#and of course there’s the odd AU thrown in and multiple endings

[a-short-alien]

Hiiii! First ever post! I wanted to start off by introducing my cringe self insert. I made him at first just cause I like clowns and wanted to make an OC to date Nightwing, but like many of my cringe self inserts I overdeveloped his story and accidentally made a whole AU centered around him. I’ll make more posts about the cannon characters soon, but enjoy his backstory :3

Joker was looking for a new plan that would hopefully both prove his “love” to Harley and finally get him even with the Batman. The Batman had recently started working with his first ever Robin, eight year old Dick Grayson. To the Joker, this was unfair, so he decided to get his own child sidekick. Joker made his way to the broken down apartments surrounding crime alley and after finding a neglected little seven year old kid alone in their apartment he made the next logical move, waited for their parents to come home, murdered them and took the kid home. He decided on the name Clown, telling Harley they were their new son! Of course the Joker did a number of unethical things, like never taking the kid to a single school building for any reason that wasn't for a plot, trying to bleach his skin (he was stopped by Batman on multiple occasions but Clown always ran back to his father), and training him specifically for the purpose of one upping Robin. There were times he was good, or well, bare minimum. He was accepting when Clown came out as trans at the age of 9 (he hadn’t even realized Clown was AFAB in the first place), he fed him proper meals most days, ensured he wasn’t thrown in Arkham (much easier considering he was a minor), ensured he wasn't homeless (at least not for log periods of time) and even provided some emotional support (though poor) when needed. But like a lot of Jokers plans, it wasn’t as effective as he had wished, no matter what he did, Robin was always better than his Clown, so he scrapped the idea. He didn’t kill Clown, he had become oddly attached to him and liked keeping around someone eternally loyal to him, just stopped paying attention. Clown continued pursuing Robin though, in an attempt to prove to his father he was worth the attention but ended up just creating a secret friendship with him, even learning his secret identity at some point (Bruce will not learn this until far later he simply thinks Clown is just friends with both Dick Grayson and Robin and is HEAVILY against it for obvious reasons). Clown sort of filled his days with spending time with Harley, the Hyenas, and sneaking out to go see Dick whenever he could. After Harley left, taking the dogs he picked up hobbies like painting or writing, slowly seeing Dick less and less until he had left to become Nightwing. In the period of years Dick had “died” and done all of his antics with Spiral and the court of Owls Clown ended up moving from home. He stayed with Harley some days, sometimes stole some money for a hotel for a few days until one day (at around 22) he started this odd love/hate relationship with the Riddler (only about a year or two older than Clown and Dick in this AU). They lived together for a while and were pretty on and off until Nightwing was back, Clown left Eddy to move to Blüdhaven and start following Dick around again. He stole the occasional wallet from tourists and managed to scrape together enough money to rent a pretty shitty apartment. He spends his time now just bothering Dick both on and off the Hero clock. They eventually developed a small tradition where Dick buys Clown dinner just as a way to ensure he eats at least once a day. This went on for a year or two until slowly Dick began to realize how Clown was struggling (could barely pay rent, no heating/AC, very little food, ect.). After one night in winter where Clown nearly froze to death and had to be taken back to stay at his apartment, Nightwing very slowly moved Clown's things into his apartment by trying to get him to stay more and more overtime. Eventually Clown had just fully moved in and after a few emotional conversations about their childhoods, what they missed in those years apart and Clown's admission that he didn't like doing his father's bidding (was always clear to Dick anyway), the two slowly began to start a relationship together. They now live together in his Blüdhaven apartment and are currently working on trying to track down Clown's legal documentation and get him a normal life.

[cult-rangoons]

can i hear about your fallout oc/s? it would be cool to chat about an interaction too, I want to know how chaotic this could end :)

YESSSSSSS ABSOLUTELY!!!! Thank you so much for the question!! A chat would definitely be fun and chaotic >:)

Ok, this is going to be kind of long, but a disclaimer first. These characters aren’t originally made for Fallout, they’re from my original project thing I’ve been working on for like. 3 years now? Yeah that sounds right. but i wanted to put them in fallout, (4 specifically, i am very new), and see what kinda stuff i could come up with.

I have a plot for them and everything, but that’ll be a short blurb at the end.

So!!!

Simone!!! She was formerly in the BOS, but left to raise her younger brother Oz, in the Commonwealth. She’s pretty much a reclusive hunter and tracker, and makes caps by selling the hide. She lives in the more northern areas of the Commonwealth, so she has to travel down to Diamond City to get restocked on supplies, and sell her hides.

She’s aggressive, a deep thinker, and tends to be the one giving the orders. But in the plot, she’s thrown into unknown territory, and unable to be the one leading. She refrains from violence towards others, but can if needed to. She’s pragmatic, but remains impulsive, yet other times too indecisive. She has a strong sense of justice however, and tends to look back on her time in the BOS with frustration.

‘Adara’!! An escaped synth, who now spends her time researching the Institute, just to take it down. She’s escorted by her basically-adoptive-father Cedric. She has repurposed lots of stolen institute tech, and dreams of getting her hands on a courser chip. Her and Cedric usually stay in Hangman’s alley in Diamond City.

She’s very intelligent, but feels a sense of alienation. She’s basically the ‘techy’ one. She has a fascination with very odd things.

Cedric!! Formerly in the BOS, (a different time than when simone was there.) and then a gun for hire. He eventually got the name, ‘The Spider’ from his appearance in the dark with his sniper gear. A mask with multiple lenses, all glowing green, giving the appearance of multiple eyes. He then found Adara after her escape, and took responsibility to help her.

He is very formal and polite. He holds many regrets, and tends to be harsh on himself. Amazing at recon and stealth.

‘Lucky’!!!!! This guy. Oh man. This one is worded purposefully vague and confusing in some parts. I have smth i might wanna make or hint to to clear stuff up, that is of course, if i didn’t word is obviously. I cant tell.

One of the VERY FEW survivors of Vault 111. In my au, many of the vault dwellers didnt die. (Although shaun was still taken and stuff, but both nora and nate died.) and for some reason!!! ohhhhh nooooo!! yeahhhhh. everyone there was killed. this guy, and his best friend were the only survivors. However, when he woke up, his friend wasnt there, and left to find them.

When he left the vault and made his way to Diamond City, he told the people there that he’s from vault 111, and is looking for his friend. They told him that he was ‘lucky to be alive’ and that apparently the vault was attacked by raiders. He absolutely knew something they didn’t, but didn’t DARE correct them. He just took the ‘title’ and ran with it.

He became a gun for hire afterwards, but claims he is better than a gun for hire, and that guns for hire are trashy, despite being a gun for hire right down to its base definitions. he’s pretty chill, and seems like he isnt even paying attention half of the time. he just seems sleepy. and flamboyant. he has a tendency to misread sarcasm, and he’s very rarely sarcastic himself. He’s kind of a slacker, although he has a small reputation for being one of the very few who’s killed a courser.

X2-13!!! A courser!! She wears a gas mask usually. mysterious and stuff. I’ll explain more of her in the plot.

Some side characters:

Anwin. Shady radio operator in Diamond City. He’s like a weird scammy-televangelist. He’s this old wrinkly dude with a weird mullet who will get drunk and pick fights with people. and everyone in Diamond City wants to kick him out, but cant because they’ll feel guilty for letting this old fart out wild in the Commonwealth. Not guilty for him, but guilty for whoever has to deal with him next.

Kestrel and Quinn!! A duo of low ranking BOS squires. Kestrel’s vocab is filled with ‘bro’ and ‘dude’ and then Quinn is afraid. Afraid as in. Just in general. They’re best friends.

NOW FOR THE PLOT (NUTSHELLING??)

Basically, Simone’s brother is taken by the institute, and she is led to Diamond City, asking ‘wheres the institute so i can destroy it and get my brother back’. she absolutely sounds crazy, so they direct her to people who have came in wondering the same exact thing. Enter, Adara and Cedric. They unite under a common goal of wanting to get into the Institute. Small problem. They dont have the chip. So they find someone who might. Enter, Lucky!! He absolutely does not keep the chips. They eventually convince him to help track and kill a courser. The courser they find is X2-13. Lucky eventually rips off their gas mask in an act of triumph, but finds that they have the face of none other but his best friend. He is unable to attack, and the others are too, probably because they’re trying to defend themselves from other synths, and not because they are absolutely devastated, but thats neither here nor there. X2-13 gets away.

so its kinda blurry here for me, but i think they eventually track X2-13 again, and they decide to take her chip, and her corpse, to see that when they get into the Institute, they can revive her or something. They dont know what they’re doing or if it’s possible, but they’re hoping it is.

Then the rest is just them wandering around the Commonwealth looking for equipment to make the teleportation machine thing. (they probably found virgil and got the blueprint from him.)

They’re all like a weird messed up found family. found family as in. cedric is making sure simone, lucky, and adara don’t get into something they cant back out of.

The au was made as a for funsies guilty pleasure kinda deal, so i try not to worry about fitting it into canon.

I drew them all too!!

From left to right, its

Simone, Lucky, Adara, Cedric, Anwin, (old version of X2-13), Kestrel, Quinn.

(I messed up adara’s wrist so bad it haunts me)

Lucky is the character i made first to play in the game. I’ve attempted at making Simone, but i still have some ‘figuring out’ to do before i can feel content with her design in-game.

Thank you so much for the question!!!!! This was fun to write out!!

[nerdwhoauthorinserts]

Selfship AU Idea 2/?

Title/Name: Romcom!AU? Genre: Romcom

Selfship(s):  -Blahms (Romantic) Trigger warnings?: -Uhhh, I don’t think so? Tropes?: -Enemies to Lovers -Love triangle -Unrequited love -Love at first sight (One-sided) Changes: -Brahms’ backstory has been changed, it’s now a tad more "normal". -The timing of events has been shifted slightly. -Genre shift: Thriller/horror --> Romcom

Basic plot:

   Brahms was never involved with Emily’s death, the house never caught fire, and Brahms was never forced into the walls. Though still singled out for being ‘odd’, he had a semi-typical upbringing. He’s not an active member of the community or anything, rather, he’s a ‘reclusive artist’ archetype. (He makes dolls, small statuettes, rat traps, stuff like that.) Brahms goes into town mainly to get supplies for these hobbies.

   Meanwhile, Blake is arriving in town after escaping his ‘intense’ family, moving to England from America. The moment he leaves the airport, he has a cliched meet-cute with Greta, who also just arrived. (Specifically, Greta and him mix up their luggage and end up realizing the mistake right as they’re leaving, leading to the two having to swap back.) 

   Greta came because the Heelshire family was hiring for someone to do chores around the house. (A housemaid, basically.) There was a party being thrown at the time to celebrate Mr and Ms Heelshire’s anniversary as well.

   Blake realizes too late that the motel he meant to stay at was... not nearly as welcoming as the ads he saw when travelling made it seem. Thus, having no home, his attention is brought to the Heelshire celebration, and he decides to go (Mainly for the free food.). He sneaks inside and meets Greta again, and they get to chatting. 

   Brahms is dragged away from his work room (Still in the walls.) and forced to join the celebration, where he finally meets Greta. He falls in love with her at first sight, but can't seem to get the nerve to talk to her. Brahms notices Blake and Greta interacting a lot during the party.

   Brahms finds out Blake has snuck in when he’s confronted about it by Brahms’ father and Malcolm. However, Brahms steps in unexpectedly and makes up an excuse that he invited Blake personally. They step away and Brahms talks with him, realizes Blake’s predicament, and makes him an offer. Help him woo the lovely Greta and in return, Brahms will let Blake stay at the manor in Brahms’ work room. Blake is suspicious, but eventually agrees.

   Blake isn’t interested in Greta at all, but Greta, over time, develops feelings for him. Brahms only gets more infatuated with Greta the more he learns about her, while Greta is not interested. Brahms and Blake end up not getting along at first, (Blake is a punk rock dude and Brahms is a posh rich guy, of course they don’t get along at first.) but slowly end up going from begrudgingly working together, to enjoying their time spent together, to actually developing feelings for each other as Blake tries to coach Brahms on how to woo Greta.

   All the while, Brahms’ parents try to kick Blake out of their house somehow. From tricking him, to tricking Brahms, to fabricating ‘accidents’ as an excuse to kick him out, etc.

Random extra content:

   Blake is entirely oblivious to Greta’s feelings toward him. There are multiple jokes about this.

---    Blake, angrily clutching a pool cue: “She asks you ‘is beauty all that matters?’ and you respond with ‘What else is there’?!”    Brahms: “It was dumb, I know. I didn’t know what to say!”    Blake, rolling his eyes: “You should write a book: ‘How to offend women in five syllables or less'.” ---

   Near the beginning of things, Blake and Brahms argue and have spats almost constantly, but as they get to know one another, those moments get fewer and further between.

   Disapproving parents are disapproving, Brahms’ parents are painfully aware of the bond Blake and Brahms are forging and are dead-set on Brahms having a heterosexual relationship. (Maybe not entirely because of homophobia, but certainly because they want the family line to keep rolling/’I want grandkids’, lol.)

[lumpsbumpsandwhumps]

Is it better to start posting MAJ fics in chronological order or is it more fun to jump around the canon timeline?

[altruistic-meme]

AFTG fic recs

Hi all! I just wanted to share some of my all-time favorite fanfics for aftg, for no real reason other than I want more people to read them and send their love to the authors :) 

Under a readmore because it got. A little long. But please enjoy!

WIPs

Dangerous Habits by LovelyLittleGrim ( @lovelylittlegrim )

Andrew has run into problems while on undercover jobs before. None of those problems were anything like the troublesome runaway that is one Nathaniel Wesninski

Aka: the fic where Andrew is undercover as a hitman for hire and Neil is the guy who hires him. Things get complicated from there.

Undercover Andrew? BAMF Neil? Hitman AU?? Absolutely. I’m in love. The story is just *chef kisses*

Chapters: 8/9

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, past rape/non-con, Drake Spear (who is his own warning), Butcher Neil, 

--

Negotiations by elesary ( @elesary )

This is what Andrew Minyard knows: his brother is dead, killed by a petty Raven prince who has never learned to keep his hands off of Andrew's things. His brother's daughters are his responsibility, a job that is made infinitely harder when their shitty grandparents want custody. Nathaniel Wesninski is a liar, but he might be the only way to avenge Aaron and protect his nieces. All Andrew has to do is watch Nathaniels - Neil's- back as he carves out his own life and identity from everyone who thinks they own him.

Andrew has always been good at upholding his end of the bargain, has he finally found someone willing to uphold theirs?

This fic has got me fucked up, honestly. I’m emotional over it. It’s fantastic.

Chapters: 11/?

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, attempted sexual assault, Butcher Neil,

--

the upper hand by plantelty ( @plantelty  )

Shortly after losing his mother, Neil arrives in the small town of Palmetto, South Carolina, alone in the world and with an impossible plan to carry through.

At the age of eighteen, Andrew ends up helping a boy stage his own death.

-

Just two fucked up boys learning to trust each other during the course of a summer, but also: multiple references to songs, twinyard angst (Nicky tries his best), The Plotting of Neil Josten's Gruesome Demise, and shit hitting the fan in a variety of ugly ways!

The cliffhanger has got me on the edge of my seat, but it is 100% worth the read and the wait for the last chapter!! 

Chapters: 10/11

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Canon typical violence, 

--

The Butcher’s House by Fire_Bear ( @fire-bear )

Andrew thought something was odd with the house the Foxes had to move into after their Athletes' House had been burnt down. He just wasn't prepared for what was actually wrong with it.

For this was a house full of monsters.

Ghost story! Ghost story! Ghost story! I literally think about this fic every other day, it’s fantastic. 

Chapters: 6/?

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Warnings: character death (major or minor is unclear), injuries, 

--

Promise of an Unbroken Boy by elesary ( @elesary​ )

Neil is caught by the police with Mary's burning body and is sent to juvie in Oakland where he is assigned to share a cell with one Andrew Doe, who promises him Exy, if only Neil will tell him all of his secrets. With no access to tinted contacts and hair dye, he agrees, it's only a matter of time until he's killed after all. What does he have to lose?

But Andrew's found someone who knows what a promise means, and he'll be damned if he lets that go without a fight.

Ngl this is definitely in my very top favorites -- I LOVE the idea of Neil and Andrew meeting pre-series, and this fic just BLEW my expectations for that plotline out of the waters

Chapters: 14/?

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, Underage, attempted rape/non-con, canon-typical violence, 

~~~~~~~~~

Complete

The Nameless Monster by kanekicure ( @kanekicure )

Nathaniel Wesninski wants nothing more than to see his father dead and buried. But when his father promises him the title of The Butcher, Nathaniel quickly realizes that his destiny of following in his father's footsteps is closer than ever before.

So of course, when he gets forced to go undercover for the Baltimore police, he starts seeing what living could truly be.

-

Andrew Minyard is a newly recruited police officer for the worst precinct in Baltimore, who is dedicated on hunting down the notorious Butcher and his unnamed underling. But when Neil Josten is thrown into his midst as his civilian consultant; he starts to realize some things don't quite appear as they seem.

I love the story telling -- the secret identities, the plotting, everything.

Chapters: 14/14

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, Butcher Neil, implied/referenced rape/non-con, implied/referenced child abuse, implied/referenced slef-harm (I believe there is a scene that is somewhat detailed on this subject), some characters also get drugged at one point, 

-- 

that’s just something people say by nanatsuyu ( @theoctopusnods )

Neil makes the mistake of stealing the wrong car. Andrew makes the mistake of offering a ride to a liar. They both make the mistake of turning the whole affair into a road trip ‘home.’

Gonna be honest; the summary does not give a big idea as to what is in store and i am SO GLAD I gave this one a try so i’m telling you that you will be too

Chapters: 24/24

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Warnings: implied/referenced child abuse, panic attacks (somewhat grahic descriptions of)

--

The Story After You by kanekicure ( @kanekicure )

Andrew Minyard does not understand how Riko Moriyama landed Neil Wesninski.

How the snot-nosed, small dick, rich brat, second son of the Moriyama family who also just so happened to own the largest EXY gear and merchandiser company in the world “RAVEN” - had landed smart mouthed, quick witted, stupidly blue eyed Wesninski, was beyond him. Well, unless Wesninski was a gold digger, but Andrew doubted it.

-

Or; how Andrew Minyard says he doesn't get into messy situations, until he meets Neil and suddenly he is in the most messiest possible situation ever imagined in his life - oh and also, he might be becoming a homewrecker.

Ok I am behind bc I haven’t read the final chapter of this but!! I love the story, it’s very emotional and moving, and I love the characterization in it.

Chapters: 10/10

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Abusive Riko/Neil, abusive relationship, implied/referenced rape/non-con, implied/reference child abuse, implied/referenced self-harm, graphic depictions of violence, some descriptions of injuries/scarring, 

-- 

This Complicated Life by 5a5b5p5 ( @andrewsbutterflyknife )

“This is exactly why I don’t want you and Andrew to meet,” Aaron says grumpily. “You two would get along far too well.”

Neil grins. “I just like pissing you off,” he says, “It’s not my fault your brother does such a good job at it.”

—

Neil doesn’t expect much from his Sophomore year of college, but when he becomes a waiter at the Palmetto Bistro, his life gets a whole lot more interesting. As it turns out, maintaining friendships new and old as well as navigating an interesting relationship with the head chef of the restaurant—who just so happens to be his best friend’s twin brother—is a lot more complicated than he’d thought it would be.

A much more light-hearted fic than most of the others! Includes a secret relationship, and also chef Andrew >>

Chapters: 10/10

Rating: Mature

Warnings: 

--

When I Fade, Keep Me in Your Memory by demesh 

Neil Josten has a secret: he can flicker out of existence.

He can vanish with the turn of a thought; click his fingers, and suddenly he’s not there anymore. Invisible and untouchable, he becomes a living ghost.

Having promised his mother never to let his ability go, Neil teeters the line between faded and real, a person and an echo. He can’t risk getting hurt.

But then, one day, someone sees him when they shouldn’t be able to.

 A (flower-shop) AU about how a faded and lonely Neil finds it in him to become someone real.

Another fic that I need to catch up on ;; but anyway it’s amazing and I love Neil’s ability in it, it’s so well explained and well-written about

Chapters: 12/12

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Warnings: mentions of past abuse, panic attacks

--

12 Ways to Woo a Minyard by NikNak22 ( @knickknacksandallthat )

Neil is a math nerd who, by a stroke of dumb luck, falls into a group of friends that are the closest thing to family he’s ever had. So, when he tells them about his new mysterious crush, he shouldn’t be surprised how immediately they come up with a plan to help win them over. One they insist that if Neil follows it, he’ll have them falling for him in no time. But things don’t always go to plan – or do they?

Nicky wants to set him up with someone else. Matt and Jeremy are confused but supportive. Allison and Seth offer lewd suggestions, while Dan does her best to keep everyone in line. Jean and Renee know something, Aaron doesn’t really care, and Kevin just wants Neil to join the lacrosse team.

But one thing’s for certain – whether Neil’s successful or not, everyone’s got money riding on this.

The romance-trope-filled fanfic of my dreams. Sometimes you just need a fic of pure joy -- this is that fic. 

Chapters: 14/14

Rating: Mature

Warnings: 

--

finders keepers by moonix ( @annawrites ​ )

Andrew meets Nathaniel through a scavenger hunt app. As their team takes part in a hunt that sends each of them to creepy, abandoned places alone to solve clues and gain points, Andrew and Nathaniel begin a little treasure hunt of their own. The anonymity of getting to know each other in small increments, never meeting face-to-face, allows them a level of intimacy neither are used to. Meanwhile Renee’s friend Neil is acting weird whenever Andrew shows up…

This was one of the first fics I read for aftg!! And BOY what a great start!! All of the little pieces and parts that work together, and just the scavenger hunt itself is fantastic! (I also REALLY wanna know if there is an app like this out there because I would be down to do that)

Chapters: 8/8

Rating: Mature

Warnings: (these all come from the author:) “mentions of historical abuse in a mental asylum, mentions of suicide, mentions of murder and kidnapping, morbid facts, creepy abandoned places including a haunted house at a theme park with disturbing rooms, special appearance of a creepy clown doll, fatphobia and some introspection on body image/complicated relationship with food, mention of self harm scars”

-----

Scared to Live (But I’m Scared to Die) by Major_816 ( @major816 )

Neil Josten goes to the Nest for Andrew, but he stays for a lot more.

~

"I'm sorry Coach," he muttered.

"For what kid?" Wymack shifted. "You've got to give me something to work with here."

Wymack watched the thin traces of sorrow as paper exchanged hands and he was looking down at a contract with the Edgar Allan Raven's.

"I signed them Coach, I'm sorry."

~

The one where Neil doesn't come back from Winter Break.

It is VERY dark, and is one of very few fics that I have actually been almost unable to read one of the scenes, so DEFINITELY pay attention to the warnings -- both these, and the ones provided for each individual chapter. I did go through the fic to collect as many warnings as I could find in the chapter warnings, but be sure to take care of yourself.

Chapters: 36/36

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: rape/non-con elements, implied/referenced rape/non-con, discussions of rape/non-con, canon-typical violence, graphic descritions, physical abuse, panic attacks, descriptions of injuries (often graphic), psychological warfare, dissociating, psychological torture, physical torture, use of knives, alcoholism/alcohol abuse, pain-induced delirium, rape/non-con, emotional self-separation, suicidal ideation/thoughts of suicide, emotional distress (which sums up the whole fic and also me while reading it), handcuffs/chains used as restraints, referenced/implied abuse towards animals, vomitting, begging, excessive use of painkillers, drowning, waterboarding, physical restraint, mutilation of an animal, mild hallucinations, non-con drugging, sleep deprivation, starvation, humiliation, the Butcher, 

Also one of the first fics I read and 100% my absolute favorite fic!!! Which is adfjhsd a little worrying, considering, but it is what it is. Anyway. This fic absolutely wrecked me, and while it is technically complete, there is a sequel in the works! So! But I am so so excited for the sequel, and I am working on rereading this. It’s amazing. 1000/10.

[zoopzopp]

A post for some BAMF Izuku fics <3 (more of these will be added and the list will be updated as i read them)

Fics i've read:

The Secret Ingredient is Crime- Izuku only had a whole month to further prove himself worthy of Yuuei's golden acceptance, and he was going to do whatever it took to make it in. Yuuei would never truly know what hit them until it was too late. (The secret crime AU in it entirety is fucking amazing and what wouldn't i give to read more stuff with it)

Deku the Villain Hunter: Support Hero - We all know the story: After being told he couldn't be a Hero by All Might, Midoriya Izuku still wandered over to a supervillain attack where he could save Bakugou Katsuki. But what if he had made the other turn? The answer is a butterfly effect that would lead him on a path to paving his own future. A path of revenge, finding his own moral compass, and doing the impossible. (OKAY MANY THOUGHTS. Very cool story and aspects. I binged it overnight and lost a bit of sleep the next night as well.)

The Story of How Midoriya Izuku Asserted His Dominance (And Traumatized Japan) - The Sports Festival was supposed to be a break from stress. Shouta should have known there is no such thing as a break with his class.

making it right (for real this time) - - Izuku is a support course student at UA, and Katsuki's neighbor, best friend, and former bullying victim. After Izuku's performance at the sports festival, Katsuki realizes something. He has to make things right. -

Hero Fall (UA Civil War Exercise) - It's now the end of the first year of UA for our students. Nedzu had decided to bring back the annual Heroes vs Villain fight. The fight shall last 5 days and the villain leader is Izuku Midoriya, with the commanding officer of the hero team being Katsuki Bakugo. But, what happens when Izuku is left alone?

Hero Class Civil Warfare - Heroes lead by Bakugo. Villains lead by Midoriya. Seven days prep time. Three days for Izuku Midoriya to show why they should be glad he's not a real villain.

"I Didn't Know You Had It In You." - Midoriya goes feral rage mode in his fight against Overhaul. The beat down still happens, but with Eri no longer at his back, he gets more violent. One For All reacts in an interesting way and Midoriya commits a terrible and unheroic act - the cold blooded murder and maiming of Chisaki Kai. Shigaraki is there to watch it all unfold.

Plan C meets Plan A - Even if All Might is right and Izuku can't be a hero, Izuku refuses to be useless. So Izuku uses his analysis skills to develop Plan C: Consulting in order to help the heroes. Eraserhead is impressed by this mysterious new consultant but alarm bells in Deku's behaviour quickly have Aizawa recruiting help for Plan A: Adoption.

Q. A. B. - One month after @hawks_unofficial's initial viral post, the blog titled "Quirk Analysis Blog for the Future", otherwise known as "Q. A. B.", has gone from an average of 10 views per post to an average of 20,000 views per post. Midoriya Izuku does not know how to view the impressions analysis for his suddenly popular blog, and only notices that sometimes, people actually comment on his posts now. He does not google himself or his moniker and thus does not see the rise in online articles and speculation. He is unaware that the "kyuu-ei-bee" he begins to hear about in passing refers to his own blog. He does not have a Twitter account. At the time, Midoriya Izuku is 15 years old.

How to murder your father - It's dangerous to be a bad father when you have a life insurance. Just saying.

Negation - Passive Quirks are a bitch. Izuku is reasonably done with the situation.

Thanks For Your Support - Izuku has the talent and the intellect to be the first Quirkless pro hero, and everyone at UA knows it. Unfortunately, his desire to become a hero has long since been buried thanks to the words of his childhood friend and childhood hero.

Policed To Meet You - Izuku takes All Might's advice and becomes a cop.

Vigilante Work And Other After School Activities - Izuku is a vigilante, Aizawa likes cats and therefore kids who help cats, and sometimes breaks must be forced upon overachieving teenagers.

When the Commission Lost Total Control - The hero polls have a small part where one can suggest their own hero. This is done just because of the amount of heroes is to great to name them all. This creates a little problem for the commission because a vigilante is assumed to be a brand new hero by the public- and ranks pretty high. Because of that, this vigilante now is too popular to hide and they can't come out with their mistake either! Think of the chaos that would bring.

Izuku being Badass but like in not that grand of a way but still tearing-people-down-in-some-way kind of way

He Was Quirkless - Midoriya get's sick of discrimination against the quirkless and decides to do something about it. It leads to some interesting situations. A trilogy.

bloody, but unbowed- It's Advocacy Week for Yuuei's hero students and it gives Midoriya Izuku a lot to think about about what kind of hero he wants Deku to be.

Called Out - When Izuku is hit by a quirk that will cause him to call out the first person to be rude to him on the way to school with every mistake they've made in the affected persons presence or have otherwise effected said affected person, Aizawa is in for a rough ride. In other words, with some help from a quirk, Izuku rakes Aizawa over the hot coals until he gives out. (a great fic but i've got mixed feelings on this one because on one hand, izuku is badass but on the other its Aizawa bashing and really like him skhdskdb so yea! Read it as per your tastes!!)

The time when everyone learned that izuku respects Bakugo more than all might. - I didn't like how Bakugo was tied up during the sports festival and so izuku didn't. Badass izuku roasted all might and midnight.

Villainous Sunshine - After an innocent question, Class 1-A learns just how terrifying Izuku's analysis is. Nedzu's along for the ride.

Never understand ( and you can't ) - Midoriya is sick and tried of his classmates bias and prejudice against the quirkless community and finally breaks

Mastermind: Strategist For Hire - Izuku Midoriya never got the chance to save Bakugo from the sludge villain and impress All Might. With his dream crushed, Izuku becomes bitter and angry. It also doesn't help that he faces discrimination at every turn. All he ever wanted was to be appreciated, so when the villains are the ones to recognize his talents rather than the heroes, well, Izuku just can't resist. He might as well help those who actually want him around. Mistakes were made, and now society must face a villain of their own making: Mastermind.

Malignance - Deku is far scarier than anyone gives him credit for.

Fics in my to read list which has/probably has BAMF izuku

Young Midoriya - Izuku Midoriya couldn't help himself when he saw someone in trouble. Even at 12 years old, his instincts drive him to help those in need. So when he sees Kacchan and his goons about to ambush another student, he has to step in, right? It's not like this hasn't happened before. What is different this time though, is that he's never had an audience that consisted of the Number One Hero.

Heroics and Other Things That Don't Require Superpowers - Izuku doesn't have a quirk. That's the long and short of it. After being told his whole life he can't be a hero, General Education at UA is the best he can hope for, right? Wrong. Dead Wrong. So super wrong that his best friend from Gen Ed, all of Class 1A and a whole mess of Pro Heroes are going to prove to him how wrong he is. Izuku has the makings of a hero, and his lack of a quirk only throws those qualities into starker relief. After all, who wants to be as strong as All Might when you can be the cleverest hero in the business?

Cases of More Than - Izuku is known as Deku online. He's an analyst of quirks, sometimes even working with the local detective, Tsukauchi, on a case. He meets new friends, builds a few relationships, and slowly crushes on his best friend. But then he's thrown into the General Studies Course at U.A. It doesn't help that All for One is showing an interest in him at all.

No Regret - In this world there is no hard set villain or hero. No victim and aggressor. Everyone is at fault for something and Izuku, with his own villain group, will make everyone pay. Even the bystanders who did nothing. This is what society gets for abandoning it's people. Deku will manipulate everyone and be the greatest villain, all so the world can be a better a place. With the stakes so high there is no time for regret.

We Are a Different Kind - Mirio doesn’t think he can be a hero anymore now that he’s quirkless, Izuku calls bullshit.

Live a Hero - "You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." Or, you're raised a villain, rebel when you're nine, and fight against the odds to become a hero anyway. That's how it is in Izuku's case.

Prodigal - After being convinced to give One for All to Mirio, Midoriya Izuku must rebuild his shattered dreams with bloody hands.

Two Sides of the Same Coin: Vigilante - Izuku is orphaned at the age of four and is sent into the Japanese Foster Care System. After multiple failed attempts at finding a forever home and some unfortunate circumstance, he ends up on the streets. Eventually, the vigilante, Deku appears. Eraserhead must gain his trust to bring Deku back to the right side of the law. If he he does, however, the untrustful but pure-hearted boy may just be a bit more than Aizawa Shota can handle.

From Muddy Waters - - but the sleeve of his tracksuit was bulging, tearing and ripping and a mass of twisted flesh, nearly as big as the boy himself and nauseatingly familiar (the arm of the man that had torn a hole in his side with a grin and left him a frail shadow of himself) swung forward and slammed into the flat face of the giant robot. Izuku wants to be a hero more than anything.

Pieces are easily sacrificed when they're nameless - Nobody ever thought quirkless, weak, weird Midoriya Izuku was dangerous. This perception carried over to his first year high school class, because really despite the super strength Midoriya didn't have it in him to be dangerous. That was their first mistake. And the one that would see them fall.

Not exactly BAMF izuku but i just wanted to rec these fics <3

In the shade of a sunflower - Being biologically quirkless came more with an extra pinkie joint in the toes and a stunning lack of vestiges mutations. It came with smaller things, like extra teeth that did virtually nothing, exploding organs, and weird exposed nerves that weren't designed to feel pain.

Throat Punch - In which Aizawa attempts to teach Izuku how to use various battle tactics and it goes just about as well as you'd expect. At least Shinsou is there with his fantastic commentary. (just a fun lil thing where izuku is really stronk and trains with shinsou and aizawa)

So Be It - He could still do good. Midoriya could show them all what a hero without powers looked like. If he had to break a few rules to do it, so be it. So be it… (as stated not exactly BAMF but its a vigilante izuku so ye-)

Never Enter a Drinking Game with Bakugo or Izuku - Izuku walks in on Kirishima and Kaminari having a drinking competition (no alcohol involved). And it reminds him of an old story.

5 Times Midoriya Taught Class 1A about Memes and 1 Time they Found a Villain that Understood Them - After being diagnosed as quirkless, Midoriya gets into pre-guirk media and finds memes. He shares them with Class 1A. Aizawa doesn't get paid enough for this. (THIS FIC???? FUCKING AWESOME. LITERALLY WHAT I WANTED TO SEE)

Midoriya: JD Version - Nedzu has decided that a play should be put on so that the students can learn how to "go undercover", an idea which Aizawa thinks is utter bullshit. They're putting on Heathers and when Nedzu chooses to cast Midoriya for JD, everyone objects. Midoriya is a much better actor than they thought.

that is a lot!! I hope you have fun reading it!!!

[onceuponaloonatic]

thought i would do a little surrogate au piece from jihyo’s pov for a change

Jihyo sighed as she unlocked the door. Sana had given her a key years ago, telling her she was already basically family anyway. This key had been with Jihyo and her relationship with Sana through a lot. Through Sana’s falling out with Mina and Nayeon, through the night both of them needed just any sense of comfort, through finding out they had accidentally made a baby, through the birth of their daughter, through fights with Chaeyoung. Momo and Sana’s house had always been a comforting and safe place, and this key was how she got to that place.

Tonight, she needed that comforting and safe place. Her and Chaeyoung really didn’t fight very often, and  when they did fight it was little arguments over what to eat for dinner or who paid for what. Chaeyoung was not argumentative by nature, and Jihyo never really found anything about her girlfriend that annoyed her. Recently though, they had had some arguments about moving, and it all came to a head tonight. Chaeyoung had moved into Jihyo’s place when they first moved in together, and Jihyo thought everything would be fine. But there were a lot of issues Jihyo’s place had for Chaeyoung that had built up over time. For starters, it was really far from either of their jobs. Jihyo had never minded before, it was close to Sana and Momo’s plus the rent was cheap, so the commute didn’t really bother her. But now that she had Chaeyoung in her life, the hour commute she had to take was a lot more daunting. Chaeyoung’s commute was thirty minutes, still fairly decent but not as bad as Jihyo’s, and Chaeyoung was tired of having to watch Jihyo leave so early and get back so late. Next, the apartment was old and did have a lot of issues that needed fixing. Jihyo liked to say it had charm and she was able to save a lot of money for Nico’s future by living there, but Chaeyoung was starting to get tired of things constantly breaking. Chaeyoung argued it wasn’t a great place for Nico if things were breaking all the time, and if Jihyo was going to start taking care of her more often they would have to move. Jihyo just didn’t want to give up the location. She liked being able to walk to Sana and Momo’s and being able to walk to see Nico.

At first Chaeyoung had approached it lightly, but overtime things turned ugly, all cultivating in an argument that led to Jihyo practically running to Sana and Momo’s. She had had a rough day at work, and she just needed to see her daughter. Seeing Nico always made things better. 

She knew Sana and Momo would be asleep, but she still texted them she was coming over anyway. They would both be okay with her coming over at any hour, they had both been over to her place at odd hours multiple times. The night Nico was born, Jihyo was fast asleep and since she wasn’t waking up, Momo went to her apartment at two thirty am and poured water on her face to wake her up. The night of Momo’s birthday Sana had coerced Jihyo into coming over at five am to make her pancakes, an event that ended with all of them, the one month old Nico included, somehow ending up covered in flour. Needless to say, it would not be a big deal if she was letting herself in at almost midnight, she just wanted to make sure she did give them proper warning just in case they thought she was an intruder. Jihyo opened the door slowly, it had been getting a little creaky ately and neither Momo or Sana were particularly gifted at fixing or putting things together. Chaeyoung had promised to fix it for them when she got a chance. It seems that chance hasn't come yet. 

The first thing Jihyo noticed was the sound of the TV still blaring. Momo always listened to it so loud, she was amazed Nico had been able to sleep through it at first. She guessed Nico had inherited her patience when it came to the two, because even at her tender age she was still amazing at handling her mother and Momo at their worst.

Momo was on the couch, dead asleep with a stuffed doll in her arms. Jihyo smiled at that, Momo had a habit of falling asleep in the weirdest places. Jihyo decided to move her later, she knew Momo would whine about her back tomorrow if Jihyo let her sleep on the couch all night. She did make sure to turn the tv off though, just in case a loud scene came on and woke Nico. It had never happened before, but Jihyo was always worried about it. She worried about Nico a lot. She worried if she was growing okay or if she was uncomfortable or if she needed something. A lot of people told her she worried too much, even Sana. It was just hard not to, she wasn’t around Nico twenty four seven. Sana and her didn’t live together, and Nico needed Sana to eat. Jihyo had tried watching Nico overnight once, but she had thrown a huge fit when Jihyo tried to give her a bottle and Sana had to come whisk her away and feed her. They had mentioned switching who kept Nico more often when she was older, but for now Jihyo only got to see her daughter as often as she was able to come over to Sana and Momo’s. Momo got more time with her daughter than she did, and while she loved Momo and knew the arrangement was necessary, she also couldn’t help but want to be with Nico more. 

Nico’s door was left ajar, the mobile still turned on. Jihyo slowly approached her daughter, trying her best to not wake her up. Nico was weird. Momo leaving the tv on never bothered her, but if Jihyo made too much shuffling noise she would be waking the other two people in the house.

Jihyo felt all her frustrations and anger melt away as she laid eyes on her daughter. Nico was fast asleep, a tiny bit of spit on her onesie. Jihyo couldn’t help but smile at that, grabbing a spare rag from Nico’s dresser and gently cleaning her up. “My messy girl.” Jihyo whispered as quietly as possible. “Were you good today? Mommy sent me some pictures of you doing tummy time. I know you hate it but you're almost able to hold your head by yourself, pretty girl. I heard you spit up on Auntie Momo again yesterday, I know your mommy wouldn’t encourage this but it is pretty funny it keeps happening.” Jihyo couldn’t stop herself from taking one of Nico’s tiny hands. Nico was so beautiful, so perfect. Even if the situation was a bit different than Jihyo had expected, she loved every aspect of being Nico’s mama. Nico, her perfect daughter. She was so beautiful. Jihyo had always loved how tiny her baby girl was. Her little fingers as she held onto Jihyo’s hand to the best of her ability, her little feet that would always kick Jihyo when she was changing her, she was so small. So perfect. Jihyo honestly felt so honored she got to be a part of this girl's life. 

All of her anger and frustration was gone. Nico had that magical ability over Jihyo. She just filled her heart with so much love, it was impossible to hold onto her feelings. Yes she still had to deal with them, at some point, but for now she just felt so happy. 

“Hyo?” Jihyo giggled when she heard Sana’s sleep-laced voice behind her. She felt arms wrap around her waist and Sana’s chin on her shoulder, her whole body relaxing. “I saw your text, are you okay?” “I will be.” Jihyo sighed. “Chae-she just- it’s stupid.” “She has a point. Your apartment is pretty old. I know before her you were thinking of finding something a little nicer.” Sana muttered. “I just- there’s nothing good around here. I already feel so far away, I can’t go further.” Jihyo responded. “Hyo, she’s always going to be in your life, I will always be sure of that. We are her moms, both of us are. Not just me. And no matter how far away your apartment is, that won’t change that. Your commute is so long and expensive and it’s unnecessary. If you live twenty more minutes away from us, you will still be able to see Nico whenever you want.” “Thank you Sana…” Jihyo sighed, watching as Nico turned in her sleep. Her little feet kicked out and she rolled towards her parents. “I think she’s a little warm, I’ll go set the thermostat.” “You worry too much Hyo. It’s been the same temperature every night since she came home, I don’t think things suddenly changed.” Sana giggled. “Just a couple degrees.” “Hyo.” “One degree.” Sana giggled.

“She’s okay Jihyo. I’ll text Chaeyoung that you are here. You need some sleep, come to bed.” “Woah, calm down. Nico isn’t even one yet and we promised no more accidental babies.” Sana let go of Jihyo and slapped her arm. “You know what I meant. Grab Momo if you really want supervision, I know she’s asleep on the couch.” Sana stepped away and turned off Nico’s mobile, rearranging her blankets and kissing one of Nico’s hands.

“I know that’s a nasty habit of hers.”  Jihyo muttered. “We should talk to her about it.” “Tomorrow morning.” Sana whispered. “We need to sleep, Nico’s will be awake in a few hours.” Right as Sana said that, it was like something went off in Nico. Jihyo immediately moved to grab her, Sana retreating when she saw how Jihyo was moving. Jihyo held her tightly, bouncing her. “I’ve got this, go get Momo.” “Okay.” Sana smiled, kissing one of Nico’s hands again. “Have fun with your mama sweetheart.” “Very funny.” Jihyo rolled her eyes, bumping hips with Sana. “Go.” “Of course.” Sana giggled. “Mama.” Jihyo could only stick her tongue out at Sana as Sana giggled and Nico screamed in her arms.

[theewildflowers]

dramione fanfic recs

I’ve fallen into the Dramione fanfiction hole lately due to a friend’s recent obsession with Dramione and Draco Malfoy tik tok, so I wanted share some favorite stories I’ve read, especially with those who are also new to the pairing. Many of the fics below are pretty popular within the fandom, but maybe there will be something new as well for those who come across this post.

I’ve included the rating and word count in parenthesis, and the fics are set in the magical universe unless otherwise noted. Please mind the tags when you click through—many fics may have triggers. Happy reading!

wait and hope by mightbewriting (M, 95k) “Harry,” Hermione began, voice very controlled, but she could feel the blade of panic slicing at her vocal cords. “Why was Draco Malfoy just screaming bloody murder about his,” and the word almost strangled her as she said it, “wife?” Harry's green eyes blew wide. Healer Lucas pinched the bridge of her nose, clearly displeased with the recent series of events. “He was referring to you, my dear,” she said. “That was the other question you got wrong. Your name is Hermione Jean Granger-Malfoy.”

Part of the Wait and Hope story universe. Draco’s POV, Beginning and End, is a WIP. (I’ve read and reread Wait and Hope multiple times in a few weeks span, so it’s safe to say that it’s my favorite Dramione story universe.)

the politician’s wife by Pir8fancier (M, 66k) This story is set twenty-three years after the fall of Voldemort. Our main characters are Ministry employees, middle-aged, and the majority of them not very happy. (This was the first Dramione fic I’ve ever read and is still one of my favorites)

the right thing to do by LovesBitca8 (E, 176k) Hermione felt the pounding in her ears again. She would see him for the first time since the Great Hall, gaunt and stricken at the Slytherin table with his mother clutching his arm. She hadn't meant to look for him. Not in the corridors, not beneath the white sheets of the fallen, not on the way to the Chamber of Secrets with Ron, but she was a stupid girl. Part of the Rights and Wrongs story universe (highly recommend Draco’s POV, All the Wrong Things, as well).

remain nameless by HeyJude19 (E, WIP) The monotony of Draco’s daily routine had become both a lifeline and a noose. But this new habit of grabbing coffee with Hermione Granger is quickly becoming a reason to get out of bed and is unfortunately forcing him to re-evaluate his inconsequential existence.

seeker fit by selinyu and etlithien (T, 2.6k) “Will the Head Girl grace the pitch with her presence for today’s match?” The timbre of Malfoy’s cool lilting drawl slid down Hermione’s spine. I recommend all the fics in the SenLithien Dramione Collaboration collection.

breath mints / battle scars by Onyx_and_Elm (E, 148k) For a moment, she's almost giddy. Because Draco Malfoy's been ruined by this war and he's as out of place as she is and — yes, he has scars too. He's got an even bigger one. She wonders whether one day they'll compare sizes.

apple pies and other amends by ToEatAPeach (M, 76k) It’s not until she’s brought a basil and strawberry sponge cake to Neville Longbottom and his new girlfriend, Hannah Abbott, a dozen rhubarb hand-pies to Luna and Xenophilius Lovegood, and another basket of ganache-covered muffins to Dean and Seamus, that Hermione admits to herself what she’s actually doing:  she’s making a thing of this. It’s a veritable PTSD tour. With pastries. And hand-skimmed clotted cream. And she has no idea why she’s doing it, but it’s becoming very apparent that she is.

clean and marked by olivieblake (M, 118k and 178k) Malfoy's handsome face was contoured into a condescending smirk. "No faith in that giant brain of yours, Granger?" She looked up at him defiantly. "Maybe I don't have faith in you!" she said, raising her voice. Malfoy only looked at her. "You'll find I'm very surprising." Basically a sixth year retelling.

the best of me by MrsRen (E, 148k) Officially, Hermione Granger was killed in action during the Battle of Hogwarts. Unofficially, Draco Malfoy has never stopped searching for her. Years after the war during a mission in France, his salvation comes in the form of a little blond boy and a familiar half-Kneazle.

fortuitous by MrsRen (M, 93k) Recently divorced Draco doesn't believe in the ideology of having one true love. He certainly doesn't expect to meet his match in a Halloween themed coffee shop, but fate has a peculiar way of giving you just what you need.

bring him to his knees by Musyc (E, WIP) Draco is on the case of a murderer, but to investigate, he needs a fake relationship - and a kink club play partner. When Hermione volunteers to take the role, both do their best to maintain the lie without letting each other know the truth: neither of them are acting.

looking glass by kyonomiko (M, 99k) No one knows what happened to Draco Malfoy in the final battle, but, when his portrait shows up at Harry Potter's house, it's readily assumed he didn't make it. Hermione's perspective on the wizard starts to change as she learns more about who he really was. The more she knows, the more tragic his apparent demise seems to be.

isolation by bex-chan (E, 264k) He can't leave the room. Her room. And it's all the Order's fault. Confined to a small space with only the Mudblood for company, something's going to give. Maybe his sanity. Maybe not. "There," she spat. "Now your Blood's filthy too!"

thirty-five by raven_maiden (M, 2.3k) It's Draco Malfoy's birthday, and you'd think he'd have some say in the matters concerning his birthday. Then again, the will of four other Malfoys is hard to overcome. Part of Meet the Malfoys collection.

apples & cream by LovesBitca8 (E, 1.4k) She could have taken her things and gone through his Floo without a word. She could have ignored him on Monday morning, as though last night had been no more than a fever dream and too much Firewhisky. But she’d come back to bed.

universal truths by scullymurphy (E, 145k, pride & prejudice inspired AU) Hermione Granger is a woman of intelligence and spirit. Draco Malfoy is a man of wealth and privilege. When they meet again, a decade after the second great wizarding war—they are not impressed. But when circumstances throw them together, dislike turns to attraction, attraction turns to passion and passion may turn into something more... If they can stay out of their own way and let love take its course.

my brown-eyed girl by PacificRimbaud (M, 2k) "Give it up, Granger. We've had our N.E.W.T. results for a week. What can possibly have earned your continued academic devotion in the last four days of term?" Draco and Hermione have a lazy snuggle in the grass behind the Quidditch pitch.

bite marks by provactive_envy (E, 19.4k, muggle AU) Draco’s mouth falls open. He clutches his cookie and ignores the shower of crumbs littering his grey cashmere fingerless gloves. He can’t decide if he wants to fuck this girl or fight with her. Maybe both? Maybe at the same time?

thirteenth night by Nelpher (M, 78k) When Hermione is assigned to keep tabs on a memory-charmed Draco, she is faced with a decision that could change her life forever.

familiar faces, worn out places by LovesBitca8 (E, 7k) “You are at St. Mungo’s. You were in a coma.” He looks me over again, taking a pause. “I am a Healer here now,” he says, like it explains something. My fingers stretch, drifting across his sleeve. He looks down, like I’ve thrown mud at him. Forcing my vocal chords together for the first time, I whisper, “What’s your name?”

bone mortar by mightbewriting (M, 10k, muggle AU) Draco clenched his teeth, forcing sharp, shallow breaths through his nose as he ripped open the door to his usual lecture hall only to find— someone at his desk. Well, he supposed it was technically less his desk and more the desk as he didn’t actually own this particular classroom. But since he’d taught in it for the last four semesters in a row he at least felt like he’d earned common law ownership of some sort.

of mongolian fireflies and russian sharpclaws by barnettdidit (T, 37k) As colleagues for the F.A.U.C.E.T. (Fetching And Uncovering Creatures Experiencing Terror) department, Draco and Hermione have had their fair share of arguments. When they face their hardest case yet, mixed with an odd swarm of fireflies that glow in the colour according to how they feel about each other, Hermione is struggling to keep a straight mind.

a muggle-born magic by Musyc (M, 50k, regency era AU) Physician's daughter Hermione Granger finds herself in need of a way to pay off her father's debts after his death. Draco Malfoy, retired from the politics of the Isolationists, a group of pure-bloods bent on separating 'true' magic from lesser folk, finds himself in need of a tutor for his son, Scorpius, who appears to be incapable of magic and must learn to survive in a world without it. Draco also needs a wife and mother for Scorpius, to satisfy a promise to his unwell father. After she saves his son from an attack by Isolationists, Draco hires the Muggle-born Miss Granger for the former, and after a riot in Vauxhall Gardens and a scandalous discovery made by his mother, weds that selfsame Muggle-born for the latter. While making the best of her marriage of (in)convenience, Hermione discovers that Scorpius' history of wild imaginings and dreams is more than just imagination. As she attempts to teach him about magical abilities no one expected he would ever have, she and Draco work together to raise Scorpius and learn to trust each other.

aurelian by BittyBlueEyes (T, 255k) Two years after the war, a young stranger pays a visit to the burrow. His arrival alone is baffling, but the news he brings of an upcoming war turns the world upside down. Hermione's quiet, post-war life will never be the same.

malfoy shrugged by uselessenglishmajor (E, 11k) February 14th is just another day at the office for Hermione Granger. Shame no one else got the memo.

distance by In_Dreams (T, 138k) She’s a novice Unspeakable trying to earn her stripes. He’s a shafted Auror desperate to prove himself. When they end up forced together on a shared assignment, neither is willing to back down. But when the mission pulls them into an ancient world of mystery and adventure, they find themselves depending on each other in a race against time.

nonscents by In_Dreams (M, 10k) Granger's Amortentia smells like him and Draco can't understand why. More importantly, he can't let her figure it out.

correspondence by olivieblake (T, 5k) Every year, Draco insists that Hermione take a picture for their Christmas card. Why? Hell if she knows, but if it will make him happy, so be it.

sandalwood and gardenias by secondbutton (E, 9k) A balanced fragrance of sandalwood and something musky and earthy followed him like a shroud. Draco Malfoy smelled like a magical forest’s best kept secret. Like the moment following a storm when the sun peeks back over the clouds and living beings stop what they’re doing and pause to marvel at being able to roam outside again. It was a crisp top note with more robust undertones, and just a hint of sweetness. She thought she might love the scent if it lived on anyone else other than him.

[whatareusernames]

No One Asked, But Here’s My Ideas For My “Bee ‘N Boo: House Of Pancakes” AU

So, if you were unaware, every time someone mentions “Bee ‘n Boo”, my brain ALWAYS goes “Hmmmmmm sounds like a pancake/breakfast restaurant name” (even though I KNOW, I KNOW, it’s their hotel business)  and so I made art and here’s some of my scattered thoughts I have so far (any character designs that sound odd are probably because they’re based of my own designs for the characters):

*Also this is an AU, so no, of course things don’t work the same as the real world. I’m offended you’d think that /lh*

- Despite the fact that none of them are blood-related, they claim it’s a family-owned business. Tommy hates that and constantly reminds everyone that “we are not related” and “I would rather stab you in the neck with a meat thermometer than be related to you”.

- The characters in this AU DO still retain their hybrid look. That’s why the pancake house is so popular. Literally, WHERE ELSE are you going to find a restaurant where you’re greeted by an 8-foot-tall, half-Slenderman wearing a tux, served by a furry with REAL ears and a tail, checked on by a a demon and a half-diamond human, and given the check by a guy with giant wings?

- The restaurant itself is actually quite small, so seating IS limited.

- There’s no drive-thru.

- They’re open 24/7, but literally just serve breakfast and dessert. Tubbo refuses to sell anything else, no matter how much Ranboo says they should.

- Also, no wifi password for you! Only the employees have that. Yes, you’re gonna have to actually socialize with the people you’re eating there with.

- The Wi-Fi Network name is written in Enchantment Table and when translated, reads “How Did You Translate This If You Have No Internet” and the password is “imsorrythereisnopassword”. ^^^ So far, no one has cracked the enchantment language OR picked up on the fact that they’re constantly being jebaited when they ask about it.

- Niki Nihachu is the bouncer. Yes, Bee ‘N Boo has a bouncer (assholes like to come try to harass the employees for being ‘freaks’. Not often, but enough as to where they need a bouncer) and yes, it’s Niki. She‘s a badass. She works as a bouncer on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays.  ^^^A guy once started making fun of Tubbo for having half-blonde, half-brown hair and as she was trying to get him out he started throwing punches at her, so she flipped him onto the nearest table. The people eating on it got a full refund and a free meal, and the guy was, quite literally, thrown out.

- Customers are actually quite fond of the employees and almost always come back. ^^^ Multiple times, Niki has had backup from the customers who are very attached to the employees and will not stand for people bullying them.

- Vikkstar came to eat once and Tommy nearly lost his shit and INSISTED he serve that table, even though it was originally Skeppy’s job.

- No one has any set roles in the restaurant. They kinda just... adopted a position and float around doing things.

- BadBoyHalo has been told off multiple times for spending obscenely long times chatting with customers instead of waiting tables, because he’s so friendly that people just automatically find him likable.

- Bad actually started out as a customer, but he came so often and was so nice despite the fact he never ordered anything too expensive (he was out of a job and low on cash but wanted to support the restaurant nonetheless), Tubbo literally came out and threw an apron at him and said “You’re hired” and took him back to the kitchen where they were pleasantly surprised to find that he could make GOD-TIER pancakes. ^^^ Ranboo arranged a small interview a few days later because Tubbo was being hasty, but BBH ended up landing the job anyways.

- Jessica Blevins comes on the weekends with Ninja and always slips Tommy a little extra cash because she finds his withheld fanboying adorable.

- Phil met Kristin while working closing shift. She came in like, 15 minutes before closing and it kinda frustrated him because it was 15 minutes before closing. But he noticed that she looked really stressed and had dark circles under her eyes when she came up and just ordered a coffee. He let her stay while he closed up shop and they ended up talking about work and stress and life in general for about 2 hours after the shop closed. He drove her home since she worked nearby and had been planning to take a bus. ^^^ Kristin came more and more often after that and now she’s there almost daily. It used to be simply to see and talk to Phil, but she’s gotten to know the rest of the staff and checks up on them regularly and almost always offers to stay late and help them clean.

[jerbric]

mom said it's my turn on the swap au. under the cut. if anything seems rude or wrong feel free to correct me, i'm trying my best to be respectful.

So (human) Eda tends to hears things and see things that aren't really there, which eventually leads to her outburst and incident with Dell. This causes a rift between them, and while Dell knows his daughter didn't mean to hurt him, he still can't help but push her away because of it. After his eye is treated and such, he leaves for that trip, leaving Gwendolyn alone with her daughters. Eda is having a hard time because of what happened, and Gwen, fully believing that she's doing what's best for Eda, decides to send her away to her grandparents' place for the summer. Lilith finds this to be the chance to prove herself to her mother, but Gwen still brushes her off.

So Eda is away, and during the first week, she finds a strange briefcase looking thing in the backyard. She's intrigued by it and opens it to find herself in a different world. There, she meets Luz the Bat Dame and the king of demons, King. After Luz explains where Eda is, she enlists an eager Eda to help on a mission to get back King's crown. (Essentially the same idea as episode one, but swapped.)

After the adventure, Eda begs Luz to teach her magic. Luz agrees more easily than canon-Eda had, and with the promise that once a week, Eda would come back to the Boiling Isles and Luz would teach her spells, Eda goes back to the human realm. Unlike canon, Eda can't wait to share her discovery with Lilith. So, upon the second week, she asks Lilith to come visit her at their grandparents' house, and Lilith reluctantly agrees. (Lilith loves Eda but she still feels overshadowed by her.) Blah blah blah, anyway, Lilith comes over and Eda gives her the whole story about what had happened. Of course, Lilith doesn't believe her, so Eda opens the portal and takes Lilith with her to her first ever Magic Lesson. Of course, Lilith is shocked and quickly tries to get Eda to go back home because this is too confusing and dangerous and they shouldn't get involved. But Eda persuades her to give the Boiling Isles a try, and so, Lilith stays.

They visit Luz, who is more than happy to take on two students. While Luz doesn't sell human artifacts (she sells potions), she is very much interested in the human realm and spends a lot of time questioning the Clawthornes about it. They get no magic lessons that day, Luz far more interested in whatever they have to say about the human realm to teach them magic. Eventually comes the wild idea that Eda has: her and Lilith should spend the summer in the demon realm ("it's not like anyone's going to notice we're gone! mom barely notices you anyway and grandma and grandpa don't pay attention to me!"). At first, Lilith doesn't want to, but then she comes to the realization that if she could learn magic faster than Eda, she could finally be better than Eda in something, so she ends up agreeing to stay. With that, they close the portal and bunk in a room together at the Bat Treehouse. (Side note: Luz's palisman is a bat, she's the Bat Dame, infamous for refusing to join a coven, and her house is just a really elaborate treehouse with multiple buildings on a very big tree, name might change though lol.)

Anyway, after a while of going on adventures and barely learning any magic, just hand to hand combat and playing with King, Lilith realizes that Eda's still getting more attention than her. So she sets out to find another way to learn magic, to get ahead of Eda and become the better witch. She gets involved in a crime in town, where the Emperor's Coven scouts capture her and the other criminals to take them to the conformatorium. But Hunter, the Head Witch of the coven sees Lilith, and takes her from the scouts, opting to present her to the Emperor instead because she's human. Lilith complies only because she doesn't want to be thrown into prison for who knows how long. Maybe the Emperor will have mercy and let her go.

So, Hunter takes Lilith to Belos, who immediately takes an interest in her. He asks her about the human realm and all that, to which Lilith gives him whatever answer he wants. Then, he asks how she got to the Boiling Isles, to which she answers that she came with her sister whom found a mysterious portal. Belos keeps asking her questions, interrogating her as much as possible. (there's two humans in the demon realm? there's a portal? where is it?) Lilith doesn't tell him that they still have the portal, instead opting to say they lost in somewhere in the isles, and that she had gotten separated and lost from her sister, and she didn't know how to get back to her. Disappointed but deciding to use this as an advantage, Belos makes Lilith an offer.

"You want to learn magic, hm? Well, how about you stay here and join the coven, and I'll personally teach you all about magic. In return, all I ask is for information on the human realm. If we happen to run into your sister again, it would be nice to take a look at that portal."

"I don't know..." Lilith says, uncertain. She's getting an odd feeling from the Emperor, but his offer is tempting. He's willing to teach her magic and all he's asking for is information on the human realm. The deal is a steal.

"You said you felt overshadowed by your sister, didn't you? Well, her mentor doesn't seem to be teaching her anything, and here with me, I'll teach you everything starting tomorrow morning, I'll give you books and lessons on magic history. I'll even provide you with a staff embedded with artificial magic. It'll boost you and your knowledge above your sister. You could prove yourself worthy of everything that she's getting handed to her."

It's the only thing she has to hear before she agrees. Emperor Belos definitely has ulterior intentions, but Lilith figures she'll be in and out of the palace in no time, above Eda in magical experience.

In Lilith's absence, Eda vows to find her and bring her home. She loves Lilith and really hopes she doesn't get hurt or permanently lost on the Isles. But she doesn't start her magic training yet, which then leads her to finding Raine in the woods. (Cue episode 3 with I Was a Human Abomination.)

[you-did-well-moon]

The Secret in his smile

@daybreakx​ writing challenge #1

Type: angst, horror (kind of) Fairy tail au! dystopian au!

Pairing: Mentioned Junmyeon x reader

Word count:1552

Summary: The woods are a scary place, especially when there’s rumors that surround them. Get lost, and you may not be able to find a way out.

A/n: It's really not that hard to figure out which fairy tale I used I promise lol. I’m sorry if this seems rushed in any way at all and I hope you enjoy it. I’ve been wanting to write for exo for a long time and this was my chance to, so I took it. I found that Junmyeon fit this concept well especially because of the musical he was a part of “The man who laughs”. 

TW: War, unrealistic depiction of Junmyeon

You sniffled trying to stop the tears blurring your vision from falling down your face. A hand gently came on your shoulder brushing the mangled tufts of hair away from your neck. A rough but comforting hand rubbed the side of your neck. You looked at your brother, lips trembling and panic making your eyes shake as you took hurried and ragged intakes of air. 

“What are we going to do Hansel? She just left us here to die. What if the rumors are true?” your hunched figure made your brother hum the song your father would use to lull you to sleep as children. It was a nice song. It reminded you of better times, times when war still hadn’t ravaged your lives. Hansel put a shaking hand on your head softly caressing it, he was scared, but he was trying to be strong for you. 

“We’ll figure something out like we always do. Rumors are rumors, i’m sure there is no witch in these woods.” He had paused trying to find the right words to ease your mind, but he wouldn’t meet your watery orbs as if also trying to convince himself. 

You took a shaky breath looking around you, but wherever you looked it was the same. Trees. They surrounded you leaving no idea of where you had come from, and making sure you’d have no idea where you chose to go. The shadows clung to the tree trunks smiling eerily at you with malice. The leaves from atop the canopy blocked the sun’s light from reaching the poor siblings sitting on the forest floor encasing them in never ending darkness, they bristled seemingly feeling the unease in the forest. 

You had lost track of how long you had been sitting there, and the cold the night usually brought with it was starting to seep into the forest floor. You shook your head still in disbelief, sinking your fingers into the damp dirt underneath you trying to ground yourself to reality. 

“I still can’t believe she just left us here.” you looked up to Hansel while he looked around trying to see if anything in particular stuck out to him. He looked at you with sad unseasy eyes shrugging his shoulders and sighing tiredly. “I guess war brings out the ugly side in everyone” 

You scoffed curling your lip in distaste. “Stepmother was ugly far before the war. Inside and out. We should have spent less time worrying about the witch in these cursed woods and more time worrying about the witch living under our own roof” you had always held great disliking for the woman your father had chosen after the death of your mother.   

Your father. Your heart sank at the thought of him. You worried you would never get to see him. The wrinkles near the corners of his eyes and his loud thundering laughter. After he got drafted for the war your family’s economic situation went down a steep slope straight into poverty. With no one to provide for your family, and no jobs to be taken, you had lived off of scraps and leftovers you found in trash cans from more well off families. 

The war had taken everything from you. Your father, your money, and your fiance, Junmyeon, who had also been drafted. A sick feeling grew in your stomach as you thought of the last time you saw him. With a smile on his face, but his jaw clenching trying to keep the tears at bay not knowing if you’d ever see each other again 

With multiple kisses pressed against your temple and various parts of your face, he said goodbye with one last kiss to your lips, mouth despairingly moving against yours as his hands ran all over your sides and back trying to remember the warmth and feel of your body. He left without looking back knowing if he did, he’d run straight back into your arms. You were robbed of the life you and Junmyeon promised one another that day, and you had not heard from him in a year.

Bitterness filled you to the brim when you looked down at the silver surrounding your ring finger on your left hand. Sitting there on the floor of the forest, you longed for the warm arms of your lover. Any kind of shock you had, had now changed into a darker emotion. Hate for the world and it’s cruel ways rooted deep in your chest. You were now left on this forest floor after your own stepmother had told you and your sibling you were going to collect wood only to leave you taking the only compass you had with her. You had once had a whole life ahead of you, and now you had been left to rot in these dark woods. Your chest felt empty with dread.

“We should get going, we don’t want to stay here when the wolves come to play” your brother's gentle hands ushered you to stand up. You looked up to him chest gaze darting around and a grimace tugging at your lips. “I’m more scared of the witch than the wolves, Hansel” your broken voice made him whip around to face you with a sharp glance thrown at you.

“For the last time, there is no witch here. She’s just a ghost story made to scare the kids. Now follow along before night catches up to us” you felt bad for your brother because you saw his own knees shaking knowing he was scared as well just too prideful to show it. 

As you walked, you cut a X into the trees with the dagger your father had gifted which you always kept in the pocket of your torn trousers. You didn’t notice the marks disappearing sinking into the wood of the cursed trees too busy trying not to trip on any of the broken branches littering the ground. 

After what felt like hours of walking you could feel the cold creeping into the forest knowing the sun must be sinking, and as the sun sunk so did your heart. Hopelessness was beginning to creep in on you. Your stomach was painfully empty aching in your torso, and your feet began to drag along the floor stumbling around bushes and branches. Exhaustion made your limbs feel heavier than normal. 

You were just about to call out to your brother who was a few steps ahead of you when you heard him shout at you. “I see light up ahead hurry!” you began walking at a quicker stride stopping alongside him at the edge of a clearing where in the middle was a quaint little house. 

You looked at each other uncertainly before he clasped your hand with his tugging you along to the house. Upon getting closer to the house you noticed something odd about the outer exterior of the building. Reaching up to the roof you broke a piece of it off bringing it up to your nose and sniffing at it. Chocolate. 

You felt yourself get doused in an overwhelming wave of panic as you turned around to face your brother only to find him putting a piece of the windowsill into his mouth. You started running to him, feet aching tiredly with every step but you knew it was too late as you saw him swallow. 

“Hansel no, the witch!!” your crazed screech echoed around the clearing and your throat started to burn while trying to keep the sobs from escaping your chest at seeing your sibling double over clutching at his neck. 

You knelt next to him, hands fluttering around his body not knowing what to do. You heard the door to the house open, but fear stopped you from looking up. 

“Well well what do we have here. Naughty people trying to eat at my home!” you froze as the voice reached your ears sounding familiar. Instead of the old high pitched female voice you expected, you were met with a smooth and deep male voice that had once whispered words of adoration against your skin.

You looked up not being able to breathe, and the figure standing in front of the open door also halted any movement, taunting smile completely wiped off his face. The face you had only ever seen smile lovingly at you. Your eyes widened and your voice completely left you, a broken sound escaping your chapped lips as they fell open in absolute shock. Fear running it’s icy course through your body and paralyzing you. 

You studied his figure not being able to face the reality staring straight back at you. His body was swarmed in black robes, but you could still see the muscles straining against the fabric. His hair was longer and mangled reaching his shoulders. His face. There was a large scar that ran from both corners of his mouth up to his cheekbones making him seem like he was smiling even when his lips were pressed tightly together which they now were.

You looked back at his eyes. Eyes you had once stared into seeing your whole future held in the brightly lit stars dotting the sweet brown of them. Now just broken and lifeless eyes. Eyes that had seen war, and come out changed because of it. Your warbled voice made your ears ring as you called out to someone you had once known like the back of your hand swallowing against the bile traveling up your throat. 

“Myeon?”

Junmyeon stared at your fragile body laid on the bed he had never slept on lips twitching, clutching your dagger with only one thought repeating in his head. 

“That’s not the way things were supposed to turn out”

[the-roanoke-society]

i was working in the lab late one night...

when my eyes beheld an eerie sight...

welcome to the final post of horror aus for halloween 2020! i hope you all enjoyed the ride. i apologize for not having everything ready on halloween like i originally planned. remember that the inbox and dms are always open for questions, comments and concerns. if you missed them, here are parts one, two and three. all warnings still apply, so be forewarned.

i know things are scary right now. but to quote the infamous n. gaiman: fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.

take it from me when i say that we outnumber the monsters of this world--and more importantly, take heart.

click below the cut if you, too, like doing the monster mash (no offense but it is kind of a graveyard smash...)

there’s bloodstains beneath the carpet - a ∆ au inspired by the super, co-starring technical officer drake and @agents-of-virtue​'s agent annabelle

it was a new start. for both drew and matthew. a new city, shining with opportunities and adventure. they had no shortage of hope--but maybe did have a little shortage of cash.

all the same, the knox-edwards boarding house wasn’t that bad. grimy and with a level of grunge akin to a garage band circa 1995, sure, but nothing unbearable.

but as drew was stuck in the hallway holding up their couch, matthew trying to figure out who needed to pivot and in what direction in order to not have furniture stuck in the doorway, he overheard it:

“what? another one? are you serious?”

two people were walking down the hallway, and they didn’t look to be much older than himself, or matthew. a man and woman, close together, as if they were conspiring.

“wait, drew, i think i got it, turn left a little bit--”

“as a heart attack. that makes it four people in three months. i’m telling you bekah, something fuckin’ weird in goin’ on here. people don’t just up and vanish from their own homes, and--oh!”

“drew! are you listening to me? turn it left!”

oh shit. oh shit. don’t act like you were obviously eavesdropping, maybe they didn’t notice...

“drew!”

“hi!”

welp. all right. be cool.

“uh--hello!” but he yelped when matthew unexpectedly let go of the couch, and it landed on the ground with a hard thud.

but drew was still processing what he heard. four people in three months? what did that mean?

mini soundtrack sampler includes: rockwell, ‘somebody’s watching me’ + absofacto, ‘dissolve’ + barns courtney, ‘99′

won’t you cut me down? - a second chances au inspired by seven in heaven

joan, normally, wasn’t so forward. at least, not a society-thrown event where multiple agencies were represented, and especially not when he knew lilith was around and not above reprimanding an agent in front of god and everyone else in the room.

but he’d had quite a bit to drink.

the evening was winding down.

and josie... josie was breathtaking.

he couldn’t help it.

“joan--joan!” she laughed as he turned her, taking her elbow and leading her down a hallway close to one of the larger coat closets. “what are you d--”

her voice cut off abruptly to the tune of joan’s mouth on hers, and the closing of a closet door.

joan didn’t stop to think about how this particular door wasn’t room he distinctly remembered. he was tipsy and enamored and his wife consumed his senses. he didn’t care.

but he did care a while later, after they’d made themselves presentable again and opened the door to a manor that was much, much quieter than he was expecting.

and josie felt it too.

it was an odd sensation, to feel that he’d stepped out of one place and into another entirely.

josie asked quietly, “where... where did everyone go?”

mini soundtrack sampler includes: jack white, ‘i’m shakin’‘ + konrad old money & sleep steady, ‘rage’ + k. flay, ‘blood in the cut’

my hands are growing colder - an inverse functions au inspired by eli

ginny knew erik wasn’t broken. she would rather have faced down a demon or some unholy thing sprung out of the gate than ever describe him like that.

but he was--unique.

beyond the understanding of most medical doctors, at least. even aly and caroline were struggling to treat his symptoms. it was like he’d become allergic to everything around him over the course of just a few days. his symptoms were sudden, severe, and left her nervous.

it wasn’t just allergies. she knew that. and if she had to seek help outside of the society, then so be it. all that mattered to her was seeing him brought back to health.

and late one night, during a despair-fueled search through some files in the archives that looked like they hadn’t been touched in years, she found a name: dr. isabella horn.

the fact that lacey, who’d been overseeing the roanoe medical wards for ages, hadn’t heard of her, should have been a warning.

but desperate times call for desperate measures.

the next day, they were on their way to a facility in the middle of the midwest--though ‘facility’ wasn’t quite the right word. it looked more like a mansion, with nothing but wheat fields all around as far as they eye could see. the horizon was only broken by the occasional oil derrick.

and they were surprised when they had to be buzzed through pressurized, completely sterile chambers to even get inside.

but there, right at the front of the welcoming committee, was a woman with dark eyes, and an easy smile.

“good afternoon! you must be ginny and erik, welcome. i’m dr. horn.”

but ginny didn’t trust her grin.

and that should have been the second warning.

mini soundtrack sampler includes: stevie wonder, ‘superstitious’ + the killers, ‘when you were young’ + the revivalists, ‘wish i knew you’

i saw your bones on the road - a pastel goth au inspired by the silence

meli would look back on it and realize with no small sense of irony how loud it was when it began.

the screaming, the terror. how she blasted her spotify on her furious drive to guiliana’s house in the blessedly quiet suburbs, eyes constantly searching the sky. she knew that the responsible thing to do would be to listen to the coverage on the radio, but honestly? she’d heard enough. she had more than half a brain, and she knew exactly what to do.

get her girlfriend and head--okay, maybe she didn’t know exactly what to do.

but giuliana was smart. they’d figure it out together.

the government didn’t know what they were, exactly. nobody did. meli only knew that they were calling them vesps.

it was a word that she mulled over frantically. linguistics was always a welcome distraction. she thought she’d heard it before, but all she could think of was the latin vespere. it roughly translated to ‘from the evening,’ or ‘from the night.’

from the dark.

perhaps that was an apt name.

the sunset had painted the sky in shades that were obnoxiously beautiful given the circumstances, and her jeep lurched in protest as she abruptly slammed the gear shift into park in the glow of guiliana’s porch lights.

in the distance, she could hear shrieking--but not that of human beings.

mini soundtrack sampler includes: mourning ritual, ‘bad moon rising’ + twenty one pilots, ‘ride’ + royal blood, ‘trouble’s coming’

waiting for the vultures - a time traveler’s husband au inspired by the houses october built

it had been dara’s idea.

“oh it’ll be fun! think about it, italy and the states celebrate halloween with way, way different aesthetics. think of this as getting a sampler of how america does it,” she said, sitting in silvano’s lap, charm volume as far up as it would go.

and he agreed. “all right--okay. a grand adventure across the country hitting as many haunted houses as we can.”

“geez, try not to sound too excited.”

he murmured into her shoulder, “i’m mostly excited to spend time with you. but if a road trip through october is what you want, then that’s exactly what we’ll do.”

he was rewarded with kisses peppered all over his face and a very excited dara dragging him excitedly to best buy to pick up a camcorder. “what? of course we need a camera! if we record everything then it’s like--i don’t know. like it’s ours. we can go back to it whenever want, and we can show all our friends the cool places we saw when we get home!”

dara hadn’t known then.

she didn’t know it would start with one lone figure in a clown costume standing in front of the rv like he was going to charge at it. she didn’t know that they would end up surrounded, followed. abducted.

it had been dara’s idea.

and she would never forgive herself.

mini soundtrack sampler includes: van halen, ‘runnin’ with the devil’ + the 1975, ‘if you’re too shy (let me know)’ + afi, ‘miss murder’

[marshmallow-phd]

Heart of Thorns

Genre: Beauty and the Beast!AU, Romace, Angst

Paring: Tao x Reader

Inspired by: These moodboards created by @xui-n-soowillbethedeathofme (x) (x) and my absolute obsession with Beauty and the Beast

Summary: Lost in a forest during a storm, you find shelter in a crumbling castle that had been hidden away for years. The master of the house shut himself away, refusing to engage with the world. Too intrigued and running away from your own fears, you refuse to leave no matter how much he tells you to, wanting to try and find the heart within the beast.

Part One I Part Two I Part Three

**

The view of the country manor used to bring a smile to your face. In the past, you would take off in a run in order to meet it quicker. Its walls were like widespread arms waiting for you to enter its embrace. The garden outside had been your enchanted forest. The rabbits and deer that occasionally wandered in were your friends.

But the wonders of the home that had once been your shelter were no longer as welcoming as before. You wanted to turn back, to make your way through the thick trees, finding that blasted castle, and demanding answers from Zitao.

Why had he thrown you out? Why had he turned such a sweet moment bitter? You knew now that you could never give your heart to Gao. It had already been stolen by another. And even if you wanted it back, it wasn’t possible. You had left it behind in the forest to forever wander the halls in hope of the man in the mask coming for you.

But he wouldn’t be coming for you. As Mr. Chan brought the carriage to a stop down the road, you hopped down from your seat, careful to keep the hood of your cloak over your head. Mr. Chan stepped down as well. From the other side of the carriage, he pulled out two large bags and handed them to you. Odd. You didn’t remember having that much with you on your first trip.

“Take care, young miss.”

You were a bit shocked. You hadn’t heard Mr. Chan speak very much, especially directly to you. His tone implied a sense of protectiveness, a fatherly affection you wouldn’t have expected from him. There was still an awkwardness as he patted your shoulder and stepped back up into the carriage to ride away in the opposite direction that you would walk, but you were thankful for him, just as you were thankful for Mrs. Chan.

Taking a deep breath, you gripped tightly to the straps the bags, one in each hand, and headed for the house.

You heard Cosette yelling before you saw her.

“(Y/n) is back! She’s here! She’s back!”

By the time you reached the door, it swung open to reveal your entire family trying to squeeze through the limited space. Lu made it through first. He threw his arms around you, giving you the type of hug that you hadn’t received from since you were a child. The embraced caused you to drop the bags and return the affection with equal force. Your father came next as he squeezed between you and Lu to take your face in his hands.

“(Y/n). My (y/n). I thought I would never see you again.” His eyes were glossing over. You hadn’t seen him cry in years – since you were small – and your own heart was breaking for the pain you had put him through. While you were enjoying yourself with Zitao and avoiding the confrontation of your possible engagement, he was falling apart.

“I’m so sorry.” You sniffed back your own tears as you pressed your face into his chest. The hood of your cloak fell to your shoulders, exposing yourself to the cold.

You felt his chest heave with a sigh as he patted the back of your head. “Where did you go?”

“Yes!” Cosette screeched from the doorway. “Where did you go? Why did you run away and leave us to starve!”

You swallowed back a scoff as you stepped back. They would have hardly starved if you hadn’t come back. “I didn’t run away. The storm hit sooner than expected. The carriage fell into a ravine. I don’t know what happened to the driver. The horse wasn’t moving so I tried to get back here, but I passed out.”

“How did you survive?” Lu asked.

“I-” You bit down on your lower lip. For some reason, you were reluctant to share the truth. Would they even believe you? They rolled their eyes at the village stories as much as you had before. Being from the city, stories like that were considered beneath their intelligence. “I was found by an old woman who lives in a cottage in the forest. I was sick for a long time, but she nursed me back to health. It took several weeks before my strength came back.”

“And I’m so glad that you did,” your father smiled at you.

“As am I.”

Your eyes went wide as Gao stepped out of the home. He looked different from the last time you saw him. He stood tall, carrying around this aura of importance. His ivory jacket was lined with golden embroidery. His black hair was pulled back and tied with a matching ribbon. There was something about him that gave the impression he was always ready for his portrait to be painted. You had to stop yourself from taking a step away from him as he approached you, grabbed your hand, and placed a kiss on your fingers. The contact made your skin crawl. It was only pure will power that kept you from yanking your hand away and wiping the kiss away on your skirts. There wasn’t any logic beyond your response. Gao had never been unkind to you or anyone else in your presence. Perhaps it was merely the fact that he had wanted to trade helping your father for you being his wife.

“I’m sorry for worrying you, Gao,” you whispered.

“Let’s get you inside and near a fire,” he replied with a smile.

“Yes, let's get you inside,” your father agreed. He was about to guide you inside when Gao placed his hand on the small of your back and led you inside instead. Lu picked up your bags and followed suit.

Gao sat you down on the couch and motioned for Claudette to add more wood to the fire. You weren’t that cold, but you didn’t protest. Lu disappeared upstairs with your bags before returning and taking a seat next to you. His eyes flickered in an unsure manner towards Gao. Your father took his usual spot in the armchair to your left, leaving the other side of you open for Gao. Cosette did not seem put out by the lack of propriety for her. In fact, she didn’t seem concerned with the conversation at all. She slowly walked around the room, getting closer to the stairs, but you hardly paid attention. Gao’s closeness was taking up your focus.

“Was the old woman kind to you?” Gao clasped a hand around your own. You quickly withdrew your fingers, hiding them in the folds of your skirt so he couldn’t try it again.

“Yes,” you nodded. “She was more than kind.” Mrs. Chan was motherly towards you. She made you laugh and feel comfortable. She also gave you the tools to open your heart to Zitao. She told you of his past. Because of her, you stopped seeing him as a terrifying figure in the shadows and began to discover the human hidden under the mask. You were sure she had a hand in his changed attitude towards you as well.

“You sound almost… sad to have left?” Lu said.

You blinked at your brother. “I-” You swallowed. “I know I will miss her. She’s my friend.”

“Of course, she would be.” Your father smiled at you, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

Gao cleared his throat, bringing the attention back to himself. “(y/n), I know you’ve been through a lot. However, I would like to form-”

“Look! Look at me!”

Cosette came running down the stairs, the force of her hurry causing her hair to flurry behind her. She was dressed in a silver gown with multiple layers, embroidered with green leaves that seemed to dance in the light. Jewels hung from her neck and wrists, sparkling on her fingers, and dangling from her ears. A small circlet sat on top of her head. Where did she get all of that?

As she came to a stop in the living, standing in the middle in the room so all could see her, she sneered in your direction. “Look! Now I can be as flighty and selfish as (y/n)! Her secret lover must be richer than Gao to give her all of this!”

You gaped at her. “What are you talking about?”

“Your bags were filled with more jewels and dresses like this!” Cosette held up her hand and wiggled her fingers. “Admit it. You didn’t get caught in the storm. And you certainly weren’t staying in a cottage, being looked after by an old woman. You went to see your lover! That’s what you were actually doing on all your walks, wasn’t it?”

Everyone was staring at you. Eyes were wide and mouths slightly agape. Your breath quickened. You thought it strange this morning that you were being sent away with two bags, but you were too upset over Zitao’s words to you and throwing you away to try to understand the possible reason. This only added to your confusion. Did Mrs. Chan pack those valuables to give you leverage against the marriage? Or did Zitao have it done since he felt sorry for you? You could feel the tears welling up behind your eyes as the confusion tore at your heart.

“I don’t have a lover,” you contended in a meek voice. You weren’t sure if any of them believed you, especially since you kept your eyes trained down on the floor. Streaks bounced off weakly off the wood in the sunlight. It wasn’t as reflective as when you left. Someone would have to clean it better.

“Then how do you explain the gifts?” Lu was frowning at you, but it was cast over with a look of concern and confusion. He wasn’t accusatory, simply wanting an explanation.

You shrugged. “I can’t.”

Gao stood up from the couch. Hands behind his back, he walked over to the window that overlooked the front garden and stared passed the glass. Perhaps you should have been feeling guilty, wondering what was going through Gao’s mind at the moment. But he was the least of your concern. It was your father’s judgement that worried you the most. Would he believe your half-truths?

Because you didn’t have a “lover”. You had someone who had stolen your heart and then shoved you away. You had fallen in love with Zitao. He had kissed you and made you feel warm but nothing beyond that. It had ended before it had truly begun.

No. You couldn’t accept the goodbye. Not in this way. You wouldn’t accept that he simply didn’t care for you. There were layers to him that you hadn’t reached. You refused to let go. Not yet.

“If (y/n) says that it wasn’t a lover then I believe her,” your father stated. You let out the air you had been holding in your lungs, the tension in your shoulders rolling away. “Perhaps this old woman is the heir of an old family who simply prefers to be away from others and felt pity for you. We can certainly sell some of the wares to keep our income.” His eyes flickered over to Gao’s back, which did not go unnoticed by your sister.

“Sell them?” Cosette scoffed. “And when that runs out, then what? We need you to get back on your feet, Father! Have you be respectable again!”

Knowing exactly what she was implying your father said, “It is still (y/n)’s choice. That has not changed.”

Without prompt, Gao turned swiftly away from the window. “I feel that this is a matter that should be discussed between the family. I’ll go back to the inn. Until tomorrow.” He bowed, hands still behind him, and left.

It was silence for a minute or two. You wanted someone to speak – anyone. Even Cosette’s screaming would be more tolerable than this pressing quiet. You would break it yourself if you had any idea on how to start. Thankfully, your father took charge of that task.

“Have you decided yet, (y/n)? Will you marry Gao?”

No. No, no, no, no.

“I haven’t decided,” you said as you shook your head.

Your father stood from his chair, grunting from the effort. “Well. Gao had said earlier today that he could only stay the remainder of the week. I wouldn’t be surprised if by that time he formally asks you for your hand. I hope you have an answer for him when he does.” He gave you a kiss on the top of your head. “I’m so happy for your return. My heart would have shattered if something had happened to you.”

You watched with your own broken heart as your father ascended the stairs. Cosette stuck her nose in the air and flitted up after him, possibly to go through the rest of your bags.

Lu scooted closer to you. His eyes were narrowed, but not in a suspicious way. He studied you the same way he would study his mathematics when he was still in school. “Are you sure everything is alright? Nothing happened to you in that cottage, did it?”

Your hands were trembling, but thankfully they were still hidden your skirt. You didn’t lie to your family like this. You had always tried to be open and honest, at least with your father and brother. But you couldn’t bring yourself to let out this secret. That castle in the woods was your burden to endure. Until you were able to figure out where each of you stood, that is. If Zitao truly didn’t care for you… then you would marry Gao. If you couldn’t have love, then you would help your family the best you could.

**

After a few days spent in the house, adjusting to being back in that space and making up the chores that had been neglected in your absence, you decided to take some time out of the house. Gao had been spending time with your brother and sticking close to you. If he felt that you were overworking yourself or doing work that was “below your station”, he would either call Claudette over or finish it himself. It was a gesture that made you smile out of thankfulness, but nothing more. At this moment, though, you wished his “chivalry” would come to a pause. He’d insisted on escorting you to town. The excuse was so he could eye what wares might be for sale in the market, but you had a feeling is to keep an eye on you, to make sure that you really weren’t sneaking off to see a mysterious lover.

Straw basket hanging from the crook of your elbow, you eyed the meat that was sitting out in front of the butcher’s shop. Mrs. Mooney was busy with another customer so you waited patiently to see if you could haggle with her on the price of a few slices that had caught your eye. Though you could have now paid full price for the items, you rather enjoyed the banter that came with the haggling.

Just Mrs. Mooney had finished up with the other customer, a group of young boys no older than nine came running through the streets.

“We saw him! We saw him!”

Mrs. Mooney put her fists on her hips as she eyed the boys. “What are you going on about?”

“The beast who lives in the woods!” one of the sandy haired boys exclaimed. “We saw him!”

“What on earth were you doing that far in the trees?”

“We didn’t mean to,” another pouted. “Our ball kept rolling and we couldn’t catch it! But we saw him! He was riding a giant black horse with a white spot on its head.”

You nearly choked on the air in your throat. That was Zeus. It had to be.

“He must be a vampire!” a different boy gasped. “Half of his face was stark white, and one hand was covered in scars.”

The first boy hit him over the head with his fist. “He can’t be a vampire, the sun’s out!”

“What is this talk of a vampire?” Gao chuckled as he joined the group.

“It’s not a vampire,” Mrs. Mooney said. “It’s the monstrous lord that lives in the forest, terrorizing anyone who gets too close.”

The grip you had on the basket tightened as you clenched on your back teeth. But you couldn’t say anything and possibly give yourself away.

“I haven’t heard of this lord,” Gao commented.

“He doesn’t exist,” you said in a strained voice.

“Yes, he does!” one of the boys argued. “My mum worked in the castle before he threw everyone out! She says his wife didn’t die because of the fire! She says he killed her! She saw the head wound herself!”

The head would? What was he talking about?

Then you remembered Mrs. Chan saying that there had been an argument the night of the fire. Zitao wouldn’t… sure he wasn’t capable of something like that. It had to have been an accident. Or maybe the boy’s mother was mistaken. Witnesses were always exaggerating what they’d seen.

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Mrs. Mooney sniffed. “That boy did have a temper. I bet she found out that he was still sleeping with other girls, threatened to leave him, and he killed her.”

“What do you mean ‘still sleeping with other girls’?” You couldn’t stop yourself from asking.

Mrs. Mooney sneered. “That boy was no prince charming. He chased skirts from here to the capital. It was a shock for us all when he came back engaged and in love. Perhaps it was all a show.”

You stepped back as if Mrs. Mooney’s story had grown a fist and swung at your stomach. Could that be true? Perhaps you were meanly another “skirt” to pass his time. He was probably bored, and you came falling into his lap like a shiny new toy.

Distracted, you left the stall and wandered down the street.

“(y/n)!” Gao ran after you, bringing you to a stop with his hand on your elbow. “What is it? Is something wrong?”

“No,” you lied. “No, nothing’s wrong. I’m just not a particular fan of Mrs. Mooney’s gossip. That’s all.”

He stared at you in a manner that let you know that he didn’t quite believe you, but he didn’t push. For another half hour or so, he continued to escort you around the market. You hardly paid attention to prices or the quality of the wares; your mind was far away, pondering on what was true and what had been a lie. Gao soon excused himself, saying that he had letters waiting for replies by at the inn. You were thankful when he left, giving you space to be alone.

Your feet knew where they were taking you before your mind was aware. The neighing of the horses caught your attention. If you were to rent one, you could be back before dark – if you found him, that is.

Mr. Seo, who owned the horses, was happy to watch your basket while you took the tan mare. You told him that you wanted to go riding for an hour or so, to feel the wind in your hair before it got too cold. You felt horrible for the story, but if anyone came looking for you, that seemed less suspicious.

You took the roundabout way to the woods, entering through the same space of trees Mr. Chan had brought you out of a few days before. You tried to think back to the path that Mr. Chan had taken to bring you home. The trees all looked the same. Most were bare of leaves, the branches looking like bony fingers pointing you along your way. In the distance, the sound thunder echoed. But there were no clouds in the sky. You followed the sound. The closer you reached, the more recognizable the sound became: horse hooves.

You urged the horse to go faster so the originator of the sound did not outrun you. Then, in the distance, you saw a black shape blurring past the trees. The forest broke. There was the castle.

Stopped in the field halfway between the forest line and the castle, Zitao sat atop Zeus, staring at you. When you were close enough, you brought your borrowed horse to a stop and slipped off the saddle.

“What are you doing here?” he growled down at you. His knuckles were white from how tightly he was gripping the reins. The scars on his left hand stood out even more.

You breathed heavily, suddenly scared as you stood before him. “I have to know why you threw me out.”

“It was time for you to go.”

“That’s a lie. You wouldn’t have-” You stopped. The memory of that night, before the sweet turned sour, sang softly in your head.

But you didn’t need to finish. He knew what you were going to say. “You don’t know what I would and would not have done. I don’t need to explain myself to you. Now go back to your precious fiancé.”

“Did I mean so little to you? Will you really let me go?” You stared intensely, trying to read his features despite the mask giving him perfect cover. He stayed quiet for a moment or two. He kept your gaze steadily. For a make-believe second, you thought that he might ask you to stay. But your instinct was wrong.

“Why would I keep you here?”

He started to turn away. You ran around him to block his path.

“Did all those days really mean nothing to you?”

“Nothing means anything to me. All I want is to go back to my pathetic, peaceful existence in this castle. Alone. Go face your fate. Your family would be better off.” He urged his horse past you. As he galloped towards the stables, you willed for him to look back, to let you know that he didn’t mean the words he’d said.

He never even took a glance.

So, you did as you were told and mounted your horse, vowing never to think about this place again.

**

When you came back to the house, Gao was there as well. He was sitting at the table with your father and brother.

“I told you she’d be back,” Lu said he clapped Gao on the shoulder. He stood up and came over to you, taking the basket from your hands. “Did you have a nice ride?”

“Yes,” you nodded. “Yes, I did.”

“Good.” That was all he said as he took the basket into the kitchen. And didn’t come back.

Your father cleared his throat before rising from his chair.

Your pulse quickened as you were left alone with Gao. Without any inclination, you knew what was about to happen. The subtly of your family was nonexistent. Even leaving one by one wasn’t enough to cover up their expectations. A coat of cold sweat covered your palms. You wanted to run. You wanted to go to your sanctuary in the woods. But it was clear that you were no longer welcomed there. Should you do as Zitao said? Should you resign yourself to the fate that was in front of you? You had told yourself that you would if he didn’t want you. Now that you were faced with the choice, you found your resolution faltering.

Gao stood up, giving a quick clearing of the throat before taking the necessary steps towards you to close in the gap. His fingers, warm and soft from lack of hard labor, grasped your own. Any other woman would be swooning at the gesture, but you were already tainted with another’s touch.

If you had never gone through the forest, if the storm had never happened and you’d never gone to the castle, would things be different? Would you have come to love Gao? Or at least accept his love with mild interest? There was no telling of what might have been, only of what was in your heart now. The pieces left behind were marked with fingers that danced across ivory keys. They only saw one pair of dark brown eyes that couldn’t be eclipsed by the lighter shade looking at you now. But the owner of said eyes and fingers had thrown you away, had made it clear that you had not touched him in the same way. And then there were still the secrets of his past. Was he truly a murder?

No, you didn’t want to believe that.

“(y/n)?”

Slightly startled at how far away your mind had gotten, you returned your focus to the matter in front of you. “Yes?”

“I’m not sure if there is any hope in the question I want to ask.” Gao’s voice was soft, comforting, but there was something underneath it that made you question its sincerity. “We’ve known each other a long and I’ve always thought of you as someone special, someone to be cared for. If you would be so willing, I would like to be that person to take care of you.”

You stayed silent. Even now you weren’t sure as to which answer you were going to give. Would you stay firmly in one spot, hoping that he would come for you again? Or did you move forward, taking the necessary steps to go on?

“What I’m trying to ask,” Gao shifted his weight to allow himself to kneel before you, still gripping your fingers, “is if you would do me the honor of giving me your hand in marriage?”

Everything stopped. Nothing existed anymore. Not you, not Gao, not even language or time. If you could stay in that non-existence than maybe you could be moderately content. But you were a woman. A woman whose father had fallen into ruin, whose love had scorned her, and who’s family was falling apart. How you wished you could be selfish like Cosette. What a life that must be, to be able to one’s self first. But that was not who you were. In truth, was there really any another answer? Yes, you loved another, but love and marriage were not always intertwined.

You let out that single word quickly before you could think about it anymore. If given even a second longer, you would have changed your mind and ran away.

“Yes.”

**

You were going home.

Not your true home. The mansion with too many rooms and wonderful hiding spots had been sold off long ago. But you were going back to the city. It was the “proper place for Gao’s fiancé”. You must be reintroduced into society, your status now elevated.

It was hard to say goodbye. You would miss the space this home provided. You would miss the trees that outlined the town and the people who greeted you every time you went to market. The people here were friendlier than in the city. No longer would you go fetch the groceries yourself when Claudette was too busy to do so. You would be back to being waited on hand and foot. You didn’t want to go. But Gao had already sent out the invitations to the engagement party in a week’s time and all the important people of society would be there to watch him parade you around the ballroom rented for the occasion. His own home wasn’t big enough to hold such a party. Yet. Gao had already told you he planned on moving to a bigger house after the wedding.

Hood pulled over your head, you stepped towards the door of the carriage that was to transport you back to the city. Before Gao could help you up inside, you spotted a figure rushing down the dirt path. Your heart jumped in your chest.

Mrs. Chan.

Gathering your dress in your hands, you ran towards her, the hood falling from your head. As soon as she was within reach, you pulled her into your embrace. You hadn’t seen her since you left the castle. Tears trickled down your cheeks. As if nothing had changed, she tutted at you.

“Now, don’t be like that dear. You’ll swelled your beautiful eyes.” Mrs. Chan leaned back and wiped the tears away with her handkerchief. “There. That’s better. You didn’t think I would let you leave without saying goodbye, now did you?”

You couldn’t say either way. You hadn’t wanted to give yourself a chance to hope and then be heartbroken when it didn’t happen.

“I have to say, though, I am surprised at how things have turned out.”

“I didn’t want them to go this way,” you confessed. “I had hoped-” No. Best not to voice that out loud.

Mrs. Chan fixed the hood back onto your crown in her motherly way. “I know, dear, but the thing about hope, it never really dies or goes away. The smallest of embers can ignite it once again.”

You wanted to believe that. It was hard, though. Too much water had been poured on your fire. You pulled Mrs. Chan into another hug. “I’ll miss you.”

“Take care, dear. And don’t forget how strong you are.” She left you with one last pat on the cheek and then turned you around so you would go back to the carriage.

“Who was that?” Gao asked when you returned.

“A friend from the village,” you replied, your eyes on Mrs. Chan’s retreating back.

Gao simply nodded in reply before helping you into the carriage. It was stuffy inside with your family and Gao crowded amongst the seats. Your stomach flipped and churned with every bump. No storm was coming this time, so the driver took the main road, avoiding the forest. By sundown, you had made it the inn that was supposed to be your shelter on the last trip. Cosette filled the silence of your rented room with her talk of parties and what store she wanted to buy a new dress from as soon as you all arrived back in “civilization”. There was even a comment of having one of the dresses from your bags altered to fit with the modern fashion. You wanted to scream at her not to touch them, but the fight inside you was hard to find. Instead, you simply turned your back to her as you lied in the bed and blew out the candle to diminish the small amount of light she could see by.

The family settled into Gao’s two-story house with little difficulty. The servants fulfilled their wishes and took their orders. Most were familiar with your brother already, having been employed by Gao’s family for decades. You still tried to do things for yourself, like tending to the fire in whatever room you were occupying or collecting your laundry. The work was quickly snatched from your hands as soon as one of the servants saw what you were doing.

The head housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, was determined to mold you into the madam of the home. She would come to you with the preparations for dinner, for approval on new curtains for certain rooms, and for anything else she thought you should be informed of or have the final say on. Most of these things you saw as frivolous. She always approached you with the most uptight manners and wouldn’t leave until you made a firm decision.

You hated it here. How many times a day were you questioning your decision? How many different excuses had you come up with to break off the engagement? How many times had you considered running away?

The one thing that stopped you from following through on any of those ideas: your father. He was working again, already. His clientele was back, just as Gao had promised. You hadn’t seen your father smile like this in so long that you couldn’t bare to be the one who made it disappear again.

The day of the party arrived. All day you felt nauseous. Cosette flitted around your room, talking sweetly about the eligible bachelors who had been invited and how much missed dancing properly and not having to suffer through the less formal country dances. You sat perfectly still as one of the servant girls, Mei, pinned back your hair and colored your lips. You didn’t want to dance tonight. The dress you were to wear may have been a golden yellow – the color of happiness – but you felt more like a dark cloud in the night sky. You didn’t want to stand up in front of all those people and pretend to be happy. But you would do it. For your father.

Gao was beaming the entire ride to the ballroom. It was located near the center of the city, grand enough for the king and large enough to hold a hundred guests. You were thankful for the gloves that encased your hands as Gao escorted you inside. You didn’t want to feel his skin on yours.

Dozens upon dozens of people milled about the grand ballroom, drinks in hand as they laughed through shallow conversations. Some faces you recognized. Most you didn’t. Gao would stop at every other group or so and introduce you. None of the names stuck and the unknown faces were nothing more than blurs. When you finally reached the main center, Gao snatched two glasses of wine from a passing server, handing one to you before calling for the talking to cease.

“I would like to thank each and every one of you for coming out to celebrate my approaching marriage,” Gao said loudly as he held his glass high in the in air. The singularity was not missed. Did he forget that two people were involved in this engagement? You barely paid attention to his words, focusing on keeping the smile on your face. A tall figure moving in the back of the room caught your eye, but it disappeared before you could make out who it might be. “This has been a long time coming for me. Watching (y/n) grow into the beautiful young woman she is today was a privilege that I am honored to have been given. I know she will only grow more beautiful in our life together. To (y/n).”

“To (y/n)!” The room echoed. Glasses moved stem side up as the toast was declared finished and the band in the corner struck up a song.

Gao finished his drink as well before pulling you on to the dance floor, not even giving you chance to protest. He whirled you around the polished floor like a prized cow. You didn’t bother with the charade of a smile anymore. It was a relief when the first song faded to a close and Gao let you go. He said something about needing to conduct some business and walked away. You finally felt like you could breathe.

“One shouldn’t leave their fiancé alone on a night like this.”

You gasped as you whirled around. It can’t be. It wasn’t possible for him to be standing here, right now in front of you. But he was here, more elegantly dressed than of the other gentlemen with his blue velvet coat, his white mask shining in the candlelight. Without any explanation, he held his hand out to you. There was no hesitancy in taking it, even if you should have been more cautious.

He was here. Your mind kept repeating that over and over. He was here, he was here, he was here.

Zitao pulled you in close, his hand secured in the curvature of your waist. The other hand cradled your right as your left hand rested comfortably on his shoulder. With the grace of a ballet performer, he glided around the dance floor, making up for any misstep you might take. Now you wore a genuine smile. How could you not when he had come? But even in your joy, the obvious could not be overlooked.

“What are you doing here?” you whispered.

He did not wear the same smile as you. “I… I had to come see you.”

Your heart leapt at that answer. “Why?”

“You’re a hard person to forget.”

At that simple statement your throat closed in. Tears would have burst forth if you hadn’t fought to hold them back. Oh, how you wanted to wrap yourself up in his arms.

“You make no sense,” you said with a shake of your head. “You throw me out, yet send me home with lavish gifts. Then I’m told that you used to chase after women like a hunting dog after birds. Was I just another plaything to you? See if we could get the poor destitute girl before she has to go back to her miserable life?”

“No!” Zitao snapped. A quick glance around and then he lowered his voice, “I will admit that I wasn’t the most respectable person in the past. But I’m not person anymore. And you were never a game. You have always been more.”

You weren’t sure why, but you believed him.

“Why didn’t you come or me sooner?” you questioned. Sooner? Why didn’t he take you away that day in the forest?

“I thought you knew how stubborn I was already?” he said with a half-smile. It faded just as quickly as it had come. “I was content in being alone. I thought it was better for me. You can’t get hurt if you don’t let anyone in.”

“But you can’t live like that,” you urged. “Everyone gets hurt. Besides, you have let people in. Mrs. Chan cares about you like her own son.”

He sighed, the air contorting to a laugh near the end. “She said as much. But you must understand. The last time… the last time I felt this way, I was left broken, a monster—”

“You’re not a monster. This,” you bobbed the hand that he held up and down so he would know what you were referring to, “is nothing more than a scar. It doesn’t make you who you are.” But it did come with a past. “That night of the fire… did you kill her?”

Zitao’s Adam’s apple shuddered as he swallowed thickly. Fear was evident in his eyes.

“Yes,” he whispered. “I did.”

Your feet stopped moving. No. You didn’t want to believe it. He was just trying to push you away again. “Zitao—”

“And who exactly invited you.”

Unbeknownst to you, the music had stopped and all who were gathered in the ballroom were circled around you. Gao had cut through the crowd and now stood behind Zitao, his shoulders pushed back in an intimidating manner. He wouldn’t know that such a tactic wouldn’t work. Letting you go, Zitao turned on the balls of his feet, lacing his hands behind his back. He looked more like a powerful lord in this moment than you’d ever witnessed.

“No one in particular invited me,” Zitao said regally. “But as I’m the one who is going to steal away your fiancé, I thought an appearance was necessary.”

“You?” Gao sneered. “And who exactly do you think you are to attempt such a thing?”

“I am Lord Huang.”

“Lord Huang?” A pause. Then Gao laughed. “Ah. I’ve heard of you. From the dimwitted villagers who fear you. Aren’t you supposed to be some sort of vampire or hideous beast?”

“Countryside rumors are usually exaggerated.”

“Are you sure? Why else would you be wearing a mask like that if not to contain the beast?”

Zitao growled. “It is none of your business.”

“Come on, beast, show us what you’re hiding.”

You stepped around Zitao protectively. “Gao, stop it.”

“No, I don’t’ think I will,” Gao said mockingly. “This man is trying to ruin our party. The least he could do is give us some entertainment.”

“Gao, I said stop—"

Before you could finish, the mask covering Zitao’s scars was snatched off his head. Cosette had snuck up from behind and taken the chance to remove the mask. Zitao scrambled to cover his face. Gao laughed at the humiliation, showing you exactly who he was. Zitao ran from the room. Cosette enjoyed the moment, her eyes shining from the laughter she held inside. Taking the mask from her, you started after Zitao, but Gao caught you by your upper arm.

“Where are you going?”

You refused to answer. You stomped on his foot to make him let go and ran out the door. “Zitao! Zitao!” It was too late. He had already mounted his horse and was getting smaller as he raced down the cobbled road away from the ballroom.

“(y/n)!”

Your father and brother dashed out of the building. To no one’s surprise, Cosette was not to be seen. She was probably hiding, feigning shame from the scene you’d dare to cause in front of some poor sap who was falling for it. Lu stepped next to you, hand on your shoulder. “(y/n)?”

“I want to go home.”

Lu looked to your father, who simply nodded. You were led into their carriage and left the party. No questions were asked, for which you were thankful. You couldn’t do it. Even for your father. You loved Zitao. That wouldn’t change. Besides, after that display, you couldn’t be tied to a man like Gao.

Back at his home, you didn’t go to your room. That might have been the safest place to be, the one area Gao wouldn’t storm into because it belonged to him. No, instead you stayed bravely in the living room. You sat on the couch, hands resting in your lap, as you waited for Gao to return. It took almost an hour, but when he did finally come through the door, you knew that amount of time wasn’t enough to calm him down.

“How dare you humiliate me like that!”

“I didn’t humiliate you,” you said firmly. You looked him directly in the eye so he wouldn’t think that you were going to cower before him. “You did that to yourself.”

“You were carousing with another man!”

“I was dancing with him, nothing else. There was music and other couples. You had left me, so I danced with him.”

“It was him, wasn’t it?” You weren’t even surprised that Gao had put the pieces together. You would think him rather stupid if he hadn’t. Gao stalked towards you. “There was no old woman in a cottage, was there? Cosette was right when she said you had a lover. And here we all thought you were an innocent flower. You are no more than a weed in disguise.”

“And you are as beastly as you claimed Zitao to be!”

Infuriated by your words, Gao reached his hand back, palm flat, to strike. You closed your eyes to brace for the hit. It never came. Opening your eyes, you saw that Lu had intervened, catching Gao’s wrist before he could swing.

“You will not lay a hand on my sister,” Lu commanded through clenched teeth. He didn’t let go until Gao finally wretched his arm away.

“She is still my fiancé!”

“No, I am not.” You yanked the ring that had been drowning you like an anchor at sea off your finger and tossed it so it landed on the floor at Gao’s feet. It clanged and rattled as if angry at the abandonment. “You’re right. I do love him. And as long as he exists, I won’t ever marry you.”

“We will be out of your house by the end of the week,” your father stated from the hallway. You hadn’t realized that he was there. You hoped he hadn’t been witness to all that had transpired.

Gao marched out of the room, muttering under his breath. Lu gave you a look of pity before exiting on his own. Your father continued to stand there for another minute or two. Several times he opened his mouth, but each time he left the words inside. Eventually, he too left you alone.

You couldn’t stay here. You needed to get to Zitao.

You waited a few more hours until you were sure most of the inhabitants were asleep. Then, as quietly as you could, you changed into clothes more fit for a long journey and slipped out the front door. You were sure that Zitao would not stay in town. If he did, well he would just have to be surprised at your appearance at the castle. Mrs. Chan would let you in if need be. You paid for a horse and headed out. Towards your real home.

All night you rode, even when your eyes began to droop, you forced yourself to stay awake, slapping your cheek if needed. You had to put as much space between you and your family. Between you and Gao. When you came to the same small village as the inn that you stayed at, you didn’t stop too long to rest. It was already midday by that time. You switched out horses and ate a quick meal before starting again. You were too determined to be slowed down. It was dark once again when you reached the country manor. Close to midnight if you had to guess. Going into the forest at this time would be reckless. You needed to get to Zitao, but you didn’t want to die in the process. It could wait until morning. You still had a whole day on your family. You tied the horse up near a pile of hay outside then went through the back door that had been kept unlocked. The memory in your feet carried you up the stairs to your room. You didn’t even bother pulling back the sheets. As your head hit the dust-covered pillow you fell asleep.

When your eyes opened, it was still dark. Odd. You felt well rested – more than rested. Leaving the room, you went down the stairs to the living room, where a small clock still sat on the mantle of the fireplace. It read that it was eight o’clock. How?

No. Could you really have slept throughout the entire day? That was what you got for not resting during your trip.

Bang! Bang! Bang! “(Y/n)! (Y/n) are you in there!”

Mrs. Chan?

You rushed to the door to see the old woman looking terrified, her hair falling out in bits from underneath her bonnet.

“Oh, thank goodness!” She threw her arms around you before pulling back and grabbing your hand. “Come! You must come quickly!”

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Pure fear ran cold through your veins. Was Zitao planning on hurting himself?

“Your fiancé arrived earlier today and started spouting nonsense around town. He started saying that Lord Huang had kidnapped you and that he would kill you like he killed his wife. I knew you weren’t at the castle so I hoped and prayed that you would be here. Your fiancé has convinced the villagers to go after Lord Huang. I’m afraid that they might kill him!”

“What?” What madness was this? Only one thing still gave you hope. “But they can’t find the castle, can they?”

“A few of the previous servants still know the way. Hurry, we don’t have much time!” Mrs. Chan scrambled into the open carriage. That would be too slow if you both rode in it. Hopping on to the other horse, you yelled at Mrs. Chan that you were going ahead. You knew the way now and you had to get to him as quickly as humanly possible. Branches and twigs pulled at your sleeves to slow you down as you galloped though the forest. You batted as many as you could away. Nothing could get in your way.

As the trees broke through to the field, you saw them. A mob of torches and pitch forks breaking through the front doors as they yelled in victory. You pushed the horse faster, up the stairs and through the doors. The villagers had surrounded Zitao in the front hall, shouting curses at him and calling him a murderer as others threw rocks at him as he sat on the ground, taking it.

“Leave him alone!”

Some of the villagers gasped in surprise. You jumped down from the horse and shoved them aside until you reached Zitao. You pushed his hair from his face. He didn’t seem badly injured. A drop of blood ran down his face, but it didn’t look dire. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” he grunted as he tried to push away. “Get out of here. Before you get hurt.”

“No!” You sprang to your feet and stared the villagers all down. “You come in here, unprovoked, and call him a monster! The only monsters I see here are you for believing a man like that!” You point to Gao who showed no remorse for his actions.

“He kidnapped you!” a man from the circle yelled.

“No, he didn’t! I left the city of my own accord!”

“He killed his wife!” another argued.

“That is a lie!” The circle parted again as Mrs. Chan came into view. A fury burned in her eyes. “I was there that night. He didn’t kill her. If you have evidence against my word, then get the constable involved. But I will swear in court that he didn’t do it.”

No one could argue with a declaration like that. Murmurs began to ripple through the crowd. Glances were exchanged. Then mumble apologies as the villagers lost their fight. In groups of two or three, they began to head towards the door. Letting out a slight groan, Zitao tried to push himself up. You let him lean on you as he made it the rest of the way.

“Where are you going?” Gao shouted at the villagers’ backs. “He’s a monster! A beast! Just look at him! He’ll ruin your village! What about those he cast out? Left jobless through his cruelty? Are you all cowards?” No one even turned to look at him. Furious, Gao turned to the two of you. His eyes were full of hatred. “You will regret this.” He leveled his gun. Aimed at you.

“No!”

Zitao jumped in front of you right as the gun went off. He fell to the ground as he clung to his side. Blood seeped through his fingers. Gao ran off. The real coward.

“No, no, no. Please, no.” You dropped to your knees and forced Zitao’s hands away from the wound. There was so much blood that you couldn’t see how bad it was. Your hands were covered in seconds. Zitao was already beginning to sway back and forth from the loss. Mrs. Chan was by your side in an instant.

“We need to get him into bed so I can see to his wound.”

“Just let it go,” Zitao groaned. “Maybe it’s better this way.”

“Shut up!” you snapped at him. “Don’t talk like that. Now get up.”

Zitao stared at you for a beat before nodding and letting you get him to his feet. Mrs. Chan helped you get him up the stairs and to his room where he lied down on top of the blankets. He protested when Mrs. Chan cut away at his shirt, but a slap of her hand shut him right up.

“Bring me the pitcher,” Mrs. Chan ordered of you. Without thinking twice, you ran to the dresser and brought the pitcher to her. With a clean cloth in her hand, Mrs. Chan washed the wound to get a better look. She let out a sigh of relief. “It only grazed his side. He should be alright. As long as we get it closed and it doesn’t become infected.”

You weren’t sure if you could believe her. Zitao had drifted off, his eyes closed, completely still. Only his chest moving up and down as his lungs filled with air gave you hope. Mrs. Chan stood up and left the room. She came back with a needle and thread in her hand. She didn’t flinch as she pierced his side to stitch the wound closed. Zitao whimpered at the sharp pain. You moved to sit by his head and grabbed his hand. You kissed the back of his fingers in comfort. When Mrs. Chan was finished, she stood up and sighed.

“He’ll be alright. The wound is closed and wasn’t too severe. He’ll have a scar, but at this point….” She shrugged. With her hand crusted with dried blood, she brushed the hair off Zitao’s forehead. “The poor dear.” Then, she left.

Feeling brave and unwilling to leave him in case something else were to happen, you shifted so you were now laying down next to Zitao. He was more peaceful now; his face smooth, no longer revealing discomfort or pain. You rested your chin on his shoulder. With the tip of your finger, you traced the outline of his mask, down his nose to his chin. Then you sat up and let go of his hand to untie the mask. Zitao didn’t move as you pulled the covering from his face and set it down on the nightstand. You kissed his cheek before settling back down and falling asleep yourself.

**

You woke to a slight tickling sensation on your cheek. Letting your eyelids flutter open, you let out a slight laugh when you saw Zitao awake. He was smiling at you as well while caressing your skin. He hadn’t replaced the mask, letting you see the light, protruding scars on his cheek and forehead.

“Good morning,” he greeted softly.

“You’re alright.”

He nodded. A small tear fell down your cheek. With his thumb, he wiped it away.

Slowly, as if scared you might run away, he leaned in, his eyes drifting down to your lips. At first, the contact was so soft you thought that perhaps he hadn’t kissed you at all. But as the pressure grew, your eyes closed again, and you entangled your fingers in his hair. You were losing yourself in the kiss, happy that he was alive and that you were with him. But his confession at the party pushed itself to the forefront of your mind. You broke off the kiss. Sitting up, you turned away from him.

“What is it?” Zitao asked. “Did I do something wrong?”

You looked at him over your shoulder. “If I ask you a question, will you answer it honestly? Please?”

He reached out and grabbed your hand, bring it to his chest. “I swear.”

You turned to face him fully. As gently as you could, you placed your fingertips on his scar. He didn’t flinch back. “What happened that night? You said you killed her. But I don’t believe that.”

Zitao cringed as if in pain. He looked off to the side before coming back to you.

“I loved her. I swear I did. And I thought she loved me, too. But I was wrong.” He lowered the hand that held on to your fingers, keeping his focus there. “Soon after we were married, I found out that she had a lover, that she didn’t have any feelings for me. I told her I was going to put in a petition for divorce, that I was going to throw her out. That night, she slipped a sleeping potion into my wine at dinner, but I was too upset to drink it all. It didn’t matter. The servants who saw me thought I was drunk as I stumbled to our room. I woke up before she was expecting. Her lover was there, helping her start a fire. I’m sure they were thinking of killing me so she would inherit everything.”

He took a deep breath. You squeezed his hand to let him know that he hadn’t lost you.

“I fought with the man, trying to stop him from ruining my home. My wife tried to get between us, but… one of us – I don’t know who – shoved her away hard enough that she hit her head on the sharp edge of a dresser, falling to the ground. I called out her name. When I was distracted, the man hit me with something hard, knocking me out. I didn’t come to until the fire was put out. The fire had made it over to me. My left side was wrapped in bandages. The man was gone and my wife was dead.”

He didn’t kill her. You knew that in your heart. He didn’t maliciously set out for her to die. He was only protecting himself, his family’s legacy.

You threw your arms around him. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“I could have been the one who pushed her.”

Leaning back, you repeated, “It wasn’t your fault.” The memory of that final night came back to you. “Is that why you made me leave? Did you think you would hurt me?”

Zitao shook his head. “No. I was scared you might hurt me. When you whispered my name, I heard her again. I couldn’t go through that. I couldn’t risk being used like that again.” His eyes finally raised back up to meet yours. He caressed your cheek with his knuckles, the gesture absent of fear. “But you’re not her. It took me too long to realize that. (Y/n), can you forgive me for being so stupid?”

“Of course,” you said between your tears. “Of course, I can. I love you, Zitao.”

Happiness could not be enough to describe the elation shining from his smile. Encapsulating your face in his hands, he pulled you forward and captured your lips again. He kissed you deeply, wrapping his arms around you until you were pressed tightly against his chest. He ended it only to ask a single question.

“Will you marry me?”

You barely gave a nod before he resumed the kiss.

**

It was a beautiful day for an outdoor wedding day. The sky was a soft baby blue. A few puffs of white clouds floated through, but nothing gave you worry about rain. It wasn’t too hot or too cold and only a slight breeze interrupted the festivities every once in a while. The guests ran around the field, laughing and playing while you sat in a chair, a veil draped around your shoulders.

“You look beautiful.” Your father beamed with pride as he kissed the top of your head.

“Thank you.” Your face was aching from all the smiling, but you couldn’t stop. Happiness of this level couldn’t be contained or controlled. It needed to be shared.

Lu was standing a few feet away, talking to a baron who had been friends with Zitao’s father. Sitting in a chair with her signature fan in her hand, Cosette wore a snarl on her face. She was probably thinking about how hard it would be to outdo you in marrying a lord. Not that you cared. She would be taken care of, far away from here. Speaking of your husband, he came walking back up with a glass of wine in his hand after making the rounds of thanking guests.

“You will take care of her?” your father asked Zitao for the hundredth time. Your husband took it with stride, beaming in the sunlight.

“Of course,” he answered. “For the rest of my life.” Putting the drink down, he held a hand out to you, but kept his attention on your father. “May I steal her for a moment?”

“Yes, yes,” your father chuckled. “It’s your wedding day after all.”

Zitao tugged you to your feet and led you away from the festivities. He kept going until you were no longer insight of the others. The lone gazebo that sat near the lake on the grounds came closer. Within its walls, no one would be able to find you.

“Finally, I have you alone again.”

You laughed. “You will have me alone for a very long in the future. It’s rude to leave our guests in the middle of the reception.”

“I don’t care if it’s rude,” Zitao stated. You knew he really didn’t care. And ou couldn’t quite find it in yourself to care either. “Dance with me.”

“What?” You looked around but didn’t see a hidden band. “There’s no music.”

“Yes, there is. You are the music.”

You wanted to laugh at his sentimental statement. However, the way he said it melted your heart. So, you gave in, letting him pull you in and rock you back and forth across the wooden floor of the gazebo. He kept his eyes on you, never faltering for a second.

“I love you,” he said suddenly. He’d said it before but your heart still soared whenever you heard that phrase fall from his lips.

“I love you, too.” And you would make sure that he knew it, every day for the rest of your lives. He might not have had the fairy tale ending the first time around, but you were selfishly thankful. Because it gave way for you to meet him and heal his heart. And so, the two of you would live happily ever after.

[pastelninjaimagines]

BNHA College AU (pt. 1)

The LoV

Tomura Shigaraki

Sophomore Poli Sci major with a minor he got unintentionally in Philosophy (he took so many philo courses for fun that when he got his degree it was put as his minor…oops)

His professors either hate him or love him bc he will debate them harshly in class, often twisting their words to prove his point which more than likely completely contradicts the professor’s standpoint. Other students learn quickly to stay clear out of the discussion when Tomura is arguing bc he will tear them down scathingly. His tongue spares no one. Most of his classmates, especially those in his major and that have multiple classes with him, hate his guts and love when he decides not to show up bc no one else can get a word in during discussion. He rules it and holds no punches. He’s been called in multiple times to his advisor’s office to discuss complaints. Not that Tomura cares in the slightest. It’s not his problem that other students can’t handle debates with him.

He joined the frat with the purpose of taking it over. He was a legacy and knew he was guaranteed a bid (thanks AFO). As soon as elections came up, he swooped right in and became president his second semester at college. 

Started a war with the other frat on campus after he got into an intense argument with the rival president during a party (*cough*it was with overhaul*cough*) and now everything is a competition between the two frats. From recruitment to who can throw the best party, it’s a feud. They both try to get the other frat in trouble, occasionally calling security over petty things or when the other has parties.

Has days where he always wants to be around someone and will knock on every door in the house until he finds someone to hang with or he’ll do a 180 and leave the house for a few days. No one’s quite sure where he goes. Also no one’s allowed in his room or he will throw a fit. It’s his personal space and it’s off limits for everyone who he doesn’t expressly decide to bring in. Dabi likes to jab that Tomura keeps dead bodies in there. 

Dabi

Junior history major bc he thought it would be a walk in the park...he was mistaken

Never goes to class or leaves his room, unless it’s to go smoke with Twice or for parties. He takes as many classes as he can online. The very definition of “c’s get degrees.” Completely regrets being a history major bc of all the research papers he has to write and how much of a pain researching can be, but it would be too late for him to change if he ever wants to graduate on time. And he does wanna graduate so he can stop relying on his old man’s money. 

He never goes home for breaks. He’ll stay in the frat house even over winter and summer break. He will go home with someone else if he’s invited. Jin has invited Dabi to come home with him for multiple summers after they became close and it’s become their tradition. Tomura noticed that Dabi stays over break very quickly despite it being something that’s not talked about and invited him to come with for the winter holiday as well. 

The incredibly reluctant vice president to Tomura’s president. It was the first time he ever decided to hold office, bc he decided that he could push most of the work onto Tomura and Jin. He ends up doing more work than he intended, vice often being more clerical work than president in the first place, but also bc he low key enjoys the work. And enjoys bossing everyone around. But he’s the best delegator anyone’s ever seen

Won’t see him emerge from his room for days until he runs out of his stashed food. Music is always blaring from his room to the point where almost every other frat brother has told him to turn it down and often not so nicely. When he goes for a night out, he very rarely returns home alone. Jin and Tomura who are his two neighbors either stay somewhere else until Dabi and his guest have quieted down (or he’s kicked his conquest out) or have to turn their music up if they don’t wanna hear Dabi’s bed banging against the wall.  

Chillest at parties, is the Plug(tm) and always on aux. A lot of freshman girls try to get his attention so that they can mooch off his booze and dope, sometimes it works sometimes it doesn’t. Depends solely on if he’s feeling generous that particular night or not. But bc he’s the definition of low key, he tries to keep the parties that they throw at the house from getting too crazy. No one wants the clean up nor do they want to get busted and have an infraction on the frat. Will kick people out for becoming too rowdy and heavily enforces the banned list. Just wants the parties to be chill and fun with people they like invited. Now, when the boys go out for parties, they can all be as crazy as they like bc it’s not in their home. 

Himiko Toga

Psych major with a minor in chemistry

graduated high school early so is on the younger end for being a college freshman, bc of this the boys are very protective of her during parties when other guys get a little too close

Joins basically every single club on campus after attending the club fair no matter what it is and after a couple of weeks knows basically everyone on campus. Toga ends up dropping most of them and only sticks with the sorority she joins, SGA as one of the freshman reps, and the chem club. She also tried out for the cheer squad, did it for a semester and then quit bc it was boring. Every year she goes through this cycle of joining new clubs and then dropping most if not all of them bc they can’t keep her interest

Within the sorority she’s the Social Chair and is always planning mixers with the frat. Every other week there will be a mixer between the two, most are just normal parties where the sorority goes over to the frat house and hangs out. Even if one isn’t planned, this normally occurs on the weekends. Toga herself practically lives over at the frat house bc she’s always there. She knows the door code and is usually just sitting on the common room couch if the boys are out. They’ll come back to find her there either watching tv or studying and not think anything of it. It’s abnormal if they don’t find her there. Otherwise, she’ll always knock on their doors until someone answers and invites herself in to hang out. She makes it her personal mission to get Dabi out of his room and be social. This has yet to truly succeed. 

Has constant crushes on random boys she sees at parties and talks to Jin about each and every one of them. But she never pursues them. She keeps it only to talking Twice’s ear off and stalking her would-be-crushes on social media. 

Twice/Jin Budaigawara

Maths major somehow 

he’s a two-year super senior bc he keeps failing his seminar and online classes that he forgets he has

When he does go to class he’s always late. Doesn’t matter how early he gets up, though most times it’s because he misses his alarm. Dabi lives in the room next to him and often bangs on the wall for Jin to stop his obnoxious alarm. That wakes him up. 

Somehow was elected the frat’s treasurer. He always forgets that people owe dues, so some members (Dabi) don’t pay until Jin eventually remembers…more than halfway through the semester. The frat is always able to finance their functions however, so Tomura doesn’t boot him from the position. 

Won’t do his own homework but will do others’ assignments for pay, or some weed (Dabi has him do his research papers when he’s feeling extra lazy). Will also help his fellow frat brothers and Toga on homework for the gen-ed required math course 

Spinner/Shuichi Iguchi 

Computer Science major sophomore

He aspires to be a game developer and goes religiously to class. He never wants to miss a day and the others give him shit for his perfect attendance. Also does all of his studying and homework in the library to make sure that he gets all of it done and in peace, otherwise when he’s at the frat house, someone is always bothering to play video games with him or just use his consoles. He’d rather do his work in private.

Has a student worker job as a server in the cafeteria. He prefers when he’s on kitchen duty and help prepare food, but ofc he’s almost always scheduled as a server. It’s a little more tolerable when he’s on deli duty and make sandwiches, but he hates being a server. Money is money though and he won’t quit. 

Gym rat and has thoughts about joining the wrestling team. Goes at really odd hours mostly at night after his shift at the caf to let out stress. And then after that plays hours of video games without showering. Everyone complains and Dabi has thrown soap at him to get the point across. Plays and doesn’t move until dawn. Someone functions enough to go to class and stay awake. No ones quite sure how he does it. 

He and Tomura have video game tournaments and it’s always a spectacle to see them go at it. Every week they try to best each other at a different game and it always involves major trash talk (the score is currently Tomura 56, Spinner 34 - and he’s salty Tomura beats him so much). They also talk about new releases together and revisit old favorites from their childhood. 

Mr. Compress/Sako Atsuhiro

Junior theater major with a minor in art theory 

“Come to the production we’re putting on, guys.” “Come to slam poetry tonight in the caf! There’s free food.” He will drag the others to all of his performances, often bribing them with food or alcohol. This works 95% of the time. 

He puts his all into his performances, often times getting lead roles. He’ll do his costumes himself and bring them back to the house to work on them and even props. He’s a pretty crafty guy and fixes anything that’s in need of mending in the house. All ripped clothes come to him for fixing. But, he spends countless hours preparing for his roles. He’ll often gather the boys (and Toga) in the common room and give a reading of his script, he’ll assign other parts at random and see the rest of the LoV unenthusiastically (aka just Tomura and Dabi - the rest are good sports helping Atsuhiro practice) read off the script while he puts his heart and soul into it. 

The Sergeant and Arms and the Social Chair for the frat. He enforces the rules but also plans the parties. Helps Dabi enforce the party “rules” when they throw one at the house. Keeps detailed lists of who can and cannot enter, and which brother brings which guest so that they can be held responsible. Pretty organized with his officer duties and keeps on top of things. Always tries to put on a show during the parties, whether it be magic or even getting karaoke started mostly to impress “the ladies.” Dabi likes to shut him down and tell them that’s not gonna get him laid. Also likes to host casino night and sets up tables for black jack and poker. These are always pretty fun bc he runs it like a speakeasy. “Invite only. Bet what you want at your own risk. The house will not reimburse for lost (or stolen) money.”

[bangtan-gal]

Ruin Me (M)

H.hj

Mafia!au

Warnings: smut, angst, not really much fluff, pain kink, corruption kink, dom!hyunjin, sub!reader Mentions of death, drugs (not much), somebody gets burned by a cigar oops 

Word Count: 2.6k

Garrapata.

    The corridor was crepuscular and damp; the walls were made of a rough stone and the few light bulbs cast an orange hue and flickered in and out of existence. You leaned up against the rock, struggling to light a cigarette. You finally managed to connect the flame with the tobacco and watched as the white roll sparked to life. Puffs of smoke curled around you as you picked at your nails. 

Tocado.

Five cigarettes later, there was finally a sign of someone else. A bright white flashlight ran along the walls and you raised a hand to your eyes as it shone over you. You dropped the blunt—barely a third of it gone—and crushed it under your heel. Your brother, Baekhyun, approached you silently with two younger men following behind him. His hair, just recently dyed a sandy blonde, looked like a flame as the light bounced off it. 

His brow raised as he glanced down at the six butts that littered around your feet. He met your bored stare again and then let out a snort. You ignored him as you glanced past to the men with him. One was just barely taller than your brother, his dark brown hair parted down the side. The other was around the same height, his hair a gleaming red. 

“I didn’t know you smoked,” he commented, nose wrinkling at the smell that clung to you. 

You shrugged. “I didn’t know that you were a gang leader until a couple months ago.”

Mentiroso.

    The tall man’s eyebrow raised and his lips quirked into a smirk. He was gorgeous, even in this dim lighting. You could see the outline of a cross that hung from his ear and the sparkles of many other piercings. He wasn’t buff—more tall and lean—but the outline of a gun that hid under his shirt was enough to have you shivering. 

You and your brother didn’t share anymore words as he wrapped an arm around your shoulder and guided you down tunnel. You silently counted every time your boot splashed into a puddle or when a drop of frigid water fell onto you. Baekhyun had refused to meet you outside in broad daylight. He’d given you an address, where you met a fake taxi and were driven to this nasty tunnel. You were instructed to take seven hundred medium steps into tunnel and then wait for your brother. 

His cautiousness wasn’t the old sibling you remember. Baekhyun used to be the reckless one; dragging you out at midnight, jumping off cliffