#or if it's from somewhere I don't remember

[lvl109]

to: captain save a hoe calebbbbb ): the aircon is broken againnnn ): requesting immediate assistance before gf melts into a puddle of sweat and tears

you'd sent those messages ten minutes ago. caleb shows up at your apartment door with a tool kit and ice cold gelato within the next thirty.

you hum happily as you bite into a spoonful of strawberry gelato as he works on the stupid machine, humming faintly to himself as your attention splits between him and the movie that had been idling on your screen a few feet away. but the screen becomes far less interesting very quickly over watching your boyfriend tinker away with laser focused precision, soon ignoring the movie entirely to watch him.

sweat beads on his arms and forehead as he works, pausing momentarily to wipe it away. your arm moves mindlessly from cup to your mouth, but the taste of strawberry goes unnoticed. you blink and his shirt is discarded somewhere on the floor. you don't bother to look for where it landed.

were the curtains drawn open when he came in? you don't even remember. but the sun decides to favor him despite it being the reason why it was one of the hottest days of the year. turns out even the sun can't help but shine over your knight in... less than armor coming to your rescue against heatstroke.

with a proud exhale, caleb soon stands back with his hands on his hips as the air conditioner finally rattles back to life, immediately pushing cold air into the living room. he turns around with a wide grin to find you already looking at him and offers a thumbs up. "your refrigerant was damaged and blowing hot air into the room, but it should be good now!"

you blink once, then nod. whatever a refrigerant was. "oh, really? i didn't know that. thanks."

"i'm glad you texted, y'know. i'd hate to have come home later and found out you were suffering in the heat like that." caleb moves to pick up his shirt, drawing your eyes like a magnet to his arms. "i'll look into getting you a new one installed instead of having to rely on this old thing. sound good?"

your gelato is melting with negligence. somehow you can't find it within yourself to care that much. "sure. thanks, again."

his head tilts a bit at your less than enthusiastic answers, a frown settling on his lips much to your surprise. "you're sure you're okay? the heat hasn't gotten you that bad, right?"

before you can even answer, he crowds into your space and places a hand to your forehead. your heart rate spikes immediately in response and you nearly crush the poor cup of gelato-turned-juice in your hand. his brows furrow slightly, now moving to cup your face.

"hey, are you okay? your face is really hot. why didn't you contact me sooner? and your gelato is already melted—you were burning up in here!"

you don't have the heart to tell him he's the reason behind your sudden rise in temperature, only offering a weak smile to his fussing and succumbing yourself to his fretting. his very shirtless fretting. arms. muscles. what was he even talking about?

"you're going to be alright, okay?" a cool towel is placed on your forehead after he lays you down on the couch, the cold sensation making you sigh a bit in relief. the tension in caleb's face eases a bit as he gently strokes your face. "yeah? that feel good?"

his smile is so soft when you voice your affirmative, patting your arm in consolation. "don't move. i'll get you more gelato."

maybe a thanks to said stupid machine was due.

[fruitypebble02]

Freddy Krueger nightmare sequence where the girl get burned by hot pipes. No other horror movie ever scared me aside from that and when kreuger drowned a girl when she fell asleep in the bathtub or got someone with green/yellow stuff

I watched plenty of other stuff, like Saw, Chucky, The Hills Have Eyes, Dawn of the Dead, but Freddy Krueger really messed me up. I haven't tried to rewatch it bc I don't remember which movie it is, but even my phobia of clowns doesnt give me nightmares as bad as those scenes.

Worst part is Freddy works through dreams, so I was convinced he was actually going after me and didn't sleep for 4 days straight.

(I was somewhere around 6-8)

reblog this and put in the tags something you watched that terrified you as a child. i was so scared of the hot sauce in spongebob that i refused to be in the room when it was on

[trinity15]

INTO THE SPIDERVERSE

Spiderman! Andrea Kimi Antonelli x fem! reader word cound: 4k summary: Because of a machine invented by a scientist Kimi is sent to another universe that forces him to relive his greatest trauma and…drive fast? Italian! Reader (Not really but she lives in Bologna). Same title as the movie but is not the same story, is just that i dont have any imagination for titles. I've made some changes in the F1 calendar for the story to make sense. I'm sorry if something doesn't make sense, i was too lazy so i wrote it in my native language and later translate it with the translator (I checked it a couple of times to see if something did not make sense but still).

masterlist

25th of August, 2024. Bologna.

No.

No.

No, no, no, no.

Today should have been one of the best days of his life. Y/n had planned everything to make Kimi's birthday memorable, but a turn of events would make it horribly memorable. So much so, that just remembering the date would make his heart compress with grief and sadness.

The explosion had dragged him several meters away from where he was before, face to face with the green goblin, and had knocked him unconscious. Kimi raised his head and opened his eyes, dazed, lost, confused. He couldn't see well, he couldn't hear well either. The abandoned factory where he had been fighting with the green goblin, whose identity he did not yet know, had been reduced to ruins. And worst of all? There was no trace of him anymore, he was alone, he had lost him. Surely he had felt that the explosion had finished him off and he had left in triumph.

When Kimi was finally able to stand upright without needing to lean somewhere, he remembered Y/n.

Oh, shit.

She was with him. He had told her to stay away, to go home, but his girlfriend was stubborn and he knew it. She followed them to the factory and Kimi now didn't know where she was.

Kimi looked around, his hear rate was increasin fast. “Y/n!” He tried to scream her name, he was just looking for an answer, he didn't care if it was an incoherent scream, his name back or anything, he just needed to know she was okay. “Y/N!? Fuck, where are you?” no answer, no noise, he only heard the echo of his own screams.

He was weak, his whole body ached, but the desperation to find her allowed him to move. He would not allow himself to give in to the pain until he knew where Y/n was. A few more steps allowed Kimi to see a body on the ground. He didn't need to see her face, nor distinguish the color of her clothes to know who she was.

“Y/N!” Kimi started running in the direction of his girlfriend's lifeless body. Once he arrived it took him time to assimilate the situation. He dropped his body on his knees in front of her, took off his mask and lifted her face with his hands. With extreme care he wiped the dust of the explosion from her skin.

"No... Don't do this to me, don't go. Y/n, please..." It wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real. “I’m okey, see? I’m alive, Y/n I’m…“ Tears wouldn't stop flowing from his eyes. She was dead because of him. He had condemned her to love him and that had led her to die for him. This day should have been a dream, but it had turned into a nightmare, a nightmare he would never forget.

Thursday, August 21, 2025. Bologna.

“Thank you very much Mr. Wolff for giving me the opportunity to work with you” Kimi shook Dr. Toto Wolff's hand enthusiastically. It was the opportunity of a lifetime, to work at Woscorp even if it was only for four months, until the end of the year.

Y/n's aunt worked there as a scientist and had offered Kimi the chance to have a job with the company, even if it was a small one. For an 18 year old teenager with a bright future ahead of him this opportunity meant a great deal personally.

He was extremely glad that Y/n's family did not blame him for her death. On the day of the explosion the firemen arrived and the first to enter the building was Y/n's father. He saw Kimi kneeling on the floor, crying, hugging his daughter's body and wearing the Spiderman suit. Kimi just said sorry and left, not looking him in the face and praying that his girlfriend's father wouldn't say anything about his identity.

"We are more than delighted to have you here Kimi. Remember to come tomorrow at the same time so I can show you around the facility" Kimi just smiled, nodded several times and left after saying goodbye.

Once he was far enough from the company he called his best friend, Oliver Bearman. He was British but came to Italy to study two years ago and he and Kimi had become really close.

“Man, I'm in, I'm going to work at Woscorp.” Ollie could sense Kimi's excitement in his voice.

“That's great!, but remember we're meeting to celebrate your birthday today.” Ollie would be heading back to London with his family the next day to spend the last two weeks of summer they had left, so he wasn't going to be able to be there for Kimi's birthday.

Later that day Ollie was waiting for Kimi sitting on a bench at their usual meeting point. Kimi, as usual, was late.

Half an hour later Kimi arrived, his hair wet and trying to catch his breath. “Wow, only half an hour late, record time” Ollie said in a sarcastic tone.

“Ha, ha. you know-” before Kimi could finish the sentence Ollie stepped forward and completed it for him, “spiderman duties. I know, I was kidding.”

The plan Ollie had prepared was simple: go to the movies and then go to his house to talk and spend some time together doing nothing.

After going to see the movie Kimi and Ollie arrived at Ollie's house. The good thing about his best friend's house was that it was always empty, because he lived alone, and they could talk freely about the other part of his life, the extraordinary part, Spiderman.

His life hadn't been the same since the spider bit him. The day Ollie found out that Kimi was Spiderman wasn't so chaotic, but when Y/n found out it was horrible.

Ollie just stood there quietly, saying nothing, in shock. Then he started asking him a thousand questions: Did the bite hurt? How did you realize you had powers? What was the coolest villain you've ever faced?

On the other hand, Y/n realized it on her own, after noticing several strange behaviors from her boyfriend. She never told him, she didn't want to accept it. That's exactly why Y/n was ignoring Kimi for several days and he didn't understand why. Y/n didn't agree with Kimi risking his life in that way and after a very strong fight between the two Kimi made her a promise: to always come back to her to show her that he was okay.

Kimi sat on Ollie's bed as if it was his own home. He dropped his body on the mattress and let out a sigh. “It's going to be a year” Kimi's voice had taken on a sadder tone.

Ollie already knew what his friend was referring to, and hated to see him suffering and blaming himself on his own birthday. “The worst part of it all is that the green goblin is still out there and I don't know who he is.”

“Well, he hasn't reappeared since that day either” Ollie was right. The green goblin hadn't reappeared since Y/n died and it was something that made Kimi uneasy, always kept him on his toes. If he showed up again Spiderman would be ready to finally defeat him and not cause another misfortune.

“Anyway, tell me how it was at Woscorp, do you have to come back tomorrow?” Ollie changed the subject in an attempt to lighten the mood. Kimi looked up at him and smiled, it was a small, weak smile but visible enough for Ollie to see that Kimi was thanking him for talking about something else.

He was grateful to have Ollie as a friend, they understood each other and complemented each other. Kimi couldn't be himself without Ollie, and he couldn't be Spiderman without him either.

Friday, August 22, 2025. Bologna.

Kimi arrived 15 minutes early at Worscop. He didn't want to be late and make a bad impression, plus he was excited to see the facility where he would start working next month.

“Kimi! what a surprise to see you so early.” Kimi turned around, surprised. Behind him was Toto Wolf with his typical smile. “I guess you're ready to start the tour” Kimi only nodded and followed him inside the building.

The company was huge and Kimi admired every detail like a little boy. The laboratories had the latest technologies and the company's inventions and new products looked promising. The building also had common places ideal for resting, these had a warmer and cozier design.

“I always like to save the best for last” Toto glanced sideways at Kimi who was gawking at some scientists discussing about a project while others were doing an experiment he had never seen in his life.

The two stopped at a metal door. Next to it was a glass window to see inside the room and a table with controls. “This is to my credit, I invented and built it, and it's finally finished.” Toto turned to look at Kimi. “Would you like to look inside and see what it does?” Kimi, without a second thought, nodded excitedly and entered the room. Toto stood outside at the controls.

The room was small and dark. All the walls, floor and ceiling were covered with what looked like identical machines, symmetrically placed. Wires were also visible and ran from the ceiling to the center of the floor. Kimi was fascinated and the curiosity he felt to see it all working was huge.

“Cool right?” Kimi heard Toto's voice through the speakers. He looked at Toto in the eyes and nodded, signaling that he could turn on the machine(s), that he was ready to see the room work. Toto just smirked.

The room began to light up and warm up at the same time. Kimi looked around in wonder. “Good luck Spiderman” Toto's words made him lock his gaze on him in seconds but the shock of the moment didn't let him react. In a second Kimi felt his body fall into the void and started to see everything black, until he didn't feel anything anymore.

Friday, August 22, 2025. Bologna???

Kimi woke up in a small room. He sat up and looked around. White walls, a mirror and a bedside table with a bottle of water and his cell phone. A closet, with very few clothes, and a bed where he was sitting right now. He got up and approached the closet. There were only T-shirts with the Mercedes logo and many other sponsor’s logos. There were also two pairs of weird sneakers that he clearly wasn't going to wear to go outside to walk, but then what were they used for?

Kimi thought about his Spiderman suit, was he still wearing it? he separed his shirt a little from his body to see if he still had his suit on underneath. When he saw the red fabric he let out a sigh of relief.

Where was he at? Where had that machine teleported him to? How did Toto know he was Spiderman?

Kimi grabbed his cell phone and looked at the notifications. Missed calls and unread messages from his mother, from his father, from…, from Y/n. Y/n? It wasn't possible, she was dead. In four days it would be a year since her death. He himself embraced the lifeless body of his girlfriend.

Quickly Kimi unlocked his phone and called Y/n, he needed to hear her voice, to make sure it was real and not a bad joke.

On the third ring Y/n answered. "Kimi! You hadn't answered my calls and I was about to call you." Her voice was the same, she was alive, she was talking to him right now.

“Y/n?” his voice came out weak and nervous, he couldn't believe it.

“Yes. Are you okay Kimi? is something wrong? you sound strange” Y/n replied worriedly. Kimi not to alarm her only decided to continue the conversation. "Yes, yes… why did you call me?"

"I just wanted to tell you that tomorrow I won't go to the paddock because I have to attend the university, but I will try to finish the work I have pending so I can go on Saturday to the Qualy and on Sunday to the race." Paddock? race and qualy? Y/n was talking about Formula 1?

"Yeah, okay, no problem. I'll call you later, okay Y/n?" Kimi hung up the call and put the cell phone back on the nightstand. He looked at himself in the mirror, trying to figure out what was going on. He changed his clothes and put on his Mercedes T-shirt. If he was going to be there, whether for a short or long time, then he would have to act like he belonged there.

As he left the room and walked down the stairs he followed some people into what looked like a garage.“Ah Kimi! I thought you had fallen asleep, I was going to go wake you up now, in half an hour you have to go out on track.” Now kimi was even more confused. The gentleman who was talking to him looked like he knew him. He looked around. A formula one car, lots of screens and the typical headphones they use to listen to the radio.

Kimi was a big fan of formula one but he had never expected to be in that situation, as if in this universe he worked in it. Because he had assumed that, that he was in another universe, otherwise how would he explain that Y/n was alive then?

Thirty minutes later Kimi was inside the car with a special suit on and a helmet covering his entire head. As expected, he had set the worst time among the 20 drivers. If in his universe he had only driven his father's car, to practice for his driver's license, and had played the formula one video game on the playstation, how was he going to know how to drive a formula one out of nowhere? At least he didn't crash into any walls.

Kimi got out of the car as best as he could and took off his helmet. “Sorry guys, I'm having a bad day” The engineers understood Kimi but they were concerned. They needed the points and they needed both drivers to score and Kimi didn't look like he was even going to finish the race.

The Mercedes staff said goodbye to Kimi, encouraging him. They told him that tomorrow's free practice 3 and qualifying would probably go better for him, Kimi doubted it but he wasn't going to tell them anything either.

When he got back to the room, which he now understood to be his driver's room, he plopped down on the mattress. He picked up his cell phone and just then a Twitter notification popped up with the news that a building was on fire and that firefighters were trying to save as many people as possible.

Kimi jumped up and ran out of the paddock. In a corner he took off his clothes leaving only his spiderman suit and went in the direction of the burning building.

When he arrived at the building he saw people shouting from the balconies and firefighters helping, but they were too slow. A policeman who was otside the building approached Kimi “Hey kid, I don't know what game you're playing, but this is no time to come dressed up and get in the way.” That's when Kimi understood that in that universe they didn't have Spiderman either, everything was so different there.

Instead of leaving Kimi climbed up the building and pulled as many people out as posible, even faster than the firemen. An old woman approached him and asked him to go inside her house to look for her cat. Kimi did, he went inside the house. He risked his life to save a cat, because that's what Spiderman does. The apartment was full of smoke but there were not so many flames. Kimi saw the cat in a corner and picked it up. It was at that moment that he noticed a bomb placed on another corner, it looked like it was intentionally placed there. It was also the exact same bomb that had killed Y/n in his universe. There was no Spiderman here, but the fucking green goblin was, and it was going to be his turn to finish him off once and for all.

He got out with the cat before the bomb exploded and returned it to the lady. Seconds later the bomb exploded and that whole part of the building was destroyed. Kimi looked to the side and saw a figure flying away. “Son of a bitch” Kimi went running towards the goblin, waddling in his webs. Spiderman and the green goblin came face to face again on the roof of another building.

“What a surprise Spiderman” The green goblin was trying to unnerve Kimi. On the other hand Kimi's anger was growing. This was his chance, he just had to finish him off right there.

The two started to fight each other, a melee battle. Kimi ended up immobilized by the goblin, his body was full of wounds and blows. “You are weak against me, Spiderman” and with those words the goblin flew away, leaving Kimi there, desperate and angry. Again, another fucking time he had defeated him and he had taken off.

He didn't know why he was doing this, maybe out of habit after the promise he made her in his universe, or maybe to feel better after what had just happened. He leaned against the window and tapped on it. The window opened without warning and Kimi fell into the room. He let out a sound of pain and looked up. Y/n was shocked, confused, she didn't know what was going on. Who was the lunatic in spiderman costume that had fallen inside her room?

“I'm fine” Kimi's voice was weak, he was tired after the fight. Y/n helped him up, sat him on her bed and left the room. Then she came back with a first aid kit to heal his wounds.

Y/n sat in front of Kimi. “Who are you?” Kimi didn't want to tell her, he didn't want to make the same mistake as in his universe. Telling her that he was spiderman would lead to her death. He didn't want that, not again.

“It doesn't matter” Kimi downplayed it and looked down. Y/n only frowned.

