#HOW DO I MOVE WITH MY DAY AFTER THID

[itty-bitty-sunshine]

The way you draw faces, the proportions. The wondrous eyes that look alive even as a still image through a screen. The soft mouths, speaking in comics that have us sitting on the edge with every word you write. The smooth lines building your characters. The dynamic poses and real emotion. The beautiful colours you choose. The cute hand writing. But most of all your ideas, your mind is very beautiful. It looks like you execute your thoughts in the most perfect form, your art and writing is stunning. So creative and lovely. You provide the adorable fluff I wish life possessed more of.

Yet for those who know you, it's your kindness. Your an unbelievably sweet person, and I'm so glad I got the honor of becoming friends with you. I love you.

.... this might be too long of a ™️

YOU CAN'T JUST SAY STUFF LIKE THIS AND THEN DIP GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE AND TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THESE TEARS

SUKI CMON

DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW IM GONNA BE READING THIS SPECIFIC ASK FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE

[moni-logues]

The Surface

banner by @sailoryooons

Pairing: prince merman!Hoseok x sea witch!reader

Genre: fairytale AU/The Little Mermaid AU, smut

Summary: Prince Hoseok has only ever wanted one thing: to experience life on the Surface. You have only ever wanted Prince Hoseok. When he comes to you, desperate, claiming you are the only one who can help him, you decide to play along. You'll help him achieve his dream and maybe you'll satisfy your own dream, too.

Word count: 20k

Content: unprotected sex, oral sex (m. receiving), Hoseok has sex with someone but he thinks they're someone else, if you're incredibly squeamish, there may be some body/pain stuff that makes you go 😖, potentially a litt yandere-vibed

A/N: Happy my birthday eve to you, dear reader!!!!! This is my very first toe-dip into the world of fantasy/spn!! AND my first collab!!!!! Pleeeeaaassseeee read the warnings (and please!!!! let me know if I'm missing any or any are insufficient). I'm so excited; I struggled with plotting this fic and working out how to get it to do what I wanted and thid is actually v3.0 lmao BUT I'm really happy with it! And happy to be part of the Make Me Your Villain collab!!! Thanks to @daechwitatamic for beta-ng and yelling!!!!

*

Hoseok swam farther than he ever had before. Swam closer. He’d be inching forward and now he was close enough to be spotted; he knew that. He knew that that was too far, but he didn’t really care.

The first time he swam in this direction and saw the shadows of small boats cross over him, he’d bolted in a panic. Merpeople were not to be spotted by humans. Ever. So he’d raced away, not looking back.

But then he had the knowledge that humans sailed there. He knew that that stretch of water played host to life above its surface, too. They were little boats, not the huge ships he usually tailed. These were much smaller, with handfuls of humans sitting in them, pointing in the distance, holding little boxes up to their faces and lowering them again. Visible. Watchable. It was tantalising.

So he went back. Hung around and waited for a while. Did it again. Watched a boat sail over him and eventually drop anchor near the cove. Went back a third time. Saw the humans jump from the side of the boat into the water. Hung back.

The next time, he swam closer. And the time after that, closer still.

That particular day, he had time. Lots of it. There was nothing calling for his attention, nothing tying him to any place, so he edged closer and a little closer, until he could see so clearly their spindly legs kicking ineffectually through the water, their weird feet and tiny toes. He had never seen humans so close before. He wondered if anyone had. They were fascinating. They dived down and kicked back up, their limbs moving in the water to keep them afloat. They turned on to their backs, looking just like seals from below. They squealed and laughed and talked and Hoseok watched it all with rapt attention. What he wouldn’t have given to approach one. To have made contact. To have asked them all his questions.

He wished he had someone to tell. Someone who would receive the information with not even wonder—his hopes were not that high—but interest. He didn’t have anyone to share his discoveries with, his treasures, his excitement. No one else understood. Some people thought he was weird; others thought his interest in the human world was downright wrong.

But his excitement was palpable that day, floating so close to the humans, he could hear their voices. He could even just about make out their words. And then their speech took on a more urgent tone; there was more frantic splashing, some flailing of limbs. He looked around himself and rose until his head bobbed out of the water. He watched the humans spin, searching for something, pointing this way and that way, calling to each other, looking.

He wanted to help but he didn’t know how. He dipped back into the water and skirted around the edge of the group – still unseen—and then it hit him. He had been so focused on the humans that he hadn’t seen it.

The rip tide tugged him sideways with a vicious spinning force. He was lucky, because he lived in the sea and this was far from his first rip. It might have taken him unawares, but he was able to right himself and spiral through to the other side.

That was when he saw what they must have been looking for.

The rip had tossed him out on the other side of a sharp, rocky outcrop on the west side of the cove. It jutted far out into the sea, sheltering the shore from western winds, and he saw a human woman struggling to the surface.

Her limbs were slow and her face kept dipping under the waves until eventually, she just floated, barely moving at all, moving only with the rhythm of the waves. Hoseok watched with dread and fear curdling the excitement in his stomach. She was too still now, her face too low in the water. Something wasn’t right. There was something unnatural about the way she was lying there, suspended in the water.

Hoseok didn’t think before he acted. He kicked his fins and swam to her, wrapping one arm around her torso and hiking her upwards so her face was out of the water. He dragged her, swimming backwards, towards the shore. He was grateful there was a shore; the other side of the cove had nothing but sheer cliffs and sharp rocks.

He didn’t know what he would do when he reached the shingle beach, but being on land had to help, didn’t it? Land was where the humans belonged.

Hoseok dragged her as far out of the water as he could manage—which wasn’t very far because his tail churned the stones and wouldn’t propel him forwards, so he dragged himself, as well as this human woman, until only her legs were splashed by the waves.

He looked down at her, anxiety churning in his gut. How did humans die? Was she already dead? The thought was nauseating. He knew humans had hearts like merpeople did, so he pressed his hand against her chest and felt nothing. He pressed a hand against his own chest. Felt nothing. He pressed his fingers against the large artery he knew ran down his front and felt nothing. He pressed them to his neck and almost felt something, moved them around until he found the spot at which he could feel his blood pushing against them. He immediately transferred his fingers to the same position on the woman and felt the same thing.

He let out a heavy breath. Relief. At least she wasn’t dead.

But she also wasn’t awake.

“Hello?” he called lightly. “Uh, hello? Are you ok?”

She remained unmoved, but he could barely hear himself over the pounding of his frantic heart; maybe he was too quiet? Maybe merpeople couldn’t make noise outside of the water? He tried again but it elicited no response.

He watched her carefully, listening, training his ears towards her, tuning out the roar of the waves and the squawk of seagulls and the distant sound of voices. He concentrated hard, breathing carefully to slow his own heart, to quiet the thump of it against his ribs and the rush of blood through his veins. There was a wet gurgle as her chest rose and fell, coming from her mouth, but sounding from deep inside. Hoseok knew humans breathed through their mouths, not having gills of their own. So he knew she was breathing.

She was both alive and breathing. He sighed with relief. He could let his worry go and lean into his fascination.

He had never seen a human like this. Close enough to touch—he had touched her. Her hair was the colour of the sun, even wet through; the curls stuck to her skin and Hoseok dared to reach out and brush them from her face. As he took his hand back, he noticed he was shaking. Drops of water on her skin sparkled like gems, glinting in the daylight. The sun was hot—far hotter than he’d ever felt it in the water—and bright. The heat of it burnt away the water on her skin almost too quickly to notice. Hoseok didn’t think she looked all that different from a mermaid, not really. The legs made a difference, sure; she had no gills in her ribs; the webbing in her fingers was reduced to nothing, each digit separated down to the palm. But really, what difference did those things make?

He thought her a wonder. He thought her the most beautiful, fascinating thing he’d ever seen. Her rosebud mouth, lips open and plump. Her skin was smooth and dark; he looked stark next to her. Her torso was whole, one expanse of skin stretching around her back and ribs. Hoseok placed a hand to his gills, fingers playing along the edge; they were flapping uselessly in the dry air. He smoothed them down with his hand, imagined his torso like hers, uninterrupted.

He lay with his tail next to her legs. He tried to picture it split in two, tried to picture himself walking on two feet, upright. He wasn’t the longest merman, but how did that compare to humans? The woman by his side seemed long—were all other humans, too? He figured he would probably never know and the rarity of this moment, the precarity of it, dented his enthusiasm a little. But, he reminded himself, for the rest of his life, he would have this. This human woman, lying next to him, seen by him, touched by him. He wondered how many other merpeople had done that.

He’d heard the horror stories, of course, the kind that teachers tell students to scare them away from the surface. He had never believed them, not entirely. There were bad humans, sure, but there were bad merpeople, too. And looking down at this human, this woman, he knew she was good. He felt a fluttering in his chest that made his breathing hitch. Made him feel almost breathless.

He wished she would wake up and see him. That wasn’t allowed, of course. It was absolutely forbidden to make your presence as a merman known to anyone who lived on the surface. But, who had to know? Just this once. Just this once, Hoseok could have his dream come true, couldn’t he?

She blinked once, then twice, and rolled over to cough and splutter, and he panicked. The tranquillity of the moment was gone. He heard the sound of seawater hitting stone as she choked and it spilt from her lips. He didn’t know what that meant. He watched her back heave as she coughed and was gripped by an intense fear. He wasn’t bad; he didn’t break the rules; he didn’t have the stomach for it.

He was diving in the water before she had rolled back, before she had a chance to see him or even notice him. He had disappeared before he’d even made the decision to disappear. Maybe that was close enough. So much for his wishes to be seen. He just wasn’t brave enough.

Back in the water, he shuddered and realised he could breathe again. With his heart rate finally slowing, he swam towards home, his mind pre-occupied with daydreams about coming back to this shore, seeing more humans, learning some more; pre-occupied with the panic and relief and adrenalin of his last ten minutes.

Pre-occupied as he was, he didn’t see that his movements were being tracked. He didn’t see a royal aide, following at a distance, and then moving off towards the royal chambers when they made it back to court.

He didn’t see you either, though you could see him.

* * *

His mother came to see him the following day.

“Hoseok,” she began, in the quiet, stern voice that had always scared him as a child. “Do you think your father and I are stupid?”

He blinked. He hadn’t been expecting that and couldn’t see the reason behind it. That worried him. He was walking into a trap.

“No, of course not,” he answered, honestly.

“Then it will not surprise you if I say that we do know where it is you go in these waters.”

His blood turned to ice.

“We are all very well aware of your... interest in the surface. In humans and all their detritus.”

He opened his mouth to argue back but the expression on his mother’s face stopped him.

“We know you hunt out shipwrecks and follow boats along trade routes, searching the carcasses of their vessels for rubbish, hoping and waiting they might drop something valuable. We know how close you have got, Hoseok, to exposing yourself to the humans.”

He gulped. He knew he was in trouble. Probably a lot of trouble. He didn’t know what his punishment would be.

“We are not going to permit this any longer.”

That rankled. He was almost 21. An adult in any world. Permission? He found his voice.

“I wasn’t aware I needed permission to go anywhere.”

“You’re a prince, Hoseok, of course you need permission. And you no longer have it. So Sebastien will accompany you through your days for the time being, to ensure you do not go where you should not.”

“For the time being? How long is that exactly?”

His mother looked at him, impassive.

“For as long as your father and I tell him to.”

Then she swam away without bothering to say goodbye. Hoseok didn’t have any time to react before Sebastien was by his side.

“Good morning, my prince.”

Hoseok bit back a spiky retort and swam away, with Sebastien following at his fins. His mother couldn’t be serious. He was being chaperoned? It was an indignity. It was infantilising. It was entirely unnecessary. He flexed his hands into fists and out again, balling and stretching as he swam, as he carried on in his head the argument he wished he could have had with his mother. This would not do.

As he realised where he was swimming—with his new bodyguard—he stopped suddenly. He had been inadvertently leading Sebastien to his happy place, his treasure trove, the place where he kept all the so-called ‘human detritus’ he saved. He was sure his parents didn’t know about that and he didn’t want them finding out.

He swam away, ignoring Sebastien chatting idly at his side, and wondered just exactly what his parents knew. Had they seen him save that human woman? Had they seen how close he had come to being discovered? Is that what this was all about?

* * *

Hoseok looked miserable. Oh, he was smiling, and you were sure he was saying all the right things. But you knew. He was not enjoying his birthday party. There was nothing dazzling in his smile, no halo of light around his head. His laughter rang out, hollow and pitchy, not at all like the tumbling bells it usually was.

No, the prince was miserable. You were sure of it. You had noticed that he had been followed—was being followed—by one of the court’s highest-ranking aides; you saw him behind the prince at every turn, like a shadow, like a ghost. Maybe that was the problem.

You had been close as children, you and the prince, for a time. In that period when you were free, when society meant nothing to you, when prejudices and family feuds still hovered above your heads, out of reach. You had been friends and you felt it then, too, his brightness, his warmth. He didn’t care that the adults treated your family poorly; he did care that they treated you poorly. He didn’t know or care about what the adults said; neither did you. You were friends, the two of you, thick as thieves.

Then one day, all that hovered above you came tumbling down, pouring over you both like ice-water. It became more difficult then, to spend time together, to be friends. He never outright said it, broke up with you in a friend kind of way. You just ‘drifted apart’ because he was welcomed in where you were shunned; he was celebrated and everyone did their best to forget you ever existed.

You should have expected it. He was the prince, after all. And you were a sea witch. People said you were evil; the rumour had it that your whole family was. Matriarchal, and that was just the first problem. You had power. Your mother had had it. Your aunt. Their mother. The way you were told, it went back right to the very beginning. You were the latest in a very long line of very powerful witches.

It took you a long time to understand why that was used against you. You had power. Wasn’t that a good thing? You could do magic. You could achieve things no one else could. You could have made the entire sea a better place for everyone and everything living in it. But no one wanted your input; no one wanted to listen, to hear you. They wanted you to stay quiet. They wanted you to hide.

What boiled your blood was that you did. You stayed at the back, hid yourself away in a cave far from where the royal court lived: merpeople in coral towers and you, tangled in seaweed every time you so much as shook your head. You were older now and you knew full-well why they did it.

They were scared of you. They had always been scared of your family, but now, since the ‘tragic’ death of your mother, they were scared of you. Because you had a score to settle. Because you had a reason to hate them. You had vengeance on your mind.

Vengeance and Prince Hoseok.

Because no matter how much you hated it, no matter how much you didn’t want to want him, you did. You looked at him and your chest hurt with longing and your stomach roiled with hatred. How could it be that you could feel two things at once for the same person? You chose not to examine it these days. It had gone on too long and you were used to it. It felt like your natural state of being: hatred and love in equal measure. Fear and power.

No one had ever tested you. Not really. People came to you for silly little things like love potions and spells to make them smarter or charms to ward off hermit crabs from their gardens. No one wanted to see the full extent of your abilities. So you didn’t quite know what they were.

You toiled, testing yourself on little creatures, to see what you could do to them, how much you could transform them, how creative you could get. There had been a lot of failures at first, of course. So many. But then you started to succeed. And now you never failed. Everything you turned your hand to worked. Your mother had always said you were a natural and now you believed it, too.

You thought you could turn yourself into one of them if you wanted. Not that you did want. Never. Ever. You wouldn’t debase yourself, wouldn’t shame your ancestors with an attempt. But you could do it. That much you were confident of.

You were also confident of just how well you knew the prince. Better than he knew, you were sure. He probably didn’t realise quite what an open book he was to you. It was an open secret that he had a thing for life on the surface, but you saw so much more than that. He had never been able to hide from you: his enthusiasm, his wonder, his furtive glances around himself, the swift flick of his tail as he snuck between two large boulders, the fluidity and flexibility of his body the only things enabling him to sneak through. His little collection. Though ‘little’ wasn’t really the word for it, not anymore.

You had been to see it just once before. It was almost enough to impress you. His discoveries, his treasures, were displayed with such care, it almost touched you. These things, this tat, that he had found floating on the surface or buried in the seabed, he loved them. He treated them like something precious, not like the trash it so clearly was to the humans. It made your heart ache a little: his naivety, his innocence, his propensity for flights of fancy, his dreamy insistence on seeing the good in things, in people. In humans.

It was an open secret, this obsession of Hoseok’s, but it concerned his parents. Sure, he was only the youngest of seven sons—he wasn’t the heir—but he was still a prince. That made him valuable and important. It also meant he had to keep up appearances and it simply would not do to have a Prince of the Royal Court enamoured with... up there. So they had instructed one of their aides (a creeping, odious merman whom you avoided like the plague) to follow Hoseok around, to make sure he wasn’t getting himself into trouble.

Yes, you nodded to yourself, that was exactly what had happened.

*

Hoseok was getting sick of being followed around. It wasn’t even just that he couldn’t go to the surface; he couldn’t get a single minute of peace! Sebastien was always there and it was starting to grate quite uncomfortably.

He wasn’t enjoying the party and he was getting tired of pretending to enjoy it, so after taking a quick scan of the room, he turned tail and left. Sebastien followed, but Hoseok chose to ignore him.

“Leaving a party early?” you said lightly, as you caught him leaving the room. “Leaving your own party early? That’s not like you.”

His smile was a little tight when he flashed it your way.

“It’s only my party by technicality. No one will miss me.”

You merely raised your eyebrows slightly and raised one shoulder in a half-hearted shrug.

“I notice that you are also leaving,” he countered.

“Ah, once the host leaves, everyone else is free to go.”

His brow wrinkled a little and he scoffed.

“Don’t call me the host.”

“Careful,” you joked, “Sebastien here might tell your parents you’re being ungrateful. Look at all this opulence they prepared for you.”

He was about to spit something not entirely kind back at you before he realised that you were taking the piss. He rolled his eyes inwardly at himself. Of course you didn’t care. You never went in for this stuff anyway. He was surprised you had even shown up.

“I am being ungrateful. I would like them to stop looking out for me, stop doing things for me, stop-” he said, coming to such a sudden halt that Sebastien crashed into the back of him, “having me chaperoned like a child just because I like to swim a little farther than others.”

“I’m not sure it’s the distance they’re worried about.”

“Whatever. They just don’t get it. They think it’s dangerous.”

“What is?”

“The surface. Humanity. They think my collecting scraps from the seabed is somehow going to threaten all undersea life, trigger an apocalypse or something.”

“Ah.”

“They just don’t get it. They don’t get it. It’s not like I’m going to go up there and act like I’m human-”

“No? You could.”

He scoffed.

“Oh yeah, just go and flop around on the beach with my tail and my gills and everything. Great idea.”

“... You know I’m a fucking witch, right? I literally have the technology.”

