes of the people he loves, just someone who died. Blue took a step back and calmed down after that.

Underfell Sans - They fight all the time, but that one time Edge came home all proud saying he engaged in the Royal Guard was one of the memorable ones. Red worked his ass off to make sure to keep his brother far away from the Royal Guard, because he was too nice and it was obvious he would die in the first few days, but Edge refused to listen to him. They both screamed a lot this night, Red insulting him a lot, then screaming at him to just die then if he doesn't trust him that much. Red is still feeling bitter about this, even years after Edge became Captain. He lived it like a failure, as he didn't manage to protect his little brother from the horrors of the Underground.

Underfell Papyrus - Once they arrived on the Surface, Edge proposed they could live in different houses to give each other some space to heal. Red took that as his brother not wanting to be near him anymore and snapped at him, screaming that if he wanted to get rid of him all these years, he just had to kill him himself, that he is a coward and that's not how their relationship will fix. They avoid each other for three months after that until Undyne gets tired of their bullshit and locked them in both in a room to fix their bond.

Horrortale Sans - The biggest they ever had was when Willow realized Oak tricked him into eating human meat. Oak knew Willow would never have done it willingly, but he was also becoming weaker and weaker. Oak couldn't stay there and do nothing, so he pretended he found some food in the dump and force-fed him. Willow found the corps later in the forest and stomped back home to scream at Sans that what he did was wrong and that he made him his partner in crime when he never wanted to hurt any human in the first place. Willow never totally forgave Oak for this, but after three weeks of living in the Ruins with Toriel, the Queen managed to convince him Oak did that only to protect him, and that he didn't think wrong. Willow reluctantly agreed to see him again.

Horrortale Papyrus - The first time Oak realized Willow brought Undyne's and Alphys' dust on the Surface and gave them a tomb. Oak screamed he didn't understand anything and that he is clearly naive if he thought Undyne felt anything for him again in the end. Willow answered back that he knew that, but that he wanted his friend to go to the Surface, the one that died at the beginning of the famine when she became Emperess of the Underground. He doesn't need his permission anyway because not everyone pretends everything is fine since they're on the Surface when all they do is struggle to adapt. He called Oak a hypocrite, and they refuse to talk to each other for a few days.

Swapfell Sans - Nox snapped at him when he saw him drunk on the couch, drugged, one night he came home on the Surface, as Rus promised he wouldn't do this again. Nox tried to wake him up, Rus attacked him violently, saying he was pissing him off with all his lectures when he was not even able to apply them himself. It was a one-sided argument, as Rus was too far gone to answer, but Nox felt so hurt he kept hurting himself now that they had a chance to do things right again he left him a letter and disappeared for two months to travel. When he came on, Rus actually learned his lesson and started therapy to be better. Everything got better in the end.

Swapfell Papyrus - One massive argument the brothers had was when Sans was hired in the Royal Guard. To protect his brother, a young teenager at the time, Sans asked the Queen if he could propose Rus for adoption, so he wouldn't wear his name and therefore avoid being threatened by his rivals. Nox refused to talk about this to his brother before the agents knocked on his door to take him away. Obviously, Rus didn't take it well and ran away by the window. Nox, full of guilt, searched him for weeks, only to find him hired by the resistance, against the Queen. He dragged Rus out of there, but Rus never forgave him, which is one of the numerous reasons the brothers almost decided to never see each other again a few days before the barrier broke, before Nox finally tried to fix their relationship.

Fellswap Gold Sans - It was in their childhood. One of Coffee's best friends had been sentenced to death for stealing something in the weapon building of the Royal Guard. Wine had been designed to be the executioner. Coffee begged him for days to not do it, that he would never forgive him, but he did anyway, because what other choice did he have? When he came home, however, Coffee had packed all his things and disappeared. Wine searched him for weeks before finally spotting him sleeping outside in Waterfall, famished and injured because some monsters tried to kill him. Wine apologized, but Cofffee didn't say a word to him for two long years, before starting to tolerate him again. Wine still wonders if he could have done things differently.

Fellswap Gold Papyrus - When after several years on the Surface, Coffee entered into a relationship with a human, Wine wasn't very enthusiastic. However, they both snapped at each other when after some months, Coffee decided to live with their partner and Wine refused, pretexting he couldn't guarantee his security and that he doesn't allow it. Coffee screamed that he was not a child anymore and he had nothing to allow him since he was a responsible adult who could make his own choices. Wine, in psychological distress, tried to keep him in his room, but Coffee left by the window. He texted him to call him once he calmed down and realized how ridiculous he was. Wine will eventually, awkwardly. It's hard to let go of his old habits, but he's willing to try.

#undertale #underswap #underfell #horrortale #swapfell #fellswap gold #sans #papyrus #undertale ask blog #undertale asks #undertale imagines #undertale headcanons

[yunarim]

ಇ. broken melodies | chapter 4

⇢ ⁺ THURSDAY'S CHILD HAS FAR TO GO ˖ Yuu's about to make her first visit to NRC.

— PREVIEW (read for tags and synopsis) — MASTERLIST (open to read previous chapters) — AO3

⁺ w.c : 13k+

Dazzling morning’s light was gliding aside Yuu’s features, and she snapped her eyes open.

It was already morning, and even in spite of not getting quite used to them, Yuu realized that the new day had indeed started. She blinked away all the sleepiness that suddenly washed away her usual consistent and firm liveliness as someone’s steady breathing next to her was heard, while she was staring absently at the plainly white ceiling of the infirmary.

She abruptly turned her head, witnessing a very familiar silhouette, though surrounded by seven other bodies, and gaped, her breath hitched.

Neige was lying on the bed, sheets artificially clean and neat, his face radiating nothing but tranquil peace and calmness as of a deadman. She shivered, her hands started trembling slightly as she managed to get up from the bed, and didn't notice concerned gazes upon her startled figure.

“Yuu?” 

She ignored one of the dwarfs' noise, and went straight up to the bed Neige was lying at, and couldn’t resist touching his cheek white as snow. 

His serene entity, depraved of former worry and anxiety he was surely trapped in, reminiscent Yuu of the Snow White. He wasn’t surrounded by flowers, nor was he covered with a glassy lid, yet Yuu stared as if the world was about to cease its existence. 

“Yuu.”

She hasn’t succeeded in rescuing him, has she?

Yuu chuckled to herself rather hysterically, nervously clenching a piece of cloth in her hand, and sucked air. No, it can’t be…

“Yuu-san!!”

“H-huh?”

She only turned when one of the dwarfs hit her slightly on her leg, finally managing to gather her attention, and frowned at her, sighing in displeasure.

“I don’t know what you are thinking about, but he is fine.”

“He is?!” Yuu regained the brightness of her emotional specter and bent down enough for her eyes to meet the dwarf’s, Dominic. “Oh I’m so glad…”

“You’re an injured party, too. You should rest a bit more,” Dominic put his hands on his hips, pouting at her. “Neige’s fine, but please remain quiet. He’s finally sleeping normally.”

“S-sorry…” She muttered under her breath and took a seat on the edge of her bed. “Were you here all the time? I remember we both fell asleep at night…”

“We came an hour before you woke up!” Hop smiled at her sheepishly. 

“Thank you for coming here,” Yuu nodded politely. “But you too should get some sleep, I believe it’s pretty early for anyone to come.”

“It’s nearly six in the morning,” Dominic explained. “No need to worry. Besides, we wanted to thank you.”

“Me? For what?..”

“For rescuing Neige, you fool,” Grum scoffed at her before getting scolded by Dominic. 

“Forgive Grum for being rude,” Dominic sighed. “But he’s right. We all are really grateful.”

“I did nothing…” Yuu mumbled, lowering her head.

Indeed, she did nothing, and it was almost humiliating. She could have protected him from being hit! She could have prevented him from crossing the line and going overboard with his emotions, could have helped him in many other ways, or at least just talk his soul out of it, she could have—

“...Zzz… Looks like… Worries too much…”

Yuu turned to the sleepy dwarf with ginger hair, which slightly reminded her of Elias, and blinked, turning to the next dwarf, who was playfully patting Neige’s head.

“Mm?” He looked up at Yuu. “Ah! Thank you!! Oh, but why did you worry in the first place?.. I can’t remember…”

“Toby can be rather forgetful,” Dominic elucidated. “But he’s right. There’s no need to worry anymore, alright?”

Yuu gasped at his statement in bewilderment, but had no other choice than to bite her lips and accept their point of view. “Understood…”

“Nice nice!!” Hop giggled and covered his mouth with his hands as Dominic put his finger to his lips and mumbled quiet ‘shh!’. “Sorry!”

 “Doctor Wyn said that Neige will recover in no time,” Dominic reassured her, placing his little hand above her own, to which Yuu shuddered slightly, being rather unfamiliar with touches. “You all did your best, thanks to you, Elias and Che’nya-senpai, Neige is alright. He just needs proper rest.”

Yuu nodded, returning her gaze to Neige’s beautiful face, relieved from worries in the sleep. 

“Y-you should sleep… t-too…” Blue-haired dwarf with bangs covering his eyes mumbled, causing Yuu to smile slightly. “W-wha!..”

“Thank you,” she replied, standing up. “But I’m okay. I’ve rested enough. Besides, I… think I miss the clocktower.”

“Right, you spent all night here,” Dominic nodded. “We’ll see you later then!”

Yuu’s smile turned slightly vague and apologetic, but seemed to go unnoticed by the dwarfs.

“Yes, indeed. See you later.”

