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mostlysignssomeportents · 3 years

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Experian doxes the world (again)

The nonconsensually compiled dossiers of personal information that Experian assembled on the entire population of the USA may currently be exposed via dozens, perhaps hundreds, of sites, thanks to a grossly negligent security defect in Experian's API.

The breach was detected by Bill Demirkapi, a security researcher and RIT sophomore, and reported on by Brian Krebs, the excellent independent security reporter.

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2021/04/experian-api-exposed-credit-scores-of-most-americans/

Experian, like Equifax, has unilaterally arrogated to itself the right to collect, store and disseminate our personal information, and, like Equifax, it faces little regulation, including obligations not to harm us or penalties when it does.

Experian's API allows criminals to retrieve your credit info by supplying your name and address, information that is typically easy to find, especially in the wake of multiple other breaches, such as Doordash's 5m-person 2019 breach and Drizzly's 2.5m-person 2020 breach.

Demirkapi explains that the API is implemented by many, many sites across the internet, and while Experian assured Krebs that this bug only affected a single site, it did not explain how it came to that conclusion.

Demirkapi discovered the defect while he was searching for a student loan vendor. There is a way to defend yourself against this attack: freeze your credit report. Credit freezes were made free (but opt-in only) in 2018, after the Equifax breach.

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2018/09/credit-freezes-are-free-let-the-ice-age-begin/

Indeed, you may have already been thinking about the Equifax breach as you read this. In many ways, that breach was a wasted opportunity to seriously re-examine the indefensible practices of the credit-reporting industry, which had not been seriously scrutinized since 1976.

1976 was the year that Congress amended the Equal Credit Opportunity Act after hearing testimony about the abuses of the Retail Credit Company - a company that swiftly changed its name to "Equifax" to distance itself from the damning facts those hearings brought to light.

Retail Credit/Equifax invented credit reporting when it was founded in Atlanta in 1899. For more than half a century, it served as a free market Stasi to whom neighbors could quietly report each other for violating social norms.

Retail Credit's permanent, secret files recorded who was suspected of being gay, a "race-mixer" or a political dissident so that banks and insurance companies could discriminate against them.

https://www.jacobinmag.com/2017/09/equifax-retail-credit-company-discrimination-loans

This practice was only curbed when a coalition of white, straight conservative men discovered that they'd been misidentified as queers and commies and demanded action, whereupon Congress gave Americans limited rights to see and contest their secret files.

But these controls were never more than symbolic. Congress couldn't truly blunt the power of these private-sector spooks, because the US government depends on them to determine eligibility for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

It's a public-private partnership from hell. Credit reporting bureaux collect data the government is not legally allowed to collect on its own, then sells that data to the government (Equifax makes $200m/year doing this).

https://web.archive.org/web/20171004200823/http://www.cetusnews.com/business/Equifax-Work-for-Government-Shows-Company%E2%80%99s-Broad-Reach.HkexS6JAq-.html

These millions are recycled into lobbying efforts to ensure that the credit reporting bureaux can continue to spy on us, smear us, and recklessly endanger us by failing to safeguard the files they assemble on us.

This is bad for America, but it's great for the credit reporting industry. The Big Three bureaux (Equifax, Experian and Transunion) have been on a decade-long buying spree, gobbling up hundreds of smaller companies.

These acquisitions lead directly to breaches: a Big Three company that buys a startup inherits its baling-wire-and-spit IT system, built in haste while the company pursued growth and acquisition.

These IT systems have to be tied into the giant acquiring company's own databases, adding to the dozens of other systems that have been cobbled together from previous acquisitions.

This became painfully apparent after the Equifax breach, so much so that even GOP Congressional Committee chairs called the breach "entirely preventable" and the result of "aggressive growth." But they refused to put any curbs on future acquisitions.

https://thehill.com/policy/technology/420582-house-panel-issues-scathing-report-on-entirely-preventable-equifax-data

A lot has happened since Equifax, so you may have forgotten just how fucked up that situation was. Equifax's IT was so chaotic that they couldn't even encrypt the data they'd installed. Two months later, they "weren't sure" if it had been encrypted.

https://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/news/450429891/Following-Equifax-breach-CEO-doesnt-know-if-data-is-encrypted

*Six months* before the breach, outside experts began warning Equifax that they were exposing our data:

https://www.vice.com/en/article/ne3bv7/equifax-breach-social-security-numbers-researcher-warning

The *only* action Equifax execs took? They sold off a shit-ton of stock:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-14/sec-says-former-equifax-executive-engaged-in-insider-trading

The Equifax breach exposed the arrogance and impunity of the Big Three. Afterward, Equifax offered "free" credit monitoring to the people they'd harmed. One catch: it was free for a year; after that, they'd automatically bill you, annually, forever.

https://web.archive.org/web/20170911025943/https://therealnews.com/t2/story:19960:Equifax-Data-Breach-is-a-10-out-of-10-Scandal

And you'd pay in another way if you signed up for that "free" service: the fine print took away your right to sue Equifax, forever, no matter how they harmed you:

https://www.ibtimes.com/political-capital/equifax-lobbied-kill-rule-protecting-victims-data-breaches-2587929

The credit bureaux bill themselves as arbiters of the public's ability to take responsibility for their choices, but after the breach, the CEO blamed the entire affair on a single "forgetful" flunky:

https://www.engadget.com/2017-10-03-former-equifax-ceo-blames-breach-on-one-it-employee.html

Then he stepped down and pocketed a $90m salary that his board voted in favor of:

https://fortune.com/2017/09/26/equifax-ceo-richard-smith-net-worth/

Of course they did! His actions made the company so big that even after the breach, the IRS picked it to run its anti-fraud. Equifax got $7.5m from Uncle Sucker, and would have kept it except that its anti-fraud site was *serving malware*:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/equifax-irs-data-breach-malware-discovered/

Equifax eventually settled all the claims against it for $700m in 2019:

https://nypost.com/2019/07/19/equifax-agrees-to-pay-700m-after-massive-data-breach/

But it continued to average five errors per credit report:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/02/11/rep-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-takes-aim-equifax-credit-scoring/

And it continued to store sensitive user-data in an unencrypted database whose login and password were "admin" and "admin":

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/equifax-password-username-admin-lawsuit-201118316.html

Congress introduced multiple bills to force Equifax, Experian and Transunion to clean up their act.

None of those bills passed.

https://www.axios.com/after-equifaxs-mega-breach-nothing-changed-1536241622-baf8e0cf-d727-43db-b4d4-77c7599fff1e.html

The IRS shrugged its shoulders at America, telling the victims of Equifax's breach that their information had probably already leaked before Equifax doxed them, so no biggie:

https://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/355862-irs-significant-number-of-equifax-victims-already-had-info-accessed-by

Since then there have been other mass breaches, most recently the Facebook breach that exposed 500m people's sensitive data. That data can be merged with data from other breaches and even from "anonymized" data-sets that were deliberately released:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/04/21/re-identification/#pseudonymity

And while you can theoretically prevent your data from being stolen using the current Experian vulnerability by freezing your account, that's not as secure as it sounds.

Back in 2017, Brian Krebs reported that Experian's services were so insecure that anyone could retreive the PIN to unlock a frozen credit report by ticking a box on a website:

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2017/09/experian-site-can-give-anyone-your-credit-freeze-pin/

That was just table-stakes - it turned out that ALL the credit bureaux had an arrangement with AT&T's telecoms credit agency that was so insecure that *anyone* could unlock your locked credit report:

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2018/05/another-credit-freeze-target-nctue-com/

These companies came into existence to spy on Americans in order to facilitate mass-scale, racist, ideological and sexual discrimination. They gather data of enormous import and sensitivity - data no one should be gathering, much less retaining and sharing.

They handle this data in cavalier ways, secure in the knowledge that their integration with the US government wins them powerful stakeholders who will ensure that the penalties for the harm they inflict add up to less than profits those harms generate for their shareholders.

This is why America needs a federal privacy law with a "private right of action" - the ability to sue companies that harm you, rather than hoping that federal prosecutors or regulators will decide to enforce the law.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/04/16/where-it-hurts/#sue-facebook

Experian promises that this breach only affects one company that mis-implemented its API. We would be suckers to take it at its word. It didn't know about this breach until a college sophomore sent in a bug report - how would it know if there were others?

Image: KC Green (modified) https://kcgreendotcom.com/

#pluralistic

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wolveria · 3 years

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Crucible - Ch 2

Pairing: Link x Reader

Prompt: For the Bittersweet Mini Bang!

Series Warnings (18+ only): Eventual smut, slow burn, violence, mild body horror, lots of whump, angst with a happy ending

Chapter Summary: Tarrey Town's always full of surprises, but nothing could prepare Link for this one.

AO3

It had started with darkness swirling around the castle, his companions reacting with either fear or determination.

It ended with darkness taking the form of a giant boar, his friends dead, or worse, trapped within the beast itself.

With the Calamity defeated and the darkness banished, the kingdom freed from evil and the princess restored to herself, Link should have been happy. He’d fulfilled his destiny. His purpose. There was nothing left for him to do.

And that was the problem. There was no duty to distract him from the knowledge he’d been a little too weak and a little too late. So many lives lost and a hundred years of monsters roaming the land to butcher and slaughter even more innocents.

All because of Link. How could anyone call him the Hero after that? Yet, they did, and in droves. They celebrated his victory and the return of the princess.

It felt so hollow at times, the appreciation of the people misplaced, that he began to long for the elder Zora who had despised him. That bitter anger had been honest, genuine, and entirely justified. They were kinder to him after he calmed Vah Ruta, and that was the beginning of the end in many ways.

Five long years had passed, in which Link did all he could to aid the princess in rebuilding the kingdom. At least, for the first four years. The last year, all he did was wander Hyrule, revisiting the places he’d been and retracing his path faithfully from start to finish. He was horrified to learn others did the same, an homage of his journey. A dark pilgrimage they mimicked but couldn’t understand.

They stayed in camps and stables. They didn’t huddle for warmth, bellies empty as they tried to survive on nothing but acorns.

They didn’t cower in the darkness as monsters howled nearby. Link had scoured the land of their kind within the first year.

And they didn’t flee from the Stalkers, spotted so far away he could barely see their roving eye. The Guardians had collapsed along with their dark master, and Zelda’s team of scientists were rebuilding them.

Link wanted no part of that. He was purposeless, and so he wandered.

Zelda was worried for him, he knew, especially since their disastrous expedition several weeks earlier. Link didn’t talk about that. Didn’t want to relive the nightmare of that tomb, especially when actual nightmares plagued him every time he laid down to sleep.

So when she suggested he scout the way before the royal procession celebrating the fifth year anniversary of the defeat of the Calamity, Link knew it was busy work. He also didn’t say no.

Which brought him here. Link shaded his face with one hand, lamenting the scorching midday sun. Tarrey Town bustled around him, now a large city where before he’d help build it when it was nothing but dirt. He could hardly believe how much had changed in just five years’ time.

He moved through the crowds, watching as vendors and patrons haggled over prices, dodging to avoid the carts of fruits and vegetables as they sped by. Denizens from all over Hyrule made their home here, and it was one of Link’s favorite things about this place. Gorons stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Gerudo. Rito and Zora, who would normally never interact, were often found doing business together, haggling over their wares or exchanging gossip.

And of course, there were many Hylians. Link blended in amongst them well, unrecognizable to the average townsfolk. He’d grown taller, a late growth-spurt that had hit him just before adulthood. His hair was longer and let down during his travels, and his Champion’s uniform was gone, replaced by a dark Hylian tunic. Even the Master Sword’s scabbard and hilt were wrapped in black cloth so as not to be identified by its extremely recognizable design.

He looked very little like the boy who saved the world, and that was the point.

Link was already tiring—the nightmare hadn’t let him rest long, but then again, he never slept well—so he found a spot to sit by one of the market fountains. Zora children played in the sparkling water, splashing each other and laughing, and he watched them with a faint smile.

The smile turned into a grimace as he rubbed his right forearm. The ever-present ache was strong today, and he stared at the specialized glove he wore. Purah said it would help with the pain, but it didn’t. Link didn’t blame her. No one understood what had happened to him, least of all him, and he’d been there.

Link tried not to let the pain show. The times he had, Zelda would look so heartbroken, and he hated worrying her after everything that had happened to them both—

A splash of cold water hit him in the back. When he looked over his shoulder, the Zora children shrieked with laughter before apologizing and running away. Link’s smile returned. Despite his rough night, he was glad the goddesses hadn’t listened to his prayers. Prayers in which he’d begged the goddesses to end his cursed existence, and do it in a way that would hurt Zelda the least.

It had been a shameful thought, but some part of him wondered how long until he was granted his morbid wish—

Pain shot up his arm, and Link clenched his teeth as he clutched at the offending limb. Another jolt of pain sizzled up his nerves, and it took everything he had not to scream in agony.

He stumbled to his feet, unable to see through the crowds, his vision fuzzy and too bright. Hylia, it was bad this time, and panic rose in his chest. He half-reached for the Sheikah Slate on his hip before he remembered he’d given it to Zelda years ago, and then a third spasm ripped through his arm.

Link closed his eyes when the world spun around him. Perhaps he was getting his wish, after all.

“Stop! Thief!”

It was the only warning Link received before something shoved him hard and he was knocked off his feet. Landing on his back, the air whooshed out of him as his eyes flew open.

The person who had run him down was also in a jumbled pile on the cobblestone, their tattered cloak open and spilling several apples from within.

Link stared at the face within the hood, eyes narrowed and then widening in disbelief. His heart hammered in confused fear, but his limbs remained frozen.

The would-be thief stared back, eyes also wide, before a second shout of thief! was given from somewhere in the crowd.

That got the other Hylian up and moving, sparing a hostile look at Link before taking off at a sprint.

Link was still flat on his ass, mind reeling as he tried to understand the impossible.

The other Hylian… had his face.

“What are you doing!” someone yelled in his direction. Sure enough, an out-of-breath Hylian merchant appeared, identified by the rich clothing he wore and the indignant fury in his eyes. “You’re letting the thief escape!”

Link would have continued to stare dumbly at the merchant, but the truth of those words smacked him square between the eyes. He couldn’t let the strange Hylian get away.

But try as he might, searching through the crowds and using his rusty skills as a tracker to find which way they went, Link lost their trail with embarrassing quickness. He might have been met with failure, but for the first time in as long as he could remember, Link was wide awake. A new determination filled him, a self-appointed quest forming in his mind.

He was so focused on deciding his next steps that Link didn’t notice the pain in his arm had entirely vanished.

Next Chapter

#link x reader #link x oc #link x glowy hand #botw 2 #botw #the fan sequel in case we never get the game lmao #my writing #my fanfiction

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jpegjade · 4 years

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The Blind Date - Spencer

Request: I'd love one where the reader has dated around with no success (terrible tindr dates, disappointing connections through work, etc). Somehow her and Spence cross ways and go out. He treats her really well and looks at her like she's his world. Shes been dying to have a good man look at her like she's precious and melts at it 🥰

hey hi hello! im working though my requests lists faster than i thought lmao. i do have some ideas that i’ll work through but if you have an idea, my asks are still open.

Warnings: if you hate dad!spencer, then you will hate part of this. But this is fluffy tbh.

“Hey babe, look what I found!” You said, flipping through a stack of polaroids hidden away in another pointless stack of papers and other items.

It was time to clean out the attic since all those dusty boxes were really filling up the space. It had been your dream to build a cave up there just for yourself, away from both your husband and your three kids.

Spencer climbed up the stairs, squinting to see where you were as his eyes adjusted to the terrible lighting.

“What did you find? Aside from Asbestos and lung disease… Are you sure you want to build something in here? I can’t imagine it being comfortable considering the way the house is made. There’s nothing to cool you down in the summer months and who knows how winter will fare here.” Spencer looked deeply concerned.

“Spence, honey, would you come and look at this?” You held up the first ever picture you took of him, your first date written on the back of it in metallic sharpie with the words “I really like him…” in your handwriting.

“‘I really like him?’ What’s that supposed to mean?” Spencer asked, bending over to look over your shoulder at the photo. In the photo, Spencer was giving the most awkward smile, one hand in the air in a semi-wave motion. He looked like his mom asked him for a photo and he was just doing it to make her happy.

“I wrote this on our first date… I wasn’t even sure about going on the date before that night…”

**10 years ago**

“Just one date.” JJ said. “You don’t have to love him but I know you’ll like him.”

Your friend was insistent that she could set you up on the perfect blind date but you weren’t convinced. You went on so many different Bumble dates, had Tinder hook-ups, and even accepted John from marketing’s proposition to take you on a date last week. It ended in you faking food poisoning and having JJ pick you up from the restaurant because you didn’t have the heart to tell him that you didn’t want to hear about his mom’s weird growth that she needed to get checked out. He was supposed to be showing you pictures when you got back to the table but you knew that was going to definitely give you food poisoning.

“JJ, if this goes south, I’m just going to swear off dating for a while.” You said, agreeing over the phone.

“Great. He’ll pick you up at 5 pm for dinner and a horror movie tonight.” JJ said, hanging up before you could protest.

A horror movie for a first date? What did she expect from you? You knew this wasn’t going to go well but you promised her that you would try.

He was 15 minutes late. He kept you waiting for 15 minutes and for what? He better have a good explanation. In a huff, you swung your front door open to see if his car was even outside and you came face to face with a messy haired brunette with his arm raised to knock.