Hoseok stopped suddenly again, looking at you, a little aghast, a little trepidatious. Then he laughed.

“Yeah, sure, one human coming right up!”

You laughed along with him, letting the subject drop, letting it be a joke. It had to be a joke with Sebastien listening in. But you were serious and you needed Hoseok to understand that you could do it. If he asked.

* * *

You thought about it more in the following days, as you watched the prince and his tormentor float around in the water. Hoseok couldn’t even blink without Sebastien there to watch him. You could feel his frustration, his impatience; you could see the dullness diminishing his shine; you could see the time it took for his lips to stretch into his signature heart-shaped smile expand—sometimes they barely made it at all. Was it the annoyance and inconvenience of having a chaperone in itself, or was he pining for a little adventure? Itching for a treasure hunt, fingers twitching to dig through sand and find something broken and useless to take back to his cave of wonders?

The whole sea knew. The prince was being monitored. The prince was being kept on a lead. A short one. There were whispers and gossip and speculation. The worst of these rumours was the one that told you his parents were doing this to get him ready for marriage. That he had been betrothed to a princess in the Caspian sea since before he had even existed and now they had both come of age, the marriage negotiations could begin in earnest.

That would not do. You could not have that.

Your own fingers were twitching; you were as frustrated as the prince, trying to work out a way to expedite this whole thing, to get things moving.

Someone’s hand would have to be forced, you realised. But whose? And to do what?

*

It hit you, quite suddenly, as you were drifting off to sleep one night. You had been picturing Hoseok amongst all his ‘objet d’art’: his happy face, his preening and polishing, his voice ringing out in a sweet, little tune—the one you liked to catch in your shells and store for later. It was obvious.

With each day that passed, the prince’s frustration grew. As did his misery and his little, daydreamy desires to experience life on the surface. With each day that passed, his parents were obliviously telling themselves that Hoseok was forgetting about it. He was integrating better with his peers, no longer always off on his own adventure; he was finally getting over this little ‘phase’.

It, actually, you thought to yourself as you caught the fleeting idea with a snatched hand, would work out quite nicely after all. You just had to be careful about tipping the scale.

*

Sebastien wasn’t stupid (you couldn’t get to his position if you were), but he wasn’t exactly sharp. You engaged him in a little idle chat while the prince was dining with his family. Commented on the prince’s interest in life ex-marina. Sebastien had responded a little too eagerly, sharing a little too much (not that he knew he was doing it—not sharp) so it was very easy for you to drop in that you had noticed the prince hadn’t been visiting his little shrine much recently. Sebastien played off his reaction so terribly that, even had you not been so perspicacious, it would have been clear he was bluffing, that you knew far more than he did and he was embarrassed by it. You shrugged, as if the conversation meant nothing to you, and glided away, certain that the seed had been planted.

All you had to do now was wait for it to sprout.

*

It took even less time than you expected. The sea over the next couple of days was a flurry of anxious activity. No official word had gone out, but something was happening and everyone knew it. Aides were everywhere, in every corner, under every rock, in every reef. The king and queen had an awful lot of staff at their disposal, so it wasn’t long before one of them turned up something very interesting indeed.

It was even quicker that the King stormed down to the prince’s little cave of wonders to give Hoseok what for.

You hung back and watched. Watched Hoseok’s face as it moved from dismay to anger, to fury. You had never heard him angry like that. It was thrilling. It was exciting. It was, you hated to admit it, sexy. He swam forward and you heard him confront his parents, heard his outrage.

But how his father roared. How he hovered above Hoseok, his youngest child, with a face like thunder. How his shouting rippled through the water, carrying it farther than you were sure he’d have wanted.

Hoseok put up a good fight, but he had no power. He wasn’t the heir; he had no leverage, not really. So, his father took his trident and destroyed everything. Even the very cave itself. It was rubble by the time he turned his back on his son and swam away. It was sand. Hoseok was left staring at what used to be his most prized possessions, his secret joy.

It almost hurt when you saw his face, his distress and despair. You watched him sink to the seabed and sob, then you turned around and swam away. You didn’t want to watch that. You didn’t need to. You just had to hope that it worked like you intended.

You slunk back to your cave—your presence having never been noticed—and waited for the prince to come to you.

*

Hoseok knew they were just things. He knew they were things most people would consider rubbish, garbage, trash, waste. But they weren’t rubbish to him. They were prizes. They were trophies. They were secrets. They were hints of another life, another way of living. They were like the key to a code. If he collected enough, maybe he would understand what life on the surface was like. Maybe once he had enough human things, he would be able to experience Personhood by proxy.

He had always known he would never go there. Could never go there. It just wasn’t done. Not even for a prince. Especially not for a prince. But his parents couldn’t order him to stop dreaming. So he dreamt and he collected and he treasured. He knew no one approved of what they called his ‘obsession’ with the surface. He didn’t care. They didn’t understand. They didn’t see what he could. They were so entrenched in their own, bigoted ideas that they couldn’t open their minds for a second to the possibility that maybe humans weren’t so bad. Maybe they had their problems, but they also had their wonders.

Even outside of his personal curiosity, he had always thought that some sort of treaty with the humans would be advantageous. They were lucky, in his sea, that the water was kept mostly clear, that oil spills only reached them as news. Their unfavourable interactions with humans were limited, but Hoseok knew that wasn’t the case elsewhere. He thought, if they could communicate with them, that maybe agreements could be reached. A relationship with the world on the surface could be mutually beneficial.

No one else saw it that way.

He sat on the sand and wept, cried, sobbed, for his secret little things that were no more. No longer secret and no longer there. He scooped up fragments of them in his hand and let them drift back down. He sifted through rocks and pebbles and sand to see if anything had been left intact, if anything was salvageable. But his father was thorough. And powerful. And there was nothing left.

* * *

The flurry of activity stopped and was replaced by an awkward tension. No one had seen the prince since the argument with the king. No one dared approach either king or queen, not even the other princes. People moved so slowly through the water, as if they were scared to cause too much of a ripple. The rhythm of everything had been upset.

For no one more than the prince. He lay on the sand next to what used to be his happy place for hours, until the sea grew dark and he should have been back at home with his family. The very thought made him sick. He couldn’t. Wouldn’t. The thought of seeing his parents again made bile rise in his throat. His blood boiled with an anguished kind of anger he had never experienced before.

Once he had stopped crying, he spent some time staring around in disbelief. He couldn’t believe that all his things were gone, but he also couldn’t believe that his father had done it. The royal family was a Happy Family, officially, but they were also usually happy in actual fact. Arguments were few. Discord uncommon. There had been little cause for friction amongst them in his life. He wasn’t used to this. He and his brothers fought as kids, but never seriously; no one ever tried to rebel in any meaningful kind of way. It was a peaceful kingdom and that peace started at the very top.

Or so it had been. Even that had been destroyed now. Peace was the very last thing on the prince’s mind. He was torn between his anger and his despair. He wanted to hurt his father, very badly. He wanted to show his father that he wouldn’t let this stop him, that not even the King could break him. He knew he was right about humans, about humanity. He would show him. He also wanted, with a kind of frenzied desperation, to set off over the oceans and retrieve a new artefact for each and every one that he’d just lost.

As time passed and the sun disappeared from overhead, his whirring mind, his racing heart, began to slow and a tiny spark of hope burst in him. There was a way, he had realised. Or, he thought there might be a way. There was a possibility. There might be a possibility. If anyone would have the answer, it would be you.

*

He called your name and it roused you from a mid-morning nap. You sauntered to the cave mouth and your face pulled into surprise at the sight of him.

“Prince Hoseok, what are you doing here?”

He looked a little hesitant, peering behind you at the darkness of the cave, wondering what lay back there, if all the rumours were true. He knew you. You had been close at one point. He knew you so this was fine. He could trust you; he knew he could. You weren’t going to hurt him. You weren’t like they said. Well, in one way, he hoped you were; he hoped you were every bit as powerful as people said because, lord knew, he was going to need some powerful magic. Powerful magic the likes of which could topple the royal family, people said. What care did he have for the royal family now?

 But, the evil part... He hoped that wasn’t true. You’d never given him cause to believe so before.

Still, waiting at the entrance to your home (your ‘lair’ as some called it and Hoseok was never sure if they were joking or not), he felt timid. Small. Not like a royal prince, but like a supplicant. Which, really, he supposed, he was.

“I’m here to ask you to do something for me.”

You couldn’t deny your intrigue. You gestured for him to follow you inside.

He did so slowly, his eyes darting around at all your shelves, full of stuff, fuller even than his own treasure trove had been. He couldn’t imagine what might be in all the containers, what secrets or tonics or poisons they might be holding. He had no idea what it was you did, really. You were the Sea Witch and that was bad enough for most people to never ask anything more... Until they needed you, of course. Hoseok had never needed you, not until now, so he had never paid your work much attention. You flew under the radar for the most part, which was entirely by design.

“Ok,” you said, as you perched yourself on a soft bed of anemones that Hoseok didn’t dare touch. “What can I do for you?”

He took a deep breath, a steeling breath.

“I want to be human.”

You pretended to be surprised, but that was exactly what you had been hoping for. Only an idiot would have been surprised by his request, especially given what had just happened.

“Human, huh? Finally pulling the trigger?”

He looked reluctant to say any more. You raised one eyebrow at him and held his gaze. He looked away.

“My parents don’t understand a thing. They don’t know anything about humans. I want to know. I have to know. They-... My parents can’t control me.”

You shrugged and nodded and caught the look of surprise on Hoseok’s face as you turned to gather some ingredients from the other side of the cave. He hadn’t thought it would be that easy.

It wouldn’t be.

You gathered the necessary items and tipped first one, then another, into the large conch you used for mixing spells.

“You... you can do it?” he asked and you chose not to be offended by the question.

“Of course I can.”

“You... will do it?”

“I will.”

The relieved smile on his face could have lit your cave for weeks. His teeth shone and his eyes sparkled as he laughed and clapped his hands. Victory.

“Thank you! I don’t know how I can repay you.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, sunshine. There are conditions to all this, you know.”

His face settled back into seriousness, his brow knitting above his eyes. He nodded fervently.

“Yes, of course. I understand. What do I need to do?”

You paused, leaning one hand on the edge of your giant shell and looked at him with a firm, fixed stare.

“You get three days,” you told him. “Three days as a human. You’ll be human before lunch, so noon on the third day will see you turning back as you are now.”

“Oh.”

His disappointment was palpable, but that worked to your advantage, too. You forced a light chuckle.

“I’m good, Hoseok, but I’m not that good.”

(You were, in fact, that good, but he didn’t need to know that).

“Of course! Yes, three days. That’s great.”

“There is a way you can stay longer than that, but it’s not in my power.”

“What does that mean?”

You pushed off the ledge and rounded the basin, coming to a stop in front of him. You didn’t miss the two inches that he scooted backwards away from you. At a different time, under different circumstances, this might have offended you, but you had a reputation; you could hardly blame him for his timidity. He had never seen you do anything like this before.

“You have to put down roots.”

“Right... What does that mean?”

“You have to find a human woman and plant a seed.”

Hoseok continued to look at you blankly, until you rolled your eyes.

“Fornicate. Copulate. Mate. Breed. Fuck.”

His eyebrows shot towards his hairline.

“Oh... Within three days?”

“Is that a problem?”

“No!” His answer was too quick and his blushes beetroot. He cleared his throat. “No, it’s fine, but... You said plant a seed. You mean... a child?”

“Mhmm.”

He blinked, his mind reeling. You gave him a second to process.

“How do I guarantee that? It has to be a child? There has to be... it has to...?”

You nodded.

“If you want to stay up there, you need some connection to it. You need a tether. Just how it works.”

“Oh, right...”

He was nodding, but he wasn’t looking at you. You could see his eyes were far away; he was thinking.

He was worrying. Would three days be enough? And bringing a child into this? Could he? Doubt was beginning to creep in at the sides, but he couldn’t let it. He had to see this through. It felt like his only chance. And you’d already said yes. You could do it. He could almost taste it, he was so close. He had to keep going. He could deal with the seed problem later; he could hardly think about putting down roots when he didn’t even have legs to stand on. First things first and the first thing was becoming a human.

“There’s also something else I need from you,” you told him.

“Anything.”

“I just need a little piece of you. In order to make this work, I need a little tether to you.”

“You need to tether to me? But doesn’t that keep me tied here?”

You liked it when they asked questions. You smiled, benignly, but your eyes glinted wickedly.

“It keeps you tethered to me, the one with the magic? The one who’s transforming you? We can skip that step if you like, but then the spell will do absolutely nothing.”

“Oh.”

He blinked and then nodded.

“Ok, makes sense. Yeah, ok, what do you need?”

“Come here.”

You beckoned him to your side and he obeyed quietly. You took his hand in yours and plunged it into the shell; then you placed your other hand on his chest.

“Hold still; this won’t hurt.”

“What are you taking?”

“Just a little bit of soul.”

He flinched and you had to tighten your fingers around his wrist to keep it there.

“Relax, you won’t even notice it missing. And keep still, I need to concentrate.”

You closed your eyes and tapped lightly on his chest with your fingers, looking for a tap. Once you found the spot, you dug your finger in a little harder, focused hard and turned it on. You channelled it through Hoseok’s arm and tipped it into the shell through his fingers.

You were right: it didn’t hurt. He felt a weird pulling sensation in his chest and then it dragged down his arm; it was a little uncomfortable, certainly something he’d never felt before, but it didn’t hurt exactly. He wanted to look and see what his soul looked like, pouring out, but he couldn’t bring himself to open his eyes.

His soul was sweet like nectar and it shimmered as it settled atop the other ingredients. You could feel its pulse, strong in Hoseok’s heart, its rhythm airy and delicate with a stable bass. You liked it. You liked it a lot. You could feel your own shimmer in response to it; you could feel your heart flutter when you let a little of him inside it. You bit your lip to stop a smile. Once you had what you needed for the spell, you siphoned off just a little extra for yourself. Nothing he would notice – you were always careful about that.

You held him there a minute longer, just absorbing, marinating a little. Sometimes this was the worst part of the job. Some people’s souls were vile, horrid, dark, acrid, smoking things; the taste they left in your mouth wouldn’t shift for days. This, though, was delectable. If you’d had another plan in mind, you might have taken more, maybe even all of it; you weren’t sure how you managed to stop yourself.

You shouldn’t have been surprised by its sweetness. It was Hoseok. He was like that. Of course his soul would be pure as sunlight itself. It was the lightest soul you’d ever held. Almost light enough to make you feel bad for doing all this.

Almost.

“Ok,” you began, letting him go and creating a little more space between you. “We’re done.”

Hoseok opened his eyes and looked down at his tail.

“We are?”

You laughed, not unkindly.

“Yes. You might want to start swimming while I finish this off. Surface is a long way up from here.”

“Oh. But... it’ll work? I’ll be...-”

“It’ll work. Trust me. And take this.”

You thrust a little package, wrapped in fisherman’s netting, into his hands.

“Now go on. Get.”

He nodded, first a little uncertainly, but, as if he was convincing himself, each bob of his head grew surer until he was turning around and swimming straight out of your cave and up, up, up.

You gave everything in the shell a swirl, a mix, let it coalesce, then you placed your hands on the bottom and forced heat through them, so much heat that the concoction boiled, the sea water steaming around you. It bubbled and it boiled until there was nothing left in the shell but a pearl. You picked up this pearl and placed it into a clam. You shut the clam over a cord and tied it around your neck. You were going to want to keep this one close.

*

Hoseok was swimming so hard he barely noticed it at first. Then his tail was tingling. Then it began to hurt. Hurt enough to slow him down, to almost stop him completely. It was a wrenching, tearing, searing kind of pain that made him cry out, that made dark spots dance in front of his eyes and his head feel light. He couldn’t quite tell if his tail was moving or not; there was blinding pain and very little else, but he knew he was getting close to the surface. He couldn’t stop now.

In the space of three kicks, his tail became two, and Hoseok was overwhelmed by the agony of saltwater in his wounds. He couldn’t stop, couldn’t look, couldn’t do anything but try not to die. Try not to drown. He kept kicking, kept pulling with his arms, but his fingers were no longer webbed and they didn’t grab the water like before.

Swimming as a human, it turned out, was every bit as inefficient as it looked. He tried to move his legs in tandem, to kick and flick like he did with his tail but they wouldn’t cooperate; they couldn’t bend like his tail could, didn’t have the flexibility. Every movement sent a fresh surge of pain racing through him and he was finding it hard to breathe through it.

And then he stopped being able to breathe at all. He clutched at his ribs with one hand, expecting to feel his gills, but there was nothing. He opened his mouth to gasp and his throat was full of salt water in a way that felt wrong, uncomfortable, painful. In a way that made him panic. His lungs were burning, his throat was burning, his legs were burning; everything, everything, felt like it was on fire.

His heart was humming, beating so fast it vibrated against his ribs. He couldn’t think clearly, coherently, at all. It was all just a screaming panic, shouting and squealing and howling for him to get out, get out, get out of the water.

When he finally broke clear of the sea’s surface, he choked and gasped and coughed up water. It stung in his eyes and the taste of salt was so strong, it made him gag. He looked about himself to find the nearest shore and saw none in sight. He knew where he was; he saw the sea, his underwater kingdom, in his mind and he knew how to find the nearest shore. He just had to get there.

*

He dragged himself out of the waves, spent. There wasn’t a single muscle in his body that wasn’t crying out; he had never found swimming difficult before. It had always been as easy as breathing, but that, too, was difficult as a human. He swallowed seawater that made him sick, accidentally breathed it in and choked, found his breathing growing laboured and heavy when he was still miles from shore.

He lay on the shingle beach for a while, waiting to feel something other than pain. Pain and heaviness. Every movement was an effort. Every movement took active thought, especially his legs. He pushed himself into a sitting position and turned his attention to the package you gave him. He unwrapped it and unfolded fabrics—soaked through, of course. Hoseok had seen people wear clothes in books before but he’d never seen any in real life. He wondered where on earth you got them from. He briefly wondered if he wanted to know.

And despite everything: the pain, the exhaustion, the fear, the dread that was starting to settle in his stomach as the adrenalin faded, Hoseok was excited. He had human garments in his hands. They were his and he was about to wear them. He was human.

Human.

*

The awe and wonder didn’t last long. The friction of the fabric against his skin was almost unbearable. Was his skin sensitive or were the fabrics rough? He couldn’t tell but he could feel each tiny swish, each brush against him as he moved, with every swing of his arm and every step of his feet. It felt like the top layer of his skin was being slowly rubbed away, his soft, supple skin becoming red and raw and oh so sensitive.

