#and everytime one plan fails - she scratches it out and moves on to the next

[trappedinafantasy37]

POV: you ask your girlfriend if she has any plans for the future. She immediately goes on a tangent about her additional 36 plans for world domination since the last one failed. The best part? You're in them!

[njpuckbunny]

thank god for thin walls

kellin quinn x reader

summary : will coworker and neighbor Kellin suppress his feelings for y/n for the rest of his life? or will the thin walls of their apartment spoil his plans?

warnings : p in v, smut, swear words, masturbation, inaccurate depiction of sex (dick outline in stomach), and everything that comes with sex!

BEEP

BEEP

BEEP

You groaned and rolled over as you pressed your alarm to silence. The stress of today would have to wait until another time to both you. In the meantime, you had to get ready for another long day of work. Usually, you had worked only on weekdays, but one of your coworkers needed to give up her shifts to you because she “NEEDED to go on vacation”.

whatever.

You knew that not being on vacation and being stuck with your least favorite coworker made you a little petty at her for her trip. As you threw on your clothes and required shirt, you got ready to stand at a desk and wait for men to mansplain guitars to you.

Great !

You pulled opened the blinds of your apartment to see the cloudy skies and rain soaked pavement. Making your way out the door, you saw your neighbor walking out of his door too. Kellin Quinn, your neighbor and coworker, was one of the few people you actually loathed. You never really knew why you hated him, you just did. Was is that he was loud and annoying? or the fact that his hair fell perfectly everytime he looked your way?

anyway.

You made your way down the stairs of the apartment complex with Kellin not far in front of you. You were just about to turn directions and head to your car until you heard Kellin snicker, “following me to work again y/n?”

You glared at him and scoffed, “you wish.” You felt that after being harassed by Kellin in the apartment parking lot, that you deserved breakfast. You drove down the street to your local Starbucks, a block away from your work. After pulling in and parking, you stood at the back of the store, noticing quite a backup in the store. It moved slower than you hoped it would, but you were still on schedule. Your order consisted of one iced blonde latte, a breakfast sandwich, and a cake pop. The barista had sandy blonde hair and he was certainly very friendly towards you. Deep down you hoped he would give you his number, but your flirting failed you today. Before you knew it, you were back in your car and on the way to work. The sound of

“morning…. oh,” kellin, your least favorite coworker, scratch that, least favorite person, spoke in a monotone voice to you, “thought you were someone else y/n.”

You decided to take no shit today and replied, “yea fuck you too,”

“Shitttt,” he exaggerated, “didn’t know you didn’t even get to sip your morning coffee yet.”

“Yea well I don’t see a fresh latte made for you do I,” You retorted.

Kellin scoffed, and before he could make his next comeback, Jackie, another female coworker of yours, asked for his help. To your knowledge, she needed help with restringing a guitar for a regular. You were a bit glad that he was occupied with another task so you could enjoy your coffee and help customers on your own. You couldn’t help but think how Jackie got a job at the guitar store if she couldn’t even restring a guitar by herself. But you didn’t really care. You turned around to check on her to see Kellin kneeling down in front of her, manually helping her with the task at hand. You couldn’t help and feel the jealousy bubbling in your stomach.

His calloused fingers slid across the fretboard, guiding the strings up the neck of the guitar. Kellin feels your gaze burning into the back of his head, but he can’t stop himself from staying frozen in the spot he’s crouched down in. He’s trying to explain in 200 different ways how to restring a guitar just to spend time away from the register.

Light rain drizzled outside which caused you to turn your back from Kellin to peer outside. A sigh of relief filled the quiet store, but no one paid any mind to it.

It was a sheer understatement to say you were infatuated with Kellin. Would you tell anyone? no. Do you secretly wish he would do something about it? yes. You thought about him everyday and every night. Sometimes, when he would bring over fuck buddies or women he picked up that night, you would hear his moans and breaths through the wall, wishing the next and final girl he brought home to make love to was you. But it never was. Thank god for thin walls.

With your brain stimulated from your previous thoughts, you could only process when you were off of work. A quick glance up to the clock had shown that you only had 25 more minutes left of your feet hurting. Then it was back to the relaxing comfort of your couch and netflix. You decided that you would rearrange the picks by color order and thickness, to waste the remaining time you had at work.

Kellin took the task of standing behind the counter while you started on your rearranging. Your focus was dwindling quickly with Kellin in front of you. The mask of hatred and annoyance was fighting with your true feelings of lust. Your mind couldn’t help but trail back to the grunts you heard emanating from Kellin’s room last week and the times before that. Snapped out of your thoughts by an alarm, you peeked over the counter to see a timer going off on Kellin’s phone for 7:30, your punch out time, which was coincidentally his too.

You made your way back over to the counter and reached below it to grab your stuff. With Kellin in the space with you, it was admittedly a little bit crowded. The tight space resulted in your hand brushing against his lower abdomen while you reached for your bag.

“sorry,” you managed to squeak out. Usually, you weren’t shy about bumping into people, but that close to his—-

His snicker interrupted your internal conversation while he walked out the back door. You rolled your eyes thinking nothing of it and made your way to your car.

The drive home wasn’t too bad, minus the rain and traffic the time had brought. It felt faster than the drive there or it could have been the eagerness to get home and relieve the sexual tension in your core.

The light rain was turning into heavy downpour and bringing a storm with it. Your car thankfully made it safely to your apartment complex and you were ready to take a shower to wash your dirty thoughts away. As you walked up the stairs to your floor, you heard some commotion going on. You weren’t able to pinpoint exactly where it was from, but it didn’t bother you.

You unlocked your door and sluggishly walked into your room. Your shower was pretty big, with marbled floors, and a glass door. The sound of the streams of water hitting the marble was relieving after being on your feet all day long. You slipped out of your clothes and stepped into the shower.

Your sigh filled the bathroom while you reached down to grab your shampoo. You squeezed the bottle in your hand and lathered it up, ready to put it in your hair. It felt so soothing as you massaged it through your scalp. You washed it out and brushed out your hair with a bit of conditioner.

As you stepped out of the shower and grabbed your towel, you heard some ruffling outside of your apartment again. You wiped your hand across the mirror to rub away some of the steam that appeared on it. You decided to forgo a bra, putting on a pair of underwear, sweatpants, and an oversized tee.

You sat in your bed, on your phone, waiting for a sign to go to bed.

A groan passed through the walls into your room.

“What the f-“ you were cut off by another moan that came from your neighbor.

You knew whose voice it was,but it scared you knowing that if Kellin was jacking off the day that your tension skyrocketed…. then you had a better chance of fucking him.

“Just like that y/n”

Excuse me?

Was he thinking about you, or just trying to fuck with your head, completely aware you were his neighbor. You decided to see for yourself as your adrenaline took over your instincts. The sound of bed squeaks made you think it was real, but purposely saying someone’s name who you KNEW they were your neighbor? didn't think so.

His door was already cracked and through it you could see his head thrown back and his chest heaving. One of his hands was over his mouth and the other was wrapped around his erection. To be fair, the size of it had surprised you. It surprised you so much to the fact that you had put your hand on the door and stepped ever so slightly that the door had creaked.

shit.

The sound of frantic movement under the covers and pants filled up the room.

He was the one who spoke first, “how long have you been standing there?”

“Since I decided that I wanted to know if you were actually imagining fucking me or if you were mentally fucking with me,” you retorted.

He didn’t look amused, just a little embarrassed and a lot annoyed. Under the covers he slipped his boxers back on before he walked over to you. Frozen with the fact of not knowing what was going to happen next, you stood right at the entrance of his room, still. One of his hands grabbed your waist and the other pushed the door behind you shut. The dim light of the room cast a shadow down on his face, illuminating every feature in front of you.

“Why are you such a brat,” he broke the silence and before you could reply he slammed his lips into yours. Since your arousal was building up since the second you saw him this morning, it was impossible for you not to moan into his mouth. The opportunity to slip his tongue into the kiss was taken with no hesitation.

His hands worked up and down your waist to your hips. It felt so good you thought it wasn’t going to get any better than this. Then it hit you that the sex part didn’t even start. With his hands on you, your hands naturally trailed from his face all the way down to his boxers. You hand stroked his abdomen and reached to clutch his erection. He broke away from the kiss and moved both of you to the edge of his bed.

With the back of his knees hitting the bed, you fell, straddling his waist. You pulled his boxers down and off of his legs as he scooted to the edge of his bed. Before you could drop down to your knees, Kellin grabbed your chin and tilted it to his gaze.

“You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to, sweetheart,” he assured you with glazed eyes.

You nodded and guaranteed that you wanted this. In simpler terms, you needed this and you needed him.

Your tongue worked to tease his tip, licking his slit and around his head. Kellin’s pants stuttered and breathy moans were heard by the whole complex, if anyone was listening. Your lips moved oh-so slightly down just over his head and your tongue worked the same movements with your lips over it. With no warning, your mouth engulfed his whole length. He groaned, louder than you moaning his name earlier and the pool of wetness in your panties grew bigger.

“You love my cock don’t you,” he praised, “it’s made just for your mouth.” Your mouth vibrated on his cock when you moaned, letting another whimper leave his mouth. His dick twitched in your mouth and you knew he was close. He stroked your hair and he let out a quiet warning, “I'm close baby.”

His hips gave one last jerk as your cheeks hollowed out and his semen soaked your throat. You pulled off of his cock, sucking every drop of his cum off of him.

“Such a good girl aren’t you,” he praised once again, obviously knowing it turned you on when you instinctively rubbed your thighs together. You saw him smirk and he pulled your waist in between his legs when you stood up. His eyes trailed up and down your body, taking your clothes into account, “Let’s get these off of you.” Slowly, he pulled your sweatpants down and your shirt off. Expecting a bra, he looked at you teasingly and shook his head.

“Shut up,” you retorted to his silent thoughts that were louder than he thought.

He saw your response as a challenge and replied quietly and enunciated , “make me, or I can do it myself.” He grabbed your waist again and pulled you on top of him. He flipped you over and slid his hands under your ass, pulling you up to his disheveled covers and pillows. He pulled his hands from under you and over to the top of your thighs. His hands dragged down to your knees, and parted them only to drag them down to your core again. His tongue flattened against your panties, licking a stripe against them, pressing the wetness of your heat. His lips laid open mouthed kisses above and around your panties, taking his time.

“Kellin,” you panted, “please do something.” He took your plea for contact by biting down on the top of your panties and pulling them down and off of you.

“Tell me what you need,” he looked up at you through his eyelashes, looking almost as desperate as you.

“I want your tongue,” you expressed breathlessly, “I want all of you Kellin.”

Without warning, Kellin licked roughly through your folds. Your head fell back, and your hips arched up. Kellin’s free hand pressed tenderly on your stomach, increasing the pleasure inside of you. His tongue worked your pussy, sucking and lapping at your lips. Only your moans and wet noises filled the room. Your breath hitched in your throat, ready for your release. “Mmm Kels I'm cumming,” you warned. His only response was to plunge his tongue further into you until you came into his mouth. Kellin swore that he could have came right there seeing you come only from the pleasure of his tongue. The whole time of him eating you out, his eyes were locked with yours. As he pulled away, the remnant cum and saliva circled his lips. You pulled his shoulders to yourself and sloppily kissed him, mixing all of your moisture together.

“Are you ready for me,” he asked, “I need to hear you say it angel.”

“I’m ready for you,” you breathed. You couldn’t take much longer of him not being inside of you.

He sensually slipped his cock inside of you, rhythmically penetrating you.

“Harder , please,” you whimpered.

He smirked, as if you didn’t know what you were getting yourself into. You heard him fist fucking himself before, you knew how he liked it hard and rough.

“As you please,” he retorted.

Then, he went from rhythmic thrusts to unrelentless pounding his cock inside of you. His thumb on your hip reached down to stimulate your clit. You rocked your hips both into his hand and his cock. His other hand grabbed your neck and pulled your lips to his. He groaned inside of your mouth, eliciting you to squeeze his shaft inside of you. The thought of you making him vocal made you hornier than before. One of his hands slid down your chest, and fell around your stomach area, until it fell upon an outline in your stomach. His cock was so deep and long inside of you, the imprint was visible from your abdomen. Your climax was creeping up on you, faster than you wanted.

“Kellin i’m gonna— fuckkk,” you tried to make out, but your words seemed to fail you.

“Me too baby, uhuh me too,” thankfully he understood what you were saying, “where do you want me.”

“inside of me.”

Kellin was surprised at your request, but he didn’t mind it one bit. You released around his cock and latched onto his roots with your fingers before he came inside of you. Your panting came to a slow as you caught your breath on his bed, already seeming to form your cuddling position. He reached down and pulled a blanket over both of you.

As you drifted off to sleep with a man you would’ve punched 24 hours ago, you just had one thing on your mind.

Thank fuck for thin walls.

[yesimwriting]

The Promise of Rain, blurb 2

The Promise of Rain (part 2?? technically) 

A/n I was not originally planning a second part for this but some people wanted it and this idea came to me and it works better with the context of ‘The Promise of Rain’ but it can technically be read as a stand alone :))

Anyways this might turn into a small series of kinda connected blurbs that are all kind of canon with each other but aren’t necessarily connected except for the reader’s background (the reader is a very sunshine-y person and knows Kaz bc she’s a runaway princess that he was hired to bring back home but she managed to convince him to let her work for him instead)

--

The night air had left me with a chill that made me want nothing more than to have my covers draped over me as I read. I’m normally more sociable after a job, especially after such a simple and safe ending, but a lot of tonight had left me wanting to be alone. 

Well, not truly alone. The company of my books is always welcomed, but tonight I can’t seem to find much comfort within the pages. After almost every paragraph, I find myself distracted by gusts of wind and thoughts of the heavy, silver clouds that seem to make up tonight. A part of me longs for the rain. I know it’s ridiculous to expect rain each time I desire some sense of comfort, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want it. Especially when the sky so clearly implies it. 

“This must be the fifth time I’ve come here and you’ve been reading.” Kaz’s sudden appearance is almost enough to shake away my lingering somberness. 

I roll my eyes slightly, turning my attention back to the page in front of me. “That observation is just a testament to how often you come in here.” 

His glare is half hearted, a look I’d find endearing if I was less annoyed. “Where else am I going to find a reminder that good people exist in Ketterdam?” 

I think he may have a sixth sense that warns him when I’m treading the line between being annoyed and displeased. Everytime I find myself mad at him in a way that makes me want to avoid him instead of yell at him, Kaz makes some ridiculously heart-melting comment. He steps further into the room. I don’t miss the way he eyes my stretched out legs. Ever since the conversation we had after he woke up after an injury, we’ve fallen into the unmentioned habit of silently inviting the other to stay by moving to make room for them. 

It had started the day after the conversation in which Kaz had admitted that he wanted me to stay with him. He had been sitting on the small couch while discussing the details of a job. Shortly after I walked in he made a point of shifting so that he was clearly on one side of the couch. I didn’t think much about sitting down, but Inej and Jesper exchanged a look. 

Now, though, I keep my legs stretched out on the bed. He eyes my position on the bed, something grim crossing his features. 

“It might rain tonight.” 

He knows me so damn well. I hate it. “I hope so.”

I turn my head, analyzing the way the world seems to be on the cusp of something. I stare at the silver clouds until I feel something hard tap my leg. The tap is firm but not painful. I’m quick to look at Kaz as he lowers his cane. The mention of rain had been a distraction. 

“You distracted me on purpose.” 

“The first rule of the Barrel is to always be prepared.” There’s a slight uptilt to his lips, something I’ve learned to interpret as a sign of teasing. 

How is he so easy to be around one second and so cold the next? I resist a smile. “I’ll take notes.” 

Kaz ignores my passive aggressive tone. His focus seems to be on my legs that have still not moved to offer him a place next to me. “You wear your emotions too openly.” Great, he’s going to make us talk about it. “What reason could you possibly have to be mad at me?”

“I’m not mad at you.” It’s a partial truth. 

His expression harshens. “Don’t lie.” 

“I’m not thrilled with you, but I don’t think that’s the same as being mad.” 

Kaz lets out a partial sigh. “No, they’re not the same.” Such an early concession feels like a trap. “With you, the first option is worse.” I don’t have anything to say to that. “Is this because of what I said to Jesper?” 

My posture straightens on instinct. “He wants your validation more than he’d ever admit and I understand that expressing praise isn’t exactly something you do, but would it kill you to not actively insult him?” 

“I didn’t say anything that was wrong. He thinks he’s a gambler but he’s just someone born for losses.” The look I give him must mean something to him, because Kaz is quick to tact on, “That doesn’t make him less valuable of an asset or less relatively dependable.” 

I eye him cautiously, the slightest bit of vulnerability playing at his features. “Don’t look at me like that--and don’t tell me that. Jesper’s the one who could use the occasional reminder from you that you hold him to any regard with positive connotations.” His lips press together like he’s thinking about scolding me for scolding him. “It’s only because I know you care more about Jesper than you’d ever let on.” 

“Jesper’s esteem can handle the blow.” The curtness of his voice is a blow in its own sense. “And he didn’t exactly deserve to be in my good graces after what he did tonight.” 

My sigh is not weighted enough to match Kaz’s newfound fountain of emotion. “We were successful--”

“He left you.” I didn’t know Kaz’s voice was capable of such harshness. “I paired him with you, and he left you--and you almost didn’t make it.” I let the weight of his words take up all the available space in the room, keeping the silence that follows them until some of the heaviness has dissipated. “He could have cost me one of my best people.”

Oh. His harshness, his unwarranted coldness, had been a manifestation of his concern. For me. Guilt knots my stomach. Potential words that may offer Kaz some sort of support raise and die back down in my throat. Kaz turns towards the door. 

“Kaz.” He pauses. There’s a long moment in which I think he won’t turn around, but finally, he does. I tuck my legs beneath me, forcing myself to sit up a little straighter. “I told Jesper to leave because I knew the job would have failed if he had been trapped in that room with me.” I drop my gaze towards the window. “I was right, the job was successful, and I got out in time so it was worth it.”

“You risked your safety?” The harsh facet of his being is making its return in full force. 

“For the job,” I’m careful to keep my words factual, “It’s what we’re supposed to do.”

Kaz’s jaw locks. “When I said that keeping you near me would ruin you this is what I meant.” 

Is it really this big of a deal? I made it out. “Kaz.”

“This wasn’t my best idea.” His words are leached of anything. “You’re going back home. Tomorrow I’ll arrange the voyage myse--” 

“Kaz Brekker you may get to live your life doing anything you want but you don’t get to control mine.” My chin raises an inch, an instinctual act of subtle rebellion. “I am not going back there, even if I’m technically indebted to you because you didn’t return me to my father but that does not mean I’ll--”

“I’m not trying to control you.” His words are sharp, boarding on a yell. “A job like that one wasn’t worth you.” 

From Kaz, I know those words are heavy. There’s a lot of things I could say to that. I could tell him that I wanted to do something for him. I could say that I appreciate him telling me that. I could even say that in his own way, Kaz giving Jesper a hard time because he left me, is kind of cute in a misguided way. The thing is I think all of these responses will make things worse. 

“Kaz,” I keep my voice as steady as possible, “I’m fine, you’re fine, it all worked out.” Scratching the back of my arm, I exhale gently. “I’ll be more careful next time, I promise.” 

I watch him carefully, there’s a slight slump to his shoulders as he exhales. Is the fight leaving him so easily? He walks further into the room. “You better.” He sits down in the space I provided for him slowly. “If you’re not you’ll have worse things to worry about than anything that can happen to you on a job.” He moves his cane forward easily, tapping my knee in a swift motion. 

I roll my eyes at the mock threat. “They do say that there’s nothing to fear in the Barrel like the Dirtyhands.” 

“Remember that.” Any edge in his voice is forced. I fight against a smile that seems to always want to break across my face whenever I think I see something resembling lightness in Kaz. 

“I don’t think I could forget anything about you.” 

He turns his head slightly. “You should.” 

“Too bad.” 

Kaz leans his back against the wall, untensing slightly. “I think you just like disagreeing with me.” 

There’s no point in lying about it. “Only because when you argue with me you give me this really particular look.” 

“A look?” 

Adding insult to injury, I smile. “Sometimes you look like you’re too focused on being angry, like you’re compensating for something.” 

Kaz lets out a bitter sigh. “Maybe if you were less of a puppy I wouldn’t have to--”

The laugh that escapes is most definitely a mistake. “Did you just call me a puppy?” I don’t give him a chance to reply, laughter taking over again. “I mean this in the least argumentative way possible--but you’re so weird sometimes.” 

He rolls his eyes, tensing. “I’m leaving.”

I stifle the rest of my laughter. “No. I was--I was kidding!” I keep my eyes on Kaz, expecting some type of annoyed glare, but his expression is a lot more weighted than that. Odd. “Kaz?” 

“You need to be more careful.” I understand Kaz’s pause as something he does before saying something outside of his nature. “I’m not asking you this as a Crow or a Dreg.” 

On instinct, my posture straightens. “I promised and I meant it.” 

“Sometimes I wish I could believe in Saints,” his voice has taken off a distant quality, almost fragile, “That way I could believe something existed to help what matters.” 

Oh. “You never fail, even if I didn’t believe in Saints I’d believe in you.” 

“You’re wasting your faith.” The sound of lightning cracking is almost enough to make me jump. The rain finally came. 

I know I’ll never convince him that that’s not true. “I don’t think so, but that’s why it’s called faith.” 

“I have faith in some things.” His expression is far off. 

“Like what?” 

Kaz’s eyes find the window. “People that find meaning in the rain.” 

Something in my chest swells. “You’re like the rain.”

We sit there in silence, watching raindrops glide down the window. “What were you reading?” 

The question has me dropping my gaze to the forgotten book on my lap. “I stole this book from the palace before I left. It was my mom’s favorite, she’s read it so much the spine’s completely cracked and the cover is practically falling off.” 

“Hm…” He mumbles. “Read some, the books read in a palace must be worthwhile.” 

A part of me wants to tell him that elitism has no place in literature, but his request leaves me frozen. I nod once, turning to the first page of the book. “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife--” 

“Your upbringing makes sense--” 

“You can’t judge it off the first sentence,” he’s insufferable, “It’s setting up irony, and if you’re going to complain--” 

He lets out a conceding sigh. “I’m listening, I’m not interrupting.” 

I keep my eyes on him for a second longer than I should. “Okay.” Dropping my gaze back to the book, I adjust my grip on the worn paperback, “Good.” 

And then I keep reading. 

--

@theincredibledeadlyviper @grishaverse7 @lonelystarship @mentally-in-northern-italy @uhanddreag 

[bbyheedeungie]

Valentine Study Date | Student!Heeseung AU

Pairings: Heeseung x Reader

Genre: Fluff

Warnings: none

Synopsis: Heeseung's valentine date with you doesn't go as he planned. But of course, he's not gonna let anything spoil his first valentine's day with you. No, not on his watch.

Author's note: a bit late for the occasion but I hope y'all enjoy this uwu

You really messed up. You messed up real bad. You failed your test in biology and you were scheduled for a retake on Monday. You really need to focus on studying, but you had a part time job every Saturday and Valentine's day was coming up on Sunday.

Ah, Valentine's day. The day that you and your boyfriend Heeseung had been looking forward to since it was going to be your first Valentine's together. He promised you a super cheesy romantic date that you were never ever going to forget. Being Heeseung's first girlfriend ever, he was really set on spoiling you and setting very high standards that no other guy can ever surpass anymore.

You knew how important that day is gonna be for Heeseung and how much effort he's putting into your date. That is why guilt is eating you up as you walk up to him as he was putting his books into his locker. You don't think you can bear to see his disappointed face.

"Heeseungie," You aporoached him. He stopped to look at you, his face immediately lighting up.

"Oh, Y/N! How was your day?" He asks as the corner of his lips move upwards to reveal his adorable smile that makes you want to squish his cheeks all the time. But today, you were too nervous to do so.

"It was fine," You say, staring at your shoes.

"Um hey, about sunday." You started. Heeseung just looked at you, anticipating what you had to say.

"IhaveatestonmondayandIhavetogoandstudyonsunday." You said quickly, just letting it all out. Heeseung blinked for a few times, trying to catch up on what you had just said.

"Ohh." He said simply. His reaction was unreadable, like he was thinking about something.

"Heeseung— baby, I'm so sorry. I know how much you were looking forward to Valentine's." You apologized, feeling so ashamed of yourself. He shooked his head, reaching his hand out to mess up your hair as he smiles at you warmly.

"Don't be sorry, silly. I know how important it is to pass that test. I will be cheering you on, okay?" He said, gesturing 'fighting!' with his fist.

"B-but our date—"

"Hey, we still have next year. And next next year, and many more years to come. So don't worry about it anymore." he reassured, and you feel like you want to cry and hug him for being so understanding.

"I love you so much! I'll make it up to you, I swear." You promise him. Heeseung simply chuckles, his bright smile appearing once again.

"I love you too, Y/N. So, shall I walk you home?"

Heeseung's gotta admit, he was sad that he wouldn't be able to take you out for the perfect date on Valentine's day. But then again, he immediately realized that the perfect date doesn't have to be fancy or outdoors. That is why as he cancelled the reservations he made for this fancy restaurant and refunding the movie tickets he got, he concocted a new plan.

———

Sunday night, it was 6pm and you were seated in front of your desk, taking down notes and highlighting your textbook when you got a text from Heeseung.

"Have you eaten dinner yet?" the text read.

Heeseung often scolded you when you didn't eat at the right time, whining about how you weren't taking care of yourself enough. But you couldn't lie to him though, and so you texted him back.

"No, not yet ㅋㅋ😅"

A few seconds passed and you immediately received another message from him. You can already imagine the displeased look on Heeseung's face, shaking his head and ready to scold you. That is why you were completely taken aback by his reply.

"Good. I'll be right over in 10 minutes."

You quickly stood up, tripping over your own feet on the process of rushing to your bathroom to freshen yourself up before your boyfriend arrives. You change into nicer clothes and remove your hair from it's messy bun, attempting to fix it into something that's not a bird's nest. You didn't even get a chance to apply a bit of makeup when your mom calls you from downstairs.

"Y/N! Come down here, Heeseung is here for you." She shouts. And so you jog down the stairs to greet him, a grin instantly etching onto his face as he sees you. Your heart flutters as you see the picnic basket he was holding, together with a box of chocolate truffles and a bouquet of flowers in his arm.

"Heeseungie, what is all this?" You ask in shock.

"Uhh, dinner?" He said, still smiling. He walks closer to you, offering the flowers and chocolate to you.

"Happy Valentine's day, Y/N." He says.

And so, the two of you went upstairs to your room, where he set up a romantic dinner date beside your bed, covering your bedroom rug with a picnic blanket. He even went as far as bringing led lights to scatter around the area to set the mood.

"You are so extra." You said as you hug him from behind, kneeling as he was sitting down and bringing out the food from the basket.

"Which is exactly what you deserve." He says as he removes your arms around him reluctantly and ushers you to sit with him.

"One plate of extra love and effort for you miss?" He said formally like a waiter, making you giggle.

"Did you cook those?" You asked, pertaining to all the dishes he brought. Heeseung scratches the back of his neck shyly.

"Well, I kinda asked Jay to help me." He says, making you raise your eyebrows.

"And by 'help' you mean..?" You trail off. He sighs in defeat, raising his arms in the air.

"Okay fine, he cooked and I tasted if it was alright." He admitted, making you burst into laughter.

"My compliments to the chef, then."

As you ate, you suddenly remembered about your Valentine gift to Heeseung. You've had it since last week.

"Heeseungie, I almost forgot to give you my present. Wait here." You say, rushing to your closet. His eyes simply follow you, his cheeks full of food inside.

You come back with a red box in your hands, placing it in front of Heeseung.

"Happy Valentine's day, Heeseung."

"And I thought I was good at surprises, you sneaky little girl. Thank you for this." He says as he unwrapped the ribbon and removed the top lid, revealing random stuff that you knew he likes. Ramen, lots of snacks and beverages, chocolates.

After dinner, the two of you lied down on your bed with your stomachs too full for you to even sit up straight. But Heeseung managed to roll over and stand up anyway. From the picnic basket, he pulls out his biology textbook and his notebook.

"Okay missy, time to get serious." He says, slapping your knee playfully, making you groan.

"Noooo." You whined.

"Let's just cuddle and watch movieeees." You say, making a puppy dog face at him that gets him everytime. But he shook his head, avoiding your pleading eyes because it's his greatest weakness.

"Sorry, no can do. This is part of our date, I'm tutoring you."

"It is?" you say, striggling to sit up. He helps you to do so, laughing lightly at how adorable you were.

"Yep. Now, shall we start our Valentine study date?"

[jovialluminaryalpaca]

True Beauty | Little by Little | Han Seojun x Kang Soojin fanfic | Bonus

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Hey, so I'm back after a while and I don't know what this is, but I hope you like it!

"Ya Han Seojun?" Soojin called out as Seojun smiled at her and walked towards her.

"Yeah?" He asked as he held her hand.

"Is it really okay?" She asked.

"What is?" He asked innocently.

"Us going together tomorrow?" She asked. He stopped in his tracks and looked at her and she just looked at her feet wordlessly.

"Why not?" He asked.

She opened her mouth to say something and then closed it back like a fish. Han Seojun sighed as he looked at her and released her hand to hold her face in his palms and looked into her eyes.

"I don't care about what people have to say because if they spew hate, it is irrelevant. I'm sure about my decision but if you're not okay with it, I'll understand and respect yours." He said with a small smile on his face.

Soojin looked into his eyes and nodded. Tomorrow was Suho and Jugyeong's wedding. Exactly a month and ten days after the night they kissed, confessed and got together. It was a miracle how they managed to hide their relationship from their friends for so long but it was rather easy as Seojun was busy with the release and promotion of his new album and that's why he couldn't attend most of the gatherings, at times she missed his grumpy face at the gatherings but she understood.

She thought about all those times, she sneaked in to his vanity van and his studio with the help of Heegyeong and they spent hours playing games, solving crossword puzzles, planning small non profit events, talking about anything, making out and sometimes just sitting in silence holding each other's hand with her head placed on his shoulder and everytime they were together, she was sure that she was falling harder than before for him.

On days when Seojun had a rough day and was exhausted, she simply slid in next to him, held his hand and drew small circles on the back of his hand to calm him down or just held him closer to her as he relaxed in her arms and let himself rest. She remembered the day his album released, she snuck into the crowd without his notice and he walked up on the stage with a grumpy face because she didn't answer his calls and left a text an hour before that she won't be able to make it to the album release, he sat on the dias as his eyes reluctantly wandered around and stopped when they looked at her. She remembered the way his face lit up like 1000 watt bulb and the bright smile that followed right after. She smiled back and raised her hand for a small wave without being noticed by people and he just nodded and went back to concentrating on his album release. She remembered the time, a stupid rich man decided to belittle her in front of the people who worked along with her and called her names and she tried her best to control the anger but she was Kang Soojin, she couldn't keep quiet and let people walk all over her, she called that man out and stood up for herself and the first applaud she received was from Seojun, he clapped so loudly while everyone stood there in shook acknowledging his presence and she just stood there as he smiled at her and she nodded at him with a small smile while the man who was now speechless left. Anyday, she felt tired, she found comfort and peace in Seojun's arms. It was unbelievable how close they became, her younger self would've laughed at the thought of being in love with Han Seojun but here she was, completely and utterly in love with him.

"Okay." She said as he smiled at her.

"Are you sure? I don't want to rush you." Seojun said.

"I'm sure." She said as she placed her hands over his to reassure him and he leaned in and pressed his lips against her forehead. He removed his hands from her face and held one of her hands and both of them continued to walk towards her apartment.

_

Han Seojun smiled at her as she walked out of Jugyeong's room at the venue. She sighed as she walked towards him. Their plan of going together failed when Jugyeong decided to call Soojin immediately early in the morning and Seojun had no choice but to let her go to Jugyeong before she combusted on her.

"Did you eat?" He asked as she nodded.

"Did you?" She asked and he nodded.

"How is Suho?" She asked as Seojun laughed.

"It's the first time, I've seen him that nervous." Seojun said as Soojin laughed and Seojun looked at her eyes crinkle. She wore a black dress which almost reached her knees and matched it with black stilettos while he wore a simple navy blue tux with a tie of the same colour. He looked around and then placed his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to himself. She gasped as he did but let a smile take over her face and her eyes focused on him.

"Did I tell you that you look really pretty today?" He asked.

"Well, you did, but I don't mind you telling it again and you look really handsome as well." She said with a smile, adjusted his tie and placed her hands on his chest.

"Should I get a lie detector to check if you are lying like the last time?" He asked as her eyes narrowed while she remembered that memory and mentally groaned at it.

"Are you holding that against me? That machine was faulty." She said with a small pout and Seojun smiled at her and pressed his lips against her before she could protest, she sighed and melted into the kiss and moved her lips against his in a perfect sync. His hold on her tightened as she tugged his collar to pull him closer and then sound of the door creak made them pull apart. Their wide eyes looked around as Seojun heard Taehoon call him because Suho was looking for him.

Seojun let a sigh of relief out and was grateful that no one caught them kissing in the middle of the lobby on their best friend's wedding.

"What does that idiot want now? Suho needs to stop being so dependent on me." He mumbled as he walked away and Soojin just looked down with reddened cheeks. She turned around and found Jugyeong in her bridal gown looking at her with wide eyes and an open mouth. Soojin gulped as she frowned slightly at the sight in front of her.

"I can explain." She said.

"Then, please do." Jugyeong replied.

Soojin dragged Jugyeong back into her room, closed it and explained everything to her. Jugyeong listened to the whole story with a smile on her face and honestly the way she was sitting so casually as she listened to Soojin, no one would've guessed that it is her wedding today and it looked like she forgot about her own wedding.

"So yeah." Soojin concluded as Jugyeong gave her a bright smile.

"I knew it." She replied showing her tummy teeth.

"Also know that, I'm really happy for you." She continued as Soojin looked at her with a grateful smile. Soojin whispered a small thank you and she smiled at her and before she could speak another word the entire Lim family barged in through the door and surrounded her along with Soo ah who apologised for being so late. Soojin sat back as she looked at the chaotic family and their affection and it brought so much happiness to her, she was happy that her best friend was lucky enough to get caring family who will never leave her side. She sat in silence with a smile and ocassionly tried to calm the chaos before something like what happened on Heegyeong's wedding could happen again.

_

The vows were exchanged and it was absolutely beautiful to watch, both Jugyeong and Suho teared up, Suho prepared a long speech thanking Jugyeong for everything she has done and well, Jugyeong started crying in the middle of the event while Suho comforted her. It was a miracle how this wedding didn't involve any major surprises like the last wedding in the Lim family, however there were few ups and downs like Jugyeong almost tripping on her way to the aisle and Soojin just shook her head at her friend's clumsiness and Soo ah just blinked her eyes.

The dinner was done and everyone was gathered around for a round of toasts where everyone was laughing and crying at the remarks and the blessings Suho and Jugyeong received. It was Soojin's turn and she turned to look at Seojun who squeezed her hand and suddenly everyone realised something which they didn't realise before but before anyone could speak something, Soojin stood up and looked at Suho and Jugyeong.

"Honestly, I don't know what to say. Y'all have come so far, fought your battles against so many things like time, distance, heartbreak, even me. I really will always hate myself for doing that and I hope I'm forgiven. But, yeah. All I can say is what y'all have is true love and it's rare, I hope the both of you stay together till the end of your journeys on this planet." She said as Jugyeong gave her a warm smile and the heart sign and she did the same and the crowd applauded them.

It was now Seojun's turn and he stood up as Soojin sat down. He cleared his throat and looked at Suho and Jugyeong.

"I have no words." He started and scratched his forehead while Soojin shook her head as the crowd laughed and he did too.

"They say it's hard to find true love nowadays, it's too rare and I know it's true, what y'all have is beautiful and it's absolutely wonderful how both of you are two of the closest people to me and are together, I won't know who's side to take when both of you'll fight." He said as the crowd burst into laughter.

"But all of that said, both of you have something so strong, beautiful and almost unbreakable and I will always hope that it stays like that forever." He concluded as Suho smiled and so did Jugyeong. He sat down on his place as Soojin held his hand placed her head on his shoulder. He looked up to find Suho smirk at him while maintaining a stern expression on his face which changed everytime someone greeted him to a smile. It amazed him how his best friend was like that and he chuckled. He then looked at Soojin and she looked at him with a small smile, it was beautiful how neither of them were no longer bothered or felt heartbroken around the bride or the groom and that's how they knew they moved on completely and were so happy about it, that's how they also knew that they were so much in love with each other that it almost felt surreal.

[one-leaf-grimoire]

the knight who pierced the king's heart

knight au ➼ chapter 14

warnings ➼ none

synopsis ➼ Things start to go back to normal, but schemes are growing in the shadows.

ao3 link (18+ content) ➼ here

masterlist ➼ here

author's note ➼ This is sort of a short chapter, I apologize! I haven't updated in forever but I want to get back into it! Thank you for sticking around.

By the time the next day dawned, it seemed as if everything had gone according to plan. Augustus had gotten to meet “Elizabeth Payne,” and Julius had successfully hidden her true identity. The nobles at the ball were none the wiser, relieving the burden that had been hanging over the heads of everyone involved.

Well, almost.

“Would you stop moping around? You have a long day ahead of you, you know.”

“Hmm?” Julius blinked, having been staring into the black depths of his morning coffee, not paying attention to Marx as the advisor puttered around the office. “I’m not moping, I’m just… tired.”

“You are moping. I know you too well,” Marx corrected, leafing through some parchment, organizing it for the day. “Lisa’s been gone barely half an hour, you can’t let yourself fall into disrepair everytime you’re apart.”

Julius sighed, shaking his head a little. “No, that’s not it… I mean-” He shifted in his chair, his brow furrowing a bit in annoyance. “I wish she could have stayed longer this morning. Breakfast was all planned out, with all her favorites, but she said she had to go back to her station before anyone got suspicious.”

“Well, Isn’t that a good thing? Avoiding suspicion, I mean.”

“I suppose, but still…” Julius let his gaze drift to the window. The room was bright from the morning rays of sun, the aroma of his coffee permeating the air and giving it a cozy, warm atmosphere. Julius was most at home in his office, yet today he felt so lonely. “...I wish she could stay here all the time.”

“Impossible-” Julius’s attention was drawn back to Marx as he plopped more documents down into the growing pile on his desk. “She’s got her own life, her own goals. Plus, she’d just be in danger here.” Marx frowned at Julius, feeling concern for his superior. “I know you won’t listen… but I still feel like this is a bad idea. After meeting her, I can tell that she’s a very nice girl, and you two get on very well, but one wrong move-”

“I know. Of course I know all that.” Julius’s voice cut Marx off. He was tired of having this conversation, but more than that…

I know he’s right.

Marx gulped, then let out a sigh. “Like I said… I know you won’t listen. But you’re the King- I’ll trust your judgement.”

With that, he turned and left the room in a hurry, sensing that Julius needed some alone time to sort through everything.

Julius grimaced at the sight of the paper pile, knowing a long day was ahead of him. But at the very least, it would distract him from the stress eating away at his stomach. Taking a deep breath, Julius pulled the pile towards himself, grabbing his quill and ink.

I know he’s right… not only do I pose a danger to her, but I’ll stand in the way of her own aspirations. I don’t want to do either of those things… but there must be a happy medium, right?

All he had to do was find it. In the meantime, things could stay as they were, and he would relish the bliss he felt when she was at his side.

“STOP RIGHT THERE!”

Lisa froze in place, halfway up the stairs to her room. She had gotten back to the Crimson Lion barracks later in the morning than she planned. Not only had Julius held her up as she was leaving the castle, but the town was bustling with activity, the streets practically choked with pedestrians. Damn it! I should have left before daybreak- she thought, slowly turning around to look at the bottom of the stairs. “I… was just coming back from a walk?”

Fuegoleon glared up at her, his eyes narrowing. “Don’t pretend. I came to check on you last night, apparently your day off turned into a night out.”

Lisa gulped, her mind spinning. How do I talk myself out of this!? “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you, I promise! I … I just had business to attend to.”

Getting an idea, she scratched her neck, purposely avoiding his gaze in the most suspicious way possible. The best way to trick someone is to tell the truth, I suppose… “Y-You see- um- I-" With little effort, a blush appeared on her cheeks. "Er- well, It’s embarrassing, but-”

Fuegoleon blinked, slow to connect the dots, but then turned bright red the moment her words registered. “OH! Do not continue, I don’t need to know.” He sighed and started to turn away, clearly not wanting to press the issue any farther. Lisa glanced back down at him to see him look up one last time. “Er- but next time, leave a note or something? I was worried sick when I checked on you last night.” He closed his eyes and let out a sigh. “You haven’t been feeling well lately, after all.”

“I’m feeling fine now.” She gave him a quick smile. “Seriously. I’ve had plenty of time to heal, so keeping me on leave any longer is just giving me time to be… idle.”

“...Indeed.” Fuegoleon couldn’t help but smile back. “Fine, you better get down to the mess hall quickly! If you want to be put to work again, I’ll put you to work.”

“Yessir!” Lisa grinned genuinely, her heart leaping as she turned to run back to her room. Yess! Finally! She hadn’t been doing proper work ever since her injury during the jousting tournament, a period of inactivity that had only been extended by the scuffle when she rescued Julius. But now, at least she would have something to focus on, something to strive for.

I can continue the path that was interrupted… And I feel like my goals are closer than they’ve ever been!

Darkness fell that night, and the city went quiet. At least, as quiet as it ever could. The closer you got to the center of the kingdom, the less it slept.

Sleep… it’s been so long since I was able to rest.

A man sat by his window, high up in a secluded inn. He could see most of the street from up here, dark and empty. Yet he could never feel that he was totally alone, not after he had failed so spectacularly.

Everything was supposed to end… I was supposed to be able to sleep happily tonight.

Movement in the corner of an alley caused him to draw back behind the edge of the curtain, his heart thumping loudly in his chest. To his relief, two drunkards were the ones staggering into the street, laughing and holding onto each other. He let out a soft breath, still very much on edge.

Damn it… is this just how my life is going to be now?

The door suddenly opened, and he whirled around. In an instant, his sword was drawn, pointed towards the intruder-

“Hey, that’s no way to greet one of your few remaining allies, is it, Patri?”

Rhya held his hands up in mock surrender, a lazy, teasing grin on his face. Patri sighed, lowering his weapon. “Maybe knock next time, creep,” he spat, turning away to look back out the window. The drunkards were gone. “Any new intell?”

“Oh? No hello or good to see you?” Rhya chuckled before sitting down in a chair, his feet swinging up to rest on the coffee table. “No sign of any Diamond spies in town looking for you. Have they sent a follow up to that threat yet?”

“No.” Patri shook his head. “They just demanded that I return and face punishment, or they’d send someone to get me. God-” In a momentary burst of anger, he made a fist and slammed it into the window frame, his frustration reaching a fever pitch. “-If only I had stayed there to see the job through myself-”

“You probably wouldn’t be here now,” Rhya cut in. “You heard the report, not a single one of their men was left alive. A whole squadron must have caught up to Julius.”

“Maybe… maybe I’d be better off that way. Now I have to find a way to make it up to them, or I’ll be living my whole life in fear.”

“Maybe we could leave the kingdom?” Rhya suggested. “Heart seems nice.”

“They’re allies of Clover, though.” Patri shook his head. “And so is Spade… although, from what I heard, not for long. But that would be a long shot, we’d never make it over the mountains.”

“You still have a chance to bring them Julius’s head,” Rhya reminded him. “Sure, he’s going to be under even stricter guard now, but still… also, there was that other request. Morris said he would vouch for you if you fulfilled it.”

“That’s an even worse idea. His demand was impossible… there are thousands of people in this kingdom, even with that very specific description, we’d never be able to find his target. Plus, I’d rather not look at Morris ever again.”

Patri’s eyes were fixed on his own mismatched ones in the reflection on the mirror.

“Fine.” Rhya sighed, leaning back in his chair, letting his eyes close. “Oh, there’s one other thing. It’s from him.”

Patri raised an eyebrow before turning back around. “Finally, he says something? He could have been a bit quicker.”

“He says, King Julius has called a meeting to discuss a plan to take out the Eye of the Midnight Sun threat. I will relay any important information to you as soon as it is over.”

Patri’s eyes widened a bit. I thought he would cut off all contact with me after the failure… there’s nothing really in it for him, after all. But… friendship is a powerful bond.

His mouth twitched, almost into a smirk.

“I see… in that case, tomorrow, we’ll rally our remaining forces and find a proper base. Then… we’ll wait. We’ll wait, then formulate our own plan to thwart theirs.”

Rhya smiled, glad to see hope glimmering in Patri’s eyes once more.

“We’ll throw this whole kingdom into chaos… and take our revenge at long last.”

next time ➼ Julius formulates a plan to take out the traitors once and for all. Meanwhile, Lisa struggles to get back into the action, doubting her path for the first time in her life.

[fairydustedtheory]

For your sterek prompts: If I had a dollar for everytime this happened, I would have two dollars. Which isnt a lot but it's weird it happened twice. (Pretty please with a cherry on top?)

“Can someone please shut that kid up for good?” The leader shouted to her witches friends behind her.

“Male circumcision... That’s some disturbing shit.” One of them said, disgusted as she slowly stepped forward.

Stiles was still talking. Derek glowering and rolling his eyes, tied up next to him.

“You know, if I had a dollar for every time this happened, I would have two dollars. Which isn't a lot but it's weird it happened twice. Not the being tied up thing, obviously. I’m being tied up on the regular. Too much for any human in existence. I get kidnapped, I get tortured, I get all sort of things, the only tying up I actually like is the one happening in the bedroom. I mean, that’s how you deal with trauma, you turn it around and make super hot and heavy and... Sure, I also go to therapy but that’s less enjoyable than super hot sex. Anyway my point is, my two dollars aren’t coming from being tied up because as my bro Derek here can confirm, there’s a lot of that going on with us -”

“Stiles, shut up.” Derek didn’t even have it in himself to growl or sound mad, he even sounded slightly amused.

The witch tilted her head. Stiles smirked.

“My two dollars are coming from someone telling my obsession with male circumcision is disturbing shit. I don’t see why. It’s important to know your species rituals. I mean, the more you know, right?"

The rope was laced with wolfsbane and Derek's skin was slowly but surely burning. Derek's breathing, though he was trying to keep himself under control, was slowly becoming more ragged. Stiles wouldn't have that. He was the emissary of the Hale pack for something and his ability to talk the ears off their enemies was not the only reason.

He also had this undeniable determination to keep them all safe whatever the cost.

Sweat teasing down his hairline, Stiles kept talking, talking and keeping the witches' attention away from his hands, still tied behind his back, but sneakily scratching at the thin black line of the pentagram drawn on the ground. Just a little bit more and the whole ritual would miserably fail. Just a little bit more and then Stiles would move to step two of his plan. Stiles couldn't wait for step two.

Step two included his secret knife. He loved his knife. It was the magic one, the one coated in mountain ash, the one with the sigils carved into the side of the blade. It would work great on witches. Stiles couldn't wait.

His heart was steadily thumping in his chest, one last scratch and the painted black line finally flaked off, with it the heavy feeling of magic and imprisonment was lifted off. In a swift motion, Stiles found his tiny blade hidden under his belt, cut the rope still burning Derek's wrists.

It all went very quickly after that. Derek jumped up, took one, two, three witches down before Stiles was even out of his restraints. Damn, werewolf speed sometimes.

Stiles was barely getting up, Derek's hand found his and pulled him to the exit. They ran like their lives depended on it, even if no one was left to chase them.

Derek actually huffed out a laugh when they were finally at enough of a distance from the building and into the woods away from the road to feel a semblance of safety.

"You're thinking about the being tied up in bed thing, aren't you?" Stiles couldn't stop himself from smiling, bright eyes, cheeks blushing just a little bit. “I knew you would like that. I’m quite proud of myself, it was a good distraction for all the parties involved. I could have gone on for much longer on the subject, you know, if these witches hadn’t been fresh out of the coven and entirely useless in their endeavor.”

“We’ve never done that, but... your heart was steady.” Derek mused.

"What can I say, I wasn’t lying, it’s just that I do have a very vivid imagination. Some truths are just my own."

"Clearly." Derek deadpanned.

"Only when it comes to you, though. And being tied up isn’t the only thing that wouldn’t be a lie if I was to say it out loud. There are many... as you can imagine."

"Right." Derek took a step closer.

"I mean, I would be up for making any of it a common truth and not just a private truth. If you are up for any of it... casually, in the name of dealing with trauma, nothing more than that." Stiles looked Derek straight in the eyes, dead serious, though that very last part was clearly a lie. 

"Nothing more than that." Derek echoed, a breath away from Stiles' mouth. "Of course."

[curedeity]

Gasher's Dilemma

Summary: Madoka and her struggle to be happy as support. (I described this to a friend as: I decided to write a fic on the intersection between beyblade, sports, and feminism. My friend laughed so hard they may have died, and I can’t blame them.)

    Madoka thinks she used to like battling. Maybe she didn’t love it, but she certainly didn’t hate clashing beys in the arena with someone else. Watching sparks fly had never failed to bring wonder into her childish heart.

    And Madoka thinks she used to hate battling.

    Madoka had never been very good at battling, if she had to rank herself, she’d say she was middling. She’d known how to put a decent strategy together, and she knew the basics of beybattles, but she was always just off.

    She lost a lot.

    She remembers once a kid--- she can’t even remember if she knew him--- kicking her bey out of the ring after a loss. He told her to quit battling because she was obviously never going to be any good at it, she didn’t have the stuff for beybattles.

    Madoka thinks she cried that day.

    Madoka loved her bey, Mad Gasher. She hadn’t made it from scratch, but with the help of her parents. She’d worked on most of its modifications alone, and loved watching her improvements spring to life in the arena.

    She still didn’t win much.

    The training centers had begun to feel oppressive, it always felt like everyone was watching at her, waiting to laugh at her failure. She felt heavy everytime she entered, like chains were weighing her down.

    Madoka decided one day it was best to just focus on her mechanical skills.

    She’d nearly forgotten about her old interest in beybattles after a while. Mechanics was just really fulfilling for her. She loved helping out all the bladers that would come to her store, and loved it even more when a little boy had returned and thanked her.

    It wasn’t until she met Hikaru that she began to think back on those days she’d used to battle.

    Hikaru was a great friend. Madoka hadn’t gotten to know her that well prior to Battle Bladers, but as Hikaru took on a job at the WBBA, Madoka started to see her more and more. They met up for lunch at least once a week, and Hikaru would stop by the shop when she got off early in the evenings and join Madoka, and whoever else was hanging around, for dinner.

    Madoka hadn’t had another female friend for years. Most of the bladers who came into her shop were boys, most of the mechanics she met at the WBBA were boys. Everyone she really got a chance to interact in her domain was a boy.

    She shouldn’t mind it--- really! It’s not like she disliked her friends, Gingka and Kenta were both great and she loved talking with them. Gingka had so much energy, and Kenta was always eager to learn!

    So why had she nearly cried when she got home after her first lunch with Hikaru? Why did Madoka love talking to Hikaru so much, and feel so at ease around her? 

    Madoka felt terrible--- shouldn’t she appreciate Kenta and Gingka this much?

    Madoka felt amazing, and she set up to meet Hikaru again and again.

    It was during one of these lunches that Hikaru began to complain about the environment around competitive beyblading. 

    “It’s a dick club Madoka, honestly,” Hikaru complained, and Madoka almost snorted out the milk she was drinking, Hikaru sighed and laid her chin in her hand, a sparkle of laughter in her eyes. “They were always like you can’t be that good of a blader, you’re just a tiny little girl, girls don’t have any muscle mass. God did it feel amazing to finally get good enough to start kicking their asses.”

    “Beyblade is, statistically, overrun by male competitors.” Madoka didn’t need a stats chart to tell her that, she’d been to tournaments, Hikaru had been the only female competitor she’d seen at many of them.

    “Mhm, it was rare for me to meet another female opponent. It was disheartening, I would always get shit for being a girl, and there was no one there to support me. Makes sense given the harsh atmosphere, I can’t blame them for not wanting to stay,” Hikaru sighed, and Madoka found herself shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

    “It does seem like not the best environment for any girl to feel safe in,” Madoka added in, but her heart was only half in it. What was this pressure she was feeling on herself?

    “I remember this one little girl running up to me one day and saying she wanted to be as good a blader as me. I felt really good then, like I had inspired someone. But now, I just…” Hikaru trailed off.

    “Feel what?” Madoka prodded, and hated herself for it. She didn’t even want this conversation to continue.

    “I feel like I’ve betrayed all those little girls that looked up to me, like I’ve proven all those assholes who talked shit about me right. Look at me, I can’t… I can’t battle anymore.”

    Madoka left the cafe that day feeling worse than normal, rather than better.

    Madoka was enraptured by Mei Mei. The girl was very powerful and kind, and always seemed happy to see Madoka. Madoka wished they weren’t on different teams, that the tension of who would win didn’t exist, she would’ve loved to get to know the other girl better.

    And Madoka was never one to not act on her wishes.

    They didn’t leave China immediately after the first round, they still had another two days left. So Madoka set the boys up with some food, a training plan, and yelled a quick goodbye before she set off for Beylin Temple.

    Mei Mei welcomed her with open arms and a cup of tea. She was invited into what she believed was Mei Mei’s room, and they sat together as Madoka asked about Wang Hu Zhong.

    Apparently they were planning to win the wild card tournament, which was the only path they could take now other than quitting the tournament. Madoka found herself listening entranced as Mei Mei talked about all the new strategies she was coming up with, and the training regimens they would be going through.

    “I can’t believe how dedicated you all are, you’re just the sub Mei Mei and yet your training regimen sounds so much harsher than what even Gingka is doing. It's no wonder Wang Hu Zhong is so good if you all hold yourselves to those standards,” Madoka praised the young woman. 

    “It’s no big deal, we’ve always been this hard-working! It takes constant practice to become the best and live up to everyone’s expectations,” Mei Mei flexed her impressive muscles.

    “It seems like all of you have really put the time and effort in to improve,” Madoka nodded. 

    “We have,” Mei Mei smiled, but Madoka could detect a twinge of sourness in it. A note of discontent. A glint of sadness.

    “I wish my team had that amount of dedication, they all love beyblade but can’t seem to focus on any of the training I give them, and their egos always make them clash,” Madoka sighed.

    “Your team probably didn’t need to dedicate themselves that much,” Mei Mei mumbled, balling her fists, and Madoka found herself immediately going on the defensive.

    “Listen my team may look disorganized but all of them have worked hard to get where they are-” Madoka began, determined not to let anyone minimize the accomplishments of her friends.

    “Sorry, wait, that’s not what I meant, honest!” Mei Mei waved her hands in surrender, and Madoka felt herself immediately backing down. Why had she gotten so defensive, Mei Mei was a friend and had only been nice to her. “Most of my team didn’t have to be as dedicated as me either.”

    Madoka frowned. “What do you mean by that?”

    Mei Mei shifted, but with a look up at Madoka she seemed to calm down, and Madoka found herself giving the other woman a reassuring smile. “It’s, well, you see, it’s pretty obvious I’m the only female trainee in all of Beylin Temple.”

    Madoka thought back, and found she couldn’t think of an example to prove Mei Mei wrong. Mei Mei was the only girl she’d seen in this giant temple.

    The thought made Madoka want to cry.

    “I’ve always had to work really hard to earn my place here. Every time I mess up, it feels like they’ll just kick me out. I have to be perfect to stay, because it feels like I’ve already messed up just for being a girl, so if I mess up again I’ll just be out. No one else has to worry about that, Da Xiang and Chi Yun have never had to feel that way. They don’t even seem to notice I’m the only girl here.” Mei Mei looked close to tears, and Madoka scooted closer so she could rub circles on her back.

    “I thought--- I thought I was finally good enough. That I’d finally earned my place here for good. I worked so hard, I practice most nights, and I’m the best at almost any training exercise. I might not be very smart, but I never give up. I thought maybe I’d finally be good enough, but then Chao Xin had to show up and beat me like it was easy. Like, no matter what I did, I still couldn’t measure up to just some random boy.”

    Madoka found herself giving Mei Mei both her own and Hiakru’s phone numbers before they left the next day.

    Russia sure was a trip for the team. After days on the train, bored out of her mind, Madoka thought that was how the rest of the trip would be. Of course, Masamune had to then go missing, and Madoka had to stay up every night communicating with the WBBA and trying to find him.

    Her eyes burned with tiredness, and she wanted to fall asleep for days.

    But there were only 2 days remaining in Russia, and she still had so much she wanted to discuss and learn from the Russian team. As much as Madoka was involved with beyblade, her side had always been more mechanical and scientific. She knew she could learn a lot from a team that straddled both her side and the side of her team.

    She emailed Aleksei ahead of time, asking if she could come over to talk. He responded nearly immediately with the address of where Lavushka was staying, and Madoka made her way over.

    It was a nice enough conversation, once Madoka got Aleksei to stop apologizing. They had a really good system, and Madoka found her head spinning with the amount of scientific knowledge they buried her in.

    She got tips on her training plans, and ways to create new moves in regards to the mechanical properties of each bey. They all had unique perspectives on it, and Madoka found herself hanging off every rare word from Nowaguma. His insight on how to create more powerful attacks would be really helpful.

    Lera offered to walk her back to the hotel where she was staying when night began to fall. Madoka couldn’t help but feel grateful, she hadn’t been looking forward to being alone in the dark. Her parents had always told her to never be caught outside after the sun set, and Madoka kept that advice buried deep within her instincts.

    Madoka hadn’t gotten along with Lera that well when they first met, most likely because Lera had been trying to trick them, but Madoka still felt bad about that.

    She also felt bad about disliking how loud the girl was, especially when 3 out of the 4 members of the team she had were even louder boys.

    Lera was incredibly intelligent. She talked about rocket physics in such a colloquial manner that even the boys might’ve even been able to understand her. Madoka knew from experience how hard it was to explain stuff simply for other people without as much expertise in the field to understand, and Lera seemed to do it naturally.

    “So you think that by changing the bey’s weight like that it would almost get rid of friction?” Madoka wondered.

    “Yeah! That’s what I’m going to be testing out first when we reach the labs. I have most of my prior research already completed, and it’s a good topic for my thesis. I might need Aleksei or Nowaguma to agree to test it out for me…” Lera trailed off at the end.

    “Do you need them to test it so you can take the data?’ Madoka asked, but knew that wasn’t the answer. She could take her own data perfectly well while in a battle, even though she hadn’t done so in a while.

    “Nah, it’s just that to test it out I’d want to try it against a variety of opponents, which means going to a local bey club,” Lera screwed up her face in mockery.

    “You don’t like the clubs?” That was fairly obvious, but the question was more serving as a why.

    “They’re completely filled with boys, and none of them will take me seriously when I ask them to battle. And if I win they get mad and call it a fluke. It’s like none of them can just take a loss from someone without a dick,” Lera complained. Despite the jokey tone of her voice, Madoka could still hear the undercurrent of anger beneath it. Anger at how society dared to treat her.

    Madoka thinks she felt that anger too.

    “That does seem to be one of the few similarities in the countries I’ve visited so far. Boys being scared if they even are slightly shown up by a girl that they’ll suddenly lose all their masculinity and never crawl out of the deep pit of despair,” Madoka added in, and found herself remembering the boys who used to mock her when she was a child.

    They were always boys. The clubs were always full of boys, and there was no space for her there, no room for her to mess up, because she was already an outsider.

    But Madoka had messed up, so much.

    “It’s not like I got anything to prove to them though, they can die angry, I mean, look at me! I’m on the Russian team!” Lera did a little twirl and Madoka found herself giggling at the girl’s overdramatics. “I’m never going to be able to do anything to make those boys respect me, or make them happy with me, so why should I try? I know who I am, I’m a scientist, and I’m fucking great at it.”

    When they arrived at Madoka’s apartment, she accepted a quick hug from Lera. Maybe from that hug Lera could pass some of the willpower she had to Madoka, because Madoka could use it.

    She ordered some flowers for Hikaru that night, and added a little note to them. There are people you will never live up to the expectations of, and people who will accept you just the way you are, because living up to the standards is impossible, you can only live by your own.

    Madoka wasn’t very good at writing notes, but from the two hour long call she and Hikaru had the next day, Madoka thinks Hikaru understood.

    Madoka had a lot of time to think on the flights they were constantly taking. Even with all the work she was taking on, it couldn’t take up all the time.

    Had she given up on battling not because she disliked it, but because the environment was so unwelcoming? Had she let a ton of sexists bully her out of it? Was it her fault? No, of course it wasn’t, so why did she still feel like a failure.

    Madoka wanted to love mechanics, wanted to love being support, but how could she when it just seemed to prove what everyone said right? Why did all this have to be so complicated, she just wanted to live her life however she wanted!

    And why did it feel like there’d never be a right choice?

    Because no matter what she did, the words Lera told her and she told Hikaru were correct. There was no way to live up to their expectations.

    Why was that so hard to deal with though? 

    Wild Fang didn’t have any women on its team. Madoka tried not to feel personally about it, but she couldn’t help but remember when she had watched matches as a little girl, and asked her parents why there weren’t any girls playing.

    She wondered if there were little girls at home watching this match and seeing that there was no space for them here. 

    Madoka didn’t want to be thankful for the injuries her team suffered, but at least they took her mind off this. At least they gave her something else to think about than how much of a failure she might look to other girls watching from home.

    Mei Mei texted her at 1 in the morning after her loss saying that she was glad that if she had to lose it was to another woman. At least then one of them could move on.

    The match between Excalibur was stressful, and Madoka felt ready to shatter at any moment. Tsubasa had lost control again, and Gingka had battled looking almost as battered as he did in his last match against Kyoya.

    Yet they all pulled through the challenge, they all rose to meet it, and came out victorious.

    And Madoka had never been able to rise enough to pass the challenge of sexism.

    Madoka hoped that Excalibur won the chance to battle Galaxy again, she hoped that Sophie was able to stand on the winners podium, if only to show young women that they could.

    If only to show Madoka that she could.

    It was afternoon in the hotel they were staying at. Madoka was making a quick lunch for the team. Yu had joined her in the kitchen this time, and Madoka took to teaching him some basics about chopping vegetables and using the stove. She didn’t expect a kid as young as him to be able to do complicated cooking, but she had learned after Kenta that it was worth it to give these children some basics otherwise they’d just live off fast food whenever they were journeying alone.

    Tsubasa, Gingka and Masamune were all watching matches on the TV. It was a junior tournament, with some beginners getting their first taste of a proper tournament scene.

Madoka wasn’t paying that much attention to it, but she found herself suddenly doing so at a comment from Masamune.

“Kinda weird that there are no girls in this tournament, huh?” Masamune mentioned as he munched on some popcorn.

Gingka nodded in agreement. “There aren’t many girls at tournaments I suppose, I’ve never really noticed before.”

“I wonder why that is? Maybe not as many like beyblade, or are as good at it, or as competitive. They just aren’t into it I suppose.” Masamune said that so… so… casually! Like he just couldn’t understand why there wouldn’t be any girls in a tournament. Like it was just fun food for thought for him.

Like he just hadn’t suggested that girls didn’t enter tournaments because they just weren’t as good as the boys, like there was something wrong with them.

Madoka couldn’t hear if anyone agreed with him, or if anyone argued. Maybe that was for the best. She was out the door within a second.

Madoka walked, and walked, and she was going nowhere. Was this always how it was? No matter how much she improved, she’d always be stuck right here in her square of being a failure. And why was she a failure when she just wanted to be herself!

She wished she could make it so Mei Mei would never cry again feeling like there was too much pressure on her to be perfect or she’d be kicked out. She wished she could make it so Lera felt safe doing her research rather than only being able to rely on Aleksei and Nowaguma because she couldn’t ask anyone else for help without it being seen as her being unable to carry her own weight. She wished she could make it so Hikaru didn’t feel guilty about having to retire from battling so she could mentally recover.

She wished she could make it so that she felt ok just living as she was.

Madoka didn’t know where she was, but that had been normal for the past few months. Madoka had been travelling so much, not only externally but internally. She felt disconnected from everything she’d thought she was.

She was drifting.

She just needed a safe harbor to dock at, one that could tell her it was ok, one that would tell her she was enough.

That’s when she spotted Excalibur exiting one of the shops. Excalibur, which had Sophie as one of its members.

She was walking over to them before she’d had time to think, before she’d had time to be rational. Sophie was just so regal every time they met. The woman seemed completely confident in her own abilities and skills. She was almost radiant in the comfortability she exuded. 

“Oh, hello Madoka,” Wales greeted as she neared them, and the entire team turned to lock their eyes on her. She found herself shriveling a bit inside from their intense glares, of course they wouldn’t be that friendly to her, they were still enemies in the tournament.

But…

Madoka wasn’t a fucking coward, and she wasn’t one to back down once she’d started something. “I was wondering if I could talk to you, Sophie?” She hoped her voice came out loud, confident, like the woman she wanted to talk to, but her voice just sounded small and broken.

“Listen, we’re enemies, we don’t have time to-” Konzern began to lecture her, and Madoka found herself ignoring him. She didn’t actually care what he thought.

“How are you able to be so confident, and, and just keep battling despite the fact you're the only girl there? How do you deal with it and look so unbothered, because it’s obvious to me already that Europe is just the same as everywhere else, so how are you able to keep going?” Was Madoka making sense? Madoka thinks her thoughts had stopped being coherent a long time ago. She stopped understanding things, stopped understanding herself.

A warm hand was laid on her shoulder, and she looked up to see Sophie smiling down at her. It was a soft smile, full of understanding. It was like all the other girls Madoka had met on the way here, the mutual experience they all shared with one another. “There’s a park just a few blocks from here, why don’t we go there so we can talk somewhere less busy?” 

The park was quiet, and mostly empty. There were a few joggers running on the paths winding through it, and Madoka could hear the faint laughter of children, but for the most part, she and Sophie were alone.

Sophie led her to a bench and handed Madoka a handkerchief. Madoka couldn’t even argue the gesture, she felt like she might start crying at any moment.

“So then, do you want to tell me about it?” Sophie asked, and Madoka looked into the eyes of this near stranger and found that she trusted her to understand the flurry of emotions that had been building inside of Madoka for weeks, so she let it all out.

She doubted what she was saying made any sense to Sophie, but more and more words just came pouring out. The way she was realizing that her bullying as a child had been influenced by sexism. Her love for mechanics but her guilt at not being more proactive. The things Masamune had said. Her want to be a role model for other girls, but how could she be a role model when she was always in the background?

Madoka told Sophie everything, and Sophie sat and listened, and when she was done, after asking for permission, Sophie reached over and hugged her.

The handkerchief was soaked by the end.

“I think we all feel that way sometimes, as if by not being everything and more that we’re letting someone down. That we’re letting other little girls like we used to be. That’s who we’re trying to live up to the expectations for, that imaginary little girl. But in the end, all we can be is ourselves. That’s how I make it through each battle, each loss, each remark thrown at me. I think that just by being me I’ll inspire someone, because if I wasn’t myself I’d just be lying to all those young girls. I think I can be a role model just the way I am, and maybe one day they’ll be even better role models than me, and more and more girls will be able to flourish in beyblade. I don’t know what the future holds, but in the end all I can be is myself, and hope it’s enough for those girls. Because it’s also the only way I can ever be happy.” Sophie answered Madoka’s questions from so long ago, and Madoka finally felt ready to take those words to heart.