“Hi.” He said, arm still frozen in the air. “I’m Dr. Spencer Reid.”

“What kind of medical doctor shows up late to a first date?” You asked, crossing your arms over your chest.

“Well, you see, I’m not that kind of doctor but that’s a common assumption. I have three Ph.Ds so you can say I’m more of a specialist in scholarly knowledge and I get to put it into practice with my job as a profiler at the FBI, which is how I got here. Not being in the FBI, per say, but being in the FBI with JJ. As to why I’m late, I was given information that I blindly followed from this other agent, Derek Morgan, which I probably should not have followed.”

You noticed that Dr. Spencer Reid hadn’t taken a single breath until now.

“Was that advice to piss me off before you even met me, Doctor not a doctor?” You said, still annoyed.

You knew JJ had talked about Spencer before when you guys met for breakfast or girls’ night out. You didn’t think about what he looked like until now, though. He was pretty but not so pretty that he knew it. It was more like an understated thing.

“He said that pissing you off in the beginning would give me a better chance of being able to woo you with my charm and charisma, to quote him exactly. I now realize the flaw in my thinking was that he would be correct and misunderstanding that he was kidding because JJ didn’t tell me you would be so beautiful and while I have a genius IQ, I’ve been told that I lack the social skills needed to accurately assess a situation where I have a beautiful woman staring at me like you want to punch me but also intrigued at the sight of me.” Spencer stopped and realized he still had his arm in the air and dropped it by his side.

You stared at him quietly. You weren’t sure what to make of him but you did know that you were getting hungry. Your stomach growled loudly.

“You’re a talker.” You said. “I appreciate that.”

You turned to lock up the front door before dropping your keys in your bag. Walking to the car, he opened the door for you before you could put your arm out. You looked over at him, stunned. Other guys you “dated” didn’t do anything like that. Yeah, it was a simple thing but it was something that mattered at least a little bit to you.

“Wait.” You said, pulling a small Polaroid camera out of your bag. “Smile for the camera.”

Spencer smiled, showing all of his teeth, and raised his hand in a wave. You hoped to god that wasn’t his real smile as you snapped the picture. The polaroid came out nicely, his face well lit, and you noticed that in the light, his purple shirt looked nice with the black skinny tie and black pants.

“I like him” You wrote on the back of the polaroid in metallic marker before getting in the car.

The rest of the night was a breeze. Dinner was filled with intelligent conversation and responses beyond what any of your Tinder “Dates” could comprehend. He ordered the nicest wine on the menu and you nearly choked on your water. So he had money, check. That meant he wasn’t attempting to live off his friends’ couches like the last guy you went on a date with. He let you order whatever you wanted and didn’t care about how much or how little you ate. He didn’t make snide comments about how you should “slow down on the wine.” He didn’t want to make you run out of the building. He made you want more. Of him, of the night, of him. Oh and him.

The movie was filled with jumpscares and things that were generally uncomfortable to watch but Spencer remained unphased. In fact, he nervously slipped his hand into yours about 20 minutes into the movie and you stayed like that the whole time. When you got particularly scared, he would talk to you in your ear and tell you about the inaccuracies of what was happening, straightening out the facts. As if any of the movie was logical, he kept talking to you like everything could make sense, and it calmed you down. You even found yourself leaning into him by the end of the night.

When he took you home, that was a bittersweet ending to something you hoped would blossom.

“Do you...” You started.

“Can I...” He said at the same time.

Mumbling a chorus of “you first,” you paused long enough for him to say it.

“I enjoyed spending time with you tonight. When JJ said it was a blind date with her friend, I didn’t think I would enjoy it as much as I did. I don’t have the best luck with people so I thought I might mess this up too. I can only hope you had as much fun as I had...” He trailed off.

“I did.” You said a little too quickly. “I mean... I enjoyed your company tonight.”

There was a weird pause and you waited for him to do it but he kept staring at you. You had to do it, you decided. So you did. You kissed him. And at first he was tentative but then he really got into it.

“Okay, wow.” You said, finally breaking away. “Do you want to come in? I don’t really want this to end...” You said.

“Yes.”

******

Spencer was sitting on the floor next to you as you recounted your thoughts on that night to him. Sure, he remembered it but he didn’t remember it like you remembered it and that was what kept him intrigued.

“Y/n,” Spencer said, looking over at you. “I was 15 minutes late because I was standing at the door practicing my opening line.”

You looked back at him and you knew the look he was giving you, the one he had given you every time you saw him since that first night. He was staring at you like you were the only thing that mattered.

“What had you planned to say?” You asked, completely curious.

“Baby, are you on fire? Because you’ve got me all hot.” He said, looking down at his hand, which you suddenly noticed was holding yours. You were so caught up in telling the story that you didn’t realize what was happening around you.

You burst out laughing. “Spencer, that’s the worst thing I’ve ever heard you say.”

He smiled and looked up at you through his glasses. When your laughter finally died down, you were able to concentrate on him again. He was staring at you in that weird way again. Ever since your first date, he always gave you that look.

“What?” You said, still smiling.

“Nothing in particular.” He said, looking over at the staircase. Your 7-year-old was climbing up the stairs.

“Mommy? Daddy? What’s going on? Did daddy tell a funny joke?” She asked, walking over to sit in her father’s lap.

You looked over at them as she got comfortable. He kissed the top of her head and went back to staring at you.

“Yes but it’s a joke you won’t get until you’re much older. And one you won’t hear until you’re much older, if ever.” You said poking her belly.

“Hey, why don’t we go fix lunch?” Spencer said, putting your daughter back on her feet and standing up.

“That sounds good.” You said, thinking about how hungry you were.

Standing up, Spencer stopped you for a second while your daughter climbed down.

“Can we come back up here once the kids are asleep and go through more of those photos? I remember each one you’ve taken of me but I want to know why. You never explain, even now.” He pulled you into a tight hug.

“Sure. I have enough stories to fill hours of dates.”

“You know I loved you since that first photo, right?” He said, kissing your cheek.

“Really? You’ll have to tell me about your version of some of the dates one day.”

_____________

Okay we had a flashback sequence for this one. i tried to keep it simple so there wasn’t a lot of flashing back and forth. I wanted to make that as long as possible bc idk if anyone wants more, honestly.

ANYWAY HELLO im so sorry for my longass one-shots

Tags:

@winchestertardis

@ancailinaerach

#spencer reid x reader #spencer x reader #spencer reid #dr spencer reid #criminal minds #spencer reid fluff

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i-write-sometimes-blog · 4 years

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Desert Flowers (Rey x Reader)

Request: What if when you're born you have a black band around your wrist and when you meet your soulmate it grows into a tattoo up your arm, and one day R happens to bump into Rey. As maybe a kiss at the end??? Idk I got this idea from somewhere else and I think it's so cute!! Love your work, it always makes me smile when I see you've added something! By anon.

Words: 1,973

A/N: This idea was literally so cute! Hope you are having a good day/night. Let me know what you think.

Everyone had a soulmate or so they said, find it was a mission many people had as a lifetime goal, wanting so bad to find that person who would make the black band on their wrist turn into a full arm length tattoo.

Walking through the crowded market you admired the people passing by, hundreds of unknown faces all around under the burning suns of Tatooine. There were people from every corner of the galaxy, selling or buying the things the big market provided, but your gaze focused on the arm of a woman shopping next to you. Your eyes were mesmerized with the complex design that covered her entire arm in an endless looking labyrinth of black ink, a soulmate’s stamp.

“There you are, babe” said a tall man as he wrapped his arms around the woman next you, the same strange ink labyrinth laying on his arm, there was the soulmate.

You smiled and walked away. For a moment your gaze went to your naked arm and the black bracelet like band on your wrist. It had always been there, you were born with it just as the rest of them but it had never change into something and it never really bothered you at all until now.

As you continued your way through the crowd you observed some black bands like yours wondering if one of them would be the one but as they passed by your hopes dropped when nothing happened on your wrist. Maybe this soulmate thing wasn’t for you, there were people who died without finding their soulmate and were buried as they were born, with a black band on their wrist… and you didn’t want to be one of them.

In your childhood you used to imagine the person you were destined to meet someday, imagine their features, their smile. You used to draw on your skin pretending it was your soulmate’s stamp. While you were growing the image of their face faded away with the sandstorms of the planet and you no longer painted things on your arm, just kept living day after day feeling a void within you and hoping it would be filled someday.

Lost in your thoughts you didn’t notice the group of people running towards you, it was until you felt a shoulder bumping into you that you woke up to reality only to met with a pair of concerned hazel eyes.

“Sorry.” said the girl in front of you.

“Rey! We have to go!” you heard a man calling her. She gave you an apologetic smile before she rushed in the direction of the two boys that were waiting for her.

Your confused gaze followed her as she ran, a small droid beeping behind her rolling as fast as it could. Unconsciously you smiled and shook your head as you started walking away but before you could do it you felt something weird in your left hand, a tickle that spread through your whole arm.

Extending it in front of you, you witnessed how the black band on your wrist started to transform into something new. First some black lines left the band moving up slowly becoming stems that climbed your arm tangling with each other as a climbing plant does around a tree. Then you saw small ink figures that suddenly blossomed into delicate flowers.

You had met you soulmate. But who was it?

Looking around the crowded market you hoped to find someone experimenting the same thing you were going through, however the market seemed to be the same as before, nobody even seemed to notice you stood in the middle of the road. Then you finally realized.

“Her.” you muttered. What was her name? You tried to remember. “Rey” you said almost afraid of pronouncing her name. You turned around, she was too far gone.

Doubting for a second you ran towards the girl you had not even formally met but you felt like you knew. Millions of questions formed in your head as you ran through the people, dodging some droid from time to time searching desperately for her face again. It was probably not her, you weren’t sure about it, you needed a proof.

The idea of that girl being your soulmate made you smile, you saw her for a few seconds yet you wished to know more about her, even if she wasn't your soulmate, you wished to see her again.

Then you saw her ready to get into a big starship, something was stopping her, something in her left arm that kept her distracted from her friends telling her to get inside.

"Rey!" it blurted out of you dragging her attention to you. Her eyes followed you until you were closer to her. Finally you stood there looking at her trying to find the right words. She looked as perplexed as you when she laid her eyes on your arm covered in ink flowers.

She had the same design on her arm.

"I- I" you tried to say something, anything but what to say? you couldn't think of anything.

"We have to go!" Said a man stepping outside, he stopped when he spotted you. "Who is her? What's going on?" He asked.

"I- I'm Y/N" you said catching Rey smiling from the corner of your eyes.

Rey went silent for a moment then she raised her arm showing her flowers to her friend who glanced at it with a surprised smile.

"Y/N" Rey said, her voice was soft and gentle as she pronounced your name for the very first time eliciting a wave of warmth over your body. She opened her mouth to speak again but instead you heard another man calling from inside.

“Guys, they’re coming so you better get in!”

Looking over your shoulder you saw figures coming closer that your recognized even though they were far, a group of well known bandits, that was why they wanted to leave the planet so desperately.

Your gaze went back to Rey, she seemed to be as worried as you, both knowing she would have to go.

"Y/N, come with me" she urged to say with a pleading gaze.

"What?"

"Please, come with me" she said. Your mind filled with every kind of questions and emotions. Leaving you home was a thing you never expected, but you also didn't expect to find the person that matched your tattoo, your soulmate. You have just found her and at the same time you were going to lose her.

"I've spent my whole life looking for you, Y/N." She told you as she took your hand, it felt familiar, known and yet unexpected. "I'm not going to lose you now that I found you."

The beat of your heart rushed a bit more with her words. Never felt this kind of warmth inside your chest before, this much affection, this much wanted, this much love. And after a moment you decided maybe this was the right thing to do. Certainly there was nothing left for you there but maybe there was a chance for a future with the woman in front of you.

You gave her a tiny smile.

"I'm not planning on losing you either." You said squeezing her hand softly. She looked at you and for a brief moment you felt complete, finally whole and the time seemed to frozen between the two of you.

"Rey, we seriously have to go!" Screamed the pilot bringing you back to reality.

Without letting go of your hand she guide you inside the big ship, the gates closed behind you and then finally it took off.

*****

It took you some time to fully understand what happened, it just seemed all so surreal for you to travel across the space with her. The simple idea of Rey was like a dream came true.

You started knowing each other though you felt like you already knew her so well , you had more things in common than you imagined.

She told you about the way she lived in that planet that was very similar to yours and all the things she had to do to survive. But she got a bit emotional, almost upset as she told you that since she was a child her only goal was to find her soulmate but never got to find in back on Jakku. She just wanted someone who would understand her, listen her, she wanted to find her place and a family. Someone who would love her, just like you.

"You're the best thing that has happened to me, Y/N." she confessed once, with pure affection on her sweet voice.

"I feel the same way about you, Rey" you told her sincerely feeling that warm sensation in you and your heart in rhythm with hers.

"Never mentioned it before, but I really love our stamp." She giggled and you watched it for a second.

"It is really pretty."you told her.

"It's more than that," she smiled "it's meaningful."

"Elaborate." You giggled.

"Who many time did you see flowers back in Tatooine?"

"Not as much as I would have like to." You said.

"Yes, because of the weather. We both know there are not many flowers in a desert but those that dare to bloom there are strong."

"Just as you, Rey."

"Us, Y/N. We've been through a lot, you and me. Flowers also mean fragility, everyone is fragile somehow. They bloomed so it must mean growth or something. And then… the way the stems entangle with each other…" she shook her head with a smile.

"What is it?" You asked curious "what does it means?"

"Y/N, you ever believed in this soulmate thing? You thought it was possible for you to find it?" She questioned you.

"Well, as a kid was all I wanted. Then I started to doubt it when I grew up and nothing happened. But then there was you." You held her hand. "It's never been more real."

She glanced at you for a time, a soft smile laying on her lips that allowed those lovely little dimples to show.

"You didn't answer my question, Rey. What does it mean?" you rose your voice again.

"The way our paths crossed and that maybe we should stay together. It's silly but I know this flower. It means love, returned love." She said blushing slightly. "It sounds so crazy, I know. "

"It doesn't" You said smiling "it actually makes sense." You told her.

"Really?" She said a bit surprised.

After all this time with her that was all you wished for, you hoped she would feel the same way about you, you wished her to love you just as much as you loved her and her actions told you so.

You leaned close to her, eyes focused on her pale pink lips yearning to finally meet them. A part of you already knowing them. Then you close the small distance between you and pressed your lips on hers making the world around you fade away. You felt her soft lips kissing you back as the void inside you was completely filled. Returned love, Rey was right.

Rey glared at you as the kiss was over, resting her forehead on yours, her pupils were dilated while her mouth was curving into a heartwarming smile. There was no need for words, the sight of her made you felt alive, love, completed.

You found yours.

Tagging: @1-800-depressedlesbian

(In case you want to be tagged for specific things or anything I write, just let me know)

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grimmseye · 4 years

Text

A Bird in the Hand: Chapter Twelve

Read on Ao3 here!

Rating: M

Fandom: Critical Role

Relationships: Mollymauk Tealeaf/Essek Thelyss, Mollymauk Tealeaf/Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast (eventual),

Chapter Characters: Mollymauk Tealeaf, Essek Thelyss

Chapter Tags/Warnings: Molly Rez, Amnesiac Mollymauk, Oh My God They Were Roommates, Violence, The best kind of romantic relationships are when you fight big monsters together

— — —

Seeing this side of the world reminded Essek why they were envious of the Empire.

The Ashkeeper peaks, at their southernmost edge, were bright with life. Even in the nighttime, the lands buzzed with a steady drone of noise, small and mundane creatures that would bear them little harm so far from the wastes of Xhorhas.

They didn’t have these luxuries of rich growth and predators that thought you too big to be their next meal. The Dynasty’s lands were long blighted, and what stood today came from centuries of building from scrap.

Essek was not much of a patriot, but he still had some love for his home, and still wanted to see it flourish. Beholding the verdant jungles that spilled out far below, he could not tamp down the resentment for what they’d been denied.

One ear flicked back at the sound of approaching steps. Essek turned as Mollymauk caught up with him, his coat draped between his arms to carry several handfuls of small, round fruit. The smile on his face beamed joy and contentment as he shuffled up to Essek and held out his coat in offering. “Blueberry?”

“Another fruit named after its color,” Essek observed, but reached for a few.

“Make sure to take the firmer ones. A mushy berry will ruin your day,” Molly advised, and Essek rolled back a few that had been soft between his fingers.

They were little blooms of sweetness on his tongue, and he couldn’t help but let a smile spread across his face. Xhorhas struggled to maintain their farms, druids and bards and clerics filtering out to the fields to bless the lands and enrichen the soil. While it let them till the land, magic had a way of leeching the flavor from anything that grew there. It left much to be desired beyond the edible fungi that naturally grew in the wastes.

“Good?” Molly prompted, smiling. “Hey, hey, hand over your bag, will you? I can’t carry these forever.” He reached for Essek’s pack without waiting for real permission, tugging a small pocket open to start shoveling berries inside. “Just let me know when you want some more!”

When the berries were safely offloaded and the pocket closed, they fell into step back along the deer path they’d been following. An arc of one finger sent orbs of light bobbing through the air around him to illuminate their road once again.

They had only been traveling a few hours, his teleportation spell landing them further than he might have liked. Mollymauk took to the mountains with glee, his hooves allowing him to hop up steeper slopes with ease while Essek simply let graviturgy boost him up the hills. It made him feel warm to see Molly scamper up to the crest of another slope and then spin around, absolute delight on his face as he drank in the world below them.