“It does matter” she snapped back at him. “I'd like to know who's in my room right now, I don't feel like having a crazy person in front of me, because at the moment you meet all the requirements for being a crazy person.” Kimi sighed and lifted his head slightly, giving Y/n access to remove his mask. Y/n carefully removed it until it reached his nose. She didn't remove it all the way and left it there. She didn't need any more, she already knew who he was. She opened the first aid kit and began to clean his wounds. “You're crazy” she whispered, Kimi only let out a little laugh.

It didn't seem real to him. He had Y/n in front of him, after so long they were together again. Y/n's reaction this time to his identity had been much calmer than in the other universe. She hadn't seen his full face yet but she already knew who he was and was calmly cleaning his wounds. “Only you could come up with the idea of dressing up as a character from a comic book and sneaking into a burning building to save people” Kimi only let out whimpers from the stinging he felt as Y/n cleaned his wounds. He had already realized that there was no Spiderman in that universe, but he didn't expect him to be a fictional character. No wonder people had treated him like a crazy person when he appeared in the burning building.

Once Y/n finished cleaning his wounds she put everything away in the first aid kit and left it on the floor. She stood there, looking at him, and cradled his face with her hands. “But you're my favorite crazy person” Y/n whispered those words against Kimi's lips and the only thing he could do was smile. Their lips connected and Kimi felt like the happiest man in the world. How he had longed to kiss her again, to touch her again. He had missed her so much. They broke apart for a second, Y/n pulled his mask off completely and kissed him again. They were kissing as if it was the last time they where going to kiss each other, and deep inside kimi he knew that that might be the case.

Monday, August 25, 2025. Bologna but in the universe where he is a F1 driver.

His weekend as a Formula 1 driver had not been successful. He was last in qualifying and failed to finish the race. Luckily Y/n was there to support him.

The green goblin had not reappeared. He also discovered that his boss in this universe was Toto Wolff. The person who had brought him to this universe, who knew he was spiderman, is also here, in this universe. Kimi suspected that he was the green goblin, but had no proof to confirm it.

Today was his birthday and Y/n had insisted on making a special plan. They were walking down a street with very few people, on the suburbs of the city so Kimi could have privacy. Celebrity life was stressful for him and he was still not used to it. Suddenly Kimi stopped in his tracks and Y/n who was holding his hand looked at him with a confused expression. “Are you okay?” Y/n asked, but Kimi just looked around, until he saw smoke coming out of a factory. “Y/n go home.” It was an order, and if Y/n didn't obey it he would take her home himself, he would not put her in danger again.

“I'm not going home, I'm going to stay with you.” Y/n had already decided, she would not leave Kimi alone. “Yes you're going to leave and we're not going to discuss it Y/n” she, instead of answering him, started running in the direction of the factory. Kimi followed behind. “Y/n please go home” Y/n turned around, looked into his eyes and replied. “Together or nothing” And that's when Kimi realized what day it was and the situation they were in.

No matter what universe they were in, it was always going to end the same. It was the same scenario as a year ago in his own universe and he knew that even if he tried to do anything to change the fate, it was going to be in vain and Y/n was going to end up dead. Because his girlfriend was stubborn and he knew it. Because the love Y/n felt for Kimi was just as strong as the love he felt for her, and if Kimi was willing to sacrifice himself for her Y/n was willing to sacrifice herself for him too, and that's what was going to happen.

I would appreciate it if you could leave a comment!! I want to know if you guys liked it as much as i enjoyed writing it.

taglist: @malinamagdalena @yomsy @cinderellawithashoe @yara011 @wetrainclouds @iaheyswp @stuffyownswrld @moony8625 @picturepictured @formula1fordisaster @cinnvmonrolls @lovinglyloveless @totallynotalbina @gemnetjournal @randomgurl2326 @kellyyn02 @batpuss @mrsmelinda @painaandpanic @lancestroll18 @colistootired @kachoooow95 @reality-is-a-con @mother-bear2020 @kassieesworld @yoihoshi-maki @slutforvoldy @rainbowphades @iitsjustbre @clearpaintergiantroad @nostalgisters @chaconneniki @charlee750 @chiara8104 @xoavaxo @fctnllvrs @mikasadirtyscarf @dessashippr @mywritersmind

[project-sekai-facts]

Do you have any fun facts about the VAs?

Yuichan (Minori) did the motion capture for the original project diva

Akina (Kohane), Ueshama (Honami) and Furirin (Airi) are both good at drawing. Akina does drawings whenever she appears on after talk streams

Tokishun (Rui) and Daichan (Tsukasa) also play characters in the same theatre troupe in A3!

Tokishun adlibs Rui's dialogue quite a lot. I think he said somewhere that sometimes he does this to mess with Daichan but I don't remember where that's from

Ueshama is left handed

Yuichan has a psychology degree. Mayushii (Haruka) studied law at university.

Ueshama has two cats. Honchan (Shizuku) also has a cat. Yukki (Shiho) has a pet bird. Yuichan has three dogs. Daichan has a dog that he posts about a lot on his socials. Ruirui (Mafuyu) also has a dog). Hiichan (Mizuki) has two dogs

Hiichan and Furirin both voice characters in Love Live! Sunshine!!. Furirin plays a main character, Ruby, and Hiichan plays a secondary character, Leah. They have a center song together called Awaken the Power

Furi likes 80s music a lot and her discography and most of her music videos are based around that era. She also writes the lyrics for some of her own songs.

For a long time Furi's twitter bio was "149cm tall voice actress". She later added "with pink hair" to the bio (since she had pink hair for a while) before rebranding her account for her music career

Furirin is Rubychan from the nani ga suki (Ai♡Scream!) meme going round at the moment I feel like I should mention that. She also had mint chocolate chip-themed nail art on broadcast station last month

Tomoriru (Kanade) was student council president in middle school

Fumiyan (Akito) can play guitar

Akina is a fan of the Star Wars and Spiderman movies. She also likes some popular western musicians and occasionally covers western music on her youtube channel

Akina used to use the stage name Chuna Cho and later just Chuna. She then switched to Akina which is her real name.

I'm pretty sure Furihata Ai is Furirin's real name, but I'm not sure about the rest of the cast

Jiena (An) was a big fan of disney channel shows, especially Hannah Montana, as a kid

Itoken (Toya) can play guitar. He has done an acoustic self cover of magic number

Hinachan (Emu) got married in 2023. She's the only main cast member to be married (Asami Shimoda (vp for the Kagamines is also married)

Ruirui likes kani miso. Evidently a lot since her twitter handle is rui_kanimiso

Yukki and Hiichan have known each other since elementary school due to both being child actors at the time

Jiena is qualified to teach english at elementary school level

Jiena is half filipino

Furirin is 4 french fry tall

[lisssyyu]

Eternity to taste

PAIRINGS: Caitlyn Kiramman x wife!f!reader

AUTHOR'S NOTE: As you may have noticed, I really like to write with an emphasis on psychology (which is funny, because I am a lawyer by profession), so the second part may be (!) the last. In general, I really like writing in this genre, especially about the game Signalis, and maybe I'll even post a couple of fics about this fandom.

WARNING(S): Mention of violence; possession; control; implied manipulation; power imbalance; age difference (!Caitlin 28, !reader 22) ;; mention of pregnancy

wc: 6.3k

parts: 1 ;; 2 ;; ?

You no longer remembered how the street smelled, how noisy the main square was on holidays. The world that once seemed so alive and close had now dissolved into a fog, like an old photograph faded by time.

You only knew that Caitlyn drank coffee with milk, that on Tuesdays her gloves smelled of cold metal, and on Saturdays of lilacs. You knew that she always asked you to tie her tie, even though she could do it herself.

"I'm not holding you back," she said, stroking your hair like an obedient little animal. "But where will you go? To whom?"

You tried to imagine it. The city, the air, your friends. But if those thoughts had once brought a smile to your face, now your heart tightened into a knot of fear. The world had become huge and alien, frightening without her.

"They don't understand you," Caitlyn whispered, her voice growing colder and harder with every word. "They always laughed behind your back. I saw it."

You listened to her words in silence, but inside you were feeling something completely different. It was scary, not just because of what Caitlyn was saying, but because somewhere deep inside you, her words were starting to ring true.

Maybe it was true that no one was waiting for you outside the walls of this house. That your friends had long since turned their backs on you. That the world was too cruel to accept you as you were.

You felt more and more strongly how your former self that brave, lively person who once took to the streets with hope and dreams was slowly dissolving. Its place was filled with a cold, empty fear of being alone, of forgetting yourself and losing everything that was even remotely important.

Caitlyn was the one who never leaves, who harshly but unwaveringly keeps you on this precarious edge. There is no room for doubt in her voice, which means that your desire to argue with the reality she creates begins to die. You cling to her words like a lifeline, because who else but her will be there when everything falls apart?

You no longer want to resist, because resistance means being completely alone. And being alone means disappearing.

And now you are her little two. The one who belongs to her, who lives in her shadow and breathes to her rhythm. And even if a faint glimmer of your former self remains deep in your soul, it drowns in this incessant whisper:

"Only I need you. No one else needs you."

And this has become your eternal prayer.

"What's that?"

You looked down at your lap. There lay a book you had found by chance while cleaning. The house was getting colder and lonelier, especially when Caitlyn left for long shifts. You thought reading would help distract you.

"Just a novel," you whispered, feeling your voice tremble. "I got bored."

She approached, and there was no anger in her gaze, only weary cruelty, as if you had once again failed to meet her expectations.

"Are you bored with me?"

Your breath caught, the words slipping out in a mistake you would pay dearly for. Caitlyn stood almost close enough to touch, her cold presence squeezing you like a steel grip.

"I'm leaving for twelve hours. I kill for order. And you… are you bored here?"

You wanted to crawl back, but the back of the sofa behind you prevented you from doing so.

"I'm sorry," you breathed, already knowing it would lead nowhere.

"You're always apologizing. You know who else apologizes? Weaklings."

She grabbed the book with the force of someone tearing off a bandage, without pity, and threw it against the wall so that the pages scattered like feathers.

"I feed you, clothe you, keep you warm, while outside people are killing each other for crumbs of bread. I pulled you out of that filth, out of that city where you would have died at the first intersection if it weren't for me."

She leaned toward you and grabbed your chin sharply, forcing you to look up.

"And you really think you have the right to be bored?"

You wanted to argue, to say, "I was just reading," but your mouth was dry and the words stuck in your throat.

"Look at yourself," she hissed in your face. "Pathetic, scared, shaking like a rabbit. Do you really believe that anyone but me cares about you?"

You shook your head.

"That's a good girl," she said, as if it were a reward.

Caitlyn kissed you on the temple almost tenderly, but that kiss concealed the same power that had recently torn your soul apart.

"I love you, you know that," her voice became quieter and lost its former sharpness, "but when you disappoint me… I can't control my anger."

Over time, fear and anxiety began to recede, but not disappear. Rather, they hid somewhere deep inside, like animals huddled in a warm burrow.

In their place, habit took hold. The day consisted of repetitive gestures: the creak of the front door lock at exactly seven in the evening; the muffled rustle of a coat; heavy breathing before Caitlyn shook the city cold off her shoulders. You met her at the doorframe with an almost smile.

The skin of your palms remembered the roughness of wet fabric, shoulders, a tiny tremor under a uniform that smelled of gun oil. She let you help her, let you take off her gloves, touched your cheek with her fingers as a sign of her presence. And in that moment, the house became the center of the world, the only safe island amid the strange, wind-swept streets.

You learned to read her pauses. If her footsteps were heavy, you poured strong tea; if they glided almost silently, you made a decoction of oregano and mint.

Those evenings flowed smoothly, almost sleepily. She talked about the patrols in fragments: "two detained," "smuggling at the locks again." You just nodded. With each "yes" and "I understand," a strange calm grew inside you: if the world out there was really that cruel, then here, in the flickering circle of the lamp, you were on the right side of the glass.

The warmth from the lamp faded as you finally sat down to dinner. The dark oak table, the blanket on your shoulders, not a sound from the neighboring rooms. Caitlyn ate slowly, as if each movement marked the last breath of the day.

But today something was changing, and you sensed it before you heard it.

Caitlyn put down her fork and turned her palm toward you. There was so much confidence in this movement that the air around you immediately became denser.

You didn't know the words yet, but you could already feel their weight.

Seconds dragged on as a dull, muffled bell rang in your head. And when she spoke, the words fell into the silence without a splash, but the water beneath them cracked.

She wants a child.

The sound of these three words, barely whispered, was louder than any command. The world around her shifted, as if the house had suddenly tilted and the walls had cracked.

Your "no" didn't even have time to take shape. It was just a fleeting spark before it was extinguished in the darkness of her unshakable will. Inside, under her ribs, an invisible bird fluttered, but the cry stuck in her throat: a flat fear of returning to what had been before, to the cold streets, to the loneliness that had long since become more frightening than any loss.

You felt your hands trembling, even though they were resting on your knees, hidden under the fabric of your skirt. Images flashed through your mind: a child's cry, a small hand, the warm smell of milk, but next to them, in the same frame, stood her, tall, inevitable, with the same gaze that holds your world together.

You weren't ready. The word drifted away from your consciousness like a boat from a pier, farther and farther, until it turned into a tiny dot. And the tighter you hugged that dot, the more clearly you felt it melting away.

She rose from the table and leaned close to your ear. The tenderness of her breath burned your skin more intensely than a scream.

The stability you had grown so accustomed to cracked, and the crack spread across the walls of the house, across the edges of your heart, across the secret boundary where you end and her will begins. But the voice inside fell silent again: if ruins are the price of her love, then you will let the walls fall.

[osterby]

I've taken polls and surveys like this (a few political, more re consumerism) and for the most part they are *very* poorly designed.

Like, I remember one where it showed an image of a grocery shelf with a bunch of different brands of coffee, and asked me to click the ones I would buy in real life. I clicked all the brands I would, theoretically, choose from, and then later in the survey it became clear that they actually wanted me to pretend I was shopping for coffee and pick what I would buy in that single trip if those were the options available. And there was no way to go back and change my answer.

So their data told them that a shopper like me would buy like twelve pounds of coffee in one go.

I've seen a LOT that had technical difficulties, like where a map like this would simply not display at all and you can click randomly and just move on to the questions that aren't borked. Do they discard borked questions? Do they even know it's borked?

One very common problem is "choose all that apply" but they've used radio buttons and you can only choose one, another is a limited list with no "other/none/vanilla extract" option and you have to select something to un-grey the "next" button.

This type of survey is also where a lot of those very funny or insulting gender category screenshots come from, because the survey designers literally do not know the population they are polling.

The better designed surveys have attention checks, things like:

Which of these things have you done this week? Helped my child with homework Travelled to the moon Bought groceries Had tea with Einstein

or Please ignore the question beneath and click "yellow". No matter your actual favourite color, please select yellow so we know you're paying attention. What is your favourite colour? Blue Red Yellow

Discard answers that screw up those questions, and you'll weed out a lot of the random clickers, jokesters, and participants who are really struggling to understand the questions. But a lot don't bother with these types of questions at all.

For a quiz like this, using locations on a map that the vast majority of Americans totally will know will be a good way to filter. "Of Americans who can accurately click on Texas, this percent can also click on Iran" is more meaningful than "of Americans we put this poll in front of, this percent accurately clicked on Iran". You could also compare that data to other studies (if they're available) to estimate how many who don't click on Texas genuinely have very little geographical knowledge vs how many are trolling, joking, or can't see the map.

Another way to get your participants to focus up would be to ask them to labels a number of countries, including ones near Iran. The quiz will be longer and more difficult, but an exercise like that will get people who have the gist of things but not a map that lives in their head to actually think about what they know and go "ok, so I know that one's Saudia Arabia and I know Afghanistan is further East, soooo, yeah, this one's gotta be Iran" instead of just clicking on the Middle East and being like "eh, it's somewhere around there" and moving on.

So, can most Americans accurately point to Iran on a world map? Probably not. Do any Americans genuinely believe that Iran is in the middle of the Atlantic or think it's a boot shaped peninsula? Also probably not.

I'm not going to question why anyone thought iran was in moscow but what's with the random dots in the middle of the ocean

[shikiii-skadi]

What is Wrong with being a little Bad? || Prologue

SUMMARY: After a potion incident caused by your three disaster-prone friends, you're now stuck with an accidental villain arc.

WARNINGS: none

NAVIGATION: Twisted Wonderland Masterlist

PARTS: Prologue | Heartslabyul | Savanaclaw | Octavinelle | Scarabia | Pomefiore | Ignihyde | Diasomnia

As usual, the three idiots you called friends had gotten you into trouble. It could have been an ordinary alchemy lesson with Professor Crewel, but Ace just had to make fun of Grim, comparing him to the shriveled gray tuber you were supposed to use for your potion.

Of course, Ace kept provoking Grim until he snapped and tried to burn the tuber. Only to accidentally set a table on fire. Professor Crewel was not pleased, to say the least. So now, as punishment, you, Grim, Ace, and Deuce had to stay after class and finish the potion within the next hour and present it to Professor Crewel. Which was a tough task in itself, even without the troublesome behaviour of your friends.

You were discussing the next step with Deuce when, out of the corner of your eye, you spotted Ace trying to silently sneak toward the door.

"Ace!"  you scolded, causing him to freeze mid-step. "Don't even try to sneak off on us, or you will be glued to the cauldron."

"Geez, I wasn't even trying to go anywhere. Just wanted to check if we need anything from the shelf over there," he lied very unconvincingly.

"We already have all the ingredients we need," you reminded him, before practically feeling the mischievous energy emanating from the cat monster somewhere behind you. "Grim. Don't even think about trying anything."

Deuce shook his head, exasperated after witnessing you scold both Ace and Grim. "Seriously, it's the fault of both of you that we are in this situation."

"The Great Grim ain't done anything at all. Everything is Ace's fault!" Grim shot back immediately, puffing out his chest.

“You set a table on fire,” you reminded him.

Grim stomped his little feet in protest, while Ace only snickered. "Only because Ace made fun of me!"