Yuu bowed to everyone and bid goodbye before closing the door. Only in the hallway did she notice that her uniform was neat and clean, though instead of boots she was wearing light slippers, to which she giggled softly. 

Apparently, the academy seemed to be free of students, and once she felt tender sun rays playfully touching her skin through the windows, yet light freshness bordering on chilly coolness, she realized that it was early in the morning. Around five or six am, probably?

Yuu went out of the building, meeting a slight breeze filled with autumn’s coldness, and stretched out her hands to the sides, inhaling deeply, and exhaled slowly, enjoying how pleasant it was — to be able to stop for a while and just… breathe.

The road to the clock tower accompanied her with morning dampness, drops of dew from the small blades of grass under her feet playfully tickled her ankles. Yuu waved her hand, summoned a pink butterfly, and greeted it.

“Morning, little one,” she smiled in relief, noticing that everything was alright. “How are you doing? I was worried that something might have happened to you all yesterday…”

The butterfly whirled around her, then landed on her head.

“I see…” Yuu muttered, nodding. “I’m glad you’re all okay. Come to think of it, do you think that… a red butterfly would come if I summoned it?”

The butterfly remained silent. 

“I also think so… But it’s concerning that it didn’t disappear. I can feel the connection formed between us. It hasn’t disappeared completely, I can slightly feel it resonating on the back of my mind.”

Yuu continued mumbling to the pink butterfly until she made her way to the clocktower, and took a deep breath.

“It’s time to bid farewell.”

She stepped in the clock tower, releasing her magic wand and changing soaked slippers into boots, then took a deep breath. Every step on the ladder radiated anxiety and fear, shuddering with the feeling of wretched omen upfolding soon. The butterfly appeared to fly away somewhere (Yuu had no idea where to they always return after being summoned), and she squeezed her shirt in the fist. 

Reaching the clockwork, she stared at the reddening sky in its sunrise, and felt her heart growing with smoldering heaviness. 

Neige was rescued, he was fine, he started recovering, and with proper care and support he will definitely become happy, just like Snow White did. He will follow her steps, one day will turn into the fairest one of all, and probably won’t even remember Yuu, ever. There was nothing to remember, to be exact — she just happened to appear in a place, in a time, talk to someone, do something, and then is supposed to cease to exist in the minds of those who met her.

A wave of something oppressive, heavy and viscous passed through her, as if a chopping rod, and Yuu winced, hugging herself. Was bidding farewell to princesses just as hard? She couldn’t remember, her memory sinking in a fog of scattered pieces of bonds, acquaintances, events… 

I must go now, she thought, ignoring the shiver that fettered her, and shook her head in denial. 

“Ha… Let’s do this.”

She threw a quick glance to the papers Prospero studied here, chuckling to the Solar Return chart and Pluto in 8th house, and thought that maybe it wasn’t even interpreted in a right way, and there were no significant changes in the life of the chart’s owner. Brushing off her silly thoughts that maybe her appearance here was about to be the change, yet ha! Hardly it was.

Yuu’s grip tightened on the magic wand asshe closed her eyes. 

Heartbeat increased rapidly, her breath inconsistent. Yuu was imagining the mansion she has lived in for who knows how many years, every crack on the brick walls, every flower in her garden. Slowly, memories started enveloping her, bringing back to her usual holistic life. Playful dances with butterflies, chores in the kitchen, starlight gazing and viscous ardent desire to rip the loneliness off her skin and soul.

She almost felt how prominent was the fragrance of flowers, its bewitching aroma surrounding her gently, covering all the worries and casting a strong spell of bringing tranquility, and yet…

Yuu felt her vessels encaustic, burnt with poisonous flames, and gasped, breaking down to the painful yell, and fell on her knees. 

Her magic wand left long forgotten on the floor, ferocious zips of magic flashing in the air. “I… What?..”

She no longer paid attention to her heartbeat, ignoring how it was beating with loud thuds in her ears, and stood up once more, biting her lower lip and shaking off her thoughts.

“No, it can’t be,” Yuu muttered to herself, grabbing the wand in spite of it still crepitating. “I must have made a mistake in spell casting, right…”

Closing her eyes, Yuu once more tried imagining the place, yet to no avail — the magic wand abruptly got almost incandescent in magic flames to the point it was painful to hold, and another shock wave pierced Yuu through, causing her to drop the item and scream in a painful wail.

“But why!!” She appealed to the reddening sky leaking through the glassy walls of the clocktower with its gentle rays. “I have already helped Neige! He is fine!”

But everything remained silent.

She inhaled sharply, trying to calm herself down. “Alright. There’s still a way.”

She will play by the rules of this capricious, whimsical world with all the diligence she has got.

Yuu made her magic wand disappear and decided to head out to where it had all started.

It was still very much early in the morning, no students spotted in the halls of the main building. The heels of her boots echoed with every step, and when she reached the doors, the heaviness crumpled on her shoulders, causing breath to hitch uncomfortably. 

She opened the doors, now seeing this hall once again, with a whirl of memories having her mind flooded with fragments of images of her landing here. She made her way to Excalibur to make sure he wasn’t paying much attention. It was still a question if he could sleep or just put his ‘mind’ to slumber until being summoned, yet the slight soft glow he was radiating the first day was gone. 

“It was nice meeting you…”

Silence was the only answer.

She stood up in the centre of the hall, trembling hands not holding the magic wand properly, Yuu’s whole stance was questionably steady, breath inconsistent and shuddering in worry. Yet, she tried again. 

“Argh!!”

She yelled, but pressed further. Air started crackling with green zips flashing around her small figure, her fingers turning blue, then white until she couldn’t feel them anymore. 

“I demand!!” Another scream passed her lips. Her eyes snapped open, little nets of blood veiling in the corners due to pressure rising up. “To bring me back home immediately!”

Yet to no avail. 

She knew if she yelled louder, someone might have heard, so she continued pushing it forward, ignoring how her whole body started boiling with magic within, causing a few huge sweat drops to fall and get carried away with a storm that formed from magic currents. Yuu couldn’t take it any longer, butterflies trying to resist the amount of magic leaking out of her uncontrollably, and surrounded her. She dropped her wand at once, falling on her knees, pulsations beating in her whole body, heart wincing in anguish. 

“Ah.. Ha… Ha-ha…”

Sweat drops rolled down her cheeks, falling on her fists she clenched while staring at the marble floor. It wasn’t Yuu who appeared here on her first day, dressed in ceremonial robes of RSA. It was pathetic, unwise Yuu who was scared to admit she failed.

Little iridescent butterfly landed on her nose, glowing with a tender warmth, healed her slightly, helping her to regain composure.

“I am so foolish,” Yuu tried standing up and swallowing the thoughts that started piling up in her head. “Truly, what a fatuous, ungraceful being!”

If the mirror can’t take her back home, then there is still someone who needs her help. Just how simple the formula is!

Yuu picked her magic wand up, making it disappear in the air, and headed out to the exit. She needed to sort all the thoughts out, make a plan, decide what the next step would be, and, most importantly, figure out who needed help this time. Or was it still Neige? Right, defeating, or rather admitting his other self was valid, didn’t make his worries go away. The depression he drowned in, the pressure and the thoughts hunting him were still crawling under his skin, and being an excellent actor he is, he still preferred to conceal his true feelings and—

“W-woah!!”

Yuu touched the doors’ handle only to realize that it wasn’t her who opened the doors in the first place, and couldn’t orient herself at once, swimming in the depths of her mind with splashing questions, and squealed. 

“W-what??”

“Oh?! Yuu!” 

“Elias-san?!”

Yuu recognized the familiar gingerhead and was about to ask what was happening, but she was confronted with professor Emery’s annoyed voice reaching from somewhere behind Elias’s back. 

“There’s no time!” Elias yelped when realized he basically almost smashed Yuu when he entered the hall, and grabbed her shoulders, causing the girl to shudder. “Sorry, you’re about to have a real quick retreat operation here!”

“W-what do you— Elias-san?!”

“Down the Rabbit Hole!”

And with that he pushed her towards an upfolding hole under their feet, making Yuu disorient slightly until Emery’s voice was distancing and fastly disappearing.

Yuu slightly pushed Elias off, realizing he still had his hands on her shoulders to somehow steady her while they were falling, and blinked away an unfamiliar feeling of being touched by someone. A chair wasn’t long in coming, catching Yuu and causing her to plop in it, now being opposed to Elias, who also appeared to be in the middle of taking a seat. 

“Sorry!” He said, smiling at her when a table also came, flying between them. “Didn’t expect you to be there so early!”

“I can say the same thing about you, Elias-san…”

Yuu finally could study his features, now sitting in front of him. Elias, in all his fidgeting glory, actually appeared to be an extremely beautiful person. 

His copper-colored hair almost touched his shoulders, and now, in the bizarre lighting that worked according to principles inexplicable to Yuu, she could notice long light, almost blond eyelashes. His hair seemed to have been scorched red by the blinding sun, to which the young man apparently was often exposed. The sun's reflections, caught in his brightest blue eyes, danced joyfully at the bottom. But what stood out most was his wide smile, causing Yuu to involuntarily smile back, taking in the boy's mood. It seemed that he himself was the epitome of everything bright and inspiring that existed in this world.

Two cups flew to the table, remaining in the air hanging just slightly above the table's surface. Elias parted his lips slightly, taking his cup between his fingers covered in small scratches, and glanced at Yuu. The way her fingers elegantly embraced the cup, her firm gaze fixed on the teapot made Elias startle for a moment, but he was instantly brought back to life when he smelled the tea that poured in her cup.