“It’s just, hard, not to try to take any responsibility about the institutions running society. Because I am a part of society, so shouldn’t I work to change and revolutionize it? But you’re right that if I were someone I’m not, I’d just be unhappy,” Madoka sighed.

“I think all women are inspiring just the way they are, doing things that make them happy. I just wish society didn’t make us doubt it, and push us away from what we want.” 

All the girls Madoka had met were very inspiring. Hikaru with her determination to continue making others happy. Mei Mei with her pure love for battling and her crazy training. Lera’s incredible scientific genius and confidence in her abilities.

Madoka didn’t want to change a single one of them, they should all get to be happy the way they were.

And Madoka didn’t want to change herself, she wanted to be happy being her.

It was society that had to move over and make way for her.

Sophie ordered a car to help get Madoka back to her hotel. Somehow, Madoka had wandered halfway around the city, and it was starting to get late.

Sophie gave Madoka her number before she went inside, and Madoka found herself smiling as she added another woman to her ever-growing list of friends.

    She hesitated a bit before the door to their shared room. She had left her team suddenly, they must be worried about her. But she couldn’t bring herself to regret her decision, not when she had managed to talk to Sophie.

    She entered the room quietly, but that still didn’t stop everyone from noticing her entrance. Tsubasa was on the phone with--- that sounded like Hikaru? Gingka and Masamune seemed to be arguing over a map, and Yu had been pacing until he spotted Madoka.

    “Madoka! You’re back!” Yu cried as he launched himself into Madoka’s arms. She stumbled backwards as she caught him, bracing herself against the doorway. Madoka may have been small for her age, but carrying around mechanical parts everywhere had made her rather bulky, and she held Yu easily.

    “Madoka!” Gingka and Masamune cried at once, coming to hover around her. Tsubasa followed at a more leisurely pace, but Madoka could still see relief flooding his eyes.

    “I’m sorry I worried you all?” Madoka managed to get out. They were all so close to her, and looking at her with such a range of emotions. How was she supposed to explain what had happened? And what had happened here?

    “We’re just glad you’re back,” Tsubasa said softly, giving her a tiny smile. Madoka returned it gratefully, and put down Yu, who had finally stopped clinging to her.

    “Where did you go?” Yu demanded, crossing his arms.

    Madoka floundered for a second, but Hikaru on the phone came to her aid. “I’m sure Madoka is tired right now, she can explain what happened whenever she wants to.”

    Madoka thanked her and then returned to her room. She needed time to center herself, to figure out how much to tell her team. 

    After ten minutes a knock sounded at her door, and Madoka figured her time was up and she would have to tell everyone. With a sigh, she pushed herself up her bed, and let them enter. To her surprise though, only Masamune was standing outside the door, holding a tray loaded with food.

    “Gingka made the food, the rest of the team is eating around the table right now, but Tsubasa said you might want to be alone. Well--- he also said that I might need to talk to you alone to apologize,” Masamune laughed awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his head, and Madoka led him over to sit on the side of her bed.

    “I don’t really understand what happened, but Tsubasa explained to me a bit why my comments were wrong and might’ve hurt you. I really didn’t mean to do that, honestly! I might not understand but you’re a really cool friend Madoka and I wouldn’t do anything on purpose to hurt you,” Masamune apologized.

    Madoka… knew all that, deep in her heart. She knew her friends were nice people that would understand and listen to her. They didn’t understand because they’d never had to think about it, not because they were purposefully cruel.

    It was nice to be proven that with an apology though.

    “I know you didn’t mean to hurt me Masamune,” Madoka began, giving him a kind smile. But she also needed him to understand where he was wrong, because it had hurt. “I just want to tell you why you were wrong.”

    “And I’ll listen,” he promised.

    So Madoka explained to him how he was blaming women for not being able to handle a hostile environment, and how discouraging and harmful it was to be surrounded by men all the time. She told him about her own experiences, and how his comments had made her feel like she wasn’t doing enough by just being herself.

    Masamune wasn’t as good a listener as Sophie, he interrupted a lot, and didn’t seem to understand everything Madoka was saying. But he stayed there and tried, and apologized again when the conversation was over.

    Madoka would know her words had made an impact on him just a few months later when she saw him cheer on a little girl in Dungeon Gym. He seemed perfectly focused on making sure she received the support to succeed. He was honestly going a bit overboard… and Madoka loved it.

    After the conversation with Masamune, she didn’t really see anyone else for the rest of the night. The next morning, Tsubasa nodded a good morning to her as she started making breakfast, and asked if she was ok. Gingka also apologized to her and asked if she wanted to talk about anything. Yu gave her another quick hug before moving on.

    Hikaru called later that night, and stayed up to chat with Madoka as she worked on maintenance for all the beys. The conversation was very relaxed, the silent understanding still existing between them.

    “I think I want to try battling again, just for fun, not in competitions,” Madoka mused aloud.

    “Well, you got a wide array of friends who’d be eager to be your opponent. And maybe… I’ll battle you someday,” Hikaru responded.

    “I’d be honored if that day ever came,” Madoka smiled at the phone, and hoped Hikaru could hear it.

    Madoka stayed in contact with all the women she had met, and put them in contact with another too. Lera and Hikaru seemed to have bonded about complaining about their bosses, and Mei Mei and Sophie were constantly passing battling tips.

    Madoka loved being a girl. It was like a warm blanket that fit comfortably over her shoulders, like a happy dance in an apartment with low playing music. It just felt right, it felt serene, it felt like who she was.

    And she loved working at her shop. She loved helping bladers find the perfect combination of parts and improve their strategies. She loved watching them test out her modifications in the small stadiums they had, and the way occasionally they’d thank her when they left.

    And she loved it when a young girl entered her shop asking for repairs to her bey, and Madoka fixed it up, offered some advice, and watched the same girl return again and again, with more girls following her each time as they took the world by storm. She was enough, just being herself, and so were those girls.

[oikawasbread]

Oooo how abt prompt #18, akaashi x reader? Fluff please 🥰

  hi darlinggg!! yes ofc ! I hope you like it; it came out way longer than I wanted.

18.Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.

 AKAASHI KEIJI x READER – IT COULD BE OUR THING – crack & fluff

¬ present day ¬

 Y/N’S POV :         “I. Am. Going. To. Kill. This. Man.”       “Y/n, I understand, but please calm down!!”

¬ about 3 days ago ¬

       “Darling, it’s alright. Calm down. It’s just a 3 days trip with the boys.. you know how much they struggled planning this whole thing.. and it’s Kuroo and Bokuto we’re talking about.’’       “Alright.. you’re right on this one. But please, Keiji. You better not be late at your own wedding.”       “It’s a promise.”   ¬ present day ¬

  BOKUTO’S POV :         “SHE IS GOING TO KILL US ALLLLLLL!!!!!”      “BOKUTO SHUT UP!! WE ARE GOING TO FIND HIM, DON’T LOSE HOPE BRO.”

     “Not trying to make you lose hope but his location isn’t on.”       “Say sike right now Kenma.”       “I can’t say it, Kuroo.”       The car was under the most awkward silence ever. No one had no idea of what should they do or say.         “I am sorry for your loss, man.” Seijoh’s ex captain says, sarcastically wiping a tear off his eye.

       “What the hell are you even doing here Oikawa, were we even friends in highschool?” says Bokuto, not even bothering looking at him.

      “Yeah Oikawa, honestly Bokuto has a point.”       “But Iwa-chan! You weren’t friends with them either!!”       “Yeah but they like me.” Everyone nods.       “Well if you must know, I’m friends with Daichi! And since I’m a part of the ex pretty captains & pretty setters squad, of course I am here.”       “Pretty squad what now? Have you spent too much time with your fan girls??” Kuroo replies slightly annoyed but amused at the same time.       “EVERYONE SHUT THE HELL UP! WHERE IS AKAASHI BECAUSE WE CAN’T GO TO HIS WEDDING WITHOUT HIM. Y/N WILL KILL EACH ONE OF US.”       “Dude, we are still hungover, stop shouting.. We are literally in the same car.”       “I agree with you, Oikawa.”      “WA- What??? What is Ushiwaka even doing here ???? Since WHEN! Who had the audacity??”

     “I remember being a part of the beautiful captains squad as well, Oikawa.”       “It’s PRETTY, boke. Not beautiful. And you’re not a part of it.”      “GUYS PLEASE SHUT UP ! SUGA TURN AROUND WE’RE GONNA SEARCH FOR AKAASHI!!”       “Your wish is my command, Daichi!!” *zzzzz..*      “Eye sorry to bother but do we have something to eat-“      “Ewww Tobio-CHAN! Who had the audac-“ Everyone : Oikawa shut up.   ¬ a few hours later.¬        The boys arrived at the building where they knew they saw Akaashi the last time, which was a well-known strip club. Everyone was pissing themselves. If they caught Akaashi cheating on Y/n, it was over for everyone, mostly for the future groom.      Finding Akaashi was a lot harder than they expected ; firstly because you needed a VIP Pass, which none of them didn’t had, and secondly because everyone was still hungover and the building was huge so they were most likely to be late and ,very soon, dead by Y/n’s hand.

     “I’d say : Let’s split up!”      “ Kuroo.. what if someone else gets lost?”      “No, Tooru. Think about it : would you rather be killed by Y/n or just be careful to not get lost?”      “Alright, everyone, let’s split up. Since I am the captai-“      “ You are… what now?” Ushijima’s face literally made everyone burst out laughing; the man was so emotionless.      “Sorry, I forgot. Almost everyone in here is a captain. But guess who isn’t!! IT’S YOU TOBIO!!”      “Yeah, but where is the vending machine?”      “Anyways, hear me out useless captains. I go with Kuroo, Oikawa you go with Tobio. Iwaizumi takes Bokuto and -wait where is Wakatoshi??”       Everyone remains silent and the panic is starting to catch up with them. Oikawa was the only one smiling proudly, but immediately looks disappointed as soon as he sees the club’s doors opening.      Wakatoshi comes back outside after sneaking in, carrying Akaashi’s motionless body. As soon as he got closer, the boys gasped in terror.

      “WHAT THE HELL AKAASHII???? HOW DID U MANAGE TO HAVE A BABY IN 3 DAYS!!!!!!! THAT BABY BETTER BE Y/N’S!!”       “Bro shut up, why are you even yelling, the security will notice us.”       “Oh shit you’re right, sorry.”       “Well let’s go to the mall.” Oikawa says smiling at the camera and gesturing towards Akaashi’s still motionless body.        “All right. I will drive, indeed.” Wakatoshi says confused.        “Guys are y’all making a.. tiktok.. right. now. ????”         “Yeah Bokuto. Without you, now shut up lemme post it.”         “O-oh.. Alright:( .”         “DAMN NO OIKAWA WAIT DON’T POST---“         “Sorry Daichi, ugly faces don’t get to make an appearance on my account.”         Tobio bursts out laughing, holding himself by his stomach just like Kuroo taught him.

         “Holy shit Oikawa. I may be your junior but you still are dumb as a brick!!!!”          “Tobio-chan do you want me to slap the audacity out of you like I never got the chance in-. Oh shit wait I have a comment under my tiktok.”          Oikawa’s jaw drops and everyone has the most judgy glare, stabbing him with their eyes.           “ Why didn’t y’all tell me Y/n was following me on tiktok??? I wouldn’t have posted it!!”           “What did she say??” asks Suga, patting Oikawa on his head to make him feel less guilty.           “Uhh..Bring Akaashi home, alive, or me and the girls will burn you, volleyball idiots. Right, fucking, now.”            “Bro let’s hurry, I can’t let my man Akaashi getting divorced right before he gets married.”

           “Alright, bye Wakatoshi gotta blast!”            “Oikawa, I am indeed coming with you, all.”            “BOKUTO WAIT!!! WHAT ABOUT THE BABY???”             “Move it, Kuroo, he has enough place in the car.”             “Dude do you even have a brain? You can’t just steal someone’s baby!”              “Shut up Mr. Flatass, of course I can. Watch me.”            “EXCUSE ME!! I AM TRULY SORRY!!” The woman runs towards them and stops in  front of Kuroo, who was holding her baby, to catch her breath.            “Thank you so much for finding my son! I can’t thank you enough!”

¬      Great. Now the boys finally arrived at the wedding, with an alive and perfectly fine Akaashi, but with some really really sleepy hungover friends of his. Everyone was probably in the church, since the yard was empty. Akaashi already knew that he screwed up; Y/n’s dad would probably beat him up and her mom would step on his throat. Bokuto gives him a thumbs up and the boys are encouraging him to go inside.      As soon as the the doors opened, everyone had the attention on the man who was late at his own wedding. He was walking down the aisle, not even bothering to be ashamed of everyone’s judgeful looks, because Y/n was in front of him; wearing the most beautiful yet simple dress, blushing, but trying to look mad. He took a minute to look around and process everything, and he realised that this was the big day of his life : him and Y/n would start a marriage, and soon a family. But he was late, making her wait and probably think that he’s backing down.

      Y/n didn’t fail to notice the sudden change of expression on Akaashi’s face, so she cups his cheek with one of her hands, giving him a reassuring smile.       “Weren’t you the one who was supposed to wait for me at the aisle?”       He smiles, scratching the back of his head. How could she not be mad? Did Y/n really trust him THAT much?       “Don’t worry, Keiji. This could be our thing, you know… Imagine our children’s faces when we tell them how our wedding went.”       That was it. Now the man was a blushing mess. Children? He couldn’t wait for that.       Everyone was listening at the conversation that was happening; but no one was annoyed or bored; they were enjoying young love.

     “Y/n… I am truly sorry. But.. I had to take care of the boys.. and there was this baby at the strip club, I have no idea.. Things got crazy and I was taking care of that kid because no one seemed to care. Don’t worry, I didn’t let Bokuto-san to give him Tequila shots. But i-“

     She giggles and everyone looks at them amused by the whole situation.        “Don’t worry, darling. I told you, it’s our thing from now on. But don’t make me wait for you everytime..”        He sighs in relief. Akaashi couldn’t be more happier now, that he was finally here, crossing destinies with the love of his life.        “And how could I even get mad at you after you took care of a baby? Who knows what could’ve happen to him if you weren’t there?” she was brightly smiling, but as soon as she looked in the boys’ direction, she had the most scary look in her eyes. Y/n was clearly aiming at the fact that she’s going to have a discussion with them.         And so, the wedding went on; they continued the ceremony and went to the after party.        ¬         “Oh my god, Bokuto.. you have my condoleances.”

        “Thank you, Kuroo.. I really appreciate it. He was a great wing man, a great friend, a-“         “I still am, Bokuto-san. I’m not dead...But you guys are going to be the best uncles.” he giggles,  not even being surprised by his friends’ conversation. Akaashi sat down, next to his two best friends.          “Honestly, today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. And if I think of it, I’ll be the luckiest man even tomorrow, and the day after, until I’ll no longer be here.”    “Are you drunk, Akaashi? Or is this really how marriage feels?”     “Kuroo.. this isn’t about the marriage. And no, I’m not.” he says with the most unbothered expression ever. “It’s about the person you’re spending your life with; I could be her husband, the father of her kids, or just her boyfriend; the marriage itself won’t change anything. I mean, yeah.. you will feel like the relationship touched the next level; but it’s about Y/n. I’ve dreamed about this day since we were at the beginning of our relationship; and I can’t wait to live my whole life with her by my side.”

      “Damn.. that sounds beautiful.But I can’t wait to tell  your kids how their father was late at his wedding and made their mother wait.” Bokuto couldn’t stop laughing now.       Kuroo joined him and they were laughing like crazy, hitting Akaashi in his shoulder playfully. Three best friends, gazing at the stars on such a beautiful day. He couldn’t ask for more : Y/n was finally his wife and his high school best friends were there with him, too.

       “ You know what can’t I wait for, guys?” Akaashi asks looking down, smiling, but not wanting Kuroo and Bokuto to see him.       The two look at him, a little scared, because he wasn’t laughing anymore; they suddenly stopped their laugh session and waiting impatiently for him to speak.

      “I can’t wait to sit here, again, at your wedding. We could make it our thing, as well.”

ugh i still have second thoughts about posting this, but anyways! I hope it was.. decent?

[sinnamonn]

Now and Then, Here and There

The Secret Society free a former member of the Justice League, one who has seen multiple worlds and have lost just as many.

Warnings: Uhhh suicidal ideation towards the end

“...If I could do that for her,” Grodd gestured to Giganta, “Imagine what I can do for you.” The ape set down the picture frame. Clay face wondered if it was worth it for a minute, sure he wanted to be normal again, but the idea of keeping his powers plus being normal was too good of an offer. it’s not like Sinsetro, Killer Frost, Shade, and Parasite would just follow any villain blindly. He had to have been offering them something just as good.

“I’m in.” He replied, normalcy, sweet normalcy, Clayface could almost taste i

“Perfect. But to do that, we need to pick up one last friend.” He said.

“Wait a minute! You never said anything about another member.” Parasite exclaimed,

“I’m getting impatient, Grodd.” Sinestro added, “Just how long until we take down the league?!”

The group began to become restless, but Grodd remained calm. He was smarter than this whole group combined, after all, he could control them.

“Now, now, If we want to bring down the league she is integral to that.” Grodd said.

“She?” Killer Frost repeated.

“I can see you’re curious. Standing here arguing won’t get her here faster, now, let's take a little field trip to CADMUS.” Grodd started towards the exit. The others held back, exchanging looks.

But Grodd hadn’t lied to them.

So they followed.

“So how are we getting in exactly? CADMUS Labs aren’t exactly a cakewalk.” Shade asked, squeezed into the back seat with the others. Giganta’s car was spacious enough, but it was no minivan. Shade had been sandwiched between Parasite and Sinestro with Clayface and Frost at either windows.

“I’ve been sending out waves to a security guard there, he’ll let us in easy.” Grodd replied

“You really thought of everything, huh?” Giganta smiled at him.

“Of course.”

The lower levels of Cadmus were creepy. Lit by red LEDs and metal walls, the group’s footsteps echoed within the hallways. The red also illuminated...things, dead things preserved in formaldehyde. Aliens maybe? Failed experiments?

“Creepy…”

“The one we’re getting is alive right?” Shade asked, “ I’m good with a lot of things but carrying around a corpse isn’t one of them.”

“Not to worry, our new friend is very much alive, she’s just sleeping.” Grodd answered.

“That’s what my folks told me when my dog died when I was a kid, you sure about that Grodd?” Clayface questioned him.

“I’m absolutely positive, why would CADMUS keep a dead body under lock and key?”

“Touché.”

A door with a passcode lock, reinforced with steel.

“Frost?” Grodd said, not taking his eyes off the door.

“On it.” She placed her hand on the lock ,freezing and then destroying the keypad. With the security system broken, the inner locks released, revealing a small room. It was barren save for a few small tables towards the back surrounding a single cryogenic sleep container.

“Is that a kid in there!?” Clayface asked, squinting into the chamber’s small window. He was correct, floating inside the chamber was a small girl with an oxygen mask attached to her face. What had to be the most eye-catching thing about this girl was her hair, vibrant orange floated around her face, but the roots and bangs were a stark white in comparison.

“They just locked her up and left her here?” Giganta turned to Grodd, he nodded, a grim look on his face.

“Unfortunately yes, probably for years, the extent to which CADMUS is willing to go is horrifying.” He explained, “But before we free our new friend, it’s imperative that from now on we call the Justice League the Justice Lords.”

“Justice Lords?” Shade repeated, “Why the change?”

“You’ll see.” Grodd simply replied, inputting the code to the container's keypad. The sound of air letting out of the container filled the room, opening and fully revealing the girl. She looked so fragile and pale, her skin nearly pure white from the lack of sun .

Giganta was the one to catch the girl before she hit the ground, gently removing the oxygen mask from her face.

Oh, she had freckles.

Still, the redhead didn’t move and for a moment Grodd though that she was actually dead. Maybe CADMUS really did keep a dead body under lock and key?

The girl’s sleep-filled groan proved otherwise, and once again Grodd was right.

“Wha…?” Bleary, half lidded eyes scanned their surroundings. Seemingly upon realizing the company, the girl yelled and scrambled out of Giganta’s hold, shakily getting to her feet. “Who are you!? What world is this!?” Her eyes shot manically around the room, “Where am I!?”.

“Hey, calm down! What are you talking about?” Parasite said.

“ What’s happening in this world!?” She reiterated, only to be met with silent confusion. She sighed, “Are Themyscira and Atlantis at war?”

“Uh, no?” Clayface answered.

“Is Darkseid on earth?”

“Nope.” Shade replied

“Is Superman a communist?”

“Wha-? I don’t think he’s a communist?” Parasite answered confusedly.

“I’ll take that as a no, what about the Justice League? Are they still the league or are they a crime syndicate?” The redhead pressed.

“No, they don’t call themself that.” Grodd replied before anyone else had a chance to, the girl let out a sigh of relief.

“Ok, good, The Flash in that world was a major creep.” She replied, the soft smile she held faded when she saw Grodd’s expression.

“They don’t call themselves the Justice League either…” He trailed off. A manipulation tactic meant for the girl to fill in the blanks herself, and it worked.

“No...they’re calling themselves the Justice Lords, aren’t they?” She raked a hand through her hair, “ Damn it! I was so close this time…”

Grodd nodded, “I’m afraid so, they’re also the reason you were held by CADMUS.”

“Checks out. So I take it you guys are a resistance group now?” She questioned, turning her attention back to the others. The gorilla smiled down at her,

“You catch on fast. We call ourselves the Secret Society, I am—“

“Gorilla Grodd,” She interrupted and turned to the others, “and you’re Giganta, Shade, Parasite, Clayface, don’t know you but judging by the uniform you’re a red lantern, and Killer Frost. Some of us have met in other worlds.”

Awkward silence, the society looked between themselves, not knowing how to react to that.

Shade cleared his throat, “well, you seem to already know us, that just leaves you then.”

The girl chuckled dryly, “The only thing that truly stays consistent...Call me Illusium. Now let's get out of here before those fascists realize I’m out. ”

As if on cue, an alarm went off.

“Little late for that.” Giganta stated, looking from the door to the girl. Illusium merely smirked.

“CADMUS’s foot soldiers are no problem.” Illusium’ s hospital gown rustled as she walked out, facing the coming security officers, “Thought you could keep me locked up?” She glared at them, pupil’s beginning to glow red, “Idiots.” A simple wave of her hand, the guards stopped, looking wide-eyed at nothing. At least, that’s what the rest of the society thought. To Illusium and the guards, in front of them was one of Darkseid’s paradooms. Of course, only Illusium knew it was an illusion, what kind of League member would she be if she didn’t have control of her powers?

Besides, paradooms didn’t scare her anymore.

Yelling, blind shooting, bullets flying in the opposite direction; the guards were distracted, giving the others ample time to escape.

“Let’s go before they realize it’s a fake!” The redhead called back to the others before taking off.

“What did ya do to em’!?” Clayface asked, Illusium laughed.

“Made ‘em see something scary!”

They burned rubber speeding out of CADMUS, the first phase in Grodd’s plan going smoothly and with no interference from the League. This time around, in this world, the Secret Society was practically guaranteed to win.

“This is familiar.” Illusium stated, walking around the Society’s base; taking in all the computers and tech they had managed to compile. She had changed out of the hospital gown, now wearing a comically oversized sweater originally belonging to Giganta.

“So you’ve been here before?” Killer frost asked, Illusuim only shook her head.

“Not here exactly, but similar.”

Shade chimed in, “I gotta know what you did back there, you made those guards look terrified of thin air.”

“It’s a part of my power, I can project pieces of my memories onto whoever I choose to,” She explained, “the other part of it is immortality through quantum death. You guys know what that is, right?”

“Familiar with the concept, but who am I to explain your power?” Grodd replied.

“‘Kay...So it’s like this: you’re sitting on the ledge of a cliff, you decide whether or not to jump, but in the end you jump. The very moment that decision is made, a parallel universe where you didn’t jump is created, and here’s where my ability comes in,” Illusium swallowed, “Everytime I die I’m transported to a different world, all my memories of the previous one stay intact.”

“So that’s why you were freaking out about what world this was?” Parasite asked, she nodded.

“Yep, I call it the Death Loop.” Illusium.

“That sounds...intense.” Gigianta said, “How did you even figure that out?”

“Well, At first I thought I could temporarily shift to parallel realities. In that first world, myself and the League went to fight Darkseid, but little did we know he had planted spyware on one of us and...he...he killed everyone.” She scratched at her wrist, laughing nervously, “Including me. One minute I’m being torn apart by paradooms and the next thing I know. Amazons and Altlantians are killing each other and Wonder Woman is running a sword through me!”

“It was so weird. Sometimes it was minor changes, the league was fully intact except for a different Green Lantern or different Flash, and other times it was completely haywire, like they weren’t the Justice League at all but instead they were a crime syndicate and everyone looked and acted so different. The worst part was constantly seeing people you’ve known most of your life look at you like an enemy, or even worse a stranger.”

Killer Frost put a hand on her shoulder, snapping her out of her manic talk. “Don’t worry, this world’s gonna be different , for everyone.”

“Yeah, we’ll make it right!” Gigianta added.

Grodd and Shade stood away from the group, both of them watching as Illusium chatted away with the rest of the group.

“What’re you planning?” Shade asked, looking to the Gorilla

“Oh, it’s nothing elaborate. Illusium is a former league member, she knows how they think, how they fight. With her thinking they’re the bad guys our victory will be as easy as taking candy from a baby.”

“True, someone from the inside gives us an advantage, but what if she realizes that you’re lying.”

“She won’t. She’s lost so many worlds that she’ll cling to the first semblance of allyship offered to her.” He turned to rejoin the rest of the group, “So make sure all of you play nice.”

That night, Illusium lay on top of the Society’s hideout. They couldn’t sleep, probably because they’d been in cryogenic sleep for god knows how long. The stars were different here, they were always different depending on the world.

She wondered what the stars would look like in the world after this one?

Illusium could find out if they were to jump. It would be easy, they’d die from shock before hitting the ground and—

She shook her head, no, no suicide. Illusium needed to stay here, she needed to help the Society , she needed to find a world without losers and this one had barely even started. She needed to fight.

“Hey there.” Without noticing Killer Frost had taken a seat next to her, “Couldn’t sleep?”

“I’ve been asleep for god knows how long,” Illusium replied, not taking her eyes off the sky, “what about you?”

“Curious, I wanna know the dirt you have on the others. You know, from the other worlds?” Frost elaborated.

Despite looking different, Frost still acted the same as she did back in Arkham. Illusium gave them a half smile,

“Looking for dirt on the rest of the Society or just other villains in general, ‘cause I’ve seen so many versions of everyone.”

Killer frost shrugged and Illusium took that as the latter.

“Well, for starters, the two of us met back in Arkham.” Illusium started, “We were on Task Force X with Quinn, Copperhead, Deadshot, and some other guys.”

“Task Force X?” Killer Frost repeated.

“A suicide squad.”

“Oh. So we…”

“Yeah, we died.”

“Lame.”

“I know right?” Illusium chuckled, “ but that world was fun. You and Harley made it fun.”

The two stayed up for hours, talking about the past worlds Illusium had been, how in one Harley Quinn had her own villain league, the “superman is a commie” world, and one where there was a new Batman, one that was much more spry than the original.

Illusium had to stay here. Stay and fix this world, maybe once they had taken out the Justice Lords she could find a way to prevent Darkseid from coming here.

She wouldn’t let this world end in tragedy like the others.

[moonlightflower21]

How about #13 with Leo? :D Maybe his S/O got attacked by the Foot a few days ago and they thought she didn't survive, but she was just hiding from her attackers. I love your writing, by the way! You're one of the most consistent writers.

thank you sweetie! :) this one is pretty long, hope you enjoy <3

13- "I thought you were dead"

This was not what you had planned at all, you just wanted to sleep and chill out. Seemed like the foot had other plans. That night you let there was something wrong in the air; as though you were being watched. You had tried to shake off the feeling, simply deciding to return back to the movie even if your gut was screaming at you to phone Leo or someone. How you wished to do that now. Settling down on your couch, you played a movie oblivious to the foreboding danger that lay right outside your home.

They first broke through your window, the glass shattering loudly made you jump up in alarm and fear. Your head shot to your room and you grabbed the phone, quickly dialling the police.

"What the-" before you could even finish the sentence, the breath got knocked out of you when you felt a harsh blow to your stomach sending you reeling. You collapsed in the floor, groaning where the foot had punched you hard. The phone fell besides you and you were thankful it was still dialling, hoping either Leo or the police could get here quickly enough. Another one held you down while the main leader grabbed a knife, heading towards you.

"Where's your boyfriend?" They taunted whilst you struggled under their grip. "Get the fuck away from me!" You yelled, kneeing one of the foot in the groin and then twisting his arm behind him pushing him to the floor. This move, however, led to him scratching the knife deep against your leg. You yelled in pain, the blood dripping quickly creating a puddle on your floor. Looking down, you gasped as you saw the extent of the damage. Not only was it deep but it ran from your mid thigh to your ankle.

"What the fuck!" You cursed, throwing one of them backwards while your leg gave way under you. You wobbled, hearing sirens in the background thankful they arrived. The blood gushing out of your leg was relentless, spilling everywhere. The pounding in your head increased and your eyes deemed to close by themselves, you didn't want to go out like this. You couldn't go out like this.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

"No! No she can't be dead, I-I refuse to believe that" Leo yelled angrily, pushing his brothers back as they told him the heart breaking news. He looked around your apartment, sadness and anger settling into his being as he saw your splattered blood. There was a lot, definitely far too much to be considered dangerous.

"How was I not here! I should have been here for her!" His bottom lip shook, trying to keep tears at bay. "We have to go Leo" Raph placed his hand on his leaders shoulder who stiffened under his touch. He couldn't remember the last time he saw Leo look this upset, this sad before. His vast shoulders were shaking slightly and Raphael's own heart broke. No matter how much they fought, he hated seeing his brother in any pain. "Leo? Bro..." Mikey called out softly, gently urging them to go as the cops rolled around. Leo felt like he would collapse right there and then, the blood of you was too much to take. In the nick of time, the turtles left as the cops took charge of your apartment. Leo broke down on one of the roofs, his cries silent but it broke the brothers to see their leader breaking. They didn't know what would happen.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

You carefully walked down the steps of the lair, praying no grime or dirt would get on your bandages. Throughout the whole ordeal, you couldn't contact Leo as your phone had been broken and it took a while to get another. You stayed at your parents home since you didn't want to be alone and you had to rest since the wound in your leg was too deep. The amount of blood you had loss was beyond dangerous and it was a miracle you were okay. You limped to the lair, missing Leo. It was hell on earth not being able to see him without any contact or phone calls.

He sat on the couch, his bones aching and weary as he hadn't eaten nor slept for 4 consecutive days. He didn't have the heart, he felt so sick looking at a plate of food. He looked up, feeling the tears rise up when he saw something. You.

Leo wasn't much better, in dsfinal that you were dead. No matter how much his brothers would say it to him, he couldn't believe it. Because his heart told him otherwise. But you didn't come for the next couple days, he didn't see you in your apartment and he was left with the ruthless question of whether you had actually left him. He broke out in sobs in front of his father, the first time he heart was actually hurting so bad. He couldn't stop the shaking, hating the fact that he wasn't there for you. His mind and body he had no control over.

During the day wasn't that bad, he would busy himself with training and intense medidtation. But at night was the worst, he didn't realise that's without you there, how empty his life felt. At night was when the thoughts were let loose, stabbing deep within his soul at his failure. He failed you so bad. His mind would often trick him that you were here, in front of him and he would be broken to realise that you were but a figment of his cruel imagination everytime he would try to reach for you.

"Y/N??" He gasped, standing up quickly. He breathed out, praying he wasn't dreaming or that his mind was playing a prank on him again. He couldnt go through that again. You came closer, a smile on your lip as a tear fell from your eyes.

"It's me Leo" you whispered but he didn't reply, running to you and flinging his arms around your body. "Y/N! You're here! I-I thought you were dead and-and.." He couldn't even speak, just so overwhelmed with emotion. He sobbed into you, his body falling against yours. And you hugged him, your head resting against the crook of his neck your own tears falling.

He would deal with the foot later, no one messed with his girl. Absolutely no one.

this definitely needed to be edit but i hope you've enjoyed! <3

[aquainnie]

Valentines Day with Stray Kids ♡

♡⋆⁎ Person of Interest: OT8 Stray Kids

♡⋆⁎ Genre: Tons of Fluff, Literally 0 Angst, School AU

♡⋆⁎ Requested? Y/N

♡⋆⁎ Word Count: 2207

♡⋆⁎ Additional Info: Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope you’re spending it with the person/people you love, whether it’s romantic or platonic! I have a couple of notes about this reaction.

This took 3 days to write and is my longest piece of writing!

Chan and Hyunjin’s are based off of personal experiences, of course without the confession part. (I’m giving all of my friends candy this year and my school is selling wooden roses and I WOULD buy one for myself but dang the line is way too long and I need FOOD, they’re sold at lunch)

The reactions alternate from the member confessing to you confessing, so be aware of that!

Enjoy reading, and have an awesome Valentine’s Day! Please know if you're alone this year, you can still spend this holiday with your friends and family. Spread the love today!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

c h a n ♡

Chan was always aware about the observant side of you; the side that over analyzes everything to see if there’s a hidden message. That’s why, to confess to you on Valentines Day, he wanted to put your skills to the test.

Fundip: the gift Chan would be giving out to the majority of his classmates, of course, including you. Each one of them was personalized to the person getting the small pack of sugar, which helped Chan with his plan. His plan? Every single pack would have a smiley face on it, except yours, which would instead have a heart on it.

Soon after passing the candy out before class, his friend, who knew of his scheme, Changbin, nudged Chan on the shoulder.

“I think it worked, dude. She’s asking people around her something,” Changbin subtly says to Chan, who’s palms were getting sweatier by the second. You eyed Chan suspiciously, who made eye contact back. Grabbing your blue raspberry flavored pack, you raised it in the air with your two fingers and pointed at it dramatically, eyebrows raising up in exaggeration. Chan laughed silently in response, waving you off as to say, “Talk to you later after class.”

Right after class, you immediately caught Chan by the doorway, waiting for you. Before he opened his mouth to explain, obvious blush on his face, you spoke first.

“Nice candy. And yes, I’ll be your valentine.”

m i n h o ♡

Listen: it wasn’t your fault you fell in love with Minho, the “bad boy” in your class this year. I mean, his leather jacket, flirty attitude, countless pranks in class, intimidating tone...

Is that a cat airpod case?

Regardless, by now you’ve fallen head over heels with your classmate, who you’ve only spoken to once or twice due to your timid nature. But this year on Valentines Day, you aren’t missing your chance to make a move.

And you immediately started regretting making that card last night. You saw a small pile of gifts Minho got, but even though it was clear he rejected all those girls, you couldn’t help but tremble.

Deciding you couldn’t present your gift directly to him, you set the lousy folded piece of paper you ever so delicately drew inside of it on his desk, set off to the side of the other failed presents.

As soon as the bell ring, signaling the end of class, you attempted to rush out of the room, only to be stopped by Minho.

“Hey Y/N!” He called out, which you mistakenly turned around in response. You were only a few feet from the door when he started approaching you, your feet taking to the back of the wall.

“Do you make this?”

You nodded, trembling at his response. This was it, you were going to get rejected, feeling like a loser holding your textbooks tightly around your chest.

Then, Minho lit up into a bright smile.

“I love it! Those cats you drew were awesome, they even kinda resemble my own lil’ kittens! And yes, I’ll be your valentine.”

c h a n g b i n ♡

For once, you and Changbin agreed on the same thing: that your friend group made a stupid event. I mean, secret santa, valentines edition? Then again, they’re your friends, might as well play along and draw a name from the hat.

“Changbin.”

Well, at least both of you announced to the group that your gift would be very minimalistic. Then again, you had a tiny crush on him..

Might as well put a little effort into it.

Valentines Day arrives swiftly, everyone having their gifts ready in white, paper bags.

“Okay, I guess everyone can start passing out gifts!” Someone finally announces and soon, everyone was turning left and right passing out their gift.

You notice Changbin standing there silently, clutching his bag quite tightly. You approach him from the side, extending your arm holding the bag. Changbin raises his eyebrows in surprise, looking up at you before taking the bag and gently opening it.

“Snorlax?! Ah, you should see my gift for you..” He pulls out a small Snorlax pushie out of your bag as you giggle at his shock. It was your turn to be shocked however, as he gave you his bag. Inside..

“My own Gyu? Oh, it has a pink bow on it, cute!” You smile, examining the soft plushie in your hand.

“Look at the tag..” you’re able to hear Changbin grumble out. You look up to see him scratching his ear, his cheeks a very faint red that you’re barely able to make out. You open the tag and read what’s written on it.

“Be my valentine?”

h y u n j i n ♡ 

“Man up!” They said,

“It’ll be fun!” They said,

“Yeah right,” you mumbled quietly as you clutched a dollar in your hand, waiting behind tons of people to purchase this artificial rose.

Honestly, your school is a genius for thinking about selling fake roses and giving them out at the end of the day. With relationships blossoming everyday in your grade level, they might as well double the amount of them in a single week.

Also, they’re getting tons of profit from this event, especially with you as one of their daily customers. Always a blue rose, always with your unreadable signature at the bottom of the note. It’s not like your massive crush, Hyunjin, can read it anyways, right? And you’re happy you can see him smile everytime he gets one. All because of you.

Valentines Day, you don’t feel alone carrying a single real blue rose in your hands as you scanned your grade level. Huge teddy bears, bouquets of flowers, some may say you under did it. But you know Hyunjin’s the type to not put on a show, so you shall do the same.

“Hi Hyunjin.. Here’s your last rose!” You shyly say to the boy sitting at his desk, doodling in his journal. He looks up, definitely not expecting you to be the one purchasing the blue roses.

“You’re the one who—?” You cut him off, nodding. He starts laughing at clapping, making you giggle as well. He gets up from his seat and gives you a tight hug.

“Be..my valentine?” You managed to say, still overwhelmed by what’s happening.

“Of course!”

j i s u n g ♡

Jisung was panicking. Going around the dorms left and right, asking all of his hyungs for advice (because let’s be honest, if he goes to the three maknaes of the group, he’ll become even more of a laughing stock than he already is).

“But hyung!!” Jisung waddled back and forth on Chan’s bed, arms locked around his legs.

Chan sighed once more. “Well, what does she like?”

“I already told you, I’m not sure!!”

“Then, I don’t know, get them a stuffed animal? Make them a song?” At the second suggestion, Jisung’s ears perked up.

“A song! That’s a good idea, hyung! Thanks!!” Jisung suddenly jumped out of the bed and scrambled to his room, leaving Chan wildly confused.

A week later, as the classroom was decorated with heart streams and colored paper, you sat with an empty heart for another year. Of course no one would want you as a valentine, you’re too “cold” and “quiet.” That is, until your good friend Jisung plopped into the seat in front of you.

“Listen to this,” he demanded as he placed his phone on your desk and slid it over, a song on the screen. You looked at him suspiciously, in which he smiled wider. You took the phone and held it near your ear, making sure the volume was loud enough for you to hear yet quiet enough for no one else to.

Needless to say, when the short song was finished, you were flooded with emotion as you gave the phone back to its owner.

“Yes, I’ll be your valentine.”

f e l i x ♡

With both of you as the class clowns, it was incredibly easy for you to think of a way to ask Felix to be your valentine. Really, he shows you the latest memes everyday at break, how could you not make your own and turn them into valentine cards?

“Y/N..! You never give me memes back, when will you get some for me?” Felix whines to you at break time as you roll your eyes in annoyance.

“Find me three Pewdiepie memes and I’ll give you some tomorrow,” you negotiated, clearly not getting a good response from Felix.

“I swear you like THAT Felix more than me! I’m hurt, Y/N,” Felix starts to fake cry, wiping his dry face with his finger.

“Go ahead and cry, you big baby.”

“You suck!”

The bell rings, and Felix heads back to his seat.

“Okay, do I still suck if I have some memes for you?” It was the next day, and despite that Felix didn’t bring you your Pewdiepie memes, you still wanted to give him his present.

Once you turn your phone around that you discreetly pulled out of your bag, Felix immediately starts laughing.

“Donut ever leave deez nuts1!!1!1” He says out loud, you laughing along with him too.

After you calm down, you asked him. “Do you get the joke?”

“Yeah, the donut and the deez nuts— Oh— oh!” He looks up at you with wide eyes, and seeing you fall back into your chair with laughter confirms his thoughts.

“Is this your way of asking me to—?” You cut him off with a nod, still bubbling with giggles.

“I— Yeah! I would’ve asked you but I’m a coward so— Woah!”

he hits the woah afterwards

s e u n g m i n ♡

Seungmin likes to think he has two personalities. There’s the “Quiet Prankster” side and the “Hopeless Romantic” side. The more Seungmin thought about it, the more he realized he probably got the second side from Day6, but that’s not the point here! He has to make his Valentine's Day gift extra special, just for you!

After using several of Minho’s post-it notes to scribble down some ideas you would like, he finally settled on two. The very original and very romantic bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates. Seungmin facepalmed at his originality, but knowing you, you would like anything, so it’s better to keep it traditional.

Right?

Wrong. Oh dear god he was absolutely wrong for once.

Because when the 14th arrived and Seungmin came to school clutching his small bouquet of sunflowers and a heart shaped box of chocolates, you stared at him wide. 

“These are for me?” You asked, keeping your distance as you pointed at the gifts.

“Yeah, why? Is there something wrong?” Seungmin started to worry.

You waved him off with your frantic hands. “No, it’s fine, it’s just...”

“I’m allergic to chocolate/flowers.”

“O-Oh.” Seungmin looked down at the objects in his hand as if they were his enemy. Suddenly embarrassed, his ears grew bright red.

You laughed at his attempt, but still wanted to assure him it’s fine.

“It’s okay, Seungmin! I could give the flowers/chocolates to my friends if that’s okay with you. And I know you’re going to ask me this, so yes, I’ll be your valentine.”

j e o n g i n ♡

Scanning the kitchen surroundings, you knew this plan would fail. You never realized the stereotype of “covering the whole kitchen in powder” could actually come true, because it was right in front of you.

Simple sugar cookies for the sweetest boy in the classroom, Jeongin, right? Well, not very simple if you’re being honest. How did flour get to the top of your head? You weren’t even sure at that point.

Suddenly, your older brother, Woojin, stepped into the kitchen area looking down at his phone before retracing his steps to you.

“D-Do you need help?”

You whined loudly and nodded, Woojin chuckling a little bit before leaving to get a broom and dustpan.

While you told him who you were baking the cookies for (because thank god, he’s such a good older brother that you can literally tell him anything and he wouldn’t judge), you two sweeped up the floor and threw a new batch of cookies into the oven.

“I think I got it by now. Woo, thank you so much!”

“Yup! I’ll be in my room if you need any more help.” You two salute each other off, leaving you standing right in front of the oven waiting for the batter to cook.

With some homemade icing recipe you found online, you frosted the heart shaped cookies with cute messages. Gently tossing them into a box, you slipped it into the fridge and slept anxiously for the next day.

Before class, you nervously tapped on your crush’s shoulder as he sat in his desk, fiddling with a pencil. Jeongin whipped around to see you holding out a box of homemade cookies to him.

“Hi, uh, I’ve actually liked you for a long time and wondered if you could be my valentine?”

Jeongin beamed. “Since the gift is as sweet as the person who gifted it, of course!”

[spruce-button]

A Scraped YHS Fic

I put about an hour into writing this altogether. I didn't have a plot for it at all and didn't know what i was gonna do with it. I then made a plot for another fic that would have cancelled these 1300 words in five seconds so I'm not going to work on this anymore. I thought about deleting it but figured that someone might want to read this and it could be a intro into my writing. Sorry for any mistakes, I wrote this on my phone. So here you guys go.

    ---

Prologue

     ---

     Grian was just visiting. He was going to leave as soon as he could and didn't plan on visiting again. He had things at home to deal with. Yet he went back and got stuck. He couldn't leave now. He was to blame for all of this. Grian had to help Taurtis.

     Or was he Taurtis?

     It doesn't matter. He had to help the person he was supposed to be. He didn't care what he had to do to help everyone he could and fix things. He had to get rid of Sam.

     Oh did he love hearing Sam's bones crack everytime he was pushed off the ladder and he loved watching Sam crawl around the school.

     Grian won't ever admit it, though.

     It was quite refreshing to see after hearing the blood hit the ground after Rowan was stabbed.

