#and even considering how gruesome their traps were they still did quite good in them oh my god

[thefinalinagirl]

I've rewatched Saw X today and even though this was discussed a lot (probably), I am still not over the fact that Cecilia in the end got the easiest way out compared to Valentina, Mateo and Gabriela (and tbh Diego, even though he won). She was the mastermind of it all, she had been doing it for eight (8!!) years, she made a fortune scamming people and in the end all she had to do was kill Parker? When she was already established to not feel any remorse about sacrificing others for her own good? And she lived? I mean, sure, she's a great villain and Synnøve Macody Lund is incredible, but damn I hate this ending for Cecilia in comparison to other scammers.

Let's just take a look at others. They, basically, have rather shitty lives. And I'm not trying to condone their actions, but I get why they all agreed to the scam scheme. Diego and Mateo probably don't make a lot of money working. Gabriela suffers from an addiction. And don't get me started on my girl Valentina. Moreover, as far as I understand, John's "operation" was probably the only one these four did (or they did just a few others in Mexico, as well, but definitely not all 34 of them, since Cecilia goes from place to place and creates a new team every time). And I'm also not sure, that Cecilia even shares the money equally. It's more like her to leave a bigger chunk to herself.

So, I'm definitely not saying, that Diego, Valentina, Mateo and Gabriela did the right thing. Hell no, it's still fucked up. But: I understand their motives. They are people in bad live situations. People just trying to survive in this world. And when you are that desperate, your moral compass can break. But, in their cases, it's never too late to try fixing it. Out of all people tested in Saw X, these four deserved their chance the most. They deserved their reawakening. But they just got John's retribution with the most cruel traps of the movie, and that makes me very sad.

[akitokihojo]

Monster - Chapter 19

chapter index

“How far off are we talking?” Inuyasha asked, kicking out the fire as the rest of his team hurried to pack up camp.

“Ten miles, give or take.” Koga answered.

“How are you so sure it’s Hakudoshi?” Kagome asked next, strapping her bag over her shoulders.

“Anyone want to fill us in on what a Hakudoshi is?” Miroku implored with a bemused frown.

“A short, evil minion that we need to kill.” The wolf demon answered.

Blinking blankly, Miroku shifted his eyes over to Kagome for an actual explanation.

“Naraku created a group of demons. As far as we know, he had five. We killed one already, so now he’s down to four: Hakudoshi, Kagura, Byakuya, and Goshinki. Hakudoshi, we really don’t have a lot of information on other than he’s a child and has long, white hair.”

“He’s a child.” Miroku gasped.

“An evil one!” Koga feebly defended.

“Miroku, think of it as a design.” Inuyasha spoke. “Remember how we explained Naraku to you? How he’s an inorganic half demon? Anything he creates is essentially inorganic, as well. Child or not, Hakudoshi is still a demon of his that needs to go down.”

“Excuse me?” Koga sort of gaped at how that bit of information was so casually mentioned and how no one else was the least bit fazed by it.

“He’s just a little boy though, right?” Sango inquired sympathetically. “Isn’t there a chance he can be turned around and saved?”

“No, I think he’s a bit too far gone.” Kagome grimaced. “We had a friend that was sort of tortured into shape by Naraku’s guys. Hakudoshi was the main offender and was a fan of sharp objects.”

“Oh, okay. Evil child with a knife. Got it.” Miroku cringed, immediately throwing aside any further argument he could have thought of.

“The only one that’s worth saving is Kagura, but that’s a story for another time. We’ve gotta get going.” Kagome added.

“Hello?” Koga called, demanding their attention. “Inuyasha, what the fuck did you just say about Naraku?”

“Oh, that he’s an inorganic half demon? Yeah. You didn’t know that?” The hanyou shrugged sardonically. It was high time the secret got out to all that were involved since everything was so real now, but that didn’t mean he planned on sitting Koga and Sesshomaru down to have a nice, mature, informative conversation. That just meant he’d openly talk about it in front of them so that they could piece it all together on their own. It wasn’t like they could do much with it, anyway. He kept it under wraps for the protection of himself and everyone around him. Now, there was no further reason for it.

“Yeah, come on, dude.” Miroku arched a brow, playing along. He felt it was only his right since the guy just tried to punk him. “Even we knew that.”

“How the fuck… Inuyasha, what are you talking about? What does this mean?” Koga questioned seriously.

“It means he’s not a full demon like he wants everyone to believe. I can tell you’re looking for his weakness though, and I don’t know that. Technically, at this point, him being half demon is useless information. It’s nothing more than a fun fact. Half demon or not, he’s still a force to be reckoned with.”

“No, but half demons have specific traits about them, don’t they? They have a time of the month dedicated to basically emphasizing their weaknesses, right?”

“We turn human, yes.” Inuyasha tried not to grumble with his admittance. It was common knowledge. What wasn’t was the day and time it happened. “Naraku, doesn’t. I don’t exactly know what he transforms into, but it’s definitely not human, and potentially even more damaging to him. Be that as it may, do you know when that is?”

“Obviously not.”

“Then, it’s useless information.”

“How do you know this? Did you see it?”

“A long ass fucking time ago, I did. I was a kid; I wasn’t paying attention to the phase of the moon. Unless you know where he is and want to camp out every fucking night outside his place to wait and see if you miraculously feel his demonic energy die off, I’m going to have to repeat, this is all useless information now. It serves as nothing more than a stab to his ego.”

“Dammit.” Koga hissed. He was hoping that since it was new information to him, it’d be something they could grasp onto and utilize in the future, but the mutt was right. No one knew where Naraku was hiding, and camping out was obviously out of the question. Not to mention, a monster like that with the pride he harbors would take extensive efforts to protect himself during his moment of incapacitation. As quickly as he’d clung to the hope, the wolf demon was going to have to drop it. “Can you guys keep up while running? We should head out.”

“Kagome, get on.” Inuyasha kneeled, securing her rear as she climbed onto his back. With a little hike up, he was set to carry her at a decent speed.

“Kirara, let’s go.” Sango firmly ordered, and the small cat demon by her side let out a little meow, hopping into an open space as she transformed into her larger, saber-toothed version.

“Uh, there are things you don’t see every day, and there are things you see that make you think you took a little too much of Kaede’s good shit. What the fuck is that?” Koga pointed to the large cat demon, beyond perplexed.

“Kirara.” Sango replied nonchalantly, jumping on the demon’s back with ease. Miroku followed, not quite as skillfully, but not as sloppily as he used to either. “She’s my cat.”

“You’re not high, buddy.” Miroku grinned. “This is not an illusion.”

“Kagome, you’re from a weird ass village.” He shook his head, heading off in the direction he came from as he led the squad forward.

Koga had had to slow his pace down a bit since he knew he ran faster than the average demon and he didn’t want to lose his new comrades, but he was glad to hear no complaints from anyone. In fact, it was him that ended up doing the complaining. By the time they reached the fork where he’d left Sesshomaru, the high and mighty dog demon was nowhere around. As fruitless as it was to even call out for him, given his scent and aura weren’t in the immediate vicinity, the wolf demon still found himself audibly searching.

“Let me get this straight,” Inuyasha began, safely setting Kagome back down to her feet. “You told Sesshomaru to wait for you?”

“Yeah.” Koga frowned.

“And, you actually expected him to listen?”

“He said he would!”

“Did he say he would or did he grunt?”

Koga paused as he recalled the conversation with Sesshomaru, realizing it was the latter that he’d received. “Fuck!”

“Who’s Sesshomaru?” Miroku asked after climbing down from Kirara.

“Inuyasha’s older brother.” Kagome answered.

“Half brother.” Inuyasha corrected.

“They don’t get along.” She continued with a grimace.

“From the smell of it, he’s long gone.” The hanyou mentioned, his nose in the air to gather the area. “He went right. We’ll go left. There’s no use in you trying to catch up with him, so just come with us.”

“What happened to no teaming up?” Koga meagerly mocked, barely putting any effort behind his deriding tone.

“You can come with us, you can stay behind, or you can seek out the imp fucker. I don’t care. I was just giving you another option.” Inuyasha rolled his eyes, leading the way toward the left route.

“Alright, alright. No need to beg, Inuyasha. I’ll help you out, but only because you asked so nicely.”

Inuyasha barely bit back his groan, his head falling as he kept walking. He was going to regret this, wasn’t he?

“Koga, you never answered my question from before.” Kagome said, jogging a little to walk beside him as they all continued down the path. “How do you know this is Hakudoshi? Didn’t you guys say the underlings all give off the same scent as Naraku?”

“Oh, yeah. They do. We caught something feint and followed it. You’re not gonna like this, but we ended up coming across a house at the edge of the woods -“ Koga paused, pointing behind them to the West. “And, everyone inside was…”

“Dead?” Miroku attempted to finish for him, wondering if that was the word he was going for.

“I mean, yes, but a little more than that.”

“How can you be a little more than dead?” Sango asked.

“It was gruesome, okay? The bodies were mangled. It was an entire family torn to shreds. The smell of Naraku was strong there, so we followed it out. We got all the way to this path here, and the scent of him went down both ways. Hence, why I came and found you. That way, no matter what, more ground is covered and we can hopefully corner the fucker. Sesshomaru was adamant that it couldn’t be Kagura, Byakuya doesn’t look like the type who’d want to dirty his nails doing something like that, but who’s the one we discovered has a thing for torment? Hakudoshi.”

“You cannot possibly be that stupid, can you?” Inuyasha gruffly asked, abruptly stopped in his tracks as he spun around. His brows were furrowed and his lips turned down in disapproval. “This is most likely the biggest trap anyone has ever willingly walked into.”

“No, that was definitely considered.” Koga plainly responded. “But, it’s a chance we have to take. And, one you readily hopped on board with without any further information.”

“Because, I decided to trust you for once. A big mistake on my end, clearly.”

“So, if you knew it was potentially a trap, you’d let it all slide and allow him to get away?” The wolf demon challenged.

“I would have taken a moment to establish a plan.” Inuyasha scowled.

“Hakudoshi could theoretically lead us to Naraku. Sesshomaru and I already came up with a plan. Cover more ground and pin him.”

“You’re forgetting one major thing here, Koga.”

“Goshinki.” Miroku concluded. It was the only name he’d heard that hadn’t been considered.

“Right.” Inuyasha assertively confirmed. “That’s a creation we have literally no information on, and you two are going off of assumptions. Assumptions that could get us all killed.”

“What’s happened to you, Inuyasha? You used to be so carefree and reckless.” Koga teased. “Now, all of a sudden, you’re rational and want to put as much thought into everything possible? Why’s that?”

Inuyasha didn’t answer. His jaw clenched tight, and his amber eyes pierced through Koga’s blue irises.

“Oh, got it.” The wolf laughed, patting Kagome’s shoulder. “It’s because your sweetheart almost died, right? Well, don’t worry. I’ll be right here to save her again if anything happens.”

“You son of a -“ Inuyasha ground out, stopping himself before he could throw a punch at him.

“Koga!” Kagome pushed his hand off of her.

“Kagome, what?” Miroku demanded, marching forward.

“Goddammit.” She grumbled before turning to him. “Look, there was an incident, but I’m fine.”

“What happened?”

“Naraku’s puppet kicked my ass; I told you that already.”

“You didn’t tell me it’d almost killed you!”

“It’s not imperative knowledge, Miroku. It happened, it’s done, I’m okay, so let’s drop it.”

“What happened?” He repeated more sternly.

She hesitated. She didn’t want this to make her cousin worry more, which was why she’d chosen to never include that tidbit of information in the first place. It wasn’t necessarily her most prideful moment, either. It was terrifying. For she and Inuyasha. Bringing it up would help no one, and would ease the pressure on no one’s shoulders. Still, Miroku pierced her with his indigo stare, and she felt compelled to give him something.

“He tossed me off of the mountainside and into the river after the heavy rains had filled it. Koga saved me.”

Miroku could say nothing, his hand flying to rub the tension from his forehead as he closed his eyes. This was why she didn’t want to tell him. What good is it doing? It seemed to only be reinforcing his stress and the longer he was silent, the heated sighs leaving his nostrils, the more uncomfortable she was becoming. She could only hope he was taking this long because he was processing the information and throwing it away. He got what he wanted, there was nothing anyone could do to change it, and now the best thing to do was to let it all go.

But, then his dark blue eyes transferred to Inuyasha. “I thought you’d said she’d been safe with you.”

“Hey!” Kagome quickly shouted, though she didn’t immediately regain his attention. Nevertheless, she spoke. And, she spoke powerfully. It was like she could feel the admonishment sitting heavily in Inuyasha’s chest, and she wasn’t about to allow that to overtake him again. “It is not his fault! My safety is in no one’s hands but mine, so don’t act like I need bodyguards standing at every side of me! I am not fragile, you know I’m not fragile! I know it upsets you that you weren’t there, Miroku, but that’s the thing! You weren’t there! You don’t know how it all went down! So, don’t blame Inuyasha, because you don’t know how hard he was trying to save me!” Finally, his look had shifted back to her, and it seemed his frown became something less angry and hinting more on the remorseful side. “Redirect it towards me! Ask me what I had done wrong! I can list everything! I was too scared, I let my emotions get the better of me, I wasn’t strong enough, I hesitated - I can go on! But, you’re not gonna do that, are you? If you aren’t going to blame me, then I can guarantee you that it’s not going to make you feel better to place the blame on anyone but Naraku, so just drop it! It happened, it’s done! Let it go, Miroku!”

Swiftly, while the heat still bubbled in her core, Kagome turned around to face Koga. “And, you! What was that? Were you just trying to gloat because you didn’t like that Inuyasha opposed you!? Grow up!”

“I - I didn’t know that not everyone here was aware of what had happened.” Koga feebly defended.

“No, you just didn’t think before you said anything! You were throwing whatever you could out there to get under his skin! If you want to tag along, you need to learn to communicate better, understand!? Work with us or go find Sesshomaru!”

Then she turned to Inuyasha, sighing out some heat and allowing her glower to relax a little before speaking to him. He was innocent, he didn’t deserve her temper. So, with one exhale, she pushed as much infuriation from her being so that she could continue semi-reasonably with him. “I don’t really think that there’s any way we can come up with a plan for this. I think the best thing we can agree on is to be on high alert. Expect the unexpected. Or, did you want to turn around?”

“No, you’re right.” Inuyasha agreed.

“Okay.” Kagome breathed, though she faced the others in challenge. “Anyone else want to say anything?”

The group was quiet, and she’d noticed Koga’s tail drooped almost fearfully, his azure eyes on the floor and away from her. Good. It was immature of him to bring up her near death experience anyway; he should be ashamed of himself. He didn’t just cause Inuyasha to recoil, but gave her, her cousin, and Sango grief in doing so, as well. What an idiotic move.

“Great. Then, let’s keep going.” She concluded, turning around on her heel and walking forward at a quick pace. Everyone else, though, had to stay put for a quick breather.

“What did I tell you about pushing her?” Sango asked Miroku, coming forward to give him a half-sympathetic rub on his arm.

“Yeah, I know.” He grimaced, turning to follow after his cousin so that she wasn’t wandering off alone. “I’ll go calm her down.”

Inuyasha pinched the bridge of his nose. “The answer you were looking for is, I’m not sixteen, seventeen years old anymore, Koga.” He sighed. “But, it does also help to have someone else to consider when making your decisions. You should try it sometime.”

“That was terrifying.” Koga admitted.

“Yeah.” Sango laughed, her cat demon companion following her forward. “That’s what you get.”

Kagome could hear the footsteps approaching, easily identifying the gait as Miroku’s, and as soon as he was close enough, she glanced over her shoulder at him. “I’m sorry I left home without telling you, and I’m sorry if that felt like betrayal, but can you please try to get over it?”

“Well, that was blunt.” He muttered. “I wasn’t betrayed, Kagome. I was worried sick. Look, stop for a second.”

“No, because then the others will catch up and I don’t want them to overhear us.”

“Okay, fine, fair enough. Just try to look at it from my point of view. Please. Our entire lives, I’ve spent looking after you. Not just after I moved in when dad and uncle died, but always. I was the one who gave you the boost on top of the counter to get the cookie jar, and then helped you down. I was the one who put a bandaid on your knee when you tripped and fell. I was the one who stood in front of you when the henchmen came to our village. I know you don’t need protecting, but I’m your older brother. Whether you need it or not, I want it for you. I like to know that you’re safe, and when I don’t, it scares me.”

“That’s very sweet, but it also sounds like you’re saying if you weren’t there to monitor the situation yourself and something went wrong, you’re going to be judgmental about it.”

“How did you get that from anything I just said?”

“‘I like to know that you’re safe, and when I don’t, it scares me.’”

Miroku grimaced. “That wasn’t supposed to be turned against me.”

“I don’t know what you want from me, Miroku. I’ve said I was sorry like ten times already. I can’t go back to two months ago and change my mind, and even if I could, I wouldn’t. You can be mad at me all you want, I completely understand, but can you please try not to take it out on Inuyasha?”

“I didn’t take it out on him. I asked him a simple question.”

Kagome stopped walking then, pinning him with a stare that read right through his weak facade.

“O-okay,” He babbled awkwardly. “So, it was less simple and more a question that put him on the spot. I met the guy yesterday, Kagome. I don’t know him yet, so if he’s telling me he’s ensured your safety but Koga’s telling me you almost died, I feel like I have the right to -“

“Be judgmental?” She interjected, walking again.

“No.”

“He never said that, anyway. He’s contributed to my safety, but no one can ensure anything. Especially out here. You said it yourself last night, you and Sango have been through the wringer, as well. How many times have you guys been really hurt to the point where you needed to lay low?”

He bobbed his head in a small motion. “A couple times.”

“Right. It’s impossible to know what to expect outside of the boundaries of home, and we’ve all had to learn that the hard way. I’m not asking you to be his best friend, I’m asking you to take common sense into consideration, and to think before you react. You cant control what happened in our separation, and you just need to come to terms with the fact that I’m fine. I know you want to protect me, and I sincerely appreciate it. I do. I want to protect you too, which was why I suggested you two go home. But, you made your choice, and as much as I wanted to fight you on it, I respected it. It’s not like you’re blind to the craziness we’re dealing with; I’m sure you’ve gotten a pretty good taste of the morbidity out here. All I’m saying is, what’s done is done. Let it be done. Stop trying to make up for lost time, and just be with me now.”

“Okay, okay, okay. I get it. I’m sorry, but I’m also not sorry. I didn’t want to upset you, but it’s sort of shocking to find out you’d almost died. You can’t blame me for responding in a manner that wasn’t exactly the most positive.”

“In my defense, you weren’t supposed to find that out.” Kagome sighed. “I’d wanted to keep that from you, and clearly for good reason.”

“Why? Why wouldn’t you want me to know that?”

“Because, that information only hurt you, Miroku. Are you telling me it’s a good thing you know now?”

“Okay, I see your point.” He finally relented.

“It’s not like I’m trying to keep secrets from you or offend you in any way. I’m just keeping my business on a need-to-know basis.”

“I understand now. I do. Is there anything else I need to know?” He gave a crooked grin to try and lighten the mood.

Kagome heard the footsteps of the rest of their group coming around the bend not too far behind them now, and she peeked over her shoulder to make sure Inuyasha wasn’t in sight. Still, to be respectful of his sensitive hearing, she chose to keep her voice low. “Yeah. The day I’d almost died, it was really hard on Inuyasha, too. He was scared he’d lost me. He’d felt like he’d failed me. So, what you said - salt in the wound, Miroku. Not cool.”

“Oh. Ouch.” His smile stiffened. Faltered. “My bad. I can’t even apologize to him, though. I take it from the way you’d whispered that I’m not supposed to know.”

“Yup. Just keep it in mind for the next time you want to act like a tough guy. You don’t know the full story. I know that’s what’s bothering you, but handle it.”

“Are you saying I’m not tough?”

Kagome stopped walking and analyzed the size of her cousin’s biceps, teasing him by pursing her lips disappointedly as she pinched the muscle. The flicker of her brown eyes up to his said it all and Miroku gasped.

“Is this what I get? Is this the treatment I get because I care about you?”

“No, it’s the treatment you get because you’ve got puny arms.”

“The audacity! You’re small, too!”

“Miroku, she stabbed a guy in the groin with an arrow yesterday. I wouldn’t say that if I were you.” Sango chimed as they all appeared down the trail.

At hearing that, Koga’s eyes went wide, aghast, and he swiftly spun around on his heel mid-step to head back in the direction they’d come in. He’d been the most recent to piss her off, so it was evident he was the one she’d have no problem turning on if he spoke out of pocket again. He’d much rather head out to find Inuyasha’s brother than stick around to potentially share the same fate as arrow-dick-guy. Before he could take another step though, Inuyasha snagged the back of his vest, dragging him along.

“Keep going, wolf. She’ll only turn on you if you pretend to be alpha.”

“Inuyasha, I am alpha. I’m literally the alpha wolf of my pack.” He murmured unnervingly to the mutt.

“I know.” He smirked. “I want to see what happens.”

“Uh,” Inuyasha heard Kagome up ahead, noticing she’d stopped walking, she and her cousin facing off to their right. From his vantage point a little down the path, he couldn’t see what they were gazing at, but he could tell there was a break in the trees right where they stood. “It’s a cave.”

“Do you sense anything?”

“Yeah. I think so.”

She was right. The scent was feint, but Naraku’s trail ended here and went inside. He could feel demonic energy, but what was disconcerting was, he couldn’t pinpoint just how dangerous it was. Even worse, from outside of the cave, he felt eyes on him. Eyes he felt would only peer harder the moment they went inside.

“You got anything to help prepare us?” Sango asked. “We haven’t faced anything belonging to Naraku yet. How strong are we talking?”

“That sword on your hip,” Inuyasha pointed. “It’s not just there for show, right?”

“No. I’m highly skilled with it.”

“Good. You’ll find it’s a valuable asset to keep you alive then. Other than that, all I can say is to stay vigilant. If Koga or I tell you to back up, you back up. We tell you to get down, you get down. Understand?”

“You two went from arguing to playing co-leaders?” Miroku asked with an arch of his brow.

“You got heightened senses?” Koga asked. “You got keen instincts?”

He scrunched his nose in regret of his remark. He was on a roll today. “No, but I’ve got nice hair and great listening skills.”

“Wonderful. Then, you’ll be just fine.” The wolf remarked with a wink, bravely leading the way inside.

“Hey, you okay?” Inuyasha checked, grabbing Kagome as he sort of forced her to walk slower and stick behind everyone with him. His arm wrapped around her shoulders as he pulled her closer to kiss her temple, her stride falling in line with his.

“I’m fine.” She dismissed. “Sorry for what he said back there.”

“Don’t be. You still mad?”

“Nah, I was more frustrated than anything. I get where he’s coming from, I just don’t know how to make everyone happy right now.”

“Don’t worry about making everyone happy, kid. He’s spent over sixty days worried about you. By now, it’s almost a learned behavior. Show him he’s got nothing to worry about. Show him what you’ve got. Just like you did with me.”

The advice made sense. It made a lot of sense. Miroku had always stood in front of her, shielded her from so much while growing up, so simply telling him no one needed to do that anymore wasn’t going to be as effective as showing him what she’d learned she could do. He hadn’t been there to see her develop into the conjurer she now was, so his absence went both ways. He was going to have to drop his need for control, and she was going to have to demonstrate her formed abilities.

In reply, she smiled and nodded, glancing up to the hanyou in appreciation. Kagome gave a little perk of her lips to silently request a kiss while he was still so near, and he grinned, leaning down to quickly give her what she’d wanted.

Inside the cave, it was dark. Ominous. Inuyasha was right, he felt closely watched. Almost studied. He jogged ahead to catch up with Koga, the hit from his boots against the cavern floor echoing off the surrounding walls.

“You feel that?”

“Yeah.” Koga agreed, blue eyes searching for the culprit. There was nowhere for anyone to hide, though. Not so close to the entrance at least. The only way to discover the source, he felt, was to delve deeper, but deeper was where it would definitely grow increasingly dangerous. A turn of events they were prepared to expect. No matter what, Koga didn’t like the feeling swimming in his gut. “Come out of hiding! You wanted us to follow you, right!? Well, here we are!”

The wolf demon’s loud voice bounced off of the walls, repeating down the chambers the cave harbored, but no one replied. No one came out from behind a rock, or a nook in the siding, no one approached, no one was there. Except someone was. Someone had to be. This was Naraku’s scent, there was no mistake of that, but for some reason, the demonic aura was so engulfing, it almost felt like they were inside of a demon, itself.

“Well, if they didn’t know we were here before, they sure do now.” Inuyasha remarked dully.

“We give off demonic energy, ourselves, dipshit. Of course, they knew we were here.”

With a roll of his amber eyes, Inuyasha trudged on beside him, remaining observant of their surroundings as they traveled through the tunnels. The deeper they walked, the more sinister the feeling became. It was like wading through a sludge of demonic energy, and that sludge was toxic and thick, almost entrapping. Still, there was no way to pinpoint the source. It was all around, and he was trying to figure out the direction of a stronger pull, but he couldn’t.

Kagome fell behind. Just slightly. Out of nowhere, a very subtle dizziness began to hit her, but she didn’t want to worry anyone. She hadn’t had much water today, so maybe she was a bit dehydrated. It wasn’t bad at all, so there was no need to bring it up or ask for a small break. Maybe it was the energy of the cave. It was putrid, that was for sure. Definitely similar to what she felt when Moryomaru was near. Vile and rotten.

That had to be it. It was just overwhelming. Kagome tried to blink her slight case of vertigo away when the tiniest ache in her head pinched right over her eyes. No one else was reacting, though. Were they not affected by this? With a deep breath and a thick swallow, she pushed it all aside. If the demons of the group, more sensitive than she, could go forward, then Kagome could, too.

The further they went, the worse it got. She found herself squinting to see straight, tensing her throat so her pained sighs wouldn’t alert anyone. Her head wasn’t consistently throbbing, but came in waves. Not even quick waves. In fact, she couldn’t grasp the pattern, sporadically coursing through and causing Kagome’s brow to crease and her nose to crinkle each time. Again, she tried to gather if anyone else was having adverse effects to the atmosphere. Koga and Inuyasha seemed relatively uncomfortable but that was the extent of it, Sango and Miroku appeared fine, and Kirara had reversed her transformation to perch in her owner’s arms. Then, Kagome’s vision blurred momentarily, and her fingers twitched. What was wrong with her?

As much as she didn’t like it, she was going to have to say something. This wasn’t going away. Something was off. She was feeling a haze drifting over her, and it almost seemed like it was legitimately clouding her vision now. Kagome opened her mouth to gather Inuyasha’s attention, but her voice didn’t seem to work. Her body stopped as they all kept going, though she hadn’t told it to. Her brain was sending signals to her legs to keep walking, to her mouth to speak, but her command seemed to be meaningless all of a sudden.

And, when she blinked that time, she opened her eyes to see the bars of a cage before her. It was pitch black all around, not a sound to be heard, not a person in sight. No longer was she dizzy, and her head pounded no more. To her right, her left, beneath her feet, and above her head, she was surrounded by metal that sealed her in. The bars were cold and didn’t budge at all when she thrusted her bodyweight into it, trying to shake the lock free.

The shock to go from behind her group to wherever the hell she was now in a split second had her shaking, her lungs pumping as a panic sprung over her. She called for Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, Koga, but no one answered. Her voice merely echoed in the darkness she was trapped in, the rattling of her cage from her forceful jerks against the bars hitting her ears over and over as the sound bounced off of walls she couldn’t see.

When she heard someone speaking, Kagome held her breath. Ice pebbled her skin. The voice was that of a child’s, a young boy’s, yet it held the underlying hint of menace. It was like she could sense the smile he wore, the enjoyment on his tongue, but he wasn’t talking to her. What he was saying, it didn’t make sense.

Inuyasha felt a spike, and both he and Koga stopped immediately. Ominous energy no longer filled the air. It was focused now. It was heavily concentrated in one spot. Behind them. The hanyou turned around to scour the open area they’d reached deep within the cave, spotting no one that didn’t belong, but then his stomach unexpectedly sank. It dropped so low, he thought he was going to be sick. The threat they were feeling, it was coming from Kagome.

She stood there, her hands raised up as she steadily moved her fingers one-by-one, her expression blank. He could hear the smallest mumble coming from her lips, but what she was saying, even he couldn’t make out. A sense of dread was overcoming him. Why was he feeling this? Even Koga seemed struck, confounded, saying nothing, but instead, actually taking a step away. The evil, it was growing. Evolving.

Miroku and Sango had turned to look, and Miroku was quick to notice something was wrong with his cousin, but as he went to step forward, Inuyasha hastily reached for his collar, pulling him back.

“Kid?” He cautiously asked. Kagome didn’t even look up from her hands. “Kagome?”

After a moment, she sighed and shook her head, her dark tresses fluttering around her shoulders. She made a few more subtle sounds from her mouth, the only clear word Inuyasha gathered being, “testing.” Otherwise, it was almost like she was learning to speak, clicking her tongue once or twice to discover how to make audible noise. Her brown eyes wandered around the large cavern, blinking as if to adjust to the dull light in the cave, panning over them, up, and then coming back to land on him.

“Kagome.” He tried again, this time more seriously. His heart was pounding as it would in the face of an enemy, his instincts were ready for an attack, but everything felt wrong. This was Kagome. This was his Kagome. He wasn’t supposed to feel this with her; it was all wrong.

Her plush lips parted, and a breathy, “huh,” was released. Her voice was high, sweet, and a timbre she rarely used.

Inuyasha let go of her cousin, knowing he was staying put now, and his fists clenched at his sides. Worse, Tessaiga began to quiver in its sheath, calling for his attention. It only did that in dire situations. It only asked to be released when he neglected to recognize it needed to be wielded for his own protection. It was wrong. It had to be malfunctioning because of the weird aura.

“Oh,” She sighed again, beginning to speak more clearly from then on. “There it is. Finally. That was tough - she’s a tough one.”

“Kagome -“ Sango tried.

“That’s not Kagome.” Inuyasha said, cutting her off.

A smile began to curl at her lips, and it scared him. It scared Inuyasha. It was crooked, arching more in one corner before it expanded on the other end, and her tongue tipped out between her teeth in a playful manner that made his blood go cold. That wasn’t Kagome’s smile, that wasn’t the grin he loved so much. Even Miroku twitched agitatedly at his side, stepping away before he looked at him with disturbance hindering the glow in his eyes.

“What’s wrong with her?” Miroku asked.

“What?” Kagome leaned her head to the side. “Don’t you recognize me…?” Her voice trailed off at the end as she nibbled her bottom lip. “Miroku?”