“Huh?!” He exclaimed, leaning slightly closer. “Isn’t it tea with lavender and orange zest?!”

“Your sense of smell is incredible, I must say!” Yuu’s lips turned upward, but then dropped when she saw him frowning. “Is something the matter?”

“Ho-hooo~ Aren’t you a sly girl, Yuu?”

“Excuse me?.. I’m afraid I don’t follow.”

“Oh you do!” He clapped his hands and giggled. “Why didn’t you mention earlier that you’ve already been here!”

Ah. 

Was there any point of concealing the truth? She, indeed, had a miraculous chance to experience portal traveling, but what put a serious weight on her heart was the very fact she did it without any warning, sneakily entering Elias’s portal uninvited and unwanted. Her gaze lowered, almost incarnating her reflection in the tea cup. 

Elias’s little chuckle made her gulp and confront his blue eyes, and Yuu hesitated to follow the conversation. Yet, an unsettling feeling underneath her skin was quickly soothed by the boy’s swift jump from the chair. Elias tapped her shoulder, giving it a gentle shake right after, so as to wake her up from that concerning self-soul-searching.

But hey, wait a moment. How did he figure out that it wasn’t her first time here?

“Elias-san, how did you know?..”

“Mm, your tea flavor,” he nodded coquettishly, pointing at her teacup. “The portal always serves black tea with lavender and orange zest for the guests arriving for the second time. Next time, you’ll be served hibiscus and honey!”

“O-oh…”

“Hey,” he tilted his head. “You know, it’s very easy to read you when you frown like that. I’m not blaming you!”

“You… really?” Yuu’s eyes lit up slightly at his statement.

“Girl, why would I?” Elias giggled, sipping the tea. “I see you’ve got that adventurous spirit! I mean, I noticed that during the… uh, fight with Neige’s counterpart. Still,” he gave her an uncertain look, emotions on his beautiful face kept on changing with every second. “You seemed kinda way too serious.”

“Yes, so it was a serious matter demanding appropriate reaction.” Yuu concluded, allowing herself to enjoy the tea. 

“It indeed was,” Elias nodded. “I mean… You carry that kind of look like you’re about to disintegrate from distress any minute.”

“I’m sorry?”

“The portal seems to be quite curious about your case,” Elias chuckled again. “We’re having a long ride today. Perfect for story telling!”

Even if Yuu thought of herself as a fool for not being able to accomplish her task, she understood what he was hinting at. Elias clearly pointed out how odd her case was, and wanted just as clear answer. 

“Mmm…” He ruffled his hair, realizing that he probably came off as demanding, and sneakily glanced at Yuu, trying to analyze her reactions. Nothing beside her usual facial expressions, unable to be read, caught his eye. “You don’t need to answer if you don’t want to. It’s just…”

Now he was the hesitating one, darting his eyes between Yuu and his cup of tea. 

“It is quite alright, Elias-san,” her voice came in almost a whisper. “Forgive me for the confusion I caused. I’ll tell you everything I can, but please do bear with the fact I’m in no position to tell you absolutely everything.”

“Sure, you have my word!” He nodded eagerly. “In fact, I can also drop a thing or two about myself in return, if you’d want that.”

“I won’t deny, you’re quite an interesting person yourself…” She said slowly, as if trying to digest the words that flew off her lips. “Alright then. Ask me a question. What do you want to know exactly?”

“Okie! Well, here’s a small detail about myself: I’m good at magic. Not to mention I’m rather creative, hence I can understand what kind of forms magic can take. It’s the first time I see someone casting a spell in the shape of butterflies.”

“Ah, yes…” Yuu blinked twice, feeling panic rising within slightly. She didn’t want to lie, but just as well she hesitated whether she should tell him the secret behind her magic spells. “I cast my magic not in the way you do…”

“I noticed that,” he giggled, leaning forward. “Although, we, RSA students, and almost every well-known magician prefer no magic-shaping as it takes a lot of concentration and extra resources. I mean, why bother and spend more magic required than it’s originally needed?”

“I see…” Yuu hummed, abruptly snapping out of her thoughts as she noticed Elias winking conspiratorially at her, and realized he was quick to read her. 

“No normal magician usually says ‘I see’ when speaking about their magic,” he said and jumped in his seat as he noticed Yuu frowning. “Ah, I don’t mean you’re abnormal in a bad way.”

“That is alright,” she shook her head. “My magic is… Not quite like yours, there’s no denying. As I noticed, it doesn’t take much energy and concentration for me to cast spells. Plus, my butterflies have bits of consciousness of their own. They tend to react differently from butterfly to butterfly. I never considered them the form of my spells, but rather… friends.” 

She returned her gaze at him, probing if he was confused with her explanations, but Elias only flourished in excitement, leaning forward and slamming his palms against the table as his smile only grew wider.

“You can befriend magic?!” His eyes were almost sparkling in delight. “That’s insane!! Can you summon a butterfly?! O-oh, I mean,” he steadied himself, realizing Yuu was slightly at a loss of words. “If it’s okay.”

“Hmm… Okay. Come, little one.”

A pink butterfly appeared before Elias’s eyes with pinkish sprinkles, causing a ticklish feeling at the tip of the boy’s nose, and he carefully studied it. 

“You mentioned they have consciousness,” he mumbled, sticking out his finger, and smiled when the butterfly landed on it. “How do you know that?”

“I can speak with them,” Yuu said. “Although, apparently, others can’t hear their voices.”

“Marvelous…” Elias whispered, his eyes glued to the butterfly. “And there are different colors, right?”

Yuu hesitated, thinking that she was already providing quite a lot of information, but continued after a short pause. “Yes.”

“The butterflies you used… no, summoned that day, were yellow.”

“Golden,” she corrected him. “I summon pink butterflies more often than the others.”

“Because they possess different abilities?” He guessed and hummed after Yuu’s approval nod. “Incredible!! But, Yuu…”

“Yes?”

“Where in the world did you learn this kind of magic?”

Yuu lowered her gaze once again, avoiding Elias’s inquisitive eyes, and took a deep breath. Once she reveals the truth, it may be over. She already risked it enough with school staff, she couldn’t afford failing her mission if she puts trust in the wrong person. Elias seemed nice and genuine, but given her uncountable experience and long life, she knew how devious some people could be, and how easily trust could be lost. 

Still, they fought together. Elias was ready to risk his life for her if something went wrong that very moment, and if she knew she would prevent it, it felt… odd. Trust was a foreign concept for her — the only trust she had knowledge about was her Godmother’s kindness and wisdom. She took her when no one else did, she taught her everything, never letting down, never abandoning. Godmother’s presence was always lingering in the air, even if Yuu knew exactly well that she was somewhere far, far away, and it gave her strength and will to go on and never give up, no matter how unbearable the situation might seem. The Fairy Godmother was the only one she could rely on, believe in and follow her lead, she needed no one else, and yet…

The situation she appeared to be trapped in was unprecedented. Who knows how much longer she needs to stay here, so maybe — just maybe! — it was okay to try putting her trust in someone else?

“Not in the world you know,” she finally breathed out her words. “As I do not belong to your world.”

“Your world, you say…” Elias continued after a short moment. “That makes you a transdimensional traveler?”

“You may put it like that,” she nodded. “Putting it plainly, I’m not from your world, so I don’t possess your magic. And I’m sorry, but I believe I can’t reveal anything more than that.”

Elias smiled at her, shaking his head. “It’s alright. I’m very grateful you shared it with me. And I’ll keep your secret, you have my word on that.”

“I can’t thank you enough,” she bowed slightly and raised immediately as Elias asked her not to. 

“Your magic proved very helpful in, eh, battle with Neige? If I may put it like that. Especially given no one really knows what the hell really happened.”

“Right, I wanted to ask if you know anything about that… counterpart of his,” Yuu dwelled deeper in her thoughts. 

“No,” he said firmly. “I know nothing at all, and it’s concerning. Buuut~” 

“Hm?..”

“I know someone who does!”

Elias put his teacup away, grabbing Yuu’s hand much to her surprise and incomprehension, and jumped on the floating armchair, pulling Yuu after him. 

“Okay, off we go!”

As only Yuu managed to detect annoyance — could it even be said about unliving being?? — coming from the portal, Elias already held her hand tight enough so she didn't trap her foot when the portal closed. 

Unfamiliar warmth on her hand radiating from Elias’s skin made her shutter slightly and draw her hand closer to her heart, releasing from Elias’s hold.

“Whoops, sorry!” He smiled. “Jumping off the closing portal might be quite the experience, even if you know when it’s closing.”

He giggled, hinting at the time Yuu couldn’t predict the time that portal was closing and had to orient herself without any hints, so she only shook her head. Touches felt foreign, alien, yet… not unwelcome. 

Yuu studied her surroundings as she noticed a familiar dusted smell, which usually only books could possess, and blinked, realizing they indeed ended up landing in the library. 

“We didn’t travel far from the main hall,” she commented, watching Elias jumping on the staircase’s railing and sliding down. “Ah, wait!”

Quick on his feet, Elias gracefully jumped off the staircase, turning to Yuu, who was hurriedly descending along, glancing with hints of childish menace, much to his amusement. “Sorry, couldn’t help myself, heh!”

“Elias-san, this is dangerous! Descend normally next time!”

“‘Kay, mom.”

“Mom? I’m not your mother, Elias-san.”

He poked his tongue out of his mouth, giggling afterwards, and Yuu only sighed at his shenanigans. 