The steps hurt, too. The shingle under his feet felt almost pleasant compared to the torching pain he felt in his legs. Like they were being cut open every time, like he was splitting his tail over and over and over again, the torture wouldn’t end.

He felt so heavy. Leaden. Like he barely had the energy to lift his feet at all. He put this down to the swim, the physical trauma, the lack of sleep he’d had that night. But he’d never felt the weight of his body so heavily before. In the water, he floated. The water kept him buoyed; the water supported him, carried him; he moved through it like he weighed nothing at all. On land, he felt no support. On the contrary, he felt as if the air itself were pushing him down, keeping him stuck to the ground, as if it didn’t want him to move anywhere.

It wasn’t at all like he had expected. He wished you had warned him about the pain. He wished he had known a little more before walking into this – literally walking! He was walking! On two feet! It was agony.

Trying to keep his head straight, he knew the first thing he should do was find food. He’d swum so far, he needed something. His stomach was gurgling in an angry, acidic roil that made him feel faint (or maybe that was the pain or the exertion or the atmosphere or or or). He was lucky that this beach was narrow and the town close. The shingle quickly gave way to grass, which was only slightly soothing on Hoseok’s feet, and then the grass gave way to paving.

He followed the path in the only direction it went and it wasn’t long before he found people. Humans. So many of them. He stood, stock still, watching them. It was overwhelming. The sights and sounds and smells of them. There was food grilling, and children laughing, and market hawkers soliciting, and Hoseok had no idea which way to turn. He could barely think at all. He needed-

He didn’t know what. A rest. A break. To sit down? He walked to the nearest chair – a metal frame with metal seat, next to a metal table – and sat; the chair scraped backwards slightly and the scratch of it on the ground brought a man out from the cafe the chair was sitting in front of.

“Hey, you can’t sit there!” the man called, looking none too happy. “Customers only! Those chairs are for customers only!”

“Oh, oh ok,” Hoseok spluttered. “I can be a customer. I can buy, uh-”

“No! We’re not open yet! No service!”

Hoseok thought then that it should be fine for him to sit down if they weren’t open, if there were no customers yet, but the man continued to shout, to shoo him off, so Hoseok stood and moved away. He would just have to try again a little further down the road.

That cafe might not have been open, but there were market stalls with edible wares already cooked and out for consumption. He took a skewer proffered by a weathered old lady and ate it gratefully, even though it was dry and hard to chew. She then held her hand out expectantly and it was at that moment, Hoseok realised he had nothing to trade. What could he offer? He considered the neat, net package that you had provided his clothes in and brought it out of his pocket. He tried to hand it over but the woman started cursing at him in a language he didn’t understand. He backed away from her aggression and this was clearly the wrong move. She grabbed a large metal spoon and came around the side of her table, raising it above her head.

Hoseok ran. He hadn’t known he could run. Would have claimed not to be able to if you’d asked him to at that moment, but the panic set him going and his feet stomped, painful step after painful step, until he was, once more, breathing heavy and laboured, a sharp pain between his ribs stabbing him with every inhale.

This was going to be harder than he thought.

*

He eventually sat at the side of the road, wondering how he was supposed to navigate this world he clearly knew nothing about. He had been arrogant in the sea. He thought he knew everything there was to know about humans. He had learnt about their culture, he thought; he had studied their ways of life, he thought. It was nothing compared to the real experience of being here. Nothing was how he expected. He was woefully unprepared.

Tears pricked in his eyes and he tried to keep them at bay because he had wanted this. He had asked for it. And you had done it for him. Hoseok realised with a shock just exactly what position this had put you in. The prince was nowhere to be found. He hadn’t told anyone what he was doing. The only person who knew was you. If they found that out, lord knew what kind of trouble you’d be in. They’d have your head if they thought you had brought him to any harm.

But you’d been willing. Supportive even. So he had to make this work. He had to make it worth it. For him. For you. He would make it work and he would return to the sea to explain everything: to show what he had achieved on the surface, to prove to everyone that humans weren’t like they all said. To prove that you had been the truest, kindest and most loyal friend he had. That you had given him all of it. That you weren’t like they all said, either.

He blew out a deep breath. There was a lot riding on this.

He knew he would eventually need somewhere to sleep, somewhere safe. He walked back towards the centre of the market and found a nice-looking woman selling necklaces.

“Excuse me,” he began, warily. “I need somewhere to stay.”

Her friendly smile faltered a little, frozen on her face as she tried to parse his words.

“Ok?” she finally returned.

“Can you tell me where I can... Is there somewhere I can sleep?”

“Uh,” she said, her face twisting into a kind of confusion that Hoseok felt he was being judged by. “I mean, you can get a hotel or something?”

“Ok, where do I get one?”

The woman looked around her, to see if anyone else was really hearing this. She shrugged.

“There are kind of a lot around. Take your pick. There’s one right there.”

She pointed over Hoseok’s shoulder at a white, stone building, and Hoseok’s smile was all the bigger for the relief he felt.

“Thank you!” he called, already making his way towards the hotel.

But things continued to be difficult. He didn’t have a ‘credit card’ for the hotel staff to ‘hold’. He didn’t know what that meant. They told him he couldn’t have a room if he had no method of payment. He tried to offer something else; he was a good swimmer, he said; he could dive for pearls? The two staff behind the reception desk gave each other the same look the woman on the stall had given him. They explained that they only took cash or credit. He didn’t have either of those two things.

He left the building and sat by the road, because there was nothing else he could do.

He tried so hard not to let doubt creep in, not to feel despair, not to start desperately wishing he had thought about this a little longer. He tried to remember things he’d learnt about the human world – things that would help him. But it was already so different here from what he had expected.

The stories he had grown up hearing about human interactions with his kind were awful; humans were brutal and cruel and hunted merpeople for sport. That kind of thing. But he thought they were kind to each other. They had a society. They governed each other: elected officials who were entrusted with their cities and countries. They made art and sang songs and raised animals whom they kept for companionship, rather than labour. Humans were resilient and tough and brave, social creatures. They came together in crisis and performed heroic feats to help others out of danger. Those were the humans he had imagined.

The ones he had experienced so far were not like that at all. Maybe they knew, he thought; maybe they could tell already somehow that he wasn’t one of them. He was different. He hadn’t even been a human for a day yet. Maybe he was doing things wrong. He was sure he wasn’t walking right—the pain made it impossible. He had shown up from the beach in clothes that had barely dried, were caked in salt. His hair was stiff and tangled with it, too. His face felt tight and rough. Maybe they were right to mistrust him.

But how could he fix it? What could he do?

He couldn’t stay there, sitting on the ground. People walking past were looking at him; it made him nervous. No one had been able to show him any generosity or kindness and the darkness of night was starting to cover everything. There were artificial lights hanging from every door, a warm glow from every window that served only to bathe the shadows in a dim, greyish light. Nothing was black, as it was in the deep ocean, but it was all muted, hard to make out, indeterminate. Scarier.

He had to get out of sight. He had to find somewhere safe that he could stay for the night. That was the most important thing.

As hot as it had been when he first arrived on the surface, he could feel the chill now. There was something naked about being out in the air, with no water surrounding him, enveloping him. Even through the fabric of his clothes (which still scored his skin with every movement), he felt the air move, felt it stiffen his skin and raise the downy hairs there. He needed shelter. He needed to be far away from people, for now. He needed to be sure that, if what the merpeople said was true, he would not come to harm this night.

It was with a heavy, sinking heart that he made his way back to the beach. He fell upon the shingle and didn’t even have the energy to cry out, to sob like he wanted to. He had never experienced pain or exhaustion like this. He had never felt so out of place—not just in this world, but in this body. Did all humans feel like this? Heavy and sore and stiff, with the world pushing down on you? His legs were still screaming; they were as unblemished and unmarked as they had been when he’d first checked them twelve hours ago, but the pain was so convincing, he thought he would look down and see his tail, mutilated, bloody, split in two just like he’d asked. 

He made his way very slowly, very carefully, to the end of the beach and the edge of the shore. With the cliffside to his right, there was protection from wind, at least, and it was deserted of people. He shuffled forward and sat with his legs straight out, letting the waves wash over his feet.

That was when he cried. He cried with abandon, without thought, without hope, with an aching, broken heart. He couldn’t quite believe that it was happening this way, that all of his dreams were crumbling in front of his eyes. He wouldn’t believe it; there was good in this world and he was determined to find it, but he had never felt so out of his depth. He had no idea what to do. He had no one, nowhere, nothing.

He looked at the waves as they splashed over his feet (feet!) and he imagined sinking into them, imagined them encroaching further and further onto the shore until he was swallowed up by them, swimming, drowning. Could he drown? He was human now and humans could drown, but he was really a mermaid... Would the magic revert? He remembered what you had said about keeping a tether to him; would you know if he were drowning? Could you see him now, pathetic and weeping?

You could. With his pearl at the bottom of your basin, you could conjure up his image and watch his drama play out in the rippling water.

But the sight didn’t bring you much joy. You worried that you had overestimated him, overestimated the humans. You had spent time on the surface but it was still a foreign world; you didn’t know everything. Maybe you should have prepared him a little more, lent him a little of your human currency. You had expected his grace and charm to carry him at least through the first night but he was a different person now. Well, he was a person, not a merman anymore. He was literally out of his element. A fish out of water.

You chuckled to yourself at that one. Then you frowned and rested your chin on your palm, pondering ways that you could make this work if he couldn’t do it on his own. You fingered the clamshell on your necklace and an idea started to form.

It could work. It wasn’t how you had envisaged this whole thing going but... It could work.

With a sigh, you placed the pearl safely back in its clam and floated off to your inventory: a powder there, some shellfish here, gathering together everything needed for yet another expensive spell.

If you need something doing, you thought to yourself ruefully, you’ve got to do it yourself.

* * *

Hoseok was starting to shiver on the shore—something that he had never experienced before and something he would be quite happy to not experience again. The way his muscles trembled and his skin hurt, still raw from the fabric, but bumpy now with goosebumps that made the friction all the worse. He took his feet out of the water and asked himself forlornly what on earth he should do, but he had no answer.

He scanned the horizon out to sea and saw nothing but washed-out darkness looking back at him. He scanned the beach and the land and his attention was caught by a light, wobbling in the darkness and growing larger. It was only when the person holding the lantern stepped foot on the beach that he could see there was a person behind it at all. If he had been less tired, less sad, less hungry, he might have worried, or he might have rallied and put his best foot (foot!) forward, or he might have hidden. But he could do none of those things. He sat and watched a young woman approach.

“Goodness, are you alright?” she asked, when he was close enough to see her form but not her face.

She wore the same thin shoes that a lot of people in the town had been wearing, barely covering her feet, and long, flowing fabric danced on the shingle above them. He could just about make out her light hair and her petite height, but the rest of her remained a mystery.

“I’m fine, thank you,” Hoseok replied, knowing that he was lying but not knowing if she would see that.

“Are you sure?” she queried. “It’s not safe to be out on the beach alone at night like this. I saw you sitting here and I thought you might be in trouble.”

A glimmer of hope flicked in Hoseok’s heart. Could it finally be: a human who was like he had always dreamt humans would be? Kind? Generous? Could he tell her? Could he share his woes? Would she ease his mind? Was this what he had been waiting for?

He decided he had no choice because his only other options were to drown in the sea or starve on this beach.

“I am in trouble,” he began. “I have nowhere to stay, no food, no money. I have nothing. I don’t know what to do.”

He tried to stop his voice cracking, but it cracked of its own volition. He didn’t want to be pitied; he just needed to be helped. But beggars can’t be choosers, he reminded himself.

“None at all?”

You took a couple of steps towards him, still not close enough that he could see your features clearly, but enough to suggest trust, to suggest comfort.

He shook his head in return.

“You should come with me.”

You could see the surprise on his face, the hope that lit it, the worry that creased his brow.

“Just for tonight,” you continued. “I can give you a bed so you can rest. You really shouldn’t stay out here all night.”

Hoseok rose to his feet, biting hard on his bottom lip to stop himself crying out as the pain surged once more.

“It’s not far,” you said, before turning back the way you had come.

Hoseok followed your lantern, back up the beach, down the path, and into the town. You led him into a narrow alley with a single door at the end. It was this door that you opened with a quiet creak, then you led him inside and up a single flight of steps.

“It’s not much,” you said, attempting to sound somewhat apologetic as you opened the door to the apartment.

It was sparsely decorated and the linens were grey in a way that suggested they hadn’t always been. The lightbulb in the ceiling was naked and dim. The plant on the windowsill looked crisp and parched.

You lived comfortably underwater, despite your status as social pariah, because people wanted your little potions and spells and you could charge through the nose for them. On land, it was more difficult. Humans weren’t interested in trading for things; they wanted cash and nothing but. That made it more difficult to be comfortable here. But you had shelter and food and that was more than the prince had.

Hoseok was nervous. He hadn’t known what to expect but somehow, this wasn’t it. He had heard of the way humans warred with one another, the way they oppressed and exploited other classes, the way most of them starved whilst the few indulged. This was so much more mundane. Nondescript. Boring. Homely.

He took a look at the woman now that he could see her properly in the cold light of the apartment. She was beautiful. Not unlike the woman he had rescued from the beach, he realised. Dark skin that somehow shimmered, golden hair that almost looked like a halo with the way it reflected light. Her eyes were dark, too, deep and rich and warm. She felt familiar to him, somehow, but he couldn’t pinpoint why. He knew she wasn’t the same woman from the beach, not quite, but there was something about her that he felt he knew, had seen before. It comforted him, quieted his nerves a little.

“I don’t have much to offer,” you interrupted his thoughts with a shy chuckle. “But it’s better than sleeping outside.”

“This is wonderful. I can’t thank you enough for doing this for me. It has been a difficult day and you are the first person who’s shown me any kindness. I don’t know how I can repay you for that.”

You giggled and it sounded like chimes.

“You don’t have to repay me. Pay it forward; if you help someone like I’m helping you, that will be enough.”

Hoseok wondered for a second if he had fallen asleep on the beach and was dreaming this. Because this woman, she was everything he had dreamt; she was what he had been hoping for. The flicker of hope in his chest grew into a flame and he shivered as a warmth rushed through him.

“Would you like something to eat?” you offered and Hoseok jumped at the chance.

You gave him bread and cheese and watched him eat them, at first tentatively, and then with great gusto. Of course, he had never tried these things before, never eaten human food. You placed some fruit on the small coffee table he was eating at and he devoured that, too. His eyes widened as he bit into a pear, ripe and juicy, sticky sweet nectar dribbling down his chin. He hummed with delight and you saw the sparkle return to his eyes.

You knew what you were there to do but you were enjoying this moment. This was the Prince Hoseok you knew; this was how he should be: bright and smiling, his crescent-moon eyes alight with laughter. You sat next to him and picked at some food, too, not really tasting it because the sweetness of the moment was far too strong.

Hoseok only stopped eating when you stopped giving him food, when you only had enough left for a small breakfast in the morning and nothing else. He sat back, resting on his palms, and sighed happily.

“That was the most amazing meal I’ve ever had!” he exclaimed and you laughed.

“You are very easily impressed. There are far more exciting things to eat here; I simply cannot afford them all.”

He shook his head.

“Not at all. That was wonderful. Thank you so much.”

With his stomach finally full, his fatigue hit him full in the face and he yawned widely, a quiet wail escaping his throat.

“You must be exhausted. Please, take the bed. I can sleep on the sofa,” you said, gesturing towards the bed that sat against one wall.

Hoseok thought the bed looked huge and the sofa, small. He thought about what the right thing to do would be. He couldn’t sleep in the bed. It wouldn’t be right, would it? But he was so tired and in so much pain. He looked at the bed longingly, imagining himself stretching out over its surface, letting it take his weight. He imagined it feeling like water, like being carried on the waves, weightless. He looked at the sofa.

“Please,” you repeated. “Take the bed.”

Every manner, every point of order, every etiquette lesson was screaming at him to say no, to refuse, to offer to sleep anywhere but the bed. To not inconvenience you, to not put you out, to not cost you even more than he already had, to not trespass any further onto your kindness. But sleep was calling, louder and more insistent. His wrecked, ravaged body was screaming.

He nodded shyly and offered a quiet thanks before rising and slipping, sore and worn, beneath the sheets. He was asleep before he even had the chance to notice the way the bed fabric, too, brushed rough against his exposed skin.

You watched him. He looked peaceful; his face smoothed of any worries or concerns. He made a fine human, you thought. He was tall and lean and, despite the pain you knew he was suffering, he didn’t let it show: he’d walked straight and held himself high. Royal blood, you assumed.

You wondered how much you would have to engineer this to ensure success. Despite all you knew about the prince (and you knew a lot), this was a blind spot. He had hesitated when you told him of his conditions; the idea of a child had alarmed him. Maybe he would decide he didn’t want to stay human after all.

There were two and a half days left. That was plenty of time, you decided. You wouldn’t push; he was too delicate for that, especially after his first day’s misery. You would cushion his fall, pick him up carefully, and slowly show him both what the human world was really like and what it could be like with you. You would delight him and impress him and he would give himself to you. He would. You were sure of it. He would fall into the world that you would show him and he would give himself to you, body and soul.

You fingered the clamshell still tied around your neck. It held the pearl you created when you turned Hoseok into a human. It now also held the pearl you created when you turned yourself into one.

* * *

The thing about royalty, the thing about the privileged, who’ve never really experienced hardship, for whom doors have always been opened, is that they are resiliently optimistic folk. Everything has always gone their way; naturally, they assume it always will. Even now, after everything that happened to him yesterday, Prince Hoseok was beaming. He was enamoured. He was full of awe and wonder. He was experiencing the human world as he thought it would be.

Because of you.

It was taking a lot out of you, truth be told, because you didn’t have the riches you needed to show him a human experience comparable to his underwater life. He wasn’t a royal here; he wasn’t anyone at all. Doors didn’t open for him and they didn’t open for you. But Hoseok had his charm and you had charms of a very different sort. So you were making it work, but your nerves were rising; with every bit you put in, you told yourself you had better pull this off. You had better seal the deal, make good on this bargain you had made with yourself, see through to the end the promise you swore to your dead mother and her dead mother and all the dead mothers back until time began.

It was your biggest show. It was your hardest work. Your magnum opus.

Or it would be. If—if you could do it.

Hoseok couldn’t let on that this was his first time on the surface; he couldn’t tell you he was really a merman, that a seawitch had transfigured him, that his legs were really a tail. It was too risky, too dangerous. But he kept forgetting that that meant he had to try to hide his enthusiasm, his surprise. Everything here was new to him. Everything here was fascinating and wonderful and intriguing and he could barely contain himself.