She seemed unsure of the name she spoke.

“Or, are you Miroku?” She asked, pointing to Koga, ending with a frustrated groan as she tapped her head. “Hang on, it’s a little jumbled in here. She wont let go just yet.” A few more taps. “Come on, lady. Let it go. Ah, no, I was right. Miroku.”

“What’s going on?” He reached, jaw taught.

“And, you’re Koga.” She pointed again to the wolf demon, completely disregarding the question. “Which obviously makes you Inuyasha, and you’re Sango. Got it.”

“Who are you?” Koga asked, stoning as he nobly squared himself.

“I’m Kagome.” She giggled.

“Who are you!?” Koga repeated in a lethal growl.

“Woah. Someone’s testy.” Her smile shifted to a wry smirk. “What are you so upset for? I haven’t done anything yet.”

“Don’t make me ask you again.”

“Or what? You’ll choke me out? Kill me? Look at me, pal. Whose body am I in? If you come at me with those claws of yours, it’s not me you’ll be touching. Come on, use your brain.”

Koga didn’t rebuttal, clenching his jaw and slanting his eyes dangerously, and her gaze bounced around to gather the discomfort written over all the others’ faces. Inuyasha, in particular, seemed the worst off. His hardened features screamed his seething anger, but his golden irises communicated something much different. Something more desperate.

With a grumble in the back of her throat, one that was small and held the attitude a young teenager would, Kagome rolled her eyes and lolled her head slightly, a small stomp being given from her right foot. “You guys are no fun. I’m Hakudoshi. Duh. Who the hell did you think I was?”

“So, this is what you can do? Mind control?” Koga glared.

“Way to simplify it. Don’t do me the dishonor.” Hakudoshi gestured to his entire self inside of Kagome’s body. “This is much more than mind control. I have control over her heart, brain, soul, you name it. Kagome has left the building.”

“Where is she?” Inuyasha questioned, his voice coming off husky.

Hakudoshi pointed to her head. “Right up here. She’s annoying as shit, how do you handle her?”

“Let her go. This is your one warning; let her go.” The hanyou growled. “You hold onto her, you hurt her in any way, not a single one of us will blink when it comes to ripping you apart.”

“You’d hurt your precious lover?”

“You think we don’t know your body is around here somewhere? You honestly think we’re that stupid to believe your entire entity is inside of her right now? No, you’re in this cave, we know that much.”

“But, where?” Her smile widened tauntingly. “This cave goes on for miles, and what makes you think you have that sort of time on your hands? You can go searching for me, but what’s your plan? Is someone going to play babysitter while the others go on a wild goose chase? Not a single one of you is strong enough, and that’s what’s fucking funny. Two humans and three demons against a conjurer. From the looks of it, three of you would be too sentimentally stunted, maybe four of you, and the last one - that’s you, Koga - would just get absolutely wrecked. Or, are you going -"

“Get out of her head, you stupid, fucking brat!” Inuyasha demanded, his claws biting into the heels of his palms with rage that was only building at an uncontrollable speed. How did this happen? It couldn’t have been that quick. Did Kagome feel anything weird, anything abnormal, or was Hakudoshi stealthy while he slid inside and took command.

She arched a brow at the interruption. “Well, that was rude.”

“You’re forgetting something, Hakudoshi.” Miroku spoke. “So long as Kagome is in there, she can still fight back. If one of us has to restrain her while the others go searching for you, so be it. Kagome wouldn’t allow you to hurt us.”

Hakudoshi guffawed, laughing hard as Kagome’s frame doubled over to clutch her stomach. “What!? Again, look at me! I have complete control over her!” He boasted, flailing her arms about. “This is all me, you fucking moron! Kagome can’t stop shit right now! She had just enough darkness in her heart for me to grab hold, and now the fight she’s putting up is worthless. I can utilize the knowledge and skills she’s learned by flipping a switch in her mind. If I want to kill any of you with her abilities, I can and there isn’t a damn thing you guys can do to stop me!”

“What darkness?” Inuyasha asked.

“I’ll actually entertain that question, because it was hard to find and I’m proud of myself. Apparently, holding Kikyo while she died was what did her in. Just a tiny bit. It’s been eating at her for a while now, hasn’t it? That’s not where it started, though. There was a little girl? One she failed to save, or something?” She grimaced carelessly. “I would say that created the smallest, dark spot in her heart, and Kikyo’s gory death made it about the size of a small ink stain. She’s resilient, I’ll give her that. But, not resilient enough.” That last part was almost sung while he emphasized each word of the sentence, tapping her finger in time. “All I need is an inch. So long as there’s darkness, I can take rein.”

Kagome could hear everything that was being said from within her cage, listening to this little boy speak through her. She could hear the others reply to her. It was like she was just a bystander to a conversation while she was also the main focus, and it was driving her insane. She felt completely powerless, rattling the metal bars as hard as she could, but the lock refused to give.

It didn’t surprise her to have darkness in her heart. In fact, what surprised her was how small it was. Kagome was the type of person to pick herself back up again, she never lost hope. In the era they were living in right now, darkness surrounded them, but it was what they fought for that made the difference. She knew that was what had divided her from Kikyo. She knew she’d been strong enough to avoid allowing it to take over her. But, she was human. Kagome was a human who’d been through a lot, who’d had her heart broken, who’d seen others have their hearts broken, who’d had her world turned upside down over and over. So, she wasn’t upset to know her heart had taken a hit. She was upset that her anguish was being manipulated against her.

How was she going to get out of this? Her back was bare; she didn’t have a single weapon on her. She stood in her cage in nothing but the clothes she’d donned that day, stripped of her bag, her arrows, and even her father’s blade in her boot. It was like the demon wanted her to feel as vulnerable as could be, to watch helplessly while he plotted in her own body.

Still, she shook the door of her crate, the metal hitting loudly, echoing, muting her scream as she demanded to be set free. Kagome refused to be a prisoner in her own mind, her own vessel. If he thought she was annoying now, she was going to create as much noise as she possibly could to give this guy a pounding migraine. Hopefully it would throw him off or distract him, though he seemed well versed in tuning things out. It was the best option she had until something better came along, and it was more important that she didn’t sit back and take it.

“Naraku’s not going to be too happy to learn she’s still alive.” Hakudoshi mentioned. “Though, given there was no validation of her death, he was fifty-fifty on the possibility, so maybe he’ll just do his notorious grunt before giving us our next orders to kill her. Which brings me to my next course of action. See, I honestly didn’t expect all of you guys to show up, no less the conjurer. I was trying to draw in Sesshomaru. I’ve been bored and felt like taunting him a bit, and since Naraku asked us to dispose of him, I figured I’d have some fun beforehand. Goshinki went one way, I went the other, and I was really hoping Sesshomaru would follow in my direction, but my dumbass of a brother broke his muzzle and found some villagers to eat, which stole Sesshomaru’s attention from right under me. Anyway, in you guys walk, and the moment I saw the conjurer, I couldn’t resist. Now, I’m toying with the idea of taking her back to Naraku. It’d save us both an enormous amount of time -“

“No.” Inuyasha rumbled.

“-and he can choose whether to keep control over her and use her to gain the power he’s always wanted, or kill her on the spot and remove any inconsequential threat she thought she ever was.”

“Like hell!” He barked.

“Right, right. Of course, you object. That’s to be expected, but it brings us around full circle. Obviously, you all were going to die the moment you set foot in this cave. No matter what, Sesshomaru and the wolf were going to be goners today, and Koga made our jobs a hell of a lot easier by bringing Inuyasha along. The rest of you are just bonuses, I guess. The thing about me is, I’m not really the, um, remorseful type.” Kagome leaned her head to the side, the smallest smile curling her lips. “I like it when people scream. Watching blood seep from wounds excites me more than anything I’ve ever experienced. I couldn’t have imagined a better scenario. Now you all get to die by the hands of someone you care so much for.”

“Kagome.” Sango stepped forward, a valorous pinch to her brow appearing. “Kagome, you have to fight harder. I know you’re in there, I know you can hear me. Kick his ass. Push him out. Push him out.”

Kagome’s eyes were on Sango now, and for a moment, her expression had completely fallen. Her lips were straight, brow was uncreased, and her entire body had stilled. Then, she dropped her gaze, a shudder running over her, and a pout formed so fully that her chin quivered.

“S-Sango?” Kagome trembled.

“Kagome!” Her friend called urgently. “We’re all right here! We know you can do it!”

“It’s so cold.”

“Keep fighting! Keep -“ A flash of heat ran through Sango’s veins when she stopped, realizing Kagome’s frown had crumbled and it seemed like she was pinching back her laughter. Gradually, her stomach shook with amusement and a snort came through her nose, giving in to the one-sided humor of the situation as she laughed.

“Man, you should have seen your face!” Hakudoshi gloated. “How could you fall for that so easily!? You’re clearly not the brains of the group!”

“You’re despicable.” She said through clenched teeth.

“Thank you.” He replied with a grin.

“You guys need to go.” Inuyasha spoke lowly. “Find Hakudoshi. Kill him.”

“What’s that you’re saying over there?” Kagome rose her eyebrows in question, her head inching to the side curiously. “Trying the whole divide and conquer thing?”

“Go.”

“Inuyasha…” Miroku started, appearing more tense than he had before.

Was he expected to just run off and leave her behind? Sure, Inuyasha was strong and he and Kagome clearly cared about each other, but this was his family. This was his cousin, his little sister, being manipulated right now, and he was being told to leave her to someone else to take care of? That wasn’t going to sit right with him. It was logical that Inuyasha would be better at tending to this situation given he was stronger and faster, but Miroku was struggling with the aspect of leaving her at all.

Hakudoshi took the moment to shrug everything off of Kagome’s back, heedlessly dropping her bag to the floor before returning her quiver full of arrows where they belonged.

“Ah, that’s better.” She spoke, wiggling her shoulders freely before pulling an arrow free. “Miroku, tell me she won’t do it again.”

“You need to go.” Inuyasha insisted, giving the guy beside him a pressing look. “Get out of here.”

“I can’t leave her.”

Hakudoshi lined up the nock of her arrow with the string of her bow, utilizing Kagome’s skills by simply reaching into her brain. It didn’t matter if he had never shot before. Kagome knew how, and it was her being he inhabited. Anything she knew how to do, he was able to do as well. Pulling the string back, he leveled his aim, lining the arrowhead up in Miroku’s direction.

“Awe, let him stay, Inuyasha.”

“Look, I can’t protect you and her at the same time. It’s better if you go and find him. You need to save her.”

“Inuyasha’s right, dude.” Koga concurred. “We’ll only be in the way, and for what?”

“To help!” Miroku strongly stated.

“Where’s that arrow aimed, Miroku? You think you’re helping right now?”

“They’re right.” Sango said, backing up. “Inuyasha can handle this. We’ll be of more help if we find that bastard.”

“But-“

“I can sense your anxiety.” Hakudoshi grinned, teasing them all, adding to the tension on their shoulders. “You really think it’s gonna be that easy to find me? Do you think my body is somewhere in this cave, sitting helplessly alone? Don’t take me for a fool. Of all of Naraku’s creations, I am the genius. I am the more cunning. I am the imperceptibly strong one. You think Naraku made me a child for nothing? No. It was to deceive everyone. It was to strike more fear. You may only see your precious Kagome right now, but believe you me, you’ll be an idiot to think finding and killing me will be as easy as running off to save the day.”

“Oh, shut up!” Inuyasha commanded angrily. “The only thing you’re good at is fucking with people’s heads. You want to make us think it’s going to be difficult so we second guess or stall. Well, it doesn’t fucking matter. Either way, you’ve fucked with the wrong person.”

“Oh no, I’m shaking in my boots. Whatever shall I do?” She giggled. “I’m not just good at messing with your head, Inuyasha. Want to watch me drag you all down one-by-one? She’s yelling right now. Kagome’s trying so hard to break free, and she’s frustrated that she’s gotten nowhere. She’s beginning to lose hope. She’s really reliant on her weapons, isn’t she? Without them, she’s powerless, and boy is that catching up to her right now. ‘Inuyasha! Inuyasha, please!’” Hakudoshi called out in the exact scream Kagome was internally fighting with.

The hanyou flinched painfully, his jaw tensing, and a trembling breath left his nose. Every muscle in his body went unbelievably taut for a moment, horrified by how scared she was. He’d had to fight his instincts to protect her, because he couldn’t. He couldn’t do a damn thing for her right now except face her as she currently was.

“Miroku, she just wants to make you proud. Awe, you two have such a sweet bond, don’t you?” Hakudoshi said, violating Kagome’s mind as he discovered her thoughts, her emotions, laying them out on the table for everyone. No longer did she wear a smile. In fact, she seemed nothing short of serious now. As if hurting people was a business matter. “Grew up together, got into trouble together, lost your fathers together. The look on your face when you watched your one remaining parent die has stuck in her head for even this long. Wow, it’s so vivid, too.”

“Stop it.” Miroku muttered.

“You only held it for a moment before you realized she was looking. Then, you wiped it off and never showed it again, and she didn’t know why. But, it’s stuck with her ever since. Oh god, and your fathers went down in flames, didn’t they? Fire and bloodshed, demons everywhere, they were doomed from the start. You were trying to stop the bleeding even after your father shut his eyes. She saw you put on that brave face when it made the least amount of sense, and since then, she’s felt like she needs to put one on with you too in order to be taken seriously.”

“That’s not true.”

“Isn’t it?”

“I know her better than anyone does. She knows perfectly well that I respect her and take her seriously whether she’s got a brave face on or not.”

“Knowing her better is irrelevant, Miroku. I’m in her head. I can see everything. You want me to scream again so that you’ll believe me, or what?”

“No!” He quickly sputtered, terrified to hear her desperation again. “No.”

Hakudoshi blinked, lowering the bow and arrow Kagome held. Her plush lips were relaxed together, and her gaze lowered just for a second before he looked back to her cousin.

“Her heart’s pounding right now. She’s scared. She really doesn’t like that you’re the one I’m threatening.” He cocked a brow in speculation, and as he continued speaking, it was more to converse inward than anything. “Would you rather Inuyasha? No? Sango? No, again? Koga?” He sighed in irritation, re-stringing the arrow. “Then, silence.”

“Go.” Inuyasha urged, feeling the gravity of the situation upsurge dauntingly. “You guys need to go.”

“What are you gonna do?” Miroku inquired when Koga grabbed his shoulder and began pulling him back to continue through the tunnels.

“Whatever the fuck I can.”

“No! I’m staying with you!”

“Oh, please do.” Kagome’s voice sinisterly brushed their ears while she once more aimed.

“Miroku, I know you don’t trust me yet, but right now, you’re going to have to!” He barked, shoving Miroku away. “What the fuck are you so worried about!? If anyone’s in fucking danger here, it’s me! So, if I have to tell you to get out of my way one more fucking time, I’m gonna kick your ass!”

“Let’s go, Miroku!” Sango dropped Kirara to transform, reaching for her boyfriend’s arm to pull back.

Kagome inched her arrow back further, pinching an eye shut for better aim.

“We’ve got this, Inuyasha.” Koga promised.

Inuyasha had turned away to regard them for a split second, grateful that Miroku had finally given up his obstinance, when he felt the incoming threat. Thinking as quickly as he could, he pulled Tessaiga, the sword transforming as each inch was freed from its sheath, jutting it out to successfully block the shot that was too close to hitting Miroku in the back.

In his peripherals, he’d caught Kagome waver. Her head had notched to the side and her hands twitched. Her face had twisted almost painfully, but before long, her deadly stare was back. As if it had never left.

“Oh, you’re fast!” Hakudoshi grinned.

Tessaiga transformed when defending against her arrow. It had been calling for his attention on his hip. No. He was almost scared to see if his hunch was true, but he had to. Turning back forward, Inuyasha squared, holding Tessaiga in the direction Kagome stood and watching as it stayed transformed, swirling with energy that should have died off. As if betrayed, he nearly dropped his sword to the ground. It was detestable, compromised, ruined, wrong. Tessaiga didn’t work against Kagome. It wasn’t supposed to. He’d figured out a while ago that it was meant to aid her. It was meant to protect her. Fate was a funny thing, and it managed to tell him he was born to be by her side, not opposing her.

“Inuyasha.” Miroku whispered apprehensively.

The hanyou slid his sword back into its sheath, and then removed the sheath entirely from his belt, tossing it to the side. “Go. I promise, I won’t hurt her.”

Finally, he heard them run off, the sound of their feet fading down a corridor as they rushed to find Hakudoshi. There was a chance. Before, her fidgeting, that was Kagome trying to regain control. It had to be. Hakudoshi had almost struck her cousin, of course she was going to object powerfully. Inuyasha could reach her, he was confident of which. It was going to be tricky, but it was possible. She was conscious in there.

“So, it’s lover versus lover, is it?”

“Kagome.“

“You realize you’re part demon, right?”

“Baby, I know you’re giving it your all right now, but you’ve gotta put in a little more effort.”

“All I have to do is flip that switch in her brain to use her conjurer abilities.”

“Push him out, kid.”

“It won’t even take a lot. You’re only half demon, so with the power coming from her, I’d say ten percent would be enough to do you in. Twelve percent to be safe. Six percent if I want you to suffer.”

“Come on, kid. Fight.” Inuyasha pushed.

“Oh, give it a rest.” The grumble in her voice was deep, another octave she rarely used. “All you’re doing is agitating her; you’re not helping her any. What is this? You think some motivational speech is all you’re gonna need to save her life? Or, is it your own life that you’re more worried about?”

Inuyasha could barely fight his glower. It felt off giving it to Kagome, but it wasn’t Kagome it was intended for. It was Naraku’s minion. Hakudoshi was lucky it wasn’t he going after him, because Inuyasha would make his death agonizing. As if he didn’t already hate Kagome being touched as it was, she was now being held captive from the inside. He wanted Hakudoshi to beg for forgiveness before he ended his meager existence.

At the exact same time that Koga had sensed something was off, Kirara gave a low growl of warning, reinforcing the wolf demon’s decision to stop immediately. The further they’d gone down the corridors, the darker it had become, and the drip of water echoed loudly in a cavern up ahead. Quickly assessing it, Koga could tell there were no living beings anywhere near, but that somewhere in the cave was another dangerous demon. It was either Hakudoshi’s body or the fucker wasn’t lying earlier.

“There may actually be someone else here. With him.” Koga mentioned to the others.

“Are we near them?” Sango asked.

“No. I can’t tell where they are, but the further we get from Kagome and Inuyasha, the more clear their energy is becoming.”

All he smelled was Naraku, though. Which meant, no matter what, they were going up against an underling. Considering he was traveling with two humans, Koga almost wished they were facing an off-brand demon. These were like mini bosses before the big boss, and Koga just wasn’t sure how skilled these humans were with the weapons belted to their sides. Would they pull through and be actual assets to him, or was he about to have to keep their lives in tact while facing a direct descendant of Naraku, himself?

“Stay close. Follow orders. You go against anything I say, I’m knocking you out myself so I don’t have to deal with saving your sorry asses. Got it?”

“Who died and made you king?” Miroku grimaced.

“The previous leader of my clan.” Koga snorted.

Miroku and Sango exchanged a bemused look before shifting back to Koga.

“I’m the leader of the wolf demon pack. That may mean nothing to you, but let it mean something here. I know how to look out for people, I know how to make quick decisions in the heat of battle, and I know how to make the best calls. We’re all fighting for the same thing, right? So keep up and don’t hold me back.”

“How about, you don’t hold us back.” Sango countered, slanting her eyes brazenly. “There. You wanted a challenge, right? You wanted to make sure we weren’t submissive and weak? Well, go ahead. Lead the way, King Wolf Demon. We’ve got your back.”

“How far ahead do you think they are?” Miroku inquired, gazing into the dark shadows in front of him.

“Not sure.” Koga replied, impressed by the boldness of the woman. She was gutsy, he could grasp that much. “It helps that Hakudoshi’s presence isn’t hanging over us anymore. Now that it’s centered, whomever’s with him is standing out.”

“You can’t follow their scent?”

“I only smell Naraku, but it’s all over the place. It’s like they’ve touched every fucking wall in this maze to throw us off.”

“They probably have.” Sango agreed. “It would be a good reason to back up Hakudoshi’s arrogance regarding our difficulty finding him.”

“So, we go forward, right?” Miroku asked.

“Only way to figure out where the scent gets stronger. Be on your guard.”

Kagome was protesting as hard as she could, wrestling, yelling, trying to break the lock on her cage. Hakudoshi was reaching back to equip another arrow, and he was moving agonizingly slowly. His way of taunting both she and Inuyasha with the threat.

“Stop it!” She demanded. “I won’t let you hurt him!”

But, she went ignored. Time and time again, she went ignored. What did she have to do? What had she done earlier to make Hakudoshi’s control falter when he’d shot at Miroku? She was frantic and scared, and she was resisting. She was resisting, and that resistance was like the spark of a flame in the kindling. While she pulled back, there was a thump in her core that pushed forward, but what was it? How did she fan the spark to grow into flames? How did she do it again?

“What would you do if I spoke to you entirely like I was Kagome from this point forward?” Hakudoshi asked, aiming an arrow at Inuyasha.

The hanyou didn’t answer. The bastard would have him dead in a second if he didn’t think up a plan, and he needed to be quick. He’d need to dodge and then he’d need to disarm him. That was the best course of action. Pinning her down would be second. He had to believe that the rest of the group would pull through, would kill the brat and free Kagome. Until then, he was going to have to do everything he could to survive, which may very well be as difficult as facing Kagome in the flesh. He knew what she could do, and this child was inside of her putting her skills to the test. Against him. If he really could utilize her conjurer powers, Inuyasha would have to be incredibly careful. It was ironic to think about, a demon using conjurer powers, but wasn’t something he was willing to underestimate. Technically, he was just possessing her, not completely encapsulating her body as it was easy to assume. Which meant, Hakudoshi probably wasn’t all talk.

“Her mannerisms are right here.” He pointed to her head, nearly nicking her flesh with the arrowhead. “Oh, whoops.” He flinched too casually, cringing at his mistake.

Inuyasha had had to tense rigidly to avoid reacting. He couldn’t feed into Hakudoshi’s bullshit. It would egg him on. It could potentially cause him to actually hurt Kagome, and Inuyasha refused to allow that.

“So, anyway, what’s your plan? You really gonna fight Kagome? Or are you gonna take every hit she throws at you?” When Inuyasha neglected to answer, she shrugged her brows. “Silent treatment, huh? I bet you wouldn’t ignore your girlfriend.”

Her expression softened, brown eyes shimmering as they always had as a very soft curve appeared on her lips. When she spoke then, it was in her natural tone, and it struck Inuyasha directly in the heart. “I understand if you can’t fight me. This is scaring me, too. But, can you do me a favor?”

It took everything in him not to respond, but he’d failed to keep all of his reflexes at bay. His amber eyes flickered away and his frown deepened momentarily before he forced himself to look back at her. Whatever existed of Kagome’s smile had shifted as she now worried her bottom lip between her teeth, and her gaze had fallen to the rocky floor beneath their boots.

“Inuyasha, I really don’t want to hurt you.” She tremblingly admitted. “Kill me before I do. I can’t stop him. I’m trying so hard, but I can’t stop him. So, you have to stop me.”

“No!” He growled. “Stop it! Hakudoshi, stop it!”

“Baby, please.”

His stomach clenched painfully.

“Why can’t I break free? What do I do?”

“God fucking dammit, stop it!” Inuyasha slammed the heels of his palms into his temples.

Kagome began to walk closer, and the hanyou had to remind himself to take a step back. The aura coming off of her, the threat, it wasn’t hers and it was to be heeded. This wasn’t his girl he was up against; he couldn’t be fooled so easily. But, each step away from her was physically painful. He was supposed to be protecting her, but he was refusing her quivering form.

“Why won’t you let me near?”

“Knock it off already!”

“You have to promise me that you wont let me hurt you.” She whispered.

“Hakudoshi!” He back stepped again.

With a small groan, the demon relented. “Fine. This will be more fun, anyway.” He said, making Kagome grin as she lunged to attack Inuyasha.

Swiftly, he grabbed her wrists to protect himself, flinching back when she’d almost cut his face with the arrow. Getting her to drop the bow was easy, but her grip on the sharper object was white-knuckled and fierce. Already, he knew his hold on her was too strong, but he couldn’t let go just yet. He could feel the danger levels spiking, which made him believe Hakudoshi was legitimately using her conjurer powers. If he didn’t make her drop it soon, if Hakudoshi cut him, he could be severely hurt, and then what? Lose Kagome? Allow his death to sit on her shoulders? Neither were going to happen.

“Kid, keep fighting for me, okay?” He said directly to Kagome, thrusting her back against the cavern wall to smack her hand against the uneven rock. Finally, her grasp relented and the arrow slipped from her fingers.

“Remember when Naraku was holding me over the cliff?” Hakudoshi continued his charade, speaking as if he were Kagome again. “Just before I was thrown over, I wanted to tell you that I loved you. I didn’t want to die without you knowing.”

“Stop it!”

“And, I know you know now, but I feel like I should remind you.”

No, no, no. He couldn’t hear that. Hakudoshi or not, he didn’t want that tainted in this moment. They said those words so rarely, spoke their feelings through actions and other versions of affectionate discourse, but whenever that phrase did come out, he didn’t want it to throw him right back into this incident. He wouldn’t have it taken away from them. He was frenetic to shut Hakudoshi up.

He’d acted without thinking. It was a natural impulse, and before Inuyasha knew it, his knee was being thrusted up into Kagome’s diaphragm. She doubled over with a violent cough, her breath coming raggedly, unevenly, struggling at first until Hakudoshi started laughing with saliva dribbling over her lower lip.

Inuyasha had backed away in unrestrained regret, holding his hands out at his sides as if they’d abused their privileges. How could he? He’d hurt her.

“Holy crap, dude.” Hakudoshi guffawed, and Kagome’s voice both caressed and defiled his ears. He wished the possession changed her tone to the child’s. It was painful to hear her be talked through, no matter how out of character it’d been or not. “You really kneed her. That wasn’t even a warning tap either, that was a full on hit!”

“Fuck, baby! Fuck! I’m so sorry!”

“What kind of abusive boyfriend are you?” He asked, standing straight.

“Oh, fuck off!” Inuyasha ground out, setting his jaw irately. “You can’t get under my skin with that shit.”

“Maybe you’re right.” Hakudoshi bobbed her head. “Only, ‘I love you’ will do the trick.” She grinned tauntingly, picking up her foot to pull out the knife in her boot.

Kagome slowed down a moment. Too long, she’d been fighting the restraints of her bars and it was getting her no results. She needed to take a minute to analyze the situation, no matter how difficult it was to do right now. It was easier to let her nerves get the better of her, to keep fighting and struggling, but it was fruitless and Inuyasha needed her to come back to him.

She looked closer at the lock keeping her closed inside the cage. So many times, she’d kicked it with everything she had, applied her entire bodyweight into it, and the only thing she’d achieved in doing so was creating loud clanks to echo in the darkness she currently resided in. The lock didn’t look to have received any damage whatsoever. That was impossible. It should have at least sported a dent, or a nick. Something. This was getting her nowhere. Why?

Because, she wasn’t shut in by a key. Of course. She was confined by demonic energy. She’d been so heavily consumed by Hakudoshi’s that she hadn’t even been able to feel the power engulfing the thick, black padlock. That being said, she still wasn’t sure how the hell she was going to get out of there. Yet again, she was held back by her inability to transmit spiritual power into her hands.

That wasn’t going to work for her right now. Kagome had no other options. She couldn’t wait for an alternative to appear, because nothing ever would. She was going to bust out one way or the other, and this was how. Hakudoshi had no right to threaten Inuyasha with the power that was hers. It was hers. And, she was going to use it exactly as she willed.

Koga’s heart was beating hard, his lungs were pounding. It felt like they’d been traveling through the cave for way too long and only ended up turned around, but before he’d even sensed it, Kirara caught onto something to their right. She led the way, her hackles raising, her growl growing more violent when they finally found the right path. Koga felt it, too. Up ahead was a threat waiting for them. Literally waiting.

“For a while there, I honestly thought you’d never find us.” A woman spoke, her arms crossed over her center. “The child’s been out for half an hour now? Forty-five minutes? Were you guys walking or something?”

For a quick moment, Koga took in the sight before them. They were in another opening, one just a smidge more narrow than the other they’d left Inuyasha and Kagome in. Water had leaked in through the cave ceiling, coating the ground in puddles all around, the drip loud to his ears. The woman in front of them, she was tall. More interesting, she looked to be about as done with anyone’s shit before anything had even happened. It was like the expression of annoyance was forever etched into her skin, her eyes naturally slanted in that manner. Her hair was brown, medium-length, worn half up in a twisted bun that a white feather decoratively stuck out of. Red painted her lips, nearly matching her bold irises, and along her body, she wore a plain, black dress that dipped down low in the center of her chest.

On the floor at her side, a young child slumped in his seat. His hair was white, long, untamed. He was unconscious and still he managed to give Koga the creeps. Nothing more needed to be studied about him. That was Hakudoshi.

“Kagura?” He asked, just to be sure.

“Don’t try to be my friend just because you know Sesshomaru.” She shook her head, rolling her eyes. “I’m still under orders to kill you and protect this freak.”

“Because of Rin?”

“Because of Naraku.”

“Because he has Rin?”

She sighed out heatedly, shaking her head in irritation again. “You clearly already know the answer to that, so why are you asking?”

“Don’t you think it’d be easier to save her if we knew where Naraku was?” Koga tried, carefully stepping forward with a subtle hand gesture for Sango and Miroku to hang back. “Give me something that I can pass on to Sesshomaru. Better yet, come with us. We -“

“Stop.” She ordered abruptly, and it was said in a tone that brought Koga to listen. Very slowly, very steadily, she shifted her head from left to right, her scarlet eyes never parting from his azure. It was her way of conveying something she couldn’t say out loud, but whether he understood was up to him. Hakudoshi wasn’t completely unconscious; he could still hear everything. The last thing she wanted was him bringing anything back to Naraku, and that fucking rat would. “Back up.”

“I don’t want to fight you.” Koga admitted, following her gaze as she glanced over to the child’s limp form, then back up. What was she telling him?

“Then, this’ll be easy.” She said. This guy had to be as daft as they came. There was only one way to make this painfully obvious, so careful of the ruffle of her clothing, she grabbed her ear and once more looked at Hakudoshi. That seemed to do the trick. Koga stiffened slightly, nodding in comprehension.

“Kagura, what am I supposed to tell Sesshomaru?”

“Nothing.” She frowned. “You aren’t leaving here today. So, I suggest you fight, or you’ll die in shame.”

As Hakudoshi lunged at Inuyasha, Inuyasha had to be quick to grab Kagome’s wrist again. He couldn’t afford to be conscientious or apologetic right now. He had to disarm her and pin her down. Swiftly, he stepped a leg behind her ankle, shoving her back to throw off her balance, and dropped down to the floor with her. He tried smashing her hand against the ground to make her fingers release their grip on the blade, but they actively refused. She held onto the knife for dear life, and Inuyasha had to shove the worry that his clutch was bruising her to the back of his mind.

“The first time we made love -“

“No! Shut up!” Inuyasha demanded, silencing her sweet voice. “Get out of her head!”

“Make me.” She rumbled seductively, the switch in her timbre nearly giving him whiplash. “Of course, that brings us to the third time we made love.”

“Fuck you.” He growled, pinning her still as she tried to buck him off. “Those are intimate moments between she and I.”

“Not anymore.”

Inuyasha thrusted her hand along the ground again, fighting against her incessant battle to stab him, but still she clung to the dagger with a grasp that would not yield. He was just going to have to pry it away from her, then.

It was difficult, but his main focus had to be her dominant arm. He couldn’t let go of it whatsoever, so he had to figure out a way to use his hand that restrained her left. Dragging it down, despite her opposing struggle, Inuyasha managed to capture it beneath his knee, freeing his own hand to force her fingers to release the knife. She’d given a jolt and the sharp blade clipped his palm, making the hanyou hasty to retract back.

“Man, I really messed that up, didn’t I?” Kagome giggled. “I’ll admit, it’s hard to multitask. This lady’s got it down to an art.”

There was no conjurer power that backed up her attack, and Inuyasha got fucking lucky. His hand was seeping blood now, but he didn’t have time to even think about it. It was actually working in his favor. The more blood that got on her hand from his prying, the more slippery her grip became. Finally, Inuyasha stole the dagger away, dropping it to the side of his leg as he quickly rolled her over to her stomach.

God, he’d forgotten how fast she could be. Immediately, Kagome was pushing up against him, and he’d barely been able to really define his dominance. He had to apply his knee to her back to shove her back down while he expeditiously scooped the arrows from her quiver and threw them out of reach.

“You fucking jackass!” Hakudoshi protested on a wheezy breath.

Inuyasha removed his knee, realizing his bodyweight was hindering her breathing, and everything else was by pure instinct. He’d jerked one hand behind her back, hiking it up so she had limited use of her shoulder, and took a solid grip in her hair. Maybe he’d gotten too lost in the moment, too aggressive. He could feel how forcefully he was pinning her down, feel her cheek scrape against the rock, but it wasn’t until she cried out that he slackened.

“Ow. Inuyasha, you’re hurting me.” Kagome moaned.

“Shit!” It was reflex, his reaction to let her go. But, he shouldn’t have been so precipitous. He hadn’t realized her free hand had reached for the blade he’d thoughtlessly dropped so close. Kagome rolled over nimbly, and Inuyasha hardly had time to react. She swung the dagger at him, and he was incredibly fucking grateful it was in her non-dominant hand, because it was held at an angle that gave him the advantage to jump away without harm in the nick of time.

“Wow, you really are weak for her.” Hakudoshi commented, rising to Kagome’s knees. “If you don’t wisen up, those emotions will be the very thing that kill you.”

“Shut the fuck up.” Inuyasha responded, wiping the blood from his hand on his pant leg, a vain effort as he felt more warm liquid cover over the burning wound. He had to ignore the angry spot on her cheek he’d caused, one that went right over the small scrape she’d received the day before, making it larger, darker.

“You know, maybe I’m going about this all wrong. Maybe I’m attacking the wrong person.” Kagome smiled mischievously.

Immediately, Inuyasha knew where Hakudoshi’s thought process was headed and he stiffened.

Steadily, Kagome lowered the knife to her thigh, scratching the blade against the texture of her pants. “What if I -“

He’d moved promptly, he had no choice. He went to pin her down again, to steal the dagger from her grasp once more. He was going to throw it so far away that it’d be lost in the shadows and worthless to find in the depths of a struggle. But, Hakudoshi got the better of him that time. Inuyasha hadn’t established proper form, and Kagome bucked her hips upward, tumbling his balance and rolling him over.

Good fucking god, she was strong. He was hanyou, he had formidable strength, and yes, the fear of hurting her was drastically holding him back from doing anything too impetuous, but he was now in a pressing conflict. The knife was inches from his throat, and she was pushing all of her weight down into him. Inuyasha was lucky he was quick enough to stop it in time from stabbing him through, and now he was fighting to keep her lifted so she didn’t succeed.

“Kagome, baby!” He called warily. “I could really use your help right about now!”

“Kagome says to suck a dick.” Hakudoshi grinned.

“Kagome!” His options were limited. Rolling her off of him was a feeble choice if she still had the fucking knife, though it gave him an opportunity to pick himself up and create space. There was the potential that she’d be faster in that sort of predicament, and that obviously needed to be taken into consideration. He desperately needed to disarm her and he needed to act quickly, because she was bouncing her weight down on the dagger now in an attempt to wear out his muscles.

His best option was to take her by surprise. He needed a split second, that was all. He had no choice, and he would make up for it in whatever way that he could later. For now, Inuyasha fixed his grip on her hands holding the knife with one palm, trusting the strength in his arm, and with the one he now freed, he slapped Kagome in the face with what was absolutely too much vigor. But, it worked. Hakudoshi was discombobulated for an extremely brief moment, a gasp leaving her lips, eyes wide from the jolt of it, and Inuyasha utilized the time to push Kagome back and rip the knife from her fucking hands, throwing it in a direction unknown even to him.

Hakudoshi began thrashing against Inuyasha. He hit him back, he scratched, he laughed wickedly, and it was difficult for the hanyou to take hold of Kagome’s wrists again with how wild Hakudoshi made her flail. Inuyasha was trying. He was sorely trying to get her under control, only really failing to block one good hit from her, and when he’d thought he had a forearm in his grasp, Kagome sprung off of him, ripping herself free to run toward something.

He rolled himself over and pushed himself up, his body going insurmountably tense in response to what he was facing that his gasp was silent and nothing more than a hitch in his chest. Hakudoshi had snagged an arrow and her bow, and was inching it up to aim at him. Kagome’s smile was one of victory, her bottom lip stained with blood he’d caused her to bleed.

She was furious. She was screaming. She was desperate and frantic. This was her body, and Kagome had no control over it. This was her mind, and it wasn’t listening to a thing she was saying. What caused her stomach to ache painfully was that she could feel Hakudoshi pulling her spiritual power, rounding it up, saturating an arrow as he aimed it at Inuyasha. Hakudoshi had the upper hand, she could practically see it, and her panic was beginning to overwhelm every inch of her.

“Inuyasha, run!” Kagome cried, but unsurprisingly, she went unheard. Until Hakudoshi had the audacity to tease by repeating it. His tone held no inflection. It was said casually, carelessly.

“Inuyasha, run.”

“Please! Run!”

“Please. Run.”

“No.” He replied gruffly, and Kagome froze, realizing he was replying to her. “I won’t leave without you.”

Hakudoshi inched her arrow back to create a tauter string, and she could feel that he was about to release it. No. No!

Feeling helpless, Kagome shook the bars of her cage again, frenzied enough to try anything to save him. She was hot all over, her heart was pounding erratically, her mind was racing a mile a minute.

“Stop!” She screamed. “Stop it!”

This wasn’t supposed to be happening. This was her body, dammit. This was her mind, this was her heart, this was her ability. Why wouldn’t her powers work for her? Why would they never work this way? She’d been trying to burst the lock, and nothing. Failure was not an option right now, she needed to recondition her strength.

Protect yourself for me, my little bird. Keep it in its cage.

Her father. His words. It rang so relevant right now that it hurt. She was nothing but a little bird trapped in a cage, but it was the most unsafe she’d ever felt. Her papa thought it’d be her salvation, to hide away, but this was irony at its worst. The fact of the matter was, her powers weren’t what put her in danger. It was the people around her. The people against her. Locking her gifts up to defend herself had been the counterintuitive option all along.

“They’re mine, Hakudoshi! Stop!” He was about to shoot and Kagome was terrified, shouting so loud that her voice broke. “They’re my powers! You can’t use them!” She rattled her cage defiantly, feeling a pull in her abdomen that helped her push against her restraints. “They’re mine! Not Midoriko’s, not Kikyo’s, not yours, they’re mine!” Hakudoshi released his shot. “Get out!”

Inuyasha grunted, the sharp strike of her arrowhead piercing the right side of his chest, causing him to stumble backwards a few feet until he hit the wall. There was nothing in her arrow. He was dealt nothing more than a painful blow through his flesh. Still, he found himself holding his breath anxiously. Her powers would have taken effect by now, right? The tail of the weapon stuck out in front of him, and he watched it to see if it would disintegrate. When nothing happened for thirty seconds, Inuyasha nearly slumped in relief.

There it was, she could feel it. Hakudoshi’s hold on her was destabilizing. Warmth radiated from her being, and Kagome urged it to grow. He was trying to reattain his control, like hands slipping over an oil-slicked rope, but she couldn’t allow that. The fire charred the kindling in her core and raged violently within her. It hurt, but she didn’t care. She let it expand through her veins, through her flesh, through her fingertips.

“Get out!” She repeated vehemently, doubling over as she vividly visualized the demon expelling from her soul. “GET OUT OF ME!”

Inuyasha watched Kagome’s frame fold, falling to her hands and knees as unrestrained grunts and groans left her mouth. Her fingers raked against the rock beneath her, and letting go of a cry, she stumbled down to her forearms with a wild tremor that racked her entire body.

“Kid?” He spoke through heavy breaths from his lungs.

“Get -“ She was fighting. She was pushing so hard, and he felt a manic energy soaring from her that greatly intimidated him. Kagome was giving more than what she had to free herself that her voice came out low and throaty, like she was forcing her words out while her body was battling intensely that it was nearly impossible to use her vocal cords. “Get out!”

It was her. Inuyasha’s stomach twisted achingly, desperately needing to support her, to be next to her. “Kagome!”

He ripped the arrow from his chest, clenching his throat to swallow the pained moan. It was unimportant in retrospect. Fuck his discomfort, he had more critical things to worry about right now. Inuyasha pushed himself from the cavern wall, sprinting over to Kagome’s crumpled body and skidding to his knees.

“Don’t touch me!” She screamed at him, and the hanyou went rigid. His hands hovered just inches above her back, twitching as he struggled with himself to listen to her.

“Kagome, it’s me!”

“It’ll hurt you! My power! It’ll - It’ll hurt you!” She claimed through choked exhales.

It was emanating from her. That’s what he was feeling. He may not be able to see it, but she was shrouded in her conjurer strength, seemingly able to do what she’d never been able to before as she fought back against Hakudoshi.

“He won’t -“ Kagome released a wrenching sob, trying to pick herself up to her hands but collapsing back down. “He won’t let me go. He’s still here.”

“Keep going, baby!” Inuyasha encouraged, dropping his palms to the earth while staying as close as allowed. “Fight him! You can do this!”

“Get out!”

“You can do this!”

Kagome whimpered through the engulfing and searing heat of the flames, taking as deep a breath as she could muster in an effort to fan the fire and keep it growing. Blinking open her eyes, she could see how vibrant the lavender of her power was, appearing like a legitimate blaze from her skin. At this point, Hakudoshi’s presence was barely lingering. She needed to be diligent to make sure there wasn’t an ounce of him left in her soul. If she wasn’t thorough in getting all of him out, he could potentially seep back in to take rein of her again.

Never. She wouldn’t allow it. She was going to make him regret ever taking her hostage, she was going to make him regret ever using her against her people.

“Let me go!” She demanded, slamming her fist against the ground.

“Good, Kagome! Fight him! You’ve got this!” Inuyasha shouted.

He was in her heart. He was clinging to the small fleck of darkness that’d been created from the times she’d endured, his grimy hands slipping but catching, slipping and catching again. Kagome tensed her breath then, concentrating her strength there as it torched and incinerated whatever presence he left within her. It was overkill, but it was necessary. She felt like she’d inhaled smoke, coughing and sputtering when she finally breathed again, but that was it. She was freed.

Hakudoshi was gone.

Inuyasha felt her powers calm, but didn’t reach for her just yet. Gradually, the stiffness in her muscles noticeably decreased. Kagome was gasping in air, her back excessively rising and falling with how her lungs pumped, but progressively, her body was relaxing.

“Kagome?” He whispered.

She couldn’t help the chuckle of relief that left her mouth, or the way her arms refused to work with her, failing to even try and pick herself up. Her head went from the balance on her forearm to the hard surface of the ground as her rear sank back to rest against her legs. It didn’t matter that her head scraped along, nothing mattered in that moment. She was too fatigued to care, or feel pain, or worry about anything more.

Extremely sluggishly, Kagome reached out with one hand, blindly feeling around for Inuyasha. He was still there, she could sense him, but words weren’t coming to her right now. All she wanted was his touch. She wanted to feel his warmth, his callouses. With her opposite hand, the side she’d yet to try, the side she’d assumed he had to be closer to, Kagome turned it over, sliding it out in the hopes that he would know what she wanted.

Inuyasha swallowed thickly, hoping he was reading her right. She was searching for him, wasn’t she? With her hand opened for him, he slid his fingers within, feeling the sweat that coated it and sighing out so deeply the moment her fingers curled to hold him there.

“Is it you?” He asked, unable to control himself any longer as he scooted closer. “Are you back?”

Kagome hummed, nodding lazily.

Inuyasha made haste to pick her up. He released her hand, grabbing around her shoulders to pull her to a sit so that she wouldn’t have to push with her defeated muscles. Her dark hair was everywhere, but she managed to sweep her arm over to fix the tresses out of her face, a small smile curving her plush and blood-stained lips. But, her eyes. Though lidded, they glimmered with tears and the earthy tones pulled him right back home.

“You did it.” He chuckled proudly, sweeping hair behind her ears as he admired her for all that she deserved. “You did it, baby.”

His fingers trembled as much as she, the ice was finally leaving his bloodstream, and Inuyasha cradled her jaw when Kagome finally got a good grasp on supporting herself. As tears fell to streak her cheeks, he gently swiped his thumbs to clean each one, careful of any sensitive marks that marred her face.

“I’m sorry. Fuck, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Kagome leaned into his attention, uncaring of how she felt or looked while she couldn’t take her eyes from the wound in his chest. Though his shirt was black, she could still see the blood causing the cloth to stick to his skin, seeping through in a thick coating. Her fingers shakily reached for the injury she’d inflicted, stopped by his quicker hand when he grabbed her wrist and brought her knuckles up to kiss.

“I’m sorry.” She cried.

“Don’t be. You saved my ass, kid.”

“No, I -“

“You didn’t hurt me. I promise. This wasn’t you, baby, remember that.”

Feeling like she needed him or else she’d be unstable and incomplete, Kagome urgently grabbed his shirt and pulled for him, nearly losing her meager balance in the process. Inuyasha wasn’t hesitant in the least to comply. He moved closer at the same time he gathered her forward, hugging her tight while breathing her in.

“Are you okay, kid? You okay?” He rushed to ask, taking her jaw again to tilt her head to the side and analyze the blemishing of her face.

“I’m fine.” She replied.

Inuyasha swiped his thumb over her bottom lip and froze when she winced. Reflexively, Kagome sucked in her lip, finally tasting the copper as her tongue traced over the cut that bled. It must have collided against her teeth when he’d hit her. She could hear everything, she was aware of the general happenings of the fight going on, but given it wasn’t a direct reality for her, it was weird coming back to deal with the repercussions of it.

“Oh, that was a good one.” She commented, and Inuyasha immediately released her, a look of panic striking his expression. He’d almost backed away fearfully before Kagome reached for him, and she steadily pulled his hands back toward her. “No, it’s okay! Inuyasha,” She hovered one of his hands by her cheek before she nuzzled into it. “It’s okay. I promise.”

“I hurt you.” He breathed contritely.

“You didn’t do it on purpose. You were defending yourself. I’d have a problem with you if you hadn’t.” Kagome brought the other back to hold her as he had been.

Inuyasha curled into her, tilting her face again as he softly brushed a kiss to her scraped cheek. The tremble in her fingers was increasing, the shock of the situation really settling in. They rested on his forearms, her hold barely there anymore. She had to be fucking exhausted. It had to be so hard just sitting up right now. Her eyes were sunken and hooded, her smile was present but listless, her skin was pale and clammy, yet she still pushed through it all instead of collapsing and saving affection for later.

With a kiss to her forehead, he decided it was best to gather everything up. The battle wasn’t over. As much as he wanted to get her out of there, he needed to help the others, and Kagome was undoubtedly safer with him at this point.

Making sure she could support herself, he stood to find the knife he’d tossed. Thankfully, her scent was good guidance, and he was able to locate it hidden in the shadows in the distance. He fixed that in his belt before he picked up her arrows, unsurprised when he heard that grumble come from her as her stomach clenched in pain. Inuyasha made his way back calmly, smoothly, setting everything down beside him so that he could pull her hair out of the way. His hand was gentle as it stroked her back, soothing her heaves while she vomited.

“You’re okay.” He kissed her shoulder. “You’re okay, babe. You did such a good job. I’m so proud of you.”

Kagome coughed, a shuddering whimper following her discomfort, but Inuyasha continued to console her the best that he could. This was to be expected. She’d busted her ass saving them both and presented a level of power neither of them had yet to see. He’d take care of her tonight. He’d watch her carefully, he’d tend to everything she needed. Thankfully, Kaede had given them some of her medicine that helped Kagome the first time around, so she’d at least be able to sleep through the evening and fight the fever with a little help.

He helped her crawl away from the mess, whispering that he’d be right back when he walked in the direction of their kicked-aside bag, grabbing Tessaiga not too far off along the way. He pulled out the canteen of water and opened it up, ambling back and handing it over for her to sip on.

“Where is everyone? Can you smell them?” Kagome asked as she handed the bottle back over to him.

“Yeah.” He gave a small nod, replacing the lid before reaching for her arrows to drop back in the quiver over her shoulder. Her bow was within reach, so he stretched from his spot, dragging it their way. “They’re somewhere deep, but I’ll be able to find them.”

“We’ll return for the bag later.” He said, helping her to her knees so she’d be able to rise easier. Turning around, the hanyou readied himself for her to climb on his back, keeping a grasp on her hand to help leverage her up before he scooped up her rear to support her.

Thankfully, he not only had multiple scents to guide his way, but just a mile in, he could catch the sounds of fighting, of yelling. The cat demon’s roar was distinct and echoed, and Inuyasha picked up his pace.

As he got closer, he scouted out a spot to tuck Kagome in. She was already growing feverish; he could feel it through his clothing. Her part was over, she’d done more than enough. Now, he needed to protect her.

“Stay here, okay?” He whispered as she settled into her little nook. Her body was tired, and she leaned against the rocks for support.

“I want to come with you.” She said, but everything else about her communicated otherwise.

“No,” He shook his head, smiling softly while pushing her bangs from her eyes. “We’ve got it from here, kid. I’ll come back for you. I promise.”

Inuyasha leaned forward and brushed a kiss to her forehead, feeling how she subtly relaxed. “Tell me you’ll stay here. Nod.”

Kagome gave a listless nod, her face expressionless as she fully sank back now.

“Good girl.” He cooed. “I’ll be right back.”

It looked like he hadn’t taken the exact turn everyone else had. The tunnel he inhabited inclined and he came out on a ledge overlooking the scene below. There was a wind picking up in the cavern, one that only bewildered Inuyasha for a second before he pieced together who the woman facing off with Koga and Sango was. Kagura could control the wind, keeping their advances at bay while assaulting them with sharp thrusts of rocks shooting mercilessly through the air. Miroku and Kirara faced a child, a malicious grin on the little one’s face as he whipped his white hair over his shoulder.

Hakudoshi.

Taking out his sword, Inuyasha jumped from his ledge, slicing through the current Kagura flared with a wind scar that carved a passage. The moment his feet were on the ground, he raised Tessaiga over his head and slammed it down, watching Miroku get shoved out of the way by the feral cat demon as his attack went straight for the evil child. A barrier protected Hakudoshi, forcing his second wind scar to trail right over him in a circular motion before dying off as it hit the far wall.

“Long time no see, half breed.” The boy sneered.

“Inuyasha!” Miroku called. “Kagome, where -“

“She’s fine. She’s safe.” He quickly replied, amber eyes never parting from the purple ones belonging to the demon child.

“Eh,” Hakudoshi’s top lip curled cynically. “You tend to use those words lightly, don’t you.”

“Fuck you.” Inuyasha spit.

“You did quite the number on her.”

The hanyou nearly dropped his sword in his vehemence, marching forward. He could see the arrogant twitch of Hakudoshi’s mouth, thinking he had the upper hand with his barrier, but with a tightening of Inuyasha’s grip, the fang of his sword grew red and he stabbed it through. The wall around the child disappeared, and it was pleasant to watch his expression dwindle instantly. His small legs hurried to back up as he tried to rebuild another barrier, but Inuyasha went and broke that one two, reaching forward to strike his face.

“Not so tough now, are you?” Inuyasha grabbed the demon by his neck, lifting him up, ignoring the way Hakudoshi clawed at his wrist and hand to be set free.

“Kagome blames you for not saving her when she was thrown from the cliff.” Hakudoshi claimed through his clenched throat, choking but still speaking tauntingly with whatever willpower he had. “She saw you trying to grab your sword, but couldn’t understand why you weren’t able to get it because it was right there. She thinks you should have been stronger. Stronger like Koga. Like your brother.”

“No, she doesn’t.” He evenly refuted.

She’d lied. She’d never intended to stay behind and wait. Kagome just knew it was the only way to keep Inuyasha from worrying. She would be upset with herself if she didn’t do everything she could to help, and there was still some fight left in her.

At first, she’d tried climbing to her feet, but her legs shook and gave out from beneath her. Twice, she’d tried to stand, but it was no use. Not even with the wall as support was she able to walk up the incline. Just trying to pick herself up was exhausting, her stomach wringing painfully, and she’d had to pause to pass some bile. Trembling horribly, Kagome wiped her mouth clean, continuing forward on her hands and knees.

It was a strenuous path uphill, but Kagome pushed herself as hard as she could, swallowing thickly to fight through her body’s resistance. She could hear the action, she could hear Hakudoshi spewing nonsense to try and hurt Inuyasha again, and she could practically feel just how livid Inuyasha was as he faced him. She wanted to see to his end. She didn’t want to risk him getting away. If anyone needed to be disposed of in Naraku’s army, it was him. He was the termite, the demon who destroyed you from the inside out, and he was going to choke on his arrogance today.

“Kagome thinks you could have done more to save your mother.”

“You’ve lost your spark since you can’t speak through her anymore.” Inuyasha firmed his hold on Hakudoshi’s throat.

He wheezed, his voice breaking, but still he continued. “You were fourteen, you weren’t helpless. Just inexperienced and stupid. That’s no excuse. You could have helped her.”

The hanyou turned around, walking back the way he came.

“Kagome believes she would have survived if only you were full demon. Your mother would have been better off.”

“Kirara,” He called, holding the child a little higher. “Hungry?”

Tossing Hakudoshi, the saber-toothed cat leapt forward and caught him in her mouth, biting down and vigorously shaking her head from side-to-side. His screams echoed as he was mauled alive, ripped apart in Kirara’s teeth.

Kagome perched on the edge of the ledge on her knees, aiming an arrow in her bow downward. It was almost too much effort to pull the string taut, the muscles in her arms quivering horribly, but she powered through. Supplying a lethal dosage of her power into her weapon, she locked on the best she could.

“Kirara, drop him!” She ordered, and the cat was obedient to the ring of her voice. Spitting the maimed demon out, she backed away and Kagome released her shot, killing off the wicked underling of Naraku.

She’d had to catch herself before falling forward, her balance off kilter, her body weak, her stomach objecting, but she swallowed the bile the best that she could. She had everyone’s attention now and there was still one demon left.

“Kagura!” Kagome stressed demandingly. “Go! If you want to protect Rin, then go! Now! Otherwise, we’ll have to kill you, too.”

“You aren’t even going to try to ask questions?” The woman asked through a tense jaw and uneven breaths. “You’re just going to let me go? Just like that? That doesn’t seem like the wisest thing to do.”

Aggravated, Kagome pulled an arrow from her quiver in a means to challenge her attitude, aiming it in her bow. It worked. She was stopped promptly by Kagura’s quick reaction to raise her arms in way of yield.

“Alright, alright.” She murmured. Her scarlet eyes looked the countering woman over, how she was fighting just to stay up. She was dangerous. She was a force to be reckoned with, and she could tell that with nothing but a glance. Kagura was there when Hakudoshi came to, and he hadn’t been touched with her around defending him. Which meant, Kagome had pushed him out. No one had ever succeeded at doing that before. Hakudoshi was violent and sadistic. He’d make a home out of your body and then kill you while he was in it. But, when he regained consciousness here, he was pissed. Which meant, he lost. He didn’t get up as easily, either. He seemed out of breath, he carried himself as if he’d been wounded, as if his strength had been compromised, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he’d been sent back not only with a damaged ego, but damage to his being, as well. “I hope you win, conjurer.” Kagura said before backing out, leaving the cavern.

With a breath of finality, Kagome let her hands fall to the ground beneath her, supporting her body the best she could. Spotting her cousin gazing at her with pressing concern, she gave a feeble wave, a smile containing minimal effort accompanying it as she gave a thumbs up. Miroku chuckled exasperatedly, rubbing his forehead in agitation before running his fingers through his hair.

“You said you’d stay.” Inuyasha said as soon as Kagome’s eyes glanced his way.

“Sorry.” She mouthed. Matching his tone, as light as it was, was just too much energy right now, and it was a struggle on its own not to collapse.

As if reading her fatigue clearly, Inuyasha effortlessly made his way back up to the ledge to check on her. The backs of his fingers caressed her cheeks, pushing hair from her face. She was burning up; it’d hit her hard this time. They needed to get her to a place where she could safely recuperate.

“I don’t think any of those things Hakudoshi said.” She whispered on an exhale. Her body gave the slightest sway, and Inuyasha’s hands moved to her sides to prevent her from falling.

“Shh,” He soothed. “I know you don’t.”

“I - I would never.” Kagome looked as if she were about to cry, sparring against her exhaustion to stay upright. “I think you’re perfect the way you are.”

“Kid, stop.” Inuyasha lulled. “Come on, you need to rest.”

“Is the fight over?” Her brow furrowed tight, and one of her hands pressed into his thigh as she wavered again. It was like she couldn’t feel his support. “Are there - there anymore demons?”

“No. It’s over.” He shook his head. It clicked. She was about to pass out, and at the perfect moment, Inuyasha caught her when she fell into his chest. Giving it a second, he waited. Her breathing was still there, her pulse was still beating, but she was undeniably unconscious. Honestly, it was surprising that she’d lasted this long.

With a sigh of relief, Inuyasha held her tight for just a moment longer. Everything was fine now. Her body was forcing her to rest. Kagome was going to be extremely unhappy when she woke up later, but for now, she was okay. He pressed a lingering kiss to the top of her head before adjusting her legs so he could scoop an arm beneath the backs of her knees. She was safely cradled in his hold as he stood, silently gesturing to the others that it was time to leave.

| previous chapter | <-

[ibijau]

How to Woo a Lan pt1 / On AO3

Jin Ling is determined to court Lan Sizhui, but can't seem to say two words to him without insulting him. He decides that what he needs is the help of someone who has already successfully seduced a Lan, and he knows something about Nie Huaisang that others don't.

It had been, to put it mildly, a bit of a wild year. Jin Ling had gone from being treated as a child by everyone who met him and being barely mature enough to be trusted alone on a Night Hunt, to having to behave like a full grown adult because he suddenly was the leader of a cut-throat sect that was half falling apart after the early death of its corrupt former leader.

Fifteen was never an easy age, but Jin Ling was pretty sure he had it a little rougher than most people.

Of course, it could have been worse. For one thing, he could have been dead. In fact, he had come pretty close to it a few times, most memorably when he was kidnapped and trapped in the Burial Mounds with other juniors, and when his beloved uncle Jin Guangyao had used him as a hostage and threatened to cut his throat open with a guqin string if he wasn’t allowed to run away after it was revealed he had murdered a number of people, like Jin Ling’s grandfather, and indirectly caused the death of others, like Jin Ling’s father. And then after that there had been a handful of other attempts on Jin Ling’s life once he had become sect leader, because he had older relatives who thought they’d be better at the job, or who other people thought would be easier to corrupt… but really, those attempts just hadn’t been very impressive.

Jin Ling had been raised by Jin Guangyao, so he knew a thing or two about avoiding poison. And he’d been raised by Jiang Cheng as well, so even at his age, there weren’t that many adults who could pose a threat to his life, should they directly attack him.

All in all, the murder attempts hadn’t been so bad. The paperwork and meetings, on the other hand, were the worst thing ever. There were so, so many letters to read, and to analyse, and to answer. And then there were Night Hunt reports. Tracking the progress of junior disciples. Bills. An astonishing number of bills, oftentime for things Jin Ling didn’t even understand, so he had to ask during meetings what the sect was spending money on this time. There was a forty percent chance that it was something frivolous he could cut off, and a fifty percent chance that it was just barely concealed corruption, but since there was the ten percent possibility of that bill being something actually useful, Jin Ling still had to investigate every single one, just in case.

With all this going on, Jin Ling was lucky when he could find an hour here and there to meditate, or work on his cultivation, or train Fairy. He had considered skipping sleep from time to time, but Jiang Cheng had heard about it, somehow, and rushed to Jinlin Tai to scream at him about being irresponsible with his health, as if he were any better. Everyone knew Sandu Shengshou ran on two hours of sleep, medical pills, and rage… but apparently Jin Ling wasn’t alone to do the same. Unfair.

Equally unfair was the fact that in the six months between Jin Guangyao’s death and Jin Ling’s fifteenth’s birthday, he had only gone on two night hunts.

The first was… not so bad. Jin Ling had been forced to have some other Jin disciples come along, which was boring, but then they’d all met up with some Lan and with Ouyang Zizhen, which had been pretty nice. Not quite as nice as it could have been if a certain person had been there, but not quite bad either, because Jin Ling had been able to chat with Ouyang Zizhen who was smarter than he looked, and to argue with Lan Jingyi who was fun to have a shouting match with.

And then, there had been that second Night Hunt. Jin Ling, still dealing with the aftermath of a slightly more efficient assassination attempt after which part of Jinlin Tai had really thought him dead for a good shichen and a half, had stumbled upon a man who had come to beg for the help of his sect and decided he’d help with that. He needed a break from his murderous cousins anyway.