A pile of books met them right at the reception desk, and Elias was about to call for Aell when the librarian appeared from behind the pile just in time the second-year opened his mouth to speak. 

“Oh, Aell, hellou-hellou~ Being busy since early morning, hm?”

Yuu glanced at her companion with a hint of disbelief, trying to make an apology for his rude behavior, but Aell only shrugged it off.

“You as well. And good morning, Yuu-san.” 

She bowed, receiving a little approving hum in return, and greeted him. “I’m deeply sorry for disturbing you so early in the morning.”

“Nonsense,” Aell shook his head, dark chocolate curls of his hair swaying mesmerizingly. “If anyone is disturbing, it’s Elias.”

“Eyy you old man!”

“Elias-san!”

“Don’t worry, Yuu-san,” Aell raised his hand, stopping her from being harsh on her companion. “That little gadabout is always like that. Much to Emery’s chagrin.”

“That is me~ “

“So,” Aell leaned on his elbows, tilting his head, his eyelashes trembling ever so slightly. “What caused you to bring Yuu-san here?”

“She came willingly!”

“From your portal, yes, I assume.”

“In fact, you really brought me here, Elias-san,” she chuckled and turned to Aell. “Still, there’s something we wanted to ask… There’s almost no information regarding one topic we… might have been stumbled upon, and for educational purposes we would like to gather more information, if that is alright by you.”

Elias secretly showed his thumbs up, though Yuu had no idea what the gesture meant, and only tilted her head when Aell spoke.

“You speak very… cautiously,” he noticed, narrowing his eyes in query. “What kind of topic are you about to bring up?”

“We don’t know the exact name, if there’s one, that is… What we know is that a person produces, uh… their other self? Which is quite the opposite of their original side in terms of personality, but not exactly drastically opposite?..”

Yuu tried to draw a solid conclusion while speaking, and realized how messed up she sounded, but Aell seemed to understand her to the fullest, reacting in a way she didn’t expect.

The corners of his lips twitched, pupils trembled for a moment before he quickly dismissed his emotions, remaining unreadable. 

“No.” His answer was outright. “No, as I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Oh come on, you certainly do,” Elias probed, meeting with Aell’s strict look.

“I do not. More to add, you won’t even find any books on the matter you speak about. Which, by the way, sounds absolutely absurd. You kids read too many whimsical little novels these days.”

Albeit not wanting to insist, Yuu gulped and tried pressing on a little bit further. “We’re sorry for bringing it up and disturbing you then… But if you don’t mind me asking, maybe there’s magic allowing one to create their replica?”

“I believe I made myself clear, Yuu-san,” Aell stood up, turning his back on them and grabbing a book so harshly that his fingers turned white from the pressure. “Now, is there anything else?”

“Nothing,” Elias replied, nodding to the exit and receiving Yuu’s silent ‘okay’ at his move. “Sorry for asking. We’ll go.”

“Just…” Aell sighed, knitting his brows together and taking a deep breath. “Focus on your current studies instead.”

But we experienced something much exceeding our current studies program, Yuu thought to herself, but nodded nevertheless. 

“And,” Aell raised his voice slightly when Yuu and Elias headed out to the exit. “Promise me you will think about yourselves and tell us adults if something’s on your minds.”

Yuu and Elias exchanged confused looks, then turned to Aell and nodded to him in agreement. 

“Good. Now, have a good day.”

“See you later,” Elias dropped before opening the door for Yuu and throwing one last heavy glance at Aell, who had already disappeared between bookcases.

“He seemed angry…” Yuu whispered, frowning. “It appears this case with counterparts is much deeper than we originally thought.”

“I’ve never seen Aell reacting like that,” Elias added. “I mean, I thought I knew him well, but this is something new and unexpected. Which means… we need to investigate it on our own!”

“But we promised we—”

“Come on, aren’t you curious? That old man clearly hid something from us,” Elias chuckled. “We will be careful. Plus, it’s not like you’re about to leave this all and forget everything that happened to Neige, right?”

Yuu sighed and massaged her temples. Of course she wouldn’t forget. Yet, she was on her mission, everything happening connected to her task, and Elias happened to be dragged in it. She couldn’t afford letting him get hurt!

“Yes, well… Alright.” She sighed in defeat. “But please, Elias-san, be careful. If you notice anything strange and out of place, tell me immediately, so I can protect you.”

“What an adorable knight in shining armor you are, Yuu!” Elias smiled at her, little freckles on his cheeks shining slightly more prominent in lights scorching through the windows. “You too remember that you can rely on me.”

“Thank you, Elias-san,” she bowed. 

“Alright then, I’ll get going, need to check on someone before the lessons start!” He exclaimed, stretching and yawning. “You go back to the clock tower, you’ve got a well-deserved rest for today, after all.”

“I could say the same about you!” She protested, looking at him with reprimanding eyes. “You need to get some rest, Elias-san. I’ll be just fine. I can’t skip lessons just because of little scratches.”

“Girl, I literally wasn’t affected in any way thanks to you,” he bent over to her. “I’m very grateful, but spare me, how could I sit around doing nothing when it's broad daylight?”

“Okay…” She took a deep breath. “But if you feel exhausted, return to your dorm immediately and get some rest.”

“Yeah, mom.”

“I am not your mother, Elias-san.”

But Elias already disappeared, jumping off the staircase railing again, and waved his hand, bidding his goodbyes to her. 

Despite being quite exhausted herself, Yuu couldn’t let herself skip lessons. Sun rays were flowing on her skin when she stretched, sitting at her desk in the classroom where students were partially present. Accompanied by their yawns, she opened her copybook, alas letters were floating, becoming an incoherent mess, and Yuu sighed. She was visibly tired and confused by everything that happened this morning. 

If the mirror was still blocked, it meant there was someone who needed her help. Was Neige really alright or should she pay more attention to his state? Or was there a completely different person, silently crying for help, while Yuu was sitting here, doing nothing? How foolish it was of her — to think she’d accomplished her training in princess rescuing. The Fairy Godmother possessed great intuition, allowing her to detect those in need in one moment, she always knew what was right and what was wrong. She knew exactly how to help and provide one with her assistance, and when one should have done something by themselves. 

Yuu took a deep breath, trying to gather her thoughts and detect what would come next, when she sensed a rather familiar fresh fragrance from her side and turned left to see Luan jumping on his seat.

“Mornin’!” He greeted her, his brightest smile making her reciprocate. “Man, you look…”

Luan frowned, leaning slightly forward to get a closer look at her face. 

“I look?..”

“Exhausted,” Luan concluded, his features softening. “Damn, you look like you haven’t slept in ages. No offense tho.”

“It’s alright,” she shook her head. “I just… Have a lot on my mind, but don’t worry.”

“Nah girl, you’re not getting away with that from me, got it?” Yuu blinked at him blankly. “I’m here and you’re not smiling genuinely? That won’t do.”

“Haha,” a small laugh escaped her lips, and she wouldn’t lie, it came off really sincere. “No, really, I’m quite okay. Just a bit tired.”

“Tat tat,” Luan stuck out his index finger and clicked his tongue, lecturing her. “I’m not buying it. You’re a bad liar, Yuu.”

She laughed sheepishly, averting her gaze and hesitating, whether she should have taken that as a compliment or a comment to think about thoroughly later on. She, in fact, couldn’t lie at all, but if it was that easy to notice, well… 

“Sorry…”

“Girl, I’m not angry at you, chill,” Luan clapped his hands and fished out of his pocket that peculiar device called phone, waving his hand at Yuu to bend forward. “I know what could brighten your mood. Say, do you like cats?”

“Cats?” Yuu blinked, certainly not expecting that kind of question all of sudden. “Yes, I do find animals adorable. Cats included. Why?”

“Great, no one could resist cat videos! Come ‘ere.”

She stared at the phone, narrowing her eyes and trying to follow Luan’s quick moves, his fingers floating above the surface, letters splashing under his touch. What a marvelous little device!

He gave his phone to Yuu, galaxies flashing in her eyes due to excitement mixed with fear she might break something, but Luan just giggled it off and said it’s okay. Yuu took the phone, grabbing it clumsily, and stared at the screen as Luan pressed a button, and a video started playing.

Little kittens were playing with each other, their fluffy paws hitting the screen, as if trying to reach Yuu, and small squeaky meows made the corners of her lips grow wide in a beautiful genuine smile.

“See! I always keep my promises!” Luan giggled, yet appeared to be very proud of himself. 

“They are so cute!!” Yuu exclaimed, her eyes filling with pure joy and delight, seeming much more alive then they were a minute ago. “Waa… Thank you for showing it to me. I will treasure this moment forever.”

“We must get you a phone one day,” Luan said, taking the device from Yuu’s hands when the video ended. “I’d send you a ton of such everyday.”

“I don’t mind, if it wouldn’t distract you from the lessons.”

“Hey, you’re no fun!!”

“That I am,” she smiled. “Thank you once again. I appreciate it.”

“Maybe you should just join the equestrian club if you love animals. They’ve got horse riding there.”

“Hm…” 

Yuu found herself lost in thoughts again. Luan has mentioned clubs before, as well as Chenya, encouraging her to join one. Even if it sounded like fun, was it the right moment to try though? Now that she was certain her job here wasn’t done, maybe she could allow herself a little moment of enjoyment and find out what her interests really were?

“Do you know anyone who’s in that club?” Yuu asked, justifying it innerly in a ‘it’s just out of curiosity, nothing more’ manner of speaking. 

“Neige,” Luan said instantly. “Oh, also that funny guy called Elias. You might not know him but-”

“I do know,” she said. “Oh, sorry for interrupting!”