He had no backstory. He had no lies to tell. And he hadn’t noticed that you hadn’t asked. But it was dawning on him that, if he were to have a life here, he would have to think of something to tell people about where he came from. But he didn’t have the time, right now, to think of it. There was far too much to attend to. Too much to see, too much to do.

It would have been overwhelming were it not for you. If he’d had to continue doing this alone... well, he wouldn’t have. Couldn’t have. If you hadn’t found him on the beach last night, where would he be? Sinking beneath the waves? Starving on the shore? You had lifted him up and now you were carrying him along, tethering him to the earth, providing him a guiding string to hold. He had never been so grateful for anyone in his life.

Not even the sea witch.

“What do you say?” you asked him, shortly before sunset on that second day.

Hoseok tried to think, but it didn’t really matter to him and he was so overstimulated, he couldn’t have made a decision if he’d wanted to. He shrugged.

“I’m happy to go wherever you like!”

“Hungry yet?”

He shook his head. He had sampled one of everything at the market after lunch and had to spend half an hour sitting quietly so that it wouldn’t make a return journey up his throat. He was still very far from hungry.

That was exactly the answer you were hoping for.

You led him away from town, towards the west where the land rose in a grassy slope, steep and getting steeper, until you reached the top of the cliff. You walked up to the edge and turned to see Hoseok hanging back, looking nervous.

“Scared of heights?”

Hoseok didn’t know. He had never really experienced ‘heights’, wasn’t quite sure what that meant. But the wind was stronger up here and he knew, without having to look, that the sea was a very long way down. It couldn’t be dangerous if you were doing it, he reasoned, but he’d heard too many stories of humans falling to their deaths from cliffs like these – sometimes deliberately, but often not.

You held your hand out to him and his stretched back before he’d even noticed and he inched forward until you could take it and tug him a little further and a little further still. His heart was in his mouth as he craned his neck to peer down into the foaming waves as they crashed and broke against the rock face. You didn’t let go of his hand.

“It’s very high,” he stated unsurely, not knowing if it was really.

It felt high. It looked high to him. But, in a way, everything was high. The sea had depth, not height. It wasn’t the same thing. He might have wagered that it would be, before now, but looking down to the sandy seabed from high above it was very different from looking down at the sea from the cliff edge. Something to do with the environment maybe.

Maybe the fact that he couldn’t fall off the sea and plummet to his death. Maybe that. He’d never been in mortal danger; the sea was a safe place for him and he had all the protection he might have wanted (more than he wanted, actually); he hadn’t really appreciated it until yesterday, when he had nothing and no one.

Now, he had you.

It had occurred to him. The condition of his staying a human. The three days he had to plant a seed. It kept occurring to him. It wouldn’t stop occurring to him. Not when you smiled, not when you showed him yet another wonder, not when you took his hand in your own. He wasn’t sure if he could do it. For a start, he wasn’t completely sure how all that worked with human bodies. For another, he didn’t know if you would want to. He didn’t know what human culture dictated.

You were beautiful. About that, he had no doubt. Was he attracted to you? Yes, he had decided he was. Did he trust you? Yes, as much as he could trust someone he’d just met; as much as he could trust a human. Did you feel the same way? That was a mystery he didn’t know how to solve. You had stretched out your hand to him; you had paid for him to be fed; you had let him sleep in your bed; you had taken him into your home. It suggested something, but he didn’t know what.

Just as it had the day before, his ignorance alarmed him. His recklessness in coming still surprised him. The weight of his deadline pressed down on him and he shuddered, involuntarily.

He looked concerned, you thought, distracted. You could tell he didn’t really like being so high above the sea; you wondered if it were a merman thing or a Hoseok thing. Being neither, you couldn’t know. You took pity on him and led him back down the cliffside, keeping his hand in yours as long as he would let you.

You assumed you would have to lead, that he wouldn’t take charge of the situation—judging by what you had seen so far. You mulled it over as you wandered slowly back into town. He had never really had to work for it, you supposed. He was a prince. And beautiful. And charming. And kind. He had everything going for him, which meant he had the entire sea throwing themselves at his feet, desperate to be picked. He probably didn’t know the first thing about seduction, about attraction—not really, anyway. It struck you then that there was every chance he’d be a really bad lay. There was every chance you would be, having never done it as a human before, but that was besides the point. The idea of Hoseok disappointing you left a sour taste in your mouth but you ignored it; that was not what you were there for. Good or bad didn’t matter. There was one objective and one only. Your own pleasure, your own, secret, little goals were neither here nor there. You had to stay focused.

Because it wasn’t going to be easy. You knew that. That was half the reason you hadn’t planned to do it yourself anyway (or so you told yourself...). It was going to be harder for you than some random stranger. You knew that. It was going to be horrible, you knew, looking into his eyes when he learnt the truth, when he saw you—the real you—for the first time on land. You could picture it: the shock and betrayal, the fear and hurt. It gave you pause. Because you hated him, hated who he was and what he stood for and everything about the systems and society of the place you both lived. But you also loved him, loved his smile and his eyes, his heart and his soul. You wanted him to be yours forever. You wanted him to choose you. He never would. Not really. If he knew you were here, if he knew the human holding his hand was really the sea witch who’d sent him up there, he wouldn’t choose you.

The shocked, betrayed face. The frightened, hurt expression. You sighed heavily, without meaning to.

“Are you ok?” Hoseok asked, his head tilting to the side.

You smiled brightly back at him.

“Of course! Just starting to get a bit peckish. Shall we eat something?”

Hoseok wasn’t really hungry. The market food was still solid in his stomach. But if you wanted to eat, he’d eat. He’d do anything you asked. He owed you everything.

More, in fact, than he knew.

* * *

You’d been distracted through dinner, which had been fine because, without the food to focus on (Hoseok barely ate), he could look around at everything else. He could fire questions at you (questions that were far too revealing—not that he noticed) and comment on his surroundings and commentate with barely any input required. That meant you could contemplate your task. You’d had to rush into this whole thing, take the reins with very little notice at all. This was not how you usually operated.

You were meticulous and organised because you had to be. Always on your guard because you had to be. Everything you did came with its own audit trail because you couldn’t afford to make mistakes. You had seen what that had done to your mother at far too young an age. Not that she actually made the mistake. But when you don’t have the proof of every action you’ve taken and word you’ve said, they can make it look like you did whatever they say you did.

You ate slowly, not really tasting, not really savouring. Your mind was busy, calculating. You had a day and a half left. 36 hours, give or take. There would be another night after this one. You didn’t relish the idea of leaving it until the last minute, but you could spoil the whole thing entirely if you pushed too hard, too fast. So you decided to wait.

*

Hoseok was determined, this time, to do the right thing and let you sleep in your own bed. He was embarrassed at the way he had behaved the night before: how greedily he’d eaten, how quickly he had relegated you to the sofa. It made him cringe. And then you had spent the whole day playing hostess to him: showing him around, paying for everything, keeping him company, and answering his questions.

His debt to you was beyond belief. He knew he should leave. He knew he should make his own way. He knew he could not rely on you – not even for the rest of his three days, if that was all he would have. He had to find a way to survive independently. He knew that. He had to pay you back. He had to make things right.

“I’ll sleep on the sofa tonight,” he announced when you returned back to your shabby apartment.

You pretended to be surprised.

“Oh, no,” you replied, “not at all. Take the bed! It’s fine. I don’t mind.”

“No way. It’s your bed. I slept on it last night when I really shouldn’t have. Please. Take it.”

You shook your head, scrunching your nose and grinning stubbornly at him.

“No. You.”

He sighed, but the corners of his lips twitched anyway.

“We may have reached a stalemate,” he announced, with solemn mock-seriousness.

You hummed, thoughtfully, running a finger along the bottom of the bed as you stepped closer to him.

“A compromise, then,” you said, poking a finger into his chest.

“And what is your compromise?”

“Well…”

You weren’t shy. Not when you were being yourself and not when you were pretending to be a human. But you were good at acting like it. You looked down and then up at him through your lashes, a small, reluctant smile traced on your lips.

“We could… share?”

You raised a hand to your face, covering your mouth, looking at Hoseok and then away and then back to him, eyelashes fluttering.

The genuine surprise on his face gave you butterflies. You could see his hesitation, watch his mind weigh his options, calculate the costs and benefits of each. He knew too little to have anything to guide him. Anything but you. And you had suggested it.

So it had to be ok, right?

“Share?” he asked, buying himself another moment to think it over, to consider what all this might mean in relation to the condition he had to meet.

You nodded, lip trapped between your teeth.

“Ok!” he answered brightly, hoping it was the right response, and inwardly breathing a sigh of relief when you beamed back at him.

It would be easy to love you, he thought and the sentiment caught him off-guard. He had to be realistic about human life. He wasn’t a prince here. He had nothing. But when he looked at you, he felt rich. He felt like his dream was within his grasp. You were everything he had ever hoped for. He could stay here forever with you, couldn’t he?

He wasn’t going to do anything tonight. Ask or proposition or… or god knew what else. It was too soon. Too early. There was still time. He told himself, there was still time. Still time for him to wake up from this dream he’d fallen into when he met you. Still time to commit to it forever.

You took the left side and Hoseok the right. You curled onto your side, facing him, with the covers pulled up to your eyes. He lay on his back, moonlight from the open shutter illuminating his face in a sharp line that crossed him and left you in the dark.

You watched him for a while: not sleeping, though he had his eyes closed.

“Hoseok,” you whispered. “Where are you from?”

His eyes opened and went to the window.

“Somewhere… close but also very far away.”

“You mean like, culturally?”

You saw him nod.

“Yeah. Where I come from is… very different. More different than I thought.”

“How come you came here?”

He shook his head, eyes trained on the ceiling.

“I had to,” was his simple answer and you let it hang there in the darkness, waiting for him to add to it. “I think I could have stayed, but I’d have got old and I would have looked back and I’d have regretted it. I’d have regretted staying there my whole life. I’d have regretted not seeing everything this wo- this place has to offer. I needed to experience it.”

“Do you like it here?”

He let the question go unanswered for some time. So long that he wondered, after he’d spoken, if you’d fallen asleep in the interim.

“I like some of it. I like you.”

It made your stomach swoop. Even if he wasn’t talking about you. Just the human you were pretending to be. You wondered how a real human woman would have responded to that.

You changed the subject.

“I thought I was seeing things when I first noticed you on the beach.”

A slow smile formed itself on Hoseok’s lips.

“You were… You saw me.”

You reached out and poked his arm.

“I didn’t want to go home not knowing you were ok. If I’d woken up in the morning to a news story about… well, I couldn’t have lived with myself. I realised, as I approached, that you weren’t really in danger. You looked like you were waiting for something. Someone.”

His smile turned rueful and his eyes flicked again to the window, outside of which you could hear but not see the waves crashing on the shore.

“I was,” he said, his voice a low whisper. Then he turned his face away from the light to look directly at you. “I was waiting for a miracle.”

* * *

You no longer had any concerns about the success of your plan. You had no doubt that Hoseok would go along with anything you wanted to drag him into. You didn’t know if he knew what his feelings were, but you did.

It was your own feelings that concerned you.

You hadn’t spent time with Hoseok like this since you were much younger. He was addictive. His smiles and his laughter and the way his eyes gleamed bright all the while. You could feel your resolve crumble and you knew it was bad when you realised it didn’t bother you.

You began to try to re-think things. Reformulate. Work out a way that maybe there could be a future, after all.

Originally, this was where it stopped. This was where your scheming—and your life—would end. You felt the guilt of having had no children: no one to pass your powers and your knowledge down to; you also felt free because you had subjected no one else to a life like yours. It was a heavy burden to be who you were down in the water. But it wouldn’t have mattered much once you were dead, which you were certain you would be at the end of all this. You can’t just ‘kidnap’ the prince, ‘mutilate’, and ‘trap’ him and live to tell the tale. Many had died for less. And you were fine with that. You were living to avenge every woman in your family, every witch, every creature under the sea who lived shunted into shadows, left out of the light, less than. Had been for years.

And for years, your only source of light, the single little gemstone glittering in your heart, was Prince Hoseok. Prince Hoseok and his angelic face, his musical laughter, his charm, his lightness, his brightness, his everything you weren’t and could never be.

You would get to destroy it all in one fell swoop. A beautiful, perfect demise.

Now you weren’t so sure. Weren’t so sure you could do it. You could do it; you weren’t sure you could go through with it. These feelings that you thought you were so used to, not controlled by, not swayed by anymore, were threatening to overpower you. You felt the tendrils unfurl, in the deepest pit of your heart, sending out shoots and roots, embedding themselves further into the bitter, twisted muscle. You could feel them growing through your veins, buds springing up like goosebumps on your skin. You felt them every time his hand accidentally brushed yours, every time you fed him some new food and barely grazed his lips with your fingers. Every time he laughed. Every time he looked at you. Every time. All the time.

Hoseok allowed himself to relax. You liked his company. You wanted him around. He hadn’t tried that hard to leave you—because he had no one and nothing and nowhere else, but also because he recognised that you wanted him to stay. He had realised that, whilst so much was different up on the surface, he was the same. And people liked him. Always had. Yes, he was a prince and there was always a contingent of the sycophantic and the boot-licking, but he had always been well-liked, even amongst his brothers, amongst the entire royal court. He was popular. He was fun. He was funny.

And he was enjoying himself.

He had twenty-four hours. That was enough. He’d make a decision. He was confident in that. He would make a decision soon and he would live with it, whatever it ended up being. He wasn’t pushing himself to find the answer just yet.

He was enjoying himself.

You took him dancing. It felt risky, given what you knew about how much pain he must still be in, how uncoordinated he might be on his two feet, but it was an opportunity to get closer, to show him something new, to show him something you could do. Because you loved to dance. Really only came to the surface to do this one thing.

Certain sea creatures danced, but not like humans did. It wasn’t the same without the sound of feet on floorboards, wasn’t the same without the weight of gravity trying to keep you down every time you pushed up. You weren’t exactly a fan of humans (certainly not in the way Hoseok was), but they had got this right.

Your worries had been unfounded. Hoseok’s legs were feeling better already, he thought, or he was just getting used to the pain. Either way, he wasn’t suffering like he had on the first day. He was a terrible dancer, make no mistake. He couldn’t understand the way people moved their legs, the way their feet moved so quickly they were almost blurs. He tripped and stumbled and crashed about but none of that seemed to matter to you, so it didn’t matter to him either. You held him close and pulled him up and around and twisted and turned and skipped and span until his head was dizzy.

He had never experienced a joy like it.

*

You took him on a short carriage ride, because there was somewhere else you wanted him to see. It wasn’t that far, really, but you didn’t want him to have to walk and a carriage was as new an experience to him as everything else was.

You made it drop you just far enough away that it wouldn’t spoil the surprise. You gave Hoseok nothing, answering none of his questions, not saying a word, because you were holding your breath to wait for his reaction.

And there it was.

You saw his eyebrows, first raised and then knitted together, and then softening. His eyes widening. His mouth dropping open slightly, in the way that made it perfectly heart-shaped. Then he turned his eyes on you. Was this it? Was this the thing you wanted him to see?

It was.

Like a sea of green grass with hundreds – no, thousands – of red flowers floating on the waves. Hoseok didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t seen anything like this before. It was as if he were in another new world. The red-headed poppies were so numerous, you almost couldn’t see the grass underneath; there was merely a suggestion of verdant growth propping up the riot of colour. What were these things and how did they grow in such great number?

He had been taught, growing up, that humans had no respect for nature. That they ripped up land plants and built over grasslands; they destroyed forests and valleys and wetlands all for their own ends. They would rather look at glass and concrete and chrome than the kaleidoscopic views the natural world had to offer. He had believed them, because he had heard the true stories of what human activity had done to sea life; he had received the messages of the reefs dying and oil spilling and nets catching up all sorts of things they shouldn’t. He thought, trying to give them the benefit of the doubt, as he was always wont to do, that maybe the nature on land wasn’t like the nature in the sea. Maybe things were different up here. Lots of other things were.

Now he saw that he had been entirely wrong. Acres of land lay before him. Acres of useful land that could have grown crops or laid foundations to buildings were ablaze with the bright, bright red of flowers he’d never seen before. And the humans let it happen.

As his surprise gave way to pure, wide-eyed admiration, he noticed that the humans were experiencing it the same way he was. He saw them with their cameras, taking their images (as you had explained to him that’s what they did), keeping the sight forever more. He saw them smile and laugh and frolic. He saw them and saw himself in them. He saw, also, the goodness he had always known was there. The spirit and love and joy of humanity. It was here, in these fields. It was here, in his heart. It was here, standing next to him; you, watching him expectantly, a nervous smile trying to tug your bottom lip from between your teeth.

“Wow,” was all he managed to say.

* * *

It was his last night. What might have been his last night. What could be his last night. Hoseok felt tense. Nervous. Almost sick.

He had decided. He was going to stay. If he could. If he could make it happen. If you wanted it.

He knew he had a home to go back to, if you didn’t. He would always have these three days. No one could take them away from him. And if that’s all he got, if three days on the surface was all he ever got to experience, then so be it. He was putting himself in your hands: himself, his heart, his dreams. His body.

The problem was that he didn’t know how to tell you that. He didn’t know how any of this happened on land. He didn’t know what he could or could not say, or do, or suggest. Which is why he had to leave it up to you. He’d just get it wrong.

It was Hoseok’s last night and you were wondering if you were just imagining the way he was looking at you, wanting him to be looking like that. You could bend reality, but that didn’t mean you always saw it clearly. The heart had tricks of its own.

But you had the advantage over him, because you knew his secrets. You knew that this would be his last chance; you knew that you were his only option. You knew that he wanted to stay. You couldn’t be sure if he wanted to stay enough to sleep with you.

You had suggested wine at dinner because you knew it was what the humans drank and knew it made them silly and loud and boisterous; you knew it lowered their inhibitions and made them do things they often regretted. You didn’t really know how you would react to it—your body was technically human now but you’d never been drunk before—but it had left you feeling warm and a little giddy. It had, blessedly and as you had hoped, made this whole thing easier to think about.

Because your head was spinning a little too fast to think about the bigger picture: the whys and wherefores of how you got here, how he got here, the purpose of this whole thing. You could really only think about the splendid slope of his nose. The way his shallow philtrum led to the smooth, rounded peaks of his cupid’s bow. The tiny, dark freckle there that waited, begging to be kissed. The perfect symmetry of his dimples as he smiled.

You hadn’t indulged in this since you were small. Hoseok had been your first crush. First, last. Only. As a pre-teen, you’d been silly with infatuation over him. Memorised the maps of his freckles and exact proportions of his body. You’d floated around in the sea, daydreaming about him for hours on end, not realising how far you had strayed until your mother had come screaming after you, pulling you back and warning you about being so unaware of your surroundings.

You remembered those feelings now. The fizziness in your limbs and heavy twisting in your gut. Like old friends. Hoseok, too, was an old friend. Your oldest. Your only. Now and, if you got this right, forevermore.

Hoseok had accepted the first glass of wine but recoiled at its taste, unable to believe he’d found something on the surface he didn’t like. You had then explained to him that it was technically a poison and he had been aghast to see you continue to drink it, to look around and see so many other humans doing the same. Every minute brought him something new.

You took his hand as you walked back from dinner to your apartment. It was warm and soft and you were grateful for it. Hoseok was grateful for it, too. His clothes still rubbed at his skin and so much of him still hurt, but your hand in his did not.

You didn’t let go when you reached the door, didn’t let go when it shut behind you and you let the lock click. You tugged him a little closer to you, took his other hand, kept his eyes on yours as you moved closer still.

You hadn’t done this before.

Hoseok hadn’t done this before.

You’d seen it done. You understood the concept.

Hoseok had no idea what was coming, but he had decided what he wanted. He had decided to trust you. And he’d decided to trust his gut, too. If humans were anything like merpeople (and they were), at least some of what was to happen would be instinctive.

He hoped, anyway.

You didn’t say a word, though you had planned to. You had scripted a kind of shy proposition, an awkward hobble of a speech in which you would say and ask and tell. But you abandoned it. Or rather, it abandoned you. Not a single word of it left in your head. So you stopped using it: your head. Stopped thinking.

You pressed your lips to his like you’d seen humans do.

The candle in Hoseok’s heart roared, its flame reaching up his throat and into his mouth. He didn’t have time to think. His body acted for him. For the first time since he crawled onto the shore, his body was feeling something that wasn’t pain. Was feeling something familiar. Something hot and deep and aching.

He didn’t mind the taste of the wine on your tongue, thought it was sweet, actually, had lost the acidic tang of the alcohol that made it poisonous. This kiss was like every kiss that had come before it, but also, nothing like them. Absent, the tang of salt. Present, the wet heat of your mouth and his. Absent, the way he could breathe through his gills. Present, the breathlessness that made him pull away before you pulled him back. Absent, the modest nudity in which the entire undersea world lived. Present, a kind of shy, self-conscious awareness of his hidden body.

An enormous, embarrassed awareness of the bulge in his trousers, the way it couldn’t be hidden. He had been horrified to see it, when he had washed up on the beach, two-legged and naked. He couldn’t believe that humans just walked around with everything on display like that (he had known this already, would have remembered if he’d been in his right mind); he’d felt awkward and conscious the entire time, sure that everyone could see, that it was obscene, that humans couldn’t really live like this?

But never more than now, as it strained against his trousers, which hadn’t been tight thirty seconds ago and were now constraining him in a way that bordered on painful. He kept his body away from you, more difficult now that your hands were skittering up his arms and down his chest, slipping back up his skin underneath his shirt, trying to pull him closer.

You felt a little bit dizzy. Sure, the wine, but also, this. Hoseok. The sweetness of fruit in his mouth. The heat of his skin. The sensation of a kiss—something you’d never experienced before, that you had seen, that had disgusted you—was nothing like you’d imagined. If you had thought about it, if you’d been thinking rationally, you might still have been disgusted by the way your tongues rolled over each other, swapping saliva, the way you could taste him, taste the fruit he’d just eaten. But you weren’t thinking rationally. You weren’t thinking at all.

You were feeling. And it was like nothing you’d ever felt before.

You gave into it.

Hoseok gave into it.

It was, as the humans say, like riding a bike. Though you hadn’t done that either.

Hoseok stopped thinking about it when you removed his shirt and stepped out of your dress. Legs were new to him. That was true. The human arrangement of body parts was new to him but they weren’t all that different once everything was out in the open. You had lit a fire in him and he was happy to stoke the flames. He was burning again, all over, inside and out, but it wasn’t painful, wasn’t torture. It was exquisite. New and familiar at once. Intoxicating.

You fell to your knees and Hoseok thought you had stumbled, bent down to help you up, but you stopped him, shook your head, and he stood straight.

Then you took his thick, heavy cock into your hand and licked the top. You wrapped your lips around it and pushed yourself forward, gliding your tongue along the underside, hollowing your cheeks and sucking. Hoseok gasped and almost fell to his knees himself. He didn’t know what this was, assumed it was a normal part of human sex, briefly wondered if sex actually was different here, if this was the entire act. Then he felt the head of his cock press against the back of your throat and his mind was wiped clean of thought. Replaced by a kind of urgent static that made him want to buck his hips, fuck into the hot clutch of your throat.

You had seen humans do this. You weren’t sure if you were doing it right. Not at first, anyway, but Hoseok had a pained look on his face, his mouth hanging open, his chest heaving as he panted, and you knew that was the reaction you were supposed to be eliciting. You could feel the twitch of his dick as it hit your throat, as you gagged lightly around it. You could just about hear, over the roaring of blood in your ears, Hoseok moaning, your name tumbling from his mouth like a prayer.

You were aching between your legs. You were hot and sticky and you could feel it dripping from you. You felt your walls clench and had the sudden, immediate need for Hoseok’s cock there, not in your mouth. You let it fall, wiped your eyes and your mouth and Hoseok was pulling you to your feet, crashing his mouth into yours, his hands frantic and grabbing.

Neither of you was thinking a second beyond what was happening. Gone were your concerns with your long-planned acts of vengeance. Gone were Hoseok’s worries about committing to life on the surface, about leaving his marine life behind, bringing a child into the world. Gone was the pressure of your subterfuge. Gone was the pressure of all his lies of omission. Gone was everything outside the four walls of this apartment. Gone was the whole world beyond your body in his hands, his body in yours.

Hoseok found that legs made all this much easier. They probably wouldn’t under water, but here, he saw their benefit. Saw the upsides to having two of them, of having them jointed at two places and not twenty. As he knelt over you on the dingy grey sheets of your bed, he almost laughed at the image of him trying to do this with a tail. Maybe there were some upsides to this human body after all.

He placed the tip of his cock at your entrance and pushed his hips forward, a little experimentally, testing the motion, the movement of his hips. He fell forward onto his hands, eyes closed, a long, gasping moan trapped in his throat.

He hadn’t known that humans had it so much better.

Would’ve done this days ago if he had.

You were hot and tight and wet and it was all Hoseok could do not to come right there and then. He paused, trying to catch a breath, gather himself, not lose it all as soon as he had begun.

It was excruciating for a second and the whine you’d let out wasn’t pleasured but pained. You were grateful when Hoseok stopped, though you didn’t think it was for you. Is this what it was like? You had thought they liked it. That was the point, wasn’t it? Humans mated for fun, not just for procreation. You had to assume fun would follow. It had been fun up to that point. It had been its own exquisite kind of pleasurable torture waiting for something to stuff you full.

But now he was and it was like being split down the middle. You wondered for a second if this was how it had felt for Hoseok when he grew legs. Then he started pushing his hips forward again and it tossed all thought out the window.

“Are you ok?” he asked, looking down at you with a frown of genuine concern.

You nodded. You nodded some more. You couldn’t speak because the pressure in your centre was overwhelming, the pain like nothing you had felt before. But you couldn’t stop. You wanted it. You wanted him. You had never been pushed out of your mind like this, brought into your body so viscerally, so violently, with such care. Hoseok brushed a strand of hair away from your face and tucked it behind your ear.

“Do you want to stop?” he asked.

“No.”

You pulled him down to you, down to his forearms, so you could kiss him, so his chest touched yours, so you could distract yourself from Hoseok with even more Hoseok. With your tongue in his mouth, you allowed yourself to cry out as he pushed further. He swallowed the sound and returned his own. You were trembling, your muscles shaking, your skin sticky with sweat.

So was Hoseok.

The pain wasn’t registering anymore, even though he knew it was still there. All he could feel was your cunt squeezing hard around him; it made him dizzy with pleasure. His stomach was churning, twisting; he was bracing trying to make this last.

Because he’d forgotten the point of it. Forgotten that the ending was the bit that counted. He wanted to feel you, he wanted to touch you and taste you and luxuriate in the human experience of this. He hadn’t imagined it but, if he had, even his wildest dreams wouldn’t have come close. Mermaids? He’d never go back.

He paused, to give you a moment, to give himself a moment, a breather. He kissed you, luxuriating in that, too: the way you tasted like no one else he’d ever kissed, the way your mouth was warm and wet, your tongue soft and supple. He liked the way his breath caught in his throat. He liked the way he found himself panting. He even liked the way his shoulders were starting to ache from holding his body up. Liked the way he could feel every muscle of his posterior chain move when he slowly, tentatively began to draw his hips back, when he tipped them forward again, when he set a slow, smooth motion that he found came easily to him.

Having a human body was exhausting. It was hard work. It was heavy all the time and never supported. It had been torture in the truest sense, with every step Hoseok took stabbing daggers into his legs. But he could see the benefits now. Well, he could feel them. He felt more embodied than he ever had before. Somehow separate from the world in a way that made him feel so much more connected to you. You weren’t two small parts of a larger whole. You were the whole.

He had spent time pondering the ways in which air was so different from water. He often thought water came off the better from the comparison. But this was changing everything. It was exhausting and painful and he was so aware of each and every part of his body. And with that, came a gut-churning pleasure that made his eyes water and his head spin. Water had nothing on air.

You weren’t sure it was pleasurable yet. The sharp pain had subsided and the little grunts and groans that Hoseok left in your mouth were sweet enough, but it wasn’t pleasure. Not yet. You were sure it would come. Didn’t mind entirely if it didn’t tonight. There would be other nights.

You hoped, you prayed, there would be other nights. Because it might have been pain, but it was the sweetest pain you’d ever felt. A pain that you somehow longed for, even as you longed for it to end. A pain that made you feel wanted. A pain that connected you to another living being in a way that you never had been. A pain that, in a moment of intense clarity, you realised connected you to women, human women. All human women who had experienced this since time began. You understood a little about their myths about the origin of man, and sin, and punishment.

You understood it. How this could be punishment. How it could be pleasure, too. How it could be worth it.

Hoseok could feel it coming. He was desperately trying to beat it back, to delay its onset, to make this last and last and last. He never wanted it to end, but he could feel his muscles tightening, feel his cock jumping with every thrust. Pleasure was coiling like a spring inside him, boiling rapidly, boiling over.

You gasped alongside him when he came, when his hips and breath stuttered and he filled you with ropes of hot cum. His body was heavy on top of yours, in a pleasing, crushing kind of way that grounded you. At that very moment, neither one of you was thinking about the consequences of what you had just done. What it could mean. What it meant for your best laid plans. You were lying, listening to the soft rushing of your breath and the hammering of your hearts.

*

It came to you, first, and you didn’t want to think about it. Because you were so full of feeling for Hoseok; feelings that you thought had faded, that had embedded themselves in you in a way that made them fade into the background, made you almost forget they were there, were screaming at you now. In technicolour. Surround sound. Unignorable. Undeniable.

But had you just destroyed him? Destroyed his life? His family?

That had been the intention. Bring down the royal family by having one of their own shun the sea for life on the surface, mate with a human. They’d have known it was you—it couldn’t have been anyone else—and they’d have executed you without trial. But it would’ve been worth it because, forever more, there would be a line of the royal family that ran human, that ran amok on the surface, that no one below the waves would ever be able to forget. It would have been their undoing without doubt. Whatever betrothals lay in wait for the princes would be broken; whatever treaties that were depending on them dashed; the reputation of the family would be in tatters. It would be over for them.

Which was what you had wanted.

But as you lay, absent-mindedly stroking Hoseok’s hair, naked and sweaty and sticky, with a penetrating ache still radiating through your core, you thought about how much that would hurt him. You saw the betrayal on his beatific face and your stomach flipped with fear. Because it wasn’t meant to be you lying here. And that made a difference.

Because you had seen him. You had kissed him. You had had him move inside you. You had loved him your whole life long and now you had to tell him that you had ulterior motives. That you were working against him. That all of this had been the result of your careful manipulations.

There had to be another way. There had been another way. That was how you had designed it. You weren’t supposed to be in this front-row seat. That was the point.

But it was too late now. And you needed a way out.

Maybe he never had to know.

Maybe you could make this work.

*

Hoseok’s eyes were fluttering shut. He could barely keep them open. He didn’t know if he had just secured his existence here or not. He didn’t know how to guarantee a child. Wasn’t clear-headed enough at that moment to know, for sure, if he wanted one.

He wanted to stay. Oh, he wanted to stay. He couldn’t go back now. But a child?

He felt wicked. He thought about what you might say if you ever learnt the truth. The betrayal. The way he used you for this.

He felt like a coward. He was a pampered prince who had achieved nothing on his own. He had turned to a sea witch in the midst of what amounted to a king-sized tantrum. She had risked her entire existence bringing him here. He had barely survived on his own. You had rescued him. Given him food and shelter and company and the greatest pleasure he had ever known.

He knew he couldn’t tell you the truth. Not if he wanted any part of this to continue.

Because he did. He wasn’t just using you. He wasn’t sure he was using you at all. He liked you. He wanted you. He wanted to stay, not just on the surface, but on the surface with you.

It felt too big. Too confusing. Too difficult. He was a coward, after all, so he closed his eyes and decided to see what the morning would bring.

You noticed his breathing slow, grow heavy and deep, his body relaxing further, his weight pressing down on you harder. He was asleep. That gave you time, you thought. To think of something. Some way out of this. Some way to stay in this.

But your own eyelids felt heavy, kept dropping of their own accord, and you kept losing your train of thought. You gave into it; you would wake early, go out and buy something for breakfast, figure it out in the morning.

[tea-and-secrets]

drunk as hell and thinking about how my parents never grounded me or sent me to my room because they quickly realized that never letting me leave the room they were in, or never letting me have any privacy, was a much better punishment that anything else they could do. sometimes i get weird about throwing certain things away and my partner will be like "your mom isnt going to burrow into our trash" and i have to be like "um. yeahhh she will". and like i couldnt have my door closed ever. my curfew was 9pm till the day i moved out at 18. i also couldnt wear necklaces or scarves because my dad used to be a mechanic and was convinced that necklaces or scares would get caught in a some kind of machinery. even though i was never around any machinery. it was weird shit like that. like i didnt have a bad childhood per say but it was Not Good and like very weirdly controlled. i didnt spend a night alone in that house until after id moved out at 18 and they asked me to catsit.

the thing abt never going to my room or being grounded was the worst though because they figured out that if they yelled at me till i was literally and physically cowering and sobbing in a corner, it was a better punishment than grounding me. so i was never grounded, i just got hours of psychological torture got hours and hours and years and years of it. but it also feels stupid to talk about it because i didnt have like hardcore childhood trauma. just very very weird childhood trauma.

thid isnt really a secret because i said it last year to my partners family and ruined thanksgiving accidentally (i thought we were sharing funny stories of childhood trauma at the time in my defense)

<3

[totalfknloser]

zakk x reader but enemies to lovers perchance ...

headcanon format maybe ... like maybe abt how zakk & reader became enemies in the first place, zakk realising he was actually starting to like reader, zakk realising he was actually starting to LOVE reader,, yada yada ya .. you could even mix some smut in there if you wanted to like a hate fuck or something like that 🤞🤞

once again thank youuu so much and no worries if you cant fit everything i suggested in those are just some loose ideas that i like !! but i'm curious to see what you think 🫶 love ur writing thank you again

SORRY THID TOOK ME FOREVER! also oh my gosh i was writing some enemies to lovers shit but i felt like it was too gooey and sweet so i just made up this weird situation 😭 HELP I HOPE ITS OKAY!! also this is a very odd and unusual scenario LMAO but i felt like it fit better than enemies to lovers like more…. idk in script? SORRY THIS TOOK AO SO LONG OMFGGGFF

.<⛧ ^.♡.^⛧>.

⛧ okay so like you’re friends with Brodie and you met after Zakk and Brodie met each other and you’re starting to get closer to each other than Zakk originally is with Brodie and that pisses Zakk off

⛧ one day Brodie invites the both of you to hang out together with him and you are hesitant cause you weren’t really a fan of Zakk with the way he acted towards you constantly but you said yes just for Brodie.

⛧ Zakk was like.. totally an ass. as hot as he was, he was mean. he made mean comments to you under his breath and shit like that but that didn’t decrease your slight attraction for him. the attraction he had growing for you came less soon but came to be as strong as ever. you both absolutely couldn’t deny the feelings for each other but you hid it very well.

⛧ Brodie continued to invite the both of you to be all together, but that didn’t stop the mutual dislike and that mutual dislike absolutely did not stop the heated sexual tension that started to grow.

⛧ more and more hanging out created more sexual tension as i’ve said many times, but it also created a little romantic attraction that started to grow even bigger. one day you guys were at Zakk’s and Brodie left, which was unusual cause you were usually the first to leave. you guessed he just had something to do.

⛧ you were getting ready to leave when Zakk was like “Wanna fuck?” blunt and brutal. and you paused and then were like “Excuse me?” you said, lips parted and eyes squinted into confusion. you thought you misheard him till he asked again. you paused, thinking about a yes or no. you knew you wanted to but you were so.. shocked? “Uh, sure. When?” you stated, face red with a sigh.

⛧ your face was bright red and your body was heated while making out with Zakk. you were both already undressed and covered in love bites when he pulled away and asked the question. “You ready?” he whispered. “Yeah.” you whispered back. “Move.” he said, patting next to him. once you did as he asked, Zakk adjusted his position so that he was laying down, back to the bed.

⛧ you got on top of him, his thick cock prodding your hole as you were facing him. his hands traveled to you hips to help guide you down on him. you let out a sigh when the both of you gently pushed downwards, his hands gripping tighter and tighter on your hips and your sounds getting louder and louder as his hard cock pushed deeper.

⛧ once you finally pushed completely downwards, you had to have a second to adjust. Zakk was real thick and pretty long and he knew it, he was used to people having to wait a second before they or he could move.

⛧ you mumbled a soft “Fuck!” as you started to move, his dick stretching you out nicely. the pace was slow at first. your moans were loud and whiny when you finally picked up the pace, your skin smacking against both of yours as you rode him.