“Mollymauk,” he called, and watched him twitch to attention. “More berries, please.”

“Get your ass up here first,” Molly shouted down. It was a blessing that he didn’t start his usual jeering.

Once Essek had joined him, Molly dutifully opened the pouch, delivering another handful of berries. Several steps down the path, he got a tug on his arm, and the tiefling’s mouth opened wide in expectation.

“You could have gotten your own,” Essek pointed out, but fed him a berry. Teeth closed around his pointer finger, scraping as Essek pulled away.

Molly waggled his eyebrows. Essek turned to walk away.

“Gods’ sake, Essek,” Molly groaned. He caught Essek around the shoulders to pull him down, lips meeting. The hand that didn’t cradle blueberries found Mollymauk’s arm instead, squeezing in expectation for the filthy sort of kisses Molly liked to spring on him these days. Instead he found himself smiling as Molly pressed one, two, three, small pecks to his lips, and then another to his nose, and again to his lips, this time to mumble, “You’re such a hardass.”

“You’ve done nothing to discourage me,” Essek pointed out, and Molly barked out a laugh.

It made travel impossibly slow, but Essek had never enjoyed himself more on this road. Earlier in his career, he had traveled with bands of Kryn soldiers, escorting him under the night, moving quick and quiet with the constant dread of being found out beyond their borders. As he developed his skills and reputation, he’d started coming alone, trusting his own resilience to make a quick escape if needed.

Neither had been enjoyable. Being alone had been an improvement, allowing him the peace to enjoy the change in scenery, but in recent months he’d recognized something that colored all memories of his past: a loneliness that ached to his core.

Now he had Mollymauk.

The Ashkeeper peaks were home to drakes. They weren’t true dragons, lacking their power and intelligence, but hunting one down would fetch a good price in any shaded market. Essek wasn’t here for poaching, though — all he needed were the shed scales that lined their nests.

They reached the peaks a few hours before dawn. The moons had slid out of view, leaving a bright field of stars overhead. He dismissed the lights around them, and they both took a moment to let their eyes adjust to the new darkness.

Mollymauk stuck close from that point forward. His visual range was significantly reduced compared to Essek’s, and he followed close behind. When Essek’s hands drifted to his component pouches, Molly’s swords hissed from their sheathes.

He had been to this drake’s lair a few dozen times already, and knew its patterns. A male, it always left the nest at night to hunt. It dwelled in a cave at the very peak of the Ashkeepers, where snow lined its crest well into summer.

Mollymauk’s steps were near-silent in the frost. Essek cast Message, whispering “Don’t stray from me,” before he set a hand on Molly’s shoulder and cast invisibility on them both.

His grip tightened as Mollymauk’s image slid away. He kept pace, Molly’s tail weighed against his side as the tiefling eased towards the mouth of the cavern. The temperature only dropped further as they passed under its roof. The inside of the cave nearly crystalline with ice. Even invisible, the fog of their path mingled with that which circulated inside.

Essek would give Mollymauk nudges to direct him through the tunnels, the two of them slipping around frozen bends, a veritable maze carved into the mountain. At its end was another cavern, this one with walls and burrows to form an uneven landscape. Essek knew that at the farthest point, the drake’s nest would be tucked away, filled with soft snow and plant matter and any shiny thing the creature could get off the ground.

A low, rumbling sound made both of them freeze. It rolled through the cavern, bouncing off the frozen walls. They held their breaths, counting the seconds of silence before it was chased by a hissing, sucking sound.

Snoring. That was the sound of snoring. The drake was still in its nest.

Molly’s hand replaced his tail, a weight at Essek’s side. He dragged it up, to his arm, his shoulder, skimming fingers along the length of his neck and over his jaw, until he’d found Essek’s ear and held it in place. Heat burned his cheeks as he leaned down and Molly pressed close.

The tiefling’s lips were practically on top of his ear as he whispered, “Still good to go?”

His hand dipped to cup Essek’s cheek, so Molly felt it when he nodded. There was a squeeze to his jaw, and a moment later, Molly slipped away.

The absence terrified him. Essek pulled a piece of iron from his pouch and clutched it in his hand. Even prepared, he was still too far away to cast. He watched Molly’s path through the mist, eyes fixated on every uneven swirl of fog until it grew too dense to parse.

Then his eyes were focused on the drake’s nest, which hovered at the very edge of his vision. He held his breath, blood pumping in his ears.

The edges of the nest were lined with glinting shapes — silver scales. It was the sudden loss of one’s light that alerted him to Molly’s position, watching as a shape lifted, and vanished. Then, seconds later, another. Then a third. All the while, the drake in the nest snored peacefully away.

One by one, Molly plucked the scales from the nest and tucked them safely away. Essek had almost let himself breathe again — and then a scraping sound came from above.

Essek froze. He prayed Molly had done the same, ears straining for the noise. It was the echo of scrabbling talons growing steadily louder, and closer. His eyes widened as he stared at the roof of the cavern, where one of those burrows tunneled up through the mountain to open air, where another silver snout was poking through.

The drake had apparently found itself a mate. Now the new one crawled onto the ceiling, something bloody clutched in its mouth. Its wings spread, bringing it gliding down to the cavern floor, Essek’s heart leaping in his chest as it landed on the edge of the nest. It was not, apparently, on top of Mollymauk, for the drake only siddled back onto the ice and began to scrape at it with its claws.

Mollymauk was invisible. He only needed to stay still and wait for the creature to settle down. Essek repeated this in his head as he watched the chunk of meat — a torn-off deer’s haunch, he was sure — get tucked down in the ice and then blasted with a stream of pure frost from the creature’s throat. It nudged the heap left over, muzzle coming away coated in snow, and for just an instant it looked like it was going to curl up peacefully in its next.

Then its nostrils flared. The pupils dilated, a snarl echoing through the cavern, this time the breath exhaled was more than just snow — it was a cone of jagged ice, to cut and freeze and kill. Essek felt the thread of his spell snap, Mollymauk flickering into view as a silhouette ducking away from the blizzard.

Essek’s feet hit the ground. He moved faster this way, darting forward across ragged ice. The other drake was waking now, as an arc of flaming orbs formed a halo above Essek’s head and then blared jets of fire into its mate.

Molly tried to retreat, scrabbling back. The awoken drake caught sight of him and then shrieked and lunged, the first snap of its jaws missing but talons catching his thigh. Molly snarled. His sword flashed down, Essek threw out a hand. The velocity of his swing doubled just before he struck, driving the blade deep into the meat of the creature’s back.

The second, the male drake, jumped from behind Mollymauk. Essek rushed forward, squeezing the chunk of iron tight enough that it cut into his palm and willing the beast to freeze in place. His magic curled around it for only a moment before it broke free of his grasp. It snapped at Mollymauk with a vengeance, clothes shredding around its teeth and jaws slicked with blood..

Molly couldn’t escape, barred in by two of the beasts. Essek snarled to himself, shifting to an angle where he could line up their thrashing bodies. “Mollymauk,” he called. The tiefling caught his gaze, saw the electricity as it pulled into Essek’s grip, and dove for the female’s tail.

He swung forward. The air pressure dropped, and dark purple lightning burst across the floor. It caught the female in the skull, its mate springing away with a hiss. Molly took the distraction, swinging viciously into the already bloodied drake as it staggered and wailed.

Essek hesitated for only a moment before getting even closer. He could get them out, he just needed to get to Mollymauk first.

And then the female turned, frost billowing between its teeth, and both of them were surrounded by pure cold. Essek shuddered, his legs giving way, knees hitting the ground. Snowflakes clung to his eyelashes, blurring his vision, skin stinging where needles of ice pricked through his flash.

He panted, gulping in a breath before he pushed himself upright. Mollymauk was still on his feet, defending himself against both of the beasts with blood dripping down his chin.

One step forward. Fresh blood drooled from Molly’s eyes, but the tail still caught him in the legs, made him stagger.

Another step. Molly dug one sword into the ice, the other glowing with radiant light. He lunged, dragging a crimson line into metallic scales.

Another step. The drakes both snarled, jaws parting in near unison, two mouths full of ice to expel.

Essek’s hand clamped onto Mollymauk’s shoulder, and he pulled.

They landed outside the cave, several hundred feet down the mountain. The shift in pressure made his ears pop as they collapsed in the grass.

For a moment, they both just caught their breath, adrenaline making his hands shake and his head swim. He listened as Mollymauk regained his bearings, shoving himself onto his knees.

“Can we run one gods- damned errand,” Mollymauk snarled, wrestling Essek’s pack away, “without something getting its teeth into me.”

There was the clink of glass. Essek rolled over, pushing himself to sit up. Mollymauk had pulled out a pair of potions, and was holding both of them out to him.

Essek frowned. “You take one,” he said, lifting a single bottle from his grip. He braced himself and downed it, the grimace from its taste giving way to relief as warmth flushed over his skin again.

Molly shrugged, pinched his nose, and did the same. Essek had to chuckle as Molly gagged and dove for the blueberry pouch.

He watched as Molly crammed a handful past his lips, then threw himself onto the ground. The grunt and groan that followed suggested the potion hadn’t patched everything up just yet.

He chuckled, and then settled his chin in one hand, elbow propped on a knee. “That was unfortunate,” Essek sighed. “I’ll have to go back to making this trip in a group if there’s a pair of them, now.” He was glad they hadn’t actually managed to kill one. If the drakes abandoned that nest, he’d be out of good components. “At least information means the trip wasn’t an utter waste.”

Molly, mouth stained with blueberry juice, suddenly perked up. He gave a wet, food-muffled noise that made Essek grimace before digging into the pockets of his coat. When he pulled his hands free, it was with a bundle of silver scales each.

Essek’s face lit up. He took the scales, even those streaked with blueberry juice, to examine them for a moment and slip them into his component pouch. Excitement thrummed in his chest. That would restore an entire batch of potions and leave him some leftover material for experimentation — he could kiss Mollymauk for that.

He could. That was the truth. Essek peeked back at Molly, to find the tiefling sitting up again with a squinty-eyed grin.

It took a moment to steel his courage before he cupped Molly’s face and pressed a kiss to his lips. The shock and then delight that shone in his eyes after had some odd pride flaring in Essek’s chest.

He’d almost grown comfortable with the arrangement. Mollymauk almost always initiated, pulling him down for kisses or burrowing into his space, clinging in bed when the night was cold. Sometimes he’d push Essek down in that bed and leave marks on his neck that the mantle would hide. Sometimes Essek came home carrying tension in every muscle and Molly would nudge him against the wall and sink to his knees, or lay out across the bed on his belly, tail curling, voice goading.

Turning the tables was fun. Seeing the warmth in Molly’s eyes made his heart do something strange but not quite unpleasant.

“Let’s get a little further out before resting,” Essek suggested, before pulling Molly another five hundred feet down the mountain.

He cast a spell, then, one that Molly had seemed delighted by when he first heard of it. Magnificent Mansion was a requirement for travel. The doorway shimmered into being, and the two of them vanished inside. There were a few plants Essek will need to gather under sunlight come morning, but for now, they could lay in a bed and rest.

And they did. They sank onto a mattress, injuries still too sore to do anything but curl around each other and bask in shared heat after being doused in the mountain’s chill. Meditation was easy to slip into, the deepening of Molly’s breaths becoming the metronome to carry him somewhere beyond conscious thought.

These were moments that made him feel like even in the worst of times, things could still be okay. The yawning pit of his future had given way to a flicker of light.

He was woken by the feeling of a spell shredding through the threads of his magic.

Essek’s heart skipped the moment before he was shunted into another space. He hit the ground in a heap, gasping in one breath before the air became flame.

A scream ripped from his throat. He thought for a moment it was echoing, until he realized Mollymauk was shrieking as well. In the span of seconds, every inch of his flesh was sent crawling with agony, blood pulsing heavy under his skin and leaving him stunned when the inferno fell away.

Arrows had embedded in his body almost without him noticing. He reached for his component pouch, grabbing hold of Mollymauk as they staggered upright. He’d burned too much magic to bring them home, but maybe he could put enough distance, could hide —

The spell crumbled to ash. Essek’s gaze focused on the caster, horror twisting in his gut. Mollymauk met his eyes, then shoved him, barking, “Just run!”

So he ran, dragging Mollymauk behind him. His hand lifted to try again, just one successful cast to save them.

A series of snaps pierced his ears before the bolts drove under his skin. He pitched forward, registering only pain the second before the world turned to black.

Elsewhere, it was raining.

They stood on a hillside, the clouds opened up to a frigid downpour. It wasn’t a storm, yet, but the force of the wind was a warning.

Two pairs of hands dug through slick mud, finding the earth below loose and pliant, the grave they had dug so long ago now revealing itself as empty.

#shadowmauk #mollymauk tealeaf #essek thelyss #mollymauk #essek #cr #cr fic #my writing #queue

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topimagines · 5 years

Text

CCC

Summary: never look for conflict for the thrill

A/n: it's long, poorly written, and has no plot. the ultimate writing checklist. took me an entire week to write, I annoyed my aiding teacher with the clicking during class

Wc: 4k+

She was very quiet. People always asked what was wrong with her, if she was deaf or mute, why she never talked.

She did talk, just not to people outside of her bubble. She found it was easier to do that than to try to interact with people because people were very mean.

Tyler, her best friend, always took it upon himself to help her. It had always been that way, ever since they met. The two six-year-olds immediately clicked, and y/n’s parents always knew Tyler was special.

He got her to talk to him, and no one else had ever done that outside of the family.

When Tyler offered her a job as his makeup artist, she got so excited. She wouldn’t have to talk to anyone that she didn’t know, and she would be on tour with her best friend.

“Tyler, wake up,” y/n shook her best friend by the shoulder. The bus had stopped and they were now at their next stop in the tour, “Ty, come on.”

“Hmm,” he groaned, “five more minutes, peach, please.”

Y/n loved that nickname. It made butterflies explode in her belly and her face heat up more than ever. He started calling her that after her 14th birthday when she received Paper Mario and forced Tyler to help her play it. She was never as good at video games as he was. He called her peach after Princess Peach (she had commented that she wished she looked like Peach, but Tyler said she never had to worry about that, Peach wasn’t as pretty as y/n.)

“Nuh-uh, Tyler, Josh said that if you sleep ‘til noon, you’ll ruin your schedule and we’ll all have to stay up with you,” she continued poking him, trying to get him up.

Or you could climb in with me, “Fine, but I expect something out of it,” he finally rolled and looked at the girl, we could cuddle until sound check. God, she was beautiful. She had obviously been awake for a while; her makeup was done and her hair styled to perfection. Sleep all day in each other's arms, only get up for food and water, maybe ask Josh to pick up some food and we can all sit on the couch and watch that new show you like. He rarely went a day without thinking about her. (if he did, it was because she was with him.)

He only wished she was his, so he could ask her every question and said every statement that had been on his mind since they were twelve.

“we can get Taco Bell if you want to,” she replied. He didn’t get enough time, in his opinion, to admire her because she turned away and started going toward the front of the bus. She knew exactly what that did, it forced him to get out of bed. He wouldn’t let her go out alone when he was awake, that hadn’t happened since she left for college and he started his music career.

Even then, they spent every spare moment talking and once she got back, they were even more inseparable.

Tyler sighed, one day he would be able to tell her. until then his fantasies would suffice.

Josh was the only other guy she talked to on tour. (Actually, that wasn't entirely true, she said please and thank you and excuse me when she needed to, her mother always raised her to have manners.)

Tyler would be lying if he said he wasn’t terribly jealous every time Josh made her laugh so hard she started crying, or hug him and whisper things in his ear. These would make Tyler pouty and gloomy all day, but eventually, she makes it better by giving him the attention he craves.

It was their day off, and all Tyler wanted was to hang out with y/n and Josh.

But she wanted to go out and have some fun. So here Tyler was, sitting in a booth with a Mountain Dew in front of him, watching as Josh and y/n joked around quietly (y/n refused to raise her voice in public).

The waiter came to take their order and gave y/n a dirty look when Tyler ordered for her. That was no big deal, Tyler was used to that, she never ordered her own food unless they were in a drive-thru. (Even then, sometimes she would switch seats with Tyler or make him talk loudly to the speaker from the passenger seat.) It was a big deal when the waiter refused to take her order because she wasn’t talking.

“Can’t she order herself? She’s not a child!” the waiter chided, and when Tyler repeated the order again, he didn’t write it down.

“Are you seriously refusing because someone won’t talk to you?” Josh asked, the dirtiest look on his face.

“Well, she ain’t a child, now tell me what you want, miss,” the waiter replied.

Tyler saw her swallow, opening her mouth and closing it while she panicked. She didn’t like this at all, he was being so mean, and this had never happened before.

“I think we’re just going to pay for our drinks and leave if you’re going to be rude,” Tyler snapped at the man, standing up, “I don’t know who you think you are, but you messed with the wrong person, dude.”

Josh took out his wallet, throwing a twenty onto the table before, he too, stood up. The three walked out of the restaurant and got into the car. y/n had her head down with tears in her eyes and held onto Tyler’s hand. Tyler sat in the back seat with y/n while Josh sat in the front seat, driving.

Once they were settled, y/n burst into tears.

“Why can’t I just be normal?” she cried. Tyler hugged her, she laid her head on his chest, tears staining the fabric of his t-shirt.

“No, peach, don’t say that.”

“If I were normal, you guys would be able to eat without having to worry about me,” she cried. (They always asked her about her food before they dove into theirs. If they didn’t ask her if she liked her food, she wouldn’t say anything and pick at it until they were done and say she wasn’t that hungry.)

“Peach, there’s nothing bad about that,” Tyler knew he was lying. How would she function if he or Josh wasn’t there to help?

“I don’t want to have to rely on you forever! I’m so dysfunctional, you should just leave me! Maybe then I’ll learn to be normal.”

Josh spoke up, “no one is leaving you, y/n.”

“you should.”

Days like that made her miss her dog because he didn’t mind cuddling with her until she stopped crying (he was a German Shepherd, so he was basically just a big teddy bear), and she didn’t feel bad for smothering him with her blubbering.

Things weren’t really the same. Tyler saw it, Josh saw it… hell, the fans saw it. They commented on his photos with their concerns. She didn’t know what was going on with her, she felt herself withdrawing from Tyler in the same way she withdrew from her family in middle school. But even then, she still had Tyler.

She did their makeup in silence, barely looking either of them in the eye. She didn’t participate in group activities; she just went to her bunk or hotel room.

Tyler didn’t know what to do.

“You’re gonna have to talk to me,” Tyler cornered her while she was cleaning her makeup brushes. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights, wide-eyed, and frozen in her spot.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Tyler,” she whispered, finally continuing what she was doing.

“But you do, y/n,” he mocked her use of his name, “you’ve gone and shut me out, and that’s not what we do around here.” She didn’t reply, her already clean brush suddenly getting dirtier and dirtier as she looked at it more. “Are you listening to me?”

“I would prefer not to,” she murmured. Tyler took the brush away from her, sitting it on the counter.

“What did I tell you when we were kids?” he asked. She rolled her eyes

“We’re in this together, Peach,” Tyler whispered to her. They had just started high school, and she already hated it. Everyone picked on her and Tyler for… everything.

Over the summer, y/n had hit a growth spurt and grew two inches (it didn’t really make a difference, but somehow everyone noticed), her bra size grew slightly, and her face had blown up with acne. She was a walking target.

Tyler had also grown quite a bit, he was now the tallest boy in most of his classes and the scars on his cheeks from acne were red and bumpy (y/n found out how to help him with those, so they were going away, slowly but surely, but they were still there.) He didn't think too much about the teasing, but he knew his best friend did.

“Even if you get famous?”

“Especially then,” he intertwined their fingers and kissed her knuckles, she blushed. “Because for you, I’ll step to a dude much bigger than me.”

“You’d end up so messed up, Ty,” she giggled, squeezing his hand.

“it’d be worth it,” he pulled her closer. The bed they were sharing was big enough for each of them to have their own space, but everyone knew that wouldn’t happen. The two constantly stayed cuddled up to one another, which did weird their parents out and they forbade it. (What they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them.)

“At the expense of being humiliated in public, you want to still be with me?” her eyes widened, “I-I mean, be my best friend.” Nice save, she reprimanded herself.

If Tyler caught that, he didn’t say anything. Baby steps.

“Of course,” Tyler scoffed, “I promised you I would always be here, and I intend to keep that promise.” She smiled up at him, only slightly, but there was pure happiness beaming from it.

Y/n really enjoyed the show that night, bobbing her head and singing along. Tyler looked over and smiled at her as often as he could, asked if she was ok by shooting a thumbs-up her way, and made sure she always had a water bottle in her hand.

“Tyler,” she started, “can we please go to that little market in the small town an hour away?”

“Why, peach?”

“They sell candles and soap and some vintage posters, I just want to look around and see if there’s anything I can buy for my apartment,” she asked sweetly. Tyler smiled at her, she always did this when there was a shop she was interested nearby.

“Tyler, they sell emu meat!” “But, they make natural perfume, it says they have vanilla on the website.” “Josh said he’d go with me to the Pommes Frites place, do you want to?”

She was so perfect, to him, in every way.

It had been a few weeks since their pow wow and y/n thought she and Tyler were getting closer to what she wanted without either of them prompting it.

But then, Tyler met a girl.

Amanda was beautiful, kind, and talkative. She was a lighting technician they had brought in after their other one went on maternity leave. She would be on tour with them for the rest of that leg. Tyler, being the nice guy, he is, introduced himself on her first day because she seemed lonely. He later invited her to dinner, and then brunch, and then a movie, and then a bar… and it continued for weeks.

y/n felt replaced, (although she knew she wasn’t, it still felt like it.) Her best friend didn’t have the same amount of time he used to, for just them, anymore.

Josh felt for her.

“You can talk to him,” Josh said while she blended his eye shadow out, sloppily.

“I know.”

“Then why don’t you?” He gave her a look. Her parents gave her that look when she would complain about a teacher forcing her to speak up or talk in front of the entire class.

That look that told her, she would have to suck it up and do something because no one else was going to take care of it for her.

“I’m just going to let it happen,” she sighed, “I waited too long and he met someone else, it happens.”

“God, you’re so stupid,” Josh scoffed. Tyler went on and on about how in love he was with her, Josh had really started to get annoyed, “you both love each other but you’re too stubborn and he’s too soft.”

She shook her head, “he doesn’t like me like that, Josh, let’s just drop it.”

Josh rolled his eyes.

She didn’t mean to. The bus was a communal space, everyone came and went without knocking, and she knew she was allowed in there because all of her stuff was in there.

Why couldn’t she go get her phone charger and the makeup she forgot in there?

Because Tyler and Amanda were having a quick shag in the back of the bus, that’s why.

She walked in, thanking Jeffrey (the driver) for opening the door because it was locked and he had a key. Josh was waiting outside, leaning against the side (he was already scrolling through his phone when she was with Jeffrey, not even concerned with why the bus was locked in the first place and whether there was a murderer hiding in there ready to spring out at her. Maybe, she watched too many Criminal Minds episodes for her own good, but she really loved Mathew Gray Gubler.) She didn’t see anything at first and didn’t hear anything, either. So, she assumed Tyler and Amanda were hanging out in the green room.

She opened the door to the storage area in the back (that’s where her stuff was) and was up-fronted by the sight of Tyler ramming his dick into Amanda with his hand covering her mouth. She squeaked and back up out of the room.

“Oh god I’m so sorry!” she covered her eyes with her hands.

“Don’t you know how to fucking knock?” Tyler yelled, “Get the fuck out of here!”

She quickly ran out of the bus, spouting apologies. Once she got off the bus, Josh was already standing in front of the door, concerned by the sudden shouting, “What happened?”

“Nothing! Let’s just go,” she spoke quickly, tears ready to fall at any second.

“Sorry, I can’t come to dinner with you and Josh,” Tyler seemed to apologize a lot recently. If it wasn’t for accidentally being late to get his makeup done, it was for not being able to keep plans. He was always out with Amanda or… in with Amanda. He hadn’t mentioned the incident, and she was very glad. She was so embarrassed when she got off that bus.

(Josh tried to tell her it wasn’t her fault, the bus is a communal area, everyone is off and on it all day, they should have known not to have a quickie in the storage area. That made her feel only a little better.)

“It’s OK,” Josh answered for her, she only smiled at him sweetly, “you can just join us next time, yeah?”

Tyler thanked them and headed off toward the tour bus. Amanda was waiting for him.

Instead of going to dinner, Josh dragged her to a bar he heard a lot about, and she didn’t remember much of what happened after the second beer, she later figured it was because she was already a lightweight and she hadn’t eaten since breakfast and only had two pieces of sushi off of Josh’s plate.

The next morning, she woke up in her hotel room with a killer headache and a weight holding her down by her waist. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and looked to her right. A tuft of curly hair peeking out ever so slightly from under the blankets.

She screeched, throwing his arm off of her and jumping out of bed. That was when she realized she was nude. The sudden noise of her scream and the ruffling of the sheet woke Josh up, who looked at her just as she wrapped said sheet around herself.

“What the fuck?” he said groggily. Then his eyes widened. “did we?”

“I don’t fucking know!” She whined, “do you have clothes on?”

“…. yes,” he looked guilty.

“Really?” She felt reassured for a second.

“No,” he confessed. She scoffed, pivoting on her heel and taking off to the bathroom. The bathroom was a mess, and there were two condom wrappers sitting in the sink, each of them without their original contents.

“Oh god,” she suddenly remembered their make-out session in the bathroom. She had gone to brush her teeth, giggling about the taste of the last cocktail she had drunk (it was sex on the beach) but Josh had another plan. She could still taste the alcohol in the back of her throat with something… salty.

She didn’t want to think too far into that.

She quickly got her toothbrush and attacked her teeth with it.

When she exited the bathroom 20 minutes later, her hair and body freshly washed, Josh was sitting on the bed, fully dressed. She went toward her suitcase across the room. She changed into fresh underwear and a bra, Josh, apparently, had seen a lot worse than her backside last night, so suddenly she wasn’t as self-conscious as she once was.

“We couldn’t have been more obvious with our little… escapade,” he sighed, “people all over Instagram and twitter keep tagging me and asking questions.”

“I’m so sorry,” she sat next to him.

“You don’t have to be, it takes two to tango,” he locked his phone and wrapped an arm around her waist, “It’s just as much my fault as it is yours.”

There was a knock at the door. Josh dropped his arm when she got up to answer it. Tyler was at the door, his hands tucked into his pockets, looking off into space.

“Yes?” She asked.

“Is Josh in there? We have sound check soon,” he didn’t look her in the eye. She couldn’t blame him. Josh walked toward the door, and nodded, saying he was just about to leave.

He kissed her on the temple before he stepped out, “I’ll see you later, okay?”

She nodded in agreement and said her goodbye’s, and shut the door, not even wishing Tyler a farewell. The men walked to the elevator together and as soon as they stepped in, Tyler snapped.

“You slept with her?” he asked, although it was more of a yell.

“Yeah, so what?” Tyler was surprised by this response, the accusatory tone, “Aren’t you fucking that girl… Amanda, is it? You and y/n are not together, she’s a big girl, she can do what she wants!”

“You told me you didn’t feel anything for her!” Tyler yelled.

“You told me you loved her! Apparently, that’s not enough for either of us to keep our dicks in our pants,” Josh snapped, “At least I have balls enough to admit that what I did was bad, admit that it was wrong. You yelled at her for walking in on you fucking someone else, in a tour bus that everyone has free range of, and haven’t even apologized for it! You’re mad at me for taking care of her while you’re off doing god knows what with the girl you talked yourself into liking.”

“I didn't-”

“She’s just basically a fucking replacement for y/n! And when you finally admit that to yourself, this shit will get a lot easier.” The elevator opened up at the bottom floor, Josh got off before Tyler.

“She’s not a replacement,” Tyler said under his breath. They walked to the car that was going to take them to the venue.

Josh didn’t speak to Tyler for the rest of the day.

y/n didn’t talk to Tyler either. Amanda could tell Tyler was struggling and tried to reassure him.

“Baby, they are just selfish, I mean, why else would your two best friends have sex with each other? I thought there would be some bro code thing about that.” That didn’t help.

Josh knew it wasn’t a good idea, but y/n insisted she was ok with it. They were sat in her new hotel room, in a different city. She initiated the kiss, and Josh just followed along.

“You’re just using me to get back a Tyler,” Josh said in between kisses.

“Does it hurt?” she whispered.

“No.”

“Then shut up and kiss me,” she kissed him again.

“We can’t do this anymore,” Josh said when y/n greeted him with a kiss. weeks had passed and she had ended up in bed with Josh more often than not, and she refused to look at anyone else. All her attention was on Josh.

“Why?”

“I’m just a rebound,” Josh intertwined their hands, “And you know it too. You’re just trying to get back at Ty.” She knew he was right, and she nodded in response. “So, talk to him. Amanda is gone, he hasn’t talked to her since she left.” (Esther, the original light tech, had come back from maternity leave earlier than expected, her husband decided to stay home with her instead.)

He left a few minutes later, leaving a sweet kiss on her temple. Almost like clockwork, ten minutes later, Tyler knocked on the door.

“Can we talk?”

Tyler sat on her bed, next to her. Neither talked. She was looking down at her feet, her socks didn’t match. She knew how much Tyler hated it when she did that, and all she wanted him to do was get onto her and make her find all of her matches and put them together.

“So… you and Josh?” he awkwardly asked.

“Not really,” she whispered, “you and Amanda?”

“…not anymore.” There was another awkward moment of silence, then Tyler spoke once again, “I missed you.”

“Then why didn’t you try to talk to me?” She asked.

“You seemed busy with Josh.”

“You seemed busy with Amanda.”

“My god, we’re shit friends,” Tyler laughed. She giggled too, agreeing. “I’m so sorry, peach. For ignoring you and yelling at you… and ditching you. The day after you and Josh started to… you know,” he paused, “the day after, Josh really did me in, made me see how shit I was being.”

“Sounds like Josh. And I’m sorry for ignoring you and not trying to communicate.” Tyler reached out for her and she hugged him, tucking her face into his neck.

“Is that all you wanted to talk about?” she whispered, not wanting to ruin the moment. He shook his head, murmuring back a 'no.’

“I wanted to tell you something I’ve been holding in for years,” he said, pulling away from the hug to look her in the eye, “I’m in love with you.”

That night was a turning point for the two.

Of course, she still couldn’t talk to anyone outside of her bubble. (No love was strong enough to cure selective mutism, even though The Big Bang Theory kind of made it seem that way.)

The two were so, so happy after that night. They spent the rest of the tour attached by the hip way more than they used to be. Then, a few months later, the tour ended and they all went back home. Tyler had promised her at some point they would move in together, rent out a house with a big back yard so her dog, Buddy (who was with her mom until she returned), could run free, especially if Jim was to visit. She would furnish it and make it her home and Tyler would get his own room and an office.

She was laying on the couch, a TV show playing quietly in the background as she read the latest Erik Larson book.

“Tyler,” she called to him, “can you come here?”

Tyler yelled back, “Yeah!” and went downstairs.

“Can you go get me my drink, I don’t wanna get up,” she smiled the smile she knew he couldn’t refuse. He scoffed at her and left the living room to get the cup of water off the counter. The cup, although it was just a simple plastic one with a galaxy design (it was from the dollar store), it reminded him how much he loved her. She would leave for tomatoes that she needed for dinner that night and come home with new dog toys, cute dishes, puzzles, and no tomatoes.

“Here, you lazy bub,” he handed the cup to her. She happily took the cup and singsonged a thank you.

“Aren’t you gonna come cuddle with me?” She asked sweetly.

“How could I pass that up?” he said, laying a sweet kiss on her lips before sliding onto the couch next to her, pulling her as close to him as possible.

He never wanted to let go.

#tyler joseph #tyler joseph imagine #tyler joseph fanfiction #tyler joseph fluff #tyler joseph x reader #josh dun #twenty one pilots imagine #twenty one pilots fluff #twenty one pilots fanfiction

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shadowunicorn26 · 5 years

Text

THE JAGGED THRONE

INTRO

The great she-wolf Neryama saw our Husks drifting amongst the emptiness before creation. She saw our longing for presence and life. The will to hunt and thrive. As the other beast gods looked upon the empty canvas of Erenvia, she was the first to speak. "May the wolves sit upon a Jagged throne. Peacekeepers, enforcers, kings. May they hold the power to destroy or create the world in their Image. This decree. Undisputed. Undenied. For balance or devastation I speak these words."

The beast Gods looked upon her with fear and trepidation. So much power in the flesh of a single species. It was terrifying but they knew it was necessary. Thus, they all agreed. Especially Neryama's twin brother. Sozerenth.

In the year to follow, the world Of Erenvia would come to life. Wolves, bears, lions and tigers, and elk. All the children of the beast gods would come to life. But so would the children of the Dark world. Drakes, Basilisks, chimeras, and Giants.

The species of Erenvia would thrive, kingdoms of all varieties would crop up upon it's many continents and regions. Villages of the different Beast races thrived while others suffered. Some suffered under the wrathful fury of the Dark beings while others suffered war amongst their beast brethren.

Turmoil and warfare, while not the only things to take place upon Erenvia were common and painful. Consantly battling with powers of light and love. Beauty and happiness.

And as the Jagged throne sits unclaimed. Fear and sorrow reach an all time high. Discord and turmoil run rampant. And despite all thr pleas to the gods, No Divine intervention was offered.

These are trying times indeed. The only hope for Erenvia is that order may be returned. That the Jagged throne may be claimed by a worthy heir.

WOLVES AND WOLF RACES

The wolves once stood above all species as rulers. Kings and queens. That was long ago. Before the great war of Beasts. When the fire and Ice tore away at innocent flesh and lightning and wind rended hearts Undeserving. The three wolf clans stand in an uneasy alliance. Squabbling over pointless and trivial matters.

Wolves live in cities, Be they carved into the earth by diggers, or huts built from wood and Grass. Wolves and the other meat eating beast races feed on things like gazelles, rabbits and fish. As well as Dekar. Dekar are smaller elklike creatures that serve as prey for the meat eating beasts. They do not possess the sentient thought of their cousins. They live in all regions of Erenvia. They have been seen with fur as well as scales depending in their home.

Wolves possess a name given at birth, this is the name that comes First such as Anatria. But later on in life they will earn a second name. Some second names are given because you are a good fighter or due to your appearance. While others are given to represent your occupation or an act you you have understaken in the past. An example of this is Anatria the Tree breaker. One introduces themselves with their Birth name and in some cases the second name is divulged when comfort is gained.

