#What is Solo Polyamory

[marsduality]

TikTok by @relationship_anarchy | Part 1

[beginning of transcript]

What is Solo Polyamory? Let's start by talking about what it's not.

The opposite of Solo Polyamory is Hierarchical Polyamory - meaning you've got Primary Partners, Secondary Partners, etc etc. What Hierarchies try to do is they try to create Secure Attachment by holding a boundary of "Okay, you're my Primary Partner so you have Veto Power over my other relationships."

So for example, let's say that I'm dating someone new, but my Primary Partner is jealous or maybe they don't want me to date cis men - maybe they only want me to date women so then they have Veto Power to say "No, sorry, that's not cool with me, you can't do that."

Hierarchical Polyamory is inherently dis-empowering because people at the bottom of the Hierarchy are disconnected from the people who are making decisions at the top that actually impact them.

When you have Secure Attachment, you don't need the Hierarchy to help you feel secure. You'll just negotiate each relationship on its own terms.

[/end transcript]

Link for Part 2

[messengerhermes]

I'm very glad I don't have a job right now, because I feel like I'd get an impulse tattoo on my left ring finger that's just "nope" or something equally absurd at the moment.

[pilfappreciator]

Brandi and Bruce’s S/o looking after the bakers dozen on their own, what shenanigans occur?

Anon this is?? Literally so cute what the hell??? Also referring to them as the "bakers dozen" is so genuis sfhjjfdadfggh—

Reader & the Bakers Dozen: babysitting solo

Includes: GN! Reader, mentions of polyamory, mentions of Vacay Lovers, slightly Parental! Reader, the Bakers Dozen

CW: Bruce Jr.

🍪 POV: your partners go off to some fancy convention to promote their business, leaving you to watch after all 13 of their kids. Chaos ensues

🍪 These little shits are already a lot to handle, so when you suddenly find yourself being the only adult in the house responsible for them? Yeah, babes, you've definitely got your hands full

🍪 Luckily, you've spent enught time at the Vacay Lovers household that things are at least a little easier for you lol

🍪 They definitely behave much better for you compared to other babysitters. Partly because you're smoochin their parents (and don't wanna get in trouble), and partly because they genuinely like you :3

🍪 But they're still little shits thru and thru, don't forget that

🍪 If they happen to have school? Chances are Bruce and Brandi already took care of their lunches and stuff before they left, so it'll be up to you to pick them up (WARNING: THE KIDS WILL TRY TO CONVINCE YOU TO GO ORDER AT THE NEAREST FAST FOOD PLACE! Unless you've got money for 13 happy meals, prepare to hit em with a firm refusal). Definitely helps if you blast some music in the van! They've kinda lost interest in Velvet & Veneer after learning the two literally tortured their dad and uncles...

🍪 Play Brozone. They'll go crazy and shout-sing along with Bruce's parts lol

🍪 Later in the day you can expect a few to come up to you for homework help. They might also wanna help with dinner, but fyi there WILL be a mess. Pasta sauce on the floor, flour all over the counters, stains on your clothes— the whole shebang

🍪 Want the least amount of casualties? Just let them set the table (no worries, all the plates and stuff are made of plastic ajdjakkala)

🍪 A few of them have some dietary restrictions tho so keep that in mind!! Luckily, you can always find a list of reminders/examples up on the fridge courtesy of lovely muppet wife Brandi <33

🍪 If the kids don't have school that day, then be prepared. You're gonna have very little time to yourself ://

🍪 Like they've each got their own interests and hobbies to keep them occupied, but sometimes they'll need you to reach somewhere up high, or for you to play tiebreaker/settle an argument, or they honestly just want you to join them for a game of hide and seek which???

🍪 "Aw, you sure you guys don't mind me joining in?"

"Yeah! Just cuz you're old doesn't mean you can't have fun, too!"

"...Gee, thanks :D"

🍪 They're merciless

🍪 They've all got their own set of chores they need to do. Each and everyone will try to worm their way out of them. All of them. Everytime

🍪 Sure, they can be a little hyper sometimes, but they're like 6-8 years old so that's expected. For the most part, they're all pretty chill

🍪 It's Bruce Jr. who you've gotta watch out for

🍪 He is a shit- stirer and I WILL FOREVER STAND BY THAT

🍪 This guy won't hesitate to rally his siblings into whatever plan he's been cookin in that feral little head of his. Prepare yourself because you're MOST DEFINITELY getting pranked. It's like a requirement or something

🍪 One nice thing i have to say about Bruce Jr. is that he's actually pretty resourceful. Like this little dude is using everyday household items like he's staring in his own Home Alone movie AKSJSJAKA—

🍪 Rest assured, tho, none of his pranks are seriously harmful or anything but like... at the end of the day, expect:

1) to be covered in craft supplies

2) your clothes/skin/hair a mess

3) to have one limb stuck in a bucket

4) all of the above

🍪 Honestly I feel like Bruce and Brandi would be surprised if they came back and DIDN'T find you sporting paint-stained clothes or with glitter in your hair. Maybe a few stickers slapped on your forehead??

🍪 The trick to dealing with this little agent of chaos is to either keep him separated from his siblings long enough so he doesn't manage to rope anyone into his schemes, or strike some kinda deal with him. Considering he's got 12 siblings, all of whom you need to be watching over at the same time, chances are the second option is your safest bet

🍪 Chances are he'll ask for something semi-illegal, or at the very least something that DEFINITELY requires adult supervision

🍪 DO NOT LET THIS BOY TALK YOU INTO BUYING ANYTHING RELATED TO FIRE. Seems like an easy task, I know. Unfortunately this little shit enherited his dad's charm so watch out o_o

🍪 He'll settle for a happy meal tho. Hopefully you didn't already cave and take him and his siblings out to eat earlier, otherwise you're spending even more money ajsjakkala

🍪 If any errands need to be run during your time there, you BETTER BELIEVE they're all coming with. You'll need to be incredibly vigilant during this time cuz these kids are even more rowdy in public than they are at home. If you're smart about it, you can turn the whole thing into a game! If everyone manages to grab everything off the grocery list in a certain amount of time or if they're able to find the best quality (but relatively cheap) brand of laundry detergent, then you'll buy each of them candy or something uwu

🍪 You can count on them to be cooperative, but like... bring the family child leash just in case

🍪 Cough cough (Bruce Jr.) cough cough

🍪 MOVIES BEFORE BED! It's a bit of a family tradition in the Vacay Lovers household. Yknow, just some way for the kids to spend time together before the day ends

🍪 You're most definitely gonna be playing tiebreaker when the time comes. All 13 of them have wildly different tastes

🍪 Absolutely no scary movies tho. They'll try to argue that theyre able to handle it, but at the end of the night expect to find yourself under a pile of frightened children who've ctawled into bed with you

🍪 Their collective nightly routine is literally?? So chaotic??? Like all of them are simultaneously trying to squeeze into the same bathroom just to brush their teeth... running in and out of their respective rooms... trying to sneak some extra dessert before bed

🍪 Literally never a quite moment in this household jshskakakam

🍪 You might have to read a few bedtime stories or sing a lullaby—

"Dad does it better"

"Just go to bed, Benji"

—but once they've settled in under the covers? Out like a light. They are unconscious the moment their heads hit their pillows

🍪 You'll probably have a mess (or two... or three) to clean up afterwards, but once they're taken care of? Dishes washed? Counters clean? You're more than welcome to crash on Bruce and Brandi's bed <33

🍪 Said couple returns home the next morning...

🍪 Just to find their kids drawing on your face with marker. Cross your fingers that none of its permanent 💀💀

Hope this was good! I know I call them all little shits BUT I MEAN IT AFFECTIONATELY OKAY AJSJAKA

Ngl I feel like this could have been like... more colorful? Like I was very general about the kids and their behavior as a whole, but now I'm super tempted to make a post describing each of them and all their little quirks! Just something fun to do that'll help me write them better in the future ;3

[bimbobaggins69]

𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. (ᴀ ᴄᴏʟʟᴀʙ ᴡɪᴛʜ @xxhellfirebunnyxx )

𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐱 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐦 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: you and your lovers all girls band Arwen, has gotten the opportunity to open up for corroded coffin who are said to be the next big thing. As exciting as it is, nothing excites you and your girlfriend more than the lead singer and his boyfriend.

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: eventual smut, still 18+ mdni, eventual foursome, wlw meets mlm, polyamory, lots of flirting, girls kissing, drinking, mentions of weed smoke, fluff between girls.

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞: so excited to share this collab I’ve been working on with my baby girl! Go check out her part through her readers pov on her page here <3

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 2.4k

The air is thick in the packed venue, the smell of weed and sweat fills your nose as the strobe lights from the stage beam over the crowd. You’re unusually nervous tonight, you can't tell if it’s because you haven’t yet perfected that baseline you’ve been practicing for weeks or if it’s because the stranger at the bar with the chestnut locks can’t take his eyes off of you.

From what you can tell where you're seated; he’s rather cute, with his coif of hair that swoops perfectly over his forehead, a baggy blue and white checkered flannel sits nicely over his firm shoulders. He’s nursing what looks to be a whiskey and coke as his long fingers with nails coated in black polish clutch at the glass. He gives the liquid a little swirl before he’s bringing it up to his lips, eyes still laser focused on you while he takes a sip.

“Hey baby, are you ready to start setting up?” Your girlfriend gleefully asks, her face looks so pretty with that contagious, beaming smile that instantly thwarts all the nerves running through your body. 

“Yeah pretty girl, let’s go.” You quickly reply, standing up on your platform boot clad feet and grabbing your best girl around her waist. You both excitedly bound to the double doors off the side of the stage that reads ‘bands and staff only!’. But before you pull it open, you look back to where the cute guy was seated, quickly realizing he’d gotten up and left in the time you’d been working your way backstage. A small tinge of disappointment courses through your chest, wishing maybe you and your girlfriend could have had some fun with him later, after the show. Oh well. 

Once backstage, you begin stripping off your current clothes before sliding on your pink plaid mini skirt, fastening a black studded belt over your waist, sticking a pair of black skull pasties over your nipples and slipping on some knee high black boots. 

The other three girls in your band, which consist of Gwen, your girlfriend who is a fucking beast on the guitar with a set of vocals as angelic as her. Chrissy who absolutely annihilates the drums every time, with her small frame and bouncy blonde hair and her girlfriend Rotten Robin who could melt your fucking face off with one of her keyboard solos; are all scattered around the green room, getting dressed in their stage outfits. 

You all agreed to wear skull nipple pasties, not only for the shock value but also to make a bold statement. 

“Can you help me with this?” Gwen asks, turning her back to you so you can buckle the bat harness that sits right underneath her perky tits. God, she’s so hot. You make sure to let her know as much, before throwing her a salacious wink.

After you’re ready for center stage, you and your girlfriend pull your instruments out of their respective cases, throwing the straps over your heads to rest on your shoulders and letting the hunk of wood lazily sit on your hips before you’re introduced to the crowd. 

The nerves you thought you’d halted for good earlier, come back like a rushing river, so you shake out your limbs in an attempt to set them straight again. “You good love?” Chrissy asks as she clutches her drum sticks in her dainty manicured hands before she begins twisting the right one between her fingers like the pro she is. 

“Yeah, just some pre-show jitters I guess.” You shrug, laughing off her question as if your chest wasn’t growing warm from keyed up nerves. 

“Baby, don’t be nervous, you’re going to fucking nail that baseline and everyone here is going to fucking love us. We’ve got this.” Your girlfriend reassures, batting her thick lashes at you ever so sweetly, making your heart flutter with adoration. How does she always know what to say to make me feel better? Guess that’s why she’s mine. 

“Yeah, we’re gonna kill it!” Robin chimes in as she secures her black leather fingerless gloves onto each hand. “So what if there are a couple hundred more people than we’re used to.” She continues, and you know she’s trying to be helpful and encouraging, but the thought of performing in front of more people than what is normal for you, hadn't even crossed your mind. Till now.  

“Thanks Rob.” You mumble, grabbing the neck of your bass and fidgeting with the strap as a distraction. 

“Alright, Let’s go!” Austin the stage manager announces, clapping his hands before he begins pushing you and the girls towards the stairs that lead up to the stage. 

Once you walk onto the scuffed up black platform and take your places, you realize how loud the crowd has gotten in anticipation of the opening act. It’s dark and the lights are so dim you can barely make out faces.

Chrissy enthusiastically beats her drumsticks together and shouts a three…two…one countdown, starting you all off with the opening groove. Gwen begins to strum on her first chords, the spotlights from above brighten and dance across the stage to the beat before you finally come in and hit your chords, as Robin’s insanely fast fingers move over her keyboard.  

The crowd instantly goes crazy; banging their heads, jumping and dancing, some even know all the words. But it wouldn't be an Arwen show if you and your girlfriend didn't at least raunch it up a bit by seductively dancing with your instruments. Sometimes between songs you and Gwen would even share a few tongue filled make out sessions causing the crowd to go even more wild. You both loved bringing the shock value into your live shows and the crowd was eating it up. 

As your set was coming to an end, you caught eyes with the guy who’d been checking you out at the bar. He had a mischievous smile on his face as he and the guy he was standing next to whispered back and forth into each other's ears. You felt as though he was eating you up with his eyes the way they intensely bore into yours. you carried on your set but every so often your eyes would shift and find his, making your stomach flutter with something you could only identify as intense arousal.

“Thank you guys, we have been Arwen!” Gwen shouts into the mic before grabbing your hand with a beaming smile, you both walk off the stage together, Robin and Chrissy trail behind you, hand in hand. 

“That was fucking amazing!” You jump and squeal in excitement and left over adrenaline, leaving the girls to do the same, giggling and hugging before more kisses are shared.     

“You guys that was fucking awesome! That was definitely the best show we’ve ever put on!” Your girlfriend squeaks, turning toward you and taking your face into her equally soft and callous hands. “And you absolutely nailed that baseline you’ve been working on. I told you you would.” Gwen gushes with a lustful look in her pretty eyes, a shit eating grin on her full lips as if to say ‘I told you so’. 

“Yeah, yeah…I know I should listen to you more.” You playfully roll your eyes before wrapping your arms around your girlfriend's frame, pulling her into you and planting kisses on her neck.

“I'm gonna go grab a drink, does anyone want anything?” You ask before making your exit back into the crowd. 

You walk between the bodies of people, as some type of house music pulses through the speakers, only being played until the band of the night, Corroded Coffin start their set. You notice more eyes on you than usual, some people smiling and waving or congratulating you on a ‘sick ass show’, and some with complete and utter arousal clouding their vision. You can't help but to hold your head high and embrace it, even if you're a total introvert. Gwen is the friendly talkative one in the band and you usually let her take that role as you're the observer. But it feels nice to not care for once, although you’re sure it's from the high you’re still riding from your performance. 

You quickly order, then grab your two drinks from the bar; a kahlua for you and a sex on the beach for your girlfriend per her request. You head back through the sea of people, wanting to be in the presence of your band so you can continue to rant and rave over how fucking good the set went. But you’re quickly stopped by a tap on your shoulder, as you walk through the hall that leads to the backstage door. 

“Hey.” The male voice utters, making you snap your head to the man's hand that is slowly beginning to move back down to his side, then up to his eyes. Your face definitely reads ‘why did you touch me?’ before you take in the strangers face, you quickly realize it’s the guy from the bar, who’s been eye fucking you all night. 

“Oh, hey.” You murmur with a subtle smile, not wanting to seem overzealous, although you had been thinking about the honey eyed boy all night.  

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to like, corner you or anything.” He huffs a bashful laugh, rubbing his hand on the nape of his neck out of nervousness, you couldn't help but to find it endearing. Now that he was so close to you, you were able to take in things you couldn't quite see from across the room; his silver nose ring glints under the lowlights of the corridor, he has smooth freshly shaven skin with pretty freckles, a beautiful smile even if it’s not as bright as it could be. His style is definitely more grunge then what you’re used to, all your exes were metalheads but it worked on him and if anything it made him even hotter. 

“No it’s okay.” You say, waving off his worries, Gwens drink sloshes around and falls onto the toe of your boot as you sway from side to side, making your face grow hot. 

“I just uh, wanted to say that your set was fucking great! I had a good time watching you up there. Um, you and your band.” He corrects himself instantly, causing a giggle to erupt from your chest. 

“Well thank you.” You boldly send him a wink before turning on your heel to finally head backstage. 

“Wait! Do you maybe wanna meet up later? Say like right here in this spot?” He asks, biting at his lip as his hopeful eyes beam into yours. 

“Mmm yeah, yeah that sounds good.” You murmur in agreement, finally opening the door and heading inside. 

“I’m Steve by the way!” He yells as the door closes behind you, making you smile at his awkwardness. 

Once inside you begin looking for your girlfriend, her drink now a little more than watered down from the melted ice. 

“Hey Chris, have you seen my girl?” You ask Chrissy who is splayed out on the black, cracked leather loveseat with a wet towel rolled up and placed over her forehead. The petite blonde is always the first to tap out after every show, but she really does put all her energy into playing so you couldn't blame her for wanting to nap after such an intense performance. 

“Uhhh, I think she went out to look for you babe.” Chrissy says with a tired smile, “I’ll be here if anyone needs me!” She shouts, as you walk back out the doors you came in, before giving her a quick ‘shit, thanks’. 

For a third time tonight you walk out of the double red doors and back into the muggy air and throng of people, on a mission to find your girlfriend and the owner of the drink that has made your hand uncomfortably sticky. 

Finally, after walking circles around the auditorium that seemed more like a damn arena than a small concert venue, you spotted Gwen, of course in the middle of the crowd being the little social butterfly you love so much. She was still adorning her performance clothes with her black leather skirt, fishnet top, harness, pasties and boots. She had a huge content smile on her face when her eyes caught yours, waving you over with excitement. 

“Oh my god babe!” She shrieks with a cute giggle. “I was just talking to the literal hottest guy! I have to find him.” She beams looking over the mass of people, but eventually looking disappointed when she came up short. 

“Wait, I just talked to the hottest guy, too.” You say with a disbelieving laugh, as your eyes begin to search the crowd for your mystery guy.

“And for the moment everyone’s been waiting for…Corroded Coffin!” The announcer on stage shouts out at the crowd making them jump and scream with anticipation. 

You and Gwen’s eyes immediately snap forward, you had never actually seen what the guys from Corroded Coffin looked like so out of curiosity you both turned to the stage, not wanting to miss the long awaited show. 

Once the music starts playing and the lights begin to brighten up the stage, you and Gwen gasp. 

“Oh my god, that’s the guy!” You both shout in unison. For a second you thought you were talking about the same person until your girlfriend started raving about his long flowy hair and nipple piercings, making you slowly realize she had talked to the lead guitarist. Yeah he was really hot, too.

Steve ripped his flannel off mid chorus, showing off his buff arms and littering of tattoos across his tanned skin, his alice in chains shirt stuck to him like a second skin as his hands gripped the mic, making his arms flex and you swoon. 

“That’s the guy I talked to!” You shout over the music as you point to the lead singer, Gwens eyes widen in amusement.

“Steve?!” Robin asks as she walks up from behind you, a dumbfounded look on her face. 

“Yes Steve, do you know him?” You ask curiously, taking a sip of your drink before handing the other off to its rightful owner. 

“Thanks peach.” Your girlfriend says before giving you a quick kiss. 

“Yeah, he’s one of my best friends and he’s dating Eddie, the guitarist.” She divulges, pointing to the wild haired, tattooed man who’s right in the middle of an amazing guitar solo, that made you and your girlfriend's thighs visibly clench. 

“No way?!” Gwen guffaws, you can tell by the look in her eyes that she has an idea cooking up, and you're equal amounts excited and slightly scared. 

“Oh this is gonna be fun.”  

[purpleyoonn]

the line between love and war 11

C H A P T E R  11: PTD D1 Soundcheck

“It is said that the night sky is made up of tiny wishes that humans were never able to fulfill. That the stars only became bright by the fulfillment of those wishes. In your eyes, the stars that shine never seemed real, your childhood wishes dark and dim as you grow. But now, now you understand the twinkle in their eyes as they look down at you.”

Summary: Your experiences told you that soulmates were something you would never have the pleasure of having; something not given to you because of who you are, despite the soulmark that resides on your inner left wrist. During your solo trip to Los Angeles, you find out that you are more than capable, that your soulmates had been waiting for you for a long time, and would not be letting you go anytime soon.

Genre: soulmate au, bts au, idol bts, polyamory relationship, eventual smut

Paring: Idol!BTS x autistic!mc

Status: Ongoing (randomly updated)

Warnings: mental illness, talk of disability, lots of angst, miscommunication, feelings of depression, feelings of isolation, polyamory bts, stalking, dangerous behavior, eventual smut,

Chapter Warnings: mc has a fear of heights, mc insta live, protective bangtan, not that much going on, more of a filler chapter,

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Masterlist // Chapter 10 // Chapter 12

————————————————–

Previously on The Line Between Love and War:

“I need pictures with my daughter to show my friends.” Was her excuse for extra pictures, making you grin back at her. You didn’t mind, even posting some pictures on your Instagram afterwards, putting a small heart over her face to keep her anonymity like Hobi wanted.

You ended up spending the entire day with them, getting frozen yogurt and buying a couple of things that Jiwoo picked out for you, saying you would look beautiful in them. They were even cotton like you wanted.

It was an amazing day with family.

Today was the first day of the concerts the boys would be giving, and you had all left early to SoFi stadium for soundcheck and any last-minute things the boys would need to be aware of. You had arrived somewhere between eight and nine that morning, coffees in hand.

You had planned the night before that you would be going with them early, your backpack already packed with snacks and whatever else you and Jungkook decided to pack. 

Jungkook has deemed it his job to make sure your backpack was always ready for you, filled with what his instincts told him you would need. So, he insisted on helping you pack, practically pushing you out of the way to make sure you had everything you needed.

You could see how nervous and stressed everyone was, so you decided you would try and stay out of the way of everyone, not wanting to add to the already busy day. So, once you were introduced to the staff, you had kissed the boys goodbye, ignoring their confused stares, and left their dressing room to explore the stadium.

You had your backpack with you, probably making you gain a couple of weird looks, but you ignored it with the thought of exploring. You would never have had this opportunity before, and your curiosity always won out, unfortunately. Your eloping had caused a lot of problems growing up, and you tried your hardest to ignore your instincts, but sometimes they won out.

You moved through backstage first, lanyard and badge worn around your neck so the crew knew who you were. It also helped that Seungho walked a few paces behind you, glaring at everyone that even looked your way. He had been very protective since the incident at the mall. You tried to tell him that it wasn’t his fault, but he didn’t seem to agree.

You tried to make him smile again by showing him a picture on Amazon of a backpack that had a leash, telling him that you would use it if he wanted. He laughed out loud before shaking his head no. Jin liked the idea though, saying he would have the company make BT21 versions and use the RJ one. Namjoon just shook his head.

You looked at everything you could, from the lights being adjusted to going on the stage where the boys would perform. The gates for soundcheck wouldn’t be opened until three, but you could already hear fans lining up outside the arena, screaming and laughing in excitement for the concert. It had you feeling a little wistful, wishing you could go out there and have the fan experience you dreamed about.

But, you realized, you got to experience something none of them would. While it didn’t make you less wistful, you tried to not be upset about the experience you wouldn’t get. Instead, you decided you could give the fans a new experience.

You opened up your Instagram, and after figuring out how to go live, you hit the button and waited. You were a little insecure, thinking no one would view it, but within seconds you had over a thousand people watching the live.

“Oh, I didn’t think this would work. I’ve never done this but I figured I could give you guys a tour!” You whispered excitedly into the camera, hoping you wouldn’t get into trouble. You didn’t know if you were allowed, and in hindsight, you probably should have asked, but you were excited.

“Hi everyone! My name is Y/N. Wait, you would know this if you’re following me. Uhm, anyways! This is the set up for the stage!” You aren’t quite sure how to turn the camera from front facing to back facing, making a concentrated face while you do so, but instead you just turn yourself so they can see the screen.

You move down the stage, making it so where you weren’t in the screen as you moved. You then turn around so they see the empty seats.

“In just a couple of hours you guys will be in here, then maybe it won’t be so empty.” You look at the screen, seeing comments and questions and a bunch of hearts pop up, surprising you as you didn’t really expect that. You see one that asks where the boys are.

“Where are the boys? Oh! They are getting ready for soundcheck and the concert. When I left the room to explore, they were talking about last minute changes to their outfits.” You hope your answer is okay, reading more of the comments as you move off stage and down the stairs to the seats.

“Oh wow, the stage looks so close when you are in the first row! Now I know how you guys get so many good fancams!” Your excited voice can be heard from the stage, where the boys are starting to come out. You had trouble controlling your volume when you got excited.

Jimin was the first to spot you, standing in front of the first row on the left of the stage, holding your phone up so you could be seen.

“Hyung? Is she on a live?” Jimin pokes Hobi, before pointing to you. Hobi and the others look at you, answering a fans question wondering what you were going to be wearing to the concert. Jungkook is quick to grab his phone, opening up Twitter to see nothing, while Taehyung opened Instagram to see you were in fact going live.

“She is live on Insta, Jiminie.” He spoke, sending his own hearts to you on the app. Jin peaked over his shoulder to see you smiling at the screen, his heart fluttering at how happy you looked.

“Oh, what’s this? Are you sure? They are supposed to be getting ready for soundcheck.” You mumble when you see a bunch of comments come up saying the Taehyung commented on your live, looking up to see Hobi, Namjoon, Jin and Yoongi on the stage, waving dramatically at you. But you didn’t see the others. You thought they were still in the room when an arm wrapped around your waist.

“Oh my gosh you scared me!” You screamed at Jungkook, smacking at him as he just laughed, holding his chest. Jimin and Taehyung appeared over your shoulder, waving at the camera as tons of comments appeared for the boys.

“Well, uh, say hello to ARMY, boys!” You speak up, pointing at the camera. A chorus of “hellos” from the boys had you hearing screams from outside the arena. You turned to Jimin, asking him if the soundcheck was starting soon.

“They are going to be letting them in soon.” Was his response, his eyes focused on the comments flowing on the screen. He was determined to learn English, even more so when he recognized a couple of hate comments. He didn’t want you seeing that so he grabbed your phone out of your hand.

“See you soon, Army.” He gave his biggest smile before hitting the “end live” button. (However, army figured out why he ended the live so quickly and proceeded to make edits about how protective he was while also making edits about how cute you and your facial expressions were.)

“Hey! I wanted to say goodbye.” You told Jimin once you saw he ended the live.

“Sorry baby. The crew is about to let the fans in for soundcheck.” He brought you in for a hug, then proceeded to guide you back onto the stage where the others were waiting.

When you got on stage, you could see the crew running around backstage, doing so many last minute things so the soundcheck goes off without a hitch. You walked with Jimin to where the boys were huddled, his hand planted firmly on the small of your back, keeping you close.

“I see you had some fun on live, baby.” Namjoon spoke up, a dimpled smile on his lips as he pulls you in for a hug, your cheek happily smooshed against his chest. You nodded at his statement, too comfortable and warm to bother moving.