⛧ sweat was beading down both of your bodies as you both were overcome with bliss. his dick hitting all the right places inside of you sent pleasure through your body.

⛧ skin slapping, deep grunts from Zakk, and high pitched moans from you intoxicated the air. Zakk was griping tighter and tighter, leaving little purple bruises on your skin. his hands started to trail upwards on your body, pressing and rubbing at your nipples which you let out a whine in response.

⛧ when you both were getting close to your release, the both of your sounds started to be more desperate. the sound of skin smacking only got louder and loud as you bounced up and down faster on his dick, trying to cum as soon as possible. once you both finally got there you both moaned in pure pleasure, bodies intertwined together as you both shared this unforgettable memory.

⛧ once you pulled off and laid back on him, you started to realize these feelings of hate directed at the boy you were on top of, were feelings of love. of course you didn’t wanna tell Zakk that though. eventually you both drifted to sleep, holding each other in both arms.

⛧ after that night, the hate between the both of you faded entirely. the both of you couldn’t hide the love that showed for each other. a long time later of just talking and cuddles while Brodie wasn’t around, you asked the question the both of you have been waiting for. “Do you wanna like, go out sometime?” you whispered. “Yeah.” he replied.

⛧ you both love each other very very much and it never ends!!!!!!!!!!

.<⛧ ^.♡.^⛧>.

I AM. SO SORRY. THIS TOOK. ME SO. LONG DUDE. i could’ve wrote this in like idk 1 hour and i took over a day.. my sincerest apologies dawg also to the owner of this account i’m literally your biggest fan keep the asking coming man!! ALSO YOU CANT JUST SAY PERCHANCE!

[calamitysaturn]

A little bit of art and personal story time,

I got out of a very bad relationship that went on for 5 years and honestly it was 5 years too long, he was pretty horrible and regretfully I eventually started fighting fire with fire, frustration from getting into the same arguments constantly with no change whatsoever just made me so tired and I'm not very proud of how cranky of a person that made me,

The first person I text this news to is the man who would end up being my boyfriend today, he drops everything he was doing, he was literally about to do Uber deliveries but stopped everything so he could listen to me Sob and mumble about everything that happened while I wandered around my nearby Walmart, I didn't realize it before but I found myself very comfortable with him, we had a rocky start to our friendship but he ends up being my rock,

I wasn't trying to find a new relationship, if anything I wanted to avoid it, after five years I was both crushed and then humiliated me, romantic feelings was the last thing I wanted to get, but about a week later we're hanging out daily, I looked forward to coming home from work to play overwatch with him, one night we get off of overwatch, I had work the next day and was trying to go to sleep, I couldn't help but lay in bed awake, thinking about him, he's just such a sweetheart, not to mention passionate about the things he loves, and the things he works on,

I do everything to push back and deny any feelings, not only because of what happened to me recently but I also don't want to make things awkward, the more I tried to deny it the harder things got, I couldn't get him out of my head, and I'm not that good at hiding things either, we were still hanging out a lot as well, feelings weren't going away so I tried to ask him out in one of the most stupidest ways possible, I tried to slide up to him and say he should date me, probably one of the dumbest ways to confess to someone but the fact I was able to confess at all was a miracle by itself,

The confession doesn't go perfectly as planned he's originally not sure, he's not sure about a relationship and respects me, he does not want to somehow hurt me, however him and his friends would happen to be where I live, there's a lot to do over here a huge spot for tourism, he wants to meet me during this trip, he's never met any of his online friends before and wishes to see me, so when the day came to see him I got all dolled up in this sleeping beauty themed dress that I just loved, and the night before I haf done my hair up as nice as possible and I set out, it started when he offered to hold my hand on a ride and he just didn't want to let go and I just remained glued to him, there wasn't exactly another confession from either of us or anything we just knew we were dating now, it's been over a year since, we've actually been pretty steadily taking trips to see each other typically every two months after I first visited him in February for Valentine's Day, we also had the opportunity to celebrate our one year anniversary together I flew out to him and we went out to Vegas, we're actually currently planning on moving in together at the very end of thid month as well,

Kind of odd to go on about it's so hard to share all the fine details but I have never shared this story I haven't even shared it on my tiktok yet and I do a lot of personal story time there, hopefully the cute art is at least nice to look at lol

[bellenthigale]

TEENFRESH

Bubbles have been enjoyed by people of all ages for centuries. They are simple‚ fun‚ and can even be therapeutic. But why are bubbles so beloved? What are the good things they can do for people? Studies have shown that the simple act of blowing bubbles helps to relax people and reduces cortisol levels in the body‚ which is the hormone associated with stress. Bubbles can also be a great way to spend quality time with family and friends. Blowing bubbles is a fun activity that encourages people to talk and laugh with each other‚ creating memories that will last a lifetime. Additionally‚ bubbles can bring joy and happiness. Bubbles can also bring a sense of joy and relaxation. When you’re blowing bubbles‚ you’re taking a few moments to focus on something other than your worries. It’s a great way to get rid of stress and to just enjoy the moment. Bubbles are more than just fun and games. They can be therapeutic‚ a great way to spend time with loved ones‚ and a source of joy and happiness. Bubbles are a classic source of fun for all ages. Kids and adults alike have been fascinated by bubbles’ ability to float and shimmer in the air. It’s the unpredictability of the bubbles that make them so much fun. You never know where they’re going to go or how long they’ll stay in the air. The bright colors and shapes of the bubbles make them captivating to watch. This creates a strong bond between everyone and creates a unique atmosphere of fun and joy. Bubbles are a great way to have fun and relax. The unpredictability of the bubbles‚ the sense of joy and relaxation they bring‚ and the social aspect of playing with them make them a classic source of fun for everyone.

Are you ready for Bubble Arcade‚ SWITHs? With the publication of my trailer film and photo the other night‚ I made a splash in the music industry. After months of anticipation‚ we finally unveiled what SWITHs have been waiting for‚ and it looks like we are ready to take over by storm! A familiar color scheme of white and blue appears at the beginning of the video. Giving us a preview of what our upcoming song might sound like‚ I am being enthralling and dynamic. I apologize if I can’t stop myself from complementing the photo that goes with the trailer film because it is equally intriguing. Just look at how lovely did the shot come out. I am seen posing for the picture in a range of fashionable and edgy look‚ and the picture has a really contemporary and smart vibe to it. In the picture‚ you can see how charming I am‚ and you can also even tell that we’re about to advance our music. We have formally begun our comeback campaign with the ongoing publication of the trailer film and image of every members. The anticipation for what else we have in store for SWITHs is growing‚ and we can only imagine how delighted we will be when our new song and album are released in a few days. We are now ready to make a big splash in the K-pop industry‚ and I’m sure you guys can’t also wait to hear what we have in store for you!

Prepare to move to the music‚ SWITHs! Our third mini album‚ “TeenFresh”‚ which will be released on August 16‚ will mark our return. Since then‚ thanks to our energetic music and catchy lyrics‚ we’ve been gaining fame among some K-pop lovers. With our most recent comeback on August 16th‚ we’ll definitely make an impact. We are certain to win the hearts of K-pop lovers all around the world with our upcoming infectious music‚ bright visuals‚ and engaging dance movements. In order to join us on a musical voyage on August 16th‚ note that date on your calendars‚ SWITHs. This is the time of year when SWITHs eagerly anticipate our comeback thid month. The message of “TeenFresh” is undoubtedly that you should never stop being young and to always have an optimistic outlook on life. We have already shown ourselves to be a talented group‚ and with each and every one of us‚ we will undoubtedly wow even more. SWITHs are undoubtedly interested and anticipated about what “TeenFresh” will bring them.

[pie-de-lune]

More vamps! This time, we have Adelia!

Lore lore lore. Strap in because hers is a long one.

Again, I envision this as a sort of metaphorical side of vampirism, rather than fantastical, so some of the traditional vampire aspects are not included in these characters.

Adelia is... A mess. She was once very outgoing and still has a big group of friends, but then, she got turned into a vampire! Although she was always kind of shy, it only got worse after her turning.

I imagine that she was at a party and decided take a breather. A few of her friends also decided to take a break, saying that they got bored, and they had an idea; They could go contact some guys who once gave them some really good booze that was out of thid world. Adelia didn't really care for it, but she went with them anyway.

Then, of course, the booze guys turn out to be vampires who brought in a few newly turned vamps. They were supposed to entertain Adelia and her friends a little bit and eventually get them unconscious in order to feed from them. Once they woke up, they would pretend everyone passed out and would give them some expensive drinks to make up for it. But, of course, the plan goes awry, and the new vamps drank far too much.

In order to prevent a considerable number of deaths, the vampires decide to turn Adelia and her friends. The vampires try to soothe them into this mess, and offer to guide everyone into this experience, and then everyone moves on with their lives.

After that, Adelia had a really hard time trying to adjust to being a vampire. Although people around her are very supporting and try to accomodate her, she refuses to sleep through the day and has trouble sleeping at night. She also refuses to drink blood at every opportunity. However... That's not really possible for her.

In my head, she drank from the blood of a really powerful vampire, which in turn gave her a beast form (Which is yet to be made). She frequently goes on rampages and has a hard time keeping her composure around the tiniest drops of blood. She is very easily spooked and very gloomy, but she loves cute things and calming, relaxing activities. Invite her to a Hello Kitty café and watch her buzz with happiness.

Some little fun infos for you:

Before she turned, she used to dye her hair and wear tons of wigs. My friends joked that she is a e-girl, and I'm inclined to make it canon. She would still wear modern clothes, but it depends on the days. She probably has a wardrobe with edgy and cute sections.

The only reason why she stopped dyeing her hair is because she started to be too paranoid about her vampirism to even want to dress up. Jules (other vampire oc) is currently learning how to dye hair in order to help her have fun dressing up again.

She has a complete set of fangs, both in the bottom and top!

She also has a gem on her chest, like Jules... But I liked the pose a little too much to redo it, so I'll do her gem later. Hers is rounded!

I haven't really thought about it in depth, but I think Adelia would be open to romance. I think you would need to be friends with her for at least 6 years before she would be okay with holding hands.

She's still in touch with her vampire guides and friends! They try to get her to get out of her house, but she refuses cause she is afraid of her beast form.

[spacelizzbian]

Not me liveblogging the belgian national final (a few days too late even) but not esc 2021 or 2022 *clown noises* 🤡

Not a great start when one of the candidates sings Euphoria a bit off key 😬 (im so sorry Ameerah love u)

FUCK YES RYTHYM INSIDE

Loredana and Chérine slaying those vocals

This medley SLAPS 🔥🔥

The Nicole tribute was very heartwarming, love that they did that

"The act needs to be fresh and fruity" Sandra Kim said it needs to be gay, write that down

Hunter looks so adorable and happy to be there 💖

Pretty sure Laura Tesoro did the same penguin dance move in 2016 lmao, loved it then loved it now

Fuck the haters, Ooh la la is a bop 😤

Shame they didnt give him more dancers for such a funky song.

The audience going crazy for Chérine during her interview, as they should 😌

Naur Chérine, twas a bit off key near the end there 😬

The song is so so good and catchy but the act is a bit eehh. Certainly memorable though

Scorching hot take alert, but rollercoaster is so generic its painful

And it genuinly feels bad to say that cause it means so much to the singers

The staging was very on point tho

Love Ameerah's vibes, very mom friend who cares about all her lil kids

VRT: "How Eurovision do you want the costumes to be?"

Ameerah: "yes. "

There is so much energy and playfulness in this act, I love it!!

These dancers are giving a 110% props all around

Love that thid guy thing is wearing a silly big round hat and that he was like "I'm going to wear an even bigger one"

Frankly I want him to wear an even bigger one at the actual contest

The singing by Gustaph and his background ladies is superb

I'd add some dancers tho

Pretty sure this would't have been my pick but it's the least repetitive of the more pop-y songs so I think I get why this won

Omg Gala is wearing the fugly Santana fur hat 💀💀

Everything about this girl screams Artist(tm) but in the best way

This act and song is so intense and full of emotion, I didn't write any notes during it. Wow.

*Insert Lady Gaga meme here*

Please don't remind me that we didn't send 'She's after my piano' in 2014, I'll start biting

Loredana's outfit is giving me Chanel Slomo vibes 👌

The rorbot is so random I'm cackling lmao

I'm so sad the song is so weak cause I love Loredana's voice 😔

Lmao Nikki said the robot should have lifter her up, so true queen 😂😂

Never gonna forget the moment when Duncan sang his song in a concert full of Dutch people, this song is like crack to them

Gala and her cute frog knit hat Froche, my beloved

Fairytale is never gonna get old

These dancers are giving it their all, go off you possesed lil folk dancers 💃🕺💃🕺

I think my ranking'd be

1. Gala

2. Ameerah

3. Gustaph

4. Chérine

5. Hunter Falls

6. The Starlings

7. Loredana

Aight, voting time, time to get mad at the results like always 😌

Oh no, I'm agreeing with the jury votes...welp time to tyrade against the uncultured masses 😤

I like Gustaph enough to believe we have a shot of getting through to the finale, I wish all the luck to my fav hat of the night 💖

Also genuinely impressed by the show we put on, highkey regretting not going to it but oh well. I enjoyed it so much more than I thought I was gonna 🇧🇪

Anyway, shifting out of eurovision mode 😔 see you in may (if I'm liveblogging the actual thing lmao we'll see)

[blake-belladonna-defence-force]

It's the ✨annoying little shit✨ again

The Gremlin anon😺

I'm here with my ✨update✨

I need to tell right of the bat that

THIS AFTERNOON WAS INSANE

Literally...

So, during lunch (after my roommate almost killed Miss oh honey) we started talking about the fact that Miss oh honey is always having trouble in the building where she lives cause of her neighbors

Me and and my roommate both agree that she can stay for as much time as she wants and she ended up deciding to stay for while so she can move to another house

She insisted in helping with house bills while she stays

we tried to disuade her telling her she doesn't need to but she's adamant.

So yeah, Miss oh honey ended up staying XD

But we just remembered that there is only two rooms in this house

Mine and my roommates, and since my room is quite small (those two annoying bitches are saying that it's "my sise") and my roommates room is big enough for two people, sooo...

We all know were thid is going...

Miss oh honey insisted that we shared a room since we have been living together for a long time now and also because we don't have a problem in sleeping together we should be the ones sharing

And I-

I wanted her to win the argument-

NO! I NEED HER TO WIN THE ARGUMENT!!!

I WANT CUDDLES!!!

So I teamed up with her and said that my room is almost empty (I have only my few clothes and my childhood stuffed animal in there) and guess what?

WE WON!!!

AND NOW I PANIC BECAUSE I DIDN'T THOUGHT THIS THROUGH!!!

I'm gonna be sleeping every night with a greek goddess... send help ;-;/

I'M GONNA BE SLEEPING WITH THEM FOR GOD KNOWS HOW LONG!!!

HELP!!!! PANIC!!!!

After my panic and getting my stuff in the room, my roommate asks "You like stuffed animals?"

I FUCKING LOVE STUFFED ANIMALS SINCE I WAS A CHILD!!! I COLECTED AN ARMY OF THEM!!!! But... I lost them because to my former partner...

So I anwsered just that " I love stuffed animals and I literally had an army of them! I colected stuffed animals since I was a lityle kid! I had stuffed animals from amusement parks, other countries my parents took me to, gifts from old friends... But... My former partner didn't like that, and said it was childish and a loss space... So she forced me to get rid of them... And when I did, it was like losing memories from all those places, people, moments... When I lost them... Ifelt like I lost parts of my life, parts of me and who I am... And the only one I could keep was the oldest of them all and my only friend from many years of my chilhood... I wanted to buy more stuffed animals and get new memories but I still can't make myself buy one without feeling extremly guilty for being childish... But anyway, sorry you had to hear all this, it most stupid hearing me talkin about stuffed animals"

"What's your favorite animal?"

"uuuhh... Wolves, why?"

"Cause I'm gonna prove to you that it's not childish to like stuffed animals, and to fair, the way you talk about them is almost poetic"

I just- WHY DO YOU KEED GETTING ME GAYER!!!??? YOU LOVING CARING AMAZING DORK!!!!!

I couldn't anwser them- I WAS GAY SILENT!!! MY GAY HEART!!!

After I could do anything they just hugged me tight and told me "I want you to be happy, and I will buy you all the stuffed animals you want if that's what it takes"

Then they proceed to kiss my fohead and go with Miss oh honey to her apartment to take her stuff out and talk with Miss oh honeys landlord to take care of house buisness

BUT FOR THE LOVE OF GAY GOD!!! WHY DO THEY DO THIS TO MY POOR GAY HEART!!!???

WHY!!??!! PANIC!!! MY HEART IS GONNA MELT!!!!

PLS SEND HELP!!!

So... After a while I hear the door ring and I instantly get out of the sofa to help Miss oh honey and my roommate with Miss oh honeys stuff, but thing is, it wasn't them at the door step

IT WAS MY FUCKING EX!!! HOW DOES THAT BICTH KNOW MY ADRESS!!! I MOVED CITYS JUST FOR HER NOT TO FIND ME!!!!

But there she is, in my door step, looking at me with those freaky eyes...

I froze... I was near having a real panic attack...

She said something to me but I cant remember anything, I was in shock so I don't remember anything until I see My oh honey JUMPING ON HER AND HITING HER WITH A LAMP!!!

I only noticed when Miss oh honey jumped on my ex that she (my ex) had been grabing my hand so strogly that I got bruised

Shortly after, my ex grabed Miss oh honey and was chocking her but thankfully my roommate punched the crap out of my ex

My ex fainted there and my roommate called the police while I was checking Miss oh honey

Miss oh honey was okay and I only got a tiny bruise but I just-

I feel so bad about them, especially Miss oh honey... If it wasn't for my roommate she would probably be dead, along with me

The police got there and took my ex away and OH MY GOD

FUCKING HELL!!! JESUS LORD!!!

SHE FUCKING TRACKED ME DOWN TO KILL ME!!!!!

AND ALMOST KILLED MISS OH HONEY IN THE MIDDLE OF IT!!!!

After all this my roommate gave me a stuffed wolf that I didn't let go for the rest of the day!!!

IT'S SO CUTE!!! I LOVE IT!!!

But honestly I was (am still am) took shocked to gay over this like I usually do

We all stayed together and didn't even bother unpacking Miss oh honeys stuff out of tiredness

So... Yeah, my internet is being shitty today, thats why I didn't update earlier and had to erite this all over again at 00:00 (now its 1:30 am)

Hope ya'll okay and safe

Have a great day/afternoon/evening/night

(also I saw the ask about your fic and... Defence... Have you been spying on me?👀 Cause what the anon said in the ask was literally my afternoon, before all the crazy stuff)

- sleepy Gremlin anon

Jesus Christ, Gremlin anon. I’m sorry that happened to you. Sounds pretty fucking scary.