“You’re doing great! See, you already know that Chenya dude, Neige and even Elias! Though I don’t think the equestrian club is really your cup of tea.”

“Huh? Why would you think so?”

“I’m not sure, it's just… Uh, vibes aren’t really yours. Anyway, I haven’t told you I also joined a club, have I?”

“Oh! Which exactly?”

“School broadcasting!” He announced proudly, smirking at Yuu and giggling. “Sounds cool, huh? Don’t be shocked if you hear my voice while walking around the school. Oh and I’ll make sure you hear me in every corner of these grounds!”

“I’m looking forward to it!” 

As teacher Emery entered the classroom, making it clear that the lesson was about to start, Luan opened his copybook and spoke softer, but still loud enough for only Yuu to hear.

“Let me give you a tour after classes end,” he said. “Then you’ll choose which club you find most fitting for yourself!”

“Splendid idea,” she nodded, returning to her copybook.

And catching Emery’s worrying gaze on her before he started the lesson. 

Luan found Yuu brooding in the hallway after lessons ended, and appeared before her, his smile wide as always. 

“We’re off on our journey to find you a club fitting your interests!”

“You’re making it sound quite adventurous,” Yuu noticed, taking Luan’s lead and passing through students, apparently not so cautious of her presence as they were just a few days ago. “Again, thank you for helping.”

“That’s my pleasure,” Luan replied. “And to prove my good self being a wonderful tour guide and not make it boring, let me tell you that you can find most of the club rooms in another wing. Aside from those which involve outdoor activities, ofc.”

“Oh, alright. What would be our first stop?”

“It’s a surprise!”

Yuu smiled. Luan was pretty quick on his feet, just like Elias, and following him was quite a process, given she herself preferred no rush as she walked, yet she noticed that Luan slowed down just enough for her to not run and walk in a comfortable space. Perhaps all of her acquaintances she happened to have got accustomed to this kind of attentiveness due to her short height and it was simply more convenient for them to walk slowly, or maybe they were just considerate — she, in the first place, was thankful. 

It was four in the afternoon when the classes ended, and colors of the sun iridescent from scorchingly bright and light to warm orange, bringing comfort and coziness. Yuu could never get used to it — walking freely under the sun, watching days pass by, colors changing their palette with each hour. Uncountable years, half of which Yuu simply forgot as they failed to imprint memories into her heart, remaining dim and plain, brought eternal night to her life. 

The garden in her mansion glimmered in starlight each day and night, and she could never imagine those flowers in shades beside slightly touched by moonlight, silver and cold. She, of course, witnessed countless sunrises in her lifetime while rescuing princesses, and yet… Has she ever stayed in one world longer than for one day? The touch of the sun on her pale skin was extraneous and inappropriate to the point that it brought more sadness than delight. 

And now, with every day filled with the alien warmth of the sun and its colors, she bathed in it, enjoying every moment with every fiber of her soul. 

She didn’t notice as they already arrived, Luan stopping right before her.

“A~aalright, here we are! Allow me to introduce you to the art club!”

Luan was just about to open the door, but two distinctively loud voices were heard up ahead.

“LUAAAAAAAAN!”

Yuu winced at how exceptionally loud they were, reaching her very core and shaking it with their sharp yell. Luan, in his turn, wasn’t shaken by them at all, looking rather… Playful?

“Whoopsie-daisy!” He said, turning around and getting almost smashed by two bodies.

Yuu tensed, ready to defend, attack, or maybe everything at once, but Luan’s only burst into soft giggles. 

Luan was quickly pulled into some sort of a greeting hug, and when two unfamiliar people let him be, Yuu studied their features. 

The first young man turned out to be quite tall and strong. Thick pitch-black hair casually fell onto the tanned skin of his shoulders. Yuu had to lift her head high to peer into his dark, bottomless eyes. His strong, large palm rested on Luan's shoulder. A light shadow of a calm smile stretched across his plump lips. His animalistic features reminded Yuu of a warthog.

The second young man turned out to be much smaller in stature compared to his companion. From under his shirt, carelessly unbuttoned at the throat, a scattering of moles could be seen on the golden skin. The sleeves of his uniform were rolled up, exposing his sinewy arms, which were also not lacking in moles. With a slight wave of his hand, he brushed a strand of tousled ginger hair from his forehead, allowing Yuu to look at his bright chocolate eyes, aimed straight at Luan. His rounded ears and ginger tail reminded Yuu of a meerkat. Both of the students wore yellow brooches attached to their shirts, revealing that they were from Kifurijua dorm.

“Tim, Boo!” Luan greeted them, pulling into a hug. “Wassup?” “We finally found ya,” the black-haired one spoke, his voice deep and strong. 

“You’ve got the company,” another one noticed, nodding to Yuu. “Hey there!”

“O-oh, yes, good afternoon,” she startled for a moment, mesmerized by their appealing appearances, and bowed.

“This is the first time someone bows to me,” black-haired student said. “No need to go that far, girl.”

“You meet her next time and get used to it instantly, that’s just how she is!” Luan explained and turned to Yuu. “Yuu, meet my best friends! This is Tim,” Luan pointed at the ginger-haired student. “And here’s Boo,” black-haired boy nodded shortly. 

“Pleased to meet you everyone,” she nodded politely. “I am Yuu, Luan’s classmate.”

“Ey, aren’t we friends?” He tilted his head to her but let the matter be as he noticed her confusion and frustration, clearly not comfortable with answering. “Anyway, Yuu, they’re also my clubmates. So, guys, did you need somethin’? I was giving Yuu a tour on our clubs!”

“You’re needed in the club,” Boo said. “Right now.”

“Really? What happened?” 

“Leader’s got a sore throat, and the broadcast starts in half an hour.” 

“Oh,” Luan turned to Yuu at once, realizing that he couldn’t have skipped the club activities, yet he also gave her a promise. “Uhm, Yuu.”

“I understand,” she shook her head, as if telling them not to worry. “Please proceed without me, it sounds important. I will go further on my own.”

“Ayy, but I promised!”

“That is quite alright, please don’t worry about me,” Yuu smiled, seeing how Tim and Boo relaxed as they realized she understood that Luan was needed. “I appreciate you led me here, I’m sure I’ll manage to go further on.”

“Promise me you’ll ask for help if you get lost or somethin’!” 

“I promise,” Yuu nodded shortly. “Good luck in the club! I hope to hear your voice again today when I’m exploring.”

“Oh that’s for sure, wait for me, heh!” Luan waved her goodbye. “See ya later!”

“See you again, Yuu,” Boo said.

“Bye-bye!” Tim followed.

After bidding goodbyes, Yuu watched them distancing until they disappeared in the end of the hall, and Yuu turned to the art club door. 

“Okay,” she took a deep breath. “Let’s see… Hello?”

She opened the door, throwing a quick glance and examining the room, but her only companion was silence. Yuu proceeded into the room, dust particles floating around, caught in the sun rays sliding through the windows. 

There were easels placed throughout the auditorium, some covered with cloth, some empty, and others with pencil sketches. Dried splatters of paint decorated the floor, brushes were carelessly scattered on the windowsill or in small drawers along with other painting tools. Yuu slowly walked around the classroom.

She never really gave a thought if she enjoyed painting or drawing. She studied art under the Godmother’s thoughtful guidance, because it was what princesses did. Choir, art, dance, embroidery, etiquette — lessons flashed within her mind with a rapid speed, changing one another. She was quite skillful and knowledgeable in all those spheres, but did she really find herself enjoying the process, with the world stopping while she was drawing or singing?.. 

Brooding as she were, Yuu found herself abruptly distracted by a certain painting, and gasped, almost crushing the easel behind her. 

“W-what in the world…”

An exquisite portrait of Neige appeared before her eyes, and under other circumstances she would just appreciate the beautiful and flawless technique, but this? What in the world was this?

Neige’s counterpart, drawn so astonishingly perfect as if it was alive, was hugging himself, staring at the crumbling skies. The same luxurious robes of the character Neige was playing, the same mask, same burning red eyes with a touch of pure sadness, and the very same rings on his gloved fingers. The very same disheveled hair, halved in black-and-white color scheme.

An absolutely perfect replica. 

Yuu stared at the painting for a moment before hesitantly making her way towards it, her fingers brushing over it, but sensing nothing outside of the aquarelle texture. Calm down, she demanded of herself, but mind was tangled in various thoughts. 

Alright, she thought, maybe someone saw the pamphlet showing Neige’s character? Yet, he didn’t possess that hair color scheme. If one hasn’t seen that desperate look in the eyes of Neige’s replica, one couldn’t depict it so painfully beautiful. So oversensitively flawless.

Yuu frowned, studying the portrait. No sign, no date, no memo left — nothing. Just perfection of the artist and the agony of the character. 

“I need to ask if someone knows where art students are at this moment…”

With that, Yuu threw one lingering glance at the painting and headed out of the room, hoping she might find someone from another club and gather information. From what she knew, Neige himself didn’t attend the art club, and it’s unlikely he would draw himself in that state. She didn’t know what club Chenya attended, but he also most definitely wouldn’t make this art piece. Leaving Luan in the broadcasting club and Elias in the equestrian one, that meant someone else also saw Neige’s counterpart.

All of her thoughts left her mind with a sweet voice somewhere down the hall flowing around, reaching Yuu’s ears. 

“Is someone… singing?”

She proceeded further, reaching a classroom and throwing a glance at the board on the left. 

“Choir club,” she read. 