     He'll forget about it at some point. Well, he hoped he did.

     Grian's throat was burning and he wanted to die. His throat was closing up around the sharp plastic he was swallowing. His tears were pouring into the cuts on his cheeks and into his mouth. His tears tasted better than the plastic and stomach acid.

     He hadn't eaten anything other than plastic and stale, crumbled chips in weeks. He was desperate for anything else. Grian was going crazy and he wished for Rowan's help. Or anybody's validation. Maybe just a carrot.

     He felt so frail and useless. He was nothing.

     And you better not forget that.

     He was pressed up against a wall again. This one was so much colder than the one in the kissing shed. It was in a house he didn't want to be in and he was hearing voices he didn't want to hear. This wasn't right. He deserved it, though. 

     "What's up with Taurtis? He's so weird."

     "I don't know, dude. He's been acting so weird lately. I think he's gone a bit crazy."

     They would start laughing later. It was a little too much for him. He couldn't move himself from the corner. His hands were shaking and he couldn't feel his hands. The plastic hurt so much.

     Grian's heart was racing by this point and his vision got sharper. He rubbed his eyes, they stung. He was so tired.

     He woke up to Sam kicking his foot. His back hurt and he wasn't registering what Sam was saying to Jerry, but he got up anyway.

     He never wanted to wake up.

     In his dreams he felt safe. There were people who still cared for him and gave him proper attention. It was in a world that didn't exist and where he found people he loved. He had friends there.

     At some point during the day Sam had swung his arm around his neck and squeezed a little too hard for a little too long and he developed bruises. Okami was concerned when they got to school and told Rowan, but they didn't do anything. Ellen took him home and helped him. That was enough for now.

     He sat next to his girlfriend quietly. She didn't really talk and Grian had no reason to. She gave him some sort of warmth and he loved her but it wasn't enough for him. He would never tell her. He had no right to tell her what he wanted when she had been so kind to help out while the adults did what they could from afar. Sam ruined his life and he couldn't take much anymore.

     Silly visited him the next day when Sam and Jerry disappeared. It was comforting knowing that there was someone else there for him. With each day he was becoming more like her and she seemed to be more open to him. That was also nice.

     She brought kind words with a kind voice and apologized on her parents' behalf, they hadn't been there for him much after Rowan was stabbed. It was too dangerous for the family. Silly assured Grian that they were getting someone to help him. Someone who was more capable of protecting and comforting him. He was glad. He wouldn't have to deal with Sam much longer.

     When Sam and Jerry got back they were off. Sam was irritated and Jerry seemed upset, which scared Grian immensely. He was scared of what would happen to him.

     Jerry went off to bed but Sam stayed up. He said that he needed to spend some alone time with his best friend.

     "Taurtis you are making our new friend feel unwelcome and I don't see why you have to go and do that." Sam's words were simple and terrifying, Grian has heard them so many times yet they keep on getting worse with each passing day. He constantly thought about them and how they were affecting him.

     "I don't mean to." They had a script now, the conversation would usually end like that. With Grian's half apology and Sam going to bed, but Sam sat down on the couch.

     "I'm going to need more than that Taurtis. It's not enough. You're absolutely worthless." That he was.

     "Well-I I am having a hard time. This is a little much for you and you won't admit it." Grian didn't know exactly what to say exactly, Sam broke off of the usual script. Grian was thinking for himself at that moment and he felt like he had crossed a line.

     "Taurtis, I'm going to need you to try a little harder you're being a terrible friend and your not acting like yourself, go and eat your Toritos."

     Grian was lost. He needed to go home, to his actual home he left with his parents and back to his cat that he missed so much. He was forgetting what it was like to be happy or be with someone who he cared for and each conversation pushed him further down the rabbit hole. God did he miss his cat.

     He wanted something good from this place. He wanted at least one good memory that wasn't tainted in blood soaked sand or manipulation. He knew that was too much to ask for. It was hopeless.

    ---

Chapter 1

  ---

Taurtis' sweat bands were starting to get sticky and smelled absolutely terrible. Grian's wrists were too small for them and definitely not made for him. He didn't fit them but Sam made sure that he'd grown into them.

Grian was bothered that he couldn't think for himself, so he thought about it constantly. He was in high school, he shouldn't have to worry about abuse from his friend's, he should be worrying about who he was going to hang out with next or his girlfriend that he hasn't been able to even look at for a week. It got so bad that in the few breaks from his thoughts he would wonder if she actually existed. Surely the girl he liked with the purple hair and one less eye was real, right?

Ellen was one of the only lights shining through the blinds in Grian's mind. He couldn't not have her. She had to be real. But she wasn't and he now knew this. He was alone.

Silly helped out, though. She gave him support and soft laughs. It never lasted long.

Oh God he was stuck down Sam's rabbit hole and it was getting deeper and darker every day.

There was no Taurtis to help him anymore.

The concrete started to hurt Grian's feet after an hour of walking around town with Sam, Yuki, and Jerry. Yuki had been trying to get sam to buy her food for ten minutes now and Sam had surprisingly been ignoring her squeal and whines. It gave Grian a headache from his place behind the three so it must of been so much worse up ahead.

Yuki eventually gave up when Jerry asked Sam if they could go to the manga shop. She knew there wasn't any good food around the manga shop and the only snacks were JerryKats and Toritos and she refused to even look at the things. If Grian had the choice he wouldn't go within ten meters of either but he didn't. 

He tried his best not to pay attention to what Sam was saying anymore, it was all useless or aggressive and hurt people who were hearing in and he didn't want to be hurt anymore. Today, though, was strange. He couldn't help but listen. Grian didn't know exactly why but it was probably Sam' glances around the area when they would pause their walk or the strange panicked changes in their route to downtown and the random cuts through people's lawns.

"I swear to god someone is watching us, Jerry. I bet Taurtis back there is trying to do something weird, let's ditch him." Sam whispered something else to Taurtis and they ran from him. He was too frail and exhausted to run with them but he still tried to catch up, he didn't know what he'd do if they left him. He failed miserably and eventually lost his footing and fell into a bush in front of a small store.

Grian sat there, confused and dizzy. His lungs hurt and refused to get up. He much rather sit there full of dread than die in the middle of an alleyway he'd eventually pass out in if he continued.

His skin became raw and red from and the tiny scratches made by bush twigs and his shirt tore. Sam was going to kill him.

A few people passed by the half asleep Grian before Okami found him and called for her husband. Rowan came and helped Grian to the school. It was safer than Sam's house. Grian couldn't go back there for a bit in his current state, he needed to be patched up and to at least sleep in a chair instead of a room corner.

Grian had gone to sleep and Rowan left to go make actual food for him as Okami watched him. She had always felt terrible for leaving him at Sam's house and not helping him and she knew Rowan did too, it was just too much for Silly and they needed to protect their daughter. They did what they could for the time being and tried to get anyone to come help them. It was very difficult.

Grian slept for a very long time. Rowan's food had gone cold and Okami had to leave, but Rowan stayed, he failed Grian once before and couldn't do it again.

The morning was better for Grian.

[bricousland]

The Sunwell

The Void has been haunting Ada'Lene since her encounter with it while on a mission in Outland. It's been acting like a virus, slowly eating away at her ability to use the Light and forcing her to use Shadow Magic more and more. Visiting the Sunwell and asking M'uru for her help is Lene's last-ditch effort to re-balance the Void and Light within her. However, since Alleria's visit to the Sunwell, the priests have been limiting access and things aren't as easy as Lene had hoped. 

This is a short story I wrote to fill in a time gap between my RP group's World of Warcraft Campaign. It’s the second story to feature my Blood Elf Priest, Ada’Lene Lightweaver. Like many of my WoW shorts, it was written for my RP group so, much of the details are left out since the group knows everything that’s happened to Lene leading up to this moment. If you’d like to know some of the details surrounding what happened, send me an ask and I’d be happy to fill it in for you or maybe it'll inspire me to write a detailed account for you!

A Note on Ada’s name: Ada’s full name is Ada’Lene Lightweaver and she has two sisters who go by Ada’Nara and Ada’Leya. The prefix “Ada” is an old tradition in her family for the female line. Her actual name is simply “Lene” and her sister’s: “Nara” and “Leya”. The group, however, doesn’t really know this and have always just referred to her as “Ada”. Up to this point, Lene has never been bothered to correct them since, at the time of this story, they don’t know her sisters and Lene has no incentive to introduce them. Ada is as good a name as any for her.

The summer sun filled the garden and warmed Ada’Lene’s face as she turned it towards the sky. Surrounded by the smell of golden overgrowth and flowers, she was reminded of the solace being back in the Temple could provide. The silence and isolation eased her mind in ways the city simply could not. It allowed for moments of temporary normalcy. When the sun was bright and she was among the foliage, the whispers would dull for a time. In these fleeting moments, she could feel the person she wanted to be fighting against the darkness that had plagued her for so long. The Temple gardens of Quel’Danas had been a sanctuary to her for the years following the destruction of the Sunwell and her Mother’s subsequent descent into madness. She needed that same feeling of safety now.

Failure.

Ada’s heart thumped against her chest when she heard the voice. It sounded more and more like her mother every day. It was learning, and that made it difficult to ignore and even more arduous to dismiss. The moments of contemplation were always fleeting, no matter how beautiful the day. The whispers always found a way to slither back into her head it’s why she’d decided to come. She had strived her whole life to be anything but a burden to those around her, and after seeing her friends rally behind her and fail, she knew this was something she’d have to solve on her own.

Ignore those thoughts. Deep breaths, clear your mind, find your Chi. Just like the Mistweavers showed you. Find your focus.

Lene lifted Kaivus’ small lantern from her hip and held it between her hands. She used the soft flow of the Light to help her focus on the sweet smell of the garden and the warmth of the sun on her back. Pleasant things, good things, not the thoughts trying to drown her. The small lantern in her hands grew warmer and the Light was snuffed out as she felt her body absorb the last of it to push back the whispers. Her mind calmed again and she breathed out a sigh of relief. The Pandaren’s method didn’t always work but coupled with the lantern it could numb the Void and give her time to feel like herself again. Even a minute was worth the effort.

Her mind cleared, but just as she felt the turmoil in her come to rest she was disrupted by the heavy sound of boots coming her way. The priests never came this far back, not did they walk with such heavy steps.

Priests are light-footed. LIGHT-footed, ha. Kaivus would appreciate that one.

With her focus broken, the whispers came flooding back. The Light in the lantern didn’t, however, it needed time to recover. She’d be on her own for awhile. Her attention turned to the approaching footsteps, only to see Cyrus rounding the corner.

They don’t trust you to handle this on your own. They know you can’t.

Ada stood. She’d told him to leave her alone. She wanted to try to deal with this without everyone looking at her as if she were a problem to be solved. Of course he wouldn’t listen, he never listened to anyone and had a penchant for trying to fix things when they were broken. Especially her. “I told you not to come.”

“Since when do I listen to you?” He was a child who had no regrets about being caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Lene narrowed her gaze on him, “But, before you get angry, I come bearing good news.” Cyrus slid onto the bench and patted the spot next to him. Lene pinched the bridge of her nose but slid into the spot beside him. “Nara pulled rank.” He explained, “And has gotten you access to the Sunwell.”

Ada’Lene opened her mouth to berate him for coming. Just like everyone else, Cyrus was a distraction. He was more than that, he was an absolute pain in the ass. Then he mentioned Nara and all of a sudden Lene found herself staring at him, slack-jawed and with eyes as wide as the sun, “She what?” Nara didn’t use her political sway for anything. Especially for something she considered a personal matter, and Lene had heard her use that term, ‘personal matter’, everytime they talked about her visit to the Sunwell.

They’re losing faith. They know you’ll fail. You always fail Ada’Lene Lightweaver.

“Don’t get too excited.” Cyrus’ had an amused smile as he took her hand and pulled her to her feet. Lene tugged it away and stood on her own, “She wants to talk to you first, to know what your plans are if this doesn’t work.” Cyrus walked with Lene towards the front of the gardens, an arm sliding over her shoulders and holding her close as they moved along the path.

She walked beside him for a time but then slipped out from under his arm with a gentle smile and took a few long strides so she was ahead of him. “There is no other plan. The Sunwell will work.” She let her fingertips glide across a few soft petals which stretched out onto the path. Lene and Cyrus were officially courting, but lately Lene found herself less than enthused about the idea than when she agreed. She loved Cyrus, he was like a brother to her and took care of her during a time in her life where there was a lot of uncertainty. She felt she owed him the chance to be something more. She should have known better than to try and force these things. Lene touched the small golden lantern at her hip.

“Well, you can tell her that.” Ada bowed her head as the whispers continued to try and dominate her thoughts. They were bold little things, they poked and prodded until they felt the walls she’d built lower. Once they sensed even an inkling of instability, they sunk their fangs in and held on for as long as they could. They found the holes in her soul and filled them with doubt and paranoia. The priests had taught her to manage most of their attacks, but there were the ones which couldn’t be managed. The priests warned that eventually, Lene would have to choose to control them or succumb to them.

She wanted neither

Cyrus caught up to Lene as they came to the front of the garden. He put a hand on her back; he was always like this. She didn’t understand his desire to marry her, he didn’t even love her. It was all about following through with their fathers’ wishes. Lene hadn’t minded before, she wanted Nara and Fe’Lana to have their chance and so Lene had finally agreed to the match. But now things had changed. Ada shrugged him off and gave him a solid punch to the arm. “Stop. I can’t deal with your flirting today. Where’s Nara?”

Cyrus barked a laugh and rubbed his arm. “Over there.” Cyrus pointed to one of the private pavilions scattered throughout the temple grounds. They were made of rose tinted glass and stabilized by tall golden pillars molded to look like broad-leaved hyacinth vines. This particular one had real vines climbing up along the pillars and at the top large yellow and red flowers reached for the sun.

Cyrus opened the door for Lene and she stepped through feeling a sudden weight of life changing decisions pressed on her shoulders. Nara had that effect on people--on a room. She could make anyone feel small. Even if she was the shortest sibling. She sat on a bench reviewing some papers and scratching her signature across the bottom of a few pages. She wasn’t in her typical Paladin armor. Today she was dressed the part of a House Lady -- or in her case Lord. Nara would never be caught dead in a dress. Instead, she preferred a pair of deep red and gold leggings, flats, and a comfortable blouse. Her hair was tucked behind her ears with minimal effort but she still managed to look regal with perfected posture and a natural sternness in her features. The scar that marred the left side of her face did not make her look softer, even the pink tinted windows could do little to soften the General.

Nara looked up from her work and set it aside, laying her pen on top of the small stack of papers. “How are you?” There was a rare hint of concern in her voice; it threw Ada’s initial response out the window. The extent of her sister’s worry was written all over her face.

“Fantastic, now that I’ll have access to the Sunwell. Nara, thank you.” She ran up to her sister and hugged her. She felt Nara relax beneath her affection and Nara held Lene tight. She wasn’t completely made of stone.

“You’re my sister; and this has gone on long enough. I can’t watch you isolate yourself like this anymore. But Lene,” Nara pulled away and held her at arm’s length. Her bright golden eyes studying her. The look Nara gave her made her heart race. It was hard to tell what kind of answers Nara was looking for when she watched someone like that. It made it especially hard to lie.“I need to know what you’re going to do if this doesn’t work. You need a path, I won’t have you continue being lost like this.”

She’s lost her faith in your abilities. Everyone has. You’ve become a useless memory but you can find your purpose again. Just listen to us.

Ada grabbed her sister’s forearm, “Nara, this will work. The Sunwell connected me to the Light before. It can do so again.”

Why do you try? The Light has abandoned you, but we’re here.

“Maybe. But you need a plan. Will you learn to control the Void better? Take up another skill perhaps? You’re trained in battlefield medicine. A little bit more training and you’ll be able to heal in another way.”

This again? She’d thought about taking that path. Long and hard but then she remembered standing in front of an infected fel corpse. It needed to be put out of its misery and yet, as she strangled it and heard its neck snap, Ada felt dirty. Even as Qeldaras and Lahkrimosa had praised her for a job well done, all Lene could feel was the pulse of Void magic tightening its grip on her. The way the it sat with her, taunted her, gave into its base need for violence sent chills down Ada’s spine. She hated the feeling, “Nara, I won’t be a Shadow Priest. I won’t become our mother.”

“You’re not her, Lene! Shadow Priests have been using the Void to fight for good for as long as the Light has. Your closest friends are Demon Hunters. Corruption doesn’t have to mean degradation. With proper training you’ll manage. I’ll make sure you’re safe.”

Like she protected you from your mother? She let your mother torture you while she drew power from a dying Naaru. She should be ashamed of who she is, not you.

The whispers baited her anger and yanked the vitriol out of her mouth before she could contain it. “Like you kept me safe before? You left me to be beaten and broken. Everyday, it was something: I smiled too much like Father, I couldn’t use the Light, I wasn’t happy enough, I wasn’t sad enough. Every meaningless thing became an affront; an excuse to torture me, and yet you prioritized your training over being at home! We needed you!”

“Lene, calm down.”

She hurt you too. No one cares about what you want. No one cares about you -- except us, of course. We care, we’re here for you.

There was a warning in Nara’s voice but Ada’Lene chose to ignore it. “I don’t want to manage. I’m not a killer. I’m not you.”

“That’s enough!”

“Don’t like being reminded that you’re the reason our mother is dead?”

“Which did you want, Lene, to be saved or to have our mother alive?”

“I wanted both!”

“Alright, you’ve both had a good row at each other.” Cyrus stepped between them and took Ada by the arm. “Lene, let’s go.” He pulled her towards the door.

Nara bristled as Cyrus got between them, but she didn’t stop him. Instead she looked beyond him and set her gaze on her sister, “I chose you, Lene. You’re going to the Sunwell tomorrow. This ends, one way or another. Have a plan.”

Ada opened her mouth to respond, but Cyrus shoved her out the door. “You’ve said enough.”

She spun around to face him as she was pushed out the door, “what do you think you’re doing?”

“What do you think your doing? Lene, snap out of it.”

“Ari’s right. She believes she’s so much better than us. She’s the one who drained a Naaru and put her training over her family. She’s the one who abandoned Mother to Outland.”

“You know it’s more complicated than that.”

Ada’Lene slid onto a nearby bench and watched the glass pavilion. Through the rose stained glass she could see Nara’s outline standing as still as a statue. Her posture was straight and rigid and her back was turned towards the door. Nara wouldn’t come after her, it wasn’t the way her older sister did things. Lene sighed and with the sun warming her, the voices whispers subsided. She slumped forward and put her head in her hands. “By the Light, I am turning into my mother.”

Cyrus sat beside her. He didn’t say a word, he only pulled her close. This time, Lene didn’t fight it and leaned into him.

Weak.

The whispers creeped back into her head, they wouldn’t be extinguished so easily again. “I can’t do this.” Ada pulled away from Cyrus and took off along a narrow path away from the small neighborhood of pavilions. “Lene!” She heard Cyrus calling after her, and so she took longer, more determined strides deeper into the quieter, more secluded area of the garden. Where the trees were older and their heavy branches blocked out the sun. She needed just one moment of peace.

She followed the moss covered stones and even as she realized Cyrus had not given chase, Lene continued her frantic pace. Farther away, she needed to be farther away. Nearby priests greeted her but she could only manage a quick nod as she rushed under an arch made of thin green vines and wide golden leaves it was newer than the rest of the garden but forgotten.

They know what you are. They’re afraid of you. Afraid of the power you have, of your potential. Kill them all and show them you are not to be pitied. You’re not that same powerless girl that hid from her mother. If only you’d accepted our gift ...

Ada found what she was looking for: a massive sculpture of thorns and roses trimmed and pruned into the form of a Naaru. It had been tended to and shaped since M’uru sacrificed herself to save the Sin’dorei. Her thorns were thick and sharp. Ada seized a vine and all at once, several small thorns pricked her palm and Ada loosened her grip.

This is insanity.

Coward

She tightened her hold on the vine and the thorns dug deep into her palm. Blood welled up and slid down her hand in rhythm with the heartbeat in her ears. The whispers retreated to the back of her mind, cackling, as the pain flared in her hand and thrummed up her arm. Through the pain, Ada’Lene breathed a sigh of relief; her heart felt light again. She could feel a piece of herself trying to push free. The part of her that smiled and laughed, it was at the edge of her heart to remind her what she was fighting for. The darkness was there though, creating a wall between who she wanted to be and what she was. The small reminder crawled away as the thorns became more of a comfortable pain. She flexed her muscles to reignite it so she could coax the little spark of light deep inside of her back to the surface. The warm trickle of blood that slid beneath her sleeve was a small sacrifice for the moment of peace the pain produced.

“Ada!” A pair of strong arms grabbed her from behind and pried her hand off of the thorns she clung to. Lene panicked as the light began to slip away. She struggled in Cyrus’ grip and tried to grab the thorns again.

Just a few more moments.

“No! It was working!” Lene kicked him and with a grunt he released her. The whispers swarmed with rage and twisted her gut in knots.

See, what did we tell you? No one cares about what helps. They don’t want to be embarrassed. They’re ashamed of us.

Lene spun around in a fury but the single gold eye she met did not belong to the hunter she expected. They were far warmer and confused, “Kaivus?” Chest heaving, hands shaking, and hair in a red disheveled mess, she stared at him not believing what she was seeing. He’d come to the temple, but why? Nara wouldn’t have called him here. There was no reason to.

Ah, the letter...

Lene’s attention returned to her hand, it was smeared with blood and seeping more. She followed the stream of blood and watched it drip off her fingertips and fall onto the stone below. The small lantern on her hip had caught some of the blood and was already drying against the cool metal. Guilt struck her, she should have been better than this. She stared at the small lantern, devoid of light. It was better than facing the judgement she’d seen from everyone else come from Kaivus too.

What good are you to him? You can’t help him. You can’t save him anymore. Leave the saving to that little paladin nipping at his heels. Let this Light possessed fool be on his way. You’ll be much happier with us.

“Ada, you’re crying...”

Lene’s head snapped up at the sound of his voice. “What?” she touched her face and found her cheek wet with tears she hadn’t realized she’d shed. She used her sleeve to wipe them away. “I...” She started; she wanted to tell him she was alright, everything was fine. Everyone at the temple hugged rose bushes, didn’t he know? It’s why most priests were so prickly! It was tradition at this point, and he had nothing to be concerned about. Everything was completely fine and normal -- so what wounds could she heal for him today?

The jokes evaporated as soon as they sprung up in her mind, Lene knew her humor couldn’t hide her appearance: standing alone, bloody, crying and in complete disarray.