So instead, he called the worst asshole he knew to help him deal with this, for fun.

And Lan Jingyi, for some reason known only to him, decided to let Wei Wuxian come as well.

That was the first problem, Jin Ling later decided. If Wei Wuxian hadn’t been there, things would have gone better. But he just didn’t really know where he stood with the man who had, technically, caused both of his parents to die and whom Jin Ling had, technically, tried to murder in return. The man who had also saved his life several times, without any hesitation.

Lan Jingyi knew that Jin Ling had mixed feelings about Wei Wuxian, who he hadn’t seen since the death of Jin Guangyao. So he had to have asked him to come along on purpose, because Lan Jingyi was a damn asshole and Jin Ling hated his guts, for all that he was probably his best friend at this point.

It wasn’t hard to be the best of something when you were almost the only one.

Anyway, Jin Ling should have guessed that Wei Wuxian would get involved in this, so it wasn’t such a surprise.

But then…

Then, when he arrived at the agreed meeting point, Jin Ling saw Lan Sizhui.

It had been six months, almost. In all that time, Jin Ling hadn’t once gotten any news from the older boy. He’d asked Lan Jingyi during that one Night Hunt, and then again when Lan Jingyi had needed to crash in Jinlin Tai some weeks later, in vain. All Lan Jingyi knew was that Lan Sizhui had gone away with Lan Wangji’s blessing, and that nobody could tell when he’d be back… or if he’d come back at all for that matter, which Jin Ling had found rather ominous. Sure, Lan Sizhui’s father figure had officially married another man, and not the best of men at that, but was it reason enough to run away? Did Lan Sizhui hate Wei Wuxian in particular, or did he have a problem with all cut sleeves? In the first case, it was understandable. In the second case, Jin Ling’s heart would be crushed forever and he would never know happiness again.

But Lan Sizhui was there, and standing next to Wei Wuxian when Jin Ling arrived, chatting with a peaceful yet happy expression and looking quite animated, at least by Lan standards. Jin Ling had the sensation that the two of them hadn’t met in a while, which Lan Sizhui personally confirmed later when Jin Ling had a talk to him as well.

Six months wasn’t such a long time, and yet it had felt an eternity. Lan Sizhui hadn’t grown during that time away, not exactly, but he had a new air of maturity to himself, a certain spark in his eyes that said he had seen more than most others his age. He was a little less willowy as well, his clothes fitting differently on him compared to before, hinting at more strength than he used to have. His smile, though, remained as gentle as ever.

Jin Ling almost cursed upon seeing him.

It seemed he hadn’t gotten over his stupid crush at all.

Thankfully, for most of this, Jin Ling was too busy with the actual Night Hunt to make too much of a fool of himself. It was a pretty weird situation, with a haunted room in which a thief had died, which then led to a story about a man who had killed multiple women in a very gruesome manner. Jin Ling thought they’d handled that pretty well, really. He even got to be a little cool when he volunteered to stay the night in that haunted room to check if the ghost had really been taken care of. 

Of course it hadn’t, and that was absolutely terrifying, but Jin Ling kept his cool and got to show off to all those Lan disciples in the morning when he recounted what had happened to him. He thought Lan Sizhui looked a little impressed, but that might just have been because he’d been so sure he’d solved the situation with Lan Jingyi the day before. And Jin Ling was also the one to realise the ghost they were dealing with must have been looking for a certain missing body part, which they needed to retrieve if they were to solve the case.

All things considered, Jin Ling thought he had done really great during this whole Night Hunt, and properly demonstrated to everyone, but especially a certain Lan in particular, what a great mature person he had become.

Of course Jin Ling had to ruin that.

It was just the sort of luck he had.

Jin Ling’s only defence was that he’d been exhausted at that point. They’d just spent five entire days looking for a tongue that had been cut off decades earlier, and although it would have been wise to get some sleep before all heading back to their respective sects… but they were young, they were victorious, and the only adult around to supervise them was Wei Wuxian who firmly believed that Lan juniors should be encouraged to misbehave. So of course they had all gathered at an inn, ordered plenty of food, more drink than reasonable (but that was because Wei Wuxian had to be bribed into silence) and had a bit of a party to celebrate their success.

Because Lan Sizhui had been the one to find the ghost’s tongue, everyone wanted to sit with him, it was only natural. Jin Ling had to glare and bare his teeth and elbow a few people so he could sit next to his friend, while Lan Jingyi easily found his place on the other side of Lan Sizhui by virtue of having known him basically since birth. A most unfair advantage, and one more reason to dislike Lan Jingyi, who was luckier than he had any right to be.

Lan Sizhui didn’t appear to notice how much attention was on him. Or if he did, he pretended it didn’t affect him. He just seemed happy to be spending time with everyone, and to no longer be searching around for that damn tongue. Lan Sizhui laughed at other’s jokes, blushed at their praise, made sure that everyone had enough to eat, and just generally behaved like the most perfect person the world had ever known, which he was. Jin Ling was so delighted to have him back around, and happy to see him so admired by everyone else, so of course he had to let it be known in the worst possible way.

“Of course it’s Lan Yuan who gets all the glory,” Jin Ling said at one point, while pouring himself some wine. “Isn’t it always like this? I’m sure some people must have been glad you disappeared for so long, leaving the rest of us a chance to do something. But now that you’re back, I expect it’ll all be about you, right?”

“What do you mean?” Lan Sizhui asked, his beautiful smile falling down.

Jin Ling frowned at the question. What he meant was that Lan Sizhui was, and by far, the best cultivator of their generation, so it was only natural for people to admire him. Sure some others might envy his great skill, but that was their problem, and now that Lan Sizhui was back in the Cloud Recesses, of course he’d gotten back his rightful place in the spotlight.

What else could he have meant?

“I’ve said what I said,” Jin Ling replied. “Don’t pretend you don’t know.”

Sure Gusu Lan valued modesty, but someone as great as Lan Sizhui had to know how good he was at everything, so there was no need to be so humble.

“Shut up or I’ll punch you,” Lan Jingyi threatened, his tone vicious enough to catch the attention of Wei Wuxian who’d been mostly ignoring the juniors in favour of his own jars of wine. 

Even Jin Ling was startled. It was common enough for Lan Jingyi and him to argue. In fact, that was their main bonding activity, they were always bickering, but there was rarely any actual anger to it. If anything, Lan Jingyi usually seemed to enjoy that he had someone he could snap at who wouldn’t scold him for breaking sect rules. But that night, he suddenly looked earnestly furious, and it puzzled Jin Ling.

Must have been the wine, he figured. Those Lan just couldn’t handle alcohol.

“Don’t drink if you can’t deal with it,” Jin Ling said. “And don’t get angry at people just because they’re right.”

Lan Jingyi jumped to his feet, but before he could say anything more, Lan Sizhui grabbed him by the wrist and forced him to sit down away. He had to have put some strength into it, because Lan Jingyi immediately obeyed.

“Jingyi, that’s enough,” Lan Sizhui said, rather more dryly than Jin Ling was used to from him. “If that’s how Jin zongzhu feels, then that’s how it is. I hadn’t meant to be taking the spotlight in an undue manner, and I am sorry if I gave the impression I seek attention. In the future, when working with Jin zongzhu, I’ll be sure to keep my distance to avoid bothering him so much. I thought we’d work as a good team, but…”

Lan Sizhui stood up, fists clenched tight on either side of his body.

“If Jin zongzhu really hates working with me, then of course I’ll respect his choice. Now if you don’t mind, I think I’ll go to bed now. I’ve had a pretty long day.”

He turned away and left the room, leaving behind him a suddenly heavy atmosphere. None of the juniors spoke for a good while, most of them staring at the door through which Lan Sizhui had left. Jin Ling in particular was flabbergasted, scrambling to understand what exactly had just happened there.

At his end of the table, Wei Wuxian snickered as he poured himself more wine.

“You really get your people’s skills from your uncle,” he said, not quite looking at Jin Ling, but quite obviously directed at him nonetheless. “And not the right one for that, might I add. That’s something for you to work on, I’d think.”

“I’m not hearing that from you!” Jin Ling complained. “You’re a weirdo who makes everyone uncomfortable!”

“And yet I caught myself a husband,” Wei Wuxian retorted, wiggling his eyebrows in a manner that should have been illegal around impressionable young people. “Clearly I can’t be so bad at dealing with people. I can give you some lessons, if you’d like? Could teach out to flirt even. Hanguang-Jun thinks I’m very good at it.”

All the juniors shivered in fear at the idea of flirting lessons from Wei Wuxian. Even Lan Jingyi threw Jin Ling a sympathetic glance, before remembering he had randomly decided to be furious at his friend and glaring at him.

“Who… who’d want lessons from you about anything?” Jin Ling exclaimed. Then, because he tried to be fair, he added: “Unless it’s about Night Hunting. You’re good at that, when you stop acting all goofy. But for everything else, you’re too weird! If Hanguang-Jun didn’t have such weird tastes to begin with…”

The Lan juniors exploded at the implication their personal hero Lan Wangji was anything less than perfect in all aspects.

“Watch it, Jin zongzhu!”

“Hanguang-Jun’s tastes are excellent for almost everything!”

“It wasn’t enough to be mean to Sizhui, now you have to also go after Hanguang-Jun?”

That last one puzzled Jin Ling, who blinked numbly, trying to understand at what point, exactly, he’d been mean to Lan Sizhui. Before he could ask about that, Wei Wuxian started cackling and thanked all the juniors present for approving of his marriage. This backfired when it turned out that the boys were, in fact, very supportive of the union, and had drunk just enough to not feel ashamed about it. Wei Wuxian, always so quick to tease others with great declarations of affection at a bad moment, completely collapsed under that unexpected wave of affection, which pushed the Lan juniors to be even more demonstrative, until everyone’s attention was on Wei Wuxian.

Jin Ling took his chance and left the table without being noticed, suddenly needing some fresh air. He couldn’t go very far, in case others started to worry, but he still left the inn and started walking up and down the street where it stood, trying to put some order in his thoughts.

He didn’t think that he had been rude to Lan Sizhui, of course. Or at least, he had certainly not intended to be. But between intentions and results there could be a world of difference, and it was true that Jin Ling was sometimes… he tried hard, he really did. He wanted to be as smooth as Jin Guangyao had been (though with less secrets), and he wanted to be as respected as Jiang Cheng was (though preferably without needing to resort on inspiring fear quite as much). But he had a tendency to sometimes say the wrong thing. 

More than sometimes. 

Things would be quite clear in his mind, and then he opened his mouth and said something that pissed off everyone. It didn’t usually matter too much, because he was Lanling Jin’s sect leader, meaning he had enough money and power that people wouldn’t dare get angry at him too openly. But it had always been more of a problem when it came to his personal life. He’d gotten in many fights with his various cousins over the years because they deemed him rude and proud. 

With juniors of other sects, he didn’t really get along all that well either, for the same reason, not until everything that happened in Yi city the year before… and even that had more to do with the people he’d met than with any personal improvement. Ouyang Zizhen was just the sort of person who got along with everyone, even with spoiled brats like Jin Ling. Lan Jingyi was an awful little pest, but he hadn’t been scared by Jin Ling’s status in the least, so they’d quickly found a way to co-exist, even if most people didn’t realise they’d become good friends. And as for Lan Sizhui… well, he was the most perfect person in the world, patient in spite of Jin Ling’s temper, kind to everyone, always striving to bring peace around him, always willing to see the best in others.

Jin Ling stumbled, and nearly fell face first into the dirt of the street.

Lan Sizhui had really looked upset when he’d left, so Jin Ling really must have said something wrong. The most perfect, most patient person in the world, and Jin Ling had managed to make him angry. That really wasn’t a good way to start courting someone.

And he wanted to court Lan Sizhui. Seeing him again after a few months had only made it clear to Jin Ling that this wasn’t just a crush, it was love. He was in love with Lan Sizhui, and determined to make him fall in love back… somehow.

What he needed was… what he needed…

Somewhere behind him, the inn’s door cracked open, just enough for Wei Wuxian to peek outside.

“Jin Ling, it’s getting late!” he shouted, uncaring that he might wake up the whole street. “Everyone’s going to bed and you should as well.”

“I’m not tired.”

“Don’t make me come get you,” Wei Wuxian warned. “Come, you’ll feel better in the morning. Just apologise to Sizhui at breakfast and he won’t hold it against you, he’s a good boy like that.”

Mortified at the idea that Wei Wuxian might try to drag him to bed like a petulant child, Jin Ling made his way back to the inn. He was annoyed though. He’d been on the verge of a great idea when Wei Wuxian had called for him, and now he’d lost it. Hopefully, he’d remember later.

Right then, he just went to sleep as ordered.

In the morning Jin Ling apologised to Lan Sizhui, though he still wasn’t sure what he’d said wrong, and Lan Sizhui apologised back for reacting so strongly to a little bit of criticism. Jin Ling hadn’t dared to say he hadn’t meant to criticise, because then he’d have had to explain he was trying to compliment Lan Sizhui, and everyone was there watching them, and it would have been too embarrassing.

The Lan then left to head back to Gusu, while Jin Ling had to return to Lanling to write a report on this situation they had solved.

The whole time he flew towards home, he couldn’t help but wondered if he hadn’t somehow managed to ruin his entire love life at the ripe age of fifteen, just because his mouth and his brain couldn’t get along.

[pandastern]

What’s Your Poison, Captain Levi

Part 1: Desire

Sub!Levi Ackerman x Dom!Reader

Warnings: explicit, mature content

Word count: 2989

Genre: romance

When Levi overhears a fight between Y/N and Erwin about their newest addition to the squad, his curiosity leads him to investigate. Little does he know that this decision will confront him with his deepest and darkest desires he had hoped to keep buried.

The castle fell silent after a long day of work, most of the cadettes were already asleep and those who weren't, better got to it before he found out. Levi sighed deeply and downed his last cup of tea. The fragrant blend had lasted him for almost 2 months, but as so many things in his life even this was coming to an end. 

Levi did not allow himself many luxuries. A clean space and some tea. That had always been enough for him. 

It had been a week since Eren had joined his squad. The boy was so lively, so full of life and determination. How many soldiers had he seen with the same kind of attitude. How many had died before his eyes.

Putting down the cup, he got up and rubbed his eyes. Levi couldn't tell how long he had been sitting there, contemplating so many things, he could barely remember what he had mulled over. Maybe he was just utterly sleep deprived. 

Yes, that had to be it. 

“Off to bed it is then…” He mumbled to himself, blowing out the candle on the table. The moon was shining brightly, the light coming through the windows illuminating his way enough to find his path without needing another light source. 

How eerie this castle could be at night. The creaking of old wood and the howling of the summer breeze almost sounded as if the building itself was breathing.

Halfway up the stairs that led to his quarters he suddenly heard a door slam in the hallways below him. The loud sound made him freeze. “This better not be one of the brats out of bed.” He grumbled and listened into the darkness.

“No Erwin! I dont give a flying fuck. That kid has been here for a week. A Week, Erwin! He's been in my office with burns, a bleeding nose, overexhaustion and oh, yes, snapped tendons! Ah! No! Close that mouth of yours I don't want to hear it! I don't care that he regenerates like some Lizard on drugs! Eren is 14!”

“He is a soldier and doing his duty. As should you. Eren is not a child and he knows the cost of his purpose! This young man has seen more than enough of the gruesome reality of this world to make his own decisions!” 

“Yes, Life is shit. Reality is cruel. Trust me, I fucking know that! It doesn't change the fact that you are sending children to die, asshole. And no excuse of yours makes it right.”

“Y/N, you-”

“No, fucking save it. I don't want to hear another word. I am not a soldier, nor a cadette, so you can shove your Commander bullshit right back up your arse.”

The sound of angrily stomping footsteps followed by a never ending string of curses echoed through the staircase. Levi rose a brow. He had recognized that voice. Y/N was one of the Medical staff they kept here to support the survey corps. Usually that woman worked under Hanji Zoe's Squad unless she had to take care of injured soldiers... Or Eren. 

He couldn't remember having ever heard her use that kind of tone before. He'd seen that woman pop a dislocated limb back into place while sweet-talking the whimpering soldier into a blush like it was nothing. Not much of a soldier herself, he had to admit, but she kept her medical office under strict rules that no one dared to break. Y/N was strict, but she was never harsh. Not like this.

He knew it was probably for the best if he just went to bed. It was none of his business. They weren't friends so he was probably the last person she wanted to talk to right now. Especially since he was also a reason why Eren was here in this castle. Granted, if he and Erwin had not intervened the boy would be dead by now. However that didn't change the fact that whatever argument Y/N had had with Erwin she would most likely have with him as well. And as someone who had seen what that woman was capable off, he'd rather not be on the receiving end of that.

After hesitating for a moment Levi sighed deeply and turned around and followed in the direction of where Y/N had stomped off to. Why, he couldn't say. Maybe it was that slight tremble in her voice when she had hissed at Commander Erwin, that he had never heard before. Maybe he was just...curious.  

It took a little bit of searching before he found her. Y/N was sitting outside in the grass, resting against a tree. When Levi approached her the scent of something sweet and burning wafted around him. 

“What the hell are you smoking?” he asked and wrinkled his nose. “Don't tell me you actually got your hands on tobacco. What merchant did you shake down for that?”

Taking a deep drag from the hand rolled cigarette in her hand she gave him a very calculated look.

“Isn't it past your bedtime Captain Levi?” Her lips curved into a smirk that made her look like a Cheshire cat. “Don't you know? To stay sane in this wretched world everyone needs a little pick me up. Some people like to fuck an excessive amount, some people drink alcohol till their liver burts like an overripe tomato. Others…”

She took another drag from the cigarette, the sweet musky smell getting stronger. “Others just know where the good stuff grows.”

Y/N chuckled softly, shaking her head. Levi didn't reply to that. He could sense the frustration in her demeanor. “It's not like you to numb yourself with substances to escape whatever upsets you.”

Another dry laugh.

“I am not. This is St. John's wort and lavender. Helps me sleep. And considering you're up at  this ungodly hour I am guessing you could use one as well.”

Levi watched as Y/N softly patted the grass next to her, motioning for him to sit down. With a sigh he let himself fall into the grass. Silence spread between them and Levi just watched her carefully. 

“I heard your fight with Erwin.” He finally said.

Y/N clicked her tongue and shot him a glance through narrowed eyes.

“Oh? So you're here to...what? Scold me?”

“No. Not like a brat like you would listen to me.”

“It doesn't matter what I think anyway, does it?”

Levi sighed and stretched out his legs, leaning back against the tree. “You know that what we do here is necessary. You also know that Eren is not a child. No matter his age. It may not be pretty and it may not be what you want for him, but you can't forget that Eren killed twenty Titans by himself in his Titan form.”

Grinding her teeth Y/N pressed the cigarette bud into the ground and cursed again.

“Fuck you. Don't you think I know that?! I am fully aware that this kid can turn into a building sized naked killer man. Trust me, Hanji told me all about it in one of their ‘I am horny for Titans’ rants. It doesnt change the fact that he is a child. Just because he's seen some shit doesn't make him any less of a 14 year old kid. If you're sending soldiers to die, then at least make sure they are fully grown first.”

Her voice had gotten louder with every word she spat out before she cut herself off. Levi watched her take a deep breath and pull out a second hand rolled cigarette.

“We have no choice. Not when the survival of the human race is on the line.” he stated with a stern voice. It wasn't that he didn't understand where she was coming from but sometimes sacrifices had to be made.

“Spoken like a good little soldier. I know that of course. Doesn't mean I have to like that shit.” Y/N scoffed. “How far you've come from just a little underground street rat.”

Levi stiffened. It had been so many years since someone had brought up his origins. He wasn't ashamed of who he had been, but being confronted with it so suddenly still made him tense up.

“What, surprised? Of course I know. Where do you think I come from. You're not the only underground rat dwelling on the surface. Like you, Erwin was the one who pulled me up.”

Now she sounded almost bitter. 

“Now that you mention it, it explains a lot about you.”

Like that time when he had watched her knock a hysteric solder out cold with one brief move so she could treat them.

“I suppose it does.” Y/N pulled out a lighter and ignited her second cigarette, taking a deep drag. “I've always been good with herbalism. Drugs...Poison...Back then I used that knowledge to cater to Clients with a very particular taste of pick me ups.”

Another side shot glance and the smirk returned on her lips. “But enough about me. What is your preferred poison, Captain?”

The swift change of subjects did not go unnoticed to him. Not that he minded. He personally didn't much like to talk about the past. That, however, caught him off guard.

“What do you mean?” He asked carefully.

Y/N sat up, put out her cigarette and leaned closer, her eyes having a glint in them he had never seen before. “Like I said before. Everyone has that little something that keeps them sane. So what is it for you? And please don't say tea. That doesn't count.”

“Why wouldn't it count? Who gets to decide what keeps me sane if not me?” he huffed. Levi didn't like where this conversation was headed. As Y/N leaned a little closer, he instinctively leaned back but the tree trapped him in place. 

“Because I am talking about something more...decadent.” Her husky chuckle made him shiver, her face now so close to his, he could feel her breath on his skin. She smelled sweet, just like the herbs she had smoked earlier. To his surprise it wasn't unpleasant.

“So...tell me. What is it the Levi Ackermann, humanity's strongest soldiers desire? What is it that makes your fingers itch? You always seem so stoic but I know there's more. I can see it in your eyes”

Levi finally recognized the glint in her eyes. It was the same look a cat had that was playing with a mouse, ready to pounce. And he didn't quite know how to feel about that.

“I have no idea what you're going on about.”

“No?” Another soft chuckle that made the hair on the back of his neck stand. She was so close now, he could make out the soft dusting of freckles on her cheeks. Before he could stop himself he evaded her eyes to focus himself.

Soft fingers grasped his chin, forcing him to look at her.

“Y/N-”

“Do you think i haven't noticed? The way your eyes follow me the moment I step into a room?” She whispered.

Levi could feel his face grow hot. Had he really been so obvious? 

“I- wait, Y/N its not- “

Before he could answer, Y/N moved even closer, climbing into his lap. Levi stiffened, his eyes wide as her warm hands cupped his face. 

“It's okay, I don't mind. Not like I haven't done the same thing…”

Her body was pressed so flush against his, her body heat almost scalding him. Levi's breath caught in his throat. Their faces were so close, noses touching, breath mingling together and somehow the entire world started to fade away, leaving just the two of them together. His heart was beating so fast, he was sure the sound must echo through the entire castle, but he just couldn't push her away. He knew he should. He knew he couldn’t allow this. Knew this wouldn't end well for him.

But the look in her eyes told Levi, Y/N already had him in a trap he couldn't  escape. Not that he wanted to.

“Such pretty eyes you have, Levi.” She whispered in a low voice. “I’ve always wondered what's going on behind them.”

Keeping one hand on his cheek, Y/N gently brushed a strand of hair out of his face making him shiver. No one had ever touched him that way before. “W-what do you mean?” He managed to whisper hoarsely.

“What you crave of course. Everyone has something. Fantasies of pleasure and lust that keep playing in your head when you are all by yourself and need some release.” Y/N laughed softly, her thumb brushing over his bottom lip. Gods he was blushing like a boy but that look in her eyes kept him enthralled, unable to move a single muscle.

“I have two theories. Lets see which one hits the spot.” She purred. “My first theory is that you crave control. You are the captain after all. So what is it you think of when you watch me?”

Another shiver ran down Levi's spine, Y/n's feather light touches ghosting over his skin igniting his nerve endings in exhilarating sparks. Why was it so hard to breathe? 

“Do you think of me, naked? Tied up with ropes, suspended limbs hanging in the air like a doll...completely and utterly at your mercy as your wandering hands coax soft moans out of me? Do you dream about teasing me till I fully submit to your authority?”

Heat started pooling in his stomach and instinctively Levis' hands moved to her hips gripping them tightly. Y/N leaned in, softly brushing her lips against the corners of his mouth. Levi froze, his fingers digging into her soft, supple skin. “W-what?”

She was searching his eyes intently and it felt like she was stripping away every little layer of protection he had built over his lifetime. Dangerous. She was dangerous. He'd always known that. Hed known the moment their eyes had met for the very first time.

“No...no that's not it…is it?” A lascivious smirk spreading over those sinful lips of hers. “So I was right. See, my second theory is the one I find most plausible. It's human psychology after all…”

Her hands started to travel down his jaw before resting gently around his throat. Levi swallowed hard. He could feel himself tremble softly and that predatory glint in her eyes told him, she felt it too.

“You don't wish for control Levi, do you? You crave release. So much responsibility on your shoulders. Always having to be reliable. Humanity's Strongest. A leader in his own right. But what you really want is to let go. To give yourself into reliable hands that roam your body just the right way”

Levi could feel her lips on his ear, nipping at the soft skin. The gasp escaping his parted lips was almost treacherous and wrong. But dammit she was right. And he hated that she was.

“I am right, aren't I? I can feel you getting excited…”

As if to prove a point Y/N rolled her hips against him, coaxing a soft moan out of his parted lips. Levi's head fell forward against her shoulder, the scent of her herbs wrapping around him, more intoxicating than any booze he'd ever tasted.

“Please-” He rasped almost helplessly.

“Please? My, my, Levi...such beautiful sounds you make.”

More featherlight nips and kisses trailing down his jaw and neck, making him dizzy. She was toying with him.

“Your arms tied behind your back, maybe even on your knees. Helpless and taken care of at the same time. That's what you crave isn't it? That's the deep dark sinful little desire that's burning in your heart. Submission.”

Nimble fingers threading into his hair, gripping it tight before yanking his head back. 

“F-fuck!” The moment the groan left him Levi already knew he was done for. She was gonna swallow him whole.

“Say it Levi...is that what you want?” Y/N purred, her forehead touching his. It was an order. She was giving him an order.

Levi shuddered under her gaze, his throat so dry he barely resisted the urge to lick his lips. “Y-yes…”

“There we go...that wasn't so hard was it? Don't worry...I'd be more than happy to do that for you darling. I will keep you safe… take you apart piece by piece until you lose yourself in pleasure. Until you fall… and then I will put you back together.”

Her lips were hovering over his, a tease, an invitation. Why couldn't she just kiss him already?

“What...are you saying?” Levi whispered barely audible, his chest heaving with every breath. His lungs and all his senses already filled with her scent, her body pressed again so flush he could feel every curve through her clothing.

“I am making you an offer, Captain. And I want you to think about it before you answer. If that is what you want...come find me in my office. I'll help you fly in the best and worst way  possible...understood?”

Not knowing what to say or do, Levi just nodded. There was no way another word could make it past his lips. He wanted her. He wanted her so damn bad, the desire was burning him up alive.

Her soft chuckle echoed through the night.

“Good. I bid you goodnight then. Come find me when you're ready.”

Before Levi could process what she had just said, Y/N got off him and jumped to her feet as if nothing had ever happened. His body shivered at the sudden lack of heat, already feeling empty without her so close to him. 

Stunned, Levi watched her wink at him before disappearing into the night. What the hell had just happened?

[ohhmyheart5678]

When in the streets of seoul (5)

*warning* this mentions death, murder, suicide, guns, and other gruesome and dark content if you are sensitive to these kinds of things do not read it

Pairing: Chan x female reader

Word count 2.1k

Previous/ next

*****

It's been six days, six day fucking days since I've been trapped here. I absolutely hate it. I spent the first three days not speaking to anyone and the other three finally excepting the fact that this is going to be my life now.

It's such a nice place. I get fed the best foods, I sleep in the most comfortable king sized bed with silk sheets, I have the best clothes, and I'm still miserable.

I went to the speaker and pressed 1. "Kinely ! You need something?" Chan sounded quite concerned. He believed that I had everything I needed but he forgot one thing. "I need to go to the store" I say sharply. Even though the deal was  that I wasn’t able to go in public he haven't let me out of this room yet.

He says I'm not cooperating and so I have to wait. "What do you need from the store that I can't get for you?" I could hear the slight annoyance in his voice but he could never be as annoyed as I am right now. I mean he is keeping me hostage for Christ sake. "Just take me to the store you dickhead" I was honestly so done with him.

I needed to get out this room and I needed to go to the store ASAP. "I'm not going to the store because you won't tell me what it is" Chris was trying to put his foot down but little did he know I was far better at this game than he was. "Look I need pads either you take me to get them, or you can suffer the consequences of trying to find the perfect pads for me which I guarantee that you won't and then you'll have to take me to pick them out anyways, or we can always go with the option of me bleeding everywhere" there was a long pause before he finally responded.

"Fine I'll take you to the store" was all he said before it went completely silent. I waited patiently by the door until a boy comes in. "Hey seugmin did Chris send you for me" he just gives a simple nod. "Felix and I" he simply says while fully opening the door that he was standing in just enough to show his body. Once he swung open the door it revealed Felix. The orange haired boy waved at me.

Since staying here Chris has sent the boys at least once so that they could introduce themselves since I'm gonna be seeing a lot more of them. I've learned about what these boys do. Since I had nothing better to do the least I could do was steal information on the guys I'm going to be living with from now on.

For instance Chris is the oldest and the leader. He calls the shots, he looks over the plans, and makes sure everything runs smoothly he does need to do much work but Felix says Chris is the last resort and that he’s feel bad for anyone if Chris was called in. Then there's Minho. He is one of the main men on the field he's the look out and distraction, and supposedly from what I heard he does a damn good job at it. Plus Minho has a medical background so if anyone gets hurt he’s the man everyone goes to.

There's also changbin he's got quite the temper so they use him when there's need for extreme measures you know if they need .. a mess. I heard he can get pretty creative with that stuff.

Hyunjin, who often checks on me throughout the day is the sniper. He knows weapons like the back of his hands and could handle them blindfolded. Then it's Jisung, they call him Han. He is the best fighter in the house. You can have a gun in the fight and he could still win.

Felix known as the second Aussie of the house does the interrogations. He can get anyone to talk, his deep voice scares mostly anyone , but for the ones that are harder to get through. Let's just say they can either come out alive while missing some part of their body. Or they can come out in a body bag.

Seugmin is the hacker, he can hack into litterally anything. You name it, he can hack it. He's the one who got the information on my dad.

Last but definitely not least there's jeongin they all him I.N . He is silent but deadly. The red hair boy is like a ninja. They use him when they want to get the job done quickly but quietly.

We arrived downstairs where Chris was waiting for us at the door. I figured he was already handling business downstairs so he fetched the two boys to get me. "Thanks gentleman I got it from here" it was his nice easy of telling them to go away.