She knocked twice, but no one answered, apparently being too involved into singing, but she peeked in, noticing a familiar silhouette. 

“It’s a tender rain… May this song reach you, no matter how far apart we are.”

Yuu parted her lips, melting into the softness of the voice, and recognized the pink silky hair. That was the boy she saw during PE class the other day! She decided not to interrupt, and somehow felt how her mind settled in peace after hearing some lines, and with a gentle smile on her face she made her way to the other classes.

As much as she enjoyed visiting different clubs, a variety of which left her speechless — natal charts & transits study, really? Really? — apparently no one could help her navigate where art club students might be at the moment. Internally making a note to investigate the matter later on, she decided to focus on the initial plan, which was to define what club would suit her. 

After exploring everything within the school walls, she went outside and made her way to the grounds where PE class was held that day, remembering Qian words that she may find him after 4 pm. Throwing a quick glance on the clock tower indicating already six in the evening, she gasped at how much time it took for her to visit every club she could find inside. 

Still, she approached teacher Qian’s silhouette, finding him teaching students some broom flight techniques. 

“Isn’t that Yuu-san?” Qian performed an elegant, yet strong jump from the broom, landing on the ground gracefully, and smiled. “Good evening! Here to train?”

“Good evening, Qian-sensei,” she bowed, also nodding to the others in a greeting manner. “Not exactly at the moment. I’m just observing club activities as I want to join one.”

“Great idea! We’ve got two here in the yard,” Qian pointed at the broom he was holding and approached a stand to his right. “First is broom flying, second is archery.”

“Archery?” Yuu’s eyes glowed with unconcealed interest. 

She tried archery once or twice in her life, with Godmother deciding it was very unlady-like, so she dismissed these activities, focusing on mastering simple magic spell-casting. Still, Yuu wondered if she would succeed or not.

“Take a bow and try on!” Qian encouraged her.

“Thank you.”

She did as he suggested, and the weight of the bow felt so familiar and just right in her hands, that she had to question herself on the matter. Humming to herself, she pulled the bowstring, her muscles tensing, eyes focusing on the target that Qian pointed at, and let the arrow hit the target with an unsurpassed precision.

“Marvelous!” Qian exclaimed, clapping. “Take one more!”

Yuu tried once again, the result remaining as flawless as it was the first time.

“Have you ever practiced archery before, Yuu-san?”

“Once or twice,” she admitted, smiling sheepishly at the praise she received from the teacher and other students. 

“You should definitely consider joining the club then. We’d be honored to have such an incredible archer.”

“Thank you so much, Qian-sensei,” Yuu bowed. “I’ll think about it thoroughly. Now, if you excuse me, I’ll get going.”

“Yes, goodbye, see you next Thursday!”

Yuu was smiling as she walked away from the sports grounds, exposing her face to the fresh evening’s breeze.

A thought of visiting infirmary and checking Neige on crossed her mind. A whole day passed, and she wondered if he woke up, how was he feeling, if everything was alright. Her heart twisted painfully in her chest at the quick reminder of the battle of sorts that upfolded yesterday, but she made it wither in her mind just as quickly. 

“Little one,” she summoned a pink butterfly, greeting it. “Let’s go visit Neige, shall we?”

The butterfly danced around in approval and followed Yuu. 

The path she took happened to be unrecognizable. Yuu took a look around, thinking. Apparently she went in the wrong direction, which led her to an unfamiliar place, the infirmary building remaining unseen from this point. The only building that was caught in her sight was a rounded construction with transparent glassy walls, sweet aroma lingering nearby and luring the butterfly closer.

“Oh, little one, wait a moment!”

She followed her butterfly and stopped before the entrance.

“Is that a… greenhouse? Never knew there was one.”

The butterfly already flew inside, enchanted by the sweet fragrance, and Yuu sighed in defeat, knocking twice on the door and receiving no reply.

Opening the door, she felt a bizarre sensation piercing her through, serving as a precaution. Don’t go any further, it screamed, reaching her mind, stop right here. 

Strange, Yuu thought. At the first glance, the greenhouse appeared quite common, with nothing out of ordinary. She took a deep breath, ready to deal with everything that she might face right now. She carefully studied the vines crawling on the floor. Average green leaves gradually changed their color to dark blue on the edges, and Yuu brooded at the sight of it. What a peculiar plant it was, but what name did it possess? 

“My sweet one, please come,” she whispered just in case, and a virid butterfly appeared.

Unlike the pink butterflies, which were accustomed to travel to far distances, virid butterflies were nature’s true incarnations, possessing its gifts in magic. 

“Can you please put some farina on them?”

The butterfly flew above the vines, white sparkles surrounding the plant, and the dark blue edges subdued, turning into bright yellow, resembling sun. 

“Thank you, sweet.”

Vines cleared the path for Yuu, who managed to relax for literally one second. 

If they were what she was thinking, then she could be trapped the second she stepped on them. Vines of that kind were more of a nettle, burning the skin with their grasp, and depraved one from moving forward. But were surprisingly fond of farina.

She proceeded, now facing a wall of giant buds glowing in bright purple. Huh, how curious… Yuu hummed, summoning her magic wand this time, and accepted the challenge, her lips curving into a small smile. Nature was her very best friend, the one she grew up with, her gentle companion, the one who helped her develop her instincts. Hearing nature singing every day after watering flowers in the garden, playing in the heavy rain, sleeping in the snow — she knew how nature behaves like no one ever could imagine. 

“Aren’t you from the Caryophyllaceae family, dear ones? Quite huge for a baby's-breath though,”  Yuu waved her magic wand and parted her lips to whisper an incantation. “Á lohtar!”

Buds stopped glowing for a mere moment before sprouting into huge beautiful flowers and pulsating with passionate pink. Sudden coquettish feeling radiated from them, and Yuu genuinely giggled at such a cute reaction, proceeding further, the virid butterfly following her lead.

Suddenly the whole world lost its light, warm sun touches through the walls stopped at once, and freezing waves surrounded Yuu, her hair disheveling from sudden strong winds, and she slowly opened her eyes she closed once it started. 

“Fungi?..”

Myriads of small fungi were the only light source, pale blue waves coming from them. 

“You can’t trick me out of all people,” Yuu chuckled, letting her muscles relax. 

It was a mere illusion. Fungi of that kind were infamous for their incredible ability to create surroundings that appeared the most unexpected for the one who encountered them. Yuu was bathing in the sun all this time, so it was no wonder fungi produced a whole ice storm for her specifically. 

“Now, dear one, let’s calm it down,” she nodded to the virid butterfly, and it performed a pirouette, following Yuu’s magic wand wave, and lights returned to the greenhouse, temperature returning to normal. “Wonderful!”

Yuu dismissed her magic wand when she finally saw the one that — or rather who — was behind all those little schemes.

A plant with dark green leaves, red buds and purple-pinkish flowers with their centers glowing in bright blue. An elegant, luxurious and very dangerous flower spread its branches in front of her, twitching as if in an approving dance.

“No way…” Yuu mumbled to herself, falling on her knees before the flower and gasping in surprise, eyes sparkling with pure joy. 

“What, blinded by my beauty? No wonder, heh.”

Playful voice reached her ears, unusually low-pitched for a flower of that kind, Yuu thought, but admired it nevertheless. 

“Hey human,” the flower twitched, its branches raising in the air in an intimidating way. “Ah, shit, you’re no human it seems.”

Yuu stared at the flower. Cursing flower! The day suddenly turned absolutely wondrous. 

“I can’t believe it,” Yuu mumbled, leaning forward, her eyes shimmering with an unprecedented bright red hue. “I haven’t seen Auleum nocturnus in ages!”

“Now wait a moment, you cheeky fae!” The flower reached for her with its branches, leaves tickling her nose. “You know what I am?”

“Auleum nocturnus, in other words nocturnal tapestry,” she started her explanation, letting the flower touch her skin, not minding the way it spoke. “Dangerous, yet insanely beautiful creatures. How could I not know?”

“You must be ancient old to know,” it noticed, causing Yuu to pout.

“I’m not that old,” she justified. 

“Yeah, as if. But girl, you certainly know a thing or two about my kind, huh!”

“Beautiful times as they were, I had little experience with talking to your kin. My Godmo-… Ahem, let us say, I couldn’t bring them to my home, as there were many diurnal creatures your kind don’t really like sharing one place with.”

“Diurnal bastards never know their place, heh,” the flower chuckled, as Yuu thought, and nodded nevertheless. “Still, it’s always fun to fool around with ‘em.”

“As much as I admire diurnal flowers and their beauty, I couldn’t agree more. Seeing you all bittering and chattering was quite amusing for me as well.”

“You’re quite an imp yourself, huh?” The flower snorted. 

“I’m no imp at all!” Yuu protested, feeling rather annoyed. 

“Yeah yeah, sure. But man, finally someone who knows the thing or two! You might want to talk to Ivy then.”

“Ivy?” Yuu asked, tilting her head. “Who is that?”

“That would be me.”

“Ah!!”

Yuu was so entertained by her little conversation with Auleum nocturnus that she failed all her perception skills at once, not noticing a huge figure appearing from behind. 

She fell and released a surprised gasp, but managed to calm herself down when the boy outstretched his hand and helped her stand up.

“Apologies… Are you okay?”

Yuu parted her lips to reply, but found herself at a loss of words, so the only shocked breath escaped her throat.

The boy before her appeared to be insanely tall, so she had to raise her head so that her neck almost ached in response to the action. 