You were about to launch into another lecture about why that was absolutely no excuse to use fire, but Deuce interrupted, his voice suddenly bright with excitement. “Wait—I think I’ve got it!”

Curious, the three of you crowded around the cauldron to see what Deuce had concocted. But something was off. The potion was a watery, reddish color. Nothing like the shimmering blue one Professor Crewel had demonstrated in class.

“The color’s way off,” Ace said, wrinkling his nose. “Even a blind guy could tell.”

After looking at the liquid in the cauldron for a few more seconds, you nodded. "Yeah, I have to agree... It was more blue and had this red shimmer."

"And Crewel's potion was more bubbly," Grim commented, but you had the feeling it wasn't really an observation and more a case of Grim just saying something to sound smart.

Ace shot Deuce a look. “Great job, Deuce. Now we have to start all over.”

"Excuse me? You didn't even do anything."

"Don't start another argument," you said, trying to be the voice of reason in all of this. And also to prevent any more tables from potentially landing in the crossfire. "Let's just try to get this over with."

While the three of you were distracted, Grim saw the perfect opportunity to "fix" your potion. He didn't want to spend hours making a new one, and a talented mage like him could fix this no problem, he thought wrongly.

Grim confidently grabbed a jar filled with bright green liquid and generously poured it into the cauldron. You only noticed what Grim was doing because his actions resulted in a dark green smoke that filled a good chunk of the laboratory in a matter of seconds, shrouding you in a green vision.

You coughed, waving your hand in front of your face, and stumbled blindly toward the window, trying to remember the way. Behind you, Deuce’s voice rang out, muffled by the haze: “Grim, you’re ruining the potion!”

"Don't just randomly mix stuff together," Ace said, followed by a cough, as if he wouldn't do the exact same thing.

You could barely see, but you heard Grim’s triumphant voice: “I’m fixing it! Just wait and see!”

"Stop mixing things!" you called out after hearing what sounded suspiciously like Grim throwing something else into the potion.

You reached the window and opened it, but it wasn't really effective in getting rid of the smoke. The sound of something heavy being dropped into liquid could be heard. The smoke thickened, then, just as suddenly, began to swirl and collapse, sucked back into the cauldron in a single, unnatural breath.

“There! Fixed!” Grim declared, sounding far too pleased with himself.

"You caused the smoke," Deuce retorted, before grabbing Grims' paw, stopping him from making things worse. Grim tried to wiggle free.

"Just stop, Grim," you said as you made your way over to them. But Grim didn't listen to anyone. He thrashed, and in the commotion, the little stepladder he was standing on, so he could reach the cauldron, tipped over. The ladder collided with the cauldron. Grim leapt away just in time, or he would have landed in the potion, but the ladder crashed into the cauldron, sending it toppling toward you.

You, on the other hand, were not so lucky. Instinctively, you tried to catch the stepladder falling your way, which meant you couldn’t get out of the way in time. The cauldron tips to one side completely, spilling its contents onto you.

You gasped in shock as the cold mixture made contact with your skin. Unlike before, it was no longer watery but gloppy, almost rubbery, as it stuck on you and your lab coat. Fortunately, your eyes were spared thanks to the protection of the goggles. You could feel an unpleasant prickling sensation on your skin just as the liquid suddenly evaporated. It was as if you had absorbed it.

Your friends asked you if everything was alright. You wanted to tell them that nothing was wrong. But suddenly, your annoyance about the situation turned into pure anger. "You incompetent fools! You should be skinned alive and eaten by feral animals! Why do I even keep you around?” you snap, barely recognizing your own voice.

Your three friends looked at you with startled faces. They certainly weren't expecting this reaction. Ace was the first to say something. "Ouch, where is that suddenly coming from?"

Deuce tried to help you up from the ground, but you ignored his hand, standing up on your own. "Don't touch me with your unwashed hands."

"I always wash my hands!" Deuce replied immediately, but you weren't interested in his words.

"Are you sure you are fine?", Ace asked, while Grim added, "Yeah, you are acting really weird."

You glared at them. "I was fine until we crossed paths."

Ace exchanged a nervous glance with Deuce, edging away from the cauldron as if whatever had effected you, might spread to him. “Okay, seriously, what was in that potion?” he whispered.

Deuce frowned, studying you with concern. “You don’t look hurt, but… you’re acting all… villainous.”

“We need to tell Professor Crewel,” Deuce said quietly. “Something’s really wrong.”

Ace hesitated. “Are you kidding? If we tell him, we’re doomed for sure! He’ll have us scrubbing cauldrons until graduation.”

“But my hench-human is clearly broken! We can’t leave them like this," Grim protested.

"I didn't say we should leave them like that. You can stop looking at me like that,“ Ace said, ”We shouldn't tell Crewel, we should tell the Headmage."

Even though Ace, Grim and Deuce were whispering among themselves, you could clearly hear every word. "Are you seriously going to the most irresponsible adult on campus with this?" you said, sounding almost offended.

"That's exactly why we should go to the Headmage. Crewel will only punish us more for this. The Headmage on the other hand..." Ace trailed off, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. You didn’t need him to finish the sentence; his expression said it all.

At that moment, you realize, with a new, almost sinister clarity, that the three accomplices you had gathered here were perhaps not such a bad choice after all. Ace was devious, Deuce mostly naive, and Grim a cat arsonist. And all three of them were dumb enough to be easily manipulated.

[slayerkitty]

The Unofficial TaUs Timeline

(as written to the best of our knowledge by @blu-eyed-demon and myself. Disclaimer: The dates and events are to the best of our recollection and memory. If they are not 100% accurate or in exact chronological order, please forgive us as the bulk of this was written until the wee hours one night on a whim and stuff started to run together.)

When things first started happening, I hadn't been dragged into this, but @blu-eyed-demon is a big BOC fan, so they were paying some attention.

Ta, Us, and 2J start attending events as a trio throughout Summer 2024

August 31st, 2024: BOC announces that Us' contract has expired, 2J's (his KP partner) would be ending Oct 31st, 2024.

Fall 2024, exact date unknown: Copper (Ta's partner from DFF), departs for the UK for school (unofficially splitting their pairing).

Fans start assuming that when 2J's contact ended, he and Us would maybe sign somewhere else as a pair - but practically the second 2J's contract ends, he joined the cast of Lover Merman and immediately started sailing his new ship.

(this is around when I came into the picture, @blu-eyed-demon messaged me and was like, "Ta and Us are doing things, it feels weird, you know more about BL branded pair marketing than I do, is this weird? YES, IT WAS WEIRD.)

Ta and Us' social media started to feature each other a lot at this point (road trips - they went to the Heart Burger restaurant!, photoshoots, and even meals in Us' car at Us' families coffee shop).

ChalarmJames posted a clip of a workshop, where James was lying his head on Chalarm's lap and then the camera pans over and the joke was that he was mocking Us, who had his head in Ta's lap! (still no idea WHY these four were workshopping together)

In another workshop around the same time, TaUs posted IG pics/clip of them drawing on each other's hands and feet (FEET!)

The BOC Halloween party had a drunken revelation about two of the actors confirming they were a couple - two pairs were speculated: PongTong or TaUs (it ended up being PongTong and we all saw how that went, yikes).

During this period there was a noticeable uptick in their skinship, closeness, and even sniff kisses.

More surprising IG stories followed: Ta and Us did a week long training with a real class of recruits at a police academy (STILL DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS IS FOR EITHER AND IT'S DRIVING ME INSANE).

Love is Like a Bike press conference was announced in early November 2024, Ta and Us are confirmed to be attending the press conference.

The press conference to officially announce the cast was held on November 24th, 2024 and Ta was slated to play one half of a secondary pairing in the show… BUT NOT WITH US. While Us was in the show, Ta was actually paired with another actor named Nanon (I'm going to be so real, I do not remember this guy's name)

(At this point, I told @blu-eyed-demon I had no idea what the fuck TaUs were doing. If they had been paired for the Bike BL, then I would have said "oh, they were soft launching, makes sense". BUT THEY WEREN'T. So my other thought was "well, fuck me, maybe they're dating, idek?")

Heading into December 2024, Toey (Ta's sibling, who just made a movie with Fourth from GMMtv), started attending events with TaUs.

There was an awards show (I can't even begin to remember which one ooops), where the cast of the Bike BL attended. Ta took ONE pic with Nanon and spent the rest of the time with Us and Toey.

(This is the second and last time we saw Ta and Nanon interact publicly, EVER)

BOC's NYE countdown party brought more fun: Ta took one pic with Copper (who was home for the holidays) and spent the entire night with Us, WHO WASN'T EVEN SUPPOSED TO BE THERE, HE CAME AS TA'S +1). They were caught sharing drinks, holding hands, hugging, and at least one sniff kiss.

They did a joint Chinese New Year photoshoot, where Ta was sitting on a throne and Us was perched on the arm next to him (it read very, very couple-y, imo).

Also for Chinese NY, they visited 9 temples together as part of Buddhist practices (accompanied by Toey).

On Valentine's Day 2025, they released a tiktok where they danced together to "How Deep is Your Love"

Us brought Ta a cake at Ta's birthday event in February 2025 (and Ta gave him a special cupcake of his own).

One of the road trips they had taken was filmed for Tong's (former KP castmate) you tube channel and dropped in March 2025. There was a "hickey" discussion back when it was filmed because pics of Ta had some questionable marks. Ta said it was from "playing airsoft." (Sure, Jan)

March 1st, 2025: Ta's contract ended with BOC. Ta, Us, and Toey all confirmed they were under the same management, Bright Venture Artists.

Either in March or April 2025, TaUs did their first joint interview. It was poorly subbed, but we were able to glean that they considered themselves a pair (unclear in what capacity) and they had future upcoming plans. They also promised that they would have a Big Announcement ‘sometime soon’ but couldn’t even give hints.

Other things learned during this interview: since DFF, Us does Ta's make up. He doesn't have a make up artist. Also, they use Guu/Mueng pronouns for themselves/each other (both of which are considered vulgar and offensive unless you are extremely close).

After Songkran, things went quiet. Love is Like a Bike had released schedules for workshopping, costume fitting, script read throughs but according to social media, nothing seemed to be happening. Everything was suddenly very hush-hush for no apparent reason. 

TaUs attended the KP reunion (via Jeff) together

May 14th, 2025: the Bike BL IG makes a huge casting announcement. Nanon was no longer with the show and his character would now be played by Us.

And that is the timeline of how TaUs became a branded pair in the most ass backwards way possible (and the six months of insanity, frustration, and cage rattling that @blu-eyed-demon and myself suffered during that time period.)

Tagging by request: @respectthepetty @babyangelsky @italianpersonwithashippersheart @benkaben @callipigio @lukaherehelp

And if anyone wants to see the tik tok compilation that @blu-eyed-demon put together, it's here: https://youtu.be/H2HftdRaqdg?si=x4Y6ac5mWp0lUu6d

[itsblueflamebae]

Virtual Angel

synopsis: post-realizing ending with mac, your virtual angel.

wc: 874

cw: mentions of deep distress (if that counts as a cw), gender neutral pronouns for reader.

notes: spoilers for post-realizing mac ending! not beta-read. spontaneous work, wrote it in one shot. english is not my first language, my apologies for any mistake in advance. also listen to virtual angel by artms! it inspired my work, I associate that song with mac.

Your house was a fortress, but in this world there was nothing stronger than the walls that you built around yourself to avoid injury, heartbreak, disappointment and bitter tears. If you forget for a moment that all the objects in the house saw your lonely everyday life, you were really alone with your thoughts and feelings, storing them somewhere so deep that you forgot about them yourself. It was easy to play dumb with yourself and the four walls.

The firing was the last blow. You felt like drowning in a bag around the head – the puddle is not deep, but you are already choking, and the water is dirty, and the bag sticks to the face like a second skin while the sun burns in an attempt to melt your personal ice around the heart. Your house is colder than a kennel on the side of the road, the walls are covered with an invisible crust of ice that grows like pus in a torn wound caused by an uneven nails and bruises.

And then these mysterious glasses appeared in your life, and your house came to life. To get attached to someone meant to condemn yourself to another short-lived happiness to suffer after letting go of someone so dear to your heart. But who would have known that the furniture in your house would teach you something as precious as the ability to love and be loved? Friendship, the fluttering feelings of blooming love – all of this was always yours, remember?

You watched as everyone found their body and heart within the walls of your house. They all promised to visit, never to forget, and you believed. How could it be otherwise?

In the end, it took you time to get used to the steady breathing next to you, the arm wrapped around your waist, and the new routine you shared with someone. You looked at the new clock on the wall, waiting for someone to return from work. You were no longer alone. Every time you thought they would leave, they always came back. Their salary as a top analyst in a giant company would be enough for a new house with all the amenities, a trip to the sea with warm, warm water, another computer and a possible move to a country with a milder climate and clean air. Mac has enough freedom – and they're also free with you, which you find extremely strange.

Everyone’s gone. They were the only ones left.

At night, on a wide new bed, Mac usually fell asleep first. The window was always open, the thin curtain was always beating against the glass. Your thoughts were filled with anxiety again today – you don't know if it's the air conditioner that's making such an annoying noise or if your fear has taken on new colors. Of course, you know that no one will replace Mac with a computer – the very idea seems humorous. Ridiculously hilarious and hilariously ridiculous. You calm down your concern for their future until a new question is born in your subconscious.

You roll over out of habit, noticing that Mac isn't sleeping today either. They look at you lazily, and their hand, in a well-established tradition, finds your hair, stroking it gently and warmly.

"Can't sleep again?" They ask, looking into your eyes.

Without their glasses and after a long shift, they look so funny, like a tired cat from the videos they love to send during the breaks.

"It seem you can’t sleep either," you reply, moving closer to them to embrace them tightly.

Mac wraps their free arm around your waist, enjoying the silence. If they were asleep, Mac would have taken over the bed, and you would have intertwined your fingers with theirs, falling asleep slowly, sweetly, just as you fell in love with them.

"You stayed," you whisper in a drowsy wonder. "Why?"

And perhaps you were waiting for a long explanation, the kind that Mac loves — they're talkative, fond of discussing many topics, capable of speaking for hours on end, interspersing each paragraph with flirtatiousness or double entendres.

"Because I don't want to leave. I want to be with you. Because I love you more than anything in the world,” they answer.

And that's enough, you think. You think about how much you love them when they are like this, and you hold them closer. Of course, you don't blame those who left, and you wish them all the best. But you remember the day when Mac became a human, and letting them go felt like a heartbreak. They didn't leave.

"You never regret that..." Mac stops, their fingers tangling in your hair so gently. “That you realized me?"

You chuckle.

"I don't regret it," you reply, "and I never will."

Mac's embrace is a lifeline of gently lowered arms, a moment of silence before they finally return to old habits, whispering sweet nothingness in your ear, from silly jokes to references to terms that your brain doesn't understand, that no longer fit their new body, intertwined with flirtation, love, gratitude, and everything you'll find if you listen to their heartbeat for a moment. It all feels right.

All better.

[day-azevir]

Woag it's slab system time!!

Some basic info; we all know Etho (he/him) whose been around the longest, Logo (it/its) who joined during season 3 a bit after Etho did, and Patho (they/them) who joined during season 6 while still trapped in the jungle

People who know about the slab system: Xisuma, Bdubs, Beef, Doc, Impulse

People who have a hunch: Cub, Ren, Gem, Tango, Hypno

People who don't know: Those not listed. Etho. Patho.

Xisuma found out during a code check after Etho was retrieved from the jungle. Bdubs, Beef, and Doc all gradually figured it out over time (mostly encountering Patho), but chose not to bring it up as Etho seems to get uncomfortable about it. Impulse realized somewhere between season 3 and 4 when Etho wouldn’t remember their interactions half the time (he had been meeting with Logo). He was the first to learn about the system, but because he hadn’t known Etho that long, he wasn’t sure if it would be rude to bring it up and was under the impression that the admins already knew.

Similar to Impulse, Hypno often encounters Logo, but hasn't put everything together himself because “Humans are just so goddam weird.” He knows something’s there, just not quite what (or I should say who). Cub found Etho ‘sleepwalking’ (ie Logo taking a midnight stroll) and took it back to base, to which Logo commented on his situation with the skulk in a totally non-threatening manner before giving the front back to Etho. Etho, who had no recollection of how he got into Cubs base, was unable to give any explanation and left. Cub was not able to sleep for several nights after. Gem and Tango both met Patho when they woke up and ‘tried to escape the jungle’ and nearly ran off the server. The two ended up having to fight them for a bit, but eventually Etho started to wake up and Patho was forced to back off. Tango has been around long enough to believe that there might be a system, but doesn't want to assume. Gem took notice of the different fighting techniques between Etho and Patho, so she made a mental note to look into it later.

Etho has no idea. He usually doesn’t remember when the others front, and when he does just shrugs and brushes it off. ‘Well that was weird and out of character… Time to make tnt :)’ Genuinely oblivious. Things are very similar with Patho in that regard. They don’t front often and so things are often fuzzy and memories feel more like dreams and vice versa - they honestly still think they're in the jungle most of the time and nothing is real. Logo, on the other hand, is very aware of the others. It doesn’t talk much and is a big fan of Minding Its Own Business, but does enjoy hanging out with the voidlings.

But while 2/3 don't know about the others, they still have very fun effects on each other;

As always, open for asks about slab system!

[bewitched-hours]

I wanted to ask if you could make more of the yandere Noli and 007n7 thing. Something like they got into a fight and they’re all just fighting like children or just anything!

I just love that au ^^

Gonna be honest- I don't think I remember which one you mean but I'll gladly make more of them? I'll just try to come up with something new and hope it works but it'd be great if you could use a link to it if you make a new request so I know what you're looking for because I've done a lot at this point with Noli and 007... And not just one with them as yanderes-

Let's say reader gets She/They?

You've learned not to question your circumstances anymore...