You loved when they hugged you like this, letting your entire body just fall into them, their arms wrapped around you, just letting you relax into them. It felt so nice and had you feeling warm and loved.

You had your eyes closed, missing the look Namjoon had sent you, a soft smile on his lips. But Hobi didn’t miss it, taking a quick picture and archiving it into the newly made folder on his phone with your name on it. He already had a bunch saved, mainly candids of you, seeing as you didn’t really feel comfortable with posed photos yet.

You just listened to them talk about how the soundcheck was going to go, leaning into Namjoon as they began to put their in-ears on. They all already had their mics in hand, making it simpler for them as they discussed which song they were going to rehearse first.

When the army’s with soundcheck tickets started trickling in, Namjoon had squeezed you against him really quick before reluctantly letting you go, pressing a quick kiss to your lips.

“We will see you later, okay?” You nodded your head, almost too relaxed to think about speaking. The others also bid you the same goodbye, kissing your lips in passing as they moved to their places on stage and Seungho guided you backstage.

“Do you think we could watch the soundcheck too?” You turn to Seungho to ask him when he began to guide you back to the dressing room.

“I don’t think it’s safe...” He began to say when you cut him off.

“I won’t watch from the front! What about the higher up seats? Like the 200’s section?” You ask him, basically pleading with your hands bundled together in front of your chest. You even tried to break out the puppy dog eyes that always worked on Yoongi.

“I promise we will be safe.” You tell him, hoping that will work, and then squealing from excitement as he finally relents and nods his head. You grab his hand and practically drag him to the entrance you remember from your earlier exploration that led you to the stairs that take you to the higher sections.

You waste no time climbing up the large number of stairs in front of you, almost tripping a couple of times to Seungho’s dismay.

When you reached the top, you were excited. You moved from seat to seat trying to figure out which one had the best view, spending a couple minutes picking before eventually sitting in the one right in the middle of the first row. None of the fans could see you unless they were specifically looking for you. (They did, in fact, spot you and your photos circulated twitter for a couple of hours)

You took your backpack off and took out the army bomb you snuck in there behind Jungkook’s back. You put your batteries in it and excitedly started waving it, causing laughter to erupt from Seungho, his eyes closed as he laughed at your animated form.

You didn’t know where you would be during the concert, so you came prepared in case you were allowed to go to the soundcheck and didn’t have to be backstage. You really wanted to experience the concert and didn’t care how you did it.

You tried to stay still in your seat but it didn’t work. You danced and sang along the entire time, happy that you could hear the songs live, even if you weren’t necessarily at the concert.

However, during a small break in the soundcheck where the boys had some issues with the back track, you took a second to look around, realizing exactly how high up you were in the stadium. You could feel your heart racing, as if trying to jump out of your ribcage. 

You think the last time you were high in the air was at your home city’s yearly fair, where you had a panic attack on the Ferris Wheel years ago. You didn’t realize you were still scared of heights, not having been any place high in such a long time.

You were starting to feel sick, so you sat down and slowly turned to Seungho, who had noticed something change in your energy.

“Can we, uh, can we get down? I forgot I was scared of heights.” You whisper, unable to force your volume any louder in your terror. You were feeling dizzy and like you were going to fall over the edge of the balcony with every second that ticked by.

“Of course.” Seungho spoke quickly, helping you to stand up on your shaky legs before holding your hand and slowly helping you back down the stairs to the first floor. You felt like a newborn doe walking for the first time, your legs shaky and unbalanced.

“Why don’t we find a couple of seats in the 100’s sections, behind where the floor is set up? Would that be easier for you?” Seungho asked, knowing just how badly you wanted to experience the soundcheck like a normal fan. You couldn’t be on the floor for safety reasons, but he didn’t see why you couldn’t at least be behind them.

You think about it, turning your head to glance at where he had gestured. It wasn’t too high off the ground and seemed to be at the relative height of the stage where you had previously stood already.

“I think so.” You nod at him, and he could still see the traces of fear across your expression, the way your eyes had widened, lips pursed and jaw clenched.

Seungho brought you to the small steps that would bring you to the first row of the 100’s section, maybe ten feet from where the people at the edge of the floor were standing. You noticed another guard move over to where you were standing, in between you and the fans in soundcheck.

Despite the boys being on stage and surrounded by fans, you were still a priority to the staff and security.

You enjoyed the rest of soundcheck in the front row, not as energetic and excited as before, but you couldn’t help but shake your arms side to side in front of you, your hands in fists as you tried to not stand up on your still shaky legs. Your stimming had Seungho relaxing a little, knowing you were feeling slightly better, or, you would be as you continued to stim.

A couple of minutes before soundcheck ended, Seungho decided it would be the best time for you to go back to the dressing room and wait for the boys. You agreed, also wanting to go back and see them and hoping they would be able to spare some time for cuddles.

You’ve decided since meeting them, you loved cuddles. You loved being held. You loved being touched. But only by them. It was a weird conclusion to you as you hated being touched before you met them. You didn’t care though. You loved how you felt being with them.

You called the feeling ‘small thoughts no brain’. You didn’t have to think about anything, worry about anything. You didn’t have to make any decisions, knowing the boys would make them for you. You could just lay in their arms and feel warm.

Within minutes of you entering the room and sitting down, your backpack resting against the bottom of the long, black couch, the boys had come back in, smiling and laughing. Their energy was palpable and had you even bouncing in your seat. They had put their mics back in their cases before moving to where you sat.

Hobi was the first to reach you, with Taehyung being a close second. They both wrapped their arms around you and had you sitting in this weird position where you were sitting in both of their laps. Taehyung had his head resting on your shoulder while Hobi had his chin resting on your head, your own laying against his shoulder.

“Did you enjoy soundcheck, pretty girl?” Hobi asked you once you became comfortable in their laps.

“I did after we moved down to the lower section.” You grabbed his hand and held it in yours, your fingers tracing shapes into his palm. “I forgot I was scared of heights and being up in the higher sections was not fun once I realized how high up we were.”

Hobi’s eyebrows furrowed at your words. They had planned for you to be in the luxury box they reserved for their family and friends who had flown into LA. If you were scared of heights, that was not going to be good seeing as the box overlooked the lower section.

“Hey Namjoonah?” Hobi called out to their leader who was reaching for a bottle of water from the ice bowl on the catering table.

“Yeah?” Namjoon called back, looking at the three of you relaxing on the couch.

“We need a new plan for Y/n to watch the concert. Our baby is scared of heights.” Once Hobi called this out, everyone looked at you, making your cheeks redden in embarrassment and look down at your lap.

“Don’t be embarrassed love, we all are scared of something.” Jin had walked over with his own water bottle, placing a hand on your chin and tilting your head up to face them again, placing a swift kiss to your lips before moving to sit on the couch opposite you.

“What about having her be in front of us? Like we have the gates around the stage, where the security stand. What if we have her and Seungho along with a couple others stand there? That way we can also keep an eye on her?” Taehyung suggested, his thoughts causing a couple eyebrow raises as the others thought about it.

“I think that could work. Baby, what do you think?” Namjoon turned to you; his last sentence aimed at you.

“Uhm, maybe if I could wear my headphones? I don’t have any like, concert earplugs.” You think about it and feel better when you see Yoongi nod his head at your suggestion.

“Alright then. We well let Sejin and Seungho know. For now, I would appreciate if I could have some pre-concert kisses from my littlest mate.” Namjoon reached his arms out, pouting his lip a little knowing it would cause you to laugh at him.

You struggle to get yourself out of Hobi and Taehyung’s embrace, who noticeably tightened their grip once Namjoon opened his arms.

“Heyyyy, not nice!” You whine, finally pulling yourself away and falling into Namjoon’s arms.

“But we want pre-concert kisses too!” Taehyung whined back, making you laugh again, hiding your face in Namjoon’s neck.

[ink-flavored]

65 Question OC Polycule Ask Game

Do you have a bunch of OCs in a polycule? Do you have the burning desire to answer questions about them? Look no further for an excuse to talk about it!   There are footnotes under the cut to explain some potentially unfamiliar terminology. Remember to send an ask to the person you reblog it from to make sure everyone gets to play!

How many members are in the polycule? How are they related to each other? Feel free to draw a flow chart.

Did the relationship start polyamorous, or was it a monogamous relationship that eventually opened?

If it started monogamous, how did the process of opening the relationship go?

Are there any mono-poly1 relationships in the polycule?

What “shape” is the polycule? A triad, a “V”, a straight line of metamours2, or incomprehensible?

Where do each of the members land on the “solo poly” to “entwined” spectrum?3

Where do each of the members land on the “free agent” to “community oriented” spectrum?4

How did each member realize they were polyamorous? Did they always know, or was there some sort of epiphany?

Do any of the current members practice hierarchical polyamory5? Who are the primary partners?

If the polycule is hierarchical, what differs in the boundaries set for primary vs secondary partners? Tertiary partners?

Have any of the members been in a hierarchical polycule before?

Have any of the members been in a non-hierarchical polycule before?

Do any of the members have a preference between hierarchical and non-hierarchical polyamory?

What’s the craziest polycule drama they’ve experienced so far?

Have any of the members been the unicorn6 of a relationship?

Have any of the members been unicorn hunters7 in the past? Were they successful?

How does each member like to engage with their metamours? Do they want to meet every potential addition, or do they not care at all?

What are their “vetoes” for potential metamours? Do they have any at all?

Which of the members want to live with their partner(s), and which prefer to live alone?

How do each of the members deal with jealousy? How intense is the feeling?

How intense does each member feel compersion8 toward their partners and metamours?

Who has the strongest communication skills in the group? Who has the weakest?

Who does the most scheduling out of all the members?

How do they deal with feelings of loneliness if their partner(s) are spending time with their other partner(s)?

Does the polycule ever have get-togethers or dates where everyone is present? What are they like?

Of the members who live together, what are the household dynamics like? How do they split chores, manage finances, etc.?

Of the members who live together, do they all sleep in one bed too? All separate bedrooms? Something in-between?

What are their sexual dynamics like? Is group sex frequent, or is it purely one-on-one?

Do boundaries shift depending on which partners are involved in sex or romance?

What kind of boundaries exist outside of a romantic dynamic? Are friends-with-benefits considered metamours? Hook-ups?

Are any of the polycule members aromantic? How does that influence their relationship boundaries and their relationship to polyamory in general?

Are any of the polycule members asexual? How does that influence their relationship boundaries and their relationship to polyamory in general?

Do any of the polycule members consider their relationship(s) to be queerplatonic? How does that influence their relationship boundaries and their relationship to polyamory in general?

How have their members’ respective family relationships influenced their polyamorous dynamics?

Were any of the members raised in a polyamorous family?

Are any of the polycule members parents? How many kids do they have?

If there aren’t any kids yet, will there ever be?

How would the polycule deal with one member wanting kids, but another member never wanting kids?

If the relationship opened up after children were already in the picture, how was the change explained to them? Was it explained at all?

Do all members of the polycule raise children together, or are there designated “parent” members?

How does being in a polyamorous relationship influence how boundaries are taught to their kids?

How do the kids feel about their parent(s) being polyamorous? Are they supportive, indifferent, or actively opposed?

Have cultural dynamics played a part in how the polycule operates?

Are any of the members keeping their polyamory a secret? Why?

For mono-poly relationships, how does the monogamous partner see and experience their relationship with a polyamorous person? Their relationships with their metamours?

How did any monogamous partners deal with the idea of opening up a previously closed relationship? Was it a difficult change?

Did any monogamous partners discover they were polyamorous after the relationship opened up? How did they find out?

Do any monogamous partners still struggle to cope with polyamory? What gets them through the hard times?

Were any monogamous partners completely fine with polyamory from the beginning?

How do the polyamorous halves of the mono-poly relationships feel about dating a monogamous person? Is it a unique struggle or smooth sailing?

Do the mono-poly relationships have different boundaries than the poly-poly-poly-poly-etc. relationships?

How well do the metamours get along? Do they even know each other?

Do any of the metamours dislike each other? How does that impact their shared partner(s)?

Do any of the metamours hang out when their shared partner(s) aren’t around?

Do any of the metamours have specific dynamics and/or boundaries with each other? Why?

How do the members feel about marriage? Do they live in a society that recognizes polyamorous marriage at all? If marriage isn’t an option, what about legal protections?

What do any monogamous members think about their polyamorous partner potentially marrying someone else (either in addition to or instead of them)?

How does the polycule celebrate anniversaries?

How does the polycule celebrate birthdays?

If one of the members gets sick, who takes care of them? Is there a rotation of caretakers lining up, or designated partner(s)?

Has anyone experienced a particularly messy break-up while in the polycule? How did everyone handle it?

Which of the members, if any, would be happy in a monogamous relationship if having a polycule wasn’t possible? Would any rather be single than monogamous?

How insecure was each member when starting their polyamorous journey? In what ways?

How did each member overcome their insecurities about relationships? Have they at all?

Wild card! Ask anything you can imagine!

[1] Mono-poly: a relationship that contains both a monogamous and polyamorous person; the monogamous person is only dating one polyamorous partner, but that partner might have other partners in addition to their monogamous partner.

[2] Metamour: the members of a polycule who are dating the same person or people, but aren’t dating each other.

[3] Solo: presents to the world as single at first glance; may not want to live with any partner, or if they do, they may not choose to share finances or property.

Entwined: prefers relationships that are more entwined practically, financially, or both; values sharing living space, spending time in close proximity, sharing financial or household obligations, etc.; may see themselves as part of a unit, a single family that shares responsibilities together and approaches life together.

Definitions taken from “More Than Two” by Franklin Veaux and Eve Rickert

[4] Free Agent: values personal autonomy highly, places importance on the ability to make their own decisions, and presents to the world as able to act without requiring permission from others; places responsibility for decision-making, and for bearing the consequences, on each person individually.

Community Oriented: focuses on the interconnectedness of their relationships and their community; decisions are made with an eye toward how they might fit with the others.

Definitions taken from “More Than Two” by Franklin Veaux and Eve Rickert

[5] Hierarchical Polyamory: a kind of polyamory in which the members of the polycule are split into “primary” partners, “secondary” partners, “tertiary” partners, and so on. The higher “ranked” members are given more priority when it comes to spending time together, living arrangements, major life decisions, and overall have more control over the state of the polycule than the lower ranked members. This is in contrast to non-hierarchical polyamory, in which there is no ranking system, all relationships are treated with equal weight, and decisions are made as a group. There is no one proper way to practice polyamory, and both methods can be fulfilling for people who have different needs for their relationships.

[6] Unicorn: stereotypically, a young bisexual woman that is equally attracted to both primary members of a hierarchical polycule or a recently opened monogamous relationship, agrees to give both members equal attention, and agrees to have no additional partners. Referred to as “unicorns” because these strict requirements for a dynamic are basically impossible to find.

[7] Unicorn Hunter(s): stereotypically, the primary members of a hierarchical polycule or a recently opened monogamous relationship who relentlessly search for a “unicorn” to perfect their ideal polyamorous dynamic. Often have very strict requirements of their unicorn, which is why they’re constantly hunting for someone who can fulfill them.

[8] Compersion: the opposite of jealousy; the feeling of joy experienced when seeing your partner happy with their other partner(s).

[whalyrae]

DANCE WITH ME - CHAPTER 5

“If you want to keep a secret, you must also hide it from yourself.”

Summary : All your life, you thought you were a beta, a simple and boring beta. Until everything change. But now that you've presented yourself as an omega, how will you manage to live and hide it from your six friends and best friend, all alphas and all in the same pack? (a/n : I'm a shit for summary I'm so sorry-)

Genre : soulmate au (of course I'm a bitch for this), omegaverse, bangtan alphas au!, omega reader, fluff, angst, eventual smut, polyamory relationships

Status : In process

Word Count : 3k

Warnings : the usual one I guess, like smut, angst, fluff (yeah its a warning for some people ) mention of depression, abusive parents (physically and morally), violence and blood, PTSD, scars, self harm,...

Tag list : @ghostlyworld @kawaiikpoplover268 @scuzmunkie @iamkookiesforyou @00ihatesnaku @stellauniverse @akemiixx01

A/N : AAAH FINALLY ! My exams are finally over... Well tbh I'm not really happy with this chapter but if I listen to my inner voice I'll just delete all my works and never writing again so... Hope you'll like it anyway ! Let me know your impressions here or in my inbox ! And again thank you so much for all thoses likes and shares !! ♥

Masterlist | ao3 | wattpad

Chapter 4 // Chapter 6

☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾

Wooyoung and you were out of breath when you fell on the floor of the dance studio, lying next to him. You turned to each other with mutual grins.

“If we don't get the best grade with this,” you muttered after a few seconds. 

"You're taking the words out of my mouth!"

You laughed and straightened up to clap your hands. Wooyoung then turned around, his eyes shining. 

“Don't you agree with us Sannie? What did you think?”

It was with enthusiasm that Wooyoung just addressed his boyfriend and alpha, Choi San, student in the same school as both of you, but in second year. The omega thought of calling his boyfriend to have an external opinion on the choreography they had spent the week preparing. The choice of music helped a lot to make their imaginations work, the steps, and the combinations of these had naturally come to both of you.

The deadline was approaching and even if neither you nor he was stressed by the time, you still felt some form of anxiety over the level of performance and the quality of your choreography.

You were lucky (or unlucky, depending on the perspective) to get a preview of what Jimin, Jungkook, and Hoseok were up to, and you couldn't describe how you felt because these three idiots were the most talented and dammit attractive dancers you knew. 

You, too, turned to San, more nervous than your friend. It was the first time you met him in person. As you imagined, he was very impressive, very tall, and very charming. 

With his arms crossed against his chest, he nodded, a smile appearing on the corner of his lips. 

“Some of my graduating class and even senior year would be unable to do better! There is a very good chemistry between the two of you. You make a very good duo.”

You sighed with relief as Wooyoung jumped into his companion's arms. 

Yes, choosing Finesse by Bruno Mars and Cardi B had been a very good idea. 

“You know that in my eyes you will always be the best dancer in this school,” added San, hugging Wooyoung, “ah, no offense little y/n!”

“Don't worry,” you answered, laughing and waving your hand, “I'm far from being equal to anyone here in terms of talent,” you continued directly, seeing that your friend was going to intervene with your remark, but you didn’t let him the chance, “And by the way, I'm the same size as Wooyoung, I'm not small!”

You rolled your eyes at their laughs and grabbed your cell phone before lying on the floor again. You got a message from Jimin. He was in another room, busy rehearsing his solo choreography, and wanted to know when you'd be finished rehearsing to join you. Now that you think about it, it's probably been ages since you two spent time together like you used to when you were still in high school. 

“By the way Noona,” Wooyoung appeared above you, while you were answering your best friend's message, “have you made any progress on your choreography? Are you still sure of your choice?”

“Hm? I think you just want to know if I choose the music you suggested, am I right?” you asked, arching an eyebrow and chuckling when you saw his innocent expression, “yeah Wooyoung, I chose Sweet but Psycho, I even finished the choreography, I just need to rework it a little and adjust a few things!” 

“Really? I'll be curious to see it, can you show it to us?”

You turned to San, your cheeks flushed.

“Mingi is waiting for us Sannie! He is downstairs!” Wooyoung had just received a message, and was already grabbing his stuff, winking at you as you silently thanked him, “Next time!” He turned to you, “By the way Noona, we can give you a ride if you want!”

“Jimin is upstairs, we're planning to go home together, but thanks for offering!”

“Ah, Park Jimin, another talented monster,” San commented with a nod. 

You nodded with a groan and straightened up. You accepted the hand of the alpha, “Ah, thank you. It was a pleasure to meet you, San!”

“The pleasure is mutual little y/n,” he winked at you when he saw a pout appear on your face, “Wooyoung will give you my phone number, if you need anything don't hesitate.”

“I'll give it to you by text, be safe, Cardi B!”

You nodded, a little surprised, but smiled at Wooyoung's nickname as you watched them leave, hand in hand. You were happy to meet one of Wooyoung's partners finally. San was a very respectful and pleasant person. You quickly felt comfortable in his presence.

You heard voices outside the dance studio but didn't really pay attention to them, at this time of the day, most of the rooms were still occupied by students. What you didn't know though, was that those voices belonged to Jimin and Wooyoung, who had crossed paths. Jimin greeted the omega, not forgetting to introduce himself to his boyfriend. As usual, Jimin had worn a friendly smile, a cheerful and pleasant tone, as everyone knew him. 

However, when San and Wooyoung left him alone in the corridor, his smile disappeared, replaced by a neutral face. He walked into the dance hall, finding you with your back facing him. 

"Noona, it's me." 

You gasped as you heard the voice of your best friend, who just entered the room. You turned to him, your bag in hand, surprised he came so quickly. 

You frowned slightly. Jimin seemed... absent and frustrated. Had something gone wrong during his rehearsal?

“You’re okay?” you asked as you walked towards him, "Did something happen?”

“Ah! Hm... no, not at all! I just ran into Wooyoung and... Choi San? It just surprised me!”

He rubbed the back of his head, a tight smile on his face. You tilted your head to the side, confused by his reaction. 

“San is one of Wooyoung's alpha’s,” you explained as you turned on your heels to get your jacket, “I thought I told you he was in a pack with seven other people.”

Jimin nodded silently, which surprised you. Without a word, he walked over to you, and before you could open your mouth, you felt your friend's arms around your waist, clinging to you as he nuzzled his face into your neck. 

“J-Jimin you…”

You heard him mutter a few words that you didn't really understand. It felt like an eternity passed since your last embrace. It was true that you had been a little physically distant since you discovered you were an omega. You tried to avoid physical contact as subtly as possible, although you didn't always succeed. 

When you live with seven people with more than half of them have physical touch as a love language, it’s hard to always find a good excuse to avoid it. 

You suffered a lot because just like them, you had always liked these physical marks of affection they had towards you, and inversely, you liked to show them your affection towards them in this way. 

As always, your whole being was surrounded by that soft, protective warmth you only felt when they were the origin of it. This feeling was even more powerful when it came to Jimin, your best friend, the most important and precious person in your life.

You couldn't resist wrapping your arms around Jimin's chest, holding him close, and resting your head against his shoulder. 

You couldn't fight against it. This was where you felt the safest in the world. Were you felt at your place. In your best friend's arms. 

How you missed those moments. 

“Hey… Are you sure you're all right, Jimin?”

“You have his smell, I don't like it.”

You straightened your head slightly, surprised by these words. What was he talking about? 

“Who…”

“Choi San... I saw you when you took his hand to get up… and his wink…” he paused for a moment before sighing and looking into your eyes, “and… I noticed you were distant recently… you’ll not leaving us, aren’t you? You’ll not leave with them...?”

You had expected everything but this. Jimin always had a jealous and possessive side, he was the one who needed to give and receive affection the most. All this showed a great lack of self-confidence in the young man. 

When you were still at school, you heard that his parents had placed him, like you, in a public school reserved for alpha males. Unfortunately, he didn't fit the physical criteria for alphas his age. When most alpha teenagers were already tall and voice-muted, Jimin was short and puffy-faced. His voice hadn't really changed until he was seventeen. Of course, different as he was, although it was not his fault, he was bullied at school. 

Like you, dancing had been a refuge that had allowed him to keep his head above water. 

This episode of his life had left indelible marks on him. Especially since he had not really been able to benefit from psychological support from his family. His parents thought the harassment was nothing more than teenage squabbling.

They did not approve of his decision to join this dance school. Jimin had to be patient and persuasive to get their permission, against their will. They proclaimed that he would eventually realize that he had no future in this world and that he would come back to the right path or God knows what other nonsense they had come up with, he had stopped listening to them after a while anyway.

You knew the insecurities and lack of trust your best friend had in him. He always had this constant fear of losing and being abandoned by the people he loved. 

He and you were the same. You had similar schooling, your families came from the same rich environment, and had the same mentality. You had the same wounds, some of which were still open. 

So unsurprisingly, the second you heard his words, the surprise passed, and your gaze softened. You put your two hands on Jimin's cheeks and started caressing them. 

“Sorry,” he murmured with a sad pout, “I’m sorry I don't know why I…”

“Don't apologize,” you answered with a little smile, “it's all right…”

“No it’s not.., you don't understand,” he looked away, biting his lip nervously, “it's not all right at all… smelling his scent on you makes me... even though he's an alpha already bound,” he breathed deeply, as if he was trying to control himself, “it's like he's going to take you away from me.”

“Never.” You spoke softly as your thumb caresses his cheeks, “ Listen Jimin, nothing and no one can ever take me away from you,” you whispered, “and if... if his smell bothers you so much, replace it with your own.”

He looked up at you, his lips parted. You couldn’t resist looking down on them, biting yours nervously. Slowly, your eyes moved up to his eyes, your hands still on his soft cheeks. You were so close to him, you could feel his breath gently caressing your lips, making you shiver.

You felt him leaning closer to you, his chest now touching yours. Your lips were close, very close.

No… No, you couldn’t do that to him, nor to your friends, his partners. 

You stepped back slightly. You took a long breath and ran a hand through your hair. What were you doing? And what were those words you told him? 

It was that warmth again, that smell. Jimin's smell. There was this desire, this desire for him. You couldn’t control yourself. And it wasn't your hormones and your omega side this time, no. Maybe it was the distance you had put between you that amplified and rekindled the feelings you had once repressed when you were still a teenager. Your friendship has always been the most important, more than your feelings. 

What were you thinking? Jimin was just your friend, your best friend. And already bonded with other people. 

“Y/n you…” 

“Ah, excuse me, I’m just saying nonsense,” you lied and chuckled slightly, shaking your head, “this is ridiculous, isn't it? We'd better go, Jin and Hobi must be waiting for you!” 

“Don't say that,” he frowned, “this is not ridiculous, and… they're waiting for us. You and me.”

“Yeah, that's what I was saying, let's go!” 

°°°

A pout appeared on your face when you heard Wooyoung’s laugh through your phone. you could have sworn you heard another one. Probably Yeosang’s, Wooyoung omega’s partner. He quickly introduced him to you when you called him twenty minutes ago. 

After your… moment with Jimin, you both joined Hoseok and Jin who were waiting in their car to come home. You didn’t feel any weird mood between Jimin and you, for your greater relief. But you couldn’t forget what happened. 

“I don’t see what’s funny guys!” you told them in an annoyed tone, “What would have happened if I hadn’t stepped back?”

“A Kiss? A long and passionate kiss because you both want it since you know each other. A kiss turning into a hot make-out session and even maybe…” Wooyoung makes a pause, before whispering, “A torrid and desperate fuck. Oh, that made me think that I always wanted to do it in a risky place…”

You sighed loudly not listening to your friend anymore who was rambling. Even if the simple idea of you and Jimin doing any sexual things in a place like a dance studio, when you can get caught at any moment… 

You squeeze your thighs together and shook your head, your face was as red as a tomato.

“I… I can’t Woo’!” 

“And why? You like him, aren’t you? More than a friend I mean.”

You opened your mouth and then closed it. You passed your hand through your hair and stood up to sit on the ground, your back against your bed and your phone on your knees.