We got into his car and he drives us to a nearby store. I looks around searching for the right ones as he stands behind me trying to figure how the whole process works. I saw the pack I wanted and grabbed two of them. "Ahh now I know for next time" he says as if he has just been enlightened. "Next time?" I wanted to know what he meant by next time.

"Next time its you know... that time, I'll be able to pick out the right ones for you" that’s so aggravating! My only reason to get out the house was once again taken from me. Chan probably could tell that I was slightly disappointed by his statement so he changed it a little , I mean seeing that he’s talking to a hormonal women who’s not necessarily in the best mood at the moment. "I mean unless you'd like to do it for yourself" A small smile slightly appeared on my face as I handed the cashier the goods to ring up. "Is there anything else you want or need from here before we leave" Chris wanted to hurry out of here because this was time he could be spending working at home. "Nope" I was completely content with having what I needed so far.

Once we arrived back home I was instantly sent back to my room. Sitting there in boredom I looked around for some form of entertainment. There was absolutely nothing to do in this room and I was just now realizing it. For the past few days all I've been doing was sleeping and eating , so I didn't stop to think about it . I was too busy being sad about being locked up in a room by a bunch of psychos.

I looked over at the speaker not wanting to bother Chris because I rarely want to even speak to him. I walked over pushing the number 5 on the speaker and hoped this man was in his room.

"Hey kinely are you doing ok?" He genuinely sounded concerned. "Can you come over here please" I knew I didn't have to really ask him because he doesn't mind coming and checking on me anyways but I thought to ask just in case . "Sure just give me a sec" Hyunjin was always in here and even though Chris comes in often to talk to me he's always busy it's only for a few seconds before he goes back to "work".

Hyunjin came within fifteen minutes. He knocks making sure I'm not naked or anything. I think that it was pretty nice of him to do considering the other boys just come in as they please. I mean I know it's your home and all but a girl needs privacy.

"Come in" I yelled from my closet, I had just put on sweats and a hoodie to get a little comfortable. "You sent for me?" He walked in and closed the door behind him. "I was wondering if you could stay in here for a little longer than you normally do? I think I'm gonna go insane in here by myself" he chuckled at me being immensely dramatic. I put the back of my hand on my forehead pretending to be a damsel in distress.

He walked over to my bed and sat on it and patted on it which was his way of telling me to sit down. "Maybe you don't have to stay in here all the time" he seemed like he was getting somewhere but I was yet to follow. "What do you mean?" Was he gonna take me out this house or was I reading this wrong? "Its not much but maybe you could come to my room. There's tons of things to do in there. We just can't let Chan know I'm taking you out considering he wants you in the room." He fidgets a little wondering how I was going to respond to his offer.

Hell yeah I was gonna take this opportunity to leave the room! I had nothing else to do in the looney house. "Why not?" I shrug not wanting him to know just how excited I was. He grabs my head and leads me to his room all the way in the other side of the house.

My jaw dropped once he opened his room door to let me inside. He had arcade games like ddr, those ones when you race on the motorcycle, street fighter and pac man. He had a giant tv mounted on his wall in front of his bed and a wii console which I havent seen in years. "Told ya" he crossed his arms leaning against doorframe while admiring the dumb look of shock on my face.

"Where do we even start?" I was still looking around trying to pinpoint the first thing I wanted to do. "Doesn't matter where we start all you need to know is I'll kick your ass at any game in this room" his cockiness shines through, a side of him I haven't seen since I first met him.

What he didn't know was how competitive I can get "You're gonna be very disappointed when you realize how much you suck compared to me, especially when I beat you in dance revolution" It was on now. I can see a gleam in his eyes and knew he was almost if not just as competitive as I am.

Twelve rounds, six wins , and six loses later. We decided to watch a movie. "How's it feel to loose to someone as amazing as I?" I stood on his bed placing my hand on my hips. I'm sure he's yet to meet someone as dramatic as me. "We both won and lost the same amount of time so I'd say we're equally as amazing if you ask me" hes right about that but this his room and his games that he plays all the time if he didn’t win then it would be embarrassing. Hyunjin pulls my right leg causing me to fall on his bed. "You asshole!" My body had no control over itself. It was bouncing up and down on its own and I couldn't even stop it.

"You were to one who wanted to watch a movie and you can't even sit still" Hyunjin teases while I finally get myself together and sit up all the way in the bed. "Plus you weren't calling me a asshole when I took you out of your room." I gasped while holding my chest. "Oh how dare you?" I squinted my eyes at him and he laughed at me.

I must admit I haven't felt this good in a few days. I almost forgot that I was being held against my will but the thought is always in the back of my mind. I finally settle down and Hyunjin was nice enough to let me choose the movie I wanted. So here we were, on the bed watching a movie. For comfort I lay my head on his shoulder and her wraps his wraps around me.

I felt relaxed and almost safe. Soon I fell asleep with the movie playing in the background. Hyunjin was staying still trying not to wake me up. In fact so still that he ended up falling asleep himself.

I just needed to wake up on time before Chris realizes that I'm gone.

Previous/next

[afairytalestray]

The Dawn of the Age of Skimblegus

One of the most underrated ships in all of Cats.

Part 9 of my Cats pre-canon headcanon series (masterpost here), coming at you after delay caused by me taking forever to write this rather long instalment basically from scratch! But anyway it’s here now, and we’re back on character backstories, this time: Skimbleshanks, Asparagus, and a wee bit of Tumblebrutus being a mischievous sunshine smol. This one is maybe the longest one I’ve done yet; this was entirely unintentional and unplanned - it literally came to me as I was writing it. There is far too little Skimblegus content out there so I am creating the content I want to see! Just a content warning to start with: this one gets a bit dark - there’s a character death. Nothing too gruesome, but it is there. However, due to who I am as a person, it does have a happy ending. Without further ado, please enjoy!

Skimbleshanks, despite having god-tier dad skills, never actually has any biological kittens of his own. He’s something of an uncle figure to many of the Cats in the Junkyard (and the future adopted father of Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer - coming in a future post), and is perfectly happy with his lot. In his youth, he was very much a free spirit. He had itchy paws, and when he discovered the trains he became obsessed with travelling up and down the country on them. His time on the trains became a delight to the human rail workers and regular passengers, and he became quite well-known as the Railway Cat - the workers even set him up his own little office (like Tama!). At first, he split his time fairly evenly between the trains and the Junkyard - as much as he loved to travel, there was one thing he loved more: his best friend Asparagus (Jr.).

Skimbleshanks and Asparagus grew up together and were nigh inseparable from each other for most of their kittenhood. Skimble couldn’t tell you when exactly his feelings shifted from platonic to romantic, it was a very gradual thing. Asparagus can - the first time Skimble went away on the trains for more than a day, he realised he missed him more than a normal amount and it quickly clicked into place. It was normal for Skimble to set off in the morning and bounce back in the evening, but this time felt like forever. Never being a shy one, Asparagus resolves to tell Skimble when he returns. Even though he doubts Skimble feels the same way (Y’ALL), he hates keeping secrets from his best pal, and he’s confident their friendship is strong enough to survive it.

But when Skimble came back the next day, he just couldn’t do it. Skimble was high as a kite; he went on for an age about all the things he saw, how amazing the trip was, how amazing all the trips were, how the longer ones were so exciting, how he wants to go here, there, and everywhere etc…. And all Asparagus can think about is that they seem fundamentally incompatible. Asparagus has always been a homebody. He’s quiet, likes the comfort of his own den, always being close to his family, and has never had that adventurous streak that fuels Skimble’s every move. And the thought that even if Skimble did feel the same it wouldn’t work, that is far too painful to entertain. He would want to be close to Skimble, but knows he could never be happy constantly flitting from place to place. He also could never ask Skimble to give it up knowing how happy it makes him. So, Asparagus makes the call to swallow it all down for now, and then let it go. This choice, unfortunately and unintentionally, causes a bit of a gap to grow between them, as Asparagus struggles to act normal around him and needs a bit of space to get over the feelings.

At this point, Skimbleshanks is aware of his own feelings, but for the life of him can’t work out how to express them. He desperately wants to, and is constantly thinking of new ways to do it, but keeps binning them when they’re not totally perfect. It has to be perfect! He also notices that Asparagus has been acting weird around him, but can’t get him to talk about it. It worries him, but he doesn’t want to push the issue, and he has his trains to distract him after all. A week or so later, he sets off on a multi-day trip, resolving that if Asparagus is still off when he gets back, he’s going to trap them both in the old wardrobe so they can hash it out properly, Skimble can confess and then they’ll all live happily ever after. 

There was nothing that could’ve prepared him for what he came back to.

Asparagus was right back to normal, albeit with the small caveat that he had met someone. A queen, a pretty ragdoll queen who was calm, clever and cautious, a little shy and reserved. When Asparagus excitedly introduced them Skimble felt his heart break, but he plastered a smile on his face and let Asparagus tell him all about how they met and how crazy their instant connection was. Asparagus had never meant to meet someone else, but he thought the best way to get over Skimble was to try and make some new friends, so despite his dislike of interacting with the general public and talking to strangers, he trotted on over to one of Bustopher’s clubs where he met Caorann. They both had a lot in common and hit it off right away, both of them bonding over trying to hide in the same corner since neither of them were comfortable in a room full of unknowns. Genuinely, the only other Cat Asparagus had had such a fast and strong connection with was Skimble, and since he had resolved to let his feelings for him go, he thought it would be a good thing to see where this might lead. The two of them fell in love quickly.

Skimble wanted to be furious, he really did, but he couldn’t. Caorann was nervous around him but always very sweet. Although she never knew about Skimbleshanks’ old feelings for Asparagus, she knew he was very important to him, and always strived to make a good impression. He was miserable and wanted to hate her, and at first couldn’t see how the two were a good match. But he could never bring himself to even dislike her, because it became very obvious very quickly that the two were more than a good match. Skimble, bless him, had never really considered the long term ramifications of being in a relationship with Asparagus, and was abruptly slapped in the face by all the same things that had occurred to Asparagus before: that the two were very different, and that their lifestyles just weren’t all that compatible. Caorann was a good match for Asparagus: neither of them were particularly adventurous, their idea of a perfect day involved little more than basking in a quiet patch of sunlight, and they shared the same lack of concern for the bustle and goings on of life outside their little happy bubble and the same desire to be comfortably settled. Fundamentally, at that time, Caorann was the better choice. Despite that, Skimble can’t help but think he might have given it all up for a chance to be with Asparagus.

But that hurt too much to think about, so Skimble went back to his trains, unable and unwilling to break Asparagus out of a happy relationship with someone else, but it never quite brought him the same joy as before. But it was a whole lot better than constantly seeing the Cat he loved in love with someone else, so he spent more and more time away from the Junkyard. The hurt lessened, after a while. It never really went away, but he found he was able to genuinely be happy when Caorann became pregnant, and vowed through joyful tears to be the best uncle in the world for little kitten Tumblebrutus when he was born.

On the day it happened, Skimbleshanks had recently gotten back to the Junkyard when a loud screech and a wail shattered the calm of the evening. Running towards the sound, the source was a sight that still gives him nightmares to the present day: baby Tumble screaming and crying as he lay trapped under the motionless bodies of his parents. It came out later that the three of them had gone on a family walk together, and on their way back as they crossed the road to the Junkyard, a car suddenly skidded round the corner and hurtled towards them as fast as lightning. Without thinking, Caorann and Asparagus threw themselves in front of their son. It worked. Little Tumble was almost completely unharmed, but Caorann was killed instantly, and they thought Asparagus had been too. However, as they were moved off of the road, they noticed Asparagus was breathing. It was extremely weak and laboured, but he was breathing.

Skimble can barely remember the weeks that followed. He only has flashes of burying Caorann, mostly remembering how it was wrong that Asparagus wasn’t there. All he can really remember was that everything hurt and was awful, and that he did whatever he could to help Jennyanydots, who took sole charge of Asparagus’ care (she and Jellylorum were already fully trained healers then, but Asparagus is Jelly’s little brother, and it was very difficult for her). He also tried to help look after Tumblebrutus, who was too young to understand what was going on. It took Asparagus a fortnight to wake up properly, and several more weeks to be able to move about independently again. When he woke up, he was deeply altered. He was in terrible physical pain, but also became emotionally despondent when he learned about Caorann. Skimble stayed by his side the whole time, trying to coax him into talking, maybe even smiling, and very gradually they made progress. Asparagus mourned his partner deeply, and was only able to pull himself out of it when he realised that Tumble needed him. It took a long time, but eventually Asparagus came back to himself.

To most other Cats, at least. Skimble was probably the only one who saw that Asparagus still had moments of deep sadness. To the others it just looked like he had zoned out for a moment, but Skimble knew those were the times when he was thinking about Caorann. These moments got easier for Asparagus to deal with over time, and although at times he missed her, it became pleasant for him to talk about her with Tumble, and he could remember their time with happiness instead of sadness, and eventually even realised that he was ready to try being with someone else.

The problem with that though, was that the accident had greatly damaged his body. He has chronic pain; he can no longer really dance like he used to, and can’t move around very far - leaving the Junkyard is no longer really an option for him. To his surprise, his old feelings for Skimble started to resurface. Although, he shouldn’t really have been surprised. Skimble had hardly left his side at all since the accident happened (the trains are in CHAOS), he’d been there through all the setbacks and progress, his meticulous nature shining through in his diligent care. He was such a constant in his life to the extent that Tumblebrutus was genuinely shocked when he learned that Skimble actually wasn’t related to him in any way (he basically sees Skimble as a second dad). However, Asparagus is more decided than ever that they wouldn’t work as a couple, seeing as how now he couldn’t join Skimble’s journeys even if he did want to. Skimble, though, is the deepest romantic at heart. He never stopped loving Asparagus, but knew he was needed as a friend first and foremost, so that’s what he was. He always says to himself that if they were ever to be more, he would never want to replace Caorann, so it would only be when Asparagus asked. So naturally, nothing ever happens.

Until Tumble puts his paw down. As he gets older, he struggles to understand why his two dads aren’t together. He knows about his mother, of course, but believes with his whole heart (correctly) that she would want them to be happy. He begins to plot ways to get them together, but doesn’t make much progress with the two stubbornly resistant Cats until Mistoffelees helps him. 

When Misto arrives in the Junkyard he’s looked after by Skimble, who introduces him to Tumble. Misto is painfully shy and quiet, but with Asparagus as his dad Tumble is very used to quiet Cats, and Misto becomes a tentative friend. By the time Misto is mated, more confident and moving out from Skimble’s care, he wants to thank him for everything he’s done and how kind he’s been, and asks Tumble for help. Tumble immediately tells all about how grossly in love his dads are, but that they aren’t together for some reason despite his best efforts. The two of them decide that the dawn of the age of Skimblegus is nigh, and come up with a plan.

The next day the two of them separately lure Skimble and Asparagus to a secret location under the guise of “it’s a surprise”, which works despite its simplicity as Skimble is very fond of Misto and Asparagus is Tumble’s loving father. The secret location is revealed to be a nice picnic setup, and the boys each leave their respective parent figure with the cryptic message of “do yourself a favour and tell him.” Skimble and Asparagus decide to play along, but all mystery is very quickly dropped, as the picnic is very clearly romantic and intended to be a date. Things are a bit awkward at first, but the two soon fall into their usual easy rhythm. That is, until Asparagus jokes about this being Tumble’s idea of a date (“I mean, it’s not like it’s bad or anything, but like, yeah…” “Haha, yeah, as far as romantic gestures go it’s pretty good.” “It is kinda romantic, isn’t it?” “It is a bit, but like, that’s not a bad thing of course!” “Of course! I can think of far worse dates to be on!” “And Cats to be with!” “Is this… I mean, are we, you know, on a date right now?” and so on).

And then finally, finally, it all comes out. Skimble finally reveals that he’s been in love with Asparagus his whole life, but never got the chance to tell him before, then didn’t know if he could or should after everything; and Asparagus says that he loved him before and again now, but just doesn’t know that it would work. It all gets very sappy and mushy, but they ultimately decide to give it a go. And it works! The two of them have always gotten along like a house on fire, but now it’s more, and better! Tumble is ecstatic, and of course takes all the credit for himself (with the exception of the 20% he grants Misto). Skimble does go back to the trains, he’s missed them, but now he spends maybe only ⅓ of his time there, and the other ⅔ in the Junkyard with his beloved Asparagus. They’re both extremely happy with the balance, and always spend hours catching each other up when Skimble returns. Although Skimble is very much still an adventure-seeker, now that he’s a bit older and more mature he definitely enjoys a long nap curled up with his partner! They’re a happy, healthy couple who support each other, make each other laugh, and make the worst dad jokes you can possibly imagine.

[hteragram-x]

Remus Sanders is an artist HCs – part 2

Next part of [THIS POST]

It may be slightly more angsty than last time... (but it’s still packed with this Creativitwins content I crave... plus there are hints at Intrulogical, Dukeceit, and Intruality).

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21. When Remus wants Logan to join him with creating new hybrids and some weird terraformations in the Imagination he leans in way too close and asks: “wanna play god?” in a seductive voice. (Works every time.)

22. He paints a lot and he usually needs gigantic canvas, because he’s very expressive and energetic, so the paint goes everywhere (including the artist himself… I mean he drinks it) and he’s got no patience to deal with some small easel when he has A VISION.

23. He likes recreating already existing famous paintings, but – obviously – makes them more sexual and/or bloody. The more disturbing the better.

24. He knows quite a lot about classical art and the well known artists. If you want to rebel against the rules you need to know them first, right? (he learnt that too)

25. Remus is better with theory, Roman has more artistic intuition when it comes to new techniques. So they can often teach each other. Remus giving the facts and Roman quickly coming up with new ways to apply this knowledge in practice. (Logan’s very proud.) They generally like trying new techniques and materials to paint or sculpt together.

26. Remus, just like Roman, really wants a big audience (or any audience, at least). The fact that he’s “trapped” in Thomas’ mind is sometimes depressing, because his brother’s ideas are quite often created in the real world, but his art stays in the subconscious with no one to witness its disturbing glory.

27. So Roman made him an art gallery where he can display all his proudest creations. Most of the visitors are just the made up people from Imagination, but sometimes one of the sides will go there too. Patton has more than once spent the entire evening looking at the displays through his fingers, but he’s seen every single work of art and tried real hard to honestly compliment at least one thing about all of them. (He even took the autograph. Remus definitely didn’t cry.)

28. Once Roman and Remus decided to paint each other portraits and then autoportraits to hang them together for comparison. It started as a friendly competition to brag about their skills, but it turned out that each brother painted their twin with much more sad expression than they had on their autoportraits. They decided to not talk about it again, but they kept the paintings in their rooms nonetheless.

29. Remus once gave every side their portrait for birthday or nameday. They were very… ehm… realistic. Let’s just say that not every side wants to show them publically.

30. He likes asking other sides to be his models as a sneaky excuse to spend time with them. Most of them already discovered his intentions, but they come to his study anyway. Deceit is the most patient and graceful model and the only one willing to take off any clothes (to show more scales, mostly). Logan can be patient too if you let him read or rant about something while posing. Patton is too energetic so he can only pose for quick sketches.

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31. Remus stopped asking Roman to be a model, because… well… He can just draw himself without moustache, since they are twins (in an AU where the sides don’t look exactly the same…; if they do look alike, then he can draw anyone and put into Roman’s costume). But to be honest Roman just can’t stay in one position for more than twelve seconds. He’s easily distracted and gets excited, leave him alone.

32. When the twins were little they drew a lot pictures together on a giant cardboard. You could always guess which part was done by which twin. (And they really made Patton suffer by constantly asking which one he likes more.)

33. One of Remus’ biggest dreams is for Thomas to direct a horror movie. The most obnoxious and over the top production, full of gore, but with a super sad ending that affects you more than all the limbs and eyeballs flying around earlier.

34. He has at least twenty variants of the script and a long list of ideas (such as the designs of the monsters and precise descriptions of gruesome deaths), but at some point he realized that his big project will never be transferred to the silver screen. He gave up on asking Thomas about it after the seventh script, but kept writing.

35. When asked nicely he will paint, draw, sculpt etc. something pretty and delicate for others. Sometimes other sides do that to tease him and see him sketching fluffy animals, but he actually appreciates that they want his art. So if he spends a quiet evening painting some sunflowers in watercolours it’s all good. (But they better praise his work adequately. He could have spent that time sketching naked dudes, so be grateful, Janus.)

36. When struck with a sudden wave of inspiration Remus will write down his idea (or sketch something) no matter the situation. With a fork on the wall? Sure. With permanent marker on his forehead. Of course. (So you should not be surprised to see him walking all day with the words “tentacles, birthday cake, salt” written all over his face.)

37. He likes designing tattoos. He even put them on two other sides (they agreed!). [I’m not going to tell which ones.] And he really enjoyed it. You combine art with causing pain. How could he not like it?

38. He did at some point use his own blood to paint. It’s Remus, let’s be real.

39. When he’s melancholic and needs a change he likes to stay on his side of Imagination and just shift all the things around. He rebuilds the parts of his tower or let the forest grow at the impossibly fast speed. He doesn’t consider it art, but he often ends up with something new and interesting, so maybe it is? (plus he feels better afterwards)

40. But when he’s extra sad, he would just sit down and write poetry. Because he honestly thinks that poems are kind of lame. And what’s lamer than being sad, am I right? haha (someone hug him).

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I don’t know if I’m finished with this list… Probably not.

[Again, part one is HERE.]

[gaaruto-kage]

It’s Alright - Gaara x Reader

Oh, it's alright, oh

Oh, hey

I had a night I had a day

I did one million stupid things

I said one billion foolish things

I'm not okay

I got a baseball bat beside my bed

To fight off what’s inside my head

To fight off what’s behind my meds

I'm lonely, lost in pain

You woke up, the dark, still air interrupted only by the slight sounds of crying and whimpering coming from beside you in the bed. You rolled over to look at your partner, Gaara, to find the sounds coming from his grimace-twisted mouth. His fists clenched so tightly around the blanket that his knuckles were white and a thin sheen of sweat coated his forehead, causing his red hair to stick to it in clumps. You knew what this was, another one of his nightmares, and immediately you sat up and reached your hands out towards him, one on his shoulder gently shaking him and one pushing his sweat-soaked hair away from his face. It took a minute, but eventually his eyes opened and he looked around frantically before seeing you. He all but threw himself into your arms and relaxed into your touch while you rubbed his back and whispered reassuring words into his ear.

It's alright, it's okay, it's alright, it's okay

You're not a monster, just a human

And you made a few mistakes

It's alright, it's okay, it's alright, it's okay

You're not gruesome, just human

And you made a few mistakes

It's alright, oh

It's okay, oh

After several minutes Gaara’s sobbing subsided to a few sniffles and his stiff body seemed to relax into you.

“Do you want to talk about it?” you asked, your gentle voice breaking the tense near-silence that had settled in the room. At first Gaara just nodded while his face was pressed into your neck, but then he pulled back and verbally responded with a quiet “yes”.

“Well, I’m right here my love. You talk when you’re ready,” you reassured. A few moments passed before he started speaking.

“I… I was a child again. Back during the chuunin exams. I was fighting Lee and I felt this unstoppable rage burning in me and… and I killed him. And then I turned and I, oh god I killed them all! There was blood everywhere, and it got mixed into my sand, and I just…” at this point Gaara’s description turned into an incoherent babbling with some gasps and sobs mixed in, so you pulled him into your arms again and rubbed his back as he let it all out again.

Goddamn

I throw a brick right through the window

My life ignored the signals

I am high and drunk on ego

Can't see straight

So I just feel my way around and

I am touching, I am grabbing

Everything I can't be havin'

I am broken down in shame

Gaara mumbled something into your shoulder that you didn’t quite catch, so you asked him to repeat himself.

“I wanted to kill myself,” he whispered. “Right at the end of it, standing in the middle of all my carnage, all of the rage slipped away and I was me again. Me now, I mean, not the monster I was back then. I wanted to kill myself, as if that would somehow make up for all the destruction I had caused. And then I woke up.”

You were stunned into silence. Most of Gaara’s nightmares were about his childhood, when his father raised him to be remorseless, someone fueled only by anger and the sand demon trapped inside him, but this was one of the worst nightmares he’d had in a long time. You stayed quiet, unsure of what to say and unwilling to risk saying the wrong thing in case it might make things worse for Gaara.

You continued to rub his back and murmur throwaway phrases in between gentle kisses to the top of his head - things like “it’s okay now” and “it was just a dream” and “you’re safe here”. Eventually he calmed down enough to want to try and go back to sleep. Once under the blanket, you pulled him close so he could still feel your comforting embrace even after he fell asleep again.

It's alright, it's okay, it's alright, it's okay

You're not a demon, there's a reason

You behaved in that way

It's alright, it's okay, it's alright, it's okay

And I believe, yes I believe

That you will see a better day

It's alright, oh

It's okay, oh

It's alright, oh

“Am I a monster?” Gaara’s question rang out in the silence. A couple of hours had passed and you figured he had fallen back asleep by now, even if you hadn’t. You propped your head up on your arm so you could get a good look at him as he stared hopelessly at you.

“No, Gaara, you’re not a monster,” you replied.

“But, all those people I hurt-”

“The people in your dream?”

“The people in real life.” Your words caught in your throat. It had been a long time since Gaara was the kind of person who hurt people just to see them in pain, the cold killer his father wanted him to be, but it was clear that he still thought of himself that way sometimes. Maybe this most recent nightmare brought up old fears. You went to place your hand on his cheek to comfort him, but he flinched when he saw it come near his face so you let it drop to your side instead.

“Gaara, I don’t think you’re a monster,” you said quietly.

“I’ve killed so many people, and hurt countless others. I’ve destroyed lives in ways that I can’t take back. I try to make things better using my power as the Kazekage, but no matter what I do it won’t bring those people back. They’re gone forever, and still they won’t leave me alone.” He sat up straight in bed and you followed suit. “I’m going for a walk. Don’t follow me.” As he said this, he got up and began getting dressed.

“Gaara, what are you doing?” You reached for his hand but he pulled away too quickly for you to grab it.

“I need to clear my head.”

“Let me help you, please.”

“No. You stay here. I don’t… I don’t want to hurt you too.” With that he pulled on his shoes and made his way swiftly out the door. You waited about thirty seconds before pulling on your own sandals and slipping as quietly as you could after him.

I don't wanna know who I am

'Cause heaven only knows what I’ll find

I don't wanna know I'm not capable of coming out alive

I don't wanna see what's inside

I think that I would rather be blind

I don't wanna know I'm not capable, I'm capable

You followed Gaara through the town and towards the outskirts of Suna, sticking to the shadows and making sure not to create any sounds that could alert him to your presence. After what seemed like ages considering the sky had just begun to get lighter with the promise of the sunrise Gaara finally stopped walking as he made it to the entrance of the cemetery. He paused for a moment before making his way not to his mother’s grave as you had known him to do on the occasion, but rather to the opposite side of the cemetery where the former Kazekages were buried, including his father.

Gaara made it to the large stone that marked where his father’s body rested in the ground and immediately fell to his knees. You wanted to rush forward, but knew it would be better to stay hidden and not let Gaara know just yet that you had followed him. On his knees before the great stone marker he looked so small and helpless. That, coupled with the crying you could now hear coming from him, just about broke your heart. It hurt seeing the man you love breaking like this and knowing you could only do so much for him. After a few minutes you started to hear him actually say things, although a lot of it was lost to the distance.

“Why… turned me into… made me… a monster like you…”

At this point Gaara began pounding his fists into the sand below him and screaming out into the world. You saw the sand begin to move around him in ways you knew could only be due to his chakra. You felt the fear rise in your throat but swallowed it down hard. This was Gaara, and he wouldn’t hurt you. You trusted that much to be true. Even in this emotional and scared state he was in right now, he wouldn’t hurt you. You stepped forward out of the shadow and called out his name. He whipped around to face you, sand scattering around him and reforming into spikes and tendrils.

“I told you not to follow me here.” You steeled yourself and took a single step forward, then a second and a third. At this point the sand whipping around Gaara was close enough to just start hitting you, each grain feeling like the sting of an insect. It hurt, but you pushed through it.

“Gaara, this isn’t you,” you pleaded. You took another step and this time a tendril of sand shot forward and wrapped around your ankle, but quick as it latched on it pulled back.

“You’re wrong! I’m a monster! I kill people, and I hurt those I care about! It’s how I’ve always been and I’ve been kidding myself thinking I’ve changed!” The wind and sand grew harsher around you and felt something drip down your face. Blood, maybe, from the sand cutting your skin, or maybe you were crying.

“No Gaara, you’re not a monster.” Despite the worry and anger and sadness building up within you, you managed to keep your voice even. “That boy you once were, you’re not him anymore no matter how much you fear you might be. You unlearned every awful thing your father taught you, not just because other people love you but because you love them too. Temari, Kankuro, Naruto, everyone else from Leaf Village, you know you love them all. The old Gaara didn’t love anybody and didn’t care who he hurt. The Gaara standing here before me, he is so full of love and is only acting this way because he’s scared. That’s how I know you’ve changed.” With that, you rushed forward through the sand, ignoring the way it cut up your skin, and threw yourself at Gaara hoping your idea of what would happen was correct.

I'm alright, I'm okay, I'm alright, I'm okay

I'm not a monster, I'm a human

And I made a few mistakes

I'm alright, I'm okay, I'm alright, I'm okay

I'm not gruesome, just human

And I made a few

Everything was silent. You were laying on the ground and tried to pull yourself up, but something stopped you - Gaara’s arms wrapped tightly around your midsection. You shifted your head enough to take in your surroundings; the two of you were still in the cemetery laying in the sand in front of his father’s grave.

“Don’t get up yet, please.” Gaara’s voice was much quieter than you expected. It was as if he thought that being too loud would shatter the stillness that surrounded the two of you.

“What happened?” you asked, equally quiet.

“You saved me. My nightmare terrified me; I was so scared that I’d turn back into who I was that I almost did exactly that. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t been here for me.” You turned enough that you were able to see Gaara face to face.

“I love you, Gaara. I will be there for you whenever you need me.” He smiled before placing a gentle kiss on your forehead.

“What do you say we get out of here and lie someplace more comfortable, like our bed?”

“I like that idea.”

It's alright, it's okay, it's alright, it's okay

You're not a demon, there's a reason

You behaved that way

It's alright, it's okay, it's alright, it's okay

And I believe, yes I believe

That you will see a better day

It's alright, oh

It's okay, oh

It's alright, oh

And I believe, yes I believe

That you will see a better day

(It's alright)

________________________________________________________________

This is a loose sequel to my other Gaara fic All My Loving. Enjoy.