It all started out fine when you agreed to team up with Noli and 007n7. Hell, you were giddy to work with other exploiters and you guys helped cover each other's tracks to hide from admins.

You were quick friends and had your own little base for just you three. A place you were most proud of even though you'd do most of the decorating. They didn't really seem to care much as long as it wasn't an eye sore or one simple colour.

No, you combined all your guys' colours together to make the best decorative palette ever!

You weren't into decorating even half as much as you seemed when you all moved in together at first. But turns out you were actually pretty good at it.

You got comfortable... Perhaps too comfortable...

You were blinded by the bliss of this new life and the comfort of your new home made you ignorant to the fact you were basically isolated.

Sure, you were part of a trio that caused chaos so who would wanna be associated with you but you wouldn't even get so much as a chase with some poor fellow who saw you and could report you. It was almost boring how little fight there was for you but you shrugged it off as bad luck.

Of course you wouldn't know that you were trapped because you flew into the cage first.

You wouldn't know that they intentionally kept you away from prying eyes and planned out where to send you in your chaos to get you away from people subtly. In a way that wouldn't have you suspect a thing.

But you only needed to see the truth once. They needed luck everytime they hid the truth from you.

One slip up was all it took.

One mistakenly placed box was all you needed when you got home after a shopping trip in your disguise.

They weren't home for once and you figured they were off causing chaos somewhere else, only causing slight envy to rise in your chest as you wondered why they couldn't wait for you.

But slamming the door caused a box to lose balance in the messed up pile of packages and you could only groan as the fact you now had documents to pick up and put back.

Except it wasn't documents... It was plans.

Papers that were left in the trash pile that would detail things they've done to keep you to themselves without raising suspicion which made the cogs in your head click together.

They were head over heels for you but in a way that made you cringe just a bit. A messed up part of you wanted to see how far they'd go and before you knew it, you were sat with the plans on a coffee table and curled up on the couch whilst reading through their strategies.

You had to admit, they were smart for playing you like they did but you still felt betrayed and confused.

Why? Did they think it was fun? Did they worry you'd try to run? Maybe they thought you could betray them?

Ugh, the more you questioned it, the more you wanted to find them and just ask. You weren't even that upset over it because of the life they gave you but...

Actually, maybe you were a bit upset. What if they used this life to lure you further in? It wasn't like you regretted being part of this trio...

You were growing drowsy when you heard the click of the lock that made you jump back awake in seconds. They were back and there was no hiding anymore. You had to quickly gather your courage and confront them.

They had been joking around until they turned the corner to see you calmly get up, papers in hand and giving them a cautious look that was even worse than when you had first met them. And even back then you've been cautious because you had no choice but to assume the worst from them.

It made their smiles turn to slight frowns. Only for Noli to start smirking again. Though he didn't say anything.

"I'm not gonna scream. I'm not gonna pretend to really be upset or any of that shit." You started, refusing to act like some movie main character. "But I just want to know why. Why did you need any of these plans and why would I be worth such a hassle???"

Your confusion only seemed to amuse them as they stepped closer. You let them because their plans did mention not letting you be harmed.

"Would you believe us if we said you were divine?" Noli's teasing tone made you cringe at such words but you chuckled lightly. "What? Don't act like you're obsessed now..."

"But we are." 007's firm tone made your gut practically scream.

There was no way this was happening...

Stepping away from them, you dropped the papers and shook your head. "No no no- I'm not about to let my whole life be controlled-" You were chuckling nervously, though a blush crept over your face.

Were you enjoying this? Maybe. But it didn't stop them from teleporting behind you to hold you in a loving embrace that had you more confused than anything.

"You're not being controlled~ We're just making sure to set a fair ground between letting you be so beautifully chaotic and independent and guaranteeing you'll never want to leave." Noli held held you from the front while 007 stopped you from behind.

You were effectively caged between them and the heat building in your face betrayed you. "... So you promise not to tie me up or anything to keep me at home, right...?" You muttered, biting your lip as you mentally cursed yourself out for letting them see you like this.

"How would we be able to see you laugh or smile otherwise?" 7n7's voice was quiet but you felt his head rest on your shoulder.

Great... You were essentially giving in.

"Well... I guess I shouldn't be complaining then... If everyone benefits..." You hesitated to raise your arms but Noli made sure to grab one of your hands for himself when you finally did. The other hand just went to feel 007's hair for a moment.

It was surprisingly soft...

"That's our little harbinger of chaos..." Something about those words felt... Right...

Honestly I feel kinda bad for not knowing what to give you for this one-

Anything you'd like to request/ask? Check out my pinned post first and I'll be happy to write up whatever you want!

[karusthings]

.⋆˚࿔ s t a r i n g - t. fushiguro ࿐˚⋆.

ꎫ──[ husband au ; one shot ]

character dynamicꎫ── husband!toji x f!reader

summaryꎫ── you weren't expecting him to react like that to the news.

content warningsꎫ── fluff, he's your husband, that's probably not how he'd react to it but fiction is fiction right, let me dream, pregnancy.

wordsꎫ── 1.5k

¡! ❞ masterlist jjk.

Toji is sprawled across the bed, taking up most of the space. You're laying next to him, with your head on his bare arm, eyes tracing the sharp lines of his beautiful face.

It's late —really late—, somewhere around three in the morning, but no matter how hard you try, sleep won't come to you.

Then, in the quiet night, your husband's voice cuts through the air: low, husky, sleepy. "Ya horny or what?"

You smile, caught off guard that he's even conscious after the heavy snore he let out just minutes ago. "No."

"Then why won't you stop staring at me?"

Before your deep silence invades the room, his throat reveals a deep but quiet laugh, leaving the trail of a little smirk on his lips.

"How'd you know...?"

"Sixth sense, ma'am. Remember? deadly hitman and all of that." He turns his face slowly towards you, eyes half closed but still burning your skin like fire itself. "So, what's on your mind? Why can't you have some rest like the rest of human beings in this house?"

"I've been... thinking." you murmur, voice low.

"Your biggest problem."

"Come on," you can't help but laugh softly, shifting into your back. "Something happened".

"You're pregnant."

"What?" You blink. It can't be.

"Just tried to be a smartass. But go on, yap about what's on your messy head, I hear ya." he yawns, while you're dead silent. Then, he adds, "Don't mind me if I start snoring. I'm just readjusting my lungs."

You don't say a single word, and for the first minute he assumes you just drifted off. That's until he glances over and sees you still, staring at the ceiling.

"Hey, you dead?"

He moves closer to your body, wrapping his big arm around you. His hand finds your stomach, and his fingertips start touching playfully the edge of your summer top. You cover them with yours, guiding him slowly towards your lower belly. Then, you lay your eyes on him again.

"Oh shit," he seems to get it, even though you think that he's asleep enough to not catch a single fly. "I am a smartass."

You nod softly, looking into his blue eyes —now much wider than before—.

"Holy fuck, really?" 

He's almost fully awake now. The way he looks at you with surprise, love and a bit of possessiveness is making you close your legs. "No shit".

You nod again, and he sits up in bed. He's slowly running a hand through his messy hair, those dark eyes —lost on the wall in front— don't fully tell you if he liked the new, or hated it. But when he fully processes, he looks at you with a crooked smile, and something inside your heart melts when you see it. You return the gesture over his excitement, and you suddenly don't know why you were worried to tell him in the first place.

He leans down without warning and pulls you to him with his big, rough hands, mouth crashing with yours in a kiss that's messy, hungry, and almost desperate. His hands start tracing a circuit on your skin, from your back to your waist, and at the end one of these rests on your hip while the other finishes tangled in your hair, holding you in place as he devours your lips feverishly.

"Fuck, I love you... so fucking much." He doesn't usually talk between kisses —because, according to him, you shouldn't talk with your mouth full—, but now he needs to tell you.

"I'm gonna... be a dad again... fuck" and he's groaning against your mouth.

"I didn't think... you'd like it that much".

"You kiddin'?"

His elbow digs into the mattress as he lowers his weight over you, body half-naked just millimeters from yours. His hand doesn't stop grabbing your hip, trailing heat as it moves. 

He pauses only to breathe, pressing your foreheads together. His voice gets lower, rough against your skin. "Megumi's gonna have a little sister."

"Or a brother." You murmur, intertwining the fibers of his hair between your fingers.

"Yeah, no. Not sharing you with another little guy. One's enough." His lips start tracing a way through your collarbone, carefully going down towards your belly.

You laugh at his words, looking at him while he starts kissing your skin once again.

"Why were you strugglin' so badly to tell me?"

"I don't know. We don't have much money, I'm not sure we can af-..." He silences you with a hand over your mouth, gaze burning from where he rests near your hip.

"I’ll take more jobs. I want that kid. The only problem would be if you don’t. Do ya?"

You nod, showing a smile under his hand. He smiles back at you, nodding, whispering before kissing your belly again. "Good."

"How long have you known?" he asks after a few quiet minutes..

"About two days," you reply, with your eyes closed, and a hand over his soft hair. He was lying on your abdomen, making small circles on your skin with one of his fingers. "I was waiting for the right time."

He snorts softly, sending a chill through your body. "You mean any time when I wasn’t snoring like a fuckin' bear?"

You chuckle against his skin. "Basically."

He climbs your body again, tilts your chin up with two fingers and kisses you again, slower this time.

"Not gonna lie," he murmurs against your mouth, "the idea of another baby scared the shit outta me for a second."

"I know."

"But then I looked at you. And I thought, fuck it. And now 'm... 'm fuckin' excited." A soft laugh echoes in his throat as he confesses to you.

You close your eyes as he kisses your forehead, then your cheek, then down to your jaw again. “And Megs…”

After a few moments, he replies, murmuring "Let me be the one to tell him."

"You sure?"

He nods, more serious now. "Yeah. I want to see his face."

He’s restful for a while after that, but his fingers never stop moving over your skin, tracing idle shapes: sometimes pausing on your hip, sometimes brushing your thigh or cupping your breast. All this until he heard your peaceful breathing.

“At last you can sleep peacefully.”

. . .

The scent of coffee drifts through the apartment, and you feel yourself more awake as soon as you smell it. The sun hits your face —quite annoyingly— and you cover it with your hand, just to see him.

Toji stands shirtless by the glass-ceramic cooker, flipping something in a pan. His grey sweatpants hang low on his hips, and his hair’s still messy from sleep. Although you wouldn't mind mussing it up again.

You're now at the table, grabbing the mug he prepared for you. Not a chance you’re taking your eyes off his muscular back.

“Still starin’, huh?” he tilts his head while he smirks. “So you are horny?”

You roll your eyes while taking a sip of your coffee. “You’re the one cooking shirtless, I wouldn’t blame me.”

“Yeah, well, gotta feed the whole damn family now.” He makes you feel loved and claimed. Flips the eggs and plates the food quickly, bringing it over to you. “You think he’s awake?”

He takes food off your plate, and you were about to complain until you realize he had actually made enough for both of you. Toji looks up, mouth full, waiting for you to answer.

“No idea.” But while you’re speaking, Megumi walks into the kitchen, hair a mess, shirt half tucked, rubbing one eye with the back of his hand. He freezes when he sees both of you looking at him.

“...What?”

“Sit.” He gets up, walking towards the fridge to take out the milk. Then he jerks his chin towards the meal. “Eat. You want some chocolate milk?”

“Yeah, sure.” He starts eating some of the eggs his father made. He had no michelin star, but they were edible.

“So, kid, got somethin’ to tell ya.”

Megumi looked at him mid-bite, raising an eyebrow like he already knew something was off.

Toji brought in his chocolate milk, sliding it across the table to him. He leans forward, resting his arms on the table. “You’re gonna be a big brother.”

Megumi freezes, and there’s a long quiet pause. Then, flatly: “Seriously? Like a real baby?”

“No, a metaphorical baby. It cries in Shakespeare quotes and needs diaper changes every time Mercury is in retrograde.”

You both look at him, whispering a little “Toji?” so quietly you almost only hear it yourself.

“Sorry, yeah, a real baby.”

Megumi just looks at him, swallows, blinks twice, and grabs his milk. “Huh. Okay.”

You stare, sincerely surprised “Okay?”

“Yeah. ‘m good with it.” Toji barks a laugh at his response —and your shocked face—. “Is it gonna be loud?”

“It’s… a baby. So yeah, probably.”

“I’ll have to buy some earplugs. Thanks for the breakfast.”

And as easy as that, he gets up and walks away. As he disappears back down the hall, your husband looks at you, grinning across the table “See? That went great.”

You stare at him. “Did it?”

And he just leans back, coffee in hand, looking far too proud of himself. “Hell yeah, it did. So, any names?”

¡! ❞ masterlist jjk.

¡! ❞ little note; Well not exactly how I was expecting this to turn out and it's kinda short, but I'm not complaining either. I've been kinda obsessed with toji nowadays SOOO there u go <3.

ꎫ¨.｡ © I have full credit on every artwork in my profile, all rights reserved. Please, do not repost, edit or use any of it.

ꎫ¨.｡ © 2025 all rights reserved, karusthings on Tumblr. Please, do not repost, edit, use or translate any of my projects.

[thelawfulchaotic]

o mister lawyer of the internet do you have anything to teach us what do we say to a lawyer (or what do we do when we get one) how do you know if a lawyer is good or bad, and how much does it affect us what happens to the lawyer when you lose, or win -a very naive anon who wants more information

It is madam lawyer, I gotta slap my pronouns around here somewhere. (Ms./Mrs. feel bogus after you get called Madam Counselor enough times.)

Absolutely nothing happens to the lawyer. No matter how my clients cases go, I'm leaving the courthouse the same way I walked in, and I'm going to go sleep in a comfortable bed tonight in my safe home. Some people who try to be public defenders can't handle this, knowing that their clients are suffering while they aren't. Truth is, I need the sleep and the comfort and the safety to come through for the next client and the next and the next. I do my best not even to think about active work problems while at home (I think about them anyway).

If you get a lawyer, especially an appointed lawyer, CALL THEM. Do not wait for them to call you, because they have piles of cases and plenty to do. Don't be scared to be a little annoying, because they work for you. Leave a few messages, if they have administrative staff then make an appointment and show up for it. Best way to get a lawyer's attention is to be right in front of them when their schedule says to pay attention to you.

Whether a lawyer is good or bad will absolutely change everything. Lazy idiot attorneys just move their clients towards pleas. Energetic attorneys who litigate issues get a reputation for it, and they get better offers.

How you know a lawyer is good or bad is a pretty hard question to answer. There are a lot of things that make a lawyer good: they could be intensely well-researched, they could have an impeccable reputation that causes judges to listen to them when they make arguments, they could be from a locally-famous lawyer-judge-politician family which again causes judges to listen, they could be empathetic and good with client counseling. There are a ton of ways to be a good lawyer, and a ton of styles for being a good lawyer.

In general, a good lawyer will make you feel better after the interview than you did before. You'll have a good idea what the possible consequences could be and what the vague shape of some paths forward might be. You'll feel empowered in the sense that you'll know at least the important decisions are in your hands.

But those things are pretty easy to tell in the moment. Some more subtle red and.green flags that you might not know to look for are:

The lawyer pauses to look something up: GREEN FLAG. It's easy to mistake this for a red flag (lawyer doesn't know what they're doing!) but this is a sign of caution and thoroughness. Lawyers have to remember a lot, and the best know that they don't know everything.

The lawyer promises you results: RED FLAG. The lawyer is not in charge of the outcome and doesn't get to make the call. Weird shit happens in court all the time. No one making promises about the overall outcome can be trusted.

Lawyer won't give you a straight answer to your fucking question: completely neutral flag. Some questions don't have straight answers and lawyers love to say "maybe."

The lawyer makes some remark about the tendencies of the particular judge/prosecutor: most likely green flag. That lawyer is paying attention to their court and how it does things.

Lawyer is impatient and hard to connect with. Neutral flag. One of the most impatient attorneys with trouble with attorney/client relationships in the office is one of our best trial attorneys, and they get a lot fewer complaints after they win.

Shitty suit: Neutral flag. They should look put together, yes, but what a pain in the ass to put together a whole wardrobe of suits, much less GOOD suits.

Hitting on you: extremely red flag and possible ethical violation.

The rest is pretty easy to figure out on the fly.

As for what to tell them... confidentiality is absolutely real and very serious. The lawyer is not allowed to tell anyone else what you tell them. But some lawyers have different styles on what they ask. I'd say follow their cue, answer what they ask, but don't bury the lede, make sure to tell them the most crucial details. Bring documentation of stuff: text messages, screenshots, even diary entries. ER discharge notes. School transcripts. Whatever. Lawyers love documentation.

Honestly, I have so many great public defenders hanging around this blog, y'all can probably add some good stuff.

[the-colourful-witch]

A 'Wading in Waist-High Water' reveal!

I have been sitting on this amazing collaboration for a long time now! Somewhere last year, I started a super partnership with book binder Laura from ldm.binding (Insta)! We worked on a bind for 'Wading in Waist-High Water' by colgatebluemintygel on AO3.

If you don't know it, it is a lovely Wolfstar fanfic about the Great British Bake Off. I created a bunch of artwork for the bind, and Laura put it all together into a super fun bind! There's gorgeous endpapers, a creative typeset with text messages (which must have been a b*tch to edit) and extra inserts with some of my illustrations. This is the first book binding collab I've done, and I loved it so much! Another is coming as well... but I don't know when I'll be able to share that one. But it will be another Wolfstar fic, and an adorable one, too!

So! The reveal!

I made the dust jacket illustration, the chapter headers and a set of character portraits, as well as the Marauders band poster (the WIWHW edition). Laura did the gorgeous bind (I mean, look at those headbands!!!) and printed everything out to go inside the book :) A book made with love from the author Colgatebluemintygel, Laura and me. I hope you like it, too! I absolutely love this bind, and will cherish it for the rest of my life <3 Of course, remember that fanfiction is not meant to be sold or distributed for profit. We made these for personal use only. I will make another post with the illustrations I made, but this INCREDIBLE BIND deserved its own stage!

[fictionrealms]

One For The Money

Zayne x Non MC x Caleb

TW:

self-depreciation, smut, fake dating trope, emotional manipulation, HEA, named MC and OC to help the flow and characterization, smoking, cigarettes, substance abuse, alcohol consumption, alcohol abuse, neglect, MDNI

Summary:

It was a mistake. Taking that deal was a dangerous mistake. But it was the perfect way to make Zayne finally notice me in all the ways that mattered most. I just didn't think I would be pulled into Caleb's gravity at the same time.

Word Count: 2062

Finished || Ongoing

Chapter One->Chapter Two->Chapter Three->Chapter Four

Chapter Five->Chapter Six

One For The Money - Chapter 7 - bhaalistbabe - 恋与深空 | Love and Deepspace (Video Game) [Archive of Our Own]

X: it was nice talking 2 u

X: maybe movie nite sometime?

It's been an hour, maybe more, since I read his messages. How was I supposed to respond to that? Genuine friendship. Something I hadn't had in possibly my entire life. But here was Xavier holding out an olive branch of something sacred and pure. No hidden agenda, and ulterior motives. Just something to bring comfort and companionship. 

And then there was me. Something akin to a skittish cat he might have seen in an alleyway. Too scared to lean into a friendly hand and take a chance. 

What was I supposed to do with this?

It feels like suffocating if I think about it too long. Like that moment when you take off on your bike down a steep  hill as a kid. A rush of adrenaline at first before the fact that you're going to inevitably crash sinks in. When all you can do is grab the breaks and hope for the best. That maybe you won't get thrown over your handlebars and go face-first into something that would hurt worse than the impact from a crash.

Nights like these were the worst. When I'm left alone with my thoughts and the reality of my life kicks in. How fitting it was that I carried the grief of my dad's absence while Cash carried the weight of our mother's gradual decline. Tried to tell myself that it was his turn. I had carried it my entire childhood, after all. Shielding him from the reality that our mother was something else. Anything but a mother. 

Forcing myself to my feet, I go to the kitchen. Grabbing a bottle of 151 out of the cabinet and taking a drink straight from the source. There's a knock at the door before I hear the sound of a key unlocking it.

Cash enters with a duffel bag slung over one shoulder. He runs a hand through his hair, tossing the bag on the couch. 

"You're drinking?" There's an undercurrent to his tone that I ignore. Something like concern or worry that came with the crease in his brow. The way he watched me like I was a wild animal he was scared to approach if he wasn't cautious enough. "Iris, it's three in the afternoon. Don't you think it's a bit early to be picking up the bottle?"

I raise the bottle of 151, tilting it when it touches my lips as if to initiate a cheers. "It's five 'o' clock somewhere, right?"

"God, at least pour it in a glass. And is that—"

"Rum? Why yes it is, big brother. Join me won't you?"

"Isn't that—"

"What mom was drinking the day dad left?"

"I was going to say bottom shelf."

He meets me at the island between the living room and the kitchen. Fingers curling around the marble. His mouth pressing into a thin line. Cash was studying me like he would someone he wasn't sure he could trust. The way he did when we were kids and he didn't know what to make of Zayne just yet. When our mother first started dropping me off on Josephine's doorstep so she could drink herself into a stupor. Or when I would beg to spend the night at Zayne's to have a night of peace.

"Don't look at me like that, Cash."

"Like what? I'm just looking at yo-"

"Like you don't trust me. It's just rum. I'm not going to-"

"Get pissed drunk and not remember anything the next day? Don't lie to me, Iris. I know you better than that."

"I'm not mom, Cash." There's a dangerous undercurrent to my voice. Something dark and ancient. Something long since buried that was threatening to surface.

Rage.

Denial.

Panic.

It has many forms.

It carries many names.

"But you will be if you keep doing this to yourself." His voice is softer now, but still holds the edge it did before.

My eyes narrow. A sob burning its way up my throat. 

"Don't. Don't you dare say that like you know a fucking thing about mom."

"I'm not the one who ran away now am I? I'm the one who stayed behind to-"

"You and I had entirely different childhoods, Cash! Look at us! Yeah, you stayed behind to sweep everything mom burned to the ground under the rug. Congratulations! You want a trophy for that?"

"Yeah? If we grew up so different then why don't you tell me what it was like. Since I'm clearly so wrong here. Enlighten me, baby sister."

Tears stream down my cheeks as I throw back another drink. Already almost emptying the bottle at this point. "You grew up playing basketball with Caleb. Played games with McKenna and went off to Aerospace Academy. You were the golden boy. Doted on. Meanwhile I-"

"You chose to stay in the house! That was your choice! Why am I being crucified for being a kid?"

"So you didn't see mom passed out in the kitchen! I stayed inside as long as it took for the paramedics to get to the house. I woke up seeing mom on the kitchen floor and had to call 911 so she wouldn't choke on her own vomit, Cash! I was protecting you from seeing her at her worst so you didn't-"

"Run off like dad did?"

I wipe my nose with the back of my hand. "Look at me and see mom. Because we both know that's why dad never looked back."

"Iris….you know that's not-"

"True? Yes, it is. Even I can see her when I look in the mirror, Cash. It's just easier for us both if we accept the truth for what it is."

He turns to grab his bag from the couch. Slinging it over his shoulder again before turning over his shoulder to give me the look of a puppy who had been kicked. I hated that look. It was the same one everyone gave me when I tell them how I grew up. I guess some things never change. Even when we grew up under the same roof. Connected by blood.

"For what it's worth, sis… I'm sorry you were the one who did that. It should have been me."

Then he leaves with the click of the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It wasn't late by any means.

Not when he was so used to getting home at well past midnight. Streetlights were just starting to turn on all throughout Skyhaven. Even from his penthouse tucked away from the rest of the floating island, he could hear the laughter and banter of would-be lovers down below.

While he scrolled through his picture gallery on his phone. Back pressed against the mattress of his bed. Legs hanging off the side and a bottle of Jack in one hand. Every picture had her in it one way or another. Her face lit up with a smile that could bring any man to his knees. Chocolate hair done in curls floating down her back. 

Caleb felt sick.

Like he was watching their childhood through eyes that didn't deserve to see her anymore. And maybe she had been right. Maybe she didn't need him anymore. The thought left him with a sharp pain in his chest. Or maybe it was the burn from the alcohol. He wasn't really sure anymore. Didn't want to know the reason why he felt sick to his stomach at the very idea of another man making her light up the same way he used to be able to.

His phone vibrated in his hand. Just as his thumb swiped to a picture of her in his Aerospace jacket. He blinks.

Once.

Twice.

And there was a picture of Iris on his phone instead of her. Hair still pink but considerably lighter than it is now. Falling down to her waist in soft waves. She was on her knees, facing a window and the soft glow of the sun accented the freckles that danced across her shoulders. Made the pink in her hair just a little brighter than what it was faded to. It was an old picture. One she had sent him and told him to set as her ID in his phone.

Her name flashed across the screen; Pixie.

"Isn't it a little late for you to be calling, Pix?" He tried to sound irritated. But it was hard when his cock twitched at the sound of her voice.

"C'me over." Her words slur together.

"What? You sound drunk."

"Did I sutter? I 'aid; c'me oooover, 'Leb."

"Have you been drinking?" He pauses as he checks the time on the alarm clock on his nightstand. "It's only seven."

There's an even longer pause on her end of the phone. Like she's thinking or trying to process what he said.

Then a loud crash. Glass shattering.

"Shhhhit!"

"You alright there, Pix?"

"Rum. My rum, 'Leb! It broke." Her voice breaks when she answers. It sounds like she's about to cry.

"You're drunk. And you called me to come over. Listen, why don't you-"

"No, no, no, no! Just…c'me over, yeah?"

It was a bad idea.

Caleb knew it was.

But it didn't stop him from grabbing his keys from the nightstand.

"Fine. But only to make sure you don't kill yourself."

Then—silence.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When he gets there, the door is already unlocked. All he had to do was push it open. Music could be heard all the way in the breezeway. 

And she's in nothing but an oversized black shirt and panties. Dancing in her kitchen like she had an audience to impress and using a bottle half full of some kind of alcohol as a microphone. Bright pink hair pulled half-up and feet bare. She looked carefree. Like she hadn't just called him not even an hour ago practically begging him to come over.

Albeit drunk.

She's singing. Quite loud. Lost in her own world.

And it takes him a moment to stop staring. Caleb moves forward, putting himself in line of Iris and the kitchen island. Deftly taking the bottle from her hand and taking a drink of it for himself. It tastes sweet. Like apple pie. But burns on the way down his throat.

"Is this moonshine?" He tries to call over the music.

"Wha-?"

"I said—for the love of fucking god, can you turn this down? My eardrums are bleeding!"

Iris giggles with a shake of her head. "No can do, buckaroo!"

He runs a hand through his hair, leaning in so his mouth is next to her ear. "Is this moonshine?"

She nods. "Sure is! You want some?"

Caleb doesn't give her an answer. Glancing down at her phone before grabbing it to turn down the music that was bluetoothed to it.

"Hey!" Her lower lip juts out in a pout.

"I can't even hear you with that blaring in my ears."

"Mood killer."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm not sure how much time has passed between the decision to call him and when I begin to slowly sober. There's still a fair amount of moonshine in my system. But I'm a little more coherent now at least. The room still fuzzy from the sheer amount of alcohol I drank and my skin feels warm. Like I had a fever. 

I wasn't even sure why I called him instead of Zayne.

But it was too late now.

Caleb sits at the island. Elbows propped up and his knuckles under his chin. There was something in the way his tank top clung to him that hummed to me. Has his arms always been this massive? Surely, this was the making of the Fleet's training. Even my brother seems sulkier now than when he was in the DAA with him.

"So, are you going to tell me why you wanted me to come over? Or are you just going to stand there and stare at my arms all night?" His tone is smug and I want to shove him off the stool he sits on.

"'m not staring." I sound pathetic.

"Sure you're not."

Instead of dignifying that with a proper response or rebuttal—I shove the bottle of moonshine in his face. "You need my level."

He quirks a brow at my drunken statement. "You mean I need to be on your level?"

"Whatever. Drink."

[lilacmingi]

CREATURE OF THE NIGHT

My works are 14+ ONLY. If you’re under 14 DO NOT interact with me or any of my works. And please don’t spam-like!

Pairing: Newly-turned!Mingi x newly-turned!fem reader

Word count: 13,680

Note: I’ve been wanting to write something like this for a while and I haven’t seen any imagines with this plot before so ofc I had to write it. I hope this reaches the target audience lol

Bright and colorful pulsating lights, loud music, and bass thumping so powerfully you could feel it in your chest like a drum. It wasn't necessarily your scene, but you and your boyfriend of two years, Mingi, decided to try something new and attend a house party. It was fun, the both of you keeping to yourselves and dancing together while the world melted away around you. You bounced up and down in time with the thudding beat filling the house. The drinks were good, sweet with the bitter aftertaste of vodka or some other alcohol.

It was around midnight that things got a little... hazy.

You awoke with a start, gasping sharply as your eyes snapped open only to be met with the starry night sky hanging above, a myriad of twinkling dots speckling the atmosphere. Squeezing your eyes shut to clear your vision, you groaned in discomfort, rolling over and feeling the slightly rough sensation of grass beneath you.

How did you get outside?

Your head was spinning as you raised it to find Mingi lying a few feet away, his tall form crumpled on the ground.

"Mingi?" You winced at your own voice which was hoarse and sounded just as disoriented as you felt. You crawled over to your boyfriend's body, calling out his name again, this time more worriedly. "Mingi?" You shook him gently. "Mingi?"

His eyes snapped open and he took a sharp intake of air, his body jolting.

You breathed a sigh of relief. "You're okay. Thank goodness."

His sharp brows pulled together dazedly as he sat upright with a groan, his head falling forward into his hand.

"What happened?" He grumbled, rubbing his forehead with his fingers.

"I don't know. I think we blacked out." Your hand moved up to touch your neck where a dull ache was present, but there was nothing there. "What time is it?" You inquired aloud, fumbling for your phone to check.

3:45 AM.

"Jeez. How'd we get outside?"

"No clue." Mingi murmured, looking around the area. "My neck hurts though."

"Mine too. Let's go home."

Every step felt like a struggle, as if your feet were weighed down with heavy objects, lethargy riddling your entire body, seeping into your bones. You found yourself clinging to Mingi as you both walked home, using him for stability. Neither of you spoke, the only thing on your minds being getting back without collapsing.

Both of you stumbled through the front door of your shared apartment, your fingers fumbling with the lock to secure the entry before you teetered into the bedroom, haphazardly kicking your shoes off, not caring where they landed.

Unsteady on his feet, Mingi stumbled while tugging his pants off, grunting as he pulled off his shirt, tossing both garments onto the floor somewhere. Like him, you didn't feel like showering or even bothering with pajamas, opting to strip off your clothes and sleep in your undergarments. You just wanted to crash for the night and hope you both felt better in the morning.

You groaned when you hit the mattress, pressing your face into your pillow and tugging the covers up over your weary body. Mingi followed suit seconds later, clicking off the lamp before colliding with the plush bed.

"We must've partied pretty hard." He mumbled, reaching for you out of habit.

"Yeah. Maybe." You responded, letting him pull you into his bare chest. "I don't really remember drinking that much though."

"Neither do I, but let's just get some rest."

You nodded, too exhausted to think about anything, your brain fuzzy and your body screaming for rest.

You both stirred awake around noon, the first thing Mingi did was reach for you, as you'd shifted away from one another during the night. The mattress sank softly as he rolled over to where he was close to you again. You hummed drowsily as the remnants of your slumber faded away, squinting your eyes at the harsh rays of light shining into your shared bedroom through the curtains. It pulled a displeased groan from the back of your throat and you found yourself pressing your face into Mingi's chest to shield yourself from it.

Even after a decent night's rest, you were still feeling unwell, and not in a sense that you felt sick, you just felt like something wasn't quite right.

"How are you feeling?" You asked Mingi, your voice muffled by his chest.

"Not great. I feel off."

You nodded, thinking that was a good way to describe it. "Maybe we're just dehydrated. I'll go get us some water."

"That might be nice." He agreed groggily. "My throat is a little dry."

Slipping out of bed, you shuffled towards the kitchen, grabbing a couple bottles of water and bringing them back to the bedroom.

Mingi thanked you, cracking open the plastic bottle and taking a few gulps. You followed suit and did the same, finding that it brought you only a little relief. Screwing the cap back on, you settled against the headboard of the bed, rubbing your tired eyes.

"You don't think there was something put in our drinks, do you?" You asked him, the thought only just now occurring to you.

Mingi's brows furrowed slightly in thought before he shook his head. "We kept our drinks in our hand all night."

It was frustrating, knowing something wasn't right but not knowing what it was.

"Are you hungry? Maybe something to eat will help."

Mingi nodded and you slid out of bed once more, shambling back towards the kitchen. You didn't feel like cooking anything, opting for pre-cut mixed fruit in the fridge, pouring some into a bowl, and carrying it back to the bedroom.

"Thank you." Mingi took one of the forks you passed over, spearing a strawberry and popping it into his mouth gratefully.

You took a grape and chewed it, your face twitching slightly at the flavor. "Does this taste a little funny to you?"

Mingi swallowed the bite of fruit he was chewing, nodding slowly in agreement. "Yeah. It does."

You shook your head. "Maybe the fruit is going bad." You took the bowl from him and set it aside, a sinking feeling in your gut as you stared at the colorful fruits.

"Maybe we should go for a walk." Mingi suggested. "Some fresh air might be nice."

You nodded in agreement.

Getting dressed wasn't nearly as difficult as you anticipated. The lethargy and disorientation that riddled your body the night before was gone, but again, something was off. You felt different in a way that was inexplicable and couldn't be described.

As soon as you and Mingi stepped out onto the street, the sun glared down at you, your face twisting momentarily at the offending beam. Even Mingi was effected, letting out a grunt of discomfort and lowering his head for a second.

He reached for your hand, guiding you forward down the street. "Come on."

The air felt nice, but the sounds around you were louder, the people bustling about creating more noise than you were accustomed to. Not only that, but there was an unidentifiable and pungent mix of smells in the air. Your face twisted slightly in response, Mingi seemed to notice too, his brows twitching. However, neither of you said a word and started down the street.

What was supposed to be a peaceful walk turned out to be much worse than staying indoors. You were hyper-aware of everything, your eyes darting around at every little noise, unable to focus on just one as they all seemed to blur together in an incoherent ceaseless hum. It was too much.

"Do you hear it too?" Mingi's voice reached your sensitive ears, his question cutting through the noise.

"Hear what exactly?" You inquired, searching for an explanation. "Everything?"

He nodded slowly.

"I do."

Knowing that Mingi was experiencing the same things as you was a little reassuring, but didn't help the lingering concern that had made its home in the back of your mind. Despite that, you convinced yourself that your body was in the stages of recuperating after your night out. After all, you and Mingi weren't the type to go and party, so maybe your bodies weren't used to it.

"Would you like to go to the park?" Asked Mingi.

A peaceful place like the park might be good for both of you, so you agreed, staying close to your boyfriend. You could hardly think with everything overwhelming your senses, moving down the street on autopilot and hoping you ended up at your intended destination.

Walking past the front gates lining the park, things became less overpowering to your senses, dulling down to a more normal noise level. The sounds of bustling people were distant and replaced with the chirping of birds and rustling of leaves in the gentle breeze. A sigh left your nostrils, feeling at ease in this new environment, even Mingi seemed to relax as you two progressed down the paved walking trail that wound through the grassy terrain.

Like the city, smells in the park were more noticeable: tree bark, flowers, and freshly-cut grass, which you thought was odd because the blades looked like they were getting close to needing another trim. However, there was something else beneath the aromatic scents of nature that you couldn't pinpoint, similar to the unidentifiable smell from earlier. Whatever it was was pleasant and made you want to locate the source of it.