“First he’s my best friend.” You began, hearing both omegas sighing, but you ignored them. “Second, he’s taken. Taken with people who are very close friends… And third, I’m an omega and they don’t know anything about that, things could change between us and I don’t want it…”

“Okay…First, you didn’t answer directly to my question but… I think this is the best one I could have.” Wooyoung smirked. “Second, I don’t see where’s the problem. You also have a crush on them, aren’t you?” 

You frowned and stayed silent. You couldn’t deny that you liked every one of them. Really. They were all kind, and funny, you’ve never felt as safe as you do with them. And they were all hot as hell. 

“Listen, I wanted to tell you this sooner,” Wooyoung began with a serious and soft voice, “but all the symptoms you describe when you’re with them, it’s not only your omega’s genes.”

“Well, actually it is, a little,” Yeosang added, “but it only works if you are interested in the alphas. Only if you want them sentimentally, and, or physically, both works.”

“When you met San this afternoon, an alpha, when he took your hand, did you feel something?”

“You mean if I had this heat in my body? This feeling of safety, these butterflies in my stomach? If I wanted to kiss him and spend my life in his arms? Of course not! I only have this with… with Jimin and… and with them… Holy shit.”

You heard two laughs and grabbed a pillow to hide your face in. You let yourself fall to the floor with a loud and desperate whimper. 

Wooyoung didn’t tell you that he asked his boyfriend to come and see them during their dance practice for this specific purpose. He wanted to let you experience the difference between the feeling of being with someone you’re attracted to, and someone you’re not attracted to. Practice always was more effective than theory. 

“Listen, sweetie,” you heard the deep and soft voice of Yeosang after a few seconds, “Just trust your heart. We can’t know how hard it could be for you, that’s true. But if you really love them, if you don’t want to lose them, you need to be honest.”

“And if they don’t accept you as an omega, fuck them! You’ll come live with us! Yunho hyung will like you for sure!”

“I don’t think she needs to think about that, Love. Let’s stay positive, should we?” Yeosang sighs, making you chuckle. 

But Yeosang was right. And that’s why you felt so guilty. You knew you needed to be honest with the boys. Plus, with your avoidant behavior towards them, Jimin thought you planned to leave them, which was the last fucking thing you wanted. 

Well, for your feelings, everything was confusing until now… You began to understand, thanks to Wooyoung and Yeosang. But the omega part was… still so fucking complicated. Every time you thought about a way to tell, at least, just one of them, you saw your mother’s face again when she knew the truth. You could hear the disgust in her voice again. The fear of experiencing it again paralyzed you to do anything with them.

You heard your stomach growling and you sighed. A bowl of ramyeon first. Yeah, you needed to eat. 

°°°

And third, I’m an omega and they don’t know anything about that, things could change between us and I don’t want it.

Jungkook froze in front of your bedroom, his fist still on the door, ready to knock. He just wanted to show you something on his phone when he heard the end of your sentence.

He blinked quickly, and lean his head, confused.

“Noona… is an omega…?” 

“What… did you say, Jungkook?”

He gasped when he heard Yoongi’s voice behind him. Seeing the confused look on his younger’s face, Yoongi realized that he, too, had just learned this information. 

“Wait hyung, maybe I misunderstood…” Jungkook whispered, walking to him, “But I think I heard…”

“I think we need an emergency pack meeting, Bunny, and now.”

[turtletaubwrites]

Something I Could Have ~ Part 17

Pairings: Zoro x Fem!Reader, Sanji x Fem!Reader, Robin x Fem!Reader, Sanji X Robin

This is part 17 of the Series 'We've All Got Needs,' linked below:

Word Count: 3016

We've All Got Needs Masterlist

Ao3 Link (Ch. 7 of We've All Got Needs cont.)

Summary: Zoro's worried about you, and Robin and Sanji have a question for you. You spend time with your friend, and she shares what's been on her mind.

Rating/Warnings: Explicit Sexual Content, AFAB!Reader, She/Her Pronouns for Reader, 18+ Only, MDNI, Reader-Insert, Smut, Lots of Fluff, Angst, Polyamory, Asexuality, Friendship, Relationship Discussions, Pet Names, Alcohol, Biting, Bruises, Masturbation

A/N: I went over board and had to split this into 2 chapters, so there's only some solo smut at the end. Lots of fluff, a little angst, and then tomorrow's chapter will be the smut that everyone (including me!) has been waiting for. I hope you enjoy this chapter! I just love our Straw Hats so much 💜

The smell of the sea and the coos of birds drifted through your mind. You felt stiff, stretching your aching body, then your eyes flew wide. 

A News Coo gull sat perched on the railing of the crow’s nest, staring down at you. You scrambled to cover your bare chest, but couldn’t wrest the blanket from Zoro’s dead weight. 

Your laughter finally woke him, and he jolted when he saw the bird.

“Fuck, what-”

“I think we drank too much,” you giggled, tossing him the nearly empty flask. He rubbed his eyes, groaning but shooting you a look. 

“I think you drank too much.”

“You’re naked with the news bird too, buddy.”

“I meant to sleep up here, what’s your excuse?”

You launched yourself at his smug face, kissing and tickling as you straddled him. Just the blanket between your naked bodies had you gasping, but Zoro grunted in pain as you accidentally poked his bruised ribs again. It shouldn’t feel so good that I hurt him this much. 

But it did. 

Especially when he grabbed your wrists, and forced them behind your back. Your faces were so close, heavy breaths mixing together. The tension was palpable, and suddenly your roaring thoughts from the night before barreled through you. 

Your breath hitched, brow tensing slightly. Zoro had looked like he was about to eat you for breakfast, but now his eyes narrowed, and he tilted his head at you. 

“What’s wrong, Needy?”

You had to clear your throat before brushing your thoughts, and his question away. 

“The News Coo is still watching.”

Zoro glowered up at it, but it remained unphased. 

“Seriously, in front of the bird?”

Scrambling for the blanket, your skin flushed red at Nami’s voice. She hopped over the railing to pay the bird, avoiding eye contact now as she grabbed the newspaper, and started back down.

“For shame, you two. Filthy perverts.”

Busting out laughing, you couldn’t move. Zoro had to lift you, settling you beside him as he gathered all your clothes. 

Still laughing, you inspected your indented skin from laying on the wooden planks. 

Then you felt a twinge, and examined the bite mark high up on your inner thigh. You could still see the outline of his teeth, the skin tender and purpling already. 

“I need to make more arnica cream,” you muttered to yourself while Zoro pulled his pants on. He knelt beside you, opening your thighs to inspect the bruise.

“Fuck, Needy, I…”

“I love it, Zoro. I love when you mark me.”

Gripping his hand, you pulled it toward you, kissing his knuckles softly. 

Zoro breathed in deep as his eyes fell closed.

“You’re really something, Needy.”

~

Zoro’s whispered praise circled your mind down through the ship, and into the showers. Luckily it was early enough that the walk of shame only hit Nami, and the scrumptious Robin who let you join her in the bathing room. 

“How was your date,” you asked after a quick kiss, fighting your growing headache. 

“It was lovely. Though maybe not as fun as yours was,” she teased, gesturing down to the bite mark. 

Your skin flushed but not for the bruise. For the almost words. 

“It was a good night.”

~ 

“How are the two most gorgeous women in the world?”

Sanji kissed your cheek, then Robin’s as you each sat at the edge of the table. 

“Hey!”

“How could I forget the stunning Nami-swan?! Can I get you anything else to drink, my dear? Another waffle?”

“Can I have another waffle, Sanji?”

“No, Luffy, you’ve eaten most of them already!”

When Sanji’s back was turned, you handed one over, your captain’s grin warming you down to your toes.

Zoro squeezed his arm around you, and you sighed against him.

I have the best fucking life.

The after breakfast check in started quiet, with you and Zoro sitting across from Sanji and Robin. Sipping your coffee, you grinned at Sanji, who’d only called you ‘angel’ about 20 times during breakfast.

You spoke up, getting things going.

“How’s everyone doing? Anything we should talk about or share?”

Zoro grunted as you squeezed his hand, but said nothing. You tried not to roll your eyes at the thought that he might never bring something up during these group check ins. 

Sanji nodded toward Robin, whose smile grew. 

“Sanji and I have decided to continue seeing each other.”

You beamed at them, loving the flush burning across Sanji’s face.

“Congrats,” Zoro mumbled, and you leaned against him. 

“I have one more thing I’d like to discuss.”

The table went quiet, and all eyes turned to Robin, her hold on everyone always so strong. Still, you couldn’t help but notice Sanji’s fists shaking on the table as he glanced from her to you. 

“We would like to invite you, Y/N, to join Sanji and I on a date.”

Your heart sped through you, all your desires you’d tried to keep at bay rushing through your mind. Your mouth was dry as you felt Zoro’s hand tense around yours. 

“Are… Are you comfortable with that, Zoro?”

Zoro cleared his throat, sitting up straight as all eyes moved to him. 

“I, uh… Yeah, I don’t see why not. You’re already with both of them.”

You looked into his eyes, squeezing his hand. Trusting that he was telling the truth. 

“I would love that.”

Robin’s smile made you shiver, while Sanji looked like he was about to pass out, eyes fluttering a bit. 

“Y/N, would you like to have our date tonight, or would you like a break?”

Oh, you wanted to say tonight. The force of both of their faces turned to you in anticipation almost had you moaning yes. 

But you felt the twinge of Zoro’s bite, and the wrecked state of your slightly hungover body, and you admitted to yourself that you couldn’t keep all of this up everyday. 

“I need to have a break today. Raincheck for tomorrow?”

They both said ‘of course,’ though Sanji’s came out in a near squeak that had you smiling. 

Robin stayed back to sit with Sanji while he ate his breakfast, and Zoro practically dragged you out into the hall. 

“How hurt are you,” he asked in a hoarse voice, eyes scanning you. 

“Zoro, I’m okay. I just need breaks, remember? I don’t have the stamina of someone with a 60,000,000 bounty on his head.”

Zoro kept his scowl, then grabbed your wrist again. 

“I’m taking you to Chopper.”

“No, I’m okay, really, Nami’s waiting for me.”

“Nami can wait,” he said in a near growl. 

There’s no point arguing with him now. 

~

“She needs a check up.”

“Oh, Y/N, are you okay?”

Chopper was already clearing space in his quarters for you to sit while you shook your head at Zoro.

“I’m alright Chopper, Zoro is just worried because I’m tired” 

“Well, a check up never hurts!”

Zoro leaned against the door, refusing to give privacy, and you had to convince Chopper it was okay. You told him you’d drank the night before, and Chopper prescribed plenty of water and rest.

“Thank you so much, doctor.”

“Oh, shut up, don’t think you can make me feel good just by-”

“Chopper, check her leg, she's injured.” 

Glaring at Zoro, you couldn’t persuade Chopper that it was nothing this time. Luckily you’d worn a skirt to avoid aggravating it, so it was easy to show it to him.

Chopper did demand that Zoro look away this time, and you stuck your tongue out at him as he turned.

“Y/N, what kind of animal did this to you? Is it still on the ship?”

You held in your laugh at Chopper’s concern, and Zoro’s clenched fists.

“It’s fine, Chopper. It was Zoro.”

His eyes practically bugged out of his head, and Zoro turned, red-faced. 

You had to explain that Zoro had not turned into some sort of werewolf, and that it was done consensually. Zoro looked like he was going to murder you, but you just raised your brows at him. 

He’s the one who wanted me in here, serves him right.

“Well, Y/N, we only have a little bit of arnica cream left, but here you go. And Sanji should still have some ice in the kitchen storage. Tell him it's doctor's orders for you to ice that wound.”

Chopper’s brief confidence shook as he rounded on Zoro.

“And Zoro, I… P-Please be careful with b-biting. If you break the skin, it can cause an infection.”

Zoro clenched his jaw, but nodded before reaching his hand out to you. 

“Thanks again doctor, you’re the best!”

“Aw, stop it-”

Zoro had pulled you through the door, and slammed it before you could enjoy the rest of Chopper’s shy wiggle dance. 

Zoro pressed you gently against the wall in the hallway, leaning his forehead against yours. Your heart jumped into your throat.

“I’m really okay, Zoro. I promise. I’ll tell you if we ever go too far.”

He nodded against your head, and you cupped his face, tilting to look into his deep, brown eyes. The look of concern in them sent warmth through your chest. 

“You’re really worried about me, aren’t you,” you teased, your voice hushed. 

“Only because you’re so needy.”

Hitting his shoulder, you tried to move around him, but Zoro wouldn’t let you. 

His hands moved to cup your jaw, and grip your waist as his lips pressed against yours, so gently. His tongue teased along your lips, and you opened for him. Your fingers trailed into his hair as you moaned, Zoro’s soft kiss bringing heat to your throat. And those words. 

“There you are! Quit sucking face, you missed our run.”

Zoro’s hands tensed on you at Nami’s intrusion, but you stroked his neck before walking to your friend with a smile.  

“Sorry, doctor's orders.” 

“There’s not a chance in hell that Chopper ordered you to make out with a green headed brute.”

You grinned back as Zoro narrowed his eyes, but you followed Nami out on deck.

“Ha, no. I just need a rest day.” 

“Yeah, yeah.”

Glancing at your friend, you felt a sting of guilt. Your runs were the only time you’d been spending together lately, and you’d just blown her off. 

“Do you want to hang out instead?”

Nami rolled her eyes, but nodded. 

Sitting under the tangerine trees made you smile, the sweet scent of the blooms rolling over you. She propped herself up across from you.

“Why do you look like death?”

“Oh thanks. I believe it’s name is whisky, and I believe it’s your fault.”

“Oh no, don’t blame me for that! I gave it to our resident drunk, you didn’t have to drink it.”

“Don’t you mean sold it?”

Nami tried to fake a sheepish smile, but it quickly turned into an evil grin.

“What can I say, I’ve got marketable skills.”

“Thief.”

“Pervert.”

“Hey, swindler!”

“Bird fucker!”

By then you’d launched at each other, falling into laughter, until you collapsed beside her, feeling drained.

“That looks fucking intense.”

You glanced down at your bruise, fixing your skirt that had hiked up. 

“It was, but in a good way.”

“Does it feel good to you? Pain, I mean?”

Nami had kept her face down, and her voice was softer than her normal teasing. 

“It does, but only in a certain context. And it still hurts too. But I enjoy it.”

“That’s something I never tried. The rest just felt awkward, wrong. Just not for me.”

She met your eyes, watching your slow nods as she shared. 

“Sorry, I guess all of your sexcapades have had me thinking about things lately.”

“Like what?”

Lips pressing together, Nami tilted her head slightly before responding. 

“You’re getting serious with them, right? Not just sex.”

Blushing at the thought of Sanji’s words, and Zoro’s almost words, you nodded. 

“What’s that like?”

“What do you mean?”

She looked away, looking out to the sea as she sighed. 

“The relationship part. Without the sex.”

“Oh, I mean… It’s really different with every person.”

Nami glanced at you, and you couldn’t stop there.

“It’s like… It’s like having the sweetest inside jokes. Like having a good friend, a best friend, but you’re precious to each other, special. Thinking about each other all the time. Caring about them, how they feel. Wanting to hold each other. Making fun of each other,” you laughed, thinking of you and Zoro this morning. 

“It often leads back to sex, but all the other stuff is wonderful too.”

Nami leaned her head back against the wooden railing, taking another deep breath.

“I think I’d like that part.”

It was so soft, you wouldn’t have heard if you hadn’t been so focused on her. 

“What do you mean?”

Nami’s eyes were large when she looked at you, with the faintest edge of tears while she smiled.

“The relationship part. I think I’d like to have all of that, but I never thought I could because it was always tied up with sex.”

You put your hand on hers, but waited for more.

“I’ve only seen real relationships that were just two people loving and fucking each other. I didn’t think there were any other options.”

She chewed her lip, voice gaining strength as she focused on you again.

“Watching you guys, and your fucking chaos, showed me that there might be something else out there. Something I could have.”

Squeezing her hand, you felt shivers over your skin at how much you loved your friend, and how grateful you were that she could share this with you. 

“I’m glad my sex life could be so healing for you.”

“Ew, shut up!”

Grinning at her mock outrage, you kept her hand in yours. 

“So, what are you looking for?”

Shaking her head, Nami stretched, smiling at the sky. 

“I’m not sure yet. But I think I want a relationship. I want to love. But without the sex.”

“Well, I’ll be your wingman then!”

“Ha, no way, you’ll just fuck everyone we meet!”

It was your turn for mock outrage, and you laughed together, drained and leaning against each other until lunch was ready.

Fingers laced in hers, you felt happy tears forming in your eyes, but managed to stop them before she gave you shit for crying. I love her. 

The rest of the day was filled with much needed naps, Sanji sneaking into your room to shower you with kisses and ‘I love you’s, a bit of time reading through your field notes, and meals that made your heart full. 

“Here you are, Angel.”

“Thank you, Sanji.”

The repetition of your secret code was still driving the crew crazy, and you caught Zoro and Nami rolling their eyes at each other. 

After dinner, you took turns kissing and hugging Robin and Sanji, then Zoro walked you to your quarters, still hovering over you like a mama bird. 

You laughed at the thought, and he frowned, waiting for you to explain.

“You’re cute.”

He frowned more.

“Cute how?”

“Cute like ‘I need to go inside, and close the door, otherwise I won't be getting much sleep.”

There was his satisfied smirk. You loved to see him like this, confident in your desire for him. Dangerously close to giving you what you need.

He pulled you to him, breathing along your neck. 

“What if we don’t go inside yet?”

“Mm, doctor’s order’s, babe.”

You reached behind you for the doorknob, but moaned into his mouth at another soft kiss. 

I can’t take anymore softness from him, I’m going to scream.

You’d run your brain in too many circles today to even think about telling him, but your thoughts came rumbling back through as he kissed you like he was savoring you. He bit your lip, but just barely, just enough to speed your pulse, and make you moan against him.

I love you.

Be a big girl, and just say it.

Instead, you staggered back, whispering ‘goodnight,’ as you fought to calm your body. 

You should have slept, but you were too on edge. 

Finally, you caved in to the mess he’d left you in, and let your fingers trail down. That kiss had made you ready. Your body always wanted him, even when it needed a break. You still wanted him now, wanted to run to his quarters. 

The knowledge that he would be ready, that he would throw you down, and use your body in the best possible ways, that knowledge made your back arch as you played with your clit.

You could tell you were sore as you touched yourself. You’d never had more pleasure in your life than since Zoro had first fucked you against the bathroom wall. 

Even the sting of the bruise on your thigh brought you further, the memory of his mouth on you brought small moans to your lips. 

What would he have done to me if I’d said ‘yes’ in the hallway?

Your thoughts came in images, and tingles on your skin at the memories of his touch. 

Zoro slamming your back against the wall, shoving his fingers into you without giving you a chance to breathe.

You sank your fingers into yourself, twisting your body slightly so you could reach that aching spot within you. You curled your fingers, letting your other hand tease lightly on your clit as you lost yourself in thoughts again. 

The way he moves and controls your body, keeping you right where he wants you. Keeping you there so he can shove himself so brutally fast and deep that you see stars. 

You were so close with memories of Zoro, but suddenly the image of Sanji and Robin flooded your mind. Robin’s taunting smile, and Sanji’s tease from two nights ago sent you over the edge.

‘Do you want my tongue or my cock inside you while she rides the other?’

Your body clenched, soft moans leaving your throat that you couldn’t control as your fingers fought to keep going. 

Breathless, you collapsed, achingly tired now. 

But oh so ready for tomorrow night. 

Ready for both of them. 

Thank You for Reading! 💜

TurtleTaub Fanfic Masterlist

Part 18

Tag List: @astheni-a | @ferns-fics | @heilee | @iamn1ya | @ghostfacefricker6969 | @onlybassoon01 | @apothicgloom | @slyhersophia | @cyberaestheticals

A/N: I realized while writing this chapter that it could seem like the beginning of a pregnancy trope. Just know that Zoro was overreacting, and the reader really just needs to rest more. Pregnancy tropes, especially those that come out of nowhere, make me uncomfortable, so don’t expect to see them in any of my regular series. I am open to writing requests for that in blurbs or one shots, but for my main stories, we practice safe sex y’all! Let me know if you’d like to see them react to a pregnancy scare or something in a one shot. Now it’s in my head, lol. But not here! Thank you, and I’m sorry if this made you nervous, I swear there are no babies coming! 😅

Buy me a coffee ☕🙏🏼

[smileysuh]

- HONG JISOO

works. 4 I words. 46.8k

solo works. 0 works featuring other members. 4

Penance - Joshua I ft. Minwon & 95 line

🌿 synopsis. You’re hyper-aware of the fact that all four of your lovers are just outside the confessional, that they’re listening in- it’s making your mouth dry, your palms becoming sweaty as you rub them against your dress. “When you last confessed, you mentioned greed and lust as your sins. Would you care to elaborate more on that?” The priest asks. “Maybe it will be easier, now that you’re amongst… friends.”

tw/cw. unprotected sex, orgies, 3some, 4some, 6some, creampies/filling kink, cum play, dirty talk, praise, degradation, fucking in weird places (a tank & church & outside & bathrooms), multiple sex scenes, choking, rough handling, manhandling, blow jobs, deep throating, oral, squirting, anal, double penetration, triple penetration, masturbation, exhibitionism, voyeurism, multiple orgasms, dacryphilia, overstimulation, possessiveness, sir kink, powerplay, free use subthemes, getting horny during confession, sins: lust/greed, fingering, sex as punishment/penance, jealousy, dubious consent/inclusion of a new person, spit-roasting/Eiffel tower, finger sucking, spanking, spitting, etc... I pet names: (hers) baby, beautiful princess, kitten, whore/slut, good girl, dirty girl, etc. (cheol's) sir. (gyu's) puppy. (others) etc...

🌵 rating.18+ explicit I wc. 21.2k

Filthy - Joshua I ft. Jeonghan

🌿 synopsis. There’s something long and hard rubbing against your ass, and you can’t help but pull away from Joshua to drop your favourite lawyer pickup line to the man behind you; “Is that a gavel in your pants? Or are you just happy to see me?” “Both,” Jeonghan practically purs, his mouth hot against your neck. “Think you can handle it?”

tw/cw.threesome, unprotected sex, multiple sex scenes, blow job, shower sex, double penetration, butt stuff, use of a judge's gavel as an anal sex toy, lube, praise, degradation, dirty talk, spanking, cock warming, fingering, hand riding, slight roleplay, beefy/size kink Joshua, polyamory, breast play, masturbation, 'full' kink, etc... I petnames. (hers) gorgeous, baby, filthy little whore.

🌵 rating.18+ explicit I wc. 6.8k

Clowns - Joshua I ft. 95 line & Mingyu & Wonwoo

🌿 preview. you’re a sad, blue, crazy, tulle’d clown - corset and all - riding one of the most beautiful men you know, on the hood of his best friend’s car, exposed to the cool night air, under the full moon on a Halloween night while four more men watch... what could be better than this? 

cw/ tw. dark content, group sex, 6some, orgy, degradation, praise, manhandling, size kink, dirty talk, oral (f/m receiving), dacryphilia, deep throating, protected sex, fingering, squirting, parking lot exhibitionism, voyeurism, marking, horror/clowns, choking, dumbification, etc...  I pet names. squeak (50), silly/sad/stupid/messy/little clown (19+), daddy (6), etc...

🌵 rating. 18+ explicit I wc. 13.3k

Splashed - Joshua I ft. Jeonghan

🌿 synopsis. Your boyfriends get home from filming, and Joshua is not pleased with Jeonghan’s behaviour during the shoot. Being the amazing girlfriend you are, you allow Joshua to take some of his anger out on you, and there are some big consequences for Jeonghan. 

cw/tw.  dom/angry Joshua, bdsm themes, mentions of roleplay and shibari, polyamory, throuple, some knife play, blow jobs, face riding, multiple orgasms, unprotected sex, vibrator, choking, fingering, spanking, squirting, some overstim, handcuffs, switch Jeonghan, finger licking, etc... I petnames. (hers) princess, perfect little doll, baby.

🌵 rating. 18+ explicit I wc. 5.5k

✘ masterlist

[sluttyten]

UNHOLY - Chapter Twelve

full masterlist || UNHOLY chapter index

genre: supernatural au

characters: fem reader, yuta, ten, winwin, mark, others mentioned

tags: polyamory, smut, threesome, double penetration, poly negotiations, angst

length: 21,009

summary: with the help of renjun, the three of you finally get closer to reconnecting with yuta and ten

<-previous || next–>

The Watcher is still there the following morning. Stationed outside the rooms they put you, Mark, and WinWin up in. He’s sitting casually in one of the seats in the nearby lounge area, but he’s there regardless. Just as he was when you and WinWin went down to the Banquet hall for supper last night. He’d resumed his position when you returned from supper, and now here he sits still.

You’re sneaking out this morning.

WinWin was still asleep when you pulled yourself from the bed. Mark was gone, though you had the vague memory of him telling you before you fell asleep just a few hours ago that he was going out to explore the House again. 

Curiosity was calling out to you, and it wouldn’t wait for either of your companions. You’d manifested a new outfit, one similar to what you’d worn yesterday, and you’d quickly pulled it on, laced up your boots, and walked out the door into the dawn light of the manor. Pleased with yourself for being so sneaky, you were disappointed to find that damn Watcher.

He lifts his hooded head when you step out, but other than that, he doesn’t move.

You close the door quietly, and without another glance in the Watcher’s direction, you take off down the spiral stairs. You all but run down them, hoping to outdistance the Watcher if he chooses to follow you. Maybe he’s not here for you; maybe he’s watching WinWin or Mark. Regardless, you run down the steps, zip around a corner, take a right, and bolt down a hallway. If he’s following you, he’d better be fast to keep up with you, but when you slow down and look over your shoulder, there’s no sign of him.

You slow fully to a walk, your footsteps muffled on the thick carpet of this hallway. Large windows look out over rainy fields of golden wheat; luscious red velvet curtains are pulled to either side of each window, doing nothing to mask the bright flash of lightning shooting across that sky. The thunder never reaches you, though you’re sure that wherever in the world that window is looking out on, the resulting boom must have been quite loud.

Turning away from the windows, you look at the doors that open off of this hallway. Many of them are shut, some are open only slightly, but each of them calls to your curiosity. Yesterday had only been a little taste of what this house holds. WinWin hadn’t let you go poking your nose through too many doors, but today you want to test them all. 

The first door you try is locked, as is the second. The third opens into a completely dark room with furniture draped in dust covers. You continue down every room in that hallway, finding that the closed doors are all locked, and the doors partially opened have nothing of import inside. Disappointing, but you continue on.

You walk along a stretch of hallway that is open on one side with only a handrail keeping you from tumbling down what looks to be seven floors, meaning somehow you’ve gotten from where you were on what had felt like possibly the second floor to now the eighth floor of probably the school wing of this place. A short distance on, you open a door and find an empty auditorium or theater. You find open doors to rooms that are occupied, though you skirt quickly by those, and there are closed doors that you can hear quiet voices behind. And then there are still many, many empty rooms in this place.