[atinybitofau]

M I N G I ↛ mafia au

THE KING AND THE QUEEN SHARE THE THRONE

part two

warning: it’s more darkly sweet than it is any comedic sorry guys 😭 I hope ya’ll still like it. fem!reader (it’s more obvious in this one so I’ll tag it in)

• you knew exactly who he was.

• what he does for a living.

• and how much you want it.

• it hasn’t been long since you were globally recognized as

• X

• the notoriously masked racer that was sweeping underground royalty like you were a steel broom.

• but you needed the money.

• –is what you thought when you first started all of this.

• now you got greedy.

• you wanted it all.

• the fame, the fortune, the power

• you forget sometimes you have to hide well.

• Song Mingi was not just the top racer in South Korea’s illegal racing scene—

• he was also an infamous leader of the most wanted mafia syndicate in the world.

• but with your smarts and legacy,

• you didn’t think he’d ever find you even considering his own.

• “Who is he?” Mingi asks himself fingers running over his parted lips, watching from the skybox of the arena.

• your technique was flawless, it was.

• it was elegant almost.

• an alluring sight like a beauty of a woman

• not anything he’s ever seen a man in his racing history ever pull.

• “I want you to find him. And I want you to bring him to me.”

• his men scurry out and he’s playing with his glass in interest as you win yet another one of his organized tournaments.

• you were getting closer to the top.

• and he was starting to feel your threat.

• and Song Mingi does not handle his threats all that well.

• so he finds you.

• quite easily actually.

• unmasking that you were in fact NOT a man

• but a gorgeous woman with hips that threatened him worse than you behind the wheel as an opponent.

• threaten his insides and the small insanities to his limits.

• “Sir. We’re receiving a distress call from Seonghwa in Daegu. Says they’ve been ambushed. Would you like to send your men?”

• he’s more focused on you than his own affairs.

• caught in fondness and adoration at your beauty and stride.

• he thinks that it’s too good to be true.

• that you’re just a uni undergrad with an innocent addictive smile.

• “Send them.”

• he doesn’t want to let you out of his sight.

• but he knows he’ll eventually have you.

• have you right where he wants you.

• “And I want this woman to be guarded in return. This is Seonghwa’s territory after all.”

• “But sir—“

• Mingi darkly smiles at his chauffeur through the glass and taunts back. “That meeting I have this Saturday? With San? Cancel it. I want everyone on my spectrum to watch her crash and burn at the arena that day instead. I want her to receive that invitation please.”

• “But.” The chauffeur firms. “But sir.”

• “Make sure she keeps her mask held on tight. Her face is only for my glory to bask.”

• defeatedly, his driver sighs. “Yes sir.”

• but you, you’re beyond excited and no where near defeat

• this was the day you’ve been waiting for.

• and you’re revving your engine beside the most powerful man in the world himself with millions of his people— loyal people watching.

• you wanted his power.

• you craved his greed.

• you don’t forget however to look at the drop dead gorgeous face he has and sex appeal too right before the green light switches on.

• he smirks under his helmet when he catches the faint reflection in your eyes in the car across him.

• you remind him of himself.

• and he lets you crash and burn just like he did many years ago.

• in a more gruesome than kind intended gesture.

• despite your loss,

• his people are impressed

• by the many times you managed to scratch Mingi’s prized possession down to only shreds left.

• but he didn’t mind.

• you were his new prize.

• though, you think you’re in the clear for the most part.

• your first loss and your final hurrah

• till he has you pinned against your vehicle 10 miles away from where you two once were,

• eyes opposite but hearts aflame.

• “Damn, you’re more beautiful up close than words can even convey, princess.”

• you let out a shaky breath and your knees buck beneath you.

• sure you know Song Mingi.

• but not when he was an erotic romantic.

• this handsome, this tall, this broad.

• not when he was obviously this dominant and that much cocky.

• more to your liking than you’d assume

• “I-I’m sorry. I got lost on my way back home. Made a wrong turn.”

• he snickers at your excuse. “You owe me more than just an aimless sorry for trashing my prized possession with your crap driving. Come on now, princess. Don’t be a pain in the ass. I don’t like it.”

• you’re doubling up in heat when he presses against you further.

• eyes rolling back when his nose traces against your skin like a predator.

• but you’re very ready to be hunted.

• prepared almost.

• “Fuck. You make me want to keel over for you. Been waiting all fucking week to get you like this.”

• “I don’t know.. dont know what you’re talking about.”

• yeah you do.

• you don’t think you do but yeah you do.

• finding your loss against him more of a win when he held you up on top of your car hood.

• “You should thank me baby.”

• you’re letting him.

• letting him savor you like the prize he deserved after showing you, he is the top—

• the undefeated victor and you’ll always be the second.

• “Scratched that paint away and gave you this new paint job.” He’s talking about the car you had him trapped against, legs straddling his waist. “Will give you more than that if you let me, princess.”

• he’s chuckling sinisterly, hands trembling when he finally touches the burning skin beneath your clothes.

• it doesn’t take that long staring into your eyes till he knew—

• “I want to spend the rest of my life with a woman who could keep up with me.” he’s praising you. “Testy and talented in all fields like myself.”

• “What makes you think I would meet those expectations, Mr. Song?”

• his body’s shaking from excitement.

• “Your body, the way your voice racks my brain, how you could beat me at my own game.”

• “I’m glad you know your place.”

• this big bad mafia boss didn’t scare you.

• in fact, he made you giddy in all the right ways.

• you were both on top.

• both conquerors.

• and you both thought the same thing wanting to conquer the world together.

• “You should thank me for this. You’ll thank me for this one day. I’m almost certain.”

• you smile against his lips, fond in your winners circle.

• “I can’t thank you for learning the things I’m better at on my own.”

• your hands clutch around his collar and he’s on thin ice.

• it makes you keen how you got the mighty Mafia god to melt at your touch.

• “Then teach me. Teach me the things you learned. The things I never could without you.”

• you two are in your own world of power.

• and he was sure he would put his temper to the test with having you.

• “Be my queen. Sit on my lap while I sit on the throne, princess. And I’ll give you more than just a meaningless win in my arena.”

• his teeth bare against your smile when he’s ecstatic your body approves.

• “Give me a win under your terms every day next and I’ll consider the conditions.”

• he knew what you meant

• and fuck was he more than happy to comply to it.

• “Your wish is my command.”

• you feel like you’re more in a fairytale then a real life crime syndicate.

• falling in love with your very own king.

@atinybitofau

[letmetellyouaboutmyfeels]

Hey I love you writing and just binge read some of you stuff on ao3 I was wondering if your still doing the September prompt list could you pls consider writing something for 5-“—Come and help me. I am disappearing.” Or 6-“You can love him but you can’t keep him.” For geraskier 😊

I don’t understand you guys all seem determined for me to break your hearts why my children why who hurt you. This is the prompt list, by the way.

I’m gonna go with number five, story below the cut!

Jaskier wasn’t sure what to expect when he got Geralt’s hastily-scribbled note. Come and help me. I am disappearing.

That, frankly, could’ve meant any number of things. But he was used to the odd nature of the Path by now, so he begged off the concert he was supposed to be performing that night, and headed for the woods just north of Novigrad.

He found Roach, all right, but no sign of Geralt.

“Hello, girl.” This Roach had a smaller star on her face than most of the others, and a gentler temperament. She happily accepted the apple that Jaskier gave her. All Roaches were suckers for apples. “Where’s Geralt, huh? Where is he, girl.”

Geralt’s things were all here, including his two swords. That wasn’t a good sign. But after half a century traveling with him, Jaskier knew how to look for signs of a struggle, and there were none of those, either. What had happened?

Perhaps Geralt was... bathing in a creek somewhere. Or checking snares. Jaskier settled down to wait.

It had been late afternoon when he’d found Roach and the campsite, but the moon was up in full by the time he heard someone (or something) returning to camp. The bushes rustled and Jaskier tightly gripped the dagger Geralt had gifted him with ten years ago, ready, alert for anything--

A large, white wolf padded into the campsite.

Jaskier’s breath caught. The wolf looked... well, he had golden eyes, to be sure, but there was no spark of life or recognition in them. He looked savage in a way that Geralt never did. He looked empty on the inside. Like an animal, not like the man that Jaskier loved.

He crouched down. The wolf growled. Jaskier glanced at the dagger in his hand. “Is this upsetting you?”

The wolf growled louder. Jaskier set the dagger down on the ground, even though he could hear Geralt in his head chastising him for leaving himself unarmed. Jaskier reached out, his palm down, hand limp. “Go on. You can sniff. Sniff me, you’ll remember. I know you will.”

The wolf glanced over at Roach hungrily, and that scared Jaskier more than anything else. Had Geralt come here because he knew to come back to his campsite? Or had he simply smelled horseflesh and seen the firelight and thought only of his next meal?

Jaskier made soft, cooing noises, clucking his tongue. “No, you’re not eating the horse. Look at me. Smell me, Geralt. Come on.” He stretched his hand out further.

For a moment, he thought the wolf might snap forward and bite his hand off. Jaskier was certain the creature could hear his heart beating wildly in his chest. But Geralt had never hurt him, not even while in the grip of his worst potions or while flailing with fever. Somewhere, somehow, Geralt was in there. In the wolf. And he wouldn’t hurt Jaskier.

The wolf’s lip curled, a snarl stuck in his throat - and then he seemed to finally catch a whiff of Jaskier’s scent.

He inched closer, nose first, sniffing delicately. It felt like an age until his muzzle bumped up against Jaskier’s knuckles. Jaskier’s legs trembled with the effort keeping himself still, keeping himself from burying his face in that soft fur.

The wolf licked at Jaskier’s fingers, and then he was launching himself at Jaskier, knocking the bard to the ground, snuffling all over Jaskier’s face and neck, trying to lick right into Jaskier’s mouth.

Jaskier laughed. “There you are, you big softie. I knew it was you in there somewhere.”

He petted through all that thick, luxurious white fur, wrapping his arms around Geralt’s neck. “You’re losing yourself, aren’t you? That’s what you meant. The wolf’s taking over, isn’t it?”

Geralt made a mournful sound, almost but not quite a howl. Jaskier rubbed one of those big, velvet soft ears. “Who did this to you? Who hurt you like this?” He’d rip the person from groin to crown for this. Geralt had to be terrified, trapped like this, unable to do anything except slip slowly into the animal he’d always fought so hard not to be.

Jaskier didn’t get an answer, just got Geralt settling more firmly on top of him and giving Jaskier his most mournful expression. “Oh, don’t look at me like that, you’ll break my heart.” Jaskier scratched behind Geralt’s ears, then took Geralt’s muzzle in his hand and solemnly kissed his nose. “We’ll set you to rights, don’t you worry.”

Almost instantly, Geralt began to shift and change. He let out a noise that was half howl, have hoarse scream. A horrible cracking noise - no, multiple cracking noises - filled the air. Jaskier scrambled back, bile rising in his throat as the wolf skin began to - to tear itself apart from the inside, blood and viscera everywhere like a gruesome parody of birth, limbs cracking and mutating, snapping this way and that, the scream of pain getting louder and louder--

Jaskier’s stomach heaved and he nearly threw up as Geralt terribly, horrifically, underwent transformation.

At last he lay on the blood-soaked ground, sweating, shaking, his body limp. Human again.

Jaskier crawled over to him, hauling Geralt’s head into his lap. “Geralt, Geralt, talk to me.” He brushed the blood-stiff hair out of Geralt’s face. “I’m here, I’m here, I’m here.”

Geralt reached up clumsily, taking Jaskier’s hand in his. “Couldn’t... remember you. Then I smelled... sweetgrass. Chamomile. You always smell like...”

“I know.” Geralt had told him many a time how Jaskier smelled to him. “Rest. It’s all right.”

Taking that as his cue, Geralt’s eyes rolled back into his head and he passed out.

It wasn’t until morning - after Jaskier had gotten him bathed and fed and watered - that Geralt was able to explain. “Pissed off a sorcerer. He cursed me to become a wolf. At first just at night, but then all day, and every time - I’d be less human. More wolf. Until...”

“Until you had disappeared.”

Geralt nodded. Jaskier listed to the side until he was resting his forehead on Geralt’s shoulder. Geralt kept staring into the woods, but his hand found Jaskier’s knee, squeezing it. “The curse could only be broken by...”

Jaskier could taste the annoyance in Geralt’s tone. “...true love’s kiss.”

“Oh, and you just hated that, didn’t you?” Jaskier kissed Geralt’s jaw. “I bet he did that just to piss you off. So you summoned me right away.”

“Of course I did,” Geralt replied, sounding put off. As if he was offended at the notion that he might’ve thought of someone else.

“And of course I didn’t hesitate to kiss you immediately.” Jaskier felt he had a right to be smug. “You were an adorable wolf, you deserved many kisses.”

“I could have killed you.” Geralt’s hand tightened around Jaskier’s knee. “If you’d been - too late - I wouldn’t have known you even by smell. I would’ve attacked you.”

“But I wasn’t, and you did know me, and you didn’t hurt me.” Jaskier laid his head on Geralt’s shoulder again. “You wouldn’t ever.”

“Hmm.” Geralt didn’t sound convinced, but that was all right. Jaskier had fixed it, and that was all that mattered.

He might get a very good song out of this, actually. What had the note said? Ah, yes. The wolf howls, oh, oh, oh, come help me... come help me, love, for I am disappearing... He could have some fun with the howling notes...

“Don’t,” Geralt growled. “Don’t you dare.” Like he could hear Jaskier’s thoughts.

After half a century together, maybe he could. Jaskier grinned. “Too late.”

The wolf howls...

[mewmedic]

An Offering, Chapter 3

Read it on AO3 here.

Summary: “Never, not even a killer deserves that.” Claudette replied, with genuine disgust on her face. She may be unable to hurt a fly, but she wouldn't hurt a murderer? Meg could understand the fear of retaliation from them, but if she could get away with attacking a killer, she would totally do it. Claudette was just too sweet, and the strong must protect the sweet. Claudette’s face was wrought with worry, like she wanted to say something but was afraid. “Meg, have you ever thought that maybe they don’t want to hunt us down?”

Warnings: None.

Notes: So this Chapter is technically shorter than chapter two but it is way longer than I expected. Whoops.

    Meg sat on a log, hugging her knees, while staring into the red-hot abyss that was the campfire. She couldn’t help but let her mind wonder over Claudette’s gentleness she experienced just a few hours ago. She really hoped Claudette wasn’t creeped out by all the hand holding and that hug. She didn’t want to rush Claudette into something she wasn’t comfortable with, but unfortunately speed was kind of Meg’s whole thing. Was she just being nice to her because she didn’t want to rock the boat? Claudette seemed like the type of person who would do that.

    The girl was torn from her thoughts when she felt another trial was incoming so she uncurled her body. It was only a matter of minutes before the other three were present at the campfire as well. She spotted the satchel of herbs in Claudette’s palms and decided to take an initiative with the conversation. Meg figured Claudette wasn’t the best at commanding attention through dialog. There was nothing wrong with that of course, she was clearly just an introvert.

    “Claudette and I found a plant called crispleaf amaranth. She thinks it might help us survive longer in a trial.” Meg tried to speak in a very series and concise tone, so the boys would take her seriously.

    “Well, it’s not a bag of weed so I doubt it will do much.” Jake snorted, like he though what he said was just so clever. This fucking guy. Always had to be a contrarian. Well Meg had something coming for him.

    “I saw you unhook and heal Dwight last trial. So maybe you secretly think these offerings work too! Or maybe you’re too scared to admit some flowers manipulated you into being nice for once!” Meg’s whole face had scrunched tight in frustration. With each word she said, she stepped closer to the man and then punctuated her anger with a finger pushing at his chest.

    “It’s true. Even if it’s a placebo effect we still had decent results.” Dwight added to the discussion with what seemed like reluctance, his eyes shifted and he rubbed his knuckles awkwardly. Meg being an extrovert, Dwight and Claudette being introverts, and Jake being whatever the hell he was sure lead to some interesting dynamics. Jake shot his view from Dwight to Meg rapidly, looking like a cornered animal ready to bounce back. He was clearly trying to come up with something to say, but then Claudette began to speak.

    “Meg told me about the trial. If Dwight had been injured when Meg was opening the gate, he wouldn’t have been able to take a hit for her. You did the right thing Jake, thank you.” Claudette’s kind tone quickly washed away the tension. Meg stepped back from Jake while he deflated his chest in embarrassment. She was dumbfounded by Claudette’s never-ending patience towards Jake’s petty quips. Meg was aware she wasn’t blameless either with her snapping at him, but goddammit, someone needs to make him be a team player. The fog began to creep in on the four survivors so Claudette quickly tossed the satchel into the flames.

    ***

The exit gates had been powered on and Meg was being chased by a killer they all call ‘The Wraith.’ He had been chasing her since the final generator had lit up so someone had to be close to opening a gate by now. She was injured and had been hooked twice, so she just had to find a gate and fast. Relief blessed her when she saw the three glowing red bulbs of an exit gate in the distance, with Claudette manning the switch.

    “Open it, open it, open it!” Meg panicked, narrowly dodging an attack from the monster’s disgusting blade.

    “It’s almost there- It’s- It’s done!” Claudette was just as stressed as Meg; she could see an injury on her arm now that she had rounded the corner of a wooden wall. The door of the gate began to move swiftly but Claudette was transfixed to the switch. “Wha-What about Dwight and Jake?!”

    “They can leave through the other gate! He’s gonna have to chase us out!” Meg had finally reached Claudette and grabbed her by the hand, ushering her past the opened gate. The two ducked together as the beast swung one last time and tumbled over the threshold into the fog. They were safe, for now, all they could do now is wait for the boys. It only took about a minute for the two to emerge into the fog, both of them leaning on each other for support as they stumbled.

    “Aha! Now you can’t deny that offering worked. I bet none of us can even recall the last time we all got out alive.” Meg proudly boasted.

    “We won’t know for sure until we test it more.” Jake stated, trying to sound calm and collected under the pain of his bleeding. Claudette approached Jake and looked like she was going to start dressing his wounds but was stopped by Dwight.

    “J-Jake and I can tend to our wounds. You two can get more off-offerings.” Dwight added, his teeth nearly clattering as he talked. Claudette curled her index finger as if to beckon Meg to her tent and the walk together. She quickly entered her tent and returned with her trowel, a satchel, and some medical supplies. The two sat down cross legged in front of each other.

    “I want to show you how I heal myself without a med kit. I take this gauze out of a kit and stuff as much I can in my pockets. I also keep a wipe on me to clean the blood off wounds first. It’s not as clean a kit heal so it takes a longer.” Claudette explained matter-of-factually. Meg was dumbfounded, she had no idea Claudette even did this.

    There were periods in trials where Meg wouldn’t see her, this is what she must be doing during those times. Meg was aware that Claudette could heal herself better than her own teammates could, or maybe she just didn’t want to burden them? She needed to improve her healing skills either way. Claudette cleansed the blood running across the gash on the outside of her wrist. “Okay, so after you clean the blood off your skin… You can pin the beginning of the unrolled side of gauze in place with the thumb of your injured hand, then wrap it around your arm upwards.”

    As Claudette instructed, she began to cover her slashed arm in gauze. Meg’s eyes were glued to her actions. “If the gauze bleeds through on placement, you don’t want to take it off. That can do more harm than good. It’s better just to wrap around that area with another layer. After that, tie up the ends and wiggle your finger to check the circulation.” Claudette did exactly what she described and handed Meg her supplies.

    Meg’s injury was also on her arm, so she was at least able to imitate the other’s actions easily. She cleaned her wound, unraveled the gauze upward, and tied it off. Claudette leaned in and inspected the bandages as Meg stretched her fingers. Meg privately enjoyed the brief moment of closeness but anxiously waited to hear the other’s judgment. “You did well.” She said kindly. Meg pumped her fist in the air victoriously.

    The two girls stood and clasped each other’s hands, leaving the campsite for the fog. Meg looked over her shoulder and watched the twinkling of the fire get smaller and smaller. The only sound now was the thuds of their footsteps and their quiet breathing. The foggy expanse ahead of them eventually revealed a small array of flowers in the short distance. Meg and Claudette shot each other amused glances as they quickly approached the blooms. The petals were ruffled with pink edges that changed to a vibrant red in the center. The burst of color shocked Meg, she never imagined something so bright could be out here in the void. The primrose they originally found was quite nice, but whatever flower this was really knocked it out of the park.

    “This is sweet william, it is often used a symbol for passion and courage. The Roman goddess of the hunt, Diana, once plucked out the eyes of a man who had angered her. This flower grew from the dirt where his eyes fell.” Claudette enthusiastically explained.

    “Wow, she sounds like a badass. Maybe we can channel some of that boldness with these?” Meg suggested, jovially posing her free hand like a claw.

    “What?! I don’t want to rip anybody’s eyes out!” Claudette gasped and winced at the gruesome thought.

    “C’mon, not even a killer?” Meg tilted her head, intrigued by the other’s reaction.

    “Never, not even a killer deserves that.” Claudette replied, with genuine disgust on her face. She may be unable to hurt a fly, but she wouldn't hurt a murderer? Meg could understand the fear of retaliation from them, but if she could get away with attacking a killer, she would totally do it. Claudette was just too sweet, and the strong must protect the sweet. Claudette’s face was wrought with worry, like she wanted to say something but was afraid. “Meg, have you ever thought that maybe they don’t want to hunt us down?”

    “I… No, I haven’t.” Meg was aghast, she did her best to hold back a gaping jaw. She wanted to hear her out.

    “It’s possible someone hurt them too. Both Trapper and Hillbilly’s are covered in scars, and Wraith… When I look at him, I see anger, but I also see fear.” Claudette just sounded so somber with her words. Meg was astounded that Claudette could notice something like that and felt ashamed that she couldn’t. “I think if something is keeping us here, it also must be have trapped them somewhere.”

    Meg actually had considered there had been some sort of higher power controlling their new world. How else do could she explain the freaky claws that take them away when they die? Who teleports them to the trials? Who even brought them here in the first place? She assumed maybe this being worked for the killers or maybe were equals with them. Never could she imagine these murderers worked for whatever had abducted her. Was there truly something more dangerous than them? Her head was spinning and she need to stop thinking about this right now.

    She knelt down to the flowers and the other followed suit. Claudette seemed to take the hint that Meg was overwhelmed with existential dread as she moved on to digging with her trowel. The sweet william was neatly planted in her satchel. She then plucked one of the flowers and gently placed it above Meg’s ear. She revealed a coy smile as Meg’s face turned red from the gesture. Meg was frozen for a moment; all her thoughts were gone. All she could come up with was to swiftly mirror Claudette’s actions, she ripped a flower out and awkwardly set it on her ear too.

    Claudette giggled at the action and Meg just realized they were leaning towards each other gradually. They were intimately close now so she could study Claudette’s features. Her eyes were endlessly dark, she felt like she could dive into them and never return, and she would never want to either. Her brown lips looked warm and inviting, and they were getting larger as they continued to close the distance.

    “Can I… Can I kiss you?” Meg quietly asked.

    “I thought you’d never ask.” Claudette tenderly answered.

    Their lips brushed together and embraced the softness. The quiet of the fog was disrupted by fireworks exploding in Meg’s mind. She closed her eyes and the fear of killers their cruel god evaporated like they were nothing. Even if Meg were trapped in hell, at least Claudette could be her angel in this moment. The world was just Meg Thomas and Claudette Morel now. However, this peace could never last so the two retreated their lips. Meg knew they had to return to the camp eventually, and by the way Claudette was gripping her hand tightly, she must have known too. The two stood up together and began to walk back in the direction they came from.

    “So… Are we dating now?” Claudette blurted out. Meg’s breath hitched in her throat and she choked a little.

    “Erm, we can be if you want.” Meg nervously scratched at her neck and glanced away.

    “I do want to be dating you.” Claudette playfully declared with a bashful smile.

    “You do? Cool. ‘Cause I do too.” Meg responded casually, trying to act like it was no big deal.

    Dating? In this nightmare? The only thing stranger than being trapped in a realm where monsters kill you over and over again would be finding love in said realm. Love? Is that what this is? Was it too soon to tell? Meg had a habit of jumping to conclusions, after all, that was what brought her to follow Claudette into the fog in the first place. Maybe this was more of a leap of faith? Oh god, she’s letting her mind go wild again.

    The obscured glow of the campfire reaching her view snapped her out of those thoughts. The light got brighter and brighter until finally they were home. She didn’t want to think of this place as her home, but with Claudette by her side, it would be okay for now. Meg didn’t want them to go back to their tents like they normally would, she wanted this date to last a little bit longer. As if Claudette could read her mind, she guided her to sit on a log near the flames. So together they sat in silence, still holding hands, under the eternal night.

[kittypryde-bipride]

limbo

Trouble finds them – it’s never far behind Ed, even these days – and their peaceful days in Ishval are brought to a brutal end.

They’re being attacked by a group of rogue militants who had been loyal to Bradley, a mixed collection of soldiers and just a few alchemists, and they tear apart the start of the society they had been trying to build.

The moment there was a sign of trouble, Hohenheim and Catherine both pulled Ed between them in a desperate bid to keep him safe- there’s a day that he would’ve done the same for someone else, back when his automail arm was an asset rather than a liability and he could use his alchemy and creativity to turn the tide of any fight, but now he’s the one considered the weakest link and he’s getting pissed. There’s something to be said for his notoriety, but it’s liable to make things worse: the already gruesome scene could be made worse by the sight of the Fullmetal Alchemist, famous for his role in defeating Bradley and desertion of the military. Still, it’s not Ed’s way to hide from a fight.

He surveys the area around them, the structures they’d spent weeks toiling over being reduced to sand by horrifically grinning alchemists with some ready-made arrays, ragtag soldiers still wearing their blues wielding massive guns and turning them towards anyone who steps out of line.

All of their warriors were slaughtered years ago during the genocide and the remnants of Ishval gathered here are not fighters- they’re tough and wise, having witnessed horrors greater than anyone ever should, but they’re not fighters. There are no alchemists here but Hohenheim and Scar to turn the tide of battle, and those two are easily kept at bay by the soldiers pointing weapons at the more helpless Ishvalans present. Both of them are too weak to do the damage necessary- Hohenheim has grown old, over the past year, and Scar has not fully recovered from his fight with Bradley.

The remnants of Bradley’s regime finally recognize Hohenheim and Catherine uses her impossible strength to keep Ed pressed to her, hand pressed hard over his eyes as she struggles to keep him from following his dad- she doesn’t want him to see whatever happens.

After writhing furiously in her arms, he squirms enough that he manages to get his eyes on Hohenheim, just in time these soldiers firing a bullet into his chest at point-blank range.

Catherine’s arms loosen in shock, for just a moment, but it’s enough for Ed to break free and run to his dad. His breath is coming in fast, wheezing and clenching at his chest, and Hohenheim is breathing heavily too.

“N-no,” Edward says brokenly, ignoring the glares of the soldiers around him- it feels like time has slowed, has stopped for just the two of them. He looks up and sees the cold eyes of these murderers frozen as they glare towards him, sees Cat stopped with terror in her eyes and hands stretched towards him, Scar staring at him in silent resignation and regret. “I just got you back, Dad, I can’t-”

Hohenheim grasps Ed’s hand and smiles weakly, blood trailing out of his mouth. “It’s okay, Edward.”

But it’s not okay- Ed can practically feel the life draining out of Hohenheim, can tell that whatever bit of sacrificed souls that had been powering this Philosopher’s Stone has finally run dry, after thousands of years.

The moment is passing – whatever time these souls had granted them will be over soon, he can feel them practically screaming at him, telling him to do something while he’s got the chance – and Ed can see the worry in Hohenheim’s eyes as he glances towards the scattered Ishvalans, preparing for death.

“Ed-Edward,” he gasps, clinging to Ed’s hand ever tighter. “Help them, please.”

He feels rather than sees when time restarts and things start moving around them – Cat cries out for him, the last remnants of a nation are holding onto whatever hope of survival they can grasp, a soldier grabs the back of his shirt and tries to yank him away from his dying dad – and Edward screams, a raw and guttural thing.

Tears are streaming down his face and he’s terrified but the only thing he can seem to think is what will Al do if he lets their father die in vain, if he leaves him alone?

He grips tightly onto Hohenheim’s shirt and knows that he has to do something – but he’s useless without his alchemy – because these people are good, and he won’t let himself be connected to another total annihilation of a culture. He is one of the last pieces of Xerxes and he is burdened with the responsibility to protect the world from those same mistakes. He can do this.

His dad is the most powerful alchemist to ever live, but he was never human- Ed’s not really human, either. Hohenheim is a living Philosopher’s Stone, even weak as he is now, and the whole purpose of the stone is to circumvent the rules of the gate. For better or for worse, Ed is half Philosopher’s Stone- he was born to be an exception, rather than a rule.

It’s just like in Briggs, when he broke down his existence to a stone powered by a single soul, and he can see into Hohenheim, just like he did when he broke apart Pride.

It’s fighting him, it hurts to do this, but he forges forward and slams his hands into the Philosopher’s Stone that is his father, and pictures the metal guns in the soldier’s hands warping into something useless. He goes further and weakens the sand beneath these destructive alchemist’s feet, sinking them to their shoulders and trapping them so they can destroy nothing more. He grins, drinking in this power he’d thought was lost forever, and reconstructs the buildings they’d spent weeks on in mere seconds, building them tall and strong and beautiful. It feels so good and he looks up finally, to survey what he’s done, and he realizes his surroundings are—

-shining, all-encompassing white.

His pulse quickens and he spins around to see Truth’s twisted grin, a glowing silhouette made humanoid by Ed’s missing arm and leg, and Hohenheim’s gone.

“Hello, Edward Elric,” Truth drawls, their mouth stretching wide in an imitation of a smile. “Fancy meeting you, again. It’s funny- I’d thought we’d agreed there’d be no more of these visits.”

“I,” Ed starts, immediately panicked. He just reneged on an agreement with a god, and Truth has never cared about intention- he might be leaving Al alone, despite his greatest efforts. “I had to help them, my dad-”

Truth laughs, cutting him off. “I didn’t say I was mad about it. I like seeing you- you’re interesting. If you’re smart enough to perform alchemy without a gate, who am I to stop you?”

Ed takes a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself now that there doesn’t seem to be any immediate danger anymore. It doesn’t quite work. “Then…why am I here? I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Well, you did go back on our deal,” Truth drawls, stepping towards him- stepping away from Ed’s gate, covered in ancient words and thick, heavy chains. “Human transmutation or not, that warrants a conversation, doesn’t it?”

“I’m sorry?” Ed manages, trying to push through his underlying panic at being trapped back here. “Does-does this mean I have my alchemy back for good?”