She looked insane. She was insane.

The whispers were right, it didn’t matter why Kaivus was here. She had nothing to offer him. There were no answers she could give him and she was far too lost to offer him guidance. It’d be better if she sent him away to Nara. Even Nara’s squire Kailee would be a better choice than her. The Void had rendered Lene useless and so she remained quiet, using the dull throb in her arm to ease the whispers away as best she could.

Kaivus closed the distance between them which forced Lene to look at him. She was surprised to see him full of concern. Not the kind that lended itself to pity, nor the kind that pressed for final goodbyes. It was concern for concern’s sake with that hummingbird trademarked spark of hope shining behind it and the whispers which were simmering in her heart were squashed. It was the same look he had for her back in Gadgetzan. She didn’t remember much of her time there, but she did remember him.

Kaivus picked up her hand and studied the torn and bloody flesh. “Is it that bad?”

Lene nodded, “Yeah.” She gently pulled her hand from his and pulled out a roll of bandages from one of the small pockets in her robes. “I’m going to the Sunwell tomorrow, so all of this will be over soon.” Lene fumbled with the bandages, she never was good with her right hand and the way the whispers had shaken her made her movements even more cumbersome. “I’ll get this Void infection purged and I’ll be back to healing your broken toes in no time -- Damnit!” She cursed as the bandages refused to stay in place and the roll slipped between her fingers. Kaivus caught them before they could completely unravel and took her bloody hand in his.

Use us, you don’t need those primitive methods. We’ll stop the bleeding, stop the pain. We’re here for you Ada’Lene. Let us give you purpose.

“I won’t!”

“Ada, let me help.” The calm in Kaivus’ voice pierced the cacophony of whispers and once again planted Lene’s feet firmly on the ground. Being pulled back from the anger the whispers insighted was like breaching the surface of water and taking a fresh gulp of fresh air after almost drowning. Her emerald eyes fell on Kaivus, ready to apologize. Her outburst had been sudden, but he wasn’t afraid and his smile lingered as a small crease on either side of his mouth, “I need to clean it first, right?” He held out his free hand and waited for Lene to hand over the bandages he knew she carried.

“Thank you, Hummingbird.” She was tired, she could feel the tears in her throat this time, beckoning to be let loose in a tsunami of anger and frustration. Kaivus wiped the blood off her fingers, taking a little too much care to avoid the deep thorn pricks. He cleaned where the blood had flowed over her palm. Lene watched as his nose scrunched up with extra focus as he tried to wrap her hand. She laughed, “When did you learn this?”

“A while ago… maybe?” His guilt made Lene grin, Kaivus used the bandages to apply pressure to the wound. She watched him pause and scratch his chin several times before making adjustments and increasing the pressure around the deepest part. It wasn’t perfect but it was far better than she could do at the moment. “I’ve been watching you, and practicing.”

“No, twist the bandage over the wrist. You’ll get more pressure -- yeah, that’s good.” He secured the bandage and focused on rerolling the others. “So, all those times I came to patch you up, you could have done it yourself?” She gave his shoulder a playful shove, eliciting a shy laugh from Kaivus.

“Well, yes -- but -- I just wanted to make sure it was done right. You would have just corrected me anyway!”

“I feel very betrayed right now. I woke up from very productive napping for you!”

“What a sacrifice it must have been.”

“It was.” The two of them shared a laugh. It was hard not to feel better with Kaivus. His enthusiasm was infections, even Qeld and Lahk had a hard time frowning around him-- and frowning was basically their favorite hobby. She glanced passed him and saw a stack of books dropped and strewn beneath the archway behind him. A little pang of guilt jolted through her. “Why are you here, Hummingbird? Does this visit have to do with your Light?” She helped him collect the books. The covers were embossed with titles Lene was familiar with. Some were wild stories about the Old Gods and titans. Fairy tales. There was just one book she didn’t recognize but it seemed to be more of the same, except it was from a journal of a historical records. Lene waited for an answer from Kaivus, and his his cheeks turned a soft shade of red as he took the books from her.

“No… I mean yes -- but more importantly, I couldn’t stop thinking about what happened to you at the Exodar. Then, I came across an old childhood story my mother used to tell me. It reminded me of another story I’d heard, and so I started digging. Maybe, it could help?” Kaivus, with the books safe in his arms, left the little alcove and walked back towards the warmer parts of the garden. Lene stepped beside him with a smile; she showed him the cover of a book at the top of the small pile in his arms. It was a traditional story about an old god who stole a princess and was eventually slain by prince charming. Leya had loved that story as a child, “So, you want to be my prince? Prince Windfire or Prince Hummingbird?” a little shock of excitement jolted up her spine, “Prince Hummingbird is definitely meant for storybooks.”

The red in his cheeks deepened as he stumbled over his words. Lene felt her smile growing. The moment with the whispers had passed and for the first time in awhile, she was absorbed in watching Kaivus stumble and blush his way through the conversation. “Not at all! I mean, I do want to help, and fairy tales are sometimes rooted in a kernel of truth.” He gave an exasperated sigh and sat on a bench, “Just look.” Lene sat beside him and he handed her one of the books opened to a bookmarked page. He took the other books and opened them too, balancing them on his lap and handing a few others over for Lene to deal with. She skimmed the text as she listened, “All of these stories are about people who were possessed by the Void and had the corruption removed or destroyed by some sort of stone.”

“It’s an interesting connection,” Lene admitted, but looked at the books with a bit of skepticism, “But it’s not uncommon. You can find fairy tales that are similar between us and the trolls. It doesn’t mean they’re true, it means our cultures have had a lot of interaction. War, in this case.”

Kaivus leaned across her to point at a text Ada had in her lap, “This one is Shal’dorei, I had to get Thal to translate it for me.” He gestured to the one in his lap, “And this one is Tauren, and the one in your hand is the most recent text I’ve found, from a human. Three cultures, who didn’t interact with each other until recently, all with similar stories which date back well before they began to communicate with one another.”

Lene studied the books again and fell quiet. His hunch was just that, a hunch. Most of his sources were fairy tales, and the only historical account he had was a minor mention -- a sentence which would have easily been forgotten if Kaivus hadn’t been looking for it. It wasn’t anything to be excited about; yet he had come all the way here to share it with her. He believed in this and if she were honest with herself, she was excited.

A plan

A plan born of desperation and denial. Ada’Lene, don’t entertain this Lightbound fool. You know we’re stuck together, you and I.

“You don’t think I should… learn how to control it?”

Kaivus looked a little dumbfounded by her question, but he barely skipped a beat in his answer, “That’s giving up.” He said it as if it were the most obvious answer in the world. But to Kaivus it was, it was always so easy for him. “And that’s not what we’ve worked this hard and this long to do. But most importantly, living in the Void, isn’t what you want. So, we find another way. It’s that simple.”

She should have expected that answer. Save everyone, be the hero.

The confidence in his smile sent Lene into a fit of laughter. Kaivus was unable to be anything other than himself. The books threatened to spill onto the ground, she had to catch them before they went sliding off her lap. She held them tight and let her eyes meet his. Her laughter softened at the sight of his smile; he hadn’t changed, not one bit. It was her who had changed. “Trying to prove and track down a fairy tale is simple?”

“We’ve done more impossible things.”

Lene dropped her gaze to the book in her lap. Her bandaged fingertips gently traced the embossed etching across the leather cover. She set the books aside and turned towards Kaivus who was still looking at her with a soft, confident gaze. She pulled him into a tight hug. His whole body tensed beneath her touch but as he relaxed, he pulled her into a warm embrace. Lene rested her chin on his shoulder, “Thank you.” She released him, sitting closer to him than she had been. Kaivus’ gaze shied away from hers when he realized their closeness and he rubbed the back of his neck, tanking more interest in a few flowers across the way. In the quiet of the garden, he cleared his throat and his soft golden eye found its way back to her. He smiled and let out a soft laugh.

He was the same Kaivus she’d been taking care of for well over a year. Hopeful, determined, and barely able to walk on a flat surface without hurting himself. He was Qeld’s brother and someone whose company she enjoyed. She’d never thought much beyond that, not until recently. Gadgetzan, and the day at the beach urged her to look at him differently. Lene had wanted to avoid it, she tried, but this shy, compassionate person in front of her was making it impossible. He was clumsily pulling on her heartstrings in a way no one else had.

She closed and stacked a few of the books in her lap. “Alright, let’s do it. If … if something goes wrong, we’ll look into this. ”

Kaivus snapped back to attention. “Really?”

“Yes, but you have to promise me we’ll do this together. I don’t want you dying under a stack of books, alone.”

“Deal, but you have to promise you’ll stop hurting yourself.” He looked at her hand, some blood had already seeped through the wrap, but it was healing. “If the whispers become bad, you can talk to me. I’ll remind you how wrong they are.”

Ada laughed, “I promise, but what if you’re not here?”

Kaivus shrugged, “Send for me. I’ll come.” his voice didn’t ring with the same hint of jest Lene’s had. He was being serious.

Ada’Lene stood, holding the books and looking at Kaivus with a grin. “I will make you regret that promise.”

We’ll make sure of it.

“I look forward to it.”

Ada’s cheeks grew a little warm and she rolled her eyes, “Why don’t we go have lunch and spend some time going over these stories. You can catch me up on your theories.” Kaivus agreed and the two of them walked the narrow mossy stone path together. Lene stayed beside him as they conversed and laughed The whispers continued to swarm her mind, they hated Kaivus. It made Lene want to keep him closer.

Do you really think you can control this? Think about what you did to your sister. You’ll do it to him, just give us time. We’ll make the little runt fear you.

Lene tried to push the whispers away as they dug into her insecurities, but what they said was true. Eventually, the Void would get to her again, like it had with Nara. It always did. She would do or say something to Kaivus she couldn’t take back. She’d hurt him.

Her chest tightened at the possibility. Kaivus was smiling at her as he talked about the port and his new projects, much of the details she’d missed. Consumed more by the Void’s taunts and threats. Kaivus caught her gaze, there was a soft nod of understanding and without hesitation back tracked and started explaining again, the warm smile on his face never faltering. This time, Lene made sure to listen.

Kaivus had so much ambition; he was turning his father’s port into an international sanctuary. He wasn’t dividing the docks between Horde and Alliance. He was throwing them all together in one big messy stew to prove they could work together, with a bit more understanding. It was dangerous, and Lene foresaw a lot of growing pains. It would take more than his two hands to handle it all, but as always, Kaivus seemed unconcerned and more focused on the big picture.

She was going to ruin it.

You’ll become a burden to him. He’ll resent you for this.

The Void pulled on the strings of anxiety again and it must have shown. Kaivus’ excited smile softened. He pushed the whispers away with a playful jab of his elbow. “They’re wrong.”

At least someone wasn’t going to let her go without a fight.

~ ~ ~

The sun was barely a pink stripe on the horizon as Lene rolled out of bed and dressed herself for the Sunwell. It was a long flowing white robe, draped with a red and gold sash. An initiate’s robe. She adjusted the sash so it sat evenly, pausing to caress the soft silk between her fingertips.

I haven’t worn one of these since I was a girl.

She straightened the golden edged bell-sleeves that draped over her knuckles and were stitched into intricate lacing meant to represent the same curves and edges of a Naaru. The thread kept the lacing from falling apart and was enchanted with enough magic to make the edges glow with a soft golden light which circled her hands and again at her feet.

You will regret this.

She ran a hand though her vibrant red hair in a weak attempt to tame it. As always it had a mind of it’s own and even after a good brush it was a wavy mess around her shoulders and a stray piece fell in front of her Fel stained eyes. Unlike many of the other Sin’dorei, Lene’s had never changed. Hers were a relic of a time she wished to forget.

The Light abandoned you then, it’s abandoning you now. Yet here we are, loyal as ever and you wish to purge us. What kind of person does that make you, Ada’Lene Lightweaver? Ungrateful.

She stood in the stillness of her room. The wound from yesterday throbbed and itched beneath her bandage. She tried to pull on the Light to heal it, but nothing came. Only the Void responded with its slithering whispers.

Let us help. This ritual is a farce, only the Void knows the true way of the world.

There was a loud knock on her door, “Lene, let’s go.” Her sister was small but her voice carried like she were in the room with her. Lene hands straightened her robes one last time before she met Nara at the door. She stood outside, her back to Lene’s roomas if she were guarding it.

She probably was.

She glanced over her shoulder and up at Lene. Next to Ari, Lene was the tallest of the Lightweavers and it was rare when Lene let Nara forget it. Today was no different as Lene shot her sister a knowing grin and it was met with one of Nara’s icy glares.

They walked the halls in silence. The stained glass windows reflected the morning sun in colors of rose, blue and gold onto the emptied tiled halls. The Temple was asleep, there were a few elderly priests shuffling towards the kitchens, and a few cooks arriving to prepare breakfast, with those exceptions, Nara and Lene were alone.

“About yesterday…” Lene began but Nara quickly cut her off with a dismissive wave of her hand.

“It’s fine, Lene.”

“No.” She said, “It wasn’t. I know you did your best when it came to Mother. I lost control, and it won’t happen again.”

“It’s done.” Nara grunted and turned a sharp corner and the two moved down a long steep ramp. As they moved into the inner sanctum of the Temple, the density of people began to increase. Guards stood at every entrance, heavily armed and they saluted Nara as they passed. There were priests in long ceremonial robes decorated with ornate collars and sleeves scurrying about, gathering items, preparing rituals, or organizing books. Seeing Lene, they paused to stare; she was an anomaly. The choice of the Void had not been given to her. It’s curse was simply thrust upon her. It made the other priests suspicious -- a Ren’dorei in the making. They pitied her as well -- a once gifted, young priest brought down by the very beings she fought against. Lene refused to meet any of their gazes, this was the end of it. She’d walk out of here with the balance of the Light and Void restored to her. Even if she didn’t, there was the artifact from Kaivus’ tales. She wasn’t a Ren’dorei and she wasn’t to be pitied, she had options.

In a child’s fairy tale book.

I must be desperate.

The Sunwell lit up it’s room with a warm golden light which mimicked the sun on a warm spring day. The statues which once revered Kael’thas, had been removed or covered with long flowing red drapes and now had the symbol of Silvermoon stitched into them. The priests said the Sunwell belongs to all Sin’dorei. Yet, since Alleria’s visit, that had become more limited. It was not only available to those who seeked meditation and prayer. Should the Void come anywhere near it, and the priests would do all they could to keep them at bay. Without Nara, it was likely Lene would have gone insane before being allowed into the room.

Nara dismissed the inner sanctum guards, leaving the two sisters alone. “I’ll be right here.” though Nara spoke quietly, the echo of her voice sounded off the high ceiling and seemed to come from all sides. Lene gave her sister a soft nod and slipped off the white cloth slippers on her feet before she approached the Sunwell. The warm light rose and licked the edges of the pool in playful, soft swirls of Light. At her approach, the small wisps did not retract but swirled around her ankles, inviting her into the pool. The Void snaked through her mind and squeezed her heart, a shiver ran up her spine as she felt it recoil in disgust. She hesitated like she was being held back at the shoulder by a strong hand. The Void pushed all of her fears and worries to the front of her mind. She felt the overwhelming need to turn and run. This was a fool’s errand. The Light was going to kill her, not help her. Nara was right, she should just learn to control the shadows. She’d be better off.

They’re wrong

Lene fought through the thoughts and took her first step into the well. Her defiance was met with sharp papercut pain through her skull. She stumbled, but persisted towards the deepest part of the pool.

YOU BITCH, YOU WILL SUFFER FOR YOUR INSOLENCE!

The warm light lapped at her hips and curled around her arms. “Hello old friend.” There were sharp stabs of pain still reverberating in her mind, small warning shots. Lene took a deep, controlled breath, “I kind of need your help right now…”

For a long time, nothing happened. The Light did as it had, soft gentle swirls rose up and gracefully fell back into the pool. The pain receded and was replaced with an echoing chuckle.

What did we tell you? The Light is playing games with you, Ada’Lene.

Lene caught her sister’s watchful gaze. Nara didn’t move from her station, but Lene could see the worry. She’d been apprehensive about bringing Lene here, but neither of them considered the possibility that nothing would happen. Lene’s heart hung heavy; the Light had gone still, it flowed around her like rushing water and no longer reached up to brush against nor did it playfully dance between her fingers.

With no more words left in her, Lene waded back towards her sister. It had been a failure beyond her expectations. The Light didn’t even want to save her, the Void won and had dug it’s tendrils far too deep for even the Light to counter. The whispers were right, she belonged to them.

Submit.

The sound of armor against tile drew Lene from the waves of doubt. Nara was running towards her. Lene stopped, knee deep in the well. The Temple was the safest place in Silvermoon and her sister looked at her like she had sleep-walked onto a battlefield. She may not have the Light, but Lene was not defenseless. The power of the Void rushed to her fingertips as she faced whatever it was Nara was rushing to get her away from.

It was the Light

An immense, snaking pillar of Light.

“Nara, no!” Lene yelled back towards her sister and she halted at the edge of the pool. The power in her hands fizzled out, what was only a short moment felt like minutes as she and the towering font of Light considered each other. “It’s ok.” There was an understanding between them, it didn’t have eyes, a form, or gestures, but Lene knew. The Light had been with her for as long as she could remember. She knew it’s ebbs and flows as well as she knew her own, and this time it meant to fix her. She felt empty without it after the destruction of the Sunwell, and she felt that same emptiness now, even as the Void tried to fill it.

The Light was warm, but it wasn’t kind.

It hit Lene with such force that it threw her into the air. The weight of the Light was strangling, but she didn’t fight it. Lene’s muscles tightened as the Void pulsed in panic just beneath the skin. Her ears rung with indecipherable whispers of the Void and loud chimes of the Naaru, though they sounded more like nails on a chalkboard. When the Light finally managed to push the Void away, it disappeared from the outside and Lene hit the ground. Her body shook in pain, its own contained war zone between the Light of the Sunwell and the Void.

Her mind exploded into shards of searing pain, the Light and Void tore through her so quickly she hadn’t the time to discern what was happening. The sounds of the temple became muffled, her vision blurred. She could barely hear her own screams as she rolled onto her back and clutched her head, unable to carry the weight of the pain which swam through her. Nara’s boots sounded in the distance, but she was too paralyzed to stop her.

Let them fight, she wanted to scream.

Let it happen. Nara grabbed Lene by the arms and started to drag her away from the pool. She was talking, but the sound of her blood in her ears superseded the other sounds for her to make out anything her sister was trying to say. As she was pulled away, the Void screamed in the pitch of an angry harpy and the Light rang like a bell in her ears. Lene opened her eyes to see a blurred vision of her sister, bent over her and talking to her, though she didn’t know what she was saying.

Everything stopped all at once. The pain, the rush of Light and Void that filled it faded away so fast that every piece of her felt tired, like she was dead weight in Nara’s arms. She tried to grab Lene’s attention, but she still couldn’t hear Nara. So, her sister gently hit her cheeks and gave her a firm shake, but Lene could do nothing except fade away.

~ ~ ~

Lene woke up to the sound of rain and a pounding in her head. Small flashes of memory blinked in and out of her mind. The Light, the whispers, and her sister. She groaned, the mattress beneath her was hard and unforgiving against her back. Her muscles screamed for her to lie back down as she sat up in bed. Her muscles were stiff and her head screamed in pain, she would have given in to the demand for more sleep had Nara not grabbed her and helped her up.

“Finally, you’re awake.” Nara sat on a small stool beside the bed, there were stacks of paper on a small desk on the other side of the room along with a half eaten lunch.

Lene rubbed her face and fluffed her hair, “How long have I been out.”

“Two days.”

“Two days?!” Lene winced as the sound of her own loud voice caused a nice thrum of pain to echo in her head. Nara got up to pour her a cup of water.

“Yes, whatever happened at the Sunwell took a lot out of you.” She handed her sister the cup of water and sat on the edge of the bed with her. “Did it work?”

Lene’s head was silent. She couldn’t hear or feel the susserations of the Void creeping around her mind. She looked over at the small Lantern at her bedside, radiating the soft, warm energy of the Light. She took a sip of water and set the cup aside. Her heart pounded in her ears and a nervous shiver ran up her spine. She held her hands out infront of her, just one spell. One flicker of Light was all she’d need to produce to know for certain that her sanity had been restored. One spark of Light and she’d have a talk with Kaivus. A real one. She just needed to prove that she wasn’t going to hurt him. She could still protect him, she was still Ada’Lene.

One spark.

She pulled on the power that lay dormant at her fingertips. It came with a ease as it always had and she could feel the tendrils of power, wrap around her arms, ready to release from her hands in a small, midnight ball. Lene’s blood ran cold as she saw the power that swirled in her hands. There was a sudden boom of cascading laughter that overtook her thoughts. The familiar, crazed laughter of her mother danced through her mind.

Lene’s hands shook and the tears were hot on her cheeks. “No.”

“Lene…” Nara spoke to her at a distance as Lene’s reality started to fall into place. “It’s alright.”

“No!” The ball of shadow disintegrated in her hands and she threw her cup across the small room, the rage at her failure overpowering her for a brief moment. The Void relished in it’s victory and the Light of the small lantern next to her bed flickered out and slowly, the whispers were dulled to more familiar, dull chuckles.

“Lene.” Nara’s voice was a a little sterner as she spoke, “Take a breath, calm down and --”

There was a sudden bang on her door and a jostle of the door knob. Ada jolted upright as she heard a familiar muffled voice from the other side. “Ada, are you awake? Are you alright?!”

“Kaivus?”

The look of annoyance on Nara’s face was clear as Kaivus’ voice rang through the thick wooden door. “Lord Windfire has been stopping by to check on you multiple times a day. I’ve tried to run him off but he’s been persistent.”

If the whispers become bad, you can talk to me.

“Let him in.” Lene threw the blankets off her and strode over to the closest to grab a fresh gown.

“What? No. You’re not even dressed.”

“I don’t care open the door.” Lene stepped out of the gown she had worn to the Sunwell and pulled a fresh, dark green dress from the closet. She clutched the gown in her hands as her attention flickered towards the door.

“Lady Ada’Nara?” Kaivus called out again.

“You can see her in a moment, Lord Windfire.” Nara snapped at the young pup yapping on the other side of the door. “What are you doing?”

The void boiled in the back of her mind. It had been wounded but she could feel it’s heels digging in. Laying claim. A pang of fear hit her, she couldn’t do this to him. She’d sworn to Qeld that she’d look after him, and she wouldn’t let the Void try to twist and manipulate her feelings. It was better to swallow them for a little while. Lene pulled a small golden belt around her waist and grabbed a brush. “You wanted a plan. We have one.”