Wolves live long lives. Some living to be as old as three hundred years old. A wolf is a pup for the first Five years of their life and while they have their magical Allignment, it is weaker. But once past the age of five, they become opened to the channels of magic within them. Allowing their magic to flourish. A wolf past age five is fully grown Physically. One past the age of two hundred is Known as an Elder wolf. Their minds have collected and archived knowledge and thus they are far more Wise. Most wolves fo not however live to the age of two hundred. A wolf of seventy Five years is considered middle aged and most wolves die off by a hundred and fifty.

Gredvolfen: greatwolves. These massive seven to ten foot wolves are often identified by either their flowing fur or just their size alone. They are known to possess immense physical strength and power. Often fighting pure and unbridled fury. They are extremely resilient and rarely buckle beneath physical blows. However, their defense against magical attacks is much more minimal. With These massive wolves it is common that they suffer from violent tempers and sometimes become uncontrollable under immense physical stress. These massive hounds often serve as Guards or berserkers in whatever clan they may reside in at the time. The gredvolfen usually act on impulse despite the consequesnces. The gredvolfen are children of the Great astral Dire wolf Sozerenth.

Dhi'Volfen: these majestic and beautiful wolves are identified by their long and wispy colorful fur as well as their horns of varying styles. They do not always have horns, some possess spiky growths on their shoulders and backs or just crests on their chests and skulls. They stand at a common height of about four to five feet and Are commonly weaker in the dimension of physical strength amd fortitude. However, their magical aptitude and defenses are Nearly unrivaled. However in physical combat, they use their horns as well as their claws and teeth. They are usually very emotional thinkers and lead with their hearts. Putting great emphasis on love and interaction with other wolves. They often serve as Mages, scholars, healers, or shamans in their clans. The Dhi'volfen are believed to be direct descendants of Neryama.

Nazavolfen: these simple yet gorgeous wolves are known by their markings and magical glow. They possess what look like Runes upon their fur and skin. While some glow within their fur or markings, others glow within their eyes. These wolves are average in size and possess an equal aptitude and defense for magic and physical. Some have been known to fight with tooth and claw over magic while others unleash devastating barrages of the elements and other magical alignments. The Nazavolfen think with logical and strategic efficiency. These wolves act as guards or mages depending on which path they choose to follow. These wolves were said to be crafted from Clay by the great wolf of Storms and duality, Kzarun.

WOLF CLANS

Deresethi: The Deresethi clan is one of magical power and glory. This clan lays claim to Mountains on which the Jagged throne is located. They claim that one among their ranks is the heir and every full moon they hold a ceremony in which selected warriors and mystics sit upon the throne in the hope that they are worthy. They never are. The Deresethi provide a militaristic structure and order for those that that they watch over. They were the Antagonists of the Great war of beasts. Their leader. A Gredvolfen Alpha Named Kezdar, convinced the reining wolf king to attack the bears. For they had been pushing into wolf territory. Once the king was killed in battle and the war had ended, Kezda took his place as the leader of the Deresethi. The Deresethi village is carved deep into the caverns and walls of the Jagged mountains. It's halls are lined with ever burning braziers of magic fire. It has a number of districts within it's sprawling reach. Such as the markets, the barracks, the residential district, the throne district, and the storehouses. At the peak of the central Jagged Mountain Lies the Jagged throne and the Den of the alpha.

Tarzalta: The Tarzalta clan is located deep within the Hazifar wilds. They rule over their people with a cold and stoney grasp. Unforgiving of crimes, even simple ones such as theft. They will attack or apprehend any wolves or other beasts found in their territory. However they will refrain from killing wolves due to the current treaty. Even they do not want a civil war. Such an event would be a threat to all. They are lead by a Nazavolfen Alpha female Named Terenia. She is very rarely seen. But when she is, many claim that the vicious words she speaks are not her own. And that she was once a very gentle and soft wolf. Forgiving and loving to all. The Tarzalta village is located deep in the frozen Hazifar Wilds. It is burrowed within the frozen hills, Unwarming glowing syones light the way about the village and in a distant hill lies the Alpha's den. When a litter of pups is born. They are separated from their parents and brought out into the wilds. They are watched through the night and If any Deformities or weaknesses are discovered. The pup is dragged into the cold and left to die.

Zenka'al: the Zenka'al clan is one of peace and order. They are the most magically active clan and have many mystics and shamans among them. They live deep in the Rinevete woods. Beyond the watchfull eye of the Deresethi. They act more like their ancestors did. Tribal titles and ceremonies. They have a massive respect for their elders and even go as far as putting the Wise Elders on a council that helps oversee daily operations in the village. One of the major ceremonies that takes place is the ceremony of Bonding. In which two wolves are forever joined as mates. Eternal in the eyes of the gods. Worship of the gods is still very common within this clan despite their apparent absence from the affairs of mortal wolves. Above the council sits the alpha. A Dhi'volfen male Named Hadikus the sunwalker. He is a soft and gentle Wolf. Known for his forgiving approach to justice. He does not seek death. He hopes for all wolves and beasts to live in peace. The Zenka'al village is nestled in a grove of massive trees. Dens dug beneath the soil and into the trees' colossal trunks. In it's center lies a clearing of multicolored flowers to which pups are taken after birth and laid in a bed of flowers for the night. These flowers are known for their magical property of drawing out one's magical Alignment. This allows the clan to best Guide the pup's path in life.

MAGIC AND THE ELEMENTS.

Magic is the force of the world. It's lifeblood pumping thriugh the rivers and oceans, through the rocks and the trees. Bestowed upon the greater denizens of Erenvia. The wolves, the lions and the tigers, the bears, the deer and Elk. Magic can devastate or heal. Burn or freeze. Corrupt or cleanse.

Some wolves channel their magic through their maws while others use their paws. And others use there bodies to do the work. Transforming their fur or causing spikes of ice to sprout from their skin. Streams of flame pouring forth from their souls.

Fire: fire magic is devastating and often unpredictable. Acting violently and burning away at fur and flesh alike. While some fire Aligned act wildly when using their magic, burning the world around them away as if it matters not. Others use their flames with perfect accuracy, finesse and poise. Fire can be used to charge ones body to barrel forth like a blazing orb straight from the sun. Or cast out in waves or streams. Fire draws from fury and hatred or From determination and devastating Protectiveness.

Lightning: lightning magic is precise and destructive. It digs inside it's target and rips them apart. Be they living or inanimate. Some users of Lightning magic fight from a distance, firing electrical lances in well placed blows while others call upon the storm itself. Raining bolts of lightning at anything under the sun. While most lightning aligned are highly skilled and precise. Some are not. Losing control in a similar way as a fire Aligned.

Water and Ice: these alignments are sometimes possessed simultaneously. In other cases, one is bron with one or the other. Usage of ice is very brash and agressive. Often dictated by isolation or cold emotions. Ripping flesh with crystalline spikes and streams of cold air. Whereas water is fluid and calm, sometimes used to summon streams to cut and cleave ir even heal with the waters of life.

Wind: wind magic can be used in a couple different ways. It can be used to enhance mobility, summon blades of wind to cut and chop. Or control the currents around an object with extreme precision and accuracy. Some of those aligned with this element are builders, performing intricate tasks by using the currents around objects and floating them into place. While others follow the path of warrior or even Digger or breaker. Breakers often use their magic to cut down trees to not only make room but provide supplies for builders.

Earth: the earth alignment is one of Unbreaking bravery and steadfast perseverance. Earth aligned wolves often effect the stone and dirt beneath their feet. Sometimes being capable of pushing the dirt and stone away, etching it into any shape as necessary. Or forging it into blades and hammers that burst tgrough the ground and devastate from below. Or even being thrown forward in waves, spikes, or blocks. Earth magic also pertains to the connection to the trees and grass, summoning roots and vines to bind and whip. Plant magic like this often makes way for healing capabilities. Earth aligned wolves often make good diggers, warriors, or breakers.

Shadow: shadow aligned individuals are often cold and distant. Using the darkness in the world and drawing it forth to consume the power of their foes and bite away at their flesh and sanity. Often capable of shaping the shadows into hands, claws, or blades. While shadow aligbed wolves make devastating warriors some choose to use their power as builders, diggers, and breakers. Cutting away at the firt or trees and using the shadows around objects to control them.

Light: light magic is most commonly seen as gentle and cleansing. But it can be deadly and burning as well. The color and effect of this light depends on the wolf. It can be as pure and bright as the sun or as soft and soothing as the Moonlight that filters through the darkness. Light magic can be used to heal and purge corruption or heal wounds.

Undefined: undefined alignments are those that do not fit any preexisting categories. They can be things such as telekinesis or energy manipulation. Most elders are fearful of undefined alignments due to the unpredictable nature of them but no motions have been made to Categorize them as there are too many different types.

OTHER BEAST RACES

While wolves have always governed the world from atop the Jagged throne, the other beast races possess their own empires and claims to land.

Bears: the bears were the First race to follow the wolves. However, they were given physical form before the wolves. And as such some bears see themselves as superior to the wolves and more worthy of the Jagged throne. A bear is a highly threatening opponent in both physical combat as well as magical. Some standing as tall as fifteen feet. The bears live in what many consider a warrior empire. Putting great emphasis on death in battle and take on roles as conquerers and warlords. They are perpetually at war with the Feline beast races. They often wield magic Aligned with earth and ice. More attuned to radial assults than the magic of wolves. Their are many Bear clans but most are acattered about the far Northern Wilds. The bears once sought to conquer the wolves, marching for the Jagged throne. This was the start of the first great beast war in which Nolomir the Stonepaw laid his claim to the throne. Many believe The wolves could have avoided war altogether but the wolven king was Coaxed into the conflict by one of his own in an act of treachery.

Tigers: the tigers are to many a Merchant race. Using their magics of Mind and sand to control and build. Gathering supplies in excess to trade with other races for the supplies they need at the time. While tigers will avoid conflict if necessary they are far from Passive. Fighting with viciousness and efficiency. Sweeping claw and tooth like blade or dagger. Sinking into sand and shadow like they were never there.

They use sand and mind as a magical extension of themselves, ripping and and tearing with sweeping claws or laying unseen traps in the paths of their foes. The tigers thrive in the southern Deserts of Arunaite. In the city of samd and stone beneath and atop the dunes. The tigers took the side of the wolves in great beast war when they were attacked by the bears on their war path. Fighting as infiltrators and assassins in what they now call their shadow war. They were led by Naz'fair The great shadow.

Lions: the Lion's are great and proud, beautiful and Majestic. An empire of kings and queens they thrive deep in the southern Hastan Plains. The lions often are found with braided manes and plate armor. They fight with an Honorable Bravery. Chivalry and glory their Virtues. They often wield magics of control over metals, stone, and air. Giving them a perfect source of miners, Smiths, and builders. However, these Alignments prove devastating in combat. During the Great Beast war, the Lions remained neutral. Defending themselves against the Bears but never entering open engagement or offering clear support to the wolves. Not because they did not trust or ally themselves with the wolves but because they sought to prevent death of their own people. This choice was Made By Artoor the Lion King.

Elk: the Elk are proud and magnificent. Adorned with markings and ornate antlers that they often adorn with things matching the personality of the Elk. They fight when necessary prefer to keep to themselves as skilled healers and shamans. Using water and forest magics as well as telekinetics and light. The wolves have a good relationship with them despite their fighting in the great beast war and some clans and wolf villages even have elk healers or will call upon them when needed. The elk live deep within not only the Rinevete woods but also the Hazifar wilds. Their role in the great beast war was that of slave to the bears. They acted as servants and healers. They were freed when the Wolven King died to help their people escape the slave cages.

DREADVOLFEN

these beings were brought forth from the dark realm when the world of Erenvia was brought upon the plains of emptiness. They hunt and kill not only wolves but the other beast races as well.

The Dreadvolfen are called this only because of their wolven likeness. But in truth, they are no more a wolf than a bear is. They are merely shadowt entities that take a shape, Portraying themselves as wolven In nature. They range in size but are all capable of being extremely lethal. Hunting and killing all the beast races alike. Many have seen with six glowing eyes and jaws that open in a radial pattern. Draining the life force from their prey once paralyzed by their venomous bites. Like a spider feeding on a fly.

WOLF GODS

Neryama: the goddess of creation, love, fates, hope, and Power. This great and magnificent Wolf goddess was the one that brought our people to reality. She sewed our flesh together and sculpted our Bones. Many who follow her teachings of peace amongst wolves and beasts alike cherish all interaction. Relying on the fates to Guide us with their ever present and delicate touch. They trust that Neryama will give power to the worthy and not the Diabolical.

Sozerenth: Sozerenth towers above even the Gredvolfen in his descriptions. His teachings are in contrast to those of his sister. He is the great wolf of the stars, endings, death, and cataclysm. Many who follow his teachings are not against death and welcome an end in battle. They often trust in the signs of the stars. Believing that the stars are how Sozerenth communicates. How he leads them and ushers them ever onward.

Kzarun: he is the great wolf of duality, chaos, light, dark, war, and peace. In the begining. Kzarun was not a presence. Merely two opposite thoughts in the minds of both Neryama and Sozerenth. A thought of dark and one of light. Only when these thoughts became too strong to control for both were they expelled. And when expelled, they became one. They molded and twisted Into the Shape of Kzarun. A wild and unpredictable entity. In some cases he may assist his followers. In others, he may lead them astray.

REGIONS

The Jagged mountains: it was on the peaks of these towering claws of earth that tge wolves drew their first breaths. In the early days, many died. They struggled to survive in this new world they did not know. Scattered across the mountains you can find the bones of ancient wolves, lost to the winter or storms. This region is plagued By Dreadvolfen as well as a number of other threats. It is home to the Deresethi. Within these Jagged Stone teeth lie massive networks of tunnels and Ancient forgotten tombs.

The Hazifar Wilds: north of the Jagged mountais is a region of Snowy hills and dense Frizen forests. Unforgiving and vicious. The cold here is Far worse than the mountains, It's unforgettably biting. Within these hills is the home of the Tarzalta. They battle against an unseen enemy that many do not believe exists. This threat is Known As the Winter shadow. The only signs of it's existence are the Massive prints in the snow.

The Rinevete Woods: this ancient and Mysterious forest is as beautiful as it is deadly. It's trees spiral and swirl like a maze. The unknowing traveler could take a wrong turn and never be seen again. Relics from old Elken Civilizations dot the emerald Depths. Elk living in villages and amongst the trees. They live in understanding and mutual trust with The Zenka'al. This forest is home to massive snakes, large predatory birds, and Vicious insects.

The far Northern Wilds: This deadly and untamed wasteland lies even further North than the Hazifar wilds. Barren plains of Ice and Snow infested by Dreadvolfen and Bears. Bear villages lie scattered across this empty and seemingly lifeless expanse. No trees or plant life save for one massive tree in the center. Towering and dead. Strange growths at it's base. The bears call this place the Tree of death. They avoid this area ar all costs.

The desert of Arunaite: This burning and eerily desolate expanse of sand is home to the tigers and an elk Like race that the tigers Hunt. As well as snakes, Birds, and scorpions. A traveler can wander for months if not years in this place and not see another soul. There are areas here that are peppered by Towering stone spires but most is just sand. Endless and seemingly the same.

The Hastan Plains: This rehion is an expanse of Flat green ringed by mountains that separate it from the Rinevete woods. This place is home to the lions and their massive stone structures. There are raiding forts here belonging to the Bears. Leaving this place ever locked in a war between bear and Lion.

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ongnable · 5 years

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à la nuit

They smell floral. Heady. Familiar. It’s jammy sweetness, and rich as wine.

He’s a freshly laundered linen, clean bedsheets, and cotton woods type of guy. His mother always called him a shower on a summer’s night.

Not this. Whatever this was. It rubbed him in all the wrong ways. Grated at his nerves, and messed with his senses terribly. But he couldn’t get enough. Can’t get enough.

He knows the scent. But from where?

{ supernatural au } kdn | bjy | pwj | osw | hmh | hsw

a/n: vampire ong for my soulmate/supernatural verse. can be read as standalone; but skimming daniel’s for context is recommended. dubious consent-ish. mildy mature (it’s all… implied).

More than hunger, what he feels is almost akin to need… and hunger. There’s not really an accurate way to describe it. Apart from the fact that there was a yearning separating it from being a physical desire.

He thinks it’s his soul’s own way of desperately missing a part of him. The burning inside is painfully reminiscent of sunlight exposure. Sending signal for him to find them while his body moves on its own. Dazed. And his mind is dulled by the toll of daylight.

Whoever he’s searching for... they feel like a lullaby even when he’s sleeping.

It’s opulent and rich in an entirely opposite way to the plush leather and carpets that he trudges through with closed lids. Carnal in the barest sense of the word.

Perhaps in the day it would be play out differently. Yet, in his drunken state there is nothing standing in his way to blindly follow.

Close enough to make out her form - she smells creamier in person, less pungent and charring. Instead of permeating through the still night air, she envelops the whole area. He registers it as a floral note - something his mother would plant in the gardens, night blooming and vining along walls, entwining and protecting the grounds.

Seeing her wrapped tightly, unmoving, he’d probably be angry in the morning if he remembers this… To think that while he’s suffering night after night, she’s resting calmly without worry.