The idea makes his breath quicken- it’ll mean an end to his journey, a reason to return to his loved ones. A reason to return to Al. He could return to Central, see Mustang and Hawkeye and Madame Christmas, talk to Teacher and Winry, eat with Gracia and Major Armstrong. He could rest, having accomplished something worthwhile.

Truth’s mouth stretches terrifyingly wild, splitting at the edges of their face, and they lean towards him conspiratorially. “No.”

“What-” Ed starts, stepping back. “Why would you bring me here, then?”

“Edward Elric, you are a fascinating person,” they say quietly, staring at him with their faceless gaze. “Did you know that not one person in history has survived coming to me five separate times? You’ve transmuted your mother, your brother’s soul, you were brought here through Gluttony’s stomach and then you returned – willingly, mind you – another time to restore your brother. Do you know how impressive that is?”

“But why am I here now?” Ed asks.

Truth goes on like they hadn’t heard him. “There are very few interesting things in the world, when you’ve lived as long as I have. Hohenheim and the Dwarf in the Flask were fascinating for a while, to be fair, but it was all so elementary- a broken man searching for a family, a soulless creature striving to become something greater. And now that’ll be over, in just a moment, when your dear ol’ Dad dies.”

Ed flinches, but the Truth forges onward, brutal as ever.

“But you and your Brother? Now, that’s new!” They exclaim suddenly, clapping their hands together- the sound echoes through the expanse surrounding them, and Ed struggles to hide his shudder. “Two children, born the last survivors of a long-dead race, carrying the blood of those long-lost souls? But that on its own couldn’t have been that great- being half Philosopher’s Stone will only get you so far. What makes you really special – you, Edward, you in particular – is who you’ve chosen to become.”

“Chosen to become?” Ed echoes, uncertain of where this was going. Truth had met both him and Al, he couldn’t understand why they’d develop a focus on him.

“That’s it, right there!” Truth bursts out, stepping ever-closer. “You are unique and you can’t even see it- you refuse to! You’ve made it here and back, five times, because you want to help others- you’ve dedicated your whole life to protecting the people around you, at the expense of yourself! It’s fascinating.”

Ed bristles and glares at Truth. “It’s my job to protect them, it’s my fault that things get so bad-”

Truth bursts out laughing and it’s unhinged. “You were a child when your father left and your mother died. You’re a child now. How could you ever think this was your fault?” Ed opens his mouth to reply, but Truth keeps going, ignoring him. “You are perhaps the most human person I’ve ever encountered, but you’re barely even one! What is the rest of the world doing, when they let you – a child – fight their battles like this?”

“You…sound like you’re rather attached to me,” Ed hedges nervously. In all his research, in talking to Teacher and Al and Hohenheim, he’s never heard of the Truth even once engaging in an actual conversation- in taking an interest in anyone.

“Of course I am!” Truth bursts out. “I have spent all of eternity as a god, alone in this void, only visited by reckless and corrupt fools, and then there’s you- and you just keep coming back. You are the first interesting thing in millennia.”

Ed’s frozen where he stands, but he does his best to think of something – anything – to say to that. “Are you going to let me go back?”

Truth steps closer again – and Ed tries to step back, but the void seems to be shrinking and Truth manages to throw their arm over his shoulder, pulling him close. “Yes, I am, Edward Elric. The truth is, I want you to be happy.”

Ed blinks slowly and he leans away from where Truth leans on him. “You- you what?”

“I want you to be happy, and I can’t figure out how to do that,” Truth says carefully. “I had hoped that you giving up your alchemy would help you find a new purpose, even if that meant giving you up. But I see now that wasn’t the case.”

“Giving me up?” Ed questions, wary. “Were you planning to keep me?”

Truth looks up towards him and smiles. “Eventually, yes. You’re not human, Edward Elric. You won’t be able to move on in the same way.”

“Oh my,” he murmurs, then shakes his head. “Is Al-?”

“No,” Truth answers. “You’ve never forgotten about your brother, have you? He’s more successful, in your petty mortal realm, but he’s holding you back from finding more worth somewhere else. Yes, I think I see it now- your purpose is too tied up in your brother. You won’t be able to find solace anywhere else, will you?”

“No, you’re wrong,” Ed bites back angrily. “Al helps me- he makes me better. I wouldn’t have been able to do half this stuff without him by my side-”

“But you can do it now, can’t you?” Truth’s smile grows ever wider, and Ed can’t even try to hold back his shudder now. “You’ve been on your own, now. You’ve paid your debts to your brother, even moreover. And now I think I know how I can help you.”

There’s a growing sense of dread pooling in Ed’s gut and he tries to get Truth off of him, but their grip has grown unbreakable. “What do you mean?” He asks weakly.

“The only way to give you a better future,” Truth begins, standing right in front of Ed’s face, “is to take away what ties you down to your past.”

“No, wait!” Ed tries to say, but Truth grabs his face with both hands and holds him tightly.

“Goodbye for now, Edward Elric. I’ll see you later.”

Ed wakes up, surrounded by chaos and draped over a mortally wounded man. He looks around frantically, off-kilter from being thrown between reality and the gates like this, and searches for a bit of familiarity. He can see Cat running towards him, throwing down the soldiers between them, and Scar is weeping openly as he takes in the rebuilt nation and weaponless soldiers.

The man tugs on his hands weakly and smiles softly up at him – it’s full of love and genuine feeling, unlike Truth’s – then speaks. “Thank you, Edward, for giving these souls a final purpose.” Ed watches frozen as the man breathes his last, then is torn away as Cat finally reaches him.

“Oh, Ed, I’m so sorry- are you alright? You were amazing!” She cries out, hugging him closely. “How did you do that?”

“The alchemy?” Ed asks, and she nods. “I’m not sure. I think I got thrown back into the Gate, with Truth, but I can’t remember anything they said to me.” He stares at his hands, uncertain.

She looks down, past him towards the man lying at their feet, and she gasps. “Ed, is he-?”

“Yeah, he’s dead,” Ed mumbles, all the adrenaline from using alchemy and fighting suddenly gone.

She pulls them down next to him, and silently closes the man’s golden eyes. She looks back up at him, and he’s surprised to see that her eyes are full of tears. “If you need to talk about it, I can-”

Ed frowns at her- this isn’t the first time he’s watched someone die. “Why would I need to talk about it?”

“Ed,” she begins, searching his eyes cautiously. “I know you had a tense relationship with your dad, and I don’t really know any of the details, but don’t you want to-”

“My dad? He left when I was a child, too early for me to remember him. I don’t any of my family,” Ed says.

Cat stares at him with surprise and unfiltered horror, then pulls him back into a close hug. “Oh, god Ed, what happened to you?”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26252785/chapters/69928110

[ddaengyoonmin]

Pairing: Yoongi x Reader

Genre: Smut, Angst, Fluff, Sci-fi !au; Enemies to lovers!au

Warning: possibly triggering for claustrophobia; swearing, family problems, handjob, fingering, unprotected sex, light biting, hickeys, dirty talk.

A/N: oh my gosh so this was so fun to write. Like just imagine being trapped in such a small space with such a fine man 😩 there’s a lot of dialogue because there isn’t much in the way of scenery but I tried my best to let the reader get a visual on the setting 💜 hope you guys like it! Let me know if you do!!!

Word count: 5.3k

Summary:

Life on this fickle planet a constant fight to survive. Temperatures that fluctuate from freezing to burning up in a single day.  Lifeforms on this planet are built to adjust to the boiling heat but when night comes...and the icy wind blows through the buildings, if you aren’t indoors you’re a goner.   So when your family kicks you out right before nightfall, they had basically left you for dead.  Frantically you run around the streets to get into one of the small heating pods that the city leaves out for emergencies, but with the rate of homelessness going up in your town, just as you feared they were all taken.  At the last second as the nightly alarm sounded telling everyone temperatures were about to hit deadly you see an empty pod! At full speed you jump inside and shut the door, unfortunately some rude man jumped in at the same time as you. You both are equally as annoyed with the other for having to share such an already cramped space.  Now you have to spend an entire night alone with this stranger while you wait for the heat to come again.  He's actually pretty cute...maybe this won't be so bad?

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The heavy metal door to your home was literally just slammed in your face. 

“You never carry your weight anymore y/n.  You don’t help with rent, and you never cook.  You might as well be homeless” your brother was shouting at you as you were getting thrown out of your home. 

Your whole body felt numb and your fists were clenched so tightly you felt that you might break your knuckles. 

“I’ll die out here!” you screamed. 

“You’ll find a pod with the other homeless people y/n” you could see through the small round glass window that was eye level on the door that your brother was rolling his eyes.

“And if I don’t I’ll die! You realize that right? How could you do that to your own sister?” you huffed. 

“Should’ve thought of that before you became a deadbeat” he glared, and then slid the metal cover to the window so that you couldn’t see him anymore. 

You couldn’t believe this was happening.  Here on Mercury, every night it gets so cold that you’d literally turn into an ice statues within seconds of the cold hitting.  It seemed to come almost on schedule, shifting slightly with the seasons but the town hall always sounded out a 5 minute warning every night. 

The cold could literally be seen creeping up over the horizon line and into the city as soon as the sun set.  A giant foggy blizzard that would wipe out anything in its path. 

You’d encountered some of the unfortunate victims of the cold many times in your life.  By the time you’d see them they’d been thawed and it was always a gruesome sight. 

Your mother would point and say “That’s why you never go out at night.  No matter what.  The cold will eat you alive, it’s like a monster” 

You shivered just at the thought. 

The city provided a limited number of emergency pods for those who might somehow find themselves on the streets at night.  You’d heard they were becoming scarce compared to the population of homeless that needed them to survive the night. 

The pods were a hard metal with insulation and heating inside that could withstand the freezing night.  They were extremely small and laid down with a twin bed size mattress inside, that fit snugly without any more space than that.  In height if you were laying down you couldn’t even extend your hands fully up to the sky.  It seemed like you’d feel pretty claustrophobic inside of it, but it was your only option. 

The sun was almost set and you were in survival mode now. You ran from where your former home is and started to search the streets for an open pod.  

If it was unclaimed the hatch would be up in the air and a green light would be shining on the outside. 

Closed, red light, next one...closed and red light...and so on down the road. 

“Shit.” You cursed under your breath.  This is not good. 

You try to go down another street and check, all full just like before. 

The five minute warning alarm started to ring loudly, startling you and making you realize your situation was becoming more and more hopeless.  You were too panicked to even cry.  

Then, like a glowing holy grail that you could practically see a heavenly shimmering light shining down on, (maybe it was just a street light…) You saw an open pod.  Hatch Open.  Green light. 

You ran at full speed towards it, jumping and sliding in like a baseball player sliding into home plate. 

Instantly as you had performed that acrobatic maneuver another person seemed to have the same idea and had slid in right along side of you, shutting the door behind him. 

His chest was heaving and he seemed to be in a sweat.  

“Fuck that was close, wait-” he suddenly realized now that you were in there with him. “Shit.  Oh my god what are you doing in here?” his eyes widened with confusion. 

“I should ask you the same thing?” you yelled annoyed.  “I was here first! Go get your own, I can barely be comfortable here alone” 

Just as you said that the automatic locks on the pod clicked shut, meaning that it was time for the deadly blizzard to hit, and you wouldn’t be allowed to leave the pod until morning. 

“God. Damnit” you groaned. 

Frost started to creep over the large clear window that the two of you were staring up with and freezing over and making you blind to the outside world, with a crackling sound that made you nauseous with worry.  This was your first time in a pod, and in your home you’d never heard the popping and snapping of everything in the town freezing over in an instant.  You had to remind yourself that you were safe in this pod. 

There was no room to sit up, only enough room to maybe lift your arms up a bit with your elbows only slightly lifted from your sides. It was so cramped and you could feel the man next to you now pressed against your side. 

“You have like at least  six inches of room you could move over to, you know.” you turned your head and glared at him. 

He simply just scoffed and shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest stubbornly and bumping his elbow against you as he did. 

“Oh my god.  I’m stuck here with an asshole” you muttered to yourself. 

“Maybe don’t call the asshole an asshole out loud. He can hear you” he narrowed his eyes at you. 

“I meant for you to hear.” 

There was silence for the next ten minutes.  You knew you weren’t going to be sleeping tonight, this guy could be a total creep, so you couldn’t risk it. 

He on the other hand was relaxing with his eyes closed.  You looked him over for a bit trying to figure out a little bit about the stranger next to you, He seemed about your age, he was actually quite attractive, though him being a rude asshole kind of ruined that thought for you.  His hair was jet black, and actually seemed to be styled well considering the running he probably had to do to get to the pod.  His clothes were nice, black jeans and a clean expensive looking royal blue hoodie, with a black t-shirt peeking out from underneath it.  So he probably wasn’t homeless you deduced from these observations. 

How did he end up out here at night? Wrong place wrong time? Kicked out of home like you were? That would be a crazy coincidence.  

Out of nowhere his leg spread out to the side and his foot kicked your foot. 

“Watch it!” you snapped. 

“Deal with it” he said in a high pitched mocking tone. 

“I’m sorry are you six years old?” you replied appalled at his immaturity. 

He opened his eyes and sent an annoyed look your way. 

“Look, we can’t do anything about this situation, but the least you could do is be considerate.”  You scolded

“When are you gonna stop talking and let me get some sleep” he groaned and proceeded to stretch out even more, starting to push you into the wall of the pod, squishing you tightly against it. 

You gasped and tried to push back but to no avail, he was stronger than you and obviously lacked any sort of common courtesy for others. 

It was now more of a 75/25 split of space in the pod with him hogging all of the space.  You realized that you’d have to stoop to his level if you wanted to regain some ground here in the pod.

He was playing childish games, so could you.  Though you did debate for a second on whether this could pan out badly, you decided...fuck it. 

You reached a hand up towards his neck, the only spot on him currently showing skin, and you pinched him hard. 

“OW. What the fuck.” His hand shot up to his neck, accidentally hitting his knuckles hard on the ceiling of the pod as he did. 

“Move over” you demanded. 

“Or you’ll pinch me again? You psycho!” he stared at you in shock as if he wasn’t the one who started it.  His face was growing red with rage directed at you and he pinched you back on the arm, making you yelp loudly. 

“How do you like it huh?” 

“What the actual hell man.  Just move over and give me equal space so we can cut this out.”

He sighed and reluctantly moved over just slightly, definitely not giving you half the space, but you were going to take this small victory for now. 

It was about another thirty minutes before you spoke again.  He seemed to be feeling quite comfortable, while you on the other hand were still pressed tightly against the padded side of the pod.  You could turn on your side to give your upper body more room, but usually if you slept on your side you’d curl your legs up slightly to be comfortable, and that was definitely not possible right now. 

“Hey.” you poked him in the shoulder. 

His eyes flickered open to glance at you, then shut again. 

“Hello?” you tried again, poking him harder. 

He ignored you, but he was obviously awake and it now had got you fuming. 

“You still have all the room” you growled. 

He stayed still on his back, his eyes closed and his face relaxed, a small smirk now forming on his lips. “Hmm. Maybe you could lay on top of me and that could give us a little more room” 

That earned him a hard smack to the shoulder, and he was lucky he was wearing a sweatshirt cuz it would’ve probably stung if he wasn’t. 

“Pervert!” you gasped at him. 

“Not a pervert, just trying to be...innovative” he grinned widely. 

You shake your head in disbelief at this odd person. 

“You are probably the rudest man I’ve ever met in my life” you grumbled. 

“Ah, Is my award in the mail?” he joked, finally opening his eyes and staring at you with a teasing look. 

You took a deep breath in and out a few times, trying to calm yourself down so you don’t completely try to choke out this man. Just about 8 more hours and you’ll be rid of him, you tried to tell yourself, as if that wasn’t an eternity to be trapped in such a tight enclosure with this piece of work. 

“Having trouble breathing? You’re being loud” he complained. 

“Just trying convince myself I’d rather not go to jail for murder tonight.” you hissed out at him. 

He chuckled at that, of course he did.

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t.  But there are some that might thank you”

“Why does that not surprise me” 

The two of you sat in silence again for a while, until he actually scooted himself away from you a few more inches. 

“THANK YOU” you practically screamed. 

“Geeze, you’re annoying” he reached his hands up holding his ears, wincing as if you’d deafened him. 

Your eyes were narrow slits staring at him now. 

A few more minutes of silence.

“I can’t seem to sleep with you right there all obnoxious and whatnot, so...for the sake of boredom.  What’s your name sweetheart?” He turned over onto his side facing you, his shoulder only a few inches from the ceiling of the pod. 

“Well its most certainly not sweetheart so wipe that one from your vocabulary immediately please” you snapped. 

His eyes crinkled with amusement. “Ah It seems I’ve hit a nerve there.” 

“Not really, it’s just stupid to asume that you can talk to a girl so flirtatiously when you’ve been nothing but a jerk so far.”  

“So what can I call you?” 

“Y/n…” you gave it up, though you didn’t quite want to.  You crossed your arms over your chest and stared straight up to the bland grey nothingness on the ceiling of the pod. 

“Aren’t you going to ask for my name?” he said cutely, but in a way that you knew he was just trying to get under your skin. 

You’d been here with him for about an hour, and he was already up there on one of the most annoying people you’d ever encountered.  Maybe you were extra sensitive because of the whole family leaving you for dead thing, but that’s not the worst excuse to be on edge is it? And he was the one who was rude first, you were simply returning the attitude he had entered the pod with. 

You didn’t quite feel like trying to play nice all of the sudden just because he had gotten bored.

“I’m Yoongi” he said pointing at himself, as if you needed to know where the voice that was mere inches away from you had come from. 

“Didn’t ask” 

“I know I just figured I knew yours now, so we’re even”

“Kay.” you continued avoiding looking his way. 

“Aw c’mon.  I was just upset to have to share the pod.  I’ve calmed down I’ll be good” he spoke in a sickenly sweet tone as if that could persuade you to forget how much of a dick he had been. 

“y/n-ah” he whined cutely. 

“Oh my god, I regret telling my name” you groaned finally turning to look at him. “What do you want?” 

“I’m just bored, I’m usually in a pod by myself and just sleep, but I can’t seem to sleep...and you’re here so…” He shrugged. 

You sighed. “So uh...you sleep in pods often?” maybe you had misjudged him by his nice clothes. 

“For the past month or so I have been” his eyes widened and he felt he needed to add, “I have a home though! I’m not one of those homeless deadbeats.  My new job is just too far to get home to usually, so on the days I work late I have to hop in one of these” 

You were silent for a moment before speaking, “Oh.  Well, I am one of those homeless ‘deadbeats’ so that's great to hear your thoughts on that” you frowned.  Slightly embarrassed now, not that you wanted to impress him or anything, but the idea that this was your new reality and this was how you’d be thought of was sinking in hard as he spoke those words. 

“Shit, uh-” he thought for a moment, trying to come up with a was to back pedal from what he’d said. - “I didn’t mean it like that.  I didn’t think...You just don’t seem like…” he stuttered out. 

“Its fine.  It's actually my first day of this lifestyle.” you motioned to the entirety of the pod as best you could. 

Yoongi pursed his lips and seemed to have gotten more serious, “Oh, Can I ask what happened?” 

You honestly didn’t really want to talk about it with him, but you did want to vent to someone about it, and he was here so, as was becoming the theme for the night...fuck it. 

“I lost my job about a year ago and moved back home with my parents and brother.  My brother is a doctor and the apple of my parent’s eye.  They’d said they would help me get back on my feet.  But, uh.  I just couldn’t seem to get there.  It’s not that I’m lazy” you frowned, Yoongi was surprisingly listening intently and nodding as you spoke.   “Well, maybe I could’ve done a bit more to find work.  I just struggled a lot with getting my shit together.  So I guess they decided they’d had enough.  So here I am” 

Yoongi’s eyes were wide in disbelief “They just left their own child to the night?” 

“Not everyones got a perfect family” you shrugged acting like it was no big deal.  When the reality was you were trying your best to hold back tears and not cry in front of this stranger you were confiding in for some reason. 

“Yeah, I feel that.  I didn’t mean to sound judgemental.” he said apologetically.  “And sorry I was being a dick to you.  I don’t do well with new people, and I’ve had a shit day...not as bad as yours though, so...sorry if I made it worse,” 

You were taken aback by his out of character apology.  He now drastically seemed to differ from the man who first hopped into the pod with you. 

“Its..okay.  I won’t hold it against you I guess” you smiled a bit and turned on your side to face him.  He had to maneuver a bit so that you both could lay comfortably face to face, this time he didn’t make it a hassle which was a relief to you. 

The two of you ended up chatting for the next couple hours.  You learned that Yoongi worked at a large factory that did welding, and helped make the pods, and metal that went on the outside of the houses in the city.  He was an only child to parents that lived in another town that was a lot poorer, and he had moved here by himself which was quite the difficult task due to having only about 12 hours to get to the next place where a pod was or risk death.  Even now he risked every night that he might not find a pod and be stuck on the streets after a late work shift.  He did all of that just so he could send money back to his parents. 

It really changed how you thought of him now, he wasn’t as cold, immature and uncaring as he’d first portrayed himself. 

You realized now the nicer you found him to be, the more his very apparent attractiveness was affecting you. 

You couldn’t help but have your gaze accidentally leave his eyes while he spoke, and travel to his lips.  Feeling yourself getting lost in how soft they looked, how much they looked like they’d feel amazing to kiss. 

Yoongi was now taking off his sweatshirt and was going to use it to prop his head up a bit while the two of you continued talking. 

As he took it off, his black t-shirt underneath slipped up slightly and you were able to see his beautiful pale skinned stomach, toned, with a slight v-line pointing down into his jeans.  Small tufts of hair also leading in a trail so your gaze traveled further down that direction, almost as if there was a big flashing sign that said ‘LOOK HERE’. And that you did, biting your lip as you felt a tingle hit right in your lower stomach at the sight. 

Yoongi pulled his shirt down as soon as his sweatshirt was off, but you didn’t look away fast enough and you’d been caught checking him out.

You quickly snapped your eyes back up to his face, a slight embarrassment now forming on your face. 

Yoongi smirked, knowing exactly what you’d been doing.  

“Want me to just ignore that I saw that?” he snickered. 

You couldn’t quite find the words to explain yourself, a series of um’s and sorry’s awkwardly spilling out of your mouth. 

“No need to be sorry, I’m hot. I know it.” he winked.  

There’s that cocky man that hopped into the pod with you.   This time you were less bothered by his overconfidence, because...well, he wasn’t wrong.

“Yeah, Um...you really are” you said embarrassed and not believing that you were admitting that to his face.

“You’re hot too you know.” he smiled mischievously. “What are the odds two attractive people like us get stuck together like this” 

Your face was now burning hot at that compliment.  You didn’t think you were by any standard as hot as him. 

“Shit, don’t get all awkward about it, I’m just being honest and stating the facts” he laughed. 

“I’m not though” you whispered. 

“For real? Your last boyfriend didn’t tell you every day how hot you were? I would.” he stated.  

“Uh, no” you stammered awkwardly “I haven’t dated since highschool and I wasn’t quite the catch” 

“Doubt it” Yoongi said with another smirk “And I’m not just saying that cuz you threatened to kill me earlier” he chuckled

“Well...thanks” you spoke shyly. 

Yoongi was now moving closer to you, your faces somehow ever closer than the two of you already were in this cramped space. 

“I like your nose” he smiled and booped you with one finger. 

Your eyes widened and you got even more bashful.  “Ah, no, I’ve always hated my nose”

“But it’s so cute!” he grinned widely.  

What the hell is happening.  How did your night become this.  And why do you never want it to stop.  This asshole that you hated, now knows everything about your situation, and he’s still sitting here complimenting you.  Maybe he just realized it’s better to be on good terms since you’d still be stuck here together for about 5 more hours. 

“Your nose is cuter” you decided to say in return.  What’s the harm? And you were just stating the facts.

“Your lips are cute” he replied a bit softer. 

“Your eyes are cute” you countered, somehow this was now turning into a game. 

“Your voice is cute” 

“Your smile is cute” 

“Your laugh is cute”

“Your...everything is cute” you giggled. 

“I want to fuck you.” he whispered, his eyes now glued to your lips. 

You inhaled sharply in surprise. 

“Y-you w-what?” 

“You heard me” he tilted his head up with confidence as he looked you up and down. 

You stared silently and eyes wide as saucers at him. 

“You don’t want to?” he cocked an eyebrow up at you. 

“I-It’s not that I don’t want to...it’s just, we just met you know?” 

“Can you think of a better way to kill the next 5 hours?” 

“If it’s just out of boredom that’s gonna be a no from me” you scoffed, realizing that maybe he really wasn’t attracted to you, and was just flattering you for fun. 

“Well, honestly, yeah, it’s mostly boredom.  But, also you’re really fucking hot and I’ve been hard for the past hour and I usually jack off when I’m in here.  So either you just turn the other way while I do that, or…” he grinned at you as he brought a hand up to brush your cheek gently and seductively. 

What was tonight’s theme again? Oh yeah...fuck it.

You were closing the space between your lips and his in an instant.  Your hand grabbing the back of his neck as you pulled him into frantic kisses.  You could feel him smiling into your lips, pleased with his victory. 

You felt one of his hands start to cup your breast, squeezing slightly before stopping to slip his hand up your shirt to feel you completely.  He took his thumb and index finger and started to roll your hard nipple between them, pinching slightly every once in a while causing a loud moan from you into his mouth. 

He seemed to like the noises you were making, trying to repeat movements that caused you to be the most vocal. 

You pushed on his chest with your hands slightly, silently asking him to give you some space so you could just take your shirt and bra off completely.  He happily obliged, staring at you with eager eyes as you undressed yourself. 

You then tugged at the hem of his black t-shirt, requesting that he do the same.  He smiled and pulled his t- shirt over his head.  You could now fully see him in all his glory, his body was so perfect and just the sight of that v-line and happy trail again had your core start to grow wet with arousal. 

“Fuck.  You’re so…” you put a hand to his chest, sliding your fingertips down lightly, causing him to shiver under your touch. 

He bit his lip, his eyes on your chest as well. 

Your hands had reached the button on his jeans and you found yourself scurrying to unbutton them as fast as you could.  

Yoongi pulled you in close as you did, planting heavy kisses on your jaw and then your neck. 

You finally achieved what you’d been after, pulling his jeans and boxers down enough for his cock to spring free and rest against his abdomen.  You wet your lips at the sight. 

“I wish I could...taste you, I don’t think I’ll be able to position myself to though” you pouted in disappointment.  This small space was really making things difficult. 

“Just touch me” he muttered, kissing your neck more and grabbing at your tits. 

You did as he said, wrapping a hand tightly around the base of his shaft.  

He jerked forward slightly into your touch and let out a small whimper at the feeling of you.  

“I want you so fucking badly y/n” he murmured into your ear, then bit down lightly on your lobe. 

Now it was your turn to whimper with pleasure.  

Your hand started to move up and down stroking Yoongi, he groaned lowly when you made your way to the tip, tightening your hand around him as you stroked up and down. 

You stop for a moment and unbutton your pants, slipping your hand down to your soaking core, and tried to gather as much wet as you could on your hand, then grabbing onto Yoongi again. 

His eyes bugged out at the sight of you covering him with your wetness. 

“Holy shit t-that was h-hot” he moaned as you started pumping his cock now lubricated with your wetness, making your hand glide smoothly around him.   

His whole body would lunge forward slightly when your thumb pressed along the underside of his cock and up the tip.  

He pressed his lips into yours hungrily as you continued,  your tongues meeting inside of your mouth. 

His hand was now making its way into your jeans, pulling them down slightly and slipping his hand in past the fabric of your panties.  Two fingers were moving along your slit, and Yoongi growled excited when he felt how wet you were. 

“You’re really enjoying yourself hm?” he grinned against your lips. 

“Mhmm” you moaned. “So much” 

One of Yoongi’s fingers started to slip inside of you, you let out a needy moan at the feeling of him pressing into you and curling as he started to move in and out slightly.  The tip of his thumb pressing on your clit and moving circles around made you throw your head back in ecstacy. 

“Fuck baby, you’re so needy for me.  You like how my fingers feel touching your pussy?” he smiled excitedly. 

“Shit. Yes! I love it Yoongi!” you practically screamed. 

“Fuck, moan my name again baby” he growled, biting his lip and inserting another finger next to the one already inside of you. 

“Oh my god Yoongi, that feels so fucking good” your mouth opened widely as you felt yourself speeding towards your orgasm.  You continued to stroke his cock the best you could but your pace was unsteady and unfocused. 

“Cum on my fingers baby, cum screaming my name” 

Yoongi slid his fingers in and out of you rapidly and circled your clit even faster. 

“Y-yoongi, I’m gonna cum!” your eyes squeezed tightly shut as you reached your earth shattering high.  Still holding his cock in your hand but not moving it. 

You continued to let his name fall loudly from your lips as the waves of pleasure flowed through every inch of your body, jerking forward at the sensation of his fingers still moving inside of you while you came. 

Yoongi smiled and looked at you in awe, “That was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.  Wow.” 

He then grabbed your hand and moved you off of him, then turned you so you were laying on your back again.  He maneuvered his way on top of you, still so close due to the low ceiling. 

He leaned down and took your lip between his teeth and dragged them across your skin, releasing your lip with a groan coming out of his own. 

You kicked your jeans and panties off of your legs almost entirely, one leg still had the pants wrapped around your ankle but you couldn’t be bothered to keep going with it as Yoongi eyed you so seductively, almost begging to be inside of you already with just his stare. 

He positioned his cock between your folds, sitting at your entrance for a moment. 

“You were so tight around my fingers, I don’t know if I’m going to last long inside that perfect pussy” 

You closed your eyes and smiled “Fuck me Yoongi, I can’t wait to feel you” 

At your words he was pressing his length into you, the wetness allowed him to enter with ease, but your walls gripped onto him tightly. 

He moaned so loudly as he entered you, dropping his head into the crook of your neck and leaving a trail of kisses. 

He grabbed one of your breasts in his hand and returned to playing with your nipple.  

“Ah-Yoongi, Fuck” you whined.  Which only encouraged him to speed up his pace thrusting into you, bucking his hips up into you quickly at a pace that almost felt unbearable. 

“Fuck baby, take it.  You can do it.  You’ve been so good for me” he encouraged into your ear. 

“Y-yoongi.  Its too much, I’m already gonna c-cum again” you whimpered. 

“Then cum baby” he raised his head and smirked as he looked down at you under him.  Kissing you on the cheek. The sound of your wetness as Yoongi pounded into you was so loud and erotic.  You couldn’t take it anymore. You raised your head up as you were on the verge of your high, your mouth found Yoongi’s neck and you sucked hard, scattering marks on him as you did. 