You pass no one. The house is silent mostly, and you wander until the sun is rising through the windows that look out onto Purgatory.

Just as you’re considering calling your solo exploration at an end, planning to start the journey back to either the Banquet hall or to your room, you hear the sound of movement behind a closed door to your left. Shuffling footsteps, a thump.

 Normally, you would leave it alone, except that you swear you hear your name. 

Instantly your mind goes to Mark. It goes to the bully Watchers from yesterday. You’re not sure exactly what you can do against them, but you’re not about to stand idly by if it is Mark inside that room. 

 You push open the door and find yourself in a strangely completely empty  room. It looks nothing like any of the other rooms you’ve seen here. The floors are just unfinished planks, and the walls were once apparently covered in plaster, though now the wooden slats show more than anything else. A mirror hangs crooked on one wall, along with an old sun-faded photograph of a handsome man smiling in front of the sea. There is no furniture unless a rug tightly rolled, covered in dust, and shoved against the wall beneath two windows counts. The view from this room looks out to an overgrown lawn, and through a wall of trees, you can barely make out the sight of a city street beyond. But it’s snowing out there, just on the other side of the window. Some of it has piled on the ledge, and it’s beginning to accumulate in the overgrown grass. 

But the room is empty, though you know you just heard someone in here. There’s only one door, the windows firmly shut. 

The silence feels less than still, as if someone had just left. You spin in a circle, but the empty shadows and the dust hide nothing.

“What are you doing?” A voice, right at your ear.

You jump, spinning around in fright.

Renjun stands there, smiling peaceably, his hands folded behind his back. “I always find you in strange places. Is there something I can help you with?”

You feel perfectly within your right to eye him suspiciously. “Where did you come from?” He hadn’t made a sound, though you can see his footprints right beside yours in the thick dust covering the wooden planks. 

“I saw you come in here. Thought I’d see if you were looking for anything in particular or if you’re just wandering about like yesterday morning.” Renjun bounces lightly on his toes, then suddenly he walks towards the window, tracing his finger over the glass. “It’s pretty out there, isn’t it?” He glances back over his shoulder at you. 

You nod. “I miss the snow. It used to be my favorite time of year when I would wake up one morning and the entire neighborhood was covered in untouched snow, just sparkling in the sunlight, waiting to be played in.” 

Renjun looks at you for a moment longer before he faces the window again. “I’ve never played in the snow.”

“Never?” You walk forward to stand with him at the window. “That’s an experience I believe everyone should have at least once.”

“I don’t get out of the House much,” Renjun admits. He suddenly turns his back on the window with a sigh. “Can I show you something?” 

You’re all about the exploration mindset today, so you don’t hesitate to agree, ready to go along wherever Renjun wants to take you. 

He leads you out of the room and down the hallway. You find, as he begins taking twisting turns and stairs and even some of the secret passages hidden behind tapestries and portraits and false walls, you think you have a good idea of the general direction he’s taking you. Even though everything rearranges, you already feel like you’ve got somewhat of an understanding of how this place works. Renjun is slowly leading you down toward the ground floor, somewhere towards where he’d first found you yesterday morning in the unused ballroom. 

Renjun brings you out to a long stretch of corridor where the walls are completely covered in tapestries and murals. At the far end of the hallway is a statue of marble that gleams in the sunlight coming through the windows placed sporadically along the hall. From this distance, you can’t quite tell what the statue is, but you can however see the nearest tapestry. 

It’s not unlike one that you would have seen at Church or in the monastery your mother took you to visit. There is a male figure clearly representing God situated in the middle of the tapestry, and all of creation spreads out around him. Stars and moons, the planets, the Earth with all of its plants and creatures and people. The work is nothing abnormal, though it is very finely done. 

“Is this what you wanted to show me?” You ask Renjun, moving by this first tapestry to the next. “Watcher artwork?”

“Not just artwork. It’s history. Watcher history.” He keeps pace with you. “Like I said, I don’t get out of this House much, and this tapestry hall has always been one of my favorite places. I like to see the stories that I’ve only heard about.” He lifts a hand to brush his fingers along the fabric of the second tapestry, but he stops just shy of making contact. “Do you want to hear them?”

You watch Renjun’s pretty and fine features — the way that his eyes lift to trace familiar patterns on the fabric, his lips twitching with a gentle smile — and then you see the glint of his silvery blond hair beneath the dark top layer, and the way that his eyes flicker between silvery and hazel when he looks over at you. Renjun cocks his head slightly to the side, as if to repeat his question. 

You nod. “Tell me.”

Renjun smiles, and he points back over at the first panel on the wall. 

“In the beginning was God,” he says.

“I’ve heard this one before,” you bump your shoulder against his. “I was raised religious, so the story of Creation is one that I’ve heard –”

Renjun cuts you off. “You haven’t heard this one.”

He lifts his hand, this time actually tracing the shape of a fox woven into the first panel. His history lesson resumes with, “God created the Universe, filling it with marvels of fire and ice, of gas and rock, of planets and moons and stars that glowed in vivid colors. The Universe was beautiful, but He was lonely. Thus, He begot the Earth. A treasure planet of His for the way that it gleamed in the light of its nearby Sun, warm and damp, ripe to bring forth life. He filled the world with plants, with animals, with people, with experiments and ideas. For a while the Creation entertained Him, but, as any great inventor or creator, He grew bored with His project. Watching the minutiae of life developing no longer interested Him, and therefore He created the Watcher.”

Now Renjun returns to the second panel, and you see the God figure now accompanied by a smaller figure, cloaked and hooded. The taller of the two has his hand held out, as if he’s gesturing towards the woven trees and birds and four-legged creatures.

“First came the High Watcher.” Renjun says, “A companion to God more than anything else. He listened, he learned, he understood his power and his responsibility. All was well. For a time, anyway.” Renjun walks along the wall, and you follow, studying the tapestries that he passes by, but doesn’t linger on. They depict the High Watcher’s study at the right hand of God. Sometimes there are people, just grotesque renditions of humans, and sometimes there are animals or other beings that you can only assume belong to the supernatural realm. You recognize a satyr, a mermaid, a winged woman.

“Pleased with the High Watcher, God took a step back to entertain Himself elsewhere. He left the High Watcher to watch over Creation.” Another few panels showing the cloaked and hooded figure of the High Watcher among God’s creatures on Earth. Slowly, you watch as the images woven into the panels shift. Suddenly there are fires, and then fighting, war and bloodshed. Renjun pauses in front of one that looks particularly brutal. The tapestry consists of a lot of reds, browns, purples, and oranges with minor splashes of other colors.

“The experiments of God and the humans did not get along. They fought each other, destroying each other.” Renjun folds his hands behind his back, gazing up at the wall hanging. 

You look as well, regrettably. There you see some kind of beast that closely resembles a werewolf with its claws speared through a human, dripping gore to water the ground. There are carrion birds mixing with harpies in the sky. Small devilish red demons surround humans. Humans tear apart what at first glance appears to be a large cat until you realize it has the face of a woman. “If the High Watcher was meant to be watching over God’s creation, how could all of this happen?”

You close your eyes, just listening as Renjun explains, “There was only so much that the High Watcher could do. He was powerful, but he was only one Watcher. He couldn’t be everywhere, couldn’t see everything. When he witnessed the destruction the humans and the others were wreaking upon each other, he petitioned God for assistance.” 

Renjun taps your shoulder, and you move forward, looking to the next tapestry. The High Watcher kneels in petition before God, hands held aloft with a tablet being offered to the taller figure. The next shows God and the High Watcher accompanied by several more figures. “First, God created Hell. He took the demons from Earth, and He gave them Hell, a place to reign and to punish. He created Heaven, a place of peace for those deserving. Lastly, God created the high-level Watchers to assist the High Watcher. These He trained as He had the High Watcher before them. They listened, they learned, they understood their power and responsibilities. These high-level Watchers received the freedom of control over their assigned areas of surveillance. They were intelligent and powerful, yet they aspired for more.

“This second generation of Watchers pooled their knowledge, they experimented with their powers, growing and developing until they possessed almost more power than the High Watcher himself. As the Watchers grew, so too did humanity and the experiments of God. They grew in number while the headcount of Watchers remained unchanged. It grew difficult to oversee everything, even with their abilities. The high-level Watchers went to the High Watcher, and once more he petitioned God for help.”

You watch the story playing out on the tapestries as Renjun leads you along, amazed to watch as the world and the people within it develop and expand. You look at depictions of the high-level Watchers descending towards the people on the ground, and they look every bit like an angel might, glowing golden, radiant. You see the high-level Watchers experimenting with their powers to transform shapes, to create things from nothing, they fly and they breathe underwater. To you, it seems that they’re attempting to possess all of the powers that God endowed on his experimental supernatural creatures.

“God created the low-level Watchers now.” Renjun continues without pause, “These He did not train. He passed them into the care of the high-level Watchers to train as they saw fit. The second generation of Watchers did not wish for their juniors to be able to overpower them. They wished for the new Watchers to remain their subordinates, therefore they passed on only as much knowledge as they wished to disclose while they still secretly developed their own knowledge, withholding their discoveries from the High Watcher and from God.

“In time, even the power of all the Watchers that were at that time was not enough to prevent the Wars Between the Races. The High Watcher was already old by this point, blinded by his visions of overlapping time – the past, present, and ever-changing future – and the high-level Watchers were buried in their endless pursuit of knowledge and power.” Renjun points at a painted mural that now takes the place of the row of tapestries. You see black cloaked Watchers on the ground among the warring humans and supernatural others while the high-level Watchers sit above in their glowing halos of gold, and the High Watcher sits shrouded in a dark corner of the image.

“The low-level Watchers were overwhelmed, so they bridged the divide between themselves and God, pleading with Him for aid in this War Between the Races wherein His Earthly creations were destroying each other.” A new mural, and this time a cluster of the black-cloaked Watchers climb the Heavens to lay their appeal before God, the next shows the Watchers in black standing once more on Earth beside Watchers in silver. “The Soldier Watchers were born,” Renjun explains.

You can’t help gasping as your eyes finally come to rest upon the statue here at the end of the corridor. You can’t believe you’ve already reached the end. 

“Terrifying, right?” Renjun comments at the sound of your surprised gasp. “Soldier Watchers, arrayed in their silver, their dazzling crowns, wearing sun rays as weapons.” 

Together you look at the statue that is exactly as Renjun has just described. The statue is carved out of some sort of gray stone, possibly granite, though the cloak is polished to an impossible shade of silvery gray, the folds of the cloak are embellished with actual silver. A jagged crown of obsidian, pearls, and diamonds sits atop the effigy’s head, and rays of sunlight pour through the window just behind this marvelous piece of art, radiating around this Soldier Watcher in a way that visibly mimics blades.

Renjun bows his head slightly, and it takes you a moment to realize that he’s not performing the motion out of respect, but rather he’s looking at the base of the statue. A hemispherical base that is artistically and intentionally cracking, fracturing in places. “The Soldier Watchers tore the world apart,” Renjun’s voice is quiet as he says, “They split the natural from the supernatural, or the humans and the experiments. God divided the World, the Life and the Afterlife. Heaven and Hell already existed to some degree, but He created a new realm: Purgatory, the land of the Watchers, to observe safely from a distance, a place in which to decide judgment. He created a city on Earth for His supernatural children to live in peace, apart from His other children.”

Hell City. 

Renjun turns to face you, and he startled, looking beyond your shoulder. Quickly you twist around too. 

A dark figure is skidding around the corner, running along the hall towards you in a blur, and it’s only when he slides to a halt right in front of you, that you recognize Mark. You have only the briefest moment of recognition before his hand is around your wrist, and then you’re flying too. The world blurs around you in an uncomfortable sort of way, and then it resolves into a mass of gray in front of your eyes, which has you confused for a moment until you hear Mark’s breath beside you. You’re crouched right beside him, and when you turn towards him to find that there is a window behind you looking out over a sunny seascape. 

Mark is panting, his hair windswept from his run, and he’s clutching your wrist tight enough that you can’t feel your fingers. 

“Mark, what is—?” 

He releases your wrist just to cover your mouth with his hand instead. “Quiet. I was being chased by a herd of Watchers.” He holds a finger to his lips. 

As you listen to the silence, you do hear the distant thunder of racing footsteps, and then you hear Renjun’s voice just on your other side, a whispered, “Why’re we hiding?”

You spin around fast enough that your neck aches. Renjun crouches there, close enough that you’re shocked you didn’t know he was there before he spoke. You see that his fingers are curled around the edge of a stone plinth, and then you realize that Mark dragged you behind the statue of the soldier Watcher, where Renjun promptly joined you. 

And then Renjun hears it too. 

The footsteps and the voices. 

His eyes go wide and his mouth forms an O of surprise. He scoots just a little bit closer to you, more securely hidden behind the statue. Mark tenses up, pulling you closer, a bit further away from Renjun. 

None of you say anything or move at all as the Watchers come closer. You feel Mark’s cool hand still covering your mouth, his other hand rests at your waist. The Watchers rumble by and you hear their grumbling, rude voices — “What did that leech think he was doing?” and “Free to wander? Vermin like him should be locked up or just exterminated,” and “Next time I see that vampire, no questions asked. I’ve never met a vampire that wasn’t a piece of trouble.” — and it makes your stomach curl with horror to realize that they’re talking about Mark. You cover his hand at your waist, squeezing his fingers lightly. 

Luckily, these Watchers seem to be young ones, and despite the fact that they’re called Watchers, they’re not very observant. They all run right towards the statue, but they take a left where a new hall stretches forward. Not one of them thinks to check if anyone is hiding behind the bulk of the Soldier Watcher’s statue. You, Mark, and Renjun watch in silence as the whole herd of Watchers run down the other hallway, and then they plunge together down a staircase to the floor below. 

Mark lets out a breath, slumping down to the floor. 

“Fuck,” he curses, squeezing his eyes shut and pressing his cheek to the floor though he still clutches your hand in his. “Damn, I thought I was a goner when they started chasing me. I couldn’t run fast enough, I felt so sluggish.”

“That would be due to the animal blood,” Renjun says quietly. He’s not looking at either you or Mark; he’s still looking at the spot where the Watcher horde disappeared. “We don’t have human blood, so the blood the kitchen’s been sending up has been animal blood. I’ve read studies on vampires, and all the experimental studies show a decrease in the power of vampire skills is a result of the alternative diet.” 

Mark opens his eyes slowly, red irises peeking out from half-opened lids. “I’ve never heard that before.”

Renjun shrugs. “How many vampires who drink animal blood do you know?”

You can read the answer plainly on Mark’s face. There aren’t many, if there are any at all.

When Renjun moves closer to you again Mark bares his teeth and hisses. Renjun actually rolls his eyes and sighs. “I’m not one of them!” He insists. “I promise you, I don’t care that you’re a vampire. I’m not like the Watchers who have such a deep-seated hatred for vampires, hating your kind more than they hate anything other than a demon, maybe. You being a vampire doesn’t make you any less of an actual person, not to me. I don’t think it makes you evil or vile. So stop acting like I’m about to treat you like they do.”

Mark stares at him. “How can we possibly trust you? How are you not one of them? You live here, don’t you? You passively sit by and let them do everything they do, don’t you?”

Renjun’s lips form into a tight line. He stands up, still looking down at you and Mark, and then without another word, he walks away. 

“Way to go, Mark,” you groan, pulling your hand away from him. “I like him! He’s nice, and he was teaching me about the Watchers. You and WinWin need to pull your heads out of your asses, honestly. He’s not a bad guy.”

Mark looks at Renjun’s empty spot, his eyebrows slightly furrowed as he blinks. You wish you could know what he was thinking, but mind-reading is yet another skill that Yuta and Ten had failed to teach you before their arrest. Looking at Mark, you try to follow the instructions you’d received in one of the few lessons your demons had given you in mind-reading, but you get nothing more than maybe the slightest hazy vision of yourself from Mark’s perspective on the floor, but that could just be your own imagination’s conjuring. 

After several moments, Mark sits up. “Do you really think we can trust him?” He asks. “Not to sound like WinWin, but you have been known to trust blindly too quickly. Don’t go,” Mark says quickly when you start to stand up. His hand falls on your knee, keeping you hidden behind the statue with him so he can say, “I just mean, I can see why you like him. He’s got a pure, trustworthy face. He does seem nice and friendly. I just… I find it difficult to believe that we can trust someone who lives in the House of the Watchers, who seems so comfortable here?”

But does Renjun really seem all that comfortable here? You feel like every time you’ve seen him he’s trying his best to be quiet. He seems secretive. And he hid when you and Mark hid, he seemed just as surprised and scared of the passing Watchers as you and Mark had. Yes, he knows a lot about the House, the Watchers and their history, but that doesn’t seem something that could make him untrustworthy. He’s been nothing but helpful since you first arrived. 

“Why don’t we just try to find our way back to WinWin?” You say, and you do stand up this time. Peering around the edges of the statue, you see nothing but the empty halls, the murals and tapestries, and your shadow stretching along the floor from the light behind you. 

“What about them?” Mark asks, rising to his feet. “You heard what they were saying. If we cross paths, I’m not at full strength.” 

“Are you scared, Mark? Don’t forget who you are. You’re that badass boss from Hell City. Don’t let a few bully Watchers make you think that you have to cower behind a statue. Even at half strength, I’m sure you could beat them in a fight.” You shake your head. “We’ll be fine.”

The look on Mark’s face tells you that he doesn’t believe your words, but he follows you out from behind the statue regardless. 

Navigating your way through the House isn’t as difficult as you would have thought. You recognize some of the spots you pass by, and while you know that they could have possibly reconfigured since you passed through, you and Mark seem to be making your way back towards the area where you’re fairly certain your spiral staircase up to your rooms is. Mark does make you hesitate at every corner to make sure there aren’t any Watchers lurking, which does slow down your progress a bit. 

You feel like you must be nearly there when the sound of the bell calling the Watchers to breakfast sounds through the place. The gonging echoes along the corridors, vibrating the windows, and Mark grabs you and pulls you back against him. His back is pressed to the wall, and you’re pressed against him, your hands trapped between your chest and his. For a moment, you stay like that, frozen by the heat of his eyes locked on yours, your breath tangling with his as close as you are. It takes several long seconds until you gather your wits and pry yourself away. Mark’s fingers grapple with your shirt to pull you back, but you knock his hands away. 

“It’s fine, Mark. They’re all going to be down in the Banquet Hall eating, not searching for you.” You turn around to look at Mark while you back away. “So let’s go while we can still make it back to the room without any of them seeing you. Once we’re there, you don’t have to leave again until the trial, if that’s what you want. But they’re all down at the Banquet Hall, so let’s move be—”

Your shoulders bump into something. Firmer than the nothing that you were expecting to be there, yet softer than a wall which is what you’re hoping for. And then you feel fingers curl against your arms. A chill creeps up your spine, especially when you see the pale, bloodless look of Mark’s face. 

“We’ve been looking for you,” drawls a low voice. 

You’re ready to put your fighting lessons with Mark and WinWin into effect. Your muscles tense, ready to break free of this man’s hold, to spin around and take him down so you and Mark have time to run. 

Before you can do that, the Watcher forcibly turns you around to face him. 

You see the black robes, the glint of silver at his shoulder. It’s that damn stalker Watcher. You squirm, trying to shove him away, but he doesn’t let go. Behind him, you can see two other black-cloaked Watchers. 

“The High Watcher would like another audience. Please, stop struggling.” He releases you suddenly, and you stumble backwards. You likely would have hit the floor, except that Mark is suddenly there, arms around your waist while your shoulders brace against his chest. The three Watchers just look down at you, their veiled gazes burning against your skin, or maybe that’s just the feel of Mark’s icy fingers where your top has come untucked from your waistband, his cold skin against yours. 

The stalker Watcher extends one hand, gesturing at you and Mark. “He will allow, this time, for your companion to come as well,” he announces. “Especially if it will make you come along more willingly.”

Is this some kind of a trick? You glance up at Mark, and he’s already looking at you. 

“I don’t think WinWin would be too happy with me if I let you go with them alone,” Mark murmurs. “And I don’t see them letting us not go with them.”

He makes some valid points. It’s decided. You’ll go with them. 

The three Watchers form a triangle around you and Mark, and they lead you back to the court room where you’d convened with the High Watcher just the previous morning. 

Mark gasps audibly, a familiar reaction, as the Watchers bring you into the room. 

The seats along the sides of the room, as well as the High Watcher’s throne, are vacant. Now three seats are positioned in the middle of the room where yesterday there had been only one, and you can’t help wondering if they’re dragging WinWin to this, or if the third chair was just an eventuality. You and Mark are herded right to the seats, and wordlessly, you take them. 

Two of the Watchers drift back towards the doors. The stalker Watcher, however, remains. He stands close guard on the two of you, so close that you dare not speak, not that you think Mark would be listening anyway. His head spins on a swivel, eyes wide and mouth agape in awe of the room, of the rose window behind the throne, the dazzling shimmering light. 

He’s still observing the room while you observe him, when the doors of the court room reopen, and the stream of Watchers and the High Watcher enter the room. 

Several of the Watchers look rather annoyed, and you wonder if they got the chance to eat their breakfasts before the High Watcher pulled them away. He looks mild, pacing the length of the room steadily, expressionless. He doesn’t even spare you and Mark a glance until after he’s climbed his throne and seated himself as comfortably as that seat can possibly make him. His strange eyes stare out at you, but his gaze seems distant and distracted, seeing you and possibly seeing more. 

You can’t help thinking of the tapestry hall, of Renjun’s stories. Looking at this wrinkled old Watcher, you can hardly believe that he’s so old, as old as Creation itself essentially. This man has convened with God, has observed humanity since the earliest days. He has lived through every great moment, every tragedy, the highs and the lows of time. 

“You are probably wondering why I have summoned you back here today, aren’t you, my dear?” The High Watcher says in his raspy voice. Mark startles beside you, as if he’d expected to hear a different voice, or perhaps he hadn’t expected the High Watcher to speak at all.  The High Watcher doesn’t even acknowledge Mark’s presence as he says, “We were curious about you. What can you do, dear girl?”

Something in his voice makes you sit up a little straighter. You put your hands on your knees and clear your throat. What does he mean by that: what can you do? 

Your silence fills the room. 

“Surely,” the High Watcher sighs, “Surely you understand your power? We would like to see.”

What do they want from you? A light show? Didn’t some of them already get a show of that yesterday in the library? 

“Why do you want to see that?” Mark asks, and his voice sounds surprisingly croaky. He clears his throat. “I mean, she does what any basic demon can do with fire.”

You want to pinch him to tell him to shut up, but you can’t without making it obvious. The High Watcher’s gaze has gained some clarity. Every single other eye in the room is trained on the two of you. The stalker Watcher is still standing close at hand. 

“I can produce fire, though I’m sure you’re already aware of that.” You lift a hand from your leg, summoning a flame hardly bigger than a spark to dance across your fingertips. It’s barely visible in the bright light of the room. 

The High Watcher at last smiles, though it’s a grim rendition. “Yes, the incident yesterday. A mistake, on all sides.” He waves a hand in the air, as if trying to erase the event from your minds, but you can’t so easily forgive the Watchers that intended harm. “Your fire was quite a surprise, as you might imagine. And while it wasn’t welcome in our library, there isn’t much here to burn, if you wouldn’t mind a demonstration. We haven’t had much of a chance to witness demon fire in quite a long time. Some of the brothers haven’t ever had the opportunity to amaze at it.”

So you’ve been brought here as what? Some kind of circus freak? As an experimental study, like the studies on vampires that Renjun had mentioned earlier? And although there aren’t any books in this room, and not much here might be flammable other than the clothes you all wear and the chairs, there is one particularly flammable thing close at hand. 

Mark sits beside you, staring over at you when you push to your feet. 

Vampires and fire don’t mix. That’s one thing you’ve learned since arriving in Hell City. They’re quite flammable, and fire is the one thing that they can’t come back from. If the High Watcher wants to witness you going all-out with your demon fire, you’re not about to do it when Mark is in any sort of proximity to you. You won’t hurt him, just as you wouldn’t do it if WinWin was beside you, nor anyone else that you’ve met, excluding Ten or Yuta. If the High Watcher would be so kind as to bring the two demons out and have them stand beside you, you would do anything he asks of you, even if it meant turning yourself supernova. 

“You just want me to show off a little demon fire?” You ask as you raise your hand again, this time summoning a ball of fire to roll around in the palm of your hand. It slowly expands until it’s swallowed your fingers, licking wild flames at the edges, like the corona of the sun. The heat of it kisses your cheeks, producing a faint breeze that plays with the loose hairs around your face. 

The High Watcher’s smile twists into one of delight, and you can see your golden flames reflecting in his eyes. The Watchers along the ages of the room murmur in low voices to each other. Behind you, the stalker Watcher twitches, taking a step closer before he falls back again. You don’t know what any of this means, why they’re possibly so delighted by your relatively little light show.

Once the light fades, the heat in your palms all that remains of the small fireball, the High Watcher sits forward. “And what else can you do?”

You wish you could say that you didn’t spend all morning standing there in that long hall, testing the limits of your power for the amusement of the Watchers. You wish that Mark didn’t have to sit there beside you through it all. You wish that they would at least have brought you something to eat since you were feeling drained the longer it went on.

After a while you were exhausted and annoyed, and when new tricks were requested, you began to be openly hostile. You threw darts of fire towards the Watchers, slung around ropes of fire. 

For the most part you kept yourself in check because you didn’t want to show them all of what you can do, so you kept your ability to teleport a secret. Some of the little tricks that Yuta and Ten had taught you, you kept those close to your chest too, but many other things you showed them because the High Watcher kept pressing you for more. He wanted to see it all, and the look on his face read like a child enchanted by a magician’s tricks at a party, enraptured as he watched you succeed in some minor shape-shifting as you stretch yourself taller into an almost ghastly shape, towering and curving forward with a leering grin. 

It’s only when you finally collapse backwards into your seat, heart hammering, and the world growing slightly hazy at the edges that Mark leans over you, his cool hands on your cheeks. 

“That’s enough,” Mark calls, twisting his head around to look over his shoulder. “You push her any further and you could kill her.” 

“Yes, yes,” the High Watcher rasps. “We’re done for the day.”

When he looks back at you, Mark is the only thing you can see. His vibrant eyes are a dark shade of red, closer to brown. His eyebrows are drawn with worry, wrinkling the skin between. His hands push at your hair, touch your heated cheeks. “Don’t pass out, okay? WinWin will kill me if I bring you back unconscious.” He looks up behind you and says, “Can’t you get someone to bring her some food or something? She needs to get her strength back up.” 

You hear the rumble of the court of Watchers getting to their feet, filing from the room, and you suddenly remember something very important. You find the strength to lift your head, and you peer around the room until you see the hazy shape of the High Watcher stepping down from his high seat. 

“High Watcher!” You manage to push the words out. “One thing, please, before you go?”

You hear shuffling footsteps and the gentle thump of his staff on the ground, and then there he stands before you, hunched and ancient. The wrinkles in his face are deep canyons, and this close you can see that his eyes appear so strange because they’re glazed with age. His voice is still a hoarse rasp when he answers, “Yes, child?”

“Some of the Watchers, the student ones, they’re threatening my friend, Mark.” You gesture to the vampire in question, continuing, “Based solely on their prejudices, they are threatening serious harm to him if they cross paths with him. Can’t you do something about that?” 

He nods. “I will make it known, that is not permitted. Guests are to be treated with respect. Causing undue harm has never been permissible for Watchers, nor for anyone.” He nods once more, and then looks behind you to who you can only assume is your shadow — the stalker Watcher. “Find the girl some food, and make sure they return safely. Good day to the two of you.” He bows his head and shuffles away, looking every bit the average old man. 

Although WinWin was a bit pissed when the stalker Watcher silently returns you and Mark to the suite of rooms, he’s more grateful that you’re okay. He spent a good ten minutes or more hugging you, checking you over for injuries as Mark recounted the events of the morning. You felt fine since an elf runner from the kitchen had delivered food to you and a bottle of blood to Mark in the court room. 

Most of the next few hours was just spent in the common room. Mark and WinWin confer in quiet voices while you doze in the window seat, basking in sunlight. You don’t really have any idea what they’re whispering about until you briefly wake from your light sleep, and you overhear WinWin say, “Their scents were strongest around that spot. So surely they must be keeping them somewhere around there, right?”

“Maybe.” Mark sounds deep in though, but you don’t dare to lift an eyelid to take a peek. If either of them notice that you’re awake they’ll get quiet again. “I still think they’ve got to be keeping them somewhere super secret. Like, somewhere that the fucked up rearrangement algorithm of this place would keep totally hidden unless you had, like, a key or the secret password.”

Their voices fall again, and sleep is pulling you back under, the kiss of the sun on your cheeks. You drift in and out for a while, but when you finally fully wake, you find yourself wrapped in warmth, cushioned on the sofa in WinWin’s arms. 

He’s spooning you, face tucked against your hair, arms twined around you. His heart thuds against your back, but you can tell he’s not asleep. Mark sits across the room, feet propped up on the coffee table, reading a book by firelight. The sky outside is caught in the range of twilight, dim with heavy night falling fast. 

As nice as it feels to lie here wrapped in WinWin, there’s a conclusion that you came to while you napped. You need to find Ten and Yuta, and you need to get out of here with them. Leaving sooner rather than later is ideal, especially after how today has gone. The chasing and threatening of Mark. The trial of your abilities by the Watchers. Their obvious dislike for Mark and WinWin both, while being apparently fascinated by you. You don’t like any part of this, and you want to find your demon boyfriends and get the fuck out as soon as you can. 

After overhearing Mark and WinWin while you were supposed to be sleeping, your drowsing mind had done some thinking. 

If you can find the dungeon, if you can locate Yuta and Ten, maybe you can teleport them out of here. You can get all of you out of this House, you can jump back through that pond in the forest, and you can run from it all, run from the Watchers and the trial and everything. 

You don’t really want to just do research anymore. You want to break your boyfriends free. 

So you bring that up right then, while WinWin hugs you a little tighter, while Mark looks up at you from over the edge of his book. “Let’s break them out,” you suggest. “Tonight.”

WinWin snorts. “Good idea, princess. And I’d be fully on board if we had even the slightest idea of where the hell we’re supposed to find them. We don’t know where they’re being held, do we? Mark and I have been theorizing, and we don’t know. And even if we did know, how are we supposed to find it? Everything in this House is confusing and constantly moving. Getting to them feels impossible, but even if we did get to Ten and Yuta, then how do you expect us to be able to get out of here without being caught? Do you think the Watchers don’t have measures in place for eventualities like that?”

He’s right. They probably do. 

“But there must be something we can do?” You slip flat onto your back, staring up at the ceiling in here, which you’ve not yet realized it was so intricate until now. It’s crisscrossed with painted vines and flowers, some birds and butterflies tucked in between. “Don’t you think they’ve probably got a record, somewhere in that massive library, of where they keep their prisoners, and how the place is guarded?”

WinWin sighs, lowering his forehead to rest against the side of your head. “Do you want to go to the library? Do you want to look all night, will that make you feel better?”

“It’s got to be better than doing nothing!” You slide away from him and then sit up. “I don’t want to be here anymore, but we can’t just leave without actually trying to help get Yuta and Ten out of there.”

Mark snaps shut the book in his hands. “So we’re taking a night trip to the library?” He sits the book aside, “What are we waiting for?”

Truly, you’re hardly even surprised when halfway to the library, your stomach begins growling. Your last meal had been hours and hours ago, and you can still feel the effects of exhaustion from using so much power for all those hours this morning. 

“Detour to the kitchen?” WinWin asks, his voice teasing and light. “I’m sure Miss Boa will have something for you.”

Mark, who you’d made sure to tell all about the kitchen adventure after you returned to your rooms the day before, agrees to a kitchen detour. 

It takes a little bit of attempting to navigate and then mostly relying on WinWin’s nose to get you there, but soon enough you’re spit out into the hallway that holds the kitchen. The doors swing open easily enough when you step inside, Mark and WinWin following behind you. Only a few elves are working, kneading bread and working over the large fire. It looks just as cozy and smells just as comforting in here as it had before, and it takes only a few seconds before Boa appears. 

Her face breaks into a smile. “Look who’s back. And you’ve brought your friend now.” She doesn’t hesitate to welcome your trio to the back of the kitchen, fussing somewhat like a mother hen when she hears your stomach loudly grumble. “Take a seat, take a seat,” she says, fanning you through the kitchen towards the dim corner where the tables are. 

The kitchen isn’t nearly as bright as it had been on your first visit. The fire isn’t burning nearly as high and there’s no sunlight to pour through the windows, but even so, you can make out the shape of someone already sitting at the tables. At first glance you assume it’s the ancient elf still, but as you draw closer you realize that you are wrong. It’s not an elderly elf sitting there, but rather a young one.

“Renjun!” You slide down into a seat at his table before anyone can object. He looks up, first at Mark, then WinWin, before his gaze settles on you. A light smile rises to his lips. 

Mark sits beside you, offering Renjun a smile. You suppose maybe he’s decided that Renjun isn’t so bad after all. WinWin, however, harrumphs a little and still shows Renjun a cold shoulder as he takes a seat as well. Boa returns to the table, bringing still-warm bits from dinner, some wine, some pastries. Renjun’s already picking at a plate, which he returns to while you and WinWin serve yourselves from what Boa has brought over. She excuses herself after dropping off enough food to feed you all more than enough, and she returns to her cooking duties, and Mark watches as all of you eat in silence. 

Mark can’t seem to stand the silence, so after a moment he begins talking, and in his talking, he tells Renjun about your plan to visit the library. He doesn’t tell him exactly what you all are looking for, and Renjun doesn’t ask, but he does however agree to help you three find your way to the library. 

“It’s better to go around this hour, or any time through the night. The novices, they don’t visit much after dark. They’ve got other Watcher lessons then, like astronomy and stuff.” He pops a cherry into his mouth, then says, “So there shouldn’t be anyone there to harass you this time.”

WinWin doesn’t seem to like the idea much of Renjun tagging along, but you point out to him that it’ll be much faster to have Renjun guide you through this House that he clearly knows well, than for the three of you to wander the halls aimlessly until you happen upon it. So, after you’ve eaten your fill, Renjun leads the way out of the kitchen, waving goodbye to Boa on the way. 

The library, as well as the hallways on the way there, is dark. Night has fully settled in around the House, and although some of the windows offer you different views, it’s dark in all of them. The library at least has orb-lights at the ends of the rows and at each of the little study tables to provide enough light to see by. The rows of bookshelves appear entirely empty, as if all of the Watchers have disappeared for the night, not that you mind. 

You all divide to look through the shelves, similar to the day before, though this time there’s no stalker Watcher lingering in the aisle with you as you search, and this time WinWin allows you to put at least an aisle between you and him, though you know he’s keeping an eye on Renjun, not trusting him enough to let him out of his sight while you’re freely wandering. You end up with a stack of books once more, and when you bring them to a table to begin flipping through them, Mark and Renjun are already sitting there, poring over the books. 

“They guard their secrets well,” Renjun is telling Mark when you arrive. “But I’m sure there are records of past trials, Watcher laws and mandates, and all that sort of stuff here somewhere. I’ll be back.” He flits away from the table, darting towards a winding, narrow staircase that leads up to the second level. 

WinWin joins the table after a few more minutes with his own stack of books as well as a couple rolls of parchment, all of which he spreads out at one end of the table and begins to quietly peruse. This is how the next couple hours pass, filled with the silent turning of pages, the occasional scribble as one of you finds something interesting to jot down on the bits of note paper that are provided on the table. Renjun returns occasionally to drop off something new, never lingering long, and you’re fairly certain it’s because WinWin glares at him each time. 

You’re not exactly sure how much Renjun knows about what you’re looking for. You don’t know if Mark told him the truth, a partial truth, or if he just drew his own conclusions about what the three of you are trying to find here in the library, but you appreciate his help regardless.

On the few occasions that the doors of the library do open through the night, Renjun makes himself scarce, and you wonder what his personal aversion to the Watchers is. You understand because you hate the way that they look at Mark and WinWin, the things they say, and how they look at you too, especially after the impromptu showcase you’d given the High Watcher this morning. Luckily, no one bothers you three in the library, and you ignore all of them anyway, too intent on your research to care about what’s going on around you. Surely, somewhere in all of this vast repository of knowledge, there’s some record of where you might be able to find where the Watchers keep their prisoners. 

Mark seems to be looking mostly at trials through history, WinWin’s books and scrolls cover a little bit of everything. You’re mainly focusing on the architecture of the House, mixed in with other historical tidbits. None of you seem to be making much progress as the night goes on.

At one point, when both Mark and Renjun are away, WinWin sighs loudly and lays his head down on the book he’d been flipping idly through. He doesn’t lift his head, but he does turn his head so he’s looking at you. His eyes glitter in the low light. 

You lay a hand on his cheek, and WinWin’s eyes flutter shut with an exhale. 

“I’m tired,” he admits. 

“Then sleep. We’ll wake you when we leave,” you tell him, but WinWin shakes his head. “Do you want to go back to our room?”

That makes him crack an eyelid to take a look at you. A small grin starts to form. “Will you come with me?” One of his hands slips down from the table to rest on your knee. “You know, I’ve found I sleep much better when you’re there beside me.” 

It’s a weak attempt, but it makes your belly flutter a bit. “I’m trying to research, Win.”

He sighs and turns his head just enough that he can brush his lips along your wrist. You slide your hand away from his cheek, fingers curving over his neck instead while he smiles softly at you. “Mark and that guy will still be here. We can return in the morning. But I wanna sleep, and I wanna sleep with you.”

“Oh, okay, this was a weird point to come back to,” Mark grumbles as he appears from nowhere to drop into the seat across from you. 

You pull yourself away from WinWin who sits upright, but he keeps his hand on your knee beneath the table. It’s distracting, really. Even once WinWin has turned his attention back to the texts in front of him, once Mark is thumping open a dusty, heavy book, you can’t bring yourself to focus on the words in front of you anymore. It’s some boring diary of a Watcher who studied architecture, and although you’d thought it seemed promising when you pulled it from the shelf earlier, it mostly seemed to be him talking about minor details and how to make new, modern additions — such as a refrigerator in the kitchen. He did, at least, write about the shifting windows, explaining it as some Watcher magic to be able to look out into the human world, to keep an eye on things. 

It’s not long before your eyes are drooping, head bobbing as you dip off to sleep for seconds at a time. Mark notices first, before anyone else at the table, and his foot nudges your leg beneath the table. 

Your head snaps up, and you blink until the world isn’t so hazy anymore. Mark’s eyes are wide, dark in the dim library lighting, just as soft as his affectionate smile. “Why don’t you and WinWin go back to the rooms, go to sleep?” Mark suggests.  “Renjun and I can stay up a bit longer.”

Renjun sits brightly at the end of the table, looking totally refreshed and awake, smiling a bit when he looks up at you. “I’ll make sure that Mark gets safely back to you. We’ll take secret passages and the like so no bully Watchers try anything,” he promises. 

That’s good enough for you. You nod, agreeing to go. You could definitely fall asleep right now if you laid your head down on the table. 

“Let’s go,” WinWin says as he pushes his chair back from the table. His warm hand takes hold of yours, swallowing your hand in his to pull you from your seat before you can change your mind about going. WinWin doesn’t let go of your hand, not once you’re on your feet, not when you’re leaving the library, and not at any point after that. He simply holds your hand and strolls with you through the candlelit or moonlit corridors. You pass by Watcher night classes, by a wood paneled room where it seems several of the black cloaked Watchers are having a meeting, by a disturbingly accurate and life-sized portrait of the High Watcher that looks so realistic in the moonlight that you swear his eyes move, by a room with a closed door that you can hear metallic clashing and thumping sounds that really make you want to take a peek inside, but WinWin pulls you away. 

You find it surprisingly easy for you and WinWin to navigate your way back to your rooms. Soon enough, you’re walking along the hallway that meets the top of the spiral stairs, the door to the common room right there. As soon as you’ve stepped over the threshold, your drowsiness returns in full force. 

“Come to bed,” WinWin singsongs, tugging lightly at your hand to bring you through the door of the yellow bedroom. You follow. You pull your outfit off in pieces until you’re clambering into the bed in nothing more than your underwear. A moment later, WinWin climbs in on the other side, the heat of his bare skin meeting yours. 

He hesitates to touch you more than just a simple brush of limbs beneath the sheets. 

You sigh, reaching over, and you pull his arm around you as you scoot closer. There’s a dip in the mattress that pulls you fully against him, not that you’re complaining. It feels nice to be so skin-to-skin with him, just the barest thinnest layers of clothing preventing every inch of you from being in contact. 

“Tomorrow,” WinWin promises with his lips against your hair. “Tomorrow we’ll find them, I’m sure of it. Then we’ll get the hell out of here and go home, all five of us.”

You press your cheek to WinWin’s chest, over his steadily beating heart which beats a little faster with your breath making condensation against his skin. “I hope you’re right, WinWin.”

He kisses your head, wraps his arms a little tighter around you, and slowly you let your drowsiness overwhelm you at last. 

The windows in the morning fill with bright sunlight. It paints the insides of your eyelids the color of honey and amber, kisses your lips and wraps you in its warmth. You’re reluctant to open your eyes, not wanting to break the cozy spell you’re in, don’t want to ruin the moment. But it’s the sudden sound of a voice outside the yellow bedroom’s door that does it. 

Your eyes snap open. 

WinWin groans. 

His hand presses flat against your belly, dragging you back towards him. His forehead nudges your shoulder. “Don’t move. Let’s stay for a little longer.” His lips touch at your bare skin. “You disappeared on me yesterday morning, don’t you think you should stay with me just a few moments longer?”

You stay, but it’s not because of his persuasive skills. 

You swear you can hear distant birdsong. There’s the closer sound of a voice speaking out in the common room, and it’s Mark’s familiar tone, and although you wonder why he’s out there talking, the subtle heat of the sunrise pairs nicely with the less-subtle heat and press of WinWin’s body at your back. 

 You stay like that until you become aware of the vital need to relieve yourself — just a small nuisance one moment, and then all you can think about the next. WinWin whines when you first try to push his arm away so you can get up. He holds you closer. 

“Stay,” he sleepily pleads. 

“If you don’t let me up, I’m going to piss on you,” you hiss, struggling to push away his iron grip. 

WinWin lets you go, but as you scurry over to the en-suite bathroom, WinWin calls out, “Was that a threat or a promise, princess?”

You only glare at him over your shoulder before closing the bathroom door, his laughter sounding from the bed.

When you re-emerge from the bathroom a few moments later, WinWin is sitting up on the edge of the bed, his arms stretched above his head as he twists from side to side to crack his back and stretch his muscles after sleep. You stand captivated, watching the way his muscles move, the way the sunlight runs along his spine. WinWin tilts his head, and it takes you far too long to realize that he’s watching you watching him. 

He’s on his feet in an instant, crossing the room in long strides to stand in front of you. WinWin cups your cheeks in his hands, tipping your chin up. “You look so pretty this morning,” he says softly, his eyes molten amber in the sunlight, melting against yours. “Cute when you’re flustered.”

You let your gaze drop. “What makes you think I’m flustered?”

His fingers brush over your cheeks, heat rising to meet his touch. He doesn’t answer your question aloud, but he does step away from you and gesture towards the door. “Why don’t we go see if Mark found any answers while we slept?”

You look away from WinWin, pushing down the wave of wanting that fills you right then. You want to hold his hand against your cheek a little longer. You want to lie in bed with him. You miss proximity and intimacy; you miss that warm glow of being in love, the sensation of feeling full in a way that you haven’t felt since Ten sent you away on that Hell City street. With WinWin, you’re starting to feel that cold spot start to warm up again, each day allowing yourself a little closer to him.

WinWin walks ahead of you, swinging open the bedroom door to the common room. 

Mark lifts his head, a smile already on his lips. And beside him, perched on the edge of the window seat, is Renjun. WinWin immediately tenses up, stepping in front of you to block you. A growl rumbles from his chest. 

“What’s he doing here?”

“I let him in,” Mark says plainly. “We’ve been—”

“You let him in?” WinWin interrupts, pulling away from you to stalk toward Renjun sitting in silvery sunlight on the bench seat. “This is meant to be a safe place, Mark, do you not remember what we’ve discussed before?”

You step around WinWin, leaving the doorway behind you. 

Mark shrugs. “I remember. I don’t think it applies to him.”

“Like hell it doesn’t.” WinWin is all tense, muscles wound tight. “We’ve been here for days now, and when have any of them shown us even an ounce of respect? We’ve seen a dozen examples of how much all of these damn Watchers hate us. They are rude, violent, watching us and just waiting for the chance to pounce.” His eyes flare as he stares at Renjun. “Even after your High Watcher welcomed us, they’ve all been dicks.”

Renjun stares back with a flinty look in his eye. “He’s not my High Watcher. I’m not a Watcher, not really.” 

WinWin snorts derisively. “You live here, don’t you? That makes you one of them.”

“I think you’ll find it doesn’t.” Renjun’s eyes change colors, pulsing between hazel and silver, flickering back and forth for a moment. “They dislike me just as much as you, but they keep me here to keep a close eye on me.”

Again, WinWin opens his mouth with a retort sharp on his tongue, but Mark interjects. 

“I think he can help us.” Mark lifts himself from his seat, stepping in front of WinWin to stare the werewolf in the eye. “If you would shut the fuck up for a second, maybe hear him out, you might agree with me for once.” Mark pushes at WinWin’s shoulders, propelling him toward an open armchair, which he collapses into the moment the backs of his knees make contact. 

You walk deeper into the room, settling on one end of the cushy sofa Mark is sitting on. Renjun looks at you, a faint smile turning up the corners of his lips. His eyes settle, one left silver, one brown to match the two-tone color of his hair. You know that WinWin doesn’t like Renjun, and up until probably last night, you’re pretty sure that Mark didn’t like him either. But you like Renjun, you enjoy his company. He always seems nice enough, if a little odd.

“Tell them what you were telling me,” Mark says to Renjun. 

Renjun nods. “Well, like I said, I’m not really a Watcher. My father was a Watcher, so I was raised here and given an education by the Watchers. But they don’t want me to become one of them, and I don’t want to either. These people are so strict in their thinking, it’s like after thousands and thousands of years of policing the world, they’ve let the power go a little too much to their heads.” 

He takes a breath, and you can tell that he’s about to plunge into a story, like he’d done the previous day for you in the tapestry hall. “The history of the Watchers is vast. They’ve ended civilizations as easily as starting others. They sank Atlantis, relegating the merpeople of Earth to live beneath the sea after their relations with humans were growing too close. They unleashed diseases to wipe out a village of magic-makers a few hundred years ago. They’ve basically forced all supernatural beings to live in just your Hell City, partially out of convenience so it’s easier to keep an eye on you all, but also as a way to suppress your people. Originally, God intended the city to be a safe haven for the supernatural, but He didn’t consider that it could just as easily become a prison with the Watchers as the wardens. They abuse their power. I’ve been a witness to that here, in the way that they force the elves here in Purgatory to do labor for them, imprisoning them for decades if they refuse.”

WinWin silently watches Renjun, his eyes fixed on the elfin man, watching his face closely for any signs of this story all being a lie. 

Renjun continues, ignoring WinWin’s scrutiny. “They’re not all bad. The Watchers. But for every good Watcher that would help you to your feet when you’re down, there are ten more that would knock you back flat on your ass. For every one that sees the value of a life inside of us all, there are a dozen that just sees a monster to be put in its place. My father, was a Watcher, and I like to think he was one of the good ones. In some regards he definitely was, I mean, he fell in love with my mother.”

You’ve been curious about Renjun’s story since that first morning, and you sit up a little straighter, full of anticipation to finally hear it. 

“My mother was an elf from a small village deep in the mountains and far to the north in your world. My father and a few other Watchers were sent to demand labor when God finally created the separation between Earth and Purgatory. You don’t get a place as extravagant, ever-changing, and indefinitely growing as this House without a little indentured servitude, and the elves were being brought in to Purgatory on the belief that they would receive the protection of the Watchers, would be received here in safety from those that would destroy them in your world—the humans hungrily encroaching on their territory, the supernatural creatures that ran to the mountain ranges to hide and thought that slaughtering elven villages was a good idea. So the elves, including my mother, were promised safety here in Purgatory for labor, freedom from the monsters.

“Of course it wasn’t long before many of them grew to understand there are monsters here as well.” Renjun’s hands ball into fists, and he draws his feet up onto the bench seat, making himself appear very small as he wraps his arms around his legs, his knees against his chest. “The Watchers quickly showed their lack of empathy for the plights of the elves. Elves are strong and immortal, but we have our limits. Working endless stretches of hours for days on end, performing manual labor to quarry stone for this house or forging iron railings or imbibing hot glass with magic. The Watchers were demanding, unrelenting. They beat those that attempted to take a break, and it was very quickly apparent that coming here had been a mistake.” 

“Why didn’t they leave?” You ask, finding your voice. 

Mark glances over at you. “How could they? I’m sure the Watchers had a tight hold on them, always working them or watching them.”

Renjun nods. “Some of them had easier jobs than others, some of them were just happy to live in ignorant bliss of how they were being wronged by the Watchers. Millenias passed, and each day the elves grew a little more broken down, a little more crushed beneath the heavy boot of the Watchers. Until finally, a few of them did escape, though. They broke free, slipping away in the night, and running as fast as they could through the forest. Elves are faster than any Watcher. They weren’t even sure they were being pursued, but they ran until they came upon a clearing, a pond perfectly centered in it. Back then, that’s all it was. Just a pond, shallow with a muddy bottom and roots. But elves have magic, powerful magic, and in a great moment of need, they can do amazing things. The four escaped elves pooled their magic, and they opened a portal back into the world they had once known. They emerged in your Hell City, which was a nightmare and a blessing in equal measure. Suddenly they were surrounded by all of the creatures they had fled this world to escape, but also they were in a city full of beings that hated the Watchers. Somehow, this feared place was a safe haven, offering safety in sheer numbers, and the elves went into hiding in the city. 

“My mother was among them, in case you couldn’t figure that out from me having all of these details,” Renjun says, “and my father was one of the Watchers sent out to hunt down the escaped elves and return them. You can’t break an indenture, you know. So my father hunted through your Hell City, high and low for any sign of the elves. He had more reason than the other Watchers to find them. He was looking for her.”

Outside the common room’s door, you hear voices rising up the stairwell, a group of them. Renjun freezes, shrinking even more into himself, staring at the door in clearly-felt fear. A group of Watchers climbs up the spiral stair, approaching this room, and you all sit in quiet, waiting to see if they’re coming here. 

Their voices luckily pass the room, continuing on through the space out there, down along the hallway that curves out of sight. Renjun sighs, resting his forehead on his knees. 

“My mother never told me exactly how or when my father and her fell in love, but it was while she was here in Purgatory, and she insisted that it was love. It wasn’t forced on either end, it wasn’t an arrangement made out of proximity or convenience. They fell in love in the middle of all of that, and she discovered at some point shortly before the escape, that she was pregnant. She had only just told my father the morning before she and the other elves made their escape. So when he came into the world, he wasn’t searching for escaped indentured elves, he was searching for the elven woman he loved and me.”

“Sounds like a fairytale,” WinWin remarks quietly, a tone of bitterness in his voice. “Or a story I’ve heard before. How do we know you’re not making all of this up?”

Renjun’s gaze turns sharp, directed exclusively at WinWin. “Why would I be lying about this?”

WinWin shrugs. “To win our trust.”

“Stop it. Let him finish.” You reach over, knocking your hand against WinWin’s arm. 

Renjun continues after a moment, saying, “When he found us, it was months later. The elves had spent over half a year hiding in Hell City. I had just been born. My father said he found us based off a paternal guidance, a Watcher’s knowledge meeting a father’s intuition. For months afterwards, he misdirected the attentions of the Watchers, steering them far away from us, hinting at rumors that the escaped elves had fled the city to return to their mountain villages. All the while, he would visit as frequently as he could, doting on me, caring for us. 

“But Watchers take a vow of celibacy and a vow of antifraternization. Of course, the celibacy vow is broken semi-regularly by Watchers. I’m sure you’ve heard the stories of gods and angels and aliens coming down from the heavens to have relations with human women and men, sometimes even producing offspring? That’s one thing, when it’s only human, when the child produced is only human. The tales of demigods are exaggerated, wishful thinking of the mothers. But a Watcher and an elf? That hadn’t happened before in all the recorded Watchings of history. I was special.”

At that, Renjun grins a little cocky and pleased. Mark laughs, you smile, and WinWin just rolls his eyes. But Renjun continues with his story. 

“Watchers don’t fall in love. They don’t have families, even when they do happen to procreate. They certainly don’t fall in love, have a baby, and want to create a family with an elf of all things in the goddamned world. His absences from Purgatory began to become noticeable. Stretches of time where he couldn’t be accounted for. Half-caught glimpses of him by the other Watchers who oversee Hell City. Eventually, it was all put together. 

“The Watchers came for us when I was three years old. They imprisoned my mother, imprisoned my father, and they took me in as a ward. I was an oddity to the Watchers. Half-elven, half-Watcher. They had to keep a very close eye on me to make sure that I didn’t slip away through a mirror portal or appear as a divine baby to a congregation of humans on earth. Apparently I did slip away quite a few times, always found in the dungeons visiting my parents, somehow slipped inside their cells despite the wardings on the bars. The blend of powers inside me was giving them surprises. The encouragement of both my mother and my father only made it worse for the Watchers. They would find me in the cells early in the mornings, after I’d been in there all night, learning elven magic from my mother or being whispered the secrets of the Watchers by my father. Eventually, one of the Watchers figured out a warding so powerful that it could actually keep me out of the dungeons entirely, cutting off my access to my parents.”

“And where are they now?” You ask. “Still down there?”