(*snort* look... I’m a weak bitch for a stuffed animal so xD)

[echo-three-one]

A Forgotten Memory

An Alex x OC fic

This is Chapter 6 (is everyone still counting)

Link to the beginning here

Prev (V - Alex)

Next (VII - Alex)

Reviews and comments appreciated as I would like to grow as a writer

Content Warning ⚠️ below chapter title as to avoid spoilers (if anybody cares about being spoiled)

VI - Samantha

CONTENT WARNING : Kidnapping, Mind Control and Being bound and gagged.

Her back leaned against the cold stone wall sending a jolt of shivers across her body. She wriggled around, trying to move but despite not being bound ang gagged, she couldn't talk.

She found herself in an empty room, an interrogation table with a swinging lightbulb at the center ominously matching its swing with the thunping of her heart. No one was pushing it but instead of swinging slowly like it should be, it went faster and faster along with her heart.

She blinked. Maxine sat across the chair behind the interrogation table. Eyes and mouth covered, her expression almost lifeless. She tried to call out her name but no voice came out. She blinked again. Two shady men with heavy thumping boots marched toward her. Their steps matching along with the heartbeat and the swing of the lightbulb.

She closed her eyes permanently praying this will all be over soon. Afraid that when she opened her eyes another set of horrors would appear.

"You're safe here." a faint male voice echoed against the room, lighting up the whole area. She peeked slowly as the room was now well lit, she saw the abductors run away from the light, bringing Maxine with them. She tried to scream out her name one last time but she was slowly being guided by what seemed to be polica authorities back to safety.

"We'll get her back soon. Don't worry." She remembered Alex telling her that before she slept. She couldn't trust a normal person to say that to her so she starts to doubt the credibility of this man.

~

Samantha took a deep breath as she slowly came back to her senses. It smelled quite odd which made her whiff again. It's way too far from Maxine's shampoo or cologne, it almost smelled...

Manly.

That's when she remembered. Her eyes quickly opened to the view of a bare chest followed by a very well carved set of abs and her thighs just below it. Her heart raced once again as she slowly tilted her head up to look at the man whom she was leaning to.

It was Alex. He looked peacefully asleep, his arms bent behind his bed showing off the colored tattoes covering his biceps. A soft snore escapes his mouth as her head starts to feel the rising and falling of his chest.

She can't believe the circumstances she found herself in, shaking her head in disagreement, slowly moving away from him in an attempt to not wake him up. 'Really Samantha. You didn't even let him wear anything?!' she said to herself in shame as she slowly steps out of his apartment. Mentally apologizing for stealing his shirt and sweatpants.

She couldn't handle it anymore. She has to find Maxine. She quietly closed his door and descended to the streets of her city, making her way back to her apartment. Her thoughts were clouded with circumstances surrounding her dream, Maxine, the abductors, the voice that lit the whole room. She convinced herself it wasn't Alex, it could probably be someone else... someone she's been trying to forget but she can't. But then again, those words would fit Alex at all. Maybe because he was beside her whole night. Maybe she heard him from way outside her dream.

Her cheeks suddenly turned red as she once again remembered how she clung on to Alex. If she did that for the whole evening, then she possibly couldn't see him ever again. It was too embarrassing for her to cross paths with him again. She knew full well that what they had going on was not gonna be what she wants to happen. She could feel him having no actual interest in her, he was just being friendly because she believes he's trying to pry information from her. She's convinced that Alex is somehow involved in Maxine's loss.

Shaking her head and clearing her mind from all thoughts regarding that man she won't name anymore, she slowly ascended the wooden steps of her apartment, hoping for Maxine's safety.

She swung the door open, peeking at their room seeing Maxine plopped on the sofa.

"Maxine!" she shrieked in excitement as she grabbed her and hugged her tight.

"Hey Sam, why the tight hug?" She asked, patting her back and escaping from her warm embrace. Tears fell from Samantha's eyes as Maxine pushes her and tried to ask her about her weird behavior.

"What's wrong with you? I just went out last night. Oh and by the way I met a pecuiliar guy at the bar last night. He says he knows you.

Samantha's head pinged and she looked at her with raised eyebrows. Could it be...

"Does he go by Alex? You know, brown hair, blue eyes and a whole lotta tattoos on his arms?" Maxine's eyes widened at the accuracy of Samantha's description.

"So you met? Since when? I was still about to set you up today!" She got up, looking shocked.

"That was last Friday night! You went missing just last night!" Samantha corrected.

"I swear I'm right. That's what my mind could recall." Maxine trailed off to the kitchen as they make breakfast.

Samantha wanted to go back to Alex. She had a feeling he would know what to do. But because of last nights embarrassing act of stupidity, she'd best be letting this mishap slide.

~

Samantha noted that at certain times of day, Maxine would just stare out the window, and everytime she calls her out, Maxine wouldn't respond. As if she couldn't hear her even at close proximity. At this point, she began to extremely worry and texted Alex about her friend's situation not minding meeting him again. She thought that she shouldn't let personal things interfere at this kind of danger.

But she was all too late. She didn't expect that she was dazed for a reason. She wished she never left Alex's apartment. She wished she kept on hugging him for just a little more while.

Her eyes were open but she couldn't see a thing, her mouth was open but she couldn't say a word. She was bound and gagged, but this time it's for real. She didn't show any sign of struggle as the foreign people pushed her, babbling using their language it almost felt they were bickering.

And then she found herself in a laboratory of some sort, wincing as the harsh lamp light flashed across her. An old man donning a lab coat covered the light.

"We finally got you, Samantha Coleman. Smile at the camera so I can send this to your father dearest." The old man spoke, each word irritated her. A tear fell from her eyes as she remembered how her father tried to promise her that his work wouldn't interfere her. She knew it isn't his fault entirely but somehow fate tangled her up to thid point. She isn't gonna survive this.

"I want something that you have. You may not know it, but I know you saw it." He cackled injecting her with some sort of anaesthetic. She knows this because as soon as 30 seconds she already felt sleepy and her mind began to black out.

***

Samantha found herself by the pier, just beside Charlie, her boyfriend's families' yacht. They're out for their annual family summer outing and she can't join as she has to look after her mother who's at the hospital.

"Babe, I'll send you pictures once I get a signal. I promise. I'll also pray for your mom while we're there..." Connor smiled at her, the strong seaside gust blew his collar, as she held her sun hat tight.

"Thanks honey, you take care there, okay?" Samantha's words started to echo in the background as the horizon quickly shifted from day to night.

Maxine sat beside her as uncontrollable tears flowed out of her eyes. It has been a full day since she last heard from Connor and word was his whole family hasn't returned yet.

"Do we need these?" a muffled voice was echoing from the sky. Samantha just sat there, unbothered by the strange noises in the sky, her tears start to fall on her real body.

"It's still a failed project. It's supposed to look for memories but this is the one she's recalling."

"So how do we know if she'll show us her memories of the code?!" a loud slam translated as thunder in her dream.

"I don't know Boss Nero, maybe we could influence her to think of the code."

"Listen, Princess. Think of your childhood memories. Think of what you saw when you accidentally looked on your Daddy's drawer."

Samantha winced as her memory swirled back to her childhood. She heard excited laughter from the sky as she found herself in her room, as a kid. The radio from her dream immediately interrupted her as news flash about a missing yacht, cruise ship and cargo ships that sailed on that fateful day when Connor had his family vacation. Hundreds of people were either dead or missing and the main cause that was officially declared was a storm and big waves. Many speculate about possible pirate invasions but their wreckage wasn't found.

She found herself back at the pier. The sky started yelling curse words angrily toward her. Then another loud sound manifested as thunder.

"Boss Nero, we're being compromised! Multiple armed forces are out for us.

"Gah! Of course they're catching up to us! Quick evacuate and do not engage whenever possible. Let's save our numbers for later."

"What about her?"

"She's still induced. She's just going to be a pain to carry. Leave her be. If they successfully retrieve her they won't be after us." Nero commanded as they left the scene.

Samantha on the other hand, was trapped in her own personal memory realm, flashing about the moments where she felt utter sadness when she found out that her boyfriend was gone forever.

[ressjeon]

hello i just read holiday shambles. its a good fic i just have some constructive criticism: the fic overall seems very rushed and there's no proper flow to it. Things just keep happening one after the other very fast, and each event is written about in only a few sentences before moving to the next one so some things don't really make sense (e.g. why did the oc follow namjoon to the store, namjoon suddenly got locked in the attic). I think thid fic can become even better with a lil editing.

hi and well FORGIVE me anon for not having a beta reader to edit this fic but i actually intended the flow of the story to link with the title "shambles” meaning “chaos”. i wanted readers to feel the stress while reading this just like i did when writing (with all the events piling up) and this is also one of the fics that i wrote/posted simultaneously with the other 2 in the span of 3 days so yeah maybe it did felt rush. thank you either way and i do have plans on editing all my fics one day when i have time but for now, i have a lot of fics to write if you check my WIPs though i may edit this one during Christmas time since i'll cross-post it to AO3 in December to fit with the season.

i'll provide a short outline of the fic under the cut to avoid spoilers along with the passages from it with the scenes that you were asking so you can understand the story better. hope it helps ^^

the entire fic happened in 2 days (December 24th to the 25th) that’s why the events were quick and i didn’t emphasize it that much since some people who might read this don’t celebrate Christmas so i wanted it to just be a holiday weekend

it was the early morning of the 24th when they were driving to the rental house

after the argument with his parents, OC went to the bedroom upstairs to cry and avoid further arguments with them and then she was wondering why her parents aren't at the house yet (when they're usually early)

oc followed Namjoon to the town centre after because she knows that Namjoon might forget to buy it (after she reminded him everyday and he did STILL forgot to buy it later because he was panicking after your parents told him that you saw him in the store with the saleslady)

oc picked up her parents after seeing him at the store and at the time when he’s done buying and called her parents, they’re already at the house so then he knew you saw them

he tryna say sorry after he came home but he knows you’re near your limit so he proceeds to give you space and decides to put up the lights outside while you order food and do some last minute decorating

OC is exhausted and almost passed out during Christmas Eve dinner (after arguing again with his parents about her not being able to cook)

Namjoon took OC up to their bedroom to rest and yeah yk how he was able to make OC release everything she’s been holding up and calmed her down 😗

After calming her down, that’s when Namjoon leaves to the attic to hide his gift for OC since she’s good at finding them

Meanwhile, your Dad walks up in the hallways to find the opened ceiling with the dangling ladder and shakes his head as he lifts it up to close it, accidentally locking Namjoon inside.

this was why Namjoon was locked in the attic and it was late at night/early morning after midnight already so everyone must’ve been sleeping

OC wakes up on the morning of the 25th without Namjoon by her side and she thought he fell asleep somewhere after climbing the roofs again (he usually sneaks out after OC sleeps to do something that she’ll surely scold him for)

that day was when all of you would go to the town centre to hopefully look around the Christmas displays or do some holiday activities/bonding time with both of your parents (take pics, have some hot chocolate, etc.)

Namjoon was sleeping in the cold already that’s why he woke up pretty late and then he tried to get out from the attic, where he finally saw you and your parents leaving so he yelled

and then he lowkey fell and both of your Moms were overreacting because of what happened to you the night before so they insisted to bring you both at the hospital just to be sure

and yes Namjoon did get minor injuries from falling a bit and OC is still floating with what’s happening and now she just found out that she’s pregnant 

it’s honestly the only good thing that happened so she’s happy and she actually want the baby, she just wanted to tease Namjoon because of his clumsiness earlier (and she was lowkey jealous with the saleslady)

this was still on the 25th so a Christmas gift indeed for both OC and Namjoon

i’ll let you guess what the gift was 👀

i whipped this outline just now so ye hope it makes sense

[ribstongrowback]

Then the witch came

The war was won.

Our lord’s lands were now leagues larger.

The neighboring village was now part of my country too. They didn’t seem to happy about that, and they didn’t have anything to sell us anymore, but our lord was happy.

The harvest was okay the following year, all things considered. Our festival came and went, and it was, well,it was what it was. 

Then the witch came.

She had been spotted crossing the northern border, heralding an army of the dead. Shambling hordes of zombies and skelettons clads in the armor of my country.

They said wherever she went, destruction followed, and dozens of villages had fallen to her clutches.

Somehow, I wasn’t afraid. I had too much to worry about. Old Martha had been sick. I had to take care of her and her calf. And my chickens were restless these days, it seemed like everytime I took my eyes of them they were either fighting or trying to run away.

---

I can’t say I was surprised when she reached us.

I don’t know why I went up to the village gates. I think it was because one of the guards was sick, and I’m okay with a bow. The witch walked towards our gates, demanding safe passage. Of course, the chieftain refused. He gave us the order to shoot. 

So I took aim, peered down the walls, and saw a glint of gold.

I couldn’t shoot.

---

The battle wasn’t even a battle. The undead were far too many. Everyone fled. 

But I couldn’t. As the dead marched inside the village, I got down the stairs. I started walking between them. For some reason, they didn’t grab me, but at that moment, I didn’t care about that. The only thing that stopped me was her voice.

“Who are you?”

I turned to the .voice, and there she was. A slender figure in flowing dark robes. A wide brimmed hat protected her porcelain skin from the assaults of the sun, and she walked with the help of a staff, gripping the front of her robe with her damaged hand. I stood aghast in front of the stunning figure, gazing upon these hands, full of little cuts and calluses, then I raised my head to peer into her obsidian eyes. She must have lost what little patience she had, because she changed her question.

“Why didn’t you shoot?”

I blinked a few times, raising my arm to point at a soldier among the others. A puppet without strings that had been walking towards me for a while now. At it’s neck, a golden medalion. I'd have recognized it among countless others, and I did, as I’d made it myself from foreign coins a traveller had once gifted us when he was sleeping in our home.

I realised, as I remembered this, that I still had not really answered her.

“She’s my daughter.”

The witch’s expression did not change. My daughter walked past me like I wasn’t even there, her good luck charm tapping with every step against her mail. I could only stand there, staring in awe, fear, and defeat. My daughter was finally home. The Witch left me standing there, walking towards the village’s exit, following the horde.

---

It had been three days since I’d started following them. I’m still not sure why. I think I needed just needed that.

And by “that” I mean making my way towards our realm’s capital with an evergrowing army of the undead. Don’t judge me, please, what could I do, run away and abandon my daughter? Fight and be cut down by her skinless hand?

At first, I’d tried to understand, but after three days I found myself even more confused than I did on our meeting. Not once had I seen the witch raise the dead. They simply popped out of the ground, grabbing their weapons cast in rust and dirt, and walked. Some were skeletal civilians that had been caught in the war, or the rotting carcasses of these who died to the sickness that all wars bring, but most of them were soldiers from both our realm and our neighbor. At first, we were little more than seventy, but as we moved from village to village, as the living fled in abject terror, we soon grew to hundreds of walking heralds of doom. 

---

After a week I was not the only living one there anymore. We found each other, quite confused and lost, but then called ourselves the Followers, as a joke. I’d found that jokes like these help with anything. Most of our stories where the same. Parents, siblings, some teachers and even some children who had recognized a face, a scabbard, a scarf, an axe that a loved one had brought into battle and never brought back. There even was one decrepit bog hag, clad in dirt and rags. Man, old Marie was the best. She made the best soups.

As we talked, I got my first news of the outside. Our lord was in a panic, he tried everything to stop us, but his army was in shambles, no one dared oppose us. I also learned that the neighboring kind had perished at the hand of this army.

I wasn’t sure how to feel about that, so I confronted the Witch.

It was a cold afternoon and she sat on a log as the undead wandered aimlessly. She had donned a warm cloak, and next to her was a pot of herbal tea. She offered me a cup.

“I did not kill him.”

I had not asked, but she must have heard us talking about it. I simply sat next to her. Her eyes were lost in the horizon, where we now could see the capital’s shadown in the faraway mists. As I sipped her bitter brew, I decided to ask a question anyway.

“Why do you do this?”

The wind was blowing. A few birds took off as the undead seemed to walk with purpose again. For a second, it seemed like she was going to answer, but all she said was.

“We have to go.”

And that was that.

---

Three of us died at the gates. The walls were too high for the dead to simply overrun. We were hesitant at first, and I don’t know why, but I understood at this moment. So I repeated her words.

“We have to go.”

And that was that. They followed me as I installed lader. Boiling oil and naphta got two of us, and an arrow got a thid, but, thanks to some weird brew of Marie’s, we were feeling like lions that day. 

Two more died in the streets as we tried to herd the stampeding citizens out of the way of the army, but we kept on.

A constable got a hold of Marie as she was tending to our wounds, and beat her to a pulp.

I can still hear his screams of terror as me, another follower and few of the dead swarmed him.

This was the only time I’d ever harmed anyone.

---

Here we were now, in the throne room. I had never seen our lord in person. His paintings had been quite lenient in regards to the multiple marks of inbreeding his body displayed. 

He cursed us and the dead as they marched towards him. His pretorian guard fought bravely, but they were crushed under our numbers.

It was my daughter who drove the spear into his guts.

And that was that.

Time stood still as the undead suddenly all stopped into their track. A wind blew from the sky, running through the dead, and as it blew, their bodies fell to ashes, scattering across the land, and I hope, back to their home.

The witch fell to her knees, but I caught her, steadying her.

“I don’t know who you are. I don’t know who they are. I only know they brought me here.”

And that’s all she said, as the Witch and us, her Followers, stood in the middle of the gilded palace of the tyrant. 

We had been saved by our dead. I cursed myself for being so blind, so complacent.

So as you read these lines, friend, know this: our land was saved one day by the dead, but they woke from their slumber only because we, as a people, were asleep, and dreams are not what slays tyrants.

[kindajared]

Just A Kiss || (JotaroXReader) Part 4

(Sorry if thid drrmd short! It’s all I had in me for today!)

Getting home, you found yourself alone like most days, your father was always home quite late. You two were very close, but you never spent very much time with each other. You sighed and walked into your bedroom, sitting yourself down on your bed, bag beside you. You couldn’t stop thinking about him…thinking about Jotaro,,, and honestly you wondered if he was thinking about you.

-

Jotaro was greeted by his exited mother as he walked in the door, Ssmilar to every other day. He received a hug from her but didn’t return it. He just patted her on the head, heading to his room after his mother stopped clinging to him.