Each stride he takes, his hand lifts a bit more. Reaching for her. Seongwu kneels at the side of the low bed as he takes in the feel of being surrounded by the addictive thickness in the air – pressure pushing against his chest with each breath.

Murmuring intangible words on soft fragrant skin, muskier and saltier than the blood running warm underneath, he rolls a strand of hair along the pads of his fingers. He let it wrap around his hand, enjoying the feel of dark strands gliding from his hold.

It’d be so easy.

He moved closer. There was no flinching at his touch as she chose to inch closer with closed eyes and wet lashes. No movement to wake, as he nuzzles at the crook of her neck, the pulse beating in steady staccato.

It’s only when she reaches for him, hands in wanton search for that cool touch under the thick covers, clutching at the hand that left too fleetingly - that he blinks. Eyes wide open as they drink in alien surroundings, taking in the foreign touch and flinching away in a flurry of lost embarrassment.

‘What am I doing?’

Shutting the translated book, Seongwu stretched his arms up in attempt to lessen the ache beginning to develop at the back of his shoulders. His sleeping patterns these days seemed to have a mind of its own, so he’d turned to reading to try and take his mind off things.

One book led to another, and before long, he’d ploughed through all the vampire fiction available in the school library, a part of the non-magical studies corner.

It had been amusing at first when Daniel suggested the idea - ‘don’t you want to know what the humans think of you?’- and being a lover of books and poetry, a no brainer as a way to take his mind off things.

But soon, he found himself falling deep into the rabbit hole and wondering when vampire fiction had begun to stray further and further from the truth.

Dracula started the craze; and it was admittedly truthful – at least, it was at the time it was written – though a little too dark for his taste personally, and he’d side-eyed Minhyun for having it readily available in their room.

Interview with a Vampire was of his parent’s generation. Romantic at heart, and so unapologetically gothic. Yet, it wasn’t until the recent years that he learned to appreciate this gem.

Because, contrary to popular belief, vampires did age (at least… up until a certain point, at which, growth was drastically abated); and being a child of the 90s, he grew up at the cusp of Buffy the Vampire Slayer ending, with a new trump on the scene.

Twilight. That was the commercial poster success of vampire fiction for kids his age.

Sparkly creatures. As if a fairy had cut off its wings and been fed the same bloody diet. He wondered how Yoonmi-ssaem would feel about letting him babysit her first-born. A sanguivorous diet may not be all that bad… Kids needed a lot of protein.

While much of what was known about them was subject to the seasoning of human authors, Seongwu couldn’t understand how little was accurate when the humans had been so alarmingly accurate in the olden days.

Was it due to the rise of more magical species of similar abilities misleading them? The lack of clear governance between the realms? Or precisely because there was so much on them – both fact and fiction – that the truth had become lost somewhere in the middle?

The boy was just grateful that the successful franchises always left one thing untouched – his race was consistently gorgeous.

Sinfully good-looking night dwellers. Of course, it was a marketing technique to make money. He’s seen his share of ugly uncles. But it doesn’t mean that the humans needed to know.

Tilting his head to the side in attempt to relieve the strain from another sleepless night, he let his gaze fall to the side, dark lashes catching the last remnants of sunlight reflected off the window.

He knew his instincts would never lie to him. Not when the sun was drowning at dusk.

Seongwu sighed.

“Just come out.” Eyes downcast, tired and lax figure making him seem as if he’s napping, if not for his words. Lips curling into a smirk as he confirms earlier suspicions. “I can smell you.”

His senses were dimmed during the day, his sight limited to a few meters in front, and his hearing annoyingly selective, worse of all – his sense of taste and smell – dulled to near naught – barely in existence. But at night… Everything he gives up for comes back at once.

Vampires were the perfect example of magical energy exchange – as with all energy, nothing ever lost. Only transferred and exchanged. And always in balance. Day and Night. Good and Evil. Yin and Yang.

Taking off his glasses, Seongwu rubbed his temples in mock annoyance when he hears the sharp intake of breath, but no movement. Still frozen at the same spot. He’d wanted to sound hostile, dubious, but he’s not quite sure it’s worked given how he can’t sense any fear. Something about the hidden figure is affecting him.

They smell floral. Heady. Familiar. It’s jammy sweetness, and rich as wine. All at once.

He’s a freshly laundered linen, clean bedsheets, and cotton woods type of guy. His mother always called him a shower on a summer’s night.

Not this. Whatever this was.

It rubbed him in all the wrong ways. Grated at his nerves, and messed with his senses terribly. But he couldn’t get enough. Can’t get enough.

He knows the scent. But from where?

You held your breath. It’s obvious that there was no point hiding, but the fluorescent lights should mean that - unless you were a step too slow – he shouldn’t have seen you.

Turning to peek at the vampire, he didn’t seem angry or annoyed. But he did seem curious as to why you were currently hiding - if the tilt of his head your way was anything to go by.

It’d be a lie to say that you hadn’t been looking at him. Mind embarrassingly blank at the sight of him. Given how often you see him, you really shouldn’t be affected, but you still are.

Seongwu’s handsome, and his tall body is all lean muscle and taut lines, but from where you were, you couldn’t help but notice how small he manages to make himself, hunched over whatever he’s focused on. The way he’s able to put all his focus on something.

And he looks different too. Never have you seen Seongwu – neat, put-together, pretty-much-royalty, comma haired, and tight-uniform-immaculately-in-place-everyday-Seongwu look like this. Hair slightly mussed up from the way his hands have been threading through it, playing with the dark un-styled strands, his lips glistening a little - wet from absent-minded nibbling – hiding his fangs.

Pivoting around so that your back was no longer leant against the bookshelf – you straightened the papers in hand and walked to where he sat. Printer-warmed sheets now stale to the touch.

Knees buckling slightly - walking on such loosely tufted wool carpeting after having stood so stiffly made it hard to balance - and you fidgeted with the edges of the sheets to distract yourself, straightening the edges to line in perfection.

“You weren’t in class today. Cheetah-ssaem said to pass these on to you.” The cat demon was known to have a soft spot for him, so it came to no one’s surprise that she’d rather someone hand him notes instead of asking him to drop by her office if he was feeling unwell.

Or ‘seemingly unwell’.

Because upon closer inspection- he looked to be fine. If maybe a tad bit tired. But who wasn’t at this point of the year? Tousled hair and dark circles on pale skin. You weren’t even sure if it really was tiredness, or if it was just the normal traits of his kind.

“Thanks.”

“Welcome,” dropping the notes on the table, you scan over the vampire fiction skeptically.

Maybe reading human fiction about his kind gave him a sense of ironic humour? Perhaps he really was ill?

“Are you feeling any better?”

“I’m alright. Could be better.” He turns his body towards you, and up close, the dark circles do seem more prominent – almost hollowed bruising under the shadows of his eye bags. In contrast - making his eyes shine even more brilliantly under the dim light.

“Thanks for asking though. And…” You looked down to avoid the way he scanned over you. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah?” Blinking in surprise, you supposed you were. Was any reason to his worry? Did you look particularly drained? Was he even worried? The workload must’ve finally taken its toll on you as well.

“Good.” He nods to himself more than anything. As if he’d simply been confirming a fact he’d already known… or looking for an anomaly.

I really must be tired… He’s just asking out of politeness.

Seongwu was known to need time to warm up to people. The way he carries himself … Aloof and careful down the hallways, but cracking up in toothy (or is it fanged?) smiles and loud chuckles near his (equally famous) dormmates. There was no reason for him to suddenly be interested in your well-being.

“Is it the moon cycle?” If it was, what a bother it must be. Your race wasn’t really affected by such things, but you knew vampires rarely had trouble seeking out sleep. “Is that why you’ve been missing classes?”

Seongwu pursed his lips as he looks up at you from where’s he sat. Tutting, fingers drumming over the hard cover.

“Is it obvious?” He asked, hating to think that it was now taking a physical toll on him. If there was one thing he took pride in, it was his appearance.

“Well, yeah. You’re probably the only person I know who hasn’t drowsed off in that chair.” The old armchair was notorious for being the worst seat if one had to study. Cursed by some old senior when they fell asleep on it and missed an exam. Misery loved company.

“Is that all?” Seongwu’s vaguely amused, as if thinking that no weak cursed chair could affect him anyway. To each their own – you weren’t lining up to give it a try. Especially not after what happened at your last curse breaking exam.

“I guess you look different in a way as well?” Like he needs a good snuggle. “Like… you’re kinda drowning in your current sweater-“

You gesture at the soft knit. Much more comfortable looking than your own uniform. A great deal more casual than anything you’ve ever seen Seongwu in. Less stiff. Less militant.

It doesn’t cross your mind to say that it’s different because he’s wearing something that doesn’t remind others of his rank.

“And you’ve been blinking really hard. Like your eyes are strained. And your face…” Seongwu’s head cocked slightly to the side. Blinking as if to make a point. Like a kitten.

Cute.

The kind of cute that he shouldn’t be allowed to exude because Seongwu carried himself like he’s one of the demigods, when in truth he was just another pompous blue-blood, but he’s just-

Really soft.

Your mind fails you momentarily. Blushing when he stares back unashamedly. Waiting for you.

”It’s slightly puffy.” Your hands fly up to the sides of your face to try and imitate what you think ‘puffy’ might look like. No point hiding what he already knew.

On a more serious note…

“You look tired.”

The words spill out as a garbled mess. You hope he doesn’t mind, your diction isn’t normally so embarrassing. And you knew that a few of the older clans had pet peeves for these things.

“Thanks.” He snorted at the serious look on your face. Seongwu rolls his eyes, but he did feel better, to think that you noticed these things.

And the scent – he could grudgingly admit - was comforting. The strings that had tied around his head so tightly – loosened, strangely dampened at your closer distance despite how it had stung at him earlier.

“I mean- you still look good though! Very good! Don’t worry! Kinda messy, but like - purposefully. Like you just rolled out of bed!”

That was a compliment, right? That was surely the look that people that take bed selcas went for. And Seongwu took them! You’ve seen his Instagram!

“You’re not going to keep going?”

“Your ego doesn’t need to hear anymore!”

If he kept leading you to talk, it’d almost seem like he wanted to keep you around.

Noticing the chesire grin on his face - you pout, a look that he mockingly imitates – so you squint, and he squints back.

But Seongwu’s still smiling, so he just looks funny, which causes you to laugh too; and the next thing you know, you’re tumbling. Doubling down, Seongwu pulling you over.

Ha, Seongwu could’ve cackled – full on 90’s kids-superhero-movie-villain type of cackled - at how easy it’d been to verify his theory.

He didn’t really want to think about the repercussions if he were to be misguided, but he’d been half prepared to start groveling and apologizing and blaming his current state of craziness on some exotic vampire illness if he’d got the wrong person.

But what he felt was right. Whatever had hold around his head loosened, and the pressing over his ears were gone.

It felt good to have you close. Close enough that he could almost taste the sweetness under your skin. Everything feels real. As if nothing did before. Everything’s clearer. Less cluttered.

He wonders if he’s experiencing a sensory overload.

“But I want to hear more.”

He says, but all you hear is the wild beating of your heart. It’s going so quick, you can feel it knocking at your ribs, the tingling of blood rushing up to your face ticklish as your breathing slows.

Maybe it’s the sudden wash of oxygen, but you feel slightly lightheaded. Floating and drifting.

You’re normally good with words. Never not having anything to say. It should be easy. Yet it wasn’t. Because he was messing with everything.

There’s no way Seongwu doesn’t know what he’s doing to you.

Leaning back from his hold, you search for any signs of the sugar-rush delirium you’re feeling. But he looks perfectly at home with the current turn of events. In fact, Seongwu looks overly comfortable, slightly smug, and amused while playing with the ends of his bangs.

Your hands kinda, maybe, really want to wipe that smirk off his face.

“You don’t always get what you want.”

There isn’t even time to be proud of your comeback (at least, you’d intended it to be), since it applied to you too.

If anything, the boy looks even more determined to keep on bothering you, tongue tracing the edges of his fangs as if to remind you that – hey, I have fangs, so if you punch my very good-looking, statue-like face you might scratch your hand – and that, he did have a very very good-looking face. Damn him.

A buzz resounds from the table that traps you against Seongwu in a weird, contorted angle, and you turn – extorting maximum amount of effort from your poor back - to look at his abandoned phone – about to say something. Anything else would be better than the awkward silence that’s settled.

But instead all that comes out is an even more awkward ‘uuhhh’ when he starts smiling at the slip up. All kitten lips and twinkly eyes and nose crinkles (what is actually going on???).

There’s no slow motion and sparkling background like the dramas and webtoons… it’s just awkward since Seongwu is still just staring (but also smiling now) – as if this is the funniest thing he’s seen since nuguseyo, and the constant pause-and-buzz action going on behind you does nothing to help relieve the situation.

You should really be creeped out and also, maybe mildly offended. Because wow, you’ve totally fallen for that “handsome-guy does douchey things but gets away with it because he’s handsome” troupe – but you can’t even bring yourself to be annoyed since Seongwu looks freakishly happy for some reason.

He just seemed… content.

And seeing him look happier also makes you feel good. And warm inside.

But that isn’t the point. Point was - he’s already sick (or tired? Very very tired. Just not well enough to attend classes), and you were being nice because of that. And he wasn’t doing more than hugging you? Half hugging?

Maybe he was just stressed, and all the poor guy needed was a hug.

If he’d looked like a sad kitten stuck in the rain earlier, now he looks like a kitten that’s been fed warm milk and just wants a nap. Sated. And, oh - look how dark it is outside - you really, probably, should stop with the kitten comparisons before you start melting into a pile of mush- -

By now, you’re making a conscious effort to let your eyes drift anywhere but him. rubbing your lips together to spread what remains of your lip balm when the phone buzzes again. More messages coming in.

It was almost curfew. His dorm was probably looking for him before the maglocks activated.

“Ignore it.”

Seongwu says to get your attention back at him. Stretching his neck to nuzzle at the palm of the hand you raised to point at the phone. Senses dull and awake in response to the fragrant warmth.

Taking your hand back, your fists clenched, willing shudders to subside as you slip in the hole that formed between his arms and the table, opting to support yourself on the chair.

“Okay.”

Vampires were instinctively predators. Maybe Seongwu is also the type that lets go when prey stops struggling. (You wish your heart would also stop struggling to keep a steady pace too).

“Is this alright?”

“Is this… what?”

“Is this alright? Can we stay like this for a moment?” Seongwu closes his eyes, inhaling. “Just a moment.”

Nodding, you let your arms rest on either side of him, elbows digging into the couch to keep you from falling flush against him.

It was obvious that as strange as this was, he was in no state to hurt you, and whatever Seongwu was suffering from seemed to have found temporary relief.

Feeling you lean in, pulse steadying, eyes flashing the same shade of dark red to match his own - a clear sign that the strings of fate were somehow involved between the two of you. He hasn’t quite grasped why you’re putting up with him. How long would you let him stay this way? To what extent?

Does she feel the same?

If he’d known how soft hearted you were, he’d have to keep an eye out for you earlier. Seongwu let his eyes drift from the sharp chin and ruddy lips up to the dark lashes, thick enough to form a curtain over her eyes… It wasn’t too late to start now…

Echoes of the magically enhanced curtains shutting from the end of the hall cause you to look away distractedly whilst more lights and candles begin to flicker and flutter.

“Do you usually like to read?”

“Reading’s okay. I like poetry though.”

“I-“

“Like painting. I saw your watercolours the other day.” He thinks of the girl so intent on mixing the right shades of aqua and gray that she wastes half the lesson before starting to paint - while he sticks doodling black lines on paper.

“I was going to say that I like reading, as long as it’s not part of the curriculum.”

When he’s not busy pretending to be the most important person in the room, you guess Seongwu was nice. There’s an easy-going streak to him. And despite having pegged him as the type to enjoy dark humour and sarcasm, it seems like slapstick and hyperbolic parodies were more of his turf.

Then in a true case of awkward timing - a yawn escapes to break the supine pattern of low mumbles and slow breaths, the comfortable conversation you’d fallen into – as if reminding the two of you that the locks were definitely going to be switched on soon; and you’d have laughed at Seongwu’s instantaneous reaction to throw you off him if not for the worry evident over his handsome features while you try to re-balance yourself.

Your hands fly to the nearest offer of support – which in this case – end up being Seongwu’s shoulders (kinda bony, you make note of absently), as his hands come around your waist help to lift you off. Settling you on the ground again.

Huh? From being haughty to friendly, cuddling to leaving, everything seemed to be going at his designated pace.

“Shall I walk you back?” Collecting the papers, he looks to the entrance, books floating back to their original spaces on the shelf as his gaze narrows at the darkening sky.

“Uh… No. No. I’ll be fine to go back myself. I think.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you? It’s getting dark and your place is far.”

It doesn’t strike you to think how Seongwu knows where you stay. Nor does Seongwu seem to think too much of how he knows. All you notice is the almost guilty look on his face. Wearing his features down further. And when he blinks – again – as if readjusting his sight. It’s like he’s straining.

In truth, you think, Seongwu’s the one you should be walking back in that state.

“I’ll be fine. You go back and have an early night. See you in class tomorrow?”

“I’ll try to make it.”

He doesn’t.

It’s clearer that night, as if mist had cleared amidst the dawn’s arrival, Seongwu supposes it has in a way; and it’s with knowledge of his destination that he heads out, more aware of his surroundings and the security cameras at every turn. Mind is only half awake, body taking the reins once again.