The slump of Renjun’s shoulders answers your question first. He shakes his head. “No. To the Watchers, there are only two results in a trial: innocence, which means life, or guilt, which means imminent death and destruction. My parents received their guilt sentences when I was five years old. My father was stripped of his rights as a Watcher, and the expulsion from the order crippled him until he was but a shadow. Literally. I was forced to watch,” Renjun says, his voice taking on a hollow tone, and his eyes fall into shadow. “My mother’s death was quick, my father’s was long. He withered, fading from existence, writhing in pain. That is how a Watcher dies, stripped of immortality.”

Empty silence reigns for a few moments. Even the fire in the fireplace doesn’t make a sound. Raindrops that spray against one of the windows only run silently down the glass. Eventually Renjun sighs and picks up his story again. 

“After that, the Watchers kept me under tight surveillance. They kept me away from the elves in the kitchen for as long as they could. They took on my education, I think in an attempt to brainwash me into blind loyalty. But they had killed my parents. I wasn’t likely to forget that. They hated me for being different, but their curiosity is what has kept me alive. They’ve studied me all these years, like a specimen that they would gladly dissect and tear apart at the first opportunity. They don’t get the chance to study half-breeds like me very often. In all of history, there have only been a handful of people that are half-Watcher and half-supernatural. The human ones hold little interest anymore. I only know a little bit about the halfbreed history, since the Watchers don’t talk about it much, preferring for me to believe I’m alone, just a freak or an oddity. 

“So, all of that whole long story is just to say: you should trust me. I have no loyalty holding me to the Watchers. I’m a prisoner here only slightly less than your friends in the dungeon are. So, do you trust me?”

This last question Renjun directs to WinWin, the pair of them staring each other down. You and Mark exchange a look, both of you wondering what WinWin’s answer will be. The silence stretches, uncomfortable and awkward once it hits the one minute point. Mark fidgets in his seat, opening his mouth after a while to say something, but WinWin beats him to it. 

“Can you show us to the dungeon? Even if you can’t get inside?” WinWin asks. 

Renjun nods quickly. “Yes. That’s something that Mark and I were just talking about. If you’d told me before that the dungeons are what you were looking for, I could’ve taken you there last night instead of wasting time in the library. The warding against me was lifted after my parents were sentenced. But the entrance to the dungeon is tricky. I’m sure you’ve noticed that things tend to move here. Hallways and staircases and all that. The rooms stay constantly in their set hallways, as do the tapestries and statues. But the entrance to the dungeon is a bit different. It’s hidden for good reason, and because it’s hidden so well, it often moves locations around the House.”

Mark nods, then says, “Just like we suspected. Why wouldn’t they hide it in an even more complicated way than the rest of this house hides its secrets?”

Renjun looks at him, then WinWin, and finally at you. “It is hidden, but it’s actually not all that difficult to find. They have the doorway hidden behind a life-sized portrait of the High Watcher.”

Simultaneously, you and WinWin turn to look at each other. He’d just seen that portrait on your way back from the library. You’d both passed right by it, unwittingly missing Ten and Yuta by meters. 

“We saw that. Just last night.” WinWin stands up. “Will it still be there?”

Renjun shakes his head. “No. The house is rearranging constantly. On average things move once a day, but some of the more, um, secure areas move probably every hour or two. Some sections of the house stay more constant, like the entrance hall with the banquet hall and the solarium. Those have only changed once in my time here, just like the staircase outside here. If things changed up too much it would confuse everyone. But there is a pattern to the madness though. Wait long enough, days or weeks maybe, and something will be right back to where you first saw it. Sometimes things will move to the opposite side of this place or just shift one hallway over. The House has many secrets, and I’ve been working hard these last twenty years to uncover all of them.”

“So are you saying we have to wait days or weeks to find the entrance again, or can you show us to it?” WinWin growls, his irritation resurfacing. “We have just two days before they go to trial. We still don’t even know what they’ve done. What damn good are you if all you can do is dangle a little hope in front of us before ripping it away?”

“WinWin,” you keep your voice low. “Go cool off. He’s helping us, so stop jumping down his throat.” 

WinWin turns his hot stare towards you, softening the moment his eyes meet yours. “Don’t you want answers? They’re your boyfriends.”

Of course you want answers, and Renjun is offering the answers to you. You just have to be a little patient. “Go cool off,” you repeat.

WinWin stands, stalking over towards the closed door of the unused blue bedroom. 

“I wouldn’t use that one if I were you,” Renjun calls in warning as WinWin’s hand touches the doorknob. “Mirrors have powers here. Those are Watcher mirrors filling that room, so you never know what’s going to come in through them or get pulled out through them. Or who’s listening or watching on the other side. I would advise keeping that door closed at all times while you’re here.” 

WinWin turns on his heel, crossing the common room back to the yellow room you’d slept in last night, but he freezes in the doorway, turning back to look at the three of you. He hooks his thumb back over his shoulder. “What about the mirror in here?”

Renjun shrugs. “I don’t trust any of the mirrors in this place.”

WinWin steps back, snapping that door shut, and he walks over to the open doorway of the green room. You watch as WinWin looks around cautiously from the doorway, then he takes a step inside, looking around some more, and finally satisfied that the green room has no mirrors, he walks inside and disappears into the tiny en-suite bathroom.

As soon as WinWin is gone, Renjun sighs, unfolding himself from the tight knot that he’s worked himself into while telling his story. “So, to answer his question, it won’t be weeks or days. I do have an approximation of where the entrance probably is right now, where it’ll be tomorrow at various points throughout the day. But, I also know that with the three of you here, they’ve got guards stationed everywhere. There’s one that pretty much follows you lot every time you leave these rooms, and he would definitely stop you before you could reach the dungeon entrance. You wouldn’t stand a chance at getting in to even see or speak to those demons, let alone break them out or whatever you intend to do.”

“I just want to see them! I want to talk to them. I know breaking them out has got to be nearly impossible, but just getting the chance to be with them before their trial? There must be something we can do.” You stand up, unable to sit still right now. Not now that you know what the entrance to the dungeon looks like. You want to leave this common room, to search the entire House for it, and damn the Watchers who would try to stop you. 

Renjun and Mark both watch you pace back and forth in front of the fireplace. 

After a while, Mark finally sighs and looks at Renjun. “You can get her to the dungeon right? Even with that Watcher that follows us everywhere, if he was taken care of, could you get her inside? Down to see Yuta and Ten?”

Taken care of, he says, and those words make your blood run cold. In what way would he take care of them? Sometimes it’s so easy for you to forget who Mark is, that he’s the boss of a whole coven, the operator of a dozen different underground establishments of Hell City. You know he’s probably had to take care of problem-people before, but you’ve never really thought about it. The idea of what he might be thinking of doing to this Watcher admittedly scares you.

Renjun nods, a slow grin growing on his lips. “Yeah, I probably could. What are you thinking?” 

The next day, the plan rolls into motion. 

You, WinWin, Mark, and Renjun have gone over the risks of your plan, such as the potential consequences of getting caught sneaking down to the dungeon cells. The rest of the previous day was spent sequestered in the common room, only once did Mark and Renjun make an excursion to the kitchen to fetch food back to the common room, and then you and WinWin had gone down to supper in the Banquet hall when the bell rang to signal the meal. The stalker Watcher had been sitting out there each time that any of you departed, and he’d followed until you returned to the common room. Every other moment of yesterday had been spent sharing hushed plans and arrangements for today. 

Renjun had everything planned out to the minute. He knew exactly where the portrait of the High Watcher that acts as a hidden entrance to the dungeons will be, and he knows exactly where the dungeon will spit you back out when your time is up and the portrait has moved location. You avoid listening to the detailed parts of the plan that involve WinWin and Mark dispatching the stalker Watcher.

For half the night, you couldn’t sleep. 

In part, the restlessness was due to the whispered sounds carrying into the bedroom from Mark and Renjun out in the common room, running over the plan aloud between themselves, again and again. Also, your mind refused to let you relax, stressed and excited in equal measure about the plan, and the most important part, which was finally getting to see Yuta and Ten again. 

You spend a while envisioning scenarios of the moment you’ll see them again. Your chest aches, your fingers itching to touch them, to smell their fiery brimstone scent, to see the flames burning in Yuta’s eyes, Ten’s wickedly charming grin. You miss the sounds of their voices, their laughter. You miss all of their silly little habits, even ones that had somewhat irritated you before. So, for at least an hour or two, you imagine scenarios of finding them again, before those scenarios start to shrink from bright and happy to the darker side of your worries.

So, instead, you turn to WinWin. You spend a good portion of your sleepless hours lying there in the bed watching him sleep – the soft motion of his eyes beneath his eyelids, his lips parting to breathe out quiet sleepy sounds. 

After Mark falls silent since Renjun has probably left for the night, and after watching WinWin begins to feel more creepy than anything else, you tuck yourself with your back against WinWin’s chest. He makes a little hum, squeezing his arms around you so you feel secure and safe against him. Lying with him like this reminds you of your nights together during his rut, of those few hours when he’d not been overwhelmingly horny, when you’d been locked together by his knot, cuddling and dozing. 

At some point, you fall asleep. 

The sun hasn’t yet risen when you wake up. In the predawn darkness of the green bedroom, you can’t see anything. Even the firelight in the common room is extinguished. All you know is the feeling of WinWin warm all around you. 

Specifically, you feel his lips resting against the side of your neck.

“What are you doing?” You sleepily mumble, lifting a hand to uselessly flutter your fingers over WinWin’s hair, his head bowed over you.

“Just allow me this,” he replies, sponging another kiss a little higher on your throat. “Mark and I are going to war for you today.”

You smile, brushing your fingers through his hair. “That’s a little dramatic.”

“Is it?” His lips touch your jaw. “Who knows what might happen?”

You hate the truth behind his words. None of you really know what might happen. To what lengths will the Watchers go to punish such an infraction if you’re caught sneaking to the dungeon? Or if Mark and WinWin taking care of – or distracting – the stalker Watcher goes badly?

“I need you both to be careful.” You twist around in WinWin’s arms, tugging at his hair lightly so he pulls his lips away from your skin. 

He blinks slowly down at you, his gaze lowering to your lips. “If I promise you we’ll be careful, can I get a kiss?”

You push a hand against his chest, but you don’t pull it away and WinWin doesn’t budge from over you. He smiles, still looking at your lips, waiting. You sigh, “I want both of you to be careful, WinWin, please. Keep an eye on Mark. The Watchers hate him more than anyone else. Don’t let him get carried away with whatever you’re planning, okay?”

WinWin groans playfully, lowering his forehead to your shoulder. “Now you’re just taking all the fun out of it. But, sure, I’ll make sure Mark stays in one whole piece so you can keep playing with him.”

“I’m not playing with Mark.” You roll your eyes, pushing again uselessly at WinWin’s chest. 

“Okay, sure. I’m not blind, I see the way he looks at you, the way you’ve been all moon-eyed over him lately too.” He huffs out a heavy breath, his voice muted as he says, “But I’ll return him in one piece for you.” 

You rake your fingers through WinWin’s hair with a sound of frustration until he lifts his head. “Win,” you say, holding eye contact, imploring him, “You come back in one piece, too.”

WinWin dips his head, kissing your cheek. “I promise.”

You slide your hand from his hair to his cheek, pressing your fingertips just enough that he gets the message, shifting his lips from your cheek to your mouth.

This kiss is slow, tender with all of the emotions and the need for today to go right. WinWin props himself above you. You stroke your fingers lightly over the side of his face and down his neck, over his bare shoulder. His heart pounds beneath your touch. His full bare body presses against yours, and if you weren’t still wound up with the stress of the coming day, approaching quicker with each rising degree of the sun outside, maybe you would finally give in and take this a little further once again.

But then you think of Ten and Yuta, down in the dungeons. 

You think of Mark probably still out there in the common room. 

WinWin tries to dip back in when you pull away from the kiss. You allow him one more peck, and then you’re sliding out from beneath him, leaving the bed to wrap your arms around yourself as you face the sunrise. 

The old bed frame creaks beneath WinWin. “Everything will be okay. We’ve planned. Renjun knows this place better than anyone else, probably,” he says, lifting himself up after you. His hands are warm when he places them on your hips, drawing your bodies close again. “Can you promise me, too? That you’ll be careful?”

“It’s not the same, WinWin.” 

He rests his chin on top of your head. “Just promise me.”

You tilt your head back, sighing, “I promise. I’ll get myself out of there if anything goes wrong. Teleport or burn my way out.”

“Good.” He kisses the top of your head, and then he’s gone, walking away towards the bathroom. “You can join me in the shower, if you want. That kiss felt a little… hungry.” He’s teasing, grinning at you. 

“Go away, oh my God,” you groan in embarrassment. You turn back to face the window, feeling your face heat up. 

WinWin just laughs, and you watch him walk away in the reflection. In the rising sunlight, all of his bare skin reflects just fine in the glass. The bathroom door closes behind him, and you focus on the image of the world beyond the reflection. This morning it’s the Parisian garden you’d first seen from the empty ballroom. Your eyes follow the curling paths, the swirls of colorful flowers in full bloom, the arcs of sunlight catching on fountains. 

And then you catch sight of a face in the window’s reflection.  

You spin around, summoning your fire to your fingertips already.

“Hold your fire,” Mark says, lifting his hands in surrender. “It’s just me.”

“Sorry.” You lower your hands, extinguishing your flame. “I’m just on edge.”

Mark comes deeper into the room, slowly approaching you like he’s a little worried that you might snap on him. “That’s reasonable… to be jumpy. Are you ready?” He comes to stand beside you, his arm touching yours. His hand bumps against yours, and you feel a spark jump between your hand and his, a little shock that startles you both. 

That little shock becomes a full pulse of energy when Mark suddenly takes your hand, holding it in both of his. Mark doesn’t say anything, just holding onto your hand, looking into your eyes. You get it, even without him saying anything. He’s worrying for you, worrying for himself, worrying for how this day is going to go. 

“Do you remember what I told you? When we were about to come through the Fountain of the Watchers?” His hands feel warm against yours, as if he’s been holding his palm to the flames out in the common room’s fireplace. “If anything feels too dangerous, like it’s going wrong, you can teleport. You can get yourself out of here. That’s what is most important.”

“Mark, I’ll be fine. You two will be fine.” You smile reassuringly at him. “Today is going to go splendidly. You know the plan. Think a little positive for me.”

He pulls one hand away from holding yours, and when he lifts it to your shoulder, his breath coming out an uncertain sigh, your heart jolts in your chest. Mark’s hand slides over your shoulder, fingertips light against the back of your neck before dipping a little lower. He presses against your back, pulling you forward, and your heart thunders in anticipation. 

You expect a kiss.

Maybe that’s initially what Mark was going for, or maybe it wasn’t his plan at all.

Mark hugs you, his cheek resting against your head. 

You breathe in as your nose is pressed to his shirt. This is the thing about Mark. He might be undead, surviving off of blood, typically cold to the touch, but he always smells so nice and warm. Like clean cotton and orange blossom.  He crushes you against him in this hug, and you wrap your arms around his waist, gripping his shirt at his lower back so you’re both pressed as tightly together as you can be.

Their worries are totally unwarranted, you’re sure. You and Renjun are going to be out of danger, just down visiting the dungeon cells. Your worry for WinWin and Mark makes sense. Renjun has made it glaringly obvious to the three of you that the Watchers, though they are High Holy beings of the supernatural variety, have a deep-seated contempt and sense of superiority over all other supernatural beings. Mark and WinWin are going to be out there providing a distraction so the stalker Watcher stays out of the way for you and Renjun. But what if that Watcher – or any other, for that matter – decides to just attack the vampire and the werewolf like other Watchers have made it clear over the past couple days that they’re willing to do. 

It’s not that you don’t trust the High Watcher, but you don’t believe that the lower-level Watchers are going to necessarily stick to the request you made to the High Watcher that Mark and Winwin be left alone. If you’re not with them, how will you know the Watchers will keep their word? You know that you just told Mark to think positively, but suddenly, you find your mind swirling down a dark path of worry.

“I’ll promise you what I just promised WinWin a few minutes ago.” You lower your head, your mouth brushing the curve of Mark’s shoulder through the thin material of his shirt. “If I feel like anything is going wrong, if I’m in any danger, I’ll get myself out of there. Teleport or burn my way out. But you two keep each other safe, too, okay?”

Mark sighs softly, clutching you a little bit tighter. “I just hope we don’t all end up in cells before the day is over.”

“Think positive,” you remind him. 

Mark just holds you tighter. 

You wish this meant something. You like Mark just as much as you like the others. Like WinWin had pointed out earlier, you are playing with Mark a little bit, but it’s not intentional. You’re inviting him more than just playing with him; he’s the one that’s not accepting the invitation from you to come make this a little more than friendship. Like this hug, for example. He could have kissed you. You would have welcomed a kiss, but Mark went for the hug. 

It’s a comforting hug, for sure. You feel nice with his arms around you, safe and secure. You would happily stay there for a while longer, wrapped up in a hug with Mark, the sunlight warming you as it spreads even brighter through the room, but then there’s a knock on the common room’s door. 

Mark lets go of you, stepping away and turning his back quickly so you can’t see his face as he hurries out to open the door. You linger in the doorway of the green bedroom, watching Mark open the door out into the rest of the House.

Renjun stands outside, smiling brightly when he sees both of you. 

“Are we all ready?”

After WinWin emerges from the bathroom several minutes later, fresh and fully clothed, there’s nothing else left for the plan except for the perfect moment to commence. Due to the portrait of the High Watcher’s location, you have to wait for an exact moment to begin. If you’re too early you’ll draw the Watchers’ attention and this could all be over before it begins. If you’re just a little too late, the portrait will be in an entirely different location on the other side of the House.

Renjun watches an old mantelpiece clock that sits on one of the bookshelves in the common room, the hands ticking slowly around the clock, and the moment that the hands point out to being half past seven o’clock in the morning, the booming sound of the breakfast bell rings through the House. That’s the sign you’ve been waiting for. Renjun gets to his feet. He strides to the door of the common room, looking back at the three of you. You stand to follow.

WinWin grabs your hand. “Are you positive we can trust him?”

On your other side, Mark has stood up as well. He just brushes his hand against the small of your back before continuing around you to join Renjun at the door. You squeeze WinWin’s hand, leaning back in quickly to kiss him. “We can trust him, WinWin. Why do you doubt him so much?”

WinWin stands up, casting a glance over at the other two. “Because you’re going with him. This could all be a trap he’s planning.”

Renjun rolls his eyes as he pulls the door open. “It wouldn’t be a very good trap and an even worse plan. Now, please, if you don’t come along, we’re going to miss our window of opportunity.” He steps out, leading the way. Renjun doesn’t look back even once to check that you and the others are coming. 

You trust him fully, so you follow. 

Mark and WinWin are both right behind you.

Immediately, once you’re outside of the common room, you notice a slight flaw in your plans. The stalker Watcher isn’t outside your room. 

“That’s good, though, isn’t it?” WinWin asks in a hushed voice once you’ve pointed it out. “We don’t have to do anything about him if he’s not here.”

Renjun looks back over his shoulder at WinWin as he starts to climb the spiral stair up to the next floor. “But then we don’t know where he is, and I have a feeling that he’s usually got a pretty good idea of where the three of you are. Watchers do have powers, and some of them are gifted in tracking; usually that’s just the soldier Watchers, but some of the others do as well.” He looks around, keeping an eye out for any Watchers who might be wandering the House instead of down at breakfast with the rest.

“Maybe he’s at breakfast,” WinWin suggests. 

Renjun makes a sound of disagreement.

Unfortunately, according to Renjun, the location of the High Watcher’s portrait is near the entrance hall this morning. That takes you dangerously close to all of the Watchers that you’re trying to avoid, but there’s no other choice. That’s what role Mark and WinWin are serving today: the distraction. In addition to taking care of the stalker Watcher, their responsibility in the plan is to make sure that no other Watchers come towards the dungeon’s hidden entrance while you and Renjun are still inside. 

The path to the entrance hall and the banquet hall is a longer one this morning, and you’re not sure if you’re grateful for the extra time or not. Your bones itch to just be with Yuta and Ten again, to get these preliminary actions out of the way so you can see them once more. 

Already on edge, it’s no surprise that you jump, nearly startled out of your skin when WinWin’s hand lands on your shoulder, pulling you back slightly towards him. 

His eyes are focused ahead, a burning amber color.  

“There he is,” he growls.

You look forward, following his gaze along the hallway Renjun is leading you along. Up ahead, having just rounded the corner, is the stalker Watcher. His familiar black robes and the silver jewelry on his shoulder make him easily distinguishable. His gait as he walks towards you is also familiar.

Renjun hesitates just a few feet in front of you. He looks back at the three of you. “It’s go-time.”

WinWin’s eyes stay hot, flashing dangerously as he angles a grin at Mark, a surprising tone of excitement in his voice when he says, “Our audience awaits.”

“You don’t have to sound so delighted about this, you know.” Mark stands on your other side looking over at WinWin. He presses a fist into the palm of his other hand, cracking his knuckles. “Is the prospect of fighting with me the only thing getting your rocks off these days?”

WinWin rolls his eyes, his lip curling slightly. “Oh, there’s plenty else that gets me off, Mark.” His hand shifts on your shoulder, and you swat him away, putting a little distance between them and you, standing closer to Renjun.  

Mark snarls, and the two of them begin arguing.

Renjun just smiles, all light-hearted and unaffected by the bickering men behind you. “If they can keep that energy up, this should be easy.”

As much as you tried to not listen to the exact details of their plan to get the stalker Watcher out of your way, you had heard some small parts of it. Mostly this: they were planning to get into a brawl in front of him, hoping that he would deem them a bigger threat than whatever you were getting up to, and he would follow them as they took their fight through the halls of the House. You know that they won’t actually hurt each other. Probably.

Unfortunately, they’ve probably got a lot of fuel to keep this fire going for a while. They’ve always been alright with each other's presence, but since WinWin’s rut and then especially since they lost the buffer of Yuta and Ten between them, there’s been a tiny bit more animosity between them. Coming here to Purgatory and the House of the Watchers, it’s only gotten worse, though you’re pretty certain that’s due to the unfamiliar environment, the near-constant surveillance of the Watchers with their clear disdain, and the fate of their friends and your boyfriends that remains up in the air. 

The stalker Watcher approaches from the other end of the corridor, his black cloak fluttering around his legs. 

Mark and WinWin, despite it all, do know the plan. Therefore, as you and Renjun begin taking small steps forward, continuing forward as if the sight of the Watcher isn’t a problem, the other two walk a little faster. Soon, they’re outpacing you and Renjun, drawing ahead of you, putting themselves between you and the Watcher. With each step, their quiet argument grows in volume. Their voices echo around the corridor, off the glass ceiling of a solarium filled with honey-bright sunlight and strange plants that sit along one side of the hallway. 

The echoes distort their words, making it difficult to actually understand much of what they’re saying, but the wild gestures of their hands tend to stray in your direction, so you think you may have an idea. 

As they approach the Watcher, Mark yells something and pushes WinWin. The werewolf stumbles, and he knocks into the Watcher.

WinWin rights himself, a growl ripping through him, ready to throw himself fully into this fight with Mark.

You’re sure that they would begin the violent fight imminently, except for the sharp sound of your gasp.

When Mark pushed WinWin, he left long bloody scrapes from his nails along WinWin’s arm, but it’s not the sight of the blood that’s taken you by surprise. Rather, it’s the way that when WinWin stumbled into the Watcher, he knocked the man back against the wall, and in doing so, his hood fell away from his face. 

Other than during mealtimes in the Banquet hall, you’ve hardly seen the Watchers with their hoods down. Most keep them up all the time, though the novices in white do shirk away the given anonymity of the hood even when they’re in their worst behavior. But the fact remains that the majority of the Watchers, you’ve never really seen their faces, and now you’re faced with this Watcher’s bared features. 

The first thing you notice about him is the ragged curl of his lips, the pink canyon of a scar along his right cheek. His left eyebrow, eyelid, and his nose are all marred by jagged scrapes that can be nothing other than claw marks. The twisted, shiny scar of a burn covers his jaw on the left side, extending across his throat in the shape of a handprint. And under it all, you make out the facial features of someone you know. 

WinWin comes to the realization at the same time as you. 

A deep growl rumbles from his chest as he turns his back on Mark, crouching as he glares at the unhooded Watcher before you. 

Hansol. 

The damage to his handsome face is startling, but without a doubt, it’s him. You see now what vengeance Yuta, Ten, and WinWin had exacted on him that you’d never truly wanted to see. Once, they’d told you that they’d left him and your pastor alive, their memories modified, but they hadn’t mentioned this: how they’d shredded Hansol’s features to nearly the point of being unrecognizable. 

He grimaces as you make eye contact. 

“Hello,” he says, and at once you realize that you’d recognized his voice from the first moment you heard it. You just hadn’t ever considered that he could be here, so you hadn’t made the connection. 

“Don’t talk to her,” WinWin growls. 

Mark, confused, looks between the three of you. Renjun shrinks back against the wall. 

“I’ll talk to her if I damn well please, dog.” Hansol’s lips twist grotesquely, his gaze flicks away from you, over to WinWin. “You don’t have the demons here to protect you now.”

A shiver unfurls along your spine, calling to the eternal fire inside you. Sparks jump on your skin, your hair rising. WinWin’s whole body tenses up, his eyes shifting from a warm amber brown towards a lupine shade of yellow-gold. 

“What the hell is going on?” Mark asks, “Who is this guy?”

All you can say is, “Hansol.” 

No need for the superlatives of ex-lover and exorcist, Mark immediately understands the context just from his name alone. He has heard the stories from your boyfriends, from WinWin. He’s heard the name muttered from your lips on a few rare occasions. Even if he hadn’t you’re sure that the demon handprint burnt to his throat as well as the werewolf claw marks tearing up his once-handsome face should have been indicative that this was no friend. Mark’s stance shifts immediately, eyes blazing bloodred, his fangs emerging along with a hiss. 

“Surprised to see me?” Hansol asks, that demented grin still on his face. 

Of course you’re surprised to see him. For that period of time that you knew him, you’d thought he was only human. Not anything more or less than just human. You stand frozen in your spot, staring at him. Your mind is whirring to compute and catch up, to just comprehend that your ex-lover certainly wasn’t killed by your boyfriends, his memory wasn’t erased like they’d told you they’d done, and he’s just a disfigured version of the man that you’d once known. 

He takes a step towards you, only managing the one step before WinWin’s shoulder collides with Hansol’s chest, slamming the Watcher back against the wall. 

“Don’t fucking touch her!” WinWin’s clawed hand presses against the burned handprint on Hansol’s throat. The tips of his claws create indents on the skin, but they don’t break through, just held there as a threat. “You’re not allowed to touch her anymore, bastard.”

Hansol rolls his eyes, and with a flick of his hand, WinWin is flying backwards. He crashes against the opposite wall of the corridor, rattling old framed photographs on the wall. Hansol shakes his sleeves out, brushing a bit of lint off the front of his black cloak. 

Then Mark charges him. 