The thing was…that he was in fact thinking about you. He really did feel something. Today brought that to light for him. It was almost a weird and uncomfortable feeling. He’d never felt this way in his entire life. He almost wanted it to go away, but…he liked liking you. He enjoyed having these feeling for you.

He then decided to return to the front entryway and head to the kitchen, He picked up the phone and went to press the numbers, but he hesitated. Would calling you be weird? You had told him to call whenever he liked, day or night, but he’d never called you before. Fuck it. He was going to do it.

He pressed in your number, hoping he had remembered it right. It rang for what felt like forever until you picked up.

“Hello? (L/N) Residents.” You answered, barely making it to the phone on time. There was silence for a moment until you heard a familiar voice.

“Hey, (Y/N)” Jotaro spoke from the other end. You were quite shocked to hear from him.

“Oh! Jotaro, is that you? I could recognize that voice anywhere.” You smiled to yourself, hoping you didn’t sound to exited.

“Yeah, It’s me.” He replied, not saying much else.

“Well…what’s up? You’ve never called me before. It’s kinda nice if I’m honest.” You twirled the phone cord in-between your fingers, leaning against the kitchen counter. You were giddy.

“Yeah…I uh, I wanna see you.” His voice had a hint of nervousness. You froze. What did he just say? Did he..? You answered.

“Y-you-?” You were going to question him, but he cut you off.

“…To study. My grades are shit.” He covered the phones speaker so that he could let out a relieved breath before he returned his ear to it. You let go of the breath you were holding.

“O-oh, okay, well when would you wanna meet up then?” You held the phone tightly, biting your lower lip to hold in your excitement.

“Today. My house.” His reply was a little to quick, he kicked himself for it. He would be found out if he didn’t cool it.

“I can do that. You don’t live very far away. I can walk there! I’ll be over soon then.” You had your eyes squeezed shut. This was happening! Wow!

“Do you remember where I live?” He asked you. You replied, who didn’t know? His place was the biggest property around.

“How could I not?” You readjusted your posture so that you could get ahold of yourself.

“Alright then. My mom might freak out, just letting you know,” He warned. You chuckled.

“I’m exited to finally meet her. Really meet her, I mean.” You had met her briefly at a school meeting, but you and Jotaro had just recently become friends. You didn’t want to intrude on his family life, so you tried to stay away. You laughed once more.

“I’ll see you soon then. B-bye!” You said your farewell nervously before you set down the phone.. You let out an exasperated breath. That was so intense. Well it really wasn’t. It felt like you had been swimming against a current. Getting through the conversation without unleashing your inner teenage girl was a struggle.

You immediately packed up your things that you had removed from your bag and returned them to it. It was time to go.

You exited your home and locked the door behind you. This walk would feel quite perilous and it was a shame you were so nervous. You just wanted to feel normal, not crazy like you did now. You’d be alone with him again. Isolated.

It was only about a 10-minute walk before you approached the property, high walls around it. You walked up to the big wooden door that led inside. How were you supposed to knock on this thing? You supposed the knockers would do, so you used them, knocking three time.

It was about a minute before Jotaro opened the gate. Your heart skipped a beat when you saw him. You had just remembered the situation you were about to walk into. You were going in his house…your crushes private home. You swallowed.

“Hey.” He greeted you simply, moving out of the way so that you could walk in.

“And hey to you as well.” You walked past him, in awe at what you aw inside. It was larger than you had imagined. Picturesque with all its buildings and stone walkways. You looked around.

“Come on, let’s go inside.” Jotaro brushed his hand against your forearm as he walked past you, leading you to the front door. He slid it open for you. You began to walk towards it, a little hesitant.

So…this was happening.

[will-noble-owns-my-ass]

What Would I Do Without You?

A/N this is a story idea I came up with last year and I’ve just gotten around to writing it

Chapter 1– The Broken Relationship and Old Friends

Ethan didn’t know what to do. His big brother was gone. All he had now was his sister but she wasn’t talking to him. He sighed and walked towards the nurses station where his sister was talking to Rash and glaring at him over his shoulder.

As he approached she rolled her eyes and walked away, he sighed as he walked up to Rash “Why isn’t she talking to me?” The younger male looked at him sympathetically “She won’t tell me but she says you know what you did.” He shook his head “I haven’t the slightest idea what I did.” Rash sighed “Talk to her Ethan that’s all I can say.” Ethan brought s hand to his face and groaned lightly “Thanks Rash” as he walked in the direction his sister had gone.

“Please Mel”

“Ethan you know exactly what you did!”

“No I don’t”

“One word Ethan— Leanna” she spat

“What about her?” Amelia shook her head.

“Her boyfriend tried to kill you! He killed Cal! And you tried to get with her!” She growled “Ethan I can’t believe this. I can’t believe you!” He looked at her “Mel! It wasn’t her who stabbed Cal. You can’t blame her.” She looked at him shocked “Wow! Okay, stick by her, I’m your sister Ethan!” She stormed off

Ethan groaned. He loved his sister, of course he did but what right did she have to tell him eho he could see? No. He didn’t think she did. Yes Leanna had been Scott Ellison’s girlfriend, but she wasn’t to blame for what he did to their brother and he told her as much.

He followed after her. “Look Lia I’m sorry you feel this way but you can’t blame her for what he did.” She looked at him with tears in her eyes “That’s not what I meant! I know it wasn’t her fault Ethan! But I’m upset because you think it’s okay to date her! You know what he did to Cal!” He looked at her “Mel please..”

“No Ethan! Listen, I’m gonna go stay with Rash for a while..”

“Amelia you don’t have to do that”

“Look..Ethan.. I think it might be best if I leave for a while, I’m struggling to even be in the same room as you right now.” And with that she left again.

Amelia’s point of view

Amelia let out a soft groan as she left her only family in the corridor behind her as she went to deal with paitents.

Ethan had taken a break from the hospital after Cal died, Amelia hadn’t. Amelia had needed to carry on working. Connie and Rash had tried to corner her and tried to talk her into taking some time out

*Flashback*

Rash had pulled her into Connie’s office gently, despite her protests. Rash I have patients to see I don’t have time for this.” Rash sighed aa he held her hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

Connie looked at her and shot her a sympathetic smile “Doctor Hardy... Amelia... Rash and I feel that it may be best for you to take a break.” Amelia backed off hitting the wall in the process “No I don’t need a break! I need to be here! I NEED TO BE HERE!” Rash walked towards her slowly as she screamed. He pulled hee closer gently “Hey, hey it’s me. Shh, it’s okay you’re safe Amelia I’m here, I’m here you’re not alone I promise.” He whispered in her ear trying to calm her down “Please.. please Rash don’t make me leave” Connie looked at her” Amelia, I feel it’s best that...” “No! I need to be here, because thid is where Cal is! I can’t go! Please!” She had begged dissolving into tears.

*End of Flashback*

Rash walked into the apartment he shared with Amelia. He stood in the doorway and watched her for a second as he moved forward and pushed a peice of hair from her face. She streched and sat up slowly “Oh hey you, how was your day?” He smiled “I had s busy day but it was good. How was your day?” He asked as he sat down and ran s hand though her hair “It was quiet. Connie’s stuck me on admin remember, I spent the day updating people’s notes” she rolled her eyes “Hey, hey it’s okay.” He said softly “I’m just sick of being on admin Rash, I should be seeing patients. People Rash, that’s why I do this job. To help people.” He pulled her close “You do Amy and I promise Connie will pull you from admin as soon as she thinks you’re ready.” She sighed softly “Rash I was always ready, I didn’t need a break, I was.. I was fine.” He sighed “Amy..”

“No Rash.. I was... I was handling it, I okay but then you and Connie saw fit to drag me away from work. She forced me to have a week away from work and now I’m back, I’ve been back for months and I’m still on admin. I have to deal with Ethan fawning over the girl whose boyfriend killed my brother and I’m supposed to just be okay with that? I’m not okay with it! I’m dealing with this on my own Rash! I’m on my own.” She sobbed, he pulled her close abd kissed the top of her head “You Amelia Louise Hardy are not on your own. I’m right here.”

He looked at down her and smiled softly as he noticed she was asleep, he pulled a blanket over her, spotting her phone on the coffee table. He thought for a second and decided that, if he was going to fix things between Ethan and Amelia then he would need help, the help of someone who’d known them a long time. He picked uo her phone and scrolled through her contacts looking for the number. He ran a hand through her hair as he found the number and pressed the call button.

“Hi, this is Rash, I’m a friend of Ethan and Amelia. Yes it’s good to finally ‘meet’ you too, I’ve heard a lot about you. I know it’s a long shot but I’ve got a bit of a problem. -Yes well they aren’t talking to each other- they need each other to deal with what happened but their not, they’ve pushed each other away and I’m really sorry to ask but I think you’re the only one who can help me.” He smiled slightly “I’m sure they’d love to see you— Great thanks Will.” He hung up the phone and ran a hand through her hair “I’m right here Amelia.”

[fairymadnessyeah]

Hero Name

So, I cried like a bitch making this. I hope you do too. And for the love of god, please, thid can’t happen....

Enjoy!!!!

AO3 Link

Summary:  Hitoshi never thought he would be able to reach this point. At UA, in the heroic course, with friends that weren't afraid of his quirk and every day getting one step closer to becoming a pro. And all of it because of one teacher. One man that had seen his potential and had given him a chance to prove himself. One man that taught him and provided him with tools to succeed. He wouldn't be here without him. He wouldn't have made it this far without him.

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Shinsou stepped out of the arena holding his hero licence. When he was moved into the heroic class, into class 2A, not only did he need to keep up with his peers, but also learn and achieve everything his class had done on his first year. Which included getting his provisional licence alone with thousands of people going after him, since they knew his quirk from the sports festival. Luckily he had aced it, and was able to get his hero licence.

Hitoshi never thought he would be able to reach this point. At UA, in the heroic course, with friends that weren't afraid of his quirk and every day getting one step closer to becoming a pro. And all of it because of one teacher. One man that had seen his potential and had given him a chance to prove himself. One man that taught him and provided him with tools to succeed. He wouldn't be here without him. He wouldn't have made it this far without him.

Hitoshi wanted to make him proud.

As he stared at his hero licence in disbelief, a car honked at him. Looking up, he saw Midnight-sensei waving at him. There were a few men, both teachers and students, blatantly staring at her salivating and with their jaws dropped while she leaned out of the car window. Taking his hero gear and putting his new licence in his pocket and went into the car. Once he had his seatbelt on, Kayama sensei started the car and they were on their way back to UA.

"So?" His teacher asked after a while. "How did it go?"

"Fine,"

"Well, what's your hero name? I know you wanted to keep it a secret until you had your licence, but you got it now," She asks and makes Shinsou start worrying.

He didn't want to say what his hero name was because he didn't have one. He was planning on just using Hitoshi or Brainwash, but Kayama had told him that it wouldn't be a good idea. Since he wanted to be an underground hero, having his name or his quirk name would play as a disadvantage for him in the long run. So he was back to square one. 

When they gave him the document to fill with his information to make his licence, he didn't know what to write down. He was about to put down his quirk name, with the faith that he would change it once he got his real hero licence, when he got an idea. A stupid and very reckless idea that was bound to make a lot of people mad. But he went with it anyway.

Kayama sensei, was one of those peoples that might get mad at his hero name choice. Not because it was bad or dated, but because of the history behind the name. It was a lot to live up to. And while Shinsou was ready to try, some people might think he would never be able to.

Taking a deep breath, he took his licence out of his pocket and gave it to his teacher. They had just stopped at a red light, and as he took out his wallet to put his licence on when she gave it back, Midnight stared at it quietly. 

She snapped out of it when the car behind them honked at them, the light going back to green. Kayama sensei gave him back his licence and continued their drive back to UA. Shinsou placed his licence, the real, touchable proof that he was going to be a hero, in his wallet and Midnight, as she drove, cleaned the few tears that were escaping her eyes.

His anxiety making him jump to conclusion, made Shinsou say. "I can change it back later..."

"Don't," Kayama assures him. "You are a great kid, Shinsou,"

The rest of the drive is quiet, with the music from the radio filling the background. When they reach UA, Kayama hugs him before leaving, telling him that he should go to his dormitory and to 'watch out'. He didn't get it until he went into the 2A dorm.

All the light were off and it was quiet. Too quiet for it to be class 2A dormitory, the class of problem children. He deduced quickly what was going on.

"Oh No,"

"SURPRISE!!!!!!" His classmates from both classes of the heroic course jumped out of hiding, turning the light back on, throwing glitter and confetti at him and displaying a giant banner that said "Congratulations Shinsou!". 

Kaminari had asked him how the exam had gone when he was waiting for his licence to be made. Him and the lightning dumbass had become pretty good friends since he joined the hero course. They texted daily and more than one time had the loud blonde found a place inside his room. He figured he had been the one in charge of asking him if things had gone alright. It would have been awkward if he hadn't gotten his licence and they threw a party for him.

As he was pulled further inside, and a crown was pulled on top of his head, everybody grabbed a drink and raised their cup to cheer. He was given a glass too, and as Kaminari perched himself over his shoulder, he screamed: "To the New Hero of UA".

Everyone whooped and drank. As the surprise party continued, with games, food and other types of shenanigans, soon enough the one-million-dollar question needed to be answered.

"So what's your hero name?" Izuku asks him as they all seat around the couch eating cake.

"Yeah, what did you end up going with?" Kaminari, on his other side, questioned him too, but louder, getting everyone's attention.

Great. Now a bunch of people that might get mad at his choice for his hero name wanted to know what he had decided on. Great.

Taking out his wallet, he passes them his hero licence. They all take turns to read his name, the room growing quiet, until the licence makes his way back to him. The silence that invaded the room is, surprisingly, broken by Bakugou.

"That is a great fucking name," 

"Thanks, Bakugou,"

The party doesn't die down thankfully, and soon enough they are back on track playing with a piñata and making smores with the help of Todoroki. A few hours later, with the party done and the class cleaning up or ordering a bunch of pizza ("How are we going to pay for so much pizza?" "I got my old man's credit card,"), Shinsou finds himself escaping the chaos and going to the gate of UA. There, dressed in his normal clothes and with his hair down, is one of his teachers, Present Mic. Shinsou isn't surprised to see him here. Present Mic, having a voice-based quirk had helped him a lot in his studies. He looked up to him a lot and wanted, no needed, to get his permission on something.

"Hey, listener," Yamada sensei greets him once he sees him. "How did the party go?"

Figures he knew about it. "It was okay, they are too loud," Mic chuckles at his response and messes with his hair fondly and earning a grunt from the purple-haired teen. "I wanted- here," Hitoshi gives him his new licence, embarrassed.

His teacher takes the plastic card and, when he reads his hero name, his ever-present smile falls and grows at the same time. Hitoshi doesn't know if it is a good or a bad thing. He hopes its a good thing. If Present Mic, Hizashi Yamada, pro hero, radio host and teacher of UA did not approve of his hero name, he will change it.

Suddenly, he is enveloped by two large and thin arms as the man above him cries quietly. Shinsou returns the hug, a few tears escaping his eyes. "He would have been so proud of you, Hitoshi," His teacher sniffs and Hitoshi presses himself harder against him.

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Profesional Hero Licence

Name: Shinsou Hitoshi

Birth:  7/1/XXXX

Hero Name: Eraserhead

[chibbybish]

Are you good for anything at all? (Chibs x Ally)

(I apologise this is kinda short but it's my first one YAAAAAAY~ GIF's not mine!)

Ally was sitting in a chair in the kitchen when the front door opened and Chibs entered the house.

"Ally?" He started looking for her inside the house until he finally found her in the kitchen. She was holding a hands a glass of whisky and her hair was messy, and she seemed to not have slept enough.

"Where have you been?" she asked him in a low voice.

"Business. With the club." Chibs answered briskly.

"How did it go?" she asked again.

"Not well." He answered, looking at the floor. He took a chair and sat down near Ally.

"What's the matter with you?" he asked her.

She remained silent for a few seconds as if she was trying to find the proper words to give Chibs an answer.

"I know you want to break up with me." Her answer startled him. "A policeman and a criminal can't be together, can they?" She laughed.

"You're drunk."He remarked. He tried to lift her from the chair to carry her to her room, but she pushed him away with her hand.

"I want to break up with you too." She stated.

"I'm not good with this kind of conversations.." Chibs admitted. Despite the pressure he felt he was under, he wanted to talk it over with her, find a way through all of this.

"You are away too often" Ally said. "I'm tired of turning a blind eye to all the dirty business you do with the club." She added.

"I'm not so good with relationships." Chibs passed his fingers through his hair and sighed piteously.

"Are you good for anything at all?" Ally yelled. The sudden change in the tone of her voice left Chibs staring at her in astonishment.

When he got over the mini shock he rose abruptly from his chair.

"Good Night, Ally." He said, and began to move away. Any intention he had to solve the problems of his relationship with Ally had vanished.

Before he could enter the room he felt a hand draw him backwards. He turned to look at Ally. Her eyes were red and her cheeks full of tears.

"I'm sorry." She said softly. "I'm sorry, I just -" before she had the time to finish what she wanted to say, Chibs interrupted her.

"I just came to pack my things." He said. "I know how hard it is for you not to be in a normal and beautiful relationship. I'm leaving. And I hope you find something better."He added, and headed for the big closet.

"No, don't go."She begged him, and ran after him. She made him turn towards her, and then she kissed him with all the strength she had left.

He responded to her kiss immediately. His hands traveled hastily to her back and caressed her all over.

He wanted like crazy to be with her, but he couldn't. She was a cop, he was another criminal.

With these thoughts, Chibs interrupted their kiss.

"I can't do this." He muttered.

Ally appeared to be surprised, but before she could react, Chibs started putting on his clothes and a suitcase.

"Chibs, please, I'm sorry." Ally yelled in despair.

"It's not your fault. It just can't be helped. We can't be together." He answered calmly, and began to drag the suitcase behind him as he left the room.

"Please, damn it!" Ally cried, grabbing him by the arm.

Chibs stopped abruptly and turned to look at her. His look had changed. He seemed to be angry now. Pure, raw, anger.

"I can't do that, Ally. I can't. Let me go, this relationship was doomed from the beginning." He growled. "I hate thid. Let me go." He added.

Ally fell on her knees to the floor. Chibs stood for a moment looking at her, as she cried with her face burried between her knees.

"I'm Sorry, Ally." He muttered, and began to walk towards the door. They both knew that the next day all this would be in the past and each of them would go on with their life, pretending none of this happened until the day they would look at each other without feeling any pain.

(requested by @naytraydr)