His consciousness is very much present, and he wills himself to travel faster, stealthily drift towards the figure that kept haunting him at night. Body remembering its way as it drifts through the halls.

This time, however, he pauses at the door.

Takes his time to pick up the whoosh of air escaping your pillow, of the duvet sliding off your limp body, and the barely-there sighs of slumber as you toss and turn.

Seongwu blames this stupid primary-school-stalking-his-crush behaviour on natural instincts. And the watching-her-sleep part largely on reading Twilight.

It’s strikingly familiar regressing the room, once again occupied by the young winter’s first breaths of midnight chill. A cause for the soft duvets and blackened-wick candles spread atop the coffee table he’d neglected to noticed on previous visits.

Seongwu isn’t even able to muster surprise when he finally sees his sleeping beauty for the first time.

It’s her. Of course, it’s her.

He’d known the moment you stepped out the library that night. There was no way you could’ve seemed so familiar. Intimate.

You’d been more effective than valium, and more addictive than opium. Becoming this form of cacoethes to bother him night after sleepless night.

Just one taste.

Pliant and trusting, leaning towards his warmth as he sat by your side - he could picture it – how easy it’d be to mark you. Behind each nibble of flesh under his teeth, a bud of pink would bloom. Then if you let him, he’d indulge in more – and each bite would blossom fragrant petals of red.

Seongwu’s biting so damn hard on his own lips - just to hold back from biting something else - that its strange to think that he isn’t bleeding when its usually so easy to draw blood with a scrape of his fangs.

One taste. And it’ll all stop.

Rubbing his sideburns now, really making an effort to not lose concentration, dragging it up with his fingertips until he feels the slight burn, he’s sure that whatever control he has won’t last any longer –

Seongwu widens his jaw carefully, the slow motion usually causing his jaw bone to crack as he widens his mouth to let his fangs fully form. Letting the cool ivory graze upon the pulse point. He could already tell that it’d be delicious from the scent.

The fangs are cool metal on warm skin, and from the way you squirm away slightly, he can tell that your neck’s ticklish. How cute.

When the first signs of red begin to leak from the small incision he’s made, Seongwu tentatively laps at the blood. Sweet and fragrant don’t even begin to describe it after so many nights. This was the blood he’s been looking for.

Shifting to the side to try and rid of the ticklish sensation, you seem to be having the strangest dream. There’s trickling water down your neck and a dark shadow by your side. Yet despite their hidden silhouette and presence, you don’t feel fear.

Just the need to see them. Know them.

In the dim light of your room, your blurry eyes seem to have painted a mop of black hair and pale skin, a smattering of colour over his lips, with thin wrists and beautiful hands… ones you recognize.

“… Seongwu?” Your dreams seem to have formed a constellation in his image. “Is that you?”

“... y/n?” Pulling away, his hands remained between your head and the pillow.

“Why are you here?”

Was it fair to ask a figment of your imagination why they were there? One who wore Seongwu’s face because your mind unconsciously wanted it so? To listen to words you wanted to hear spoken by Seongwu’s images? And hope to hear that he was here for you?

Proof that he also felt the same pull you did.

Seongwu stood in place, studying the dazed look in your eyes. You certainly seemed to be awake instead of sleep talking, but too calm to think him a threat despite the drawn blood.

He’s the one that wants an explanation. A reason for you to keep on bothering his thoughts, but not while you’re still in a state of confusion. Subtly intoxicated with vampire venom.

“Your blood called me.” He whispers. Raspy. His throat is dry. Thirsting for more.

Draping his hand over your eyes, Seongwu closes his fingers over your temple firmly, another hand supporting the back of your neck to lay you back on the bed. Willing for control and power as his hands begin to glow.

For now, he’d lay you down on a throne of pillows, make you feel like royalty. Seongwu hoped that in the future, perhaps you’d find it in your graces to allow him another taste.

“Forget the night.”

Dorm arrest is fun, Seongwu mused, now with a proper reason to stay away from classes.

But it’d be a lot more tolerable if the others stopped making fun said dorm arrest.

And if they alone in his misery instead of bringing their lunches over because Minhyun was going to murder him if any crumbs fell on their carpet.

“What was it again? You felt her or something? That’s how you know she’s your soulmate.?”

Not feel, but more like – sensed. Some type of magnetic forcefield sci-fi shit he couldn’t explain. But that sound too corny, so Seongwu changed his approach-

“I just seem to smell her everywhere.”

“Normal people tend to say that they see them everywhere when they like someone, hyung.” Guanlin offered, gently, as if trying to gauge whether it was a cultural difference thing. But nevertheless, worried about his senior. “Is it the lack of sleep? Do you want me to ask Daehwi to brew you a sleeping draught?”

“Don’t worry so much.” Sungwoon laughed at the scandalized look on Seongwu’s face after hearing what the maknae had to say. “Ongcheongie isn’t exactly normal.”

“Love makes you blind, hyung.” Woojin adds in between mouthfuls of food while Jihoon nods absently, already used to simply agreeing with whatever his same aged friend had to say whenever they had (loud) group discussions as long as it didn’t affect him and the fried chicken in front of him. “Maybe that’s why you smell her.”

For members of a four-legged race in the pack, it was norm to primarily locate mates through their scents. Was there a point in worrying over something like this? Once again, Seongwu was overreacting.

“Ongie-hyung’s as blind as a bat!” Daniel adds cheekily, prodding fun at his similarly blood-feeding friends, before bursting out in laughter over his own joke. Repeating the word ‘bat’ at himself and giggling each time, only pausing in between his laughs to take a bite of his burger.

“At least I’m not a big puppy that likes to pretend to be a cat!”

“Yah!”

Sulking, Seongwu folded his arms in front of him to lean on, pushing his chin onto his wrist until his lips formed a pout. “And I’m not in love.”

“Right.” Guanlin nodded in disbelief, evaluating the current situation. For such a hopeless romantic, he’d thought that Seongwu would be happier finding his soulmate. “Is she giving you a hard time? Does she not like you back?”

“Uhhh….”

‘Did she not like him back?’

Who wouldn’t like him back? Seongwu paused, thinking of the best way to explain without making him seem like an idiot.

“I might’ve tried to wipe out her memories.”

“HYUNG!” The lower classmen shout at him in chorus while he defends himself.

There were so many reasons why he had to do that!

For one, he could’ve got expelled for sneaking into the girl’s dorms (Daniel snickered at that); and two, if he wasn’t expelled for that – he could’ve been stuck with a permanent record if he suddenly lost control of his appetite and fed too gluttonously (‘But you didn’t, and I know you won’t,’ Sungwoon reassures).

“The fact that you’re Minhyun-hyung’s second-in-command makes me worry about the future.”

“Ahhh, hyung!” Even the maknae looked disappointed in him.

“You’re on your own.” Jihoon decides halfway through his chicken (and by proxy, his explanation). “I’m not involving myself in some idiot-hyung’s love life., or lack of.” He took one last bite to finish off his meal, reminding Seongwu of his own – untouched – food. “It might give me indigestion.”

“Demon!”

The demon only raises an eyebrow, pretty face hiding his evil intentions (evil evil eeeevvvvviiiiilll, Seongwu chants). “Was I supposed to be offended?”

“And I already said I’m not in love!” He sighed. Burying his head under his arms now. “I’m just. Maybe. In like or something.”

“In like.” Daniel repeats, nose scrunching in attempt to hold back his laughter.

He loved his hyung. Really, he did. Ride or die, brothers under oath, travel all three realms and back type of thing, but the things that came out of his mouth sometimes-

Daniel scrunched his nose.

“Don’t.” Ong warned. “Don’t laugh.”

“Too late.” Sungwoon bursts out in laughter with the rest of the table following. “So what do you plan to do now? It’s not like you can get those memories back after wiping them off.”

Seongwu opened his mouth, but closed it again when he realizes that – yes, indeed – while doable, it was risky considering he had no reigns over the amount of time he could give back to you.

Spots of memory were even more dangerous than a clean slate. Especially when you were in the advantageous state for memory manipulation, being half-awake.

“And you’re under dorm arrest now that you were caught outside after dark.” Woojin pointed out. Unhelpfully, might Seongwu add. “So, no more midnight stalker visits to knock her off her feet, maybe you should-”

Ears twitching at the sound of someone else about to enter the dorm with food, Woojin and Daniel stood abruptly to race each other to the door, ignoring Seongwu’s cries of ‘so what should I doooooo?’

When the door opens, it’s not who you expect.

You’d expected Ong Seongwu whose been bothering your dreams ever since that night in the library. Ong Seongwu whose hands gently comb through the knots of your hair, fingers sweeping along your neck in those dreams. And Ong Seongwu who made your heart race whenever the thought of him enters your mind.

But instead of the vampire, it’s crown prince, Hwang Minhyun looking down at you blankly.

Not ‘looking down’ as if you were a peasant (even though, that’s exactly how Hwang Minhyun – and by extension, Seongwu had initially made you feel), but because you kind of shrink into their front carpet under his calculating gaze. As if he’s looking for a third eye or something.

You knew that Seongwu shared a room with the gumiho since it was one of the many strange conditions the royal family had set for ‘security reasons’ in order to keep the general and advisor close to the future emperor; but whilst seeing Seongwu out of uniform made you want to take care and coddle him – seeing Minhyun in his casual wear made you want to cower away.

It wasn’t the way the carried themselves, or the glowing aura that always seemed to exude from the dorm 101 boys… but just a feeling, inside. None of the comfortable familiarity you found synonymous Seongwu is there.

“If you’re looking for Seongwu, he’s not in.”

“But he’s ill!”

He shouldn’t be going out in his state… Peeking through the door, you can see that it’s indeed dark in the room.

“Yes. Seongwu’s very ill.” The fox repeats in the empty room.

“I brought some iron tablets with me and the notes from today’s lesson. He’ll need them since they’re probably gonna show up in the test-“ next Saturday, you want to say. But catch yourself when you notice the amused look Minhyun is wearing.

There was no reason you had to explain to him when it was Seongwu you wanted to speak to!

“You should come back tomorrow.”

Nodding, you’re about to ask to pass the things over him instead, but quickly catch yourself before you make any more attempts to ask a member of the monarch for favours.

“I mean… If I may bother you again so….”

Minhyun laughs at this point, unable to hold the poker face any further when he sees how uncomfortable you look.

“Don’t worry, I probably won’t be in since I have a full day tomorrow.”

He looks to your right as if signalling for you to make a move on, and as you’re making your turn, the door shuts as abruptly as it opened. Lock loudly clicking in place.

“Ongie!”

Ongie! You blushed, hearing such a cute nickname, while your jaw dropped with the knowledge that he was inside. Liars!

“You can’t just hide at the back of the room. It’s not going to fix anything.”

“Nothing will fix it! Unless-” Seongwu whined, last words mumbled into the pillow he was beating in annoyance. “You don’t understand!”

“Evidently.” Rolling his eyes, Minhyun slid the pillow out of Seongwu’s grasp.

“But I can’t even control it. We’ve locked everything and even put a shifting charm on this place. You know I can’t risk altering the room too much in case we catch their attention.”

“Just speak to her. I’m sure she’ll understand.”

“How~?” He dragged the syllable out, wrapping the duvet over himself now that the pillow was gone. “Hi, it’s Seongwu, and hypothetically I may have been visiting you at night. You also seemed to like me the last time we met but you just don’t remember it?”

“Be serious.” Minhyun chided. Knowing that Seongwu defense mechanism was sarcasm when cornered.

“Should I just keep wiping out her memory?”

“I think the idea is to stop doing that.”

Summoning your strength, you grab the door handle and force it open, feeling the mechanics loosen under your touch momentarily. Authority be damned.

Neither of the boys looking too surprised at your entrance.

“Stop what?”

What did you say you’d been doing?

“Why are you still here?” Seongwu asks as if that’s the only thing on his mind when he should – in your opinion – be a lot more worried depending on how he answers your question.

Now was not the time for him to be curious.

“Go.” Minhyun says, and you note that there’s definitely something different in his tone from before. The authority, the latent power from his royal blood affecting the magic that runs in your veins.

Seongwu’s unmoving. Eyes shifting from Minhyun to you.

“No, you two were talking about me. I have no reason to leave. Not unless Seongwu comes with me.”

You needed answers.

The gumiho stands between the both of you, tension pulling back and forth, shaking his head as he takes leave.

But not before looking back at Seongwu as if asking for silent confirmation that he can handle this- you- as if you were some form of political coup practice question, while Seongwu and you stand in stalemate.

You don’t know whether to be honoured or offended.

“What have you done to me?”

Why do I dream of you, Ong Seongwu?

“Nothing.”

lies lies lies lies lies

Why has he taken over your mind, and made your blood boil in anticipation... for what you don’t know - if there’s nothing?

“You should stay away from me.”

One step.

Two steps.

Three steps.

For someone whose been so adamant of avoiding you, despite what he says, he’s not doing much to stop you from getting closer.

“Why?” You challenge, he may be able to use that haughty tone of his easily around here, but not with you. “Under the Peace Treaty you can’t do anything to me during the day.”

Or more accurately. Between daybreak and sundown.

The more powerful the race, the stricter the regulations and restrictions, and the harsher the punishments.

As a vampire - Seongwu wouldn’t even be able to lay a finger on you while the sun is up, lest he accidentally cut skin. Drawing blood without the donor’s consent was prohibited. Punishable by expulsion. And a record.

Seongwu glanced back into his room, well aware of the law, as the umbrage of the autumn foliage masks shadows in his room.

Internally, he gave himself a pat on the back for good timing as a smirk creeps onto his face – damn him and his good-looking face –

“But we’ve only seen each other after sun-down, haven’t we?”

Heat rose to your face – as Seongwu reaches to touch, his skin cold against yours.

“What-?“

Stroking the side of your cheek, he can feel every movement of blood that rushes to meet his touch. And he’s mesmerised by his image reflected in your eyes. The way you look straight at him.

Stupid girl, he thought. So trusting, so unprotected. Guess he’ll just have to be the one taking care of you now till you find someone better.

Which you won’t. Because he’ll make sure to treat you the best. Cherish you until the only things between the two of you were warm promises and pretty tones. The only mistreatment he’d let you suffer was him holding your hand too tight. And maybe some neck nibbles.

Seongwu resisted the urge to bare his fangs, body remembering the taste it craved.

“Your blood called me.”

“How do you know about…”

It wasn’t a dream?

Seongwu cocked his head to the side, reminiscent of the time you met in the library.

“Question is. How do you remember?”

Was it the effects of you being his soulmate? Did it mean that his abilities didn’t work on you?

He must feel as nervous as you. You can feel the nervousness coming off as waves through you while your gaze traces the movement of his adam’s apple swallowing down the tension.

“You’re not scared?”

And you are. You’re scared of the connection you feel to him. The need to stay close and claim him as yours, the thought of smelling his shampoo in your bathroom and seeing his toothbrush next to yours. It scares you because you’re not usually fond of physical gestures – and yet, you want his arms wrapped around you.

You’re scared. But not of him.

“No. Should I be?”

“Very.” His hands wander up your sides, stilling behind your neck. Cradling. Pulling you towards him. “You taste too good.”

“And you wanna drink?” You ask. Knowing full well the answer. You’ve suffered too much thinking you’ve gone crazy with the amount of times you see him in your supposed ‘dreams’ lusting over your blood.

Locking your arms around him too. You lean close with the knowledge that he was nowise less attracted to you than you to him.

Two can play a game.

“Wanna do more than drink,” he mirrors, mumbling on your neck, addicted; eyes tightly shut, retreating into your warmth, drowning out his senses as the beating pulse calls out to him.

Lifting your hand - you slap him on his forehead, and his eyes snap open abruptly.

“What was that for?!”

“I expect payment if I’m going to be your blood bank.”

“You’re not-“ Seongwu pulls back, appalled that you’d refer to yourself as such. “You’re not my blood bank!”

“Well, technically. I’m not your anything yet.”

“What do you want?” He snaps. Hurriedly. Absently. He’s just saying things without thinking now. Too distracted by the sight of you becoming clearer in front of him as the night begins to cover the room in darker shades.

“What do I want? Are you sure you can give me anything I ask for?”

Yes, he can. If he can’t – he’ll find a way - so that he can. Anything for you.

“Yes!”

You didn’t expect the vampire to be… so placate. Seongwu just stands there accepting everything you had to say with a nod. Almost like a pet being reprimanded. Even you can’t deny the pull in you towards him, but a soul-bond shouldn’t affect him that much.

It’s kind of endearing seeing him lose control so completely.

“I don’t have anything I want right now.”

Seongwu has his thinking face on. The one you’ve marvelled over countless times upon during class whenever he attends. A hint of the lack of patience from before remains, but his craftiness has definitely been amped up.

Seems like sunset does apparently mean that he’s a lot more in control of himself…

“Then you’ll have me until you know what you want.”

{ epilogue }

“What are you doing tonight?”

Now more than ever, Seongwu loathes that they’re only allowed to feed without fear of being caught in the brief bracket between dinner and lights-out. Why were the dorms so freaking far apart?

It helped that his urge to feed had been satiated these last few days, but vampires were nocturnal creatures, and he’d much rather spend the night by your side.

He was well aware that there’s been an assignment you’ve been working on too. Which meant – in the words of Woojin - no midnight stalker visits, even though Daehwi could technically organize a portal for him, he shan’t bother you while you were working.