Her gaze immediately locked onto his, and she didn’t know how to handle this situation. His right eye portrayed the setting sun breaking through the forest thickets — a brown eye, like caramel interspersed with herbal splashes, as if it represented the personification of nature.

The left one absorbed the rainy sky, covered with clouds. The deep blue seemed to Yuu like the concentration of a storm on a cool summer day.

Blonde curls flowed over his pale skin, falling lightly over his eyes and curling behind his ears. Plump lips, as if filled to the brim with life, were slightly parted. He carried a fragrance of something floral, to no one's surprise, yet very refined, sophisticated — a brief touch of orchids, gently held by juniper and a hint of vetiver. 

But the most outstanding detail was his tired, ephemeral gaze, hidden behind gold-plated glasses. The frame was difficult to trace in a complex design, most of which were... flowers.

Various flowers were inserted into the slits of the glasses' arms. Small decorations filled with water hung from the edges of the eyepieces. And, what is most remarkable, on one of the glasses’ arms there was a small flower of Auleum nocturnus itself.

Come to think of it, wasn't he the one she saw with Elias in the library and also just right before they jumped into the portal?

“I… yes, I’m quite alright, I’m sorry,” Yuu finally managed to mumble, mesmerized by the boy’s ethereal pristine beauty. 

“Don’t worry,” his voice, shining in its divine radiance, was absolutely enchanting. “I am Ivy Splendide, third-year student, dorm leader of Florevel. Pleasure to meet you.”

Yuu bowed deeply, surprisingly receiving a slight bow in return, which was extremely unusual, given modern humans’ customs, and smiled. “The pleasure is all mine. I am Yuu, a first-year student of Sidhery.”

“Quite the pronouns choice.”

“You don’t seem really surprised.”

“Hm,” he pressed two fingers to his chin. “Let’s say I am quite familiar with the way you speak. Anyway, it’s quite the time we finally meet.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“I’ve heard of the only female student here, moreover, Sidhery dorm… You’re quite the topic for gossip, Yuu-san.”

“Oh no…” She frowned. “I hope there’s nothing bad…” “Don’t worry,” his reassuring half-smile made Yuu calm down. “In any case, this is pretty surprising to see that Florence has acknowledged you. My best friend can be rather… meticulous.”

“When was the last damn time you saw someone pronouncing the name of my kind in such an upbeat and flawless way, huh? The girl’s certainly interesting.”

“Ah, so your name’s Florence!” Yuu instantly switched her attention to the flower. “Nice to meet you!”

“Yeah yeah,” Florence chuckled. “Congrats on passing my tests. What a performance you did!”

“I, oh…”

“Be proud of yourself,” Ivy said. “The only person who managed to pass his ridiculous tests was Elias, but Elias is… Wait, do you even know him? It’s hard not to, though.”

“Ah, yes, we’re acquainted. I can imagine, given his very optimistic nature.”

“Very true, indeed. And with Elias being Elias, that makes you the only one knowledgeable person on this whole campus. I must say I’m curious, where did you even get to know about Florence’s kind…”

“The girl’s ancient as aeons,” Florence said, disappearing in sprinkles of blue from the flower bed he was sitting in, and the flower on Ivy’s glasses twitched. “No wonder.”

“I must admit,” Ivy nodded. “You do feel… familiar somehow.”

Yuu couldn’t help but nod as well. She too felt something within this boy, something beside his ethereal radiance he was carrying, but more… familiar, close. 

“Florence-san, I’m not ancient!” Yuu protested, smiling apologetically. “I’m sorry. Although, I, too, feel that we have something in common.”

“Passion for gardening, I assume,” Ivy chucked. “Are you here because you’re curious about our club?”

“Oh, you have a club? I thought you were just gardening here all for yourself, for maybe out of habit.”

“Thank you. I planted everything here all by myself.”

“You did?!”

“Yes, there was nothing before I just… thought I needed to do some gardening,” Ivy explained.

“This is incredible, Ivy-san!” Yuu stared at the amount of beautiful and healthy flowers. 

“Glad to hear praise from my fellow gardener.”

“Ha-ha,” Yuu smiled, not denying the truth. “I like it there. The place feels very tranquil.”

“Come join us then. Florence makes it impossible to join for everyone else with his ridiculous tests.”

“Ow come on, can’t a man have the time of his life? Besides, what would those dudes do if they can’t recognize my good self?”

“Yeah, yeah, sure…”

“I will think about it,” Yuu replied. “But your club seems most fitting for me by far. Plus, I’m very pleased that we met.”

“The same goes for me. If anything, you can find me here. Or just find Elias, that little devil always knows where I am.”

“Alright! I’m sorry for leaving early, but I must go now. See you around, Ivy-san, Florence-san.”

“See ya, girl! Bring somethin’ to eat next time, okay?”

“Come now, Florence, behave yourself.”

“Oh come on man!”

“See you later, Yuu-san.”

Yuu bidded goodbyes and went outside peacefully this time, her butterflies dismissed themselves already. What a meeting it was! 

With her heart finally slightly at ease, she made her way to the infirmary, holding a hope of finding Neige there, but right after she entered the room he was resting in just this morning, she found only Chenya and Elias, surprisingly.

“Good evening, everyone,” she greeted them. “And where’s Neige?”

“Good nyavening~ Seems like all of us got the very same idea, mm?” Chenya replied, his body reminiscent of a fluid as always as he jumped off the windowsill gracefully. “Apparently he’s not here.” “Obviously,” Elias nodded, turning to Yuu and waving at her. “Hello again!”

“Say, but how about we visit Neige’s dorm, given we’ve gathered here already with one purpose, hm?” Chenya suggested, his tail waving playfully.

“Great idea!” Elias concluded. “Portal room is nearby, let’s go.”

Yuu felt her eyelids turning lead with tiredness, but Neige was far more important than anything. As the company walked through the main building, Yuu silently observed Chenya and Elias exchanging lines regarding rather mundane activities, and was suddenly snapped out of her thoughts as Elias spoke of the tasks remaining for tomorrow with Chenya.

“Forgive me for interrupting,” she intervened when Elias opened the door to the portal room and looked at Yuu. “Chenya-san, you and Elias belong to the same dormitory, correct?”

“Indeed,” Chenya nodded, his hands behind his head. “I'm the vice dorm leader of Pandora Charm, after all.”

“You are?” Yuu raised her head, meeting with Chenya’s cheeky smile. “You both are so admirable.”

“Just say we’re funny,” Elias chuckled, leading Yuu forward. “That's what they always say about our dorm. We’re rather animated guys out here.”

“Which is absolutely wonderful.”

“Hehe,” Elias giggled at her statement.

The familiar book floating above the majestic pedestal, that the headmaster had shown Yuu on the very first day of her stay here, appeared again before her eyes. Elias approached it, his fingers carefully moving over the worn pages, the text on them began to quietly glow red.

“Ready to experience another kind of portal traveling, Yuu?” Elias asked her, receiving a small nod. “Great! Now, take us to the Edelwiese.”

A huge mirror appeared in the center of the room, just like it did when Ambrose took Yuu to the Sidhery dormitory. But, unlike that time, the mirror was framed with apple tree flowers. How very interesting, Yuu thought, smelling the fresh natural aroma lingering in the air. Birds chirping hummed their sweet song, and beautiful red fog rippled on the mirror’s surface, so very welcoming and charming.

“You first,” Chenya suggested, waving at Yuu so that she took a step closer to the mirror. 

One day I’ll manage to summon the mirror back to my own home, she thought when her body slipped through the mirror, and she allowed the current to carry her to the destination point.

She slowly opened her eyes right when Chenya and Elias jumped at her left, and gasped in surprise. 

Yuu frowned as she studied her surroundings. Many wooden houses, connected by openwork bridges, towered over a small quiet pond, where swans swam slowly while sparrows flew playfully above them, singing their simple songs. In the courtyard near each of the two-story houses there were flower beds with bright, rich flowers. The sun lazily stroked the forest edges behind the houses, disappearing at last and giving way to the evening darkness familiar to Yuu. Still, even the night landscape of this place seemed different from everything else — the darkness of the colors was soft and gentle, rather soothing and even warm.

“Everyone reacts the same way you do when they first visit Edelwiese,” Elias chirped, stepping forwards but noticing that Yuu remained still. “Hey, everything ok?”

“As, yes, sorry, I just never noticed these buildings while exploring school. Where are we exactly? I can’t see anything familiar.”

“Right, you don’t know!” Chenya noticed. “Dormitories are pocket dimensions, hence you can’t normally see them until you willfully travel into them. Yours is an exception, nya.”

“Pocket dimensions?” She tilted her head, following her curiosity. 

“How do you think they managed to build seven freaking dorms on such a small island, mm?” Elias snorted, smiling at her. 

“This school is full of wonders…” 

“It is! Now, let’s go visit Neige.”

“Where does he live though?” Yuu asked, catching Elias and Chenya’s pace, her head constantly turning to the sides to appreciate the beauty of this place. 

“See the house in the center? Normally Edelwiese students have their own rooms located in these houses, but maybe you know that Neige’s case is quite special, so…”

“He lives with dwarfs in that house,” Chenya continued. “He has a separate room though.” 

“Is that so…”

They ascended the staircase leading to the house in the center, and suddenly a hard wall slam was heard, pulsating, and confused everyone at the spot. They exchanged frustrated looks and Elias knocked on the door, but to no avail.

“How peculiar,” Chenya said. “Let’s just come inside!”

“But, Chenya-san, wait!—”

Aaaand he was already inside. 