"This is much better." Again, Mingi's voice pulled you from your thoughts.

"So much better." You agreed. "Maybe all we needed was some fresh air."

You crossed a small bridge that went over a trickling stream, a peaceful sound that you could hear even after it was out of sight. It made your brows pull together as you glanced over your shoulder, the bridge far behind you.

Mingi's eyes drifted over to you, noticing your behavior and giving your hand a gentle squeeze of assurance to pull your focus to him.

"We're okay." Was all he said.

Those words were enough to ease your mind for the time being, the sounds of nature taking your attention away from, well, everything. The shrill chirp of a bird in a nearby tree made you wince, Mingi's free hand coming up to cover one of his ears.

"Ah." He grimaced.

"That was loud." You complained.

He grunted in response, guiding you along the walking track.

It came out of nowhere, an intense scent hitting you like a brick wall; it was strong, fragrant, and stood out from all the other things you'd been smelling so far. A shaky sigh pushed past your lips, your footsteps stumbling to a halt as if you were physically impacted by the aroma in the air. Mingi stopped as well, catching a whiff of the same scent, his pupils dilating in response.

"Something smells good." His voice was rough and hoarse as he spoke.

"Yeah. What is that?"

Mingi gave a partial shrug, trying to get his bearings. "Must be a food truck or something in the park."

You nodded even though something told you it wasn't food you were smelling. Nothing had ever effected you like that before.

As you proceeded along the track, you came upon someone, your eyes locking onto the form of a little boy who couldn't have been older than 10. He was crouched in the grass beside the concrete walking path while his bike lie abandoned on its side. His mother was kneeling beside him, wiping his tears.

Your gaze was drawn to the bloody scrape on his knee, your hand instinctively coming up to cover your mouth and nose. Somehow you knew what that sweet scent was, your brain automatically placing a name to it. A hunger for something clawed it's way up your throat in a sudden, fierce wave and your stomach ached as if you hadn't eaten in weeks.

"Mingi." You grabbed onto your boyfriend with your free hand, squeezing his forearm tightly.

He was already staring, watching the crimson liquid that coated the little boy's scraped knee, his body rigid and tense with restraint. His ears, as well as yours, picked up the sound of the boy's rapid heartbeat as blood came from the fresh injury.

The dazed disorientation you felt earlier walking the streets was incomparable to how you felt now. Everything was a blur except the boy and all you could hear was the rapid thudding of his heart. You felt sick.

It took all the willpower Mingi had in him to speak and his voice sounded much too quiet and strained.

"We need to get out of here... quickly."

All you could do was nod in agreement, but your feet were rooted to the pavement, panic and hunger coursing through your entire body.

"Come on." He urged under his breath, forcing himself to take a step back.

You followed, turning away from the boy and heading in the opposite direction.

Rapid breaths pushed out of you in short bursts, your heart pounding in your chest while you fled the scene. Even when you got away from the tantalizing smell, you were unable to forget the image of blood that was seared into your mind. The ache in your stomach wouldn't go away and the persistent dryness in your throat was only getting worse.

Your surroundings were a blur, you and Mingi both bumping into pedestrians while trying to get back home, the sounds around you much more overwhelming than before. And the scents—they were too much. After the incident in the park, you now had an inkling as to what that unidentifiable smell in the city was. The thought that you could've been smelling the blood of everyone around you made your aching stomach twist into an uncomfortable knot.

Mingi's trembling hand shoved the house keys into the lock, shouldering his way into your shared apartment. The door slammed shut and he rested against it while you staggered into the kitchen, ripping open the refrigerator to grab a water. You uncapped it and chugged half of it, but the dryness in your throat continued.

"No." You murmured, your panic slowly rising when water didn't alleviate the discomfort.

It was so obvious what was happening to you two and yet you were in denial. You took another swig.

At that point, Mingi was standing in the doorway, watching you with a pitied expression.

"Y/n..." He murmured.

With trembling hands, you put the cap back onto the bottle and set it aside.

"Are we..." You couldn't even complete the sentence, horrified at your new reality.

Mingi was a no-nonsense guy who didn't beat around the bush when it came to most things, and what was happening to you both right now wasn't something that could be sugarcoated.

"I think we are." He responded faintly.

You let out a small cry of panic and stepped forward into Mingi's arms to seek some semblance of comfort, clinging tightly to him. It all made sense now. The heightened senses, the ache in your necks after the party, the sensitivity to the sun, the sudden craving for...

You squeezed your eyes shut, curling into Mingi's chest as if that would shield you from the situation.

"Hey, hey. I'm here." He assured in a gentle tone. "We're together. Everything's gonna be okay."

He ran his hands over your back in a soothing manner, the feeling of you in his arms helping to ease his own troubled mind. The entire situation was incomprehensible and overall not possible, yet it was happening to both of you.

Like you, he was overwhelmed with so many emotions at once, but the most evident one was the desire to protect you. Seeing you in distress shattered his heart and he wanted to do everything in his power to calm you down. He held you even tighter, whispering to you softly.

"I'm right here. You're in my arms. You can feel me. I'm here. Just focus on that."

You nodded against his chest, keeping your eyes shut in an attempt to focus on Mingi and his warmth, the beating of his heart grounding you a little.

Having a breakdown in this situation would do you no good, nor would it change your circumstances. However, that didn't stop your racing mind from producing an endless list of questions. You squeezed Mingi slightly, letting out a long breath to try and ease the concern plaguing you.

You and your boyfriend were different now.

"I'm scared." You uttered shakily, your voice trembling like you were on the verge of tears.

"Hey... hey." He cooed, pulling away to look at you, his large hand coming to cup your cheek, making sure you were facing him. The fear in your eyes was obvious and it made Mingi's heart clench. "Breathe."

You took in a deep inhale before releasing it slowly, listening to your boyfriend's words.

"That's it." He murmured encouragingly. "Again."

You inhaled once more, letting it out a couple seconds later. You went through this a few more times until your racing heart slowed.

"What are we gonna do?" Was the first thing you asked, a million questions still lingering in the back of your mind.

"I don't know, but we'll get through it. We'll figure it out."

That was enough to loosen the tension in your body, even though you weren't sure how you'd figure it out.

"Let's go sit on the couch." Mingi guided you further into the apartment and to the living room, easing you down onto the cushions beside him.

Silence hung heavily in the air as you tried to come to grips with your new reality.

"Do you still feel..." Mingi trailed off, hesitant to utter the word. "thirsty?"

You nodded against him, swallowing thickly at the reminder of your dry throat.

"Yeah. Me too. I'm afraid if we don't do something about it soon, we'll snap."

"I don't wanna hurt people." You spoke fearfully.

"Neither do I." Mingi shook his head.

Part of you wanted to stay inside and keep yourself locked away from the outside world, away from other people, away from the smell of blood, from the loud sounds, from everything. Another part of you, the part that was still forming, craved that red liquid that flowed through every single body you passed on the street that day. Your mouth watered at the thought and your teeth began to ache—a clear sign that you were changing.

"I don't want to, but I think we need to do something about these cravings." Mingi tried to be the voice of reason despite being just as scared and confused as you were. He knew ignoring what was happening to the both of you would only cause more problems.

You immediately started shaking your head, you refused to harm another human being, no matter how badly your stomach ached.

"It's either we act on it or you and I waste away." He said.

The thought of ceasing to exist made your chest squeeze uncomfortably. You didn't like that idea either.

"We can try animals." He suggested. "It sounds ridiculous, but it's the only option I can think of."

That made you pause. Animals. You mulled it over for a moment. If it worked for vampires in movies, perhaps it would work for you two. If your bodies needed blood, maybe it didn't matter where it came from.

It was strange, the way you felt so comfortable walking through the moonlit woods with Mingi. Normally you'd be scared out of your wits, but not at the moment. There was something so serene and peaceful about the scenery that made you feel like you belonged out there. The strong smell of nature and dew danced in the air, invading your overly-sensitive nose. It was a bit distracting due to the intensity of it, but better than being in the city around people. At least out here your head wasn't spinning.

"I have no idea what I'm doing." You murmured, stepping over clusters of vines winding through the undergrowth in the woods.

"Neither do I." Mingi took your hand in his, almost as much for his comfort as it was for yours, and it worked for a moment.

You felt useless. This vampirism thrust upon you and your boyfriend so suddenly with no help or anything was brutal. You didn't know how to hunt or what strengths and weaknesses you possessed. You were going in blind.

You couldn't believe you were actually going to give into this, to the craving that was gnawing at your insides, but you had to do something. If you didn't act on it, you weren't sure what would happen. You were making the right decision—right?

The both of you continued through the damp forest, hoping that something, anything, would cross your path and that the animal would be easy enough for the two of you to handle. At the moment, you and Mingi weren't sure what you were capable of or if you could even stop an animal, let alone move fast enough to grab one.

"How are you feeling?" You asked, wondering if he was going through the same tumultuous emotions as you.

"Nervous. Confused."

"Me too." There was a short pause. "Do you think we're doing the right thing?"

"I'm not sure. It seems like our only option. And besides, we don't know what'll happen if we don't act on what we're feeling. We could lose our minds or do something horrible."

You nodded, not wanting to entertain the idea of what would've happened if you decided to stay locked in your shared apartment to starve.

Your sensitive hearing picked up a rustling sound, both you and Mingi freezing at the same time, your head jerking in the direction of the disturbance. A tempting aroma wafted through the dewy night air, pulling all your focus to it like a magnet.

"Do you smell that?" You asked, your mouth watering in response, your body reacting instantly.

It wasn't as fragrant as the human blood from earlier, but it was the best smelling thing in the area at the moment and your developing instincts were telling you to go after it.

"I do." Mingi breathed out, shuddering lightly. "Let's follow it."

The hunger in your bodies grew as you progressed closer to the source of the scent, the need for blood making it difficult for you to keep a steady pace. You needed to find whatever it was and get it as fast as you could before you lost what little control you had left.

Initially, you thought tracking down a meal would be difficult, but your legs moved on their own, carrying you towards whatever was emitting that tantalizing aroma.

"My teeth are killing me." You grunted softly in a whisper, slinking through the forest with Mingi, the smell of blood nearby only making the ache worse.

He nodded in silent agreement, his eyes darting frantically around the area before he caught movement in the darkness, his muscles tensing. "There."

Your breath caught in your throat when you spotted two deer up ahead, both completely unaware of the looming threat nearby.

"How are we gonna do this?" Mingi whispered so as not to startle the timid animals, creeping closer to them.

"I don't know. I don't know what we're capable of. I think we just go for it."

"You're probably right. I'll take the one on the left and you can take the right."

You nodded, your eyes zeroing in on your designated target. The dull twinge in your teeth morphed into a sharp pain that made you hiss quietly. At the same time, Mingi was rubbing at his gums to ease the uncomfortable sensation in them. Despite the discomfort, you both crept closer to the unsuspecting animals feeding on various vegetation, the thirst almost fully consuming you now. If it was this intense now, you couldn't imagine how much worse it would be if you'd waited.

The blood had a hypnotic pull that was making everything else go numb, any fears you had about feeding had faded away, replaced with the burning need to alleviate the empty ache in your gut and the dryness in your throat. A final acute pain shot through your canines, two sharp points now prodding the inside of your mouth, your body preparing for what was to come even though you had zero experience.

Both you and Mingi had pretty much blacked out when you got close enough, your new instincts kicking in and making you both lunge forward at unnatural speeds, Mingi tackling the deer on the left while you got the one on the right. It all went by in a blur, happening slowly and way too fast all at the same time.

The blood was warm as it entered your mouth, it wasn't bitter, not even close. It was rich and sweet like honey with a metal tang at the end that was pleasing to your tastebuds. The moment you swallowed the first mouthful, the emptiness in your gut was soothed as well as the dry burn in your throat, a feeling of overpowering satisfaction washing over you, quelling some of the thirst raging within.

You gripped the animal tightly, hunched over it while gulping down its blood greedily, having completely lost yourself. Your body was screaming for more, not getting enough as you fed. Once you started, you couldn't stop, overwhelmed with the intense need to keep taking until you had your fill.

The sensations coursing throughout your body were unlike any you'd experienced, it was like having your first drink of water in months.

You only stopped feeding when that sweet liquid was no longer was being pulled out of the animal. You drew back, your lips stained with blood as you released a heavy and shuddering exhale into the night air, taking notice of how much clearer your mind was, your senses no longer overwhelming, almost like you were more in tune with it all. The sounds of the forest had evened out and the various smells of nature dulled to a lesser intensity, though they were still much stronger than what they normally would be.

You got to your feet, staring down at the deer lying on the forest floor with two bloody puncture marks in its neck from your teeth—from your fangs. You continued to look fixedly at the animal, not quite processing what you and Mingi had just done. Your gaze drifted to your boyfriend standing a few feet away over his own prey, his altered appearance mirroring your own. You two were seeing each other this way for the first time.

His once brown irises were fully red, matching the blood glistening on his mouth in the moonlight. It was a slightly startling sight, but you weren't scared. In fact, you imagined you looked the same.

"Your eyes are red." You uttered.

"So are yours." He responded. "I can hear your heartbeat."

Your unblinking eyes darted down to Mingi's chest, then back to his eyes, a faint but quick thumping sound reaching your ears despite standing a short distance away.

"I can hear yours too."

Your gaze wandered over to your surroundings, noticing how everything seemed clearer and crisper to your eyes, even in the dark. Details of the forest stood out to you, the various textures of individual leaves and the bark of each tree. It was a lot to take in, but the last thing on your mind at the moment.

"I need more." You breathed out, only partially aware of your words.

"Me too." Mingi agreed, staring down at his own prey completely drained of its essence.

You both should've felt remorseful, but you didn't. You felt stronger than ever before. What you'd done should've been disgusting and horrifying, but it wasn't. Instead you both wanted more, you wanted to do it again and again until you were satisfied.

Mingi led the way, abandoning the carcasses and walking deeper into the dense trees. You followed closely, your endless thirst guiding you forward until you caught the scent of another animal not too far away, the aroma teasing your nose. Part of you hoped it was another deer, something large that would satisfy you.

Mingi's newly-grown fangs were practically itching to sink into something again, as were yours. That first kill had ignited something insatiable within the both of you, starting something that couldn't be stopped. You swallowed the saliva pooling in your mouth at the scent of blood in the air, now having an unrelenting craving for it.

An overgrown area laid ahead, teeming with moss and other wild vegetation. Mingi pulled you behind a thick tree to shield you both from sight, peering around the trunk to find a single deer, most likely a straggler that was with the two you and Mingi drained just moments ago.

"There's only one." You murmured.

He nodded, not bothered at the thought of sharing. He slowly crouched down, taking on a predatory stance while keeping his sharp eyes locked on the target, preparing to pounce.

You followed his movements, zeroing in on the deer whose pulse you could hear even from where you were, the thumping sound echoing in your ears. Mingi lunged forward and you mirrored his actions, darting out of the shadows and tackling the animal with him.

Mingi sank his new fangs into the deer and you followed soon after, feeding on a different area of the neck. Your quiet gulps filled the air between you both as you hunched over the animal, quenching your thirst together. Your hand slid slightly along the deer, unintentionally moving onto Mingi's. You didn't care though, your fingers curling around his as soon as they came into contact with his skin. He reciprocated by lacing his fingers with yours. It was dark and perhaps a little morbid, but there was something romantic about sharing an animal with him.

You were the first to pull away, Mingi doing the same, exhaling heavily. You swallowed, the taste of blood lingering on your tongue, reminding you of your new realty. Mingi stood and offered you his hand, helping you get to your feet. For a moment he just started at you.

Your vampiric red eyes gazed up at him, and despite the new color replacing your natural one, you still looked like you, your gaze still holding that gentleness that it always did.

"How do you feel?" He asked, his voice crystal clear to your ears.

"Better." You responded. "Much better."

The mental clarity you had was astronomical and the sensations coursing through your body were foreign, but not unwelcome. Every cell was thrumming with life, an energy like nothing you'd felt before tingled underneath your skin. You felt unstoppable.

Mingi's hand, still clasped with yours, trembled slightly, letting you know he was feeling the same things you were, both of you experiencing a rush like no other, unsure of how to handle it.

"We should go home." He uttered distantly.

You nodded, letting him guide you away from the scene where your murderous actions took place, the weight of what you two had done not quite setting in yet. The experience had been so overwhelming and the foreign feelings coursing through your newly-altered bodies made it difficult to focus on anything else. You moved quietly through the woods, navigating your way back home with more ease than you would've assumed.

Now that your hunger had been sated, the adrenaline from feeding started to wane, replaced with the realization of what you two had just done. The reality that you had just killed animals by yourselves started to sink in. You started to spiral before you even made it out of the forest, coming to the realization that you enjoyed every second of it. The intervals at which your breath was leaving you became quicker and deeper, the change drawing Mingi's attention.

"What did we just do?" You whispered.

"What we had to." He responded.

He was right. You two had rationalized your actions before you even left the apartment, deciding it would be best to feed yourselves now than find out what would happen if you didn't, but still, it was so much take in. The way you completely blacked out and some new, predatory part of you took over to feed was terrifying.

You felt like a monster.

"What have we become?" You uttered faintly.

Your question hung heavily in the night air as Mingi's hold on your hand tightened.

"H-Hey." He spoke up, his voice wavering slightly, giving away his own growing unease. "We had no other choice."

You knew that and yet your conscience was eating away at you.

"I just can't stop thinking about how I felt in that moment. I enjoyed it. Why did it feel good? Why did it feel so natural?"

Mingi chewed the inside of his cheek before answering quietly, "Because it's what we are now."

He felt sick saying that, but it was the truth. He felt the same things as you did. He got a thrill from going in for the kill and getting his first taste of blood. It was a terrifying realization that made him afraid of himself and what he might do if he didn't keep himself in check.

As the both of you emerged from the woods, it was like a dam broke and everything you'd done came crashing down along with the reality that this would be your new life.

"W-wait. What if someone sees us?" You asked, staring at the outskirts of the city. "We look like monsters right now."

"We'll just keep our heads down and hope no one's out."

It was after midnight, you and Mingi made sure to leave well after nightfall to ensure no one saw you, but there was still the risk that you could be spotted.

Mingi moved his hand to rest on the small of your back, keeping you close as you reentered the city, sticking to the shadows with your heads down. It made you feel like a criminal or something, like you had something to hide, which you did.

Thankfully, there were few people walking the streets at such a late hour. Both you and Mingi would tense up when someone passed by, but they paid no mind to either of you.

As soon as you returned to the solitude of your apartment, you scrambled to the bathroom, desperate to wash up. Your stomach twisted into a knot as you saw your reflection for the first time since your transformation. Mingi had made a comment in the forest about your eyes being red, yet seeing it was still jarring and had you frozen for a moment. The natural hue of your irises was gone, swallowed up completely by a deep crimson. You took a step forward to get a closer look, your lips parting just enough to catch a glimpse of the sharp fangs in your mouth that was stained with small smudges of blood. Flickering images of what you'd done with those pointed canines passed through your mind, stirring an unpleasant sensation in your stomach.

You finally tore your eyes away from the mirror, bringing a shaky hand to the faucet handle and turning on the water, vigorously rubbing away the partially-dried blood on your mouth, wanting to rid yourself of the evidence from that night. You watched the red-tinted water swirl down the drain, disappearing from sight.

Mingi followed you into the bathroom, avoiding looking at his reflection. He knew that if he saw himself, he'd spiral just like you and he needed to be strong right now. Seeing the new version of himself was too raw and he wasn't ready yet.

He stood beside you, cleaning his face and washing away the remnants of your trip to the woods.

The both of you dried your clean faces and moved silently to the bedroom where you changed into some comfortable pajamas, seeking a crumb of normalcy after your lives had been turned upside down.

Everything was changing so fast and you hated it. Just yesterday you were human and going to a house party with your boyfriend, now you were lying in bed with him trying to cope with the fact that you two were no longer human.

The silence in the room was too loud and it only made you aware of everything you were feeling. Mingi's beating heart was a constant, and though it was bizarre that you could hear it so clearly, it helped to take your attention away from the unease that had made its home in every corner of your body. As much as you wanted to pretend like things were normal, you couldn't. Things were different, you were different, and you could feel it too. Nothing felt the same anymore.

"What if we're stuck like this?" You asked faintly, referring to the fangs and red eyes, worried they wouldn't go away. You already knew the vampirism was here to stay.

"I don't know." Mingi uttered in a barely-audible voice, having already considered that himself. "Let's just try to get some rest and see what happens tomorrow."

A small sigh left you and you nodded slightly in agreement. "Okay."

Mingi turned off the bedside lamp and slipped his arm around your waist, drawing you in closer. Even with the room shrouded in darkness, you could see well, and it wasn't from the faint moonlight spilling in through the curtains. Everything seemed to remind you of your new reality and it almost made you nauseous. You nestled into Mingi's chest, closing your eyes in an attempt to rest, that is if you were capable of sleeping anymore. As you focused on your breathing, a pleasant aroma reached your nose, a small hum following. The smell was something that couldn't be described, but it brought you immense comfort.

"Your cologne smells nice." Came your murmured words.

"I'm not wearing cologne."

You were confused by this. "Then what am I smelling?"

"I think it's me." He uttered in a mumble tingled with surprise. 

That startling realization made you stiffen slightly, realizing you could smell Mingi in a way you never could before and you wondered if he noticed any particular scent of yours.

"Can you smell anything on me?"

Mingi gently brushed the tip of his nose along the top of your head, inhaling soundlessly.

"Yeah. I can." He spoke into your hair.

Your natural aroma was different from before, but there was a hint of familiarity in it. It wasn't just your body wash, shampoo, or perfume he could smell, it was something more, something completely you. It was home. Comfort. In that moment, Mingi thought if there were one good thing to come out of this unfortunate situation, it would be this.

"You smell... wonderful." He pressed a gentle kiss to your temple, burying his nose in your hair.

You pressed your body closer to him, letting his scent envelop your newly-heightened senses, temporarily silencing your concerns long enough for you to doze off.

The curtains had been drawn the night before, so there was no harsh sunlight hitting you in the face when you awoke the next day. Your eyelids cracked open and you were met with the familiar sight of Mingi sleeping beside you, his lips pushed into a slight pout in his slumber. Every memory from the night before came flooding back into your conscious mind, making your chest ache. He looked so peaceful, his brows no longer tugged together in concern. For a brief moment, everything felt normal, though you both knew neither of you were normal anymore.

Mingi stirred in his slumber, his eyes slowly opening and, much to your relief, they were back to their warm brown color. You could only hope yours had done the same.

"Morning." You greeted softly, your voice carrying just a hint of sleep.

"Morning." He returned, his eyes scanning your face. "How do you feel?"

"I feel alright." It was a half-true response. "I'm still struggling to process what we did last night."

A somber expression flickered across Mingi's face and he nodded faintly. "So am I."

Despite getting some rest, both of you were still grappling with the fact that you fed for the first time last night and that it felt good.

"What are we going to do about our jobs?" You asked faintly, the thought only just occurring to you.

"We'll just have to call out sick for a while. Stay away for a few days just to be safe and figure out how to manage everything."

Neither of you would be capable of working around people, especially not when you were so unstable. The beating of your coworkers' hearts and the smell of their blood would drive you mad.

"How long will we be able to use that excuse though? People are gonna get suspicious if we keep calling out."

Mingi breathed out a sigh, realizing the flaw in his plan. "Let's just take it one step at a time."

"Alright." You agreed.

It was probably best for you to not think too far ahead and figure things out slowly. That way it all wouldn't be so overwhelming—maybe. Dwelling on the future and all the problems that laid ahead would only cause you more stress.

"You wanna try eating something?" Mingi asked, propping himself up on his elbow.

"Yeah."

Mingi stood in the kitchen, staring into the pantry, scanning through the items stocked inside.

"Are you in the mood for anything specific?"

You weren't, but you answered anyway.

"Pancakes might be nice."

At least the thought of food didn't disgust you, maybe that was a good sign.

You watched Mingi in silence as he mixed up the batter and poured it into a pan, creating adorably-misshapen hotcakes. The sweet aroma of them was stronger than usual, but not unpleasant whatsoever.

A couple minutes later, Mingi plated the pancakes, smearing a pat of butter on top and drizzling the stack with syrup. Both of you held your forks and shared a look of apprehension. All you could think about was the fruit you and Mingi had the previous morning and how it tasted off. You speared a fluffy, syrup-covered bite of pancake and popped it into your mouth.

Your chewed the sweet hotcake slowly, your brows raising in pleasant surprise. "It tastes good."

Mingi's eyebrows were pulled together as he nodded in agreement. "It does."

Having discovered that you could still eat normal food was a huge relief and almost made you want to cry tears of joy. A small smile spread across Mingi's lips as he happily went in for a second bite. You mirrored his actions, the two of you finishing off the short stack of pancakes together.

The plate sat empty between you and Mingi, your forks laid together on the saucer. You wore a contemplative expression, your fingers absentmindedly tracing the wood grain on the dining table.

"I don't really feel like I ate anything." You voiced your inner thoughts aloud.

"Me too." He agreed.

"I don't think regular food fuels us the way it used to."

"At least we can still eat it." Mingi chose to focus on the positive.

You have a light sigh of relief accompanied by a little smile. "Yeah. At least there's that."

Being able to have even a shred of normalcy was enough for you and after having your lives turned upside down, you'd take whatever little win you could.

"Now what?" You asked, your question hanging in the air for a moment before Mingi responded.

"I don't really know."

He was just as lost as you were. Where do you go from here? Not having any suggestions of your own, you decided to start listing the things you had discovered so far.

"We know we can still eat regular food and that our appearances can go back to normal, probably at will if we tried hard enough."

"We know we can still sleep." He listed.

"And see our reflections." You added faintly, your mind going back to last night when you saw yourself as the creature you were now.

Mingi shook his head slightly. "I haven't looked yet."

"I don't recommend it." You murmured. "At least not for a while."

"We know the sun doesn't burn us and that we can sleep." He continued after a brief silence.

You nodded. "Those are all good things."

"They are."

You chewed your bottom lip, contemplating everything. "So the plan is to stay home and keep to ourselves for a few days. The only problem is we'll be thirsty again."

Mingi's expression shifted at the mention of having to feed. "Right."

"So we'll have to go back to the woods again."

"Yeah."

"That'll be the only time we leave the house." You said decisively.

"Agreed. It's not safe for us to be out around people."

The silence hanging heavily in the room gave way to thoughts—troublesome ones that neither you nor Mingi wanted to focus on.

"I need a distraction." You sighed out heavily, rubbing your face.

Mingi, who was thinking the same, stood from his seat and came over to your side of the table, his fingers gently encircling your wrist to pull you up from your chair. Without uttering a single word, he tugged you into his chest bringing you into his warm embrace, an arm sliding around your waist while his hand cradled the back of your head lovingly, guiding you to rest it against his shoulder.

His calming scent reached your nose and the tenseness in your body lessened. It was incredible how effective his natural aroma was, how it could instantly begin to calm you. He guided you into the living room without releasing you, abandoning the empty plate and silverware on the dining table. There would be time to wash dishes later. Right now, you needed him and he needed you just as much.

A faint grunt left Mingi when he sat down on the couch, pulling you with him. You curled into his body, your head resting on his chest while he caressed your hair. All you wanted to do was be close to him, as it made you forget everything, even for just a moment.

The weekend was unproductive. You and Mingi were either in bed or on the couch, usually watching TV, doing anything to occupy your minds and by the time Monday rolled around, you both called out of your respective jobs sick. You couldn't work, you couldn't see people, you were scared to go outside, so all you could do was sit around.

Neither of you were used to what you were yet, getting startled whenever you'd hear a neighbor talking on the phone as they passed your shared apartment or the sound of distant voices somewhere outside on the street. It was something you two were going to have to learn to tune out.

One thing you noticed during your time locked away indoors was that you felt the inexplicable need to be close to Mingi and it seemed he felt the same, both of you craving each other's presence at all times. This wasn't unusual, as you two had always been cuddly, but the desire to be near each other was almost palpable. It seemed that going through something so life-altering had brought you closer together both physically and emotionally, strengthening your bond.

"Are you feeling alright?"

It was a question Mingi asked you frequently over the last few days, wanting to keep a check on the things you were experiencing.

You nodded in response, turning the question back to him. "You?"

He shifted slightly, his arm tightening its hold around your shoulders. "I'm getting thirsty again."

"Me too." You admitted. "It's not too bad right now, but I know it'll get worse."

"We can't let it get bad."

While you hadn't talked much about the whole vampire thing, you mutually agreed to keep a check on yourselves and act on the new cavings you were permanently stuck with, even if it was immoral. Besides, when you were thirsty, morals were the last thing on your mind. It was a jarring realization, that your hunger overrode your rationality, but it was something you'd have to learn to accept and adapt to.

"Do you think we should go tonight?"

You chose to leave the decision-making to Mingi, raising your head to look at him.

"It would be better for us if we do."

You couldn't argue with that. After your first feeding, you had a clearer head and no longer felt that ravenous hunger looming over you. On the other hand, it had only been three days since this happened to the both of you and the fact that you were already getting thirsty again terrified you.

The sun dipped below the buildings, shrouding the city in shadows that were perfect for slinking around in. Like last time, you and Mingi set out at an hour where fewer people would be walking the streets, ensuring that neither of you would lose control. In your minds, the less people that were around, the easier it would be to keep your sanities.

Mingi made sure you were close, his fingers laced with yours while your feet carried you quietly through the darkened edges of the sidewalk. The soles of your shoes hit the pavement in time with his, creating a faint yet steady rhythm. The safety and solitude of the woods was just within reach, you could already smell the various wood and foliage from where you were. The morality of your actions were gnawing at you much like the hunger in yours and Mingi's stomachs, but you did your best to push it away.

The aromas of nature were quickly overshadowed by the sudden mouthwatering scent that awakened every cell in your body. Your footfalls slowed, your sharp eyes darting to the side, zeroing in on someone across the street. It was an instantaneous reaction, you could feel your fangs elongating on their own and you began salivating at the smell. Mingi could sense your focus shifting and looked to see what had captured your attention—a man who appeared to be in his early 30s ambling down the sidewalk, a hint of alcohol accompanying the smell of his blood. Mingi's feet were already moving before he could think to stop himself, pulling you along with him as he crossed the street towards the man.

You had tunnel vision, all you could see was the man's neck and all you could hear was his steady heartbeat thumping like a drum. Your mind was no longer registering him as a human being, but prey. A meal.

As the distance between you and the man decreased, the ache in your teeth worsened and your self-control dwindled by the second.

Mingi knew you were both going to get spotted if you kept chasing the unsuspecting man. He was starting to realize that, the rational side of his mind slowly returning to him for a split second. His grip on your hand was still tight as he stopped in place, forcing himself to look at something other than the man. When Mingi came to a halt, you were tugged back, turning your head to meet his gaze. Flecks of red were already beginning to show in his brown irises, a clear sign that his own restraint was diminishing.

"We can't." He spoke in a strained voice.

Your eyes started to drift back to the man who was getting farther away.

"Y/n, look at me."

His voice made you tear your eyes away.

"We need to go." His words wavered as they were uttered.

Bloodlust was clawing at you like a rabid animal, but you nodded in agreement anyway and let Mingi pull you down the street. He was silently cursing himself for going out this soon, but he knew you both needed it. He was terrified of the way you both were so easily affected by the smell of blood, how catching a single whiff was all it took to make the cravings unbearable. It just further proved that you two were unprepared for being around people.

"Keep your head down." He murmured, guiding you towards the shadows, keeping his own head lowered in case anyone were to pass by.

The forest was a welcomed sight, allowing you and Mingi to breathe a sigh of relief and get your bearings. You leaned against a nearby tree trunk, letting the sounds and smells of nature calm you for a moment.

"I can't believe we're doing this again." You uttered faintly.

"Neither can I, but we have to feed so we can get a grip on ourselves again."

It had only been a few days since the first time you fed and you both already hated this, feeling like you had to hide and sneak around just to feed yourselves. This was going to become your new normal.

Mingi's eyes caught something small moving in a nearby thicket, his reaction triggering your instincts. Your body was on high alert, every muscle going taut as you took a step forward. He grabbed your arm and pulled you closer to him, making sure you wouldn't go wandering off. He held you by the waist, his chin resting on your shoulder, keeping his voice low and quiet so as not to disrupt the animal.

"There's something there."

You sniffed the air lightly and nodded your head. "I smell it."

It was such an ordinary sight to find a little creature in the woods, but not anymore, not for you two.

"It won't be enough." You mentioned.

Mingi nodded in agreement. Such a small animal might satisfy your hunger for a short while, but it wouldn't be enough to satisfy you both properly. His nose was catching an array of scents, picking up on small animals scurrying around in the night, but there was something else that smelled better—larger.

You both felt that same sense of focus and sharp clarity that had taken over last time you fed. The same instinct to hunt, to search, and to capture coursed through every part of your body. Mingi took a step forward, his hand dropping from your waist in favor of lacing your fingers with his to guide you forward. All the scents wafting through the forest assaulted you at once and you quickly learned how to focus on which one you wanted to follow, your feet carrying you towards your meal for the night.

The closer you got to the source of blood, the faster you moved, feeling like you were floating rather than walking. The mouthwatering aroma became stronger, the lines of morality and survival getting blurred. Just ahead, a young female deer leisured through the wild ferns and dew-covered undergrowth without a care in the world.

You two had found your prey for the night.

A deer was perfect. You already knew it would feed you and Mingi both, though you might have to hunt something else afterward if the thirst persisted. In your mind, one big animal was better than a bunch of small ones.

The adrenaline rushing through your veins was different than it was last time, you were both less hesitant, almost as if you had subconsciously accepted your new nature and leaned into the instincts that were now a part of you. The pointed tips of your fangs prodded at the inside of your mouth, the sensation still foreign, but you couldn't be concerned with that at the moment. You were starving.

In a flash, you and Mingi were on the animal, moving in unison as you lunged for it, drinking greedily from its neck as soon as your teeth sank in. A satisfied groan of relief rumbled in the back of your throat, a similar sound leaving Mingi when he took his first sip.

In that moment, you didn't care about anything other than quelling the insatiable thirst that burned your throat, your humanity taking a backseat.

It was several minutes before both of you drained the animal dry, forcing yourselves to stop. You pulled away, your breathing heavy from the rush, looking over at Mingi to assess him. He was in a similar state, trying to catch his breath, his eyes still half-lidded and hazy. His tongue darted out to lick away the excess blood clinging to his plush lips which made you involuntarily do the same.

He reached out to grab you by the waist and pulled you close to him, both of you still panting and shaking, collectively coming down from the high of a successful hunt. Mingi's embrace was much-needed, bringing you a sense of comfort as the haze over your mind dissipated and you were left with the guilt of your actions once again.

As if he could sense your discomfort, Mingi's hand started to rub up and down your back in a soothing manner.

"You okay?" He questioned gently.

"I'm alright."

"Are you sure?"

"Do you think it'll get better?" You asked instead of answering, trying to avoid looking at the deer carcass. "The guilt?"

Mingi gave you a sympathetic expression, he too was feeling remorseful and it wasn't any better than last time he fed.

"I would hope so." His hand moved from your back to your cheek, cupping it lovingly. "But don't you think feeling guilt is a good sign? We could be going on a bloodthirsty rampage, but here we sit, feeling regretful for what we've done."

You mulled his words over, nodding slowly.

"And we didn't attack that man earlier." He added.

"We almost did."

"But we didn't." Mingi said firmly.