Such was his sad fate. Dating but alone. He sighed.

“I dunno. Sleeping. Maybe.”

“Shame.”

You’d just handed in your assignment earlier and saw that Seongwu had neglected coming into class again, and decided to indulge in just a little teasing.

Your cool response does nothing to placate him. If anything, it urges him to seek for your attention even more as his hands rest at your side, leaning in, and you let his fangs sweep along your nape.

“I thought - we might be seeing each other tonight.”

“Oh?” He pulls back, wide smile creeping onto his face, eyebrows wagging. Expression all too cocky for you to willingly cooperate.

Rolling your eyes, you lift up two fingers to flick his forehead away from your neck.

“In your dreams.” But despite the joking you do fall into his embrace easily, letting him breath in your scent, hands creeping from waist to the small of his back, pulling him flush.

Up close, you can see that his eyes are half lidded, pupils blown wide catching streaks of light; his lips slightly rosy from your lip gloss, and it really shouldn’t be allowed for him to look at you like this.

Sliding his lips against yours, Seongwu kisses as if trying the take the air from your lungs. Demanding as always. He kisses with arrogance because he knows he’s good.

There’s no reason he wouldn’t be when he’s already fallen so deep, and Seongwu only wants to fall deeper and deeper until there’s no return back to reality.

The way you make those small squeaks of surprise, but continue letting him hold you and pull him closer only makes him want more. To lose his mind to desire. As if you’re letting him whatever he wants, moving to accommodate the growing greed in him to keep you close.

And it’s maddening. It shouldn’t be allowed because Seongwu’s going crazy.

Gods, he thinks he can hear you holding back on whines. The gods were really out there playing with him, huh?

You’re clawing at him to bring him closer and panting under him, and for what? Seongwu’s already driven crazy just from your presence. Strung tight and overwrought. And so so crazy.

He shuddered at the noises you made. Noises you normally wouldn’t let him hear until sundown because they’re so faint and he wants to tell you to stop before he loses control even further, but there’s words dying at the tip of his tongue.

Why should you have to do anything else to push his senses into overdrive?

He wants you. Wants you so much he could monopolize everything and let his manipulative streak take over if need be.

Seongwu wants to devour and be devoured all at once. He wants everything.

“y/n?” Seongwu searched for your eyes; wanting to look at you. His equal. The one person that can calm the sunlight burning of his cold blood and relight it with fire. Wonders how he has it so perfect. How he managed to live so long without you.

“Hmm?”

“I’m glad it’s you.”

Sniffing the air, Minhyun sighed as he paced around the palace grounds, enjoying the lilting breeze characteristic of this time of the year.

Leaving the institute for the holiday was perhaps the most appropriate choice. He’d had enough of Seongwu’s pining to last a few decades. There was no need to surrender himself into listening to his roommate’s poetry-writing process for the ‘love of his immortal life’ if he could avoid it.

His roommate and confidante fancied himself to have a keen nose, yet it was nothing when compared to one of the four-legged clan’s.

None of the werewolves or fellow gumihos were going to let the vampire live when they smelt the new marking. He remembers scoffing at Seongwu’s plan to pretend to not know that the girl was still outside their door.

Speaking of scents… how strange it was that the peach blossoms trees were all pushed into full bloom…

masterlist

#ong seongwu #ong seongwoo #wanna one #wanna one writing #wanna one fic #wanna one scenario #wanna one imagine #ong seongwu fic #wanna one text #wannaone scenario #kpop fic #kpop writing #ong seongwu x reader #8.2k oh dear lord #supernatural au #things i learnt in the dorms: sleep with the windows closed and door locked #features some 95-line softness ongniel science and maknae line savageness.#jas writes

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ginnyweatherby · 5 years

Text

Slowly but surely, my muse seems to be returning.

I fully admit that this is a very loose use of the prompt, but it will have to do. Still, here’s a wartime story, with a bit of implied Stanley/Lefou because I will never stop writing them.

Day 5: Voyage

The town square was bustling with noise and excitement. A large crowd had formed in the center, while loud, patriotic music competed with interested chatter.

Stanley squeezed through, curious what all the commotion was about. He was thankful for the recent growth spurt that allowed him to peer over the heads of the townspeople, while the younger children nearby stood on tiptoes to catch a glimpse.

He found the source of the music was a band formed in the gazebo, playing their horns as proudly as they could, with little Tricolour paper flowers pinned to their lapels. Bands didn't often play in town, usually only on holidays, or in small gatherings at the tavern and parties. What was it that made that day special?

Then he saw them.

Rows upon rows of young men on their horses, dressed in brand-new uniforms, complete with muskets strapped to their backs. It was the day the troops would be leaving for war, off to defend their country.

The horses looked almost as proud as the men, standing to attention waiting for their next command. Their saddles were finely decorated for the occasion, and their saddlebags were visibly full with supplies and rations for their riders.

Stanley wondered where they would be headed, and for how long. He wondered if there would still be fighting by the time he was their age. He was only thirteen, stuck somewhere between a boy and a man. If the war was still raging in a few years time, would he be expected to join? He wasn't raised to be a fighter. He may have been the man of the house since his father passed, but he still worked in his maman's fabric shop, and entertained his younger sisters in his spare time. He wasn't sure he would last much more than a week in the midst of battle.

The men he saw in front of him weren't so much older than he. Their uniforms made them look brave and mature, but their faces were young. No facial hair marked them, a few still had acne bumps on their cheeks. Would war age them? Would they still look so innocent when they returned?

... How many of them would return?

Villeneuve was a small village. The absence of one was an absence of many. If even one of these men died in battle, it would leave an obvious hole in the town. Chances were they wouldn't all make it home. Would this be the last time Stanley saw some of them? Was this public gathering the only goodbye he'd be able to give?

In the center of the front row, sitting on his gargantuan black horse with a confident smirk on his face was Gaston. He didn't look afraid in the slightest. He looked ready to fight, ready to win.

Stanley didn't doubt for a moment that Gaston would make it out alive. A skilled hunter, trained for survival. His broad shoulders stood tall and proud. He would be promoted in no time, certainly well on his way to becoming a captain already.

The horse to his right let out a defiant noise, shaking its head in impatient disapproval.

The rider gripped the reins with nervous tension. “Easy there now, Buddy,” He murmured.

When Stanley saw who had spoken, his heart dropped to his stomach, and his stomach to his knees. No. He couldn't. Not him.

He shouldn't have been surprised, for everywhere Gaston went, Lefou followed.

Still, Stanley couldn't tear his eyes away from Lefou in disbelief. Lefou was too soft for war. He was strong and a decent shot, yes, but with a soul too kind and forgiving to kill another human being. He just didn't have it in him.

He didn't know Lefou well. The other man was three years his senior and too busy trailing behind Gaston like a duckling to pay Stanley much mind… yet, there was something that he was drawn to. Whether it was the kind smile Lefou offered when he entered Maman’s store, or the friendly greetings when they passed each other in the market, he didn't know.

He'd always wanted to strike up a friendship with Lefou. He deserved to be more than simply a lackey, no matter how much he claimed to enjoy it. There was something… special about him. Something different. Something the other men in town didn't possess. A spark of life that Stanley wanted to see more of.

Would he ever see that spark again? Would the troops return home, with a different man at Gaston's side? Would one of the holes in town be Lefou-shaped?

Stanley couldn't bear to think of it. It was hard enough to imagine that he wouldn't be there buying buttons and bowties at Maman's shop anymore.

The troops were instructed to stand at attention, and any chatter they had been making came to a halt, each man in line sitting straight on the horses, hands firmly on the reins, mouths turned into serious, thin lines.

The band played even louder than before, falling into a deafening, steady rhythm that echoed in Stanley's chest with each drumbeat.

The captain instructed the men forward, and the crowd of townspeople erupted into an uproar of cheers, applause, shouted farewells, and plenty of tears.

Stanley stood back, unable to think properly. As he watched the men move farther away from town, he was struck by the realization that they were really gone, with no guarantee of return. All those friends he had made, lives he'd intertwined with his own… were gone.

The crowd dispersed soon afterwards, and Stanley found himself alone in the square. He couldn't move. His feet wouldn't allow him to. He stood frozen in place, until the troops were out of eyeshot, and Lefou's back was but a single dot on the horizon.

“Bon voyage.”

#a few days late but shhh #disney #beauty and the beast #stanley #lefou #gaston #stafou #stanfou #stafou fan fiction #weatherby writes #random ramblings

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imagine-that-one-thing · 6 years

Text

Styles. || 1

Woman.

January 2015

The path of life is such a long dwindling journey that it sometimes cannot be walked alone. After all, how good can life be if it isn’t shared with anyone else?

According to Greek mythology, humans were originally created with four arms, four legs and a head with two faces. Fearing their power, Zeus split them into two separate parts, condemning them to spend their lives in search of their other halves.

If I had ever been a believer of Zeus splitting two humans for them to come together and find themselves whole again—it wasn’t until September of 2014.

My world changed.

That September day was dull and gloomy. Nothing that stood out, quite unremarkable in truth. It was the type of day where the dreary weather affects your mood, the birds don’t bother to chirp, and the sun doesn’t bother to reveal its presence. The kind you dismiss without a spare thought; the kind of day you wish the sun would shine-- the kind of day in which you think sunshine will fix everything.

With days like this, most students decide to curl up in bed to study or revise notes. Finding a peaceful spot on campus is like trying to find a drop of rain amidst desert— merely impossible, but not entirely. I'm not much in the mood to deal with other people, there are times I prefer to keep to myself and be left alone. It makes it easier to focus on work and studying when I am not distracted by the people around me.

That day in September, I stared out of this expansive window in the library, observing the raindrops falling delicately down the glass, and students scurrying out from the downpour to dry areas.

I turn around and suddenly, my eyes lock on her. She is beautiful—exquisite, you could say. Her hands are full of books (which isn’t unordinary considering we are in a library), her hair is a tad damp and dropping into waves over her shoulders. There is something about her that takes my world from matching this dismal day to a joyful stream of sunshine in the spring.

She doesn’t appear to take notice of anyone in the library. But she makes eye contact with me and gives me a faint smile before setting up at a vacant desk across the room. I lean against the window so I can keep looking at her.

Everything about her seems attractive, she's like the 20th-century version of a goddess. Perhaps the Greek theory is, in fact, correct.

I can’t look away as she starts writing out notes from a worn textbook. I bet her handwriting is just as lovely as she. I am captivated by the woman. I’ve seen her a few times, and she appears to be different from the other girls on campus. There is just something about her that grasps my attention, something that makes me wish I had the balls to go and speak to her. More driven, maybe. More astute. Subtle.

Just like the first time I ever laid eyes on her, I can’t help but drool over her now. She hasn’t changed a bit since that September day.

She always comes in alone, sometimes she’s carrying a coffee--a coffee order I would like to memorise. Sometimes it’s just her books--books I would like to one day carry for her. She always looks tranquil; I don’t think I have heard her utter a word the entire time I’ve seen her in here. The one thing I have noticed is that she is never here on the same day. Her visits fluctuate but it’s always at the same hour.

I’m not a creep by any means— I’m just observant.

I pull my eyes away from her and move back to my table; an unspoken rule among the library patrons that it’s mine rests in the air. I draw my books closer to me, trying in vain to study, but my eyes keep gazing up to glance over at the lady across from me. She doesn’t notice me; she probably never will. Her nose is so far into her books that I am pretty darn certain she is oblivious to the world. Reminds me of Belle from that Disney film-- only much less subservient.

I shake my head with a low chuckle, getting back to studying for my Strategic Entrepreneurship & Innovation course. Just four more months until I start my Master's degree and then, I am a step closer to having the empire that I am striving for. But I’m not going to graduate with a meaningful business degree if I spend my time gawking at a woman who never notices me. There are plenty of men here at King’s University, and I’m pretty sure she has already snagged a boyfriend that can treat her way better than I ever could. At the moment, I don’t even think I have enough money in my account to buy her a bouquet of flowers and to take her on a date.

After paying the rent on my apartment, the cost of my books for this semester, plus classes, and helping my Mum and sister financially so they don’t have to stress as much, I’m completely broke. Combining fanfare and dates into the mix would overdraw my account— at the very least, this woman deserves flowers and I can’t even give her that, even if I did have the balls to talk to her. Moreover, this woman is the kind of woman that only comes around once in a lifetime, she is the type you hold onto, the type that deserves nothing but the world; I can’t give this woman the world like she deserves.

I rub my eyes and wiggle around in the chair; sitting too long has made me antsy. I glance over towards her and I smile to myself as I notice, she too, is grappling to stay focused. Her doe eyes aren’t as vivacious as they were when they first entered, they’re droopy. I have to admit, she’s pretty damn cute when she’s tired. I can only assume her coffee has worn off and she is moments away from calling the studying quits.

She flicks her eyes towards me, eyes that are a-dazzle with wonder over a friendly smile. My body stiffens and for a moment I am not sure what to do. I am frozen in time, every nerve in my body halting and neglecting its vital part of keeping me breathing.

She has caught me mid-stare. Fuck!

I clear my throat and offer her my best affable smile before I dart my eyes away and pretend to intently stare at my book an in attempt to look as though I’m profoundly studying the context… truth be told, I’d rather be analyzing her. I don’t know what it is, but she has cast this amulet on me that has me thoughtfully begging for her.

Of course, I’m not going to literally beg and drool for her, she may be fucking gorgeous and plausibly the most fascinating woman I have witnessed, but my ego will never ever permit me to admit to her or anyone that I’m smitten over her.

I stand from my chair and stretch my back before I pick up my books and shift my chair under the desk. I feel her watching me, I can sense her sumptuous eyes breaking my barriers and causing me to go weak at my knees. I disregard it though. Instead of glancing over at her and admiring her, I march towards the librarian who welcomes me with a soft smile, like always, before I shuffle out of the library.

By the time I manage to get downstairs and bypass individuals who want to converse and butter me up to get my share of notes and answers to questions regarding the lectures, I’m quite exhausted.

*** ***

I see her everywhere, she’s in my thoughts, my surroundings, even at my internship when she’s really nowhere to be discovered. I can’t help but notice her in the women that pass me on each floor that I scour at my ‘boss’s’ request.

There’s not much I can say about the man I am interning under, he appears like a closed off sort of man, doesn’t leave the office very often, always here on late nights; the man doesn’t even appear to have pictures around his office of his family. I can’t complain, really, he is giving me a lot of insight into the world I plan to one day be a part of.

I step into his office and offer him a decent smile as he lifts his eyes from his laptop screen and holds his hand out for his coffee and the client report files I had to fetch for him. I arrange the warm cup of coffee in his hand before setting the file on his desk.

“Thank you, Harry,” the man clears his throat. I nod before I turn on my heel, but I am promptly prevented from stepping away. “Harry, take a look over this and tell me what you think.” He holds the file up.

For a moment, I am astonished, I did not expect a man like he to allow me to read a file and give an opinion. I am not nearly as capable and as educated as he is, I am still learning.

I take the file at ease and glance my eyes over the figures immediately.

Portfolio Capital and Income Movements.

Market Value as at 30 September 2014— £3,948,746.93

Cash Introduced / (Withdrawn) — (£598.02)

Investments Introduced / (Withdrawn) —£0.00

Income Received —£0.00

Management Fees —£0.00

Market Value as at 31 December 2014— £4,006,906.89

Gains (Losses) during period. —£58,757.98

I glance over at my boss and bite my lip, unsure of how much detail he is wanting from me, “Well, what is it? Don’t tell me the cat has your tongue.”

“Sir, in a three month period, they gained just over 58 and a half thousand, but the Portfolio Asset Allocation Change Since 31 Dec 2014 shows that their liquidity funds declined 8.8 percent. The Consolidated Underlying Holdings could be a lot better, the equity alone only has an estimated 0.71% yield. They have fixed- or low-growth dividend yield which puts them and you at great risk for loss of purchasing power or increasing interest rates.” I inform my intern boss as he leans back in his leather armchair, his eyes focused undividedly on me as I restlessly stand in front of him.

I do my best to show confidence, but let’s face it, I don’t know everything about portfolios, I am still a newbie. “But, this is just my opinion.”

“And what is your opinion overall?”

“They are not a great investment of any sort and are not worth taking on as a client. The Capital Transaction Statement should be enough to tell you they are not making wise decisions. They would only make things harder for you when their investments take a turn for the worst. Jus’ my opinion though. I’m not the CEO and I am still learning,” I inform him and he nods.

“Harry, don’t doubt yourself. I agree with you, I was just wondering whether I was wasting my time signing off on your hours. A lot of kids come in here expecting the life of a CEO to be all about millions of dollars and sitting in a ravishing office. But you, you have your head screwed on right.” … “Keep it up, don’t screw up and keep learning, you just might make it into this business world.”

I clear my throat, “thank you, sir.”

“No problem, now take this to my assistant,” he gestures towards the file and I wander closer to his desk while his eyes concentrate on his watch, “you need to get home and get some rest, you’re about to reach your six hours for the evening. You just need four hours to log your twelve for the week, will I see you tomorrow?” He questions, keeping track of my hours so I don’t go over or rest just short of what I require.

I shake my head, “no, sir, I have to work tomorrow.” I inform him just as his phone vibrates against his desk and I am dismissed to leave and take myself to my apartment where I can study and eventually fall asleep.

Next Chapter.

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