Having witnessed Mark’s vampire strength and speed before when he and WinWin sparred each other in your apartment in Hell City, you feel confident in his attack. You’ve seen how quickly and easily he’d pinned WinWin, laughing as he’d held his fangs above the werewolf’s neck. But now Hansol matches Mark’s speed; you remember what Renjun said the other day about the animal blood dulling Mark’s abilities, and you see that clearly now as Hansol gets the better of Mark, hurling him down the hallway. 

Mark skids and tumbles over the carpet, coming to a stop several meters away. Closer at hand, WinWin rises to his feet, his limbs shaking with barely contained fury now. 

You take a startled step back, closer to Renjun now where he’s pressed to the wall. You watch as Mark and WinWin both vibrate with the heat of the fight, as Hansol forgets your presence, focused only on the two predators defending you against him. Both of them begin moving towards him at the same time, and Hansol readies himself for the impending attack. 

Their bodies meet violently. 

Mark’s hand goes to Hansol’s throat, and WinWin slashes his claws across Hansol’s chest, cutting ribbons out of his shirt. Hansol leans in against Mark’s hand. From your vantage point a safe distance down the corridor, you can’t clearly see Hansol’s face, but you can see his lips are moving, that he’s forcing some words out even as Mark chokes him. You see the expression on WinWin’s face fall for the briefest moment, his eyes lifting to catch sight of you. Hansol says something else, and WinWin’s focus jolts back around; a sneer curls Mark’s lip. 

Renjun grabs your arm, his hand resting against your forearm, startling you in your tense state. You look over at him, at his eyes flickering back and forth between silver and hazel, which you’re beginning to understand must be related to his level of adrenaline. “We need to move,” he whispers, “If we go now, we’ll be there before the Watcher even realizes we’re gone.”

It’s a yelp and a roar of fury that draws your attention back to the fight just in time to witness WinWin exploding into his wolf form. His fur drips blood from the suddenness of his inner wolf bursting so quickly through his human skin. This transformation is entirely different from the last you witnessed back beside the fountain in Hell City. This one was instant and seemed less painful, though you wonder if the emotions he’s feeling sped up the experience. 

His emotions are certainly high. 

The second that WinWin’s four paws hit the ground, his teeth are bared, body bristling as he shakes off the blood. He glares at Hansol with his yellow eyes. Mark is also utterly  transformed. You can see the vivid red glow of his eyes, the veined shadows that fracture the skin around his eyes, and the vicious length of his fangs and nails that have grown into claws. You can hear Mark hissing, WinWin’s snappy growl, and the low challenge of Hansol foolishly egging them both on. 

You don’t want to watch, not really, but it’s that morbid fascination. You can’t look away even though you know that you’re not going to like what you see when the fighting actually begins. 

Renjun tugs on your arm again, trying to pull you away from the growing tension, but you linger for another moment, watching the three of them as WinWin prowls closer, as Mark sinks into a fighting stance, and Hansol just retains his demented grin, arms held out wide as if to welcome them in. 

“We can’t stay!” Renjun whispers, and with one last tug, he pulls you away, running back along the hallway from the direction you came. 

You hear the sounds behind you as you and Renjun rush down along a side hallway. You hear the smack of bodies against each other behind you, hear the growling and vicious guttural sounds of contact being made. There is crashing, glass breaking, the crunching of a body being thrown into something. You hear the sounds moving, growing more distant as the pair of you and the fight move farther away from each other. Mark and WinWin are on the move, the rough tumbling and rolling thunder of growls  grows distant faster than you and Renjun are moving. 

Renjun throws a door open to a secret passage, a set of stairs that leads upwards, and with his hand still tight on your arm, he hauls you up the stairs behind him. You come crashing through a hidden door at the top into a dark hallway. No windows allow natural light here, and if there are lamps or candles mounted to the wall, they’ve all been extinguished. The only light comes from the open ends of the hallway—one at what appears to be the entrance hall and the other end overlooks a small staircase that leads up to somewhere bright and sunny. There’s only just enough light in the middle of this hallway for you to be able to see the hulking shadows of a few statues, the ornate frames mounted on the walls that appear empty as you pass them in the dark. 

Renjun throws his arm out to stop you as you near the end of the hallway by the stairs. You’re both still fully hidden in the shadow of the hallway, but Renjun pulls you sideways into the recessed doorway. He attempts to pull you fully into the nook, out of sight of anyone who might pass down this hallway, but you peek out, wanting to know what’s just set him on guard. 

A second later, a small group of Watchers passes by the end of the hallway that opens onto the entrance hall. They walk quickly, not even sparing a glance down this hallway, their voices confused murmurs of a language that you don’t understand, but something in their words causes Renjun to tense up beside you. He buzzes with silent energy, staring down towards where they disappeared, waiting for the sounds of their voices to fade away. 

When you can no longer hear the echoes of their voices, when there is nothing but silence, Renjun moves.

“Now!” He whispers, and his hand slips into yours, pulling you out of the nook. 

You both run, moving quickly towards the sunlight at the other end of the hallway, turning the corner, and you find yourself face-to-face with the portrait of the High Watcher. To your delight and relief, there truly is no one standing guard in front of the portrait, just an empty stretch of sunlit hallway. 

Renjun’s palm slides with nervous sweat against yours, as you come to a halt in front of the portrait. He doesn’t let go of you, instead using his free hand to search along the edge of the frame, muttering under his breath in what you believe sounds like a countdown. 

His hand stops. 

“Fuck,” he sighs in relief, pulling his hand back, holding a little tighter to yours. “Okay, here we go.”

There’s a clicking sound from deep behind the portrait. A creak, a pop, a groan, and then the frame swings out from the wall just enough the Renjun can haul it open a few inches further before he’s slipping in through the crack, dragging you with him. 

The air inside tastes dusty and stale on your tongue. The walls and floor and ceiling are all made of the same tightly fit-together gray stone, heading straight in for a few feet before turning sharply down into a steep set of stairs. For the moment, it’s all very well-lit. A series of mirrors are placed along the walls, reflecting the light coming in through the open portrait down along the dungeon’s stairs. 

Before you can take a step towards the stairs to hope for a clear look down, your vision goes black. 

“Shh.” Renjun is right there. His hand is still on yours. He’s just shut the portrait door, closing out all of the natural light. He whispers, “Don’t move. I don’t want you to fall. I need to just find…. where the damn light is.”

You don’t need a light. 

With your hand that’s not clamped on his, you call your flames, settling on a hot white bulb of fire that rests comfortingly in your palm. 

“That works.” Renjun nods beside you, his face even more pale and silvery in the white light of your flame. 

You feel a shift, feel like the walls shiver around you, and a low rumble similar to blood rushing in your ears fills the air. Renjun reaches a hand out to steady you, “It was just the House rearranging.” He had timed everything perfectly so there would only be a minute at the most from the time that you were behind its secret entrance to it moving to its new location elsewhere in the House. “Follow me. Be careful. There’s no handrail and it’s very steep.”

The steps are narrow and uneven, and the way your flame flickers makes the shadows dance, only enhancing the difficulty of descending the stairs. But Renjun moves steadily downward in front of you, so you just follow his shoulders, keeping one hand on the wall and the other hand aloft to light the way. 

You notice unlit candles in sconces along the curved walls, so as you pass them, you lift your hand, briefly touching the wicks to light the candles behind you. The candlelight reflects in the mirrors, making the tunnel even brighter. 

The deeper you descend, the damper the air grows. The walls develop a slick look, a cool feeling to them, like they’re seeping moisture, covered in lichen and moss. 

“Careful,” Renjun whispers when your foot slips on a slick step, and you’re forced to catch yourself with your hands on his shoulders. “We’re nearly there.”

You wonder how things are going up there in the House. Your thoughts linger with WinWin and Mark, and a small part of you wants to leave the dungeons, to go find them and make sure that they’re alright. A bigger part of you is dedicated to what you’re walking towards, toward seeing Yuta and Ten again. That part of you grows with every passing second, every beat of your heart. You’re going to see them again and all of this is going to be worth it. You’re going to talk to them, come up with a plan on how to get them out of here or at least get them out of the trial with a verdict of innocence. 

“Here.” Renjun steps aside, revealing the way that the stairs level out into a smooth tunnel that curves around to the right. An arched doorway opens onto the dungeons. You can see a single pale light glowing, reflecting off the iron bars and a puddle in the first cell. “Go ahead. I’ll wait here,” Renjun whispers. 

Frozen, you remain there for a moment. This is it. The moment you’ve been waiting for, but you’re scared. The fear bites deep into your bones. What if you walk in there and all the cells are empty? If Yuta and Ten aren’t actually here? What if WinWin was right and this has all been some elaborate fucked-up trap by the Watchers? Or worse, what if you walk in there and you find Yuta and Ten, but not the way that they were when you left them?

After a moment, you take a tentative step forward, then another. You pause again in the doorway, reaching out a steadying hand to the wall. You can’t see anyone, can’t hear any signs of life. Only a distant dripping sound somewhere down the block of cells. There’s a clang deep below you, and you glance back at Renjun. Surely he wouldn’t leave you to venture forward alone if there was anything dangerous lurking down in the cells? 

Renjun nods reassuringly, following a few paces behind you. He looks hesitant, a bit frightened, and you wonder if being down here is just making him think of his parents. Maybe it wasn’t very kind of you to ask him to bring you down here. But he’s here with you, and when he offers you another faint smile, you decide that he wouldn’t have brought you if he truly didn’t want to be down here.

You face forward again. 

“Yuta? Ten?” Your voice wavers, echoing, doubled back at you as you take another step forward. 

There, the tiniest sound from midway down the block of cells. A shuffle, a clink of a chain. There’s the smallest sound of a groan, and your heart leaps in your chest, propelling you forward through the doorway. A small puddle splashes under your foot. 

The first stretch of cells are completely empty.

“Yuta?” Your voice rebounds at you from the darkness.

A few more empty cells, and then your footsteps falter as your flames reflect off something shining in one of the cells only to reveal a broken femur lying disjointedly from the rest of a chained skeleton. 

“Ten?” There’s a tremble in your voice as you continue on.

You pass down the block, all of the cells empty. Your heart thuds in your throat, your flames in your hand pulse in time with your heartbeat. A short flight of stairs leads downwards, and here the walls positively weep. Your self-produced light catches on the rivulets of moisture on the walls, the black puddles on the stone floor. The stairs take a turn, leading farther down, down down. You can lean over the railing and see that the shadows dance into darkness far below.

How far down do these dungeons go? With the ever-increasing amount of liquid drawing out of the walls, are the bottom cells drowned in a black lake? 

You hope you don’t have to find out.

“Ten?” Your voice sounds quieter now, and you can’t tell if that’s your own fear muffling your voice or if it’s the dampness in the air swallowing the sound. “Yuta?”

Nothing.

Renjun sighs quietly, and he collapses to sit on a bench built into the wall beside the stairs. He looks up at you, his eyes wide and sad. Your shoulders slump slightly forward, and so quietly that your voice barely rises above a whisper, you ask, “How deep do you think we’ll have to go? What if they’re not even down here?”

For the first time, a new fear awakens in you. What if the Watchers already gave Yuta and Ten their trial? What if they determined them guilty, and they’re just stringing you, WinWin, and Mark along on a false hope? You squash that idea quickly; what reason would the Watchers have to lie to you about that, just to keep you here?

“No.” You shake your head, speaking more to yourself than to Renjun. “Yuta and Ten are down here somewhere. They’ve got to be.”

You walk away, leaving Renjun on the bench, peering into each cell as you pass.

And then, faintly, from a dark cell, you hear a voice. 

<-previous || next–>

a/n: sorry for the extra long delay! but it’s a long chapter to make up for it! I hope you enjoyed it, and as always please let me know what you thought! Likes, reblogs, comments and tags are always and forever appreciated 

[justabigoldnerd]

"If I Could Hold You For A Minute"

By JustABigOldNerd on Ao3

Tags:

POV Gaby Teller, POV First Person, Pregnancy, Letters, Childbirth, Polyamory, Established Relationship

Characters:

Illya Kuryakin, Napoleon Solo, Gaby Teller

Word Count:

2,050

Summary:

A letter from Gaby to her newborn baby.

I know there isn't a huge audience for this kind of thing, but @thattripleabattery on Tumblr's Mini Kuryakin and @pippinoftheshire 's first person pov WIP had me INSPIRED

Excerpt:

At first, I thought I was just gaining weight. The possibility wasn't entirely out of the question, after all I did have a live-in chef. With Solo at the stove, both Illya and I have occasionally gained a few pounds, only to work it into muscle. However, this weight,  I could not seem to lose. Then I became ill. Poor darling Illya was convinced someone had poisoned me. I was checked over by U.N.C.L.E.’s medical team, given our distrust for hospitals (one too many blown covers or T.H.R.U.S.H. doctors soils the taste in your mouth). That is when I discovered I was carrying you.

Gaby's experience is heavily based on my mom's stories of being pregnant with me, how she felt, what happened, the emotions, etc 💕

Also, I made picrews of the Kuryakin child!!!!

Newborn

Toddler

Child

Pre-teen

Teenager/Young Adult

Prom!!

[marsduality]

TikTok by @relationship_anarchy Part 2

[beginning of transcript]

What is Solo Polyamory?

Solo Polyamory has no hierarchies. Each relationship is to be negotiated between the two individual people that are in that relationship. There is no third party that is coming in and dictating what you can or can not do. This structure of relationship allows the spaciousness for the relationship to unfold organically for everyone involved.

Solo Polyamory emphasizes Interdependence and autonomy. It is completely unrealistic that you're gonna get every single one of your needs met by one other person. So this structure allows the spaciousness for you to get your needs met in a diverse way without putting too much emphasis on one single person.

This relationship structure requires the ability to communicate your feelings and needs - and also be able to listen to other people's feeling and needs so that you can find a way to meet each other in the middle that feels empowering for everyone involved.

Security is achieved by trust, not control.

[end transcript]

Link for Part 1

[thebisexualdogdad]

Kira Yukimura x Scott McCall x Allison Argent x Isaac Lahey poly headcanons

Tagging @inhumanshadows who I came up with this idea with

● so basically Scott and Allison were dating

● and then they met Isaac and were like wait we both have a crush on him??

● so Isaac joined the relationship

● then Kira came to Beacon Hills and they were like wait we have a crush on her too??

● so Kira also joined the relationship

● telling all the parents was a trip

● Melissa didn't care she was more concerned about where to put Isaac since he was living with them and obviously couldn't sleep in Scott's bedroom anymore

● Chris was like "really?? You couldn't just date one werewolf but two?? And a kitsune??"

● Ken pretended to understand but then Noshiko had to explain to him what polyamory was, "so all four of them are in a relationship?? Like together?? How did Kira go from being single to having three partners??"

● Allison being the supportive girlfriend cheering in the stands while all three of her partners are on the field during lacrosse games

● every game she rotates wearing a different one of their jerseys

● when all of them go out to dinner it's a whole ordeal

● Allison thought Scott and Isaac ate more food than any one person should be able to but then Kira came along and she can out eat both of them

● they went to an all you can eat buffet once and by the time Allison finished her first plate Scott and Isaac were each on plate three and Kira was on plate five

● and when they order in pizza they have to order at least 6 pizzas and every box is empty by the end

● Chris "really guys? You use my credit card and you couldn't at least save me a slice?"

● they go on runs together through the woods

● Scott and Isaac love scaring Allison and Kira by disappearing then sneaking up and picking them up from behind

● as much as the four of them love spending time together they also make sure to have plenty of one on one time with each other too

● Kira has a master schedule that keeps track of when who is going to have solo dates with who

● Scott and Isaac staying up all night playing video games

● "you both look exhausted what were you doing last night?"

● Scott and Isaac looking at each other like they totally didn't just complete a game in 18 hours that is supposed to take people days "...nothing"

● Allison teaching Kira how to use a crossbow and Kira teaching Allison how to use her katana

● Scott and Isaac are both the "well mark me down as scared and horny" meme the first time they see their girlfriends using each other's weapons in a fight

● Allison and Isaac have a lot of study dates because Isaac doesn't do any of his homework otherwise

● Scott and Kira spend a lot of time lacrosse training

● the look on Coach's face when he found out their relationship situation was priceless

● "huh, so that's what polyamory is? I think I did that once in the 90's"

● Scott and Allison have more of the adventurous dates going to new places and trying new foods

● while Isaac and Kira have more casual dates like bowling or going for ice cream

● movie nights with them all cuddled up together on the couch

● Melissa comes home from her night shift at the hospital to find all of them fast asleep and the movie credits rolling

● unless they put on a horror movie because once again Scott and Isaac think it's hilarious to scare Allison and Kira who then don't sleep at all that night

● Scott, Allison and Kira all stealing Isaac's sweaters which are way too big for them

● one day he shows up to school and sees Scott, "Hey is that my sweater?" Looks at Allison, "that's mine too," looks at Kira, "and that one! No wonder I couldn't find anything to wear this morning."

● Allison being fascinated by both her and Kira's family histories

● they do so much research together

● if any of them ever get hurt the other three completely dote on them until they get better

● Scott "you guys I'm okay, super healing remember?"

● Isaac "just relax here I made soup"

● Scott "you have never cooked in your life"

● Isaac "fine Kira made soup"

● Allison "now that's more beliveable"

● they are the talk of the school when they first get together

● but after the shock factor wears off no one even gives them a second look when they are all walking to their respective classes hand in hand

● or when they are huddled close together on a bench during lunch break being all cute and coupley

● even if someone does say something they don't care

● they are happy in and in love and that's all that matters

[purpleyoonn]

The Line Between Love and War 10

C H A P T E R  10:  Bad Memories and Family Time

“It is said that the night sky is made up of tiny wishes that humans were never able to fulfill. That the stars only became bright by the fulfillment of those wishes. In your eyes, the stars that shine never seemed real, your childhood wishes dark and dim as you grow. But now, now you understand the twinkle in their eyes as they look down at you.”

Summary: Your experiences told you that soulmates were something you would never have the pleasure of having; something not given to you because of who you are, despite the soulmark that resides on your inner left wrist. During your solo trip to Los Angeles, you find out that you are more than capable, that your soulmates had been waiting for you for a long time, and would not be letting you go anytime soon.

Genre: soulmate au, bts au, idol bts, polyamory relationship, eventual smut

Paring: Idol!BTS x autistic!mc

Status: Ongoing (randomly updated)

Warnings: mental illness, talk of disability, lots of angst, miscommunication, feelings of depression, feelings of isolation, polyamory bts, stalking, dangerous behavior, eventual smut,

Chapter Warnings: a bad memory, major insecurities, family issues, sensory problems, mc is tense and uncomfortable, Hobi’s family is to sweet for the world, mc ptsd, 

Taglist: @azazel-nyx​​​  @yuzon3​​​ @hannahdinse8​​​ @quirkybtsarmy​​​ @mageprincess7​​​  @fluffy-canada-pancakes​​​ @suckerforv​​​ @chaoticthingpizza​​​ @drissteele​​​ @carolinexkpop​​​ @avadakadabra93​​​ @lachimolala22019​​​  @justaweird0​​​ @singukieee​​​  @welcometomyworld13​​​ @toughbook​​​ @kimana122​​​ @kpopmultistantrashsstuff​​​ @0funsite0​​ @joyless-living​​ @sinceritythatcouldntbedelivered​ @elliott-calls​​ @psychosupernatural​​

Permanent Taglist: @m1sss1mp​​ @yourleftsock​​ @skyys-universe​​ @cryingpages​​ @strxwbloody​​  @drissteele​​ @dustyinkpages​​ @iamkookiesforyou​​ @crushedblackroses​​ @fluffy-canada-pancakes​​ @blaaiissee​​  @iiitsmaria​​  @carolinexkpop​​  @azazel-nyx​​ @strawberry-moonpies​​ @g-h-o-s-t-b-a-b-i​​ @knjkitten​​ @kleirielk​ @foreverweareyoung7​​ @lachimolala22019​​ @namuficxs​​ @94z-93​​ @kimgmzmc​​ @thenaverse​​ @dahliasbouqet​​ @black-rose-29​​ @tinyoonsblog​​ @take-u-2-an0ther-w0r1d​​ @stellauniverse​​ @stupendouscookiehumanmug​​ @tinyoonsblog​​ @veronawrites​​ @tatyhend​​ @singukieee​​ @m0v3m3ntsblog​​ @sidthesloth1305​​ @exfolitae​​ @butterymin​​ @queen-in-the-shadows​​

Masterlist // Chapter 9 // Chapter 11

————————————————–

Previously on The Line Between Love and War:

“Let’s take some pictures with our shirts on! You can post that!” You jumped from the couch at his words, the three of you quickly moving to change into the new shirts.

You had Jimin take the photos, your soulmate quick to have you doing different poses. You went with two of them, one with each of you showing your ‘muscles’, and the other was one that Jimin took when you all were laughing. You captioned it with a smiley face emoji and a laughing one before posting.

Jimin looked over at Jin, a happy yet sly smirk on his face as they realized his plan to change the subject worked, getting your mind off what happened and helping you make more memories with the boys.

When Namjoon returned, he was alone, and happy to find you laughing as you hung off Jungkook’s back, your arms around his neck as he spun in circles, Taehyung and Hobi recording the moment.

The following morning you woke up in the arms of Hobi, his low voice speaking into the phone he held to his ear. You couldn’t make out any words in your tired state, so you just continued to admire his morning voice from where you rested against his chest. You snuggled into the warmth your mate provided.

“She is not awake yet Mom. Yes, I promise. I booked the same restaurant as last time. Give her an hour or so.” You listened in as he spoke to his mom. You loved Hobi’s mom. She was the sweetest person you had met, even over the phone. And it made sense. Both of her children were also sweet.

“I know you’re awake pretty girl.” You felt his fingers trace alongside your jaw, moving until the bopped the tip of your nose.

“No, I’m not.” You mumbled back, oblivious to the loving grin on his lips. Pressing a kiss to your pouty lips, he moved his hand to brush back some hair from your face.

“My mother and sister are eagerly awaiting their day with you, baby. They’ve called me a couple of times now, wondering if you were awake.” Hobi mused as he watched you try to fight off your sleep.

It took a couple of seconds for his words to register, but when they did you almost knocked your forehead into his chin.

“Wait a minute! What time is it?” You ask him in a rush, your words almost slurring as they wake you up.

“It’s only nine o’clock, darling.” His words have you pushing yourself away from him, causing a sad groan to have his lips as you leave his embrace. He watches you rush around the room, gathering the clothes Jin had laid out for you the night before, the eldest picking matching clothes out for everyone, the creams and beiges creating a color-coded cohesive look.

“I promised them I would be ready by nine! Hobi, your mom is probably so mad with me! I’m never late for anything.” Your words are rushed, disappointment and sadness bursting from your body as you try to get changed as quickly as you can.

You were so upset with yourself for sleeping in, you didn’t want anyone to be mad at your or disappointed. You had enough of that at home and you didn’t thing you could handle the way you felt when you thought someone was upset with you, especially your soulmates or their families. You wanted them to see you as someone who had everything together, who never made mistakes or did anything wrong.

You could practically hear your mother sighing in your ear, could see the way she rolled her eyes and looked down at you.

“Would it kill you to do something right for once? I wanted you hear by six and its twenty past.” Your mother stood in front of you, her arms crossed against her chest as she stood next to her friends. Her eyebrows were perfectly sculpted and her makeup immaculate as she stared you down.

“You told me to be here at six thirty? I thought I was early…” You trailed off at the sound of one of her friends trying to muffler her laughter.

“No, darling.” You cringed at the nickname, hating the tone she said it with. “I told you to be here at six. And now you’ve embarrassed me by arriving so late. And dressed like this!” She gestured to you, causing you to look down.

You were dressed in what you thought was appropriate for a kid’s birthday party. You were wearing a pair of light wash jeans and a nice t-shirt, something you normally wouldn’t wear. You were itchy beyond belief and dug your nails into your palm to stop you from scratching at your skin.

“I don’t understand.” You say as you look back up at your mother. You watched as laughter fell from her lips and she turned to her friends.

“I swear, I have to pick out everything for her, she doesn’t know anything about clothes!” Her entire group of friends laugh as you now clutch the bottom of your shirt, feeling the tears build up in your eyes again.

“Go sit down, before you embarrass me even more.” You hear your mother tell you, nodding in response before moving to sit down at one of the tables at the edge of the large yard.

“Pretty girl, that’s it. Look at me.” You feel Hobi’s hands on your cheeks, turning your head to look at him. You could feel him wipe away tears you didn’t know had appeared.

“There you are. Hi baby.” He smiles at you, seeing the fog in your eyes disappear the longer he held your cheeks in his palms.

“Hi Hobi.” You whisper back, eyes focusing on his.

“Are you okay? You kind of just froze.” He moved some hair out of your face, placing it behind your ear as he watched you.

“It’s nothing. I just, uh, I need to get ready.” You moved out of his grip and returned to rushing to the bathroom, quickly changing your clothes and making sure not to wrinkle it, not wanting Jin’s wrath.

You do your skin care routine, trying to follow the steps that Jimin had Namjoon write out in English for you, but you skip a couple of steps, not wanting anyone to be annoyed that they had to wait on you.

It takes you all of five minutes to get ready, grabbing your small purse holding what you need for the day as you move into the living area, bumping into Yoongi who is munching on a small tangerine.

“Baby, what’s got you in such a rush?” Yoongi’s hands grasp onto your side, steadying you before you fall forward.

Yoongi notices the flush of your face and the way your eyes were red. He knew something was wrong, but he could tell by the way your jaw was clenched that you didn’t want to talk. He wondered if he knew what was wrong, having seen a lot of your past.

“I’m late to meet Hobi’s mom and Jiwoo and I don’t want them to have to wait for me.” Was your simple response, yet it had him confused.

“Why would they be upset with you? Didn’t Hobi tell them that you would be there in an hour?” Yoongi’s eyebrow raised as he walked with you to the couch where Jimin was relaxing, a movie on the large television.

“When we talked yesterday, we promised nine o’clock. That’s when we agreed to meet at the spa.” You muttered, not liking that his questions were making you even more late than you already were. You were becoming anxious, and the two in the room could tell.

Jimin adjusted his position on the couch so he could move to sit behind you, pulling you back into his chest and wrapping his arms around you. You tried to push him away, but he was strong as he held you to him.

Jimin started humming Serendipity, his voice coming out soft as you did what he hoped you would. You started to relax into him, letting your head rest on his chin as he peppered kisses along your jaw.

Jimin sang the song softly a couple of times, making sure that you were truly calm and your heart rate had lowered, no longer feeling it beat against his chest, before pulling away.

“Now baby, you have plenty of time because Hobi’s family isn’t going to be here until after ten, okay? So, sit with me, hmm?” He pulled you with him to lay down on the sofa, your body rested on top of his as he held you close to his chest.

You tried your hardest to be upset with the way Jimin just…rerouted your brain with his voice, but you couldn’t. You had never been able to work yourself out of an anxious spiral before, and you were amazed that he was able to help you stay afloat.

You felt like you were floating, muscles relaxed as you laid on top of your soulmate, his hand on your back, rubbing different patterns and words onto your sweater. Your hand was clinging to his shirt, fist clenched in the fabric as you breathed in his scent. Eyes closed as you listened to him laugh at something done on the tv.

You were so relaxed you didn’t even hear Namjoon open the door to Hobi’s family. His mom, dad, and sister walking through the door and placing their bags down.

You were supposed to be going out with his mom, Eunha, and his sister, Jiwoo, to the spa and lunch before doing some exploring with them. His dad, Hosung, was gonna spend the day with Hobi and Taehyung, who had wanted to join the two in their plans. The others were going to be relaxing as they had their first concert the next day.

“Now, where is our darling daughter at? I can’t wait for our spa day!” Eunha exclaimed, reaching forward to move past her son.

You were slowly moved into a seated position, Jimin doing the hard work and helping you both sit up. He had a smile on his face as he noticed your glazed over expression. Pressing a soft kiss to your lips, he helped you make sure your hair and clothes were nice before helping you stand.

“She’s right here mom!” Jimin hollered, a grin on his lips as Eunha rushed over and brought you into a tight hug. A grunt left your lips at the tightness now around your middle. You slowly brought your arms around Hobi’s mom before Hobi came over.

“Mom…” Hobi let out a warning tone, only for his mom to wave him off.

“I know, I’m sorry. I forgot.” His mom pulls away from you, taking a couple of steps back before noticing how tense your body had become.

“I am sorry for hugging you without asking. My son has told me about your sensory issues and I forgot about them in my excitement. I promise it won’t happen again.” You were absolutely stunned that she had apologized for hugging you. You’ve never had that happen before, and you completely ignored the wording of her sentences, trying to push away the already tense emotional feeling you were experiencing after the flashback of your own mom.

You nodded your head in response, which thankfully didn’t bother the older woman. She just looked at you with a soft expression, her smile permanently etched to her lips as she gestures you forward.

“Well, my daughter, I believe we have a spa appointment to get to.” Eunha talks slowly, remembering that you were still learning the Korean language. You appreciated her actions, reciprocating her smile as you moved forward and put your shoes on, standing in front of the door.

It took about ten minutes for you, Eunha, and Jiwoo to finally leave through the door. The boys were adamant about giving you their own goodbyes, Taehyung and Yoongi especially greedy as they kept pulling kisses from your lips. Namjoon practically had to pull Taehyung from around you, a large pout on his lips as he playfully whined, arms reaching for you as your elder mate pulled him away.

-*-*-

The spa was something you couldn’t have imagined.

It had baths of mud and beds where you could be wrapped in seaweed.

You hadn’t seen anything like it before, and didn’t feel comfortable with new textures, even with your desire to have Hoseok’s family like you. You were still a little anxious that you had kept them waiting, and still was unsure if they were going to be upset with you over it or not.

Yet, Eunha and Jiwoo reminded you of Hobi, their love palpable and their happiness and kindness visible as they smiled at you. You could feel yourself becoming relaxed in their presence, like you belonged with them.

You picked a soft lavender color for your nails, Eunha and Jiwoo choosing the same color with grins on their faces, mischief glowing on their cheeks.

“I want to match with my daughters.” Eunha had spoken in the same soft and slow tone, the nail tech smiling up at her. The spa was a Korean spa, one that Hobi and Yoongi had discovered on one of their exploration trips of the city.

You had felt loved and appreciated, like you belong, and it was a new and different feeling than what you had with your soulmates. This was…like you had family.

“Have you been here before?” Jiwoo asked you as you settled down in a private room at the back of the restaurant. You had been rubbing your hands, the lotion on your skin feeling like oil. You tried to tell the woman you didn’t want the lotion, but it seemed like you fumbled your Korean a bit.

You were originally going to be seated on the balcony of the restaurant, but you were unknowingly followed from the hotel. It seemed that your face was known, and people wanted to know more. This led to Hoseok calling the restaurant and changing the plans a little, sending two more security to accompany the already four you had, Seungho included.

Your pictures were all over army twitter, Namjoon had seen. Some calling for your privacy and others wanting to know more. It was all weird to you and had you feeling like bugs were crawling over your skin, making you remove your sweater to reveal the cream t-shirt and black leggings.

“I haven’t. This is my first time in the city.” You revealed as the waiter came by with the menus. You recognized some items on the menu, but your eyes caught on the option for chicken tenders and French fries, what you called the classic safe food.

You tempered over your options, going with something what was safe or choosing to fit in with Hobi’s family and pick something else. It all came down to how you already felt. Would a new pick trigger your sensory issues and make you melt down? Or would it not affect anything and you go on showing his family that you could fit in with them.

By the time you made your decision, the waiter had already come back with your choice of drinks and his notebook.

“Alright. What can I get for you?”

“I will have the chicken tenders and fries please.” Jiwoo spoke in her bets English, making your eyes widen in shock. You figured she would pick something else. When the waiter looked at you, you just told him you would have the same thing, adding ranch on the side. You didn’t hear what Eunha had picked because Jiwoo moved closer to you.

“I love their chicken tenders. They are so crispy and taste so good!” Jiwoo told you, bouncing a little in her seat, seemingly excited for her order. Hearing her words, your shoulders relaxed and you became way more at ease with everything.

Maybe you were overthinking everything…like normal.

“I am so happy that the boys have found you.” Eunha spoke as soon as the waiter had left, her gaze soft as she watched you sit forward in your seat. Eunha and Jiwoo had spent the entire day hoping that you would feel comfortable around them.

Hoseok had spoken with them, frequently over the years about his soul sight, everything he found out about you, he would confide in them. So, they knew more about you than you did them, unfortunately. Eunha and Jiwoo were aware of your disability and were aware of your wariness around strangers. They had just hoped that the number of times they had video-called with you had eased the tension and made them more familiar to you.

But it was okay, they were patient and had plenty of time to help you become more comfortable with them. They wanted to become your family, wanted to become the people in your corner.

“They all spent years looking for you. Had their eyes practically glued to social media for a long time. Hobi especially went through tiktok, hoping you used your actual picture as your profile picture, or that you posted videos of yourself.” Jiwoo followed her mom’s lead, trying to ease your discomfort.

“He always told us how sweet you were, any little thing you accomplished he would brag to us about it, proud of you.” You had little tears in your eyes now, blinking them away as you listened to them.

“I uh, never thought I would have a soulmate. I didn’t get a bond like that, with any of them. Thought something was wrong with me.” You laughed at yourself, self-deprecatingly as you remembered your years of research.

“I never expected this, any of it. I just wanted to come to the city, a vacation by myself so I didn’t have to stress. But now, I have seven soulmates who love me more than anything in the world. It’s…. like I’m dreaming.” You confess, trying to tell them that you didn’t know, that you didn’t mean to not look for them, thinking that was why they were telling you these things.

“I figure, things will happen when fate deems it to. We are just happy you were able to find your way to them. You don’t ever have to worry about anything with us…we just want you to feel comfortable with us.” Eunha’s hand moved to hold yours, pausing a couple inches from yours as she asked permission before continuing.

“I’m sorry I—” You paused, realizing that they knew you were uncomfortable.

“It’s okay, honey. We just wanted you to know that we already love you and see you as family.” Eunha’s words have you crying, tears streaming down your cheeks. You try to wipe them away with your palm, but Jiwoo moves, handing you her napkin and helping you so your eyes wouldn’t become puffy. That’s the sight the waiter walked up to, plates of food in hand.

This small moment, Jiwoo helping you and Eunha holding your hand, changed your entire mindset; you felt okay, like you were with people who genuinely cared for you. You were ready to do whatever you could to get the boys’ families to like you, but it seemed like you didn’t have to.

You hadn’t even imagined that their families could have known about you, that the boys had told them all about you, what they knew from the soul bonds. Hadn’t envisioned that their families would have already accepted you and your bond to their boys.

And it had you happy, knowing you didn’t have to mask around them. Didn’t have to create a persona that wasn’t you.

And you relaxed, even began to joke around and laugh with Jiwoo and Eunha as you finished your lunch and walked around outside, exploring your surroundings and taking pictures as you went.

You even took pictures upon Jiwoo’s insistence, her smile having you agree to her whims before you can even blink. A couple pictures of you and Jiwoo, of the three of you together, and then a couple of Eunha, with her arms wrapped around you in a hug.

“I need pictures with my daughter to show my friends.” Was her excuse for extra pictures, making you grin back at her. You didn’t mind, even posting some pictures on your Instagram afterwards, putting a small heart over her face to keep her anonymity like Hobi wanted.

You ended up spending the entire day with them, getting frozen yogurt and buying a couple of things that Jiwoo picked out for you, saying you would look beautiful in them. They were even cotton like you wanted.

It was an amazing day with family.

MC’s Instagram Post:

Next Chapter

[sroloc--elbisivni]

usagi yojimbo high school au

in the spirit of adding more planks to the tiny raft that is shipping Kenichi/Mariko/Usagi. here is the ridiculous American high school au that has been bringing me joy since like. march?

they have been going to the same school together their entire lives. the rumors about them are already insane. usagi and kenichi tried to kill each other behind the gym once and kenichi almost got kicked out of school. if you talk shit about one of them in front of the other you WILL get hit. if you talk shit about either one of them in front of mariko she'll roll her eyes and refrain from comment. no one knows the truth.

you might think the swords thing gets translated as a sport but i think the best translation is music. usagi is a french horn player. that's not relevant i just need you all to know that. he and kenichi competed over first chair trumpet in middle school and now usagi gets all the cool solos.

the neko ninja are theater kids. also not really relevant. also brings me joy.

the way the jotaro drama gets translated is. they are dumb high schoolers. mariko and usagi hooked up. mariko thinks 'oh okay we're dating. this is locked down. step one complete time to get kenichi in on it'

mariko forgets to tell usagi this is the plan

usagi sees someone's post about mariko and kenichi kissing in the hallway and goes through the five stages of grief about it

and when mariko shows up to talk to him goes 'it's fine :) i'm very happy for you. you're both my friends and i know you will be happy together.'

mariko goes 'oh no' and realizes she needs backup

while she and kenichi are making a plan of attack

usagi asks his lab partner kinuko to the school Homecoming dance.

(they started out as 'UGH you're so annoying i hate you' and now they're getting along. really well actually.)

mariko enters a state of doubt of 'maybe he just. didn't want to do polyamory. that's that's valid' and starts to doubt her own memory of events

kinuko hears from someone else the Drama of how usagi got dumped by mariko

(i wasn't DUMPED, usagi says, loudly. no one is listening to him)

kinuko figures out she's the rebound and she's not really interested in that. so they go to the dance. it's a nice time. at the end of the night she tells usagi they shouldn't date

she does NOT tell him about the guy who spent all night glaring at them from a corner

kenichi tries to track down usagi and explain to him what's going on. starts out poorly with 'listen i KNOW you were dating mariko first she TOLD me--' and then usagi just goes oh :( oh you both agreed she should cheat on him. okay.

kenichi attempts Dip Kissing.

(on chizu's advice.

sometimes she kisses usagi on the cheek to blot her lipstick and he doesn't even look up from whatever he's working on)

it goes Poorly. so kenichi decides. okay i will just not let you go until mariko gets here.

usagi, being usagi, goes i can still beat you in a fight.

mariko arrives and the two of them are just brawling behind the gym again.

they're idiots. things work out eventually.

[whalyrae]

DANCE WITH ME - CHAPTER 4

“If you want to keep a secret, you must also hide it from yourself.”

Summary : All your life, you thought you were a beta, a simple and boring beta. Until everything change. But now that you've presented yourself as an omega, how will you manage to live and hide it from your six friends and best friend, all alphas and all in the same pack? (a/n : I'm a shit for summary I'm so sorry-)

Genre : soulmate au (of course I'm a bitch for this), omegaverse, bangtan alphas au!, omega reader, fluff, angst, eventual smut, polyamory relationships

Status : In process

Word Count : 2.2k

Warnings : the usual one I guess, like smut, angst, fluff (yeah its a warning for some people ) mention of depression, abusive parents (physically and morally), violence and blood, PTSD, scars, self harm,...

Tag list : @ghostlyworld 

A/N : OMG DOUBLE UPDATE ?? WHAT'S HAPPENING TO USER RORYTHME ??

Masterlist | ao3 | wattpad

Chapter 3 // chapter 5

☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾

Wooyoung had insisted on meeting you at your house one day after class to find a song and discuss the choreography. You didn't really understand the reason behind it, but you didn't see any harm in it.

You offered to come by the following week, on a Friday afternoon. That day came rather quickly. Classes were taking up all your time to the point where the omega thing was taking a back seat. You weren't the only one who was overworked. Each of the seven boys was busy with their own activities. Jimin, Jungkook and Hoseok were spending even more time together, as they had a trio piece to prepare. You and Wooyoung had set up a meeting once a week to start with, leaving the rest of your free time to work on your own solo compositions.

By the way, you still had no idea which song you were going to present as a solo. You took the opportunity to ask Wooyoung for advice.

When you came back from class on Friday, Wooyoung wouldn't show up for another two hours. So you had plenty of time to work on the more theoretical classes while listening to some music and possibly finding a piece to present. But as you walked through the door, you witnessed a rather disturbing scene.

At least, now it was disturbing.

You didn't recognize directly which lap Yoongi was sitting on, but when you saw the blue hair on his neck and especially the broad shoulders, you identified Namjoon without any difficulties.

You were supposed to be used to it, you couldn't count the number of times you caught Taehyung and Jimin on that same couch, or Hoseok and Yoongi, sometimes doing much worse than just snogging.

You'd always felt a little tingle in your lower abdomen when you witnessed those scenes, but before today, you'd always blamed it on surprise. 

But this time was different. You could feel the heavy sexual tension that had built up between the two men, and fortunately they were still fully clothed. Their respective smells invaded your body and made you hot, very hot. For the first time, you felt uncomfortable.

Still, you succeeded to clear your throat to get their attention, sincerely hoping that none of them would feel your discomfort. It's a good thing they couldn't read minds, especially yours, because you would have been in a lot of trouble.

“Ah, Y/n , you're back already!” Namjoon didn't seem at all annoyed and disturbed at being interrupted, just like Yoongi who hadn't moved a muscle.

“How was school, kiddo ? Aren't the other kids with you?”

“No, they... stayed to practice but... don't you have an apartment? Seriously guys, we already talked about it, I'm not into threesomes…”

Your last words made them both laugh. You had said it in a joking tone, (you thought that a little humor would make you think of something else) even if inside you were lying boldly. 

You could imagine the two alphas getting up, approaching you slowly... Namjoon would be standing behind you, his hands would be on your waist, while Yoongi would be in front of you where he would put his lips on yours and...

“I thought I'd find Taehyung at first, I had to ask him something. Yoongi arrived to…” Namjoon frowned and turned to his companion, “why again?”

“I don't know. Anyway, we don't need to paint you a picture of what happens next.”

“No, Yoongs, I don't need to, I can visualize it very well. Too well,” you whispered before shaking your head, “but thanks for your concern, it means a lot to me,” you added with a touch of irony making them both laugh, “ah and then go do your thing elsewhere, I'm waiting for someone.”

You then turned your heels and went to the kitchen to serve you a large glass of water you drank in one go. Then a second one. You were really hot.

The two alphas looked at each other, rather surprised. Yoongi got up to sit on the sofa while Namjoon joined you in the kitchen, suddenly intrigued.

“Is that the guy you have to dance with?” Namjoon asked, “The other three told us, yeah. They couldn't remember his name though.”

“Wooyoung, his name is Jung Wooyoung,” you corrected him and finished your drink, “and yes, it's him. We need to come up with a song and ideas, you know, for the dance and stuff.”

You turned him around and opened the fridge to grab something, or just to enjoy the fresh air that was coming out of it.

“And your buddy, Wooyoung, he's an omega, right?”

Yoongi's question surprised you. You turned around and closed the refrigerator door, and found the two alphas in the kitchen, a few meters away from you. You stared at both of them, confused, and answered in an unsure voice.

“It's... yeah, it's an omega. Why that question?”

Neither answered right away. You looked up at them, and suddenly wanted to disappear through a small mouse hole.

“For... nothing,” Namjoon cleared his throat and ran a hand through his blue hair, “right, hyung?”

“Yeah, for nothing. That was inappropriate, excuse me.”

Yoongi shrugged and walked over to you. You were a little surprised at first, but soon realized that he wanted to go into the refrigerator. With a sudden move, you tried to move away and tripped on... on you don't even know what, probably your own feet. You were already ready to meet the floor. But that moment never came.

You felt an arm wrap around your waist to hold you against... a finely muscled chest. You slowly raised your head, and met Namjoon's gaze.

Was it your heart or his that was beating so fast? You had no fucking idea. But this simple contact awakened things in you, sensations and feelings that you didn't want to feel at all.

The room was silent for what seemed like an eternity. Namjoon and you had finally moved away from each other and at the same time... well, moving away was a big word, you had only broken the physical contact. Your faces were close, very close to each other.

“Thank you,” you said with a small embarrassed smile.

“Must believe that his clumsiness ends up spreading, added Yoongi, behind you with a slight chuckle.”

“Don't exaggerate, he's not so…” you paused and looked back at Namjoon before clearing your throat, “but... I was always clumsy anyway!”

Namjoon glared at Yoongi who had a slight sneer.

“Ah, and Wooyoung,” you shrugged, “he's part of a pack so…” you didn't even know why you were justifying it, you cleared your throat before whispering, “it's not like I could interest anyone…”

This sentence, they had both heard it. You realized what you said too late. You didn't even know why those words had come out of your lips, even though it was what you thought.

It didn't take long to get a reaction from them. Namjoon placed his hand on your head, lowering himself slightly to your height. Your eyes met again. The alpha's dark eyes looked into yours. You had never seen him so serious.

“Don't say any more of that nonsense, will you?”

“And don't underestimate yourself.”

Yoongi's voice behind you startled you slightly. You could feel his breath against your ear, which sent a shiver through your body. They were both close, too close to you. You didn't like it, or rather, it was like with Jungkook and Seokjin, you didn't like to admit you liked it.

Fortunately for you, a voice resonated in the apartment, abruptly breaking this somewhat... strange moment.

“Is anyone there? Hello!”

You recognized Taehyung who had just appeared. Yoongi, who seemed to be just as confused and disturbed as you, had backed away, as had Namjoon. While you had shifted to get yourself a third... or maybe a fourth glass of water?

“Ah, you're here, great! Uh... is everything okay? You look like you've seen a dead man…”

You glanced first at Namjoon, then at Yoongi.

“No, absolutely not!” You elbowed Namjoon, “I just almost got a foot in a cast. Or even both.”

“Exaggerate a bit more ? Nam shouldn't have caught you, at least we would have had a few laughs.”

“I exaggerate ? Really ? You're the one who says that, mister, "I start to cry when I can't find my shoes because my stuff is spread out in three apartments" ?”

Taehyung rolled his eyes as you and Yoongi continued to argue. Namjoon smiled slightly, and walked over to the newcomer to ruffle his hair and place a kiss on his forehead.

“Did you want to say something important?”

“Hm? No, absolutely not! I just like to come home and know that there's someone there!”

Taehyung's lips stretched as he accepted with undisguised pleasure the hug his partner offered him.

“Here, they're pouting at each other again…”

Namjoon looked up after his younger brother's remark. You had indeed gone to your room, while Yoongi had gone back to the big couch with his phone in hand.

“Thirty minutes, watch in hand,” Namjoon said, winking at him.

That was how it worked here, especially between Yoongi and you. Things often turned very bitter between you, not surprising when you had two such strong characters. Although you never took long to reconcile.

As expected, less than half an hour later, you came out of your room, a more comfortable outfit on you. Without a word, you went to get two cans of beer, and joined the trio on the sofa. Taehyung was sleeping peacefully, his head resting on Namjoon's legs as he read a book, his right shoulder occupied by Yoongi's still on his laptop. You took a sip of your drink before handing it to him, without saying a word. Yoongi accepted it, and shifted his shoulder to rest against you.

Namjoon glanced at you and pursed his lips between them to hold back his smile. However, he thought back to what had happened before Taehyung arrived and couldn't help but wonder what might have happened if he hadn't interrupted them. And in fact, he didn't really know if he wanted to know, because no sane and platonic thoughts came to mind. And yet, it was you. 

Well, everyone considered you a member of their pack, although you had no physical or emotional ties with them other than friendly. Even though Namjoon could not deny that he had always felt a strong attraction towards you.

It was more than an attraction, he was aware of it, but he refused to admit it out loud. 

They had met you at the same time as Jimin, the two of you were both literally always stuck to each other, and naturally they had all become attached to you, and vice versa. 

Of course, the day will come when you will find a partner, or partners, who will love you and treat you as you deserve. You were a beta, but of course you had the right and the possibility to bond, just like any alpha or omega. But this thought, as friendly and kind was meant to be, did not please him. A sudden feeling of possessiveness towards you took possession of him, disturbing him as much as what he had felt earlier in the kitchen. 

Something had changed with you. He didn't know what it was, but it was there. He didn't know if he was the only one who noticed it, but you were acting differently with them. The changes were... very slight, but they were there. 

The words you spoke, you never talked about yourself that way. He wasn't born dumb. Neither was Yoongi. They understood the meaning of the words. Their reactions, however, were also unexpected. They had not controlled each other, which had never happened, because Namjoon had always managed to repress and control his feelings for you.

For the other alphas of the pack, he didn't really know, he had never really paid attention to how they acted with you. But he was aware of their feelings for you. They talked about it a couple of times.

And now that he was aware that something strange and new was going on, he would pay more attention. He would eventually get answers to his questions, he always did.

°°°

Wooyoung arrived a few hours later. Namjoon and Yoongi had gone back to their respective occupations. Taehyung had stayed behind. You tried your best to convince him to at least go and stay in another apartment, to bribe him with food, to beg him to at least leave them alone for a few hours, but nothing worked. The florist said he wanted to meet this mysterious omega he had heard so much about and that he would remain discreet and silent as a grave. This was not the case. 

Of course, social and extroverted as he was, he couldn't help but spend a good thirty minutes getting to know the omega, asking about him, his birthdate to find out what flower he was associated with, his favorite flowers, promoting the business he worked in, and even, to your surprise, wanting to learn more about the young man's pack. 

“Okay, Tae,” you got up and stood in front of Wooyoung, with a tight smile, “excuse him, when he starts, he has a hard time stopping... I'm going to go get my laptop from my room, you know, for the dance,” you turned to your roommate with a dark look, “we really, really have to work.”

“But noona... we're getting to know each other!” Taehyung pouted as he grabbed your hand, “let me stay with you, promise I'll be a good boy!”

You glanced at Wooyoung, who was holding his laughter. 

 "One more opinion wouldn't hurt us, you know," he finally shrugged. 

- Yeah! You see! He thinks like me! Taehyung stood up without letting go of your hand, please!" 

You pinched the bridge of your nose for a few seconds, and finally gave in with a nod, letting go of the alpha's hand to walk away and go to your room to get your computer. 

In truth, you had simply given up because the mere physical contact with him awakened in you what you felt every time you got too close to one of them

You shook your head, you didn't have to think about it. 

Did you call her noona?" you heard Wooyoung ask as you walked away

- Yes! Jimin, her and I are the same age! But she was born in March, Minnie in October and I'm from December! Jin is the oldest! Then there is Yoongi hyung, and Hobi and Namjoonie, our alpha dominant, they are both the same age! Y/n-nie, Jimin and me, and finally Jungkook, the youngest! That's it! That's our little pack!" 

You felt your heart suddenly warming up as you heard Taehyung's words. The nickname he had given you, you weren't used to hearing it. You weren't related to them, but he considered you a full member of their pack. 

And that was the same for every alphas.

Your guilt at hiding from them the fact that you were not a beta only grew with each passing day. At the same time, the memory of your family's reaction and rejection of you when they learned of your true nature was so painful that a pang of physical pain gripped your heart... You felt so comfortable with them. You couldn't bear the thought of reading that disappointment and disgust in their eyes again, let alone in theirs. You couldn't bear to lose Jimin. Not him. The thought made you want to cry. No, that simple thought made you cry. 

"Hey, Y/n, is everything okay?"

Wooyoung's voice startled you. You turned to him, and wiped your eyes quickly. Over the weeks and time spent together, a strong friendship had developed between you. You enjoyed Wooyoung's company, and he enjoyed yours. He was the only one who knew your secret, the only one you could really confide in. 

“Did you hear him?” you finally whispered, “they consider me one of them, even though I'm only their friend, and I lie to them every day about who I am…” you breathed in deeply, as new tears rolled down your cheeks, “I'm horrible, selfish…”

“No, no, don't say that!” Wooyoung came up to you and gave you a comforting hug, “you have your reasons, and when you explain them, they will understand, I'm sure. Taehyung is a lovely person, just like Jimin, Hoseok and Jungkook... I haven't had a chance to meet the other three yet, but I'm sure they're like them, I can feel it!”

“They are, I swear, they are... so caring, to each other, or even to me... that's why I'm so mad at myself... but I can't, not now I... it's too soon…” 

You were angry with yourself, you hated yourself, you hated your family for creating this trauma in you. 

And god, you hated feeling this constant attraction to your seven friends and roommates, one of them being your best friend as well. Why couldn't you be a goddamn beta, like you always thought you were? Why did things have to change like this and mess up your life and theirs like this?

You felt Wooyoung's hands rest on his shoulders, he had bent slightly to get to your level, a soft smile on his lips. 

“ 'Admitting and accepting who you are and how you feel is a very important first step.’ Seonghwa hyung asked me to give you this message!”

You widened your eyes slightly. Yes, you understood Seonghwa's words. But for the moment, you didn't know if you were really ready to accept all... all these new sensations, these feelings, and impose them on a pack of alpha's bound together in this way. You didn't want to come across as some kind of creep or God only knows what else. 

You took a deep breath, and managed to calm yourself down after few seconds. You wiped your cheeks and wanted to open your mouth to apologize. Wooyoung stopped you and simply shook his head, telling you that it was nothing.

“ You should meet him, Seonghwa,” Wooyoung added with a sweet smile, “in fact they'd all like to meet you,” he admitted shyly, “I'm not really used to making real friends, so of course they're intrigued to meet you...!”

“I would be honored to meet them, you replied, you talk so much about them too!”

You were really grateful to have met Wooyoung. Sometimes, the hazards of life didn't always put negative things in your way. 

You didn't want to think about all those stories anymore, at least for now. You needed to clear your mind, and dancing was the only way you could do that. 

‘“Oh, by the way, I didn't get a chance to tell you when you came in,” you said, grabbing your laptop, “but I had an idea for our song earlier and even the beginning of the choreography. Shall I show you?”

“You're good to bring up the subject!” exclaimed Wooyoung with a smirk, “I had an illumination this morning, for you!”

“For me?”

“I found the perfect song for your solo! It was in Yeosang's playlist and... it was so obvious to me! You'll see, you'll love it! you and your alphas…”

You opened your lips to say something, suddenly feeling the blush on your cheeks, but then you cleared your throat. Why not, after all. Not for the sake of pleasing anyone, not at all... just... just out of curiosity and because you trusted him, that's why!