He wasn't trying to justify you both being monsters, he was trying to find any sliver of something good, any reason to not condemn himself and you for what you both were forced to do in order to survive.

"We didn't harm anyone. And even though we have to do this to stay sane," He gestured to the deer carcass. "I'm glad you're still you. I'm glad you haven't lost yourself to this madness."

"Not yet." You murmured.

"Hey." Mingi tugged your chin to face him. "I don't like what we're becoming either, I hate it actually, but I'm trying to focus on the positive, as hard as that is to do."

You blinked up at him, fighting back the tears trying to well up in your eyes.

"I'm glad you're still you too." You uttered.

Despite all the various noises reaching your highly-sensitive ears, the forest felt peaceful while you and Mingi sat kneeled in the dirt, holding each other for comfort. With him by your side, you could tune everything out a little easier.

"I have an idea." He spoke up, guiding you to stand up with him. "Instead of being afraid of what we're capable of, why don't we find out what we can do now? Test our limits. We need to get familiar with our new selves."

The thought of finding out what you were truly capable of was a daunting one that terrified you a little, but he had a point. There was no reversing what happened, so your only option was to get used to what you were and adapt. Spending your lives being oblivious to the extent of your abilities was self-sabotage and posed the threat of you and Mingi doing something destructive.

"Okay."

Upon your agreement, Mingi took your hand and pulled you deeper into the woods to an area that felt more secluded. The trees were taller and less moonlight slipped through the thick branches. He didn't want you two to get caught, though he doubted anyone would be wandering the woods at such a late hour.

You needed to find the silver lining in this nightmare, which is why Mingi proposed the idea.

"We've spent so long focusing on the downsides of this when we could be looking at the positives."

"The positives?" You echoed.

"Think about it. We're not human anymore." As bad of a taste as that left in Mingi's mouth when he said it, it was true. "We have enhanced abilities now. That's cool, right?"

"It should be." You said.

"Maybe it can be. We don't have to worry about getting hurt or sick. We probably won't age much or even at all. We'll have each other."

At the mention of having each other, some of the aching in your chest faded. That was a good thing to focus on.

"Did you notice how quickly we moved when we attacked that deer?" Mingi asked.

"I did."

Even though you were in a haze of thirst, you vividly recalled how fast it all happened—both times. Your body moved on its own whenever it was the right time and before you could process what happened, your teeth were already buried in your prey.

"Let's just run." Mingi held his hand out, his open palm waiting for you. "No chasing after a meal, just running."

Your crimson eyes met his and you took hold of his hand, making his expression light up.

"On the count of three."

You gave a nod and he counted down. As soon as he reached one, you took off.

There was no effort to it as Mingi led you through the woods, the cold air hitting your face with every step. It was actually kind of... fun. The sensation was similar to when someone was sitting next to you and the window was down in a car, the same feeling of freedom, the same rush of it all.

Your surroundings were a bit of a blur, and yet you could see every single thing you passed clear as day, your enhanced vision keeping up easily with the high speed.

Mingi turned to look at you, your bright eyes wide with wonder as you met his gaze, letting out a small laugh of disbelief, letting go of any fears or doubts.

Mingi's pace slowed and you mirrored his actions, coming to a stop amidst the darkened woods.

"That was..." You trailed off, searching for the right word. "exhilarating."

"It was." He breathed out, panting slightly even though he wasn't out of breath at all. It didn't even feel like he exerted energy. "What do you think we should do next?"

Now that you had a taste of the perks that came with being a vampire, you were more open to testing out more of your abilities.

"I don't know. What do you think?"

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious about our strength." He confessed.

"And how can we test that?"

Mingi looked around the area, surveying the land until he spotted a sizable boulder that would certainly be too heavy for any normal person to move.

"There." He pointed, walking over to the rock.

You watched him examine it for a moment, sizing it up before he placed his palms on it, pushing forward. Your eyes widened when it rolled, crunching against the leaves and foliage covering the forest floor.

"Woah." He murmured in disbelief, turning to you with a stunned expression. "You should try."

"Me?"

He nodded, beckoning you over. You stood before the rock and placed your hands on it just as Mingi had done. Even though you witnessed proof that you and Mingi were much stronger, you still doubted that you'd be able to do anything.

"Just give it a push. It's easier than you think."

At his instructions, you forced the boulder forward with a little grunt, expecting there to be a struggle, but there wasn't. The rock went rolling forward a couple times and it made you step back with a gasp. You were speechless, looking down at your open palms in disbelief, trying to grapple with the reality that you did that. You could really cause some damage with strength like that and it was alarming.

Mingi could sense your sudden unease that rolled off you on waves. He hooked an arm around your shoulders, pulling you into a side hug. "What is it, baby? What's the matter?"

"I never realized just exactly how strong we are until now. It's scary. What if we accidentally hurt someone?"

"We won't. We've kept ourselves in check so far."

"Barely." You murmured, recalling earlier when you nearly attacked a man on the street.

"Okay, yes, but we'll get better. As long as we stay strong."

You chewed your bottom lip, flinching when you felt your fangs prodding into it. That would take some getting used to.

"Hey. I've got another idea. Let's see how far we can jump." Mingi had a glint in his eye as he spoke, searching above, pointing to a sturdy branch on a nearby oak tree. "Do you think we can make it to there?"

You stared up at the limb, your focus shifting away from your worries. "I don't know. Can we?"

"There's only one way to find out." Mingi's arm slid off your shoulders and he crouched down, preparing to jump.

The branch was at least twenty feet off the ground, but after what you just witnessed, you were curious to see how high you were capable of jumping now. He looked over at you when you didn't kneel down, taking notice of your apprehension.

"You go first." You told him.

He nodded, bending a little lower before he launched himself upwards. To your surprise, he made it to the branch with ease, landing on it gracefully, as if he'd done it a hundred times. He flashed a fanged grin down at you.

"It wasn't that bad." He told you. "Come on up!"

You released a long breath, slowly crouching. Maybe if you fell you wouldn't get hurt. Vampires were basically indestructible—right? Leaping into the air, you launched yourself towards the branch Mingi was perched on, your eyes widening when you registered just how high you were. Just as quickly as you left the ground, your feet hit the sturdy branch with a small thump, your legs stable during your landing.

Mingi's eyes gleamed with amazement at how agile you both were now, slowly starting to understand how enhanced your bodies were.

"I knew you could do it." He spoke sincerely, his hand reaching for yours. "Let's sit."

You gladly lowered yourself to rest on the branch, your legs dangling off of it.

It was strange how right it all felt. You were perched high up on a tree branch, which should've been frightening, but it wasn't, not at all. It was actually kind of fun. There was no fear of falling or sustaining any injuries, it was peaceful.

Your eyes drifted across the wide expanse of trees and limbs laid before you, the moonlight filtering in through the foliage, casting faint beams onto the forest floor below.

"It's really beautiful up here." You breathed out in awe.

"Yeah, it is." Mingi agreed, gazing out at the nightscape.

The crickets and other nightlife chittered in the distance, the faint croaking of frogs accompanying the various sounds, making for a nice soundtrack to the tranquil moment. If you didn't think about the needless killing and having to drink blood for an eternity, vampirism seemed kind of nice. Even with the harsh realities of what you and Mingi were forced into, being able to perch in a tree and bask in the serenity of the night made it bearable. After all, you wouldn't have been able to do this as a human.

Mingi's attention drifted away from the breathtaking scenery to something else that took his breath away—and that was you. Now that he was no longer fixated on the negatives of being a vampire, he was beginning to notice things he had been too worried to pay attention to, like how captivating you were. The moonlight shone down on your face like a beacon, illuminating your features which appeared sharper now, giving you a more regal appearance. Your plush lips were parted while you stared at the night sky, your pointed fangs peeking out ever so slightly. Even the deep crimson staining your normally e/c irises was enchanting to Mingi and he found it hard to look away. He was hyperaware of just how attracted to you he was right now.

Feeling his gaze on you, you turned your head to find him smiling softly with fondness dancing in his red eyes.

"You're so beautiful."

The words he uttered made your heart swell. "Even like this?" You inquired, wondering if he was put off by your secondary appearance despite having the same one.

"Even like that."

"It's not too different, is it? I still look like myself?"

He shook his head. "No. You're still you. Everything is just enhanced, if that makes sense."

"Enhanced." You murmured thoughtfully.

"It's hard to explain." He gave a half laugh, his fingers coming to rest under your chin. "You're just more..." He trailed off, searching for the right word.

"More what?" You inquired softly, urging him to continue.

His voice was faint, almost a whisper. "Alluring."

That was a word you never expected to hear, especially since you never saw yourself as such.

"I don't know how to explain it, but you look even more beautiful somehow." He continued, which only caused your heart to beat faster and you knew he could hear it. "I guess it's true what they say about vampires."

"What do you mean?"

"That they're captivatingly attractive and seductive."

"Seductive?" You echoed with a little chuckle of disbelief. "I'm not even doing anything."

"You don't have to." He murmured, tracing your bottom lip with his thumb.

Your lashes fluttered in response to his delicate touch that sparked a warmth in your chest.

Like Mingi, you too were entranced by his striking visuals that were enhanced with the transformation. In the two years that you'd been dating, his looks had always captivated you, taking your attention in quiet moments spent together. You still weren't used to seeing him as a vampire, but you'd be a liar if you said he wasn't attractive with those hypnotic red eyes and sharp teeth. He was good-looking before, but he was something else right now, something completely entrancing and enticing.

Mingi pulled you closer, brushing his nose against yours. "My beautiful girl."

His honeyed words sent a rush of warmth across your cheeks, bringing a hint of a smile to your lips. You two always had an immense attraction to each other, it was undeniable. You always craved each other, but you'd never had such a deep-seated need for one another, one that permeated your entire being. Since this life-altering transformation, it almost felt like you and Mingi had bonded further because of it. The feelings you held for him were so much more intense now and you found yourself overcome with a sense of devotion that was stronger than anything you had ever felt.

"I'm feeling a lot of things right now." You uttered faintly, vocalizing your thoughts. "I always wanted to be near you before, but it's different now. I can't explain it."

"You don't have to." Mingi dropped his hand from your chin and slipped his arm around your midriff as he spoke. "I know exactly what you're talking about."

"You do?" You inquired, looking over at him.

He nodded, meeting your gaze. "I don't think it's a bad thing though."

"Neither do I. I kind of like it."

"So do I." Mingi whispered out lowly, tracing the tip of his nose up your neck, taking in your scent, something he was rapidly becoming addicted to.

A shaky breath left your parted lips while he inhaled deeply against your skin, causing you to suppress a shiver from the ticklish sensation that followed. Mingi raised his head, his half-lidded eyes gazing into yours.

"I've never wanted to kiss you so badly."

"What's stopping you?"

A half smirk played at the corner of his mouth before he leaned forward and captured your lips with his. The rest of the world melted away instantly and it was only you two, the warmth of Mingi's mouth making you lightheaded in the best way. His hand slid around the cradle the nape of your neck, keeping your lips attached to his. The feeling of him kissing you was far more intense than before. There was almost a sense of relief, like you needed it to survive. You felt whole.

Your fangs were the last thing on your mind as your lips dragged over Mingi's, feeling the shape of them with your mouth, memorizing every dip and curve. As if pulled by an invisible force, your body scooted closer until your side was pressed against his. He welcomed the proximity and tightened his hold on your waist.

Everything was hazy and the longer you kissed, the foggier your mind became. The emotions you felt were bordering on obsession, completely consumed by it all. Your fangs clashed with Mingi's amidst the heated make out, your hands coming up to grip his lengthy black hair in an attempt to ground yourself. He had been growing it out recently, which gave you more to grab onto, your digits tangling in the inky strands. A deep groan emitted from him in response and vibrated against your lips, making you shiver.

Mingi tilted his head, slotting your mouths closer together to deepen the kiss, making you grunt faintly at the new angle. Every cell in your body was buzzing and tingles danced along your skin wherever Mingi touched. This kiss was nothing like the others you two shared in the past. Your lips pressed harder against his, craving more of that dizzying sensation it brought. That's when you realized a sweet taste in your mouth, almost honey-like, and very different from the animal blood from earlier. There was no time to process what it was when Mingi abruptly pulled away, a smear of red on his lower lip, his fingers brushing over where you unintentionally nicked him.

"I-I didn't mean to." You stuttered out, your eyes wide in realization of what you'd just done.

"It's okay." Mingi assured you, breathing heavily. "I didn't even feel it."

You nodded, your mind still hazy as you tried to ignore how pleasant his blood tasted to you, which was odd since you were both vampires, assuming it might be bitter. The concern you felt for him overrode your curiosity to discover more and you moved to brush your thumb over his lower lip, assessing the accidental injury. When the bead of blood was swiped away, there was no puncture wound in sight, the small cut having disappeared without a trace. It had healed.

"It's gone." You murmured.

"I guess that's another ability we have." Mingi said breathlessly, and you could tell he wasn't all there.

He wasn't phased by the little accident, already going in for another kiss. You groaned faintly, your eyelids falling shut in response. His hands started roaming, sliding down your waist to squeeze it, his fingers slipping just underneath the hem of your shirt to dance along your skin. Every touch made your brain go fuzzy, halting your thoughts and replacing them with ones of Mingi.

His lips left yours to reattach along your jaw, leaving warm open-mouthed kisses down your neck and making you shiver with delight. Your head tilted back on its own to give him more access, your lips parting as your breath came out in short bursts whine he ravished your neck. He couldn't stay away for long, moving back to your mouth, humming lowly into the kiss.

If not for the fact that you two were up in a tree, this was the most normal moment you'd had in days and you planned to savor it. Your hands were back in Mingi's hair, raking through it as he kissed you deeply, his fangs scraping against your lower lip before he encased it with his mouth. A shiver ran down your spine when he applied light suction to the heated kiss, the sensation that followed making your head spin. Your nails dragged lightly along his scalp, clutching handfuls of his inky locks in an attempt to stay grounded.

Mingi wanted so badly to pull you into his lap, but he didn't want to risk you falling from the branch, so he made do with where he was, his large hands still holding your waist, his body angled towards you on the tree branch.

Mingi parted ways after a moment before he got too carried away, resting his forehead against yours.

"That was..." You trailed off, searching for the right word.

"Something else." Mingi finished.

"I've never felt so much love for you than I do right now. I can't really explain it."

"Yeah." He nodded in understanding, devotion dancing in his eyes as his trembling fingers caressed your jawline. You didn't have to put it into words, he knew exactly what you were feeling.

Your deep ruby irises glimmered in the moonlight, your lips swollen from the heated kiss and Mingi found himself entranced by you once again.

"My girl." He murmured reverently, cradling your cheek in his palm.

Your eyes closed and you found yourself leaning into his touch, your body craving it despite being seated right next to him. He chuckled adoringly, leaning over to rest against you, his head on top of yours.

"I just wanna stay like this forever." He murmured, gazing out at the forest, his hand finding yours.

"We can." Was your response and it took you a second to realize just how true that was. You hadn't considered the concept of being immortal. A knot formed in your stomach when you thought about what it would entail.

"Forever is a long time." You murmured, your gaze distant.

"Yeah, it is."

"That's kind of daunting to think about. We have to watch loved ones die, and we'll have to move eventually. If we don't age, people will get suspicious."

Mingi's hand squeezed yours. Those things had already crossed his mind, but he chose not to think about it. You two still had time to figure that out.

"I know, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it." He noticed your eyes had that worried glaze over them, you were still overwhelmed and he knew it. "We'll be okay. I promise." He assured you with a kiss on the cheek.

"What if we get bored?"

"The world is always changing and there's so much to do." Mingi said. "I don't think we'll get bored."

You nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe I'm thinking too far ahead. We still have a lot to figure out right now. It's been less than a week since we were turned."

"Let's take it one day at a time." He told you.

You were both still scared and confused, struggling to come to terms with the fact that you weren't human anymore, but at least you had each other.

"Would you ever wanna go after the guy who turned us? Try and find him?" You asked curiously.

It would be difficult, seeing as you didn't know the guy and you barely remembered what he looked like.

Mingi shook his head. "There's no sense in seeking revenge. What would we even do if we found him? I don't have it in me to kill anyone."

"Neither do I."

"Then let's drop it." He rubbed his thumb over the back of your hand. "He's not worth our time and we're not going to let what he did to us ruin our lives."

His words struck you in the chest and sparked a feeling of motivation within you. When you looked at it from Mingi's perspective, learning how to live with this wasn't an obstacle, but a motivator. A part of you wanted to keep going out of spite so one day you'd be able to say you overcame the challenges of being a vampire—to say you made it.

"Yeah. You're right."

"This won't be easy, but I'm willing to work through whatever struggles we'll face." Mingi's voice was firm, decisive.

"Me too. That's all we can do, after all." You turned to him, feeling hopeful for the first time in days. "I don't know what I would've done if I was going through this alone."

You couldn't fathom a reality where you were the only one to get turned or vice versa. "Neither would I."

The amount of pain and isolation one of you would have to go through without the other, Mingi just couldn't imagine it. You would have to lock yourself away from him if he were human and if it were the other way around, he'd have to do the same in order to keep you safe. He was relieved to have you by his side during all of this, figuring things out together.

"I promise I'll never leave your side. Ever." He vowed suddenly, punctuating his words by giving your hand a squeeze. "You're stuck with me for eternity, princess."

Your features settled into a warm smile, a small huff of laughter escaping your nostrils.

"I guess I'm okay with that." Came your teasing remark.

"Hey." He chuckled, giving you a playful nudge.

"I'm joking. I'm honored to have you by my side forever." Knowing you'd never be alone was all the reassurance you needed.

"Likewise." He grinned, leaning his head back over against yours, nuzzling into you.

There was a beat of silence, save for the sounds of the night, before you spoke up in a gentle voice.

"I think as long as we focus on each other, we'll be okay."

Your optimism comforted Mingi and he gave your hand another light squeeze. "I think so too."

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