Your second orgasm hit like a loud drum, you could feel the vibrations flow through out you and your heart was beating rapidly. 

“Damn” Yoongi whispered. 

You felt him tense and give a few more hard pumps before he slowed and then quickly pulled out into a plank position. 

“y/n” he moaned.

Luckily you got the memo of what he meant and grabbed onto his cock, jerking him off while he twitched and cum spurted out all over your chest, some even reaching up to your neck due to your bad aim. 

You started to giggle at that and then Yoongi joined in the laughter as he realized that you had some on your jaw now. 

He went to roll off of you and hit his head on his way over. 

“Aw shit” he yelled. 

Which only made the two of you start to laugh harder.  Once you wiped the forming tears in your eyes away and calm yourself down holding your stomach “Yoongi…”

“Hm?” he whispered, now relaxing, naked, with his eyes closed and his hands behind his head, you were cuddled up with your head close to his chest. 

“I need to clean up…” 

“Ah right” he tossed you his sweater. 

“You sure? This is a nice sweater?” 

He nodded and smiled.  You wipe yourself up and shoved the sweatshirt down by your feet. 

“That was so much fun y/n” 

You beamed up at him “I had fun too…” 

“Come stay with me” he mumbled so low you thought you must’ve misheard him. 

“W-what?”

“You have nowhere to go.  I’d hate for something to happen to you, not make it to a pod at night or something.  Stay in my place” 

“I couldn’t possibly do that Yoongi.  That’s a lot…” 

“It’d just be as roommates, not asking you to marry me or anything” he chuckled “All I ask is that you cook and clean and stuff, I’m pretty shit at that… Can you do that?” 

“Fuck yes!” you shouted gleefully. 

“Good. Now let’s get some sleep.” He pulled you tightly into him, he was so warm, and so soft, and somehow this asshole ended up being an angel that saved you that night. 

Hopefully you can continue to repay him for his kindness.

[lowtoleranceforyou]

Hot-Shot

summary: random interactions between Shay and Diego Caplan

Warnings: a few swears here and there, mentions of intoxication, mentions of bruises

“And then my sleeve caught the candle.”

“No way!” Shay gaped with eyes the size of dinner plates, “That’s why you were in the infirmary with a sleeve missing?”

Diego nods solemnly, dramatically flopping down onto the stone bench of the courtyard, hand resting on his forehead like a cliche soap opera star. “Yes, to make it worse she’s been ghosting me ever since.”

“Ouch that stings! I really appreciate you openly sharing this with me but why exactly are you telling me this? You don’t usually spare your ego to tell me these things.” Shay asked with a quirk of her brow as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

“Because.” Diego suddenly sat upright; frown giving way to a charming grin, “I realised no one would ever believe you.”

“Why I-“ Shay stammered before slapping his chest, “You jackass!”

Diego feigned hurt, “You wound me, sweets.”

“I hope I do, hot-shot.” She retorted with a snark, before starting to make her way back inside the castle.

“Where are you going?” Diego asks before tailing her.

She turns around, a gentle smile decorating her features stopping Diego in his tracks. The sunlight bouncing off her hair, forming a halo on her crown, no strand out of place. An almost magnetic attraction drawing Diego to her eyes. Her lips were moving but the words didn’t seem to reach his ears.

He shook his head fervently as an attempt to shake off her Veela charms knowing she wasn’t really fond of stares, even the good-intentioned ones.

“Could you repeat that? Didn’t quite catch that, sweetheart.”

Shay sighed, sticking out her tongue “I’m going to ask out the girl you went on a date with.”

“NO!” Diego knew he didn’t have much of a chance with the girl in question but the mere thought of someone he considered his best friend dating his unsuccessful would-be or more accurately could’ve-been significant other still made his heart plummet to his toes.

“Shay, my sweet, I know you would never do that so drop the empty threats.” Diego’s tone sounded confident enough that it surprised himself but the subtle discomfort in his eyes gave away too much.

Shay’s smirk softened when she saw the look in his eyes. “You know me too well, Caplan.”

He released a short puff of air before twisting his arm around her shoulders, “I know, it’s a wonder why we aren’t dating yet.” He quips with a wink.

“Tsk.” She lightly pushes his face away from hers, “You’re not my type, hot shot. Besides-“ She beamed from ear to ear, “I would never go on a date with a bloke who sets himself on fire on the first date.”

“Ouch stooping low aren’t you, missy?”

—

“Merlin! What do we do now?”

Moonlight leaked through the stained glass windows forming dancing illusions of colourful shadows on the cold tiles of the empty hallway.

Empty except for three lone students.

A knocked out Ravenclaw boy was lying between their figures. A bottle of liquor loosely hanging from their fingers. Unmoving and pale, a shade of blue sheeting over their eyes as if their skin was made from rice paper.

“Call a prefect.” Shay stated monotonously.

“You’re a prefect!” Diego snapped. “Sneaking out was such a bad idea! I knew we shouldn’t have done it, now we have to deal with a dead body.”

“He’s not dead,” Shay non-chalantly pointed out to the student’s twitching hand like an alcoholic student passed out in the hallway was an everyday happening, “Anyways I’m technically doing my nightly rounds, you’re the only one sneaking around.” She commented jabbing a finger on his shoulder.

“Can we not talk about that now? Someone’s dying here!”

“I don’t even know what’s wrong with him!” She hissed, “He must be drunk but I never knew you could get that drunk from butterbeer.” She crouched low, examining the bottle’s label.

Diego groaned before looping the unconscious Ravenclaw’s arm over his shoulder. “Come on let’s just get him to the hospital wing.”

“I should’ve stayed in the dorms.” Diego grumbled. Shay offered him a sorry smile before stepping to the student’s other side to evenly distribute the weight.

—

Diego carefully applied the ice on Shay’s arm, the skin discoloured a gruesome shade of black and blue. She winced before posing a smile.

“How did you get knocked up this badly? I thought I taught you well.” Diego lectured, “You should’ve binded them, paralysed them, anything! A simple petrificus totalus could’ve done the trick!”

A hearty snicker wracked her body before she flinched and squirmed her arm out of Diego’s grip to grasp her ribs, broken most probably.

“In my defense, there were four of them and if you must know, I lost my wand prior to the fight so I was resolved to fistfighting until I managed to snag one of their wands, my spells were rusty but I still won.” She leered with pride, “You have to admit that was moderately monumental.”

“And what did I teach you about fighting random people in the corridors?”

Diego readjusts the bandages on her ankle. “How. You taught me how.” She bantered.

“Merlin, I hate it when you’re right. I just wish I was there to back you up-“ Shay lightly nudges his side, “Hey, don’t blame yourself. You don’t have to be with me 24/7. That’s not on you, Di. Besides, it was nothing I didn’t have handled.”

He rolled his eyes with a smile and nodded before a different, more mischievous grin formed.

“Can you believe the few times we’re separated, you get cornered up by not one, not two but five good-for-nothings? Maybe that means we should stick around more.” He waggles his eyebrows to emphasise his point. “Right, love?”

Now it was her turn to roll her eyes, she rolls down her sleeves, leaning against him and crossing her arms. “I don’t need a knight in shining armour, hot-shot.”

“You don’t need one but I know you want one.” He said flashing his signature pearly whites before snaking his arm around her waist. She tutted, resting her arm on his shoulder, “You don’t have good enough physique.”

“You wound me, Shay.” She hums in acknowledgement, patting his forearm, the two falling into comfortable silence.

“Diego, I need skele-grow.”

“You never shut up, do you?”

—

“So I told him-“ Shay halts for a moment, tightening the grip on her bat, swinging it with vigor, it connected with the flying metal sphere resulting in a satisfying clang and sending it flying. “That he had to grow a pair and just ask him out.”

She wipes the sweat off her brow with the back of her hand, “And now they’re dating!” The setting sun cast shadows over their faces, muting their features with an orange glow.

Diego swerves next to her, batting away a bludger that was fluttering too close to her. “That was a close one, Shay. Keep your eyes on the bludgers, they could hit you anytime.” His voice was full of concern and thick with his accent.

She waves him off before ducking to avoid an incoming bludger and swatting it the opposite direction. “Shove it, Keeper.”

Diego chuckles and lightly kicks her broom, sending her spinning in a semi-circle. “Says the Chase-“ He was cut off by a bludger making purchase on his back, knocking the air out his lungs and toppling him off his broom. That was definitely going to leave a bruise.

Shay caught his hand at the last second and swung him onto his hovering broom. “That was a close one hot-shot, keep your eyes on the bludgers.” She mocked in a squeaky tone, “Look who needs the knight in shining armour now, Caplan.”

He stuck his tongue out and blew a raspberry. “Har har, I had it handled.” He puffed his chest out, pride obviously wounded.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.” She retorts before dropping her bat, flying straight towards the bludger and clutching it to her torso, slightly winded from the impact. “Let’s call it a day. Come on, grab the other one before it hits us.” A cheeky grin fights itself onto her cheeks, “but more specifically you.”

—

“Rebecca Lorde?” She let out a low whistle, “Never knew you had good taste.”

“Shut up!” Diego whined like a kicked puppy, ears red but unnoticeable as the only light was the faded gleam of the stars millions of miles above from them.

She laughs girlishly, the red and gold tie crooked around her neck. “Ok. Ok. I know you genuinely like her so I hope you don’t mess it up, hot-shot.” She shifted to lie on her side, the dry grass of the quidditch pitch rustling underneath her.

“If you mess up, I’ll punch you. She’s so kind-“ She rests her chin on her palm, “and pretty too.”

“Merlin, Shay are you sure you’re not the one who wants to date her?”

She squinted accusingly at him before flopping down on the grass with a huff, outstretching her arm and aligning her hand with the stars. “Shut your trap or I’ll do it for you, hot shot.”

“Careful, Sweetheart, I’ve got my heart set for someone else. Remember?”

She rolled her eyes before meeting his gaze with a glare. The two bursting into peals of laughter, gasping for breath.

“Hey, hot-shot?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m glad we’re friends.”

“So am I.”

“Promise we’ll be friends forever?” She asked, staring at him behind her lashes, jutting out her pinky to him.

He snorts at her childish gesture before intertwining her pinky with his own, “As long as you live, sweets.”

“That definitely won’t be long.”

“Oh shut the hell up.”

A/N: Rebecca belongs to the amazing @cursed-ice-spirits and I absolutely ship her MC with Diego.

[for-peace-war]

art by @idrawbuffgirls​

This is likely the second to last piece I’ll be able to do before an in-game event moves the party forward, but it’s one that I think will place things in perspective to some degree.  Another hour and a half write, which means I need to get faster.  Still, was fun!

Also, Kelzack really came through on that art.  BOOM!

THE TEMPLE OF LONGING.

Follows: Prologue.

Follows Part I.

Part II

VITHIKA THE VENDHYAN’S veiled view of the valley from her vaunted vantage availed little value to her virtuous—verily, villainous—vanity.  Satrap Mostafa’s pleasure caravan, which to that point was far too much caravan and far too little pleasure, had moved but a gavyuti by the day and two more at night.  The sand was a sea that swam about them, with each step causing her palanquin to rise with the tide and settle back as the next was made.  In addition to the tedium that had settled over them, it was more than enough to encourage sleep—but what good was sleep, she could not but wonder, if there was not someone nearby to keep her company?

In that, she supposed, she could almost blame herself for her solitude.

The other palanquins had been forced to carry two women in addition to what valuables they could pack onto them, seeing a total of six that made their way in the caravan through the Zuagir Desert.  Vithika’s palanquin, at the head of the procession, held but herself, a few chests laden with jewels and gold, and the rapid hissing that came from Satrap Mostafa’s prized viper—an alabaster miscreant with bright red eyes and a mouth as black as the soul of the man that kept her.  That snake, which even in winter seemed to be hot blooded, proved more than a challenge to any that sought to handle it.  Any that was, save for she: it had come to her like an old friend, and she in turn had been given space to stretch out on the long, slow march that was before them.

If—and the if which qualified that was a contested one—but if the eunuchs that guarded her palanquin were to be believed—and once more, belief come of something which wanted for a scrotum was to her a foolish endeavor—then there were still several yojana between themselves and the comfort of a luxurious bath.  They had been given adequate means to bath themselves, of course, for when the satrap’s war games came to their end they would needs must be prepared to receive him, but there was something different between a swift cleansing and the glory that was relaxing within steaming water and expensive oils.  Oh, how she missed that delight—how she could not wait for the damned desert to be left behind.  

The heat was not something that bothered her.  She had suffered more—and worse—some time ago, before she had come to be within the satrap’s prized possessions, carted along with lesser beauties at the side of strapping, cockless takabara.  None were quite able to tell very much about her, and she in turn inclined little to sharing.  After all, who needed to know where she was from when where she was at present provided all the entertainment needed?  The rumors of her origin were many and at times, she had taken the ear of one of the guards to learn them at length.

They all seemed to agree that she was Vendhyan—perhaps from Peshkhauri, because the women of the northern regions were fair-skinned and proud, resultant from the colder climes and the spicier foods. Of course, there were claims by some—likely those that had never been to Peshkhauri—that she was one of Ayodhya or likely the Jhumda River’s small towns, and that in fact her father was a fishmonger that had sold her to a brothel when she was but a girl.  And then there was the nastiest rumor—that her nose, which had been derided as hooked to a point, marked her as decidedly Shemitish, so it was more like she had descended from—or perhaps been born the direct bastard of a Shemite trader that had settled in Gwandiakhan.

She did not need to tell them that she did not feel her nose was particularly hooked or that she had never been partial to the taste of fish, though.  So long as they were crafting rumors about what they believed they knew of her, they had precious little time to consider what they did not.

And that, in truth, was everything.

“How do you tolerate the heat, Shweta?” She asked the snake. Though few of its kind would have thought to slide along her arm, as she extended it the white creature rose and with due loyalty entwined itself upon her, so that when she held it to her veiled face their eyes were nearly on level with one another. “Does it not torment you to be trapped and yet full of life?”

Shweta the Snake’s tongue flicked once.  Against the black of its mouth, it was a dull red.

She thought to flick her tongue back.  So she did.

“This is all too slow.”  The sentiment carried more within it than she cared to share with any living creature—her silent serpentine sister, included.  Over the horizon she could see more sand that basked under a pale blue sky, and beyond it the faint hint of white clouds that rose like fading plumes of smoke from a fire that had long since been vanquished.  Her eyes, more green than blue, focused on those wisps with a certain longing—an undeniable, unmistakable eagerness. It was fortunate indeed that she was alone, for the first glimpse of her true nature might have been the end of the many falsehoods that surrounded her.

Shweta slithered off her arm and returned to a darkened pouch within the bottom of the palanquin, while she in turn lazed back and rested her head against the opened port nearest her.  Little air moved across the desert, but when the slaves carting them moved she was reminded of what it meant to be in motion, truly.  Already had perished of exhaustion in their limited movement, which made her consider just who it was that had been assigned to move them. Proper slaves would have seen it as a delightful exercise: a few fathoms a day, no more?  And soldiers, well—if Turanian soldiers could not move a few women reliably, then what chance did they stand against the Aquilonian host that swelled to the west?

No, these weakened slaves—these pathetic creatures were something else.

They were something more pathetic than all of that.  She could smell it—they were human.

It had been her impetus, albeit masked as the idle mewling of a kitten, that had seen the pleasure palace moved.  Satrap Mostafa’s supposedly poor showing at Aklat had been well staged: he had baited the Aquilonians into taking a city he cared little for, and they saw it invested with three legions that were then certainly preparing for some form of foolhardy gambit.  The Aquilonians would make their move and the Turanians would answer.  What followed was likely to be bloodshed that would stain the sands and make men do what they did best—kill each other for relatively little gain.

Yet, to see the satrap convinced to move them was no simple thing.  It required fear—fear, real and imagined—joined with the delicate sensuality that the notion aroused in men. Beneath the gruesome iron mask that he wore, Satrap Mostafa was not an ugly man: he had long features, draw over bones that made him seem longer yet, and held an almost lupine glare to his light brown eyes.  His face was clean-shave, revealing a mouth that was somewhat wide and his nose was tragically flat.  His ears were neither large nor small—his back, straight but his body not overtly muscled. Most beautiful about him, she felt, was his hair—long and a rich black, that he wore braided in battle and long when abed.  He could kill men, he had told her, but he disliked fighting—and he could fuck women, he reminded her, but he disliked games.

The seeing of the man did not make him seen, though.  Satrap Mostafa was not an easily read men, even if his lusts could be rolled off one’s tongue—or taken onto it, if the mood found him.  The mask he wore in battle was a finite and heavy thing, yet it seemed immaterial to those which he wore over his heart.  With cold eyes she had seen him dispassionately force two women to fight to the death for his own amusement; those same cold eyes had offered her of golden trinkets after she had slain her foe.  He was less crafty than cunning and less wise than weary.

But he was a man.

He was a man that possessed—she must admit—a rather nicely sized cock.

He was a man that liked to place that cock in things that did not have one.

And thus, he was hers.  In the end, they always were.

It was fear of being captured—fear of being taken away from him, that set things to motion.  She did not need overly much to convince him that her fear was genuine, for he had taken her from the hands of captors that had taken her from captors as well.  When the Zuagirs traded her away, it had been with the expectation they were seeing their lives spared.  To win her trust he had asked her what she wished of him—and so she said their heads.  That had seen his cold eyes fall upon her for the first time that night.

That night, they fucked in a brew made of Zuagir blood and the fine wines of Trabatis, off the coast of Argos. He had licked it from her; she had sucked it from him.  It was not an arrangement that had been unseemly in the slightest and yet, it had not been intended either.  That she had ever been captured—that she had been bartered, were but chains in a mistaken chain that she had not yet corrected.  But she was so very close to that correction then—she was so close that she could taste it, like the sweet flesh of a mango at long last ripened and bursting free its skin.

So they were send toward the Ibaris Mountains, where surely there would be no Aquilonians there to disturb them.  Mostafa would win his battle and return to them—to her, and know the worship that a conqueror deserved.  Through skill, guile, and her finesse had his amassed wealth worthy of a sultan, yet his close ties to Turanian royalty had prevented him from taking the next step that he needed to make.  She knew, in the bottom of his heart, he had believed she would be that step he required.

And she knew, with all of her heart, that she would not be there to take it with him.

But they were moving too slowly—it was all moving too slowly.

She stuck her head out of the palanquin and looked to the side.  They had been forbidden from revealing themselves to others, and the moment she did so a large-bodied Darfari savage whose cock had been removed but tongue yet worked, moved close to block her from view.

“Little One,” Wagih said to her in strained Turanian, “what do you think you are doing?”

She looked at him—looked into his bloodshot red eyes, and admired the strong musculature of the body beneath his light armor.  He carried an immense polearm at his side, with a bladed head that seemed likely to pierce the heavens if he lifted it at his master’s command.  The Darfari and their Yoggish kin had been bred to feast on the flesh of men.

With time, though, they could be taught to eat of a woman’s palm.

“These are miserable slaves, are they not?”

“Truly pathetic, yes.”

To some, perhaps, they were both of them slaves—and Vithika, honestly, would have felt no different—yet they had the appropriate designation of being called more than that: she a concubine, he a warden, and together they were above those which carried them about.  She did not lower her voice, but instead spoke to him in his native tongue—a sound that might have been harsh on the ears of another, but she knew that as she purred her words from behind her veil, it made the cock he wished he had stiffen in whatever black stomach it then occupied.

“Too pathetic.”

He eyed her with his eyes, flaked red from nature’s design. “You speak in riddles.”

“Why are they so weak? These slaves—these miserable creatures.”  She did not speak in Darfari to mollify the slaves, of course. In fact, she could have spit upon one and he would have gladly licked it up for the chance at moisture.  No, she spoke for one reason and one alone—a reason that the Wagih knew well.  It was because she was different.

It was because she cared about him.

Even without their cocks, it seemed, men were easily misled.

“They were not always slaves,” he said.  The grin he gave her was ugly and revealed teeth that had been capped gold to ward off rot.

“At least not collared ones,” she said.

The eunuch laughed a dry sound. “Yes, they are not collared ones.”

She looked past Wagih toward one of the men carrying her palanquin.  He had a slight build, with sweat that pooled off a body both somewhat skinny and fat at the same time.  His skin sagged; the sun had turned him a bright red, yet the nape of his neck was partially white where his hair had once been, and the baking of the sun had inflamed it to a point of bursting in small sores.

These were indeed no men that were meant for labor.

“The ministers.”  She said. Wagih’s bloody eyes twinkled in response.

“Conceal yourself, Little One.  I do not desire the whip this day.”

She pouted behind her ask, which made her eyes appear doe-like. “Did I do something wrong, then?”

“—Well, not the whip from the satrap, at least.”

A parting wink was all she offered him before she resumed her place and he took to walking at the side of her palanquin once more.  After a moment she heard the strap of leather at his side crack soundly and one of the men—likely the miserable old minister that had been walking—cry out before the palanquin swayed.

“Drop her and you die a thousand deaths, worm,” Wagih said, outside.

How lovely a man he was, even without his cock.

Shweta slithered free her hiding place and wound herself back her arm once more, then moved to brush against her cheek.  The snake was cool despite the head, and she lifted a hand to brush along its fine scales, petting it in a way that only she knew how.  The ministers had likely displeased the satrap by countermanding him and now they, the most expendable of his fallen court, were set to move away his most valuable possessions.  Often, she knew, they must have looked at others—herself included—and questioned how any could survive servitude when the blade was so close at hand.

Slit your throat.

Choose freedom!

An empty sentiment—an empty sentiment meant for those that did not know freedom was the lie masters told so that slaves would behave with more care. How free were those proud, bearded men when they were beaten by cockles Wagih or forced to cart about the women they had once derided and abused when time permitted them to do so?  No, slavery was not a choice—it was a reality, and they had lived a life free its samsaran reprimand long enough.  Let the crack of the whip find them; it was but torment that motivated their movement.

“Still too slow,” she said.  Far off in the distance, where the blue sky danced with white clouds, she recalled dreaming of a terrible storm that manifested where the blue fell, and invited a spanning darkness to stretch over all and cover it in the sands of times long since gone. She had awakened from that dream drenched in sweat and used a nearby girl to see her anxiety relaxed before returning to a light sleep—but the image had not faded from her, nor had the message it carried with it.

That dream had not been a warning—it was a mandate. Had she truly wished to be free of her captivity, then she might have found a dozen ways to escape from Satrap Mostafa.  He was no man greater than any other she had deceived, and certainly he was not one that could claim to have a greater depth of darkness in him than that which she had crawled free from.  The lessons she had learned as a child—dancing to the crack of the whip, or the sharp hiss of burning flesh, were lessons that had prepared for not merely this world, but the one that came before it and that which would follow.

No, she was slow—too slow, because she had become comfortable.  Lazy.  She had enjoyed being pampered and played with; knowing the pleasures of the palace and the depravity of the dungeon beneath it.  Just as the ministers that struggled about her had forgotten their place in the world, so too had she.  The promises she made—the vows she had taken, were not to be put off any longer. Life and death had been entwined about her for so long that she had at last luxuriated in the former and allowed the latter to become jealous.

And as any jealous lover would, Death had finally come to exact its vengeance.

She stopped her inspection of the snake as she felt a scale flick away.  Between two fingers she carefully picked it up and held it to her face.  Shweta flicked her tongue against her hand, but she minded that pale, translucent remnant of a life fading before her eyes. “You are not wrong,” she said. “It is near time this skin was shed as well.”

Vithika the Vendhyan, the voluptuous vixen of vaunted vivacity, let the scale fall from her finger and watched it catch upon the faint yawn of a distant wind, before it was lost in the sand. They were moving too slowly—too slowly, she knew. For that which she had escaped—that which they had all escaped, had not been left behind.

Across fathoms of lifeless sand, a terrible howl rose to protest its ire against the trembling sky.   Those that guarded the caravans began to seek shelter and a safer route, but she knew it would be to little avail.  That which approached would consume them all—as it had before, and as it would again.  

“It is here,” the Stygian said. “It has found me.”

[thegoldendice]

Love Is A Battlefield

Fandom - American Horror Story 1984

Pairing - Xavier Plympton/Reader

Rating - Explicit

Warnings - Suicide, Violence, Mental Heath Issues, Sexual Content, Language, Religious Content

Chapter - 10/12

Read on - ao3, ff.net

Fic Summary - The year is 1984. You're a poor student living alone in L.A., plagued by your problematic relationships with a false friend and a disturbed ex. You meet Xavier Plympton, an aerobics instructor with a dark past, at the gym where you’ve taken a reception job. You quickly develop feelings for him, and you learn to your relief that he likes you too. Soon a deadly series of events befall you and the people in your life. Overwhelmed by tragedy and with your blossoming romance cut short, you are left a wreck. Six years later you discover that while Xavier is dead, he hasn’t quite departed. You soon realise that if you are to be with him and finally achieve true peace and happiness, you must take your own life and become a Camp Redwood ghost.

Chapter Summary - You grudgingly leave camp for a short time so you can buy the supplies that will help you facilitate your change to permanent Redwood resident.

“Did I ever tell you how much I like your earring?”

“No.” Xavier's voice is barely louder than a whisper. “Did I ever tell you how much I like your face?”

You blush, turning your head to nuzzle into the hand that Xavier has raised. His fingers rest on your jaw, his thumb traces the line of your smile.

“I will understand, if you don't come back—“

“I'm coming back, Xavier.” You interrupt, trying to suppress the exasperation you feel, knowing that Xavier can't help but doubt you even now.

The wooden sign that denotes the entrance to the camp creaks above your head. The morning sun already splits the ground and a bead of sweat trickles down your spine. You try desperately to muster the strength to turn and walk away from your love. Knowing that you will see him again soon doesn't help. He has been wholly responsible for bringing joy and meaning back into your life, and to leave him, even just for a few hours, feels torturous. The trees murmur around you, singing songs you don't understand. Xavier lowers his hand.

“Go.”

You have no response, unable to acknowledge the finality of saying goodbye. You look into Xavier's eyes. Tears fill them, matching your own. You smile and turn, walking quickly.

“Hurry back!” He calls, voice breaking a little.

You look back over your shoulder, making sure to appear happy. You give him one last smile, nod, and then face forward in order to run to your car, tears flowing freely at last.

~

It was far easier than you thought it would be to sell the car. It's a piece of crap, but the first dealership you happened upon in the first town you came to deigned to take it for a hundred bucks. You could have shopped around, but you were desperate to complete your tasks and get back to the camp. You assumed that $100 would be enough to buy your supplies, plus a few little extras - a couple of new items of clothing for Xavier and Montana and second-hand copies of your favourite books. Your original plan was to also procure a cheap TV and VCR, and some tapes of movies that have come out in recent years. You know for a fact that Xavier would get a kick out of the Ghostbusters sequel, but you just don't have the time or the funds. You can always describe the movie to him.

After a successful thrifting trip, you head to a drugstore. You have no idea if there are limits to the amount of non-prescription drugs a person can buy. It's one of the things you neglected to find out about during your past forays into suicide planning. You always just assumed you would be at home when the time came, and have access to your mom's drug cabinet. You have decided to visit several drugstores, just to be safe. You have to run back into the final one, having almost forgotten the antihistamines that will ensure your stomach doesn't try to rid itself of the other pills you intend to take. Your final purchase is alcohol. Your hand quivers slightly as you reach to pick up a bottle of vodka. It feels very real now, but you don't doubt that you are doing the right thing. You think of Xavier and it fortifies you. You've had to use the last of the money you brought to L.A with you, as the cash from the sale of your car ran out quicker than you thought it would. Hitch-hiking back to Redwood won't be fun, but what else can you do?

Sitting at the side of the road back out to the woods, backpack stuffed with supplies, your mind drifts to last night when Xavier took you, upon your request, to see Ramirez. You watched from the far corner of the dank, gloomy cabin that held his trapped soul. Faint wisps of black smoke surrounded his dead body as he came back to life. He wasn't given a chance to talk before Montana stabbed him in the heart with a kitchen knife.

“You're lucky I've lost my taste for killing.” She'd smirked at you. “It used to get much messier than this, right baby?”

Trevor had grinned at her in response, causing you to shiver slightly. You'd left then, heading back to the cabin you'd been sharing with Xavier, not feeling entirely convinced that Montana had in fact lost her love of gruesome killings. Xavier had followed you at a slight distance, only speaking when you were both back at the cabin, sitting cross-legged on the bed.

“Are you okay?” He asked, concerned.

You nodded.

“I don't like the thought of you killing. I know he's evil. I'm not saying he doesn't deserve it. It's more the thought of you relishing in taking a life.”

Xavier was silent for a minute, considering.

“It was a distraction, I guess. I thought I had nothing else to be here for. I won't deny that I enjoyed it. I was so bitter Y/n. I tried so hard, at the end, to be good. I saved fucking Margaret all for her to kill me anyway.”

“I know.” You responded sadly, reaching for Xavier's hand. “It's over now. You have me. It may not be much but I hope that me being here will help.”

Xavier took a deep breath, squeezing your hand.

“It’s everything. Please don't ever doubt that. Obviously, I still have to take my turn killing him, I swore a pact, but it's just a chore to me now.”

“Maybe I will get to a point where I will be able to help you or at least keep you company?” You offered, timidly.

Xavier raised your hand to his lips and kissed it. “No pressure.”

You are pulled out of your daydream when a car draws up alongside you. A middle-aged woman with a kind expression rolls down her window and asks you where you are headed.

Time to go home.

~

You spot Xavier before he catches sight of you. You are touched that he waited right where you left him. He's sitting against the low wooden fence at the side of the road, drawing swirls in the dirt with his favourite knife. He'd be difficult to miss, the neon, mesh vest that only he would wear catching the eye a mile off. The sight of him sends a thrill of delight through you. You don't think you'll ever stop finding him beautiful. He looks up, hearing your approach, and rises with a wide grin spread across his face.

“Told you I'd be back.” You say as you approach, trying not to run and dive on him.

You are not given the chance to speak again, as Xavier promptly wraps you in his arms, covering your face with kisses the moment you pass under the Camp Redwood sign. He presses his lips hungrily against your own, and before you know it you are swept off of your feet.

“You're not seriously planning to carry me back to the camp are you!?” Your voice is full of incredulous laughter.

“Shut up.” Xavier grumbles, before kissing you again.

You allow yourself to be carried all the way to your cabin, where your joyous reunion lasts for several glorious hours.

Notes: I left Y/n’s favourite books unnamed and open to interpretation.

Please note, the next chapter will include the actual suicide, I don’t plan on being overly descriptive but please avoid if you think it will bother you.