Inside the house greeted them with warmth and comfort. Soft ottomans in large quantities were randomly scattered here and there. The bookcases were filled with a variety of books, and cleaning supplies were placed everywhere: brooms, buckets, and dusting rags hung on the dryer. Various kinds of plants in pots warmly greeted visitors with their freshness and were pleasing to the eye.

What was really out of place was the sound of someone screaming, music smashing the whole house down with its insanely heavy beats. Yuu noticed Dominic wincing as he was cleaning the dinner table, other dwarfs frowning with visible discomfort while engaged in their own activities. 

“Dominic-san!” Yuu yelled through the music, but he apparently couldn’t hear her. “Dominic-saaan!!” 

“Wait!” Elias yelled in unison, pointing at the earplugs tacked in his little ears. 

Chenya had another strategy: he swiftly jumped over Dominic, landing on the chair before the dwarf's eyes and causing him to blink. 

“Ah!” Dominic exclaimed. “Chenya-senpai!” He turned back after Chenya pointed at the others with a short nod. “Yuu-san, Elias-senpai! Good evening.”

“Hi Dominic,” Elias greeted him, exchanging a high-five, much to Yuu questioning glare as she didn’t recognize the gesture. “Care to explain what the hell is happening?”

“Better to see yourselves… We just got used to it when it happens… Well, at least we’re trying. Neige’s upstairs, as I assume you would want to visit him.”

“Thank you!!” Yuu replied, and the group went to the second floor of the small house with its tranquility wavering at the music.

They were quick to find Neige’s room since apparently both Elias and Chenya had already been there. The door was shut, the cute little sign written in cursive saying “Neige LeBlanche’s room” was shaking to the music, as the loud shouting was heard.

“THIS SPECIAL NIGHT OF MY FIFTEEN, I’LL NEVER FORGET!!!!!”

“F-fifteen?” Yuu blinked, recognizing Neige’s voice and meeting just as confused stares of her companions. “I.. I thought he was seventeen?”

“He is,” Elias confirmed, grabbing the door handle and turning it to the right, making the door swing open. 

“I… wow.”

Chenya’s surprised breath died out as everyone saw in what kind of state Neige appeared before their eyes. 

“ALL THE CRYBABIES, GET OUT OF HERE!!!”

His jet black hair was disheveled from how often he jerked his head. His cute sweater was carelessly thrown somewhere on the bed, but due to the intensification of the frantic music beats, it apparently slipped to the floor. Neige was dressed in dark blue uniform trousers, the sleeves of his blouse rolled up to his elbows, his collar undone enough to reveal his tense, pale collarbones.

He was moving quickly throughout the room, his movements erratic and harsh.

“Uhm, Neige-san—”

“IT’LL NEVER COME BACK AGAIN AND IT’S SO SHORT PERIOD!!”

“Dude completely lost it,” Elias laughed, hugging himself and wiping out tears accumulating in the corners of his eyes. 

“I ETCH IN MY HEART THIS SPECIAL NIGHT OF MY FIF— Oh shit.”

The music stopped at once, with Yuu finally taking a relaxed breath as this all ended, pain releasing her from its strong grasp. Neige covered his face with his palms, his ears reddening to the point one could fry eggs on them with how hot they turned due to the embarrassment.

“Uhm… uh… Well…” He mumbled,his gaze slipping through the fingers and studying others’ reactions. “I, ehm… You see…”

“Dude, I never knew you enjoy heavy metal!” Elias was the first to speak. “This is absolutely real.”

“Stop, please, arghh…” Neige mumbled, his knees betraying him as he fell on the floor. “I thought I hid it well enough…”

“With music smashing every corner of this house to the ground?” Chenya chuckled, placing his hand on Neige’s shoulder. “Relax, we’re not judging you or somethin’, yeah?”

“I must say I’m surprised,” Elias added, gently taking Neige’s hand and moving it to the side. “But don’t worry really, it’s just funny we found it out this way.”

“Haaa, I suppose so,” Neige finally relaxed, replying with a small smile. “Forgive me for a ridiculous display. And Yuu-san,” he stood up, approaching her and bowing slightly in an apologetic manner. “I’m sorry, it seems you don’t like loud music very much.”

“It is fine,” she shook her head. “I’m just not really accustomed, but I must say this is quite an unexpected choice… I’m not judging you, of course.”

“Thank you, everyone. Please, take a seat. I’ll make some tea.”

Neige was quick to return with a wooden tray, four teacups on it. Everyone sat on the floor in the center of the room, thanking Neige for the tea, and glanced at each other for a second.

“Well,” Neige broke the little silence that hung between them. “I suppose I owe an explanation…”

“You don’t owe us anything,” Yuu shook her head, taking a teacup in her hands. “We just wanted to check if you’re alright.”

“Yeah, we all met in the infirmary and you weren’t even there,” Elias said, taking a sip. “You should take a proper rest though.”

“Right they are,” Chenya nodded, taking a teacup with the tip of his tail. 

“Ah yes, I believe I must,” Neige let out a soft sigh. “Doctor Wyn said it’s alright and that I can return to the dorms. Although he didn’t mention letting my rage out while listening to heavy metal, of course…”

“Still, it’s nice to see you all alive and kickin’,” Elias hummed. 

“Are you feeling better now?” Yuu leaned forward, her gaze fixated on his deep eyes that seemed certainly richer and brighter than they were yesterday. “You slept so peacefully today when I woke up, I almost thought— No, nothing…”

Neige replied with a silent glance that only Yuu could understand, and smiled at her genuinely.

“Don’t worry, Yuu-san, everyone. I’m certainly better. Plus, we arranged meetings with Prospero-sensei, so I’ll be fine. How are you all feeling? Are you alright? Sorry I couldn’t visit you all…”

“Come on, we’re not the ones attacked by Vil’s crazy fans,” Elias said.

“Vi-kun is not one to blame,” Neige replied with a hint of protectiveness in his voice.

Yuu watched their conversation going silently for a moment. Should she just straight up ask them about Vil to find more information on Neige’s case and finally make some progress?

“Are you two friends, Neige-san?” Yuu probed cautiously.

“Oh,” he let out a little disappointed laugh. “I wish we were. I don’t think he’ll ever see me as one. So! Don’t think badly of Vil. He’s an incredible person who I admire the most.”

“Never knew he was your role model of sorts,” Elias added. 

“Well, Vil is certainly admirable, no doubt,” Chenya agreed. “His fans though…”

“You know…” Neige almost whispered. “This is how all of the fans are. Not just his. Mine are like that too at times. And both me and Vil feel responsible for their actions. What happened to me happens to Vil as well. No one is immune to this kind of attention. This is the very first thing you come to realize when you step into the entertainment sphere.”

Yuu gulped, lowering her gaze. She saw that maturity in him, not the one that comes with age, but with experience. And she admired him for that.

“It’s as if you’re turning us into Vil stans,” Chenya joked and Elias snorted. 

“Ha-ha! But please do stan him, Vi-kun is very hardworking, wonderful person and—”

“Easy, easy,” Elias giggled at how hyped up Neige turned. 

“Right, sorry. Can’t help myself when it comes to Vil. Maybe one day we could become friends…”

The rest of the conversation changed its direction to the more relaxed one. They discussed the battle, the recovering, then switched to more mundane things and casual conversations engaging their school life. 

Night fell as they finished nearly six cups of tea in a row, and all agreed it would be best for them to get going. Curfew already came into its rights, with Elias as Pandora Charm’s dorm leader and Chenya as his vice being absent, much to Yuu’s silly indignation.

After bidding goodbyes to Neige and receiving thanks from dwarfs for ceasing this awful music flow, the company returned to the portal room in the main building.

Yet, Yuu’s head was still full of thoughts of Vil that Neige mentioned. 

If all of the popular people underwent such a cruel attitude for their hard work, maybe… Just maybe, could that Vil be the one suffering and in need of Yuu’s help? She winced at the idea of another broken young boy struggling and being in pain, and snapped out of her thoughts as Chenya and Elias were about to bid goodbyes to her.

“Is something the matter, Yuu?” Elias asked her, noticing how prominent the frown on her face was. 

“I, um..” She started carefully, still not sure if she should pursue this opportunity. Moreover it was late at night already… “I’m just curious what that Vil looks like. I trust Neige’s judgment, of course, just wondering what kind of person he really is. That is all.”

“Oh!” 

A familiar cheeky and playful smirk on his face made Yuu tense, already sensing that something was about to happen just at the moment. And with Chenya giggling and nodding to Elias, then disappearing into the portal made her glare at her companion cautiously.

“Wait, wait, Elias-san, you—”

“You ask, I provide!” He stated, grabbing her hand and ignoring her annoyed yelps. “You want to see Vil Schoenheit with your own eyes? No problems at all.”

“Elias-san, no, wait, I!!—”

“Down the Rabbit Hole!”

And with that Yuu held onto Elias for her life, falling straight into his portal, her distancing “Waaaait!!” dying out as they fell.

★﹒﹒NOTES

✧˖ Á lohtar! — Sprout!

✧˖ Auleum nocturnus (lat.) — Nocturnal tapestry/Nocturnal curtain.

✧˖ The song pink-haired boy sings is 'それでも世界は美しい — Tender Rain'

✧˖ The song Neige sings is 'BABYMETAL — Headbangeeeeerrrrr!!!!!!!'

© yunarim 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐝. 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭, 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲, 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐲, 𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧.

#twst #twisted wonderland #twst x reader #rsa #rsa x reader #chenya #artemiy artemiyevich pinker #twst neige #neige leblanche #twst x yuu #royal sword academy #vil schoenheit