“You and… Lord Windfire have a plan?” Her sister looked un-amused as Lene let her wild red locks hang freely around her face. “And what plan might that be?”

She picked up a small book next to her bed. One that she’d taken from Kaivus after their stroll in the park. She gave it to her sister before stepping around her and unlocking the door. “Have you heard of The Void Lord and Princess Ferra’nah?”

[pappycat89]

So, talking about early life and some of the things that im pretty sure fucked me up for adult life. under a cut cos boy will it be long and poorly written *finger guns*

i was gonna do this as like a timeline of things that happened, with explanations and shit, but instead im just gonna do a highlight reel, cos why not

My brother and i used to share a room for years, including when my younger brother and sister were born, grew up, and then got their own rooms while luke and i had to share a room into our teens. we fought, a lot, because we were kids and also stupid

when we were sharing a room it would become a huge mess, mostly because we were preteens and why would we put away the toys we were always playing with? anyways, our stepdad would often give us an hour to clean our rooms, which would have been plenty of time if we didnt get distracted by out toys, as kids do. if we didnt get it cleaned in time (which we pretty much never did) we would get flogged. not like a gentle smack to enforce we’d done something wrong (like how you might smack a friends arm when they say something wrong or offensive) but full on belting, often with some kind of tool. he broke a couple duster over our backsides. we would sob for ages afterwards, and often rush around or hide when we heard him coming because we were afraid

i was afraid of him physically hurting me even after i was an adult. i think i was 20 before i had had enough and decided if he ever touched me again i’d fight back. when i was 16 i wanted my eyebrow pierced. he told me if i ever did he would tear it from my face. i got it done when i moved out at 19, and had a panic attack the first time i had to go home because i was 100% convinced he would. my mum had to pull me aside after dinner to tell me he wouldn’t, but to be honest i didnt really believe her

i have two younger step siblings, who were treated as angels, while my brother and i were treated like shit constantly. When my step-brother threw a tantrum and threatened my brother and me with a knife, he got a ‘talking to’, but not before my brother and me were screamed at for being shitty brothers (his temper tantrum was because we kept telling him he had to clean his room before our parents got him. he never did clean it)

once, my step brother was given 3 days to clean his room. days after the deadline, my mum told put her foot down. My girlfirend and i (i had moved out at this point) were visiting and helping get the place ready for xmas. My step brother refused to clean, screamed at me when i reminded him he only had today to do it, literally went crying to mum when she got home from work. I got yelled at,, by both mum and my step dad, until my grilfriend stepped in to defend me. apparently my step brother had told them i hit him, yelled at him and locked him in his room. at this point in my life, i literally couldnt give a shit whether he cleaned his room or not as i didnt live there, so all i did was remind him and let it go

for a few months when i was 18 i worked with my stepdad at a steel mill (the pay was almost worth deal with his bullshit). i had made plans a week in advance to go out with friends, and asked my stepdad multiple times to warn me in advance if i had to work the next day. the day of going out came, i told him that if i had to work to let me know by 10pm, because i would have enough time to come home and be functional for work. He never got in contact, so i stayed out all night and crashed at a friends place. 5am comes around and i get an angry phone call from my mum. my stepdad was pissed that i was out and wasnt ready for work. She knew that i had asked to be told by 10pm, but they both had ‘forgot’, and it was my fault, because i should have come home anyway. this was not the last time they would forget to tell me my shifts (my stepdad literally gave everyone their shifts, he had no excuse). i ended up getting picked up and dragged to work (i was too afraid of him to say no at this point) and went to work very hungover, which was very dangerous at a steel mill, but i was so afraid of him beating me that i put up with it

During my preteens i was part of an athletics club. i liked it, and enjoyed the field events far more then the track events. i hated running, because i would get really bad shin splints. no one believed me, and mum thought i was just lazy. i got into the regional championships for discus and high jump, and state for javelin. everyone was excited for me to go, but when i didnt place no one talked about it again. i felt so guilty over failing i stopped trying as hard. i did well at the weekly events, but never well enough to compete again.

i played soccer for years until mum got a weekend job and couldnt take us. my teammates thought i was useless and would never let me have the ball. one day, when we were short people, i got placed as a forward. i kept up with the others, and even scored a few goals. i got cheered for that game, and finally thought i would be accepted and make friends, but then the next week was back on the bench

similar happened when is started playing basketball instead of soccer (it ran on weeknights instead of weekends). i almost gave up until one of my teammates pulled me aside and actually tested me. when he found i could play, he started including me in games, passing to me and teaching me better techniques. i crushed on him so hard before i even knew what that meant. i never saw him again after that season, so when the next season came with an almost all new team, mixed with the emotional strain of school, i gave up on sports

school was very hard for me growing up. i got bullied alot through both primary and high school (even university, but by that point it didnt bother me as much)

i was a very sensitive child. i would cry whenever i felt too much of any emotion, including happiness. People told me for years to ‘suck it up’, to stop crying, or better, that they’d ‘give me something to cry about’. this lead to me bottling my emotions and literally beating myself whenever i would cry that i physically couldnt shed a tear for over a decade.

i felt so disconnected from everyone in my life that when i was around 12 i decided to try to kill myself. being a stupid kid i thought i could hold my breath until i died. i tried 3 times over about 6 months. it never clicked that it wouldnt work, i just became more scared of death then i did of my bullies.

i ran away from school twice in the same year. the first time one of my bullies set off a cap gun next to me, then started yelling about how i did it. i was so afraid of getting in trouble, not just by my teacher, but by my parents that i just ran. i ended up coming back to the school 30 mins later, after both my parents and the police had been called. no one wanted to hear why i had done it, they just wanted to be angry that i left school grounds.

i dont remember why i did it the second time, but i was gone maybe 5 mins before i came back, fearing not only my parents but the police this time. i knew i would be in worse trouble, but i just couldnt be in the school anymore.

one time, when we had a sex education class, i explained to a ‘friend’ that i didnt like talking about this stuff, cos it made me feel weird (not in a sexual way, but like, grossed out weird) he told everyone i got an erection in class, and people called me boner boy for months. that was actually not long before i tried to commit suicide for the first time

i thought things would be better in high school because i went to a different school then everyone i knew (i missed my friends, but i figured id get a new start). instead i got bullied from day one. the jockish kids in my class saw i was an easy target because at this point i still cried at the drop of a hat. some of those bullies from day one bullied me all the way through to senior year.

as i hit puberty i stopped being so emotional (well, i bottle it up more) and instead became angry at everything. i would lash out at everyone, and when i couldnt lash out at people i hit things. i split my knuckles on walls and doors many times

once, in the library, one of my bullies stole my wallet. he took all the money out, then threw the empty wallet at me and laughed. i snapped and threw the chair i was sitting on at him. i missed, but he dropped the money. i got sent to the vice principals office, where i explained what happened. he called in the other boy, who denied it all. no one else had seen, so i got in trouble and he got off

it was in highschool that i learnt that pain could help clear the bad feelings from my head, and started to self harm. i hated the feeling of cutting, so i burned myself, or scratched mosquito bites and small cuts until that got so bad they would scar

i used to try really hard in to be a good student in high school. i was in the ‘gifted and talented’ classes in primary school, so whenever i didnt do well (i never failed, just was never top of my class) i got told i had ‘so much potential’. no one ever saw the effort i did put in. When the school sent a letter home one time to congratulate me on getting the second top score in a test, i heard nothing of it. i found the letter a few weeks after it had been sent, opened. neither my mum nor stepdad had said anything about it. soon after i decided there was no point in trying if people only ever cared when i failed

i got into a fist fight one day at school. they didnt call my folks, so my mum found out when i got home with a black eye. we got into a fight about it, because i didnt want to talk to her about what happened. when confronted i broke down, and told her that i wanted to die. she yelled at me about being selfish while smacking me across the face multiple times. i decided not to talk to her about how i felt anymore, because i couldnt understand how you could beat someone who just said they wanted to die. to this day everytime i try to talk to her about any serious emotional stuff i start to break down and just cant do it

i to bullied about being gay for so many years that when i started to have feelings for other men i buried them and tried not to think about it. i spent years being scared that i might be gay, worried about what would happen to me if i was. When i started to think about my gender ( i didnt understand gender at the time) and how i wished i had been born a woman, i buried that and just assumed it was puberty hormones fucking with me. i still cant think about it without almost having an anxiety attack. i have so many years of self hatred, of poor body images and of people telling me i was ugly/fat/gross that i cant see myself as anything but

i finally calmed down emotionally around 17/18. senior year. at this point i tried my best to ignore my bullies and the voices in my head. i just wanted school to end so i could run away somewhere. i wanted to go to university to study forensic science. i had two different teachers tell me i wasnt smart enough, and that i would never get into uni. i ended up failing my HSC and having to do a bridging course to get into uni. the course was so good, in both how they taught in the environment (it was held at the univeristy) that i more then doubled my ATAR and got accepted into the two top forensic science courses (in hindsight i chose the worse of the two, but i didnt know at the time)

university was mixed years. i made some amazing friends and learnt some great stuff, but also had to deal with some absolute dickheads. It was a small country town where the only things to do outside study was to drink and play football. id given up on playing sports years before hand, and 9 out of 10 of the football players were super racist and homophobic. One of them raped a friend of mine and the university defended him. thats when my friends and i decided we had to leave campus. add to that that i found out at the end of my third year i had been doing the wrong course for the job i wanted, i quit uni and left

TL:DR - theres a lot of shit that fucked me up, but typing it all out i cant tell if it actually fucked me up or if im just whining about normal shit. ahh well. better to get it out then keep it in

Tune in next time folks! Same Bat-time! same Bat-channel!

[plaguedparadox]

Whispers in the Dark - Chapter Fourteen

Confessions

It had been a long time since I left this house, how long I couldn’t really recall. Celine had stated before it had been roughly a year, but I knew that she could only guess from the random trips she made to get food and other basic necessities. I stayed here and fixed up Damien’s home because I didn’t want to face anyone, I couldn’t.

Images of what I, no, what she did kept flashing in my mind. The feeling of the gun in my hand as it went off, the look of heartbreak and pain on Dark’s face, the way he reached out to me. It made me feel sick everytime it crossed my mind. She didn’t care, in fact, she was rather proud of what she did but I felt anguish.

Despite how long I was here, in one spot, no one found me. It was almost as if no one was looking - I hoped that was the case.

I laid there on a bed that once belonged to a man I adore far too much, tears almost continuously running down my face as more grew whenever I thought of Dark. It’s not your fault, you couldn’t control her. Celine tried to comfort once again, her voice coated with pain as she watched me fall apart for the millionth time.

I refused to sleep for a reason, I didn’t want to see Damien in agony and there was always a chance Dark would show up to confront me for what she did as I didn’t expect him to know that it wasn’t me in control. So, I avoided sleep, only taking naps when I needed to and always making sure Celine woke me up after a few hours so I didn’t start dreaming. His blood is still on my hands. I think quietly, curling into and cuddling a pillow as I tried to calm the flow of tears.

Unfortunately, unconsciousness called for me as I laid in the comfy old bed, Celine hummed a lullaby I struggled to remember as I allowed my eyes to close.

I was back in the void, a place that I had strangely missed, possibly because it was linked to people I cared deeply about. I gazed around, a pale orange glow around me once again, something I had not seen since one of my last times in the void. A sigh left my lips as I saw nothing around me. Typical. My thoughts echoed out.

I waddled my way through the thick void sludge, growling lowly to myself as I did until I felt a cool feeling wrap around my body, pinning my arms to my sides. “What the hell?” I muttered to myself, looking down to see shadows blacking out the glow I emitted. “Tall, Dark and Brooding?” I called out teasingly, hoping to see the demon I had feelings for - not that I’d probably ever admit it out loud, I didn’t want to make his ego more inflated than it already was.

“How dare you come here after attacking me?!” Dark’s voice hissed in my ear, trying to intimidate me thought that distorted tone lost its effect on me a long time ago. “Well?” He asked, demanding an answer from me as his shadows wrapped tighter around me. A sigh left my lips as I turned slowly to face him. His face showed a lot of pain as he looked down at me, his eyes reflecting nothing but agony and betrayal.

I look away for a moment, trying to think about what to say before giving up and just allowing my head to fall against his chest. “It wasn’t me.” I whimpered out, trying to hold back the tears that built up despite knowing there was no use fighting them. “I had no control of what I did and I am so sorry.” Tears began to stream down my face once again as I looked up at him to see a blank expression down at me.

Dark pushed me away and into the sludge, startling me as I tried to focus on making sure the gunk didn’t cover me. His face twisted into a horrid grin which made a chill cross over me. Sunshine, wake up! It’s just a nightmare! Damien’s pained voice called out from the distance. Try and follow my voice, dear! My attention was caught by a light off in the distance, a crack shining through the darkness like it had done a few times before. Dark leaned over to grab me once again but I quickly moved out of the way.

I shifted so I could get back up on my feet before trying my hardest to sprint for the crack in the dark. Damien spoke some words of encouragement while Dark behind me spoke words of malice, each angered word tearing through me as I began to think about what I did to him and sob. Soon I found myself reaching out for the crack.

I landed on a hard floor, sounds of discomfort leaving me as my back hit what seemed to be a wooden surface. “That hurt…” I groan, rubbing the area along my spine as I slowly stood up.

“Not as much as dying, I would say.” A familiar voice spoke out, the voice of a dear friend.

“Mark?” I call out, turning to face the man that I hadn’t seen in a long time. The man gave a quick nod before walking over and pulling me into a tight hug. “Ugh, Mark, I can’t breath!” I gasp out, trying to wiggle my way out of his bear hug, cursing myself for forgetting that the man’s strength was much like his modern namesake. Once he put me down I gasped for air before giving the actor a grin to show him I was okay.

A chuckle left his lips before he messed with my hair. “Nice to see your hair back to normal, having it flatter than what I was used to was an odd experience. I almost didn’t recognise you when I saw you!” He teased but his words confused me. From what I could recall this version of me never met the actor. “Either way, it’s just fantastic for us to be together like this again.” He muttered with a soft smile on his face before grabbing my hand and spinning me gently. My gaze dropped to see the same grey suit that was in Wilford’s picture of Damien and me - the one he took from Damien’s home after we died.

When I came to a stop I looked back up at him to see him gaze at me in a similar way to how Dark and Damien would, and the implications of that sent a shiver down my spine. “It’s good to see you, Marki.” I speak out, remembering my old nickname for him but cringing internally as I said it remembering that the actor didn’t particularly like being called that.

“This is messed up…” I heard him mutter under his breath but before I could question him, he explained. “Here we are, stuck in a mockery of what used to be my home. The place we died. And here I am, in your lover’s body. I helped him die, I stole his body because my plan had failed… I had inadvertently caused your death and despite all of that, my heart still has the nerve to fall for you.” He whimpered out, pulling me into another tight hug. Normally I would have pushed him away but I was frozen in my spot, left speechless from his confession of love. “And to think, I almost believed that you were someone completely new. Only you could break my walls down that quickly…” He muttered, burying his head in my neck, his body shaking with the tears that escaped him.

When I gained the nerve, I pushed him away and backed myself up against a wall ignoring the shocked look on his face. “You… You love me… after everything? After killing Damien and taking his body?! My best friend is DEAD because of you! My love is DEAD!” I yelled at him, shifting along across the wall to the nearest exit. “I want to wake up now…” I mutter to myself, burying my head in my hands as I slide down the wall. I could feel the tears beginning to well up in my eyes as the stress and memories flooded over me. “I want to wake up now!” I cried out, hugging my knees close.

I awoke with a start, my chest heaving as I tried to breath fighting against a new uncomfortable pressure and weight on my chest. There’s something on top of me! My thoughts cried as I tried to shift the thing off. The sound of what seemed to be deep snoring informed me that whatever it was, it was fast asleep even with me trying to move it. I groan slightly and try to push the thing off of me again, this time being successful as a mass of black fur moves off of my chest and lays down next to me. A dog? What’s a dog doing here? I thought at my hand thoughtlessly reached over and began petting the furry canine.

My thoughts trailed back to the scene I had previously found myself in but I only remembered that Celine could read my thoughts when I felt the room heat up uncomfortably. “Ugh… no, Cel. Stop. Cool down, please.” I groaned as I glared at the angered spirit trying to pace around. “I’m probably not leaving here for a while anyway so I doubt he can find me.” I muttered as I got a better look at the dog laying next to me. It appeared to be a pitch black retriever. “What are you doing here, little fella?” I coo softly as the dog stares back at me, it’s tail wagging slightly in response to my call.

I laid there for a while longer patting the dog as I tried to ignore the countless thoughts that tried to creep up on me. Celine continued to do her form of pacing, just grumbling under her breath as she did. A whimper from the dog is what caused me to move, shooting up into a sat up position. “What’s wrong?” I ask softly as if the hound can understand me, surprisingly the dog rolled on to it’s back which revealed his gender and to show he had a large gashes on his abdomen and chest, blood leaked out as stitches that were holding the wounds closed were torn. A shocked gasp left my lips as I rushed to the other side of the bed and picked the poor thing up.

Carefully I made my over to the bathroom that I remembered being nearby while Celine went off to collect some supplies. Under my breath, I kept apologising, feeling as if the torn stitches were my fault, he was perfectly fine when lying on top of me after all.

I was quick to suture him back up and cover his wounds as soon as Celine found some first aid supplies, luckily the canine did nothing but curiously paw at the glowing pale red orb. It was very calming just having him around, I almost forgot what it was like having a pet around.

A small smile curled across my lips as I scratched gently behind the adorable creature’s ear after I finished securing the bandages that now covered most of him. It looked as if he had been attacked by a knife. I wonder how he got in. I pondered as I was more than sure that doors and windows alike were shut and locked, just as they had been every night since I woke up here.

I let the dog rest on the bed I typically laid in and made my way to Damien’s office. I had spent my spare time restoring the place room by room and left his office for last, knowing that any pictures I may find could and would distract me. His office wasn’t as run down as it had been when I first woke up in it, Celine stated that she had taken to cleaning it up slightly for no other reason than she was used to cleaning up after Dames.

Slowly I sat down in the old chair that had almost miraculously barely been affected by the passing of time, not having to face the elements as the house kept its integrity, keeping nature at bay. I was glad that it had held up better than the damned manor, it meant that something physical of Damien was preserved - even if it was just his home. Out on his desk were stacks of paperwork, faded with age and practically falling apart for some reason, next to a book, the cover had also faded with time but the debossed lettering still remained eligible and indicated the purpose of the book - it was a photo album.

My hands gently picked the book up, not wanting to accidentally ruin it in any way and also not wanting to disturb the nearly century-old paperwork nearby. The first pages alone were filled with photos of friends and people that Damien had met along his road to becoming mayor, his smile always remaining the same and genuine no matter who he took a picture with. That is until I reached a picture of him and I. There seemed to be a whole section of our photos alone. One of us sleeping in the library, surrounded by books - Mark most likely took that one - and another of us just smiling happily on the day before we both left to lead separate lives.  

His smile in that picture was filled with sadness, but it was obvious that he tried his hardest to hide it. It was in heavy contrast with the picture next to it, it was just a picture taken at a random time but the warmth in his eyes and his posture told me all I needed to know - I was looking at a man heavily in love. A warm smile crossed my face as a finger lightly stroked at the mayor’s pictured face, wishing I had a better way of talking to the man than a method I now dreaded to use.

A slip of paper fell out of the book once I turned the page on to a new marked section. The paper seemed new as if it had just come from a packet, the ink dried on top wasn’t faded in the slightest and still had a smell to it. These were all things that alerted me to the fact that this had recently been written and place in the book, and that fact sent a chill down my spine as it meant that someone had broken in.

I shook myself out of the panic that loomed over me and gazed down at the written message.

Darling,

Loving someone with all your soul certainly causes problems for those who take a part of it. That’s something I’ve come to realise during our small moments together, moments that I have adored despite my reactions.

I’m not actually too sure if you’ll ever see this, knowing that if you don’t want to be found that you won’t be and the others have given up searching for you months ago. I just needed to write something out, I’ve never been too brilliant at keeping to myself even now.

I don’t think I could ever say this to your face, my proud nature and all. But, I love you. Truly. I’ve been in love with you for so long and it hurts to know that I can’t just see you whenever I’d like. I’m sure I’ve written that somewhere about you before but I digress.

You are the Sunshine and once upon a time, you called me a Storm. I would like to think that makes our relationship a rainbow - one I certainly can’t wait to see.

Until your return, D.

My breath caught in my throat as I tried to deduce who wrote the letter, my mind instantly flashes to Damien despite the clear clues that it was someone else. The handwriting was similar to the small note that was on the bouquet, leading me to believe that the sender was the same person and that person wasn’t my beloved mayor. ‘Loving someone with all your soul certainly causes problems for those who take a part of it’. That line is what caught my attention the most. It was what he opened it with, making more than clear who it was who took their time to write their thoughts out.

A sigh left my lips as I held the letter close, my mind arguing over the fact the letter seemed relatively new, indicating it was written recently and the chance that the man could never love me after what I did. A groan left me as my thoughts continued to argue and bicker, I could practically see a shoulder angel and devil having a scuffle on the desk in front of me.

Wilford would have gotten a laugh out of seeing me like this, he had seen me like that before when Google and Bing had landed in yet another argument and I had to state who was correct. It was Bing but I struggled with whether I should inform the older android or not. Will, being the gem that he was, sat beside me and joked about what I could do even to the point he brought hand puppets to my dismay. The only reason he stopped was that Dark hit him around the head and resolved the situation for me. I never did get the chance to thank him for that.

My thoughts were broken by the sound of paws padding towards me causing my gaze to drop to the canine that made his way over. “Hey boy, how are ya?” I chirp out, happy to see that his tail was wagging as he drew closer. It seemed as if he didn’t care that a good portion of his body was covered in cuts and bandages and that he was happy just to see me. The ever amazing optimism of dogs was something I’d never truly understand but it was uplifting all the same.

“You need a name if you’re gonna stay here, bud,” I mutter more to myself than to the canine as I recalled that he didn’t have a collar so was possibly a stray. I hummed in thought as I looked down at the animal for any clues on what to call him based on his appearance but at a simple glance all you could see was black, even his eyes were black. “I could name you after a love of mine but I might get rude looks if I ever decide to walk you so... I guess I’ll call you Midnight.” I state, patting the walking shadow on the head. Midnight gave a small bark of approval before sitting by my feet as if he was waiting for me to do something.

Looks like I have a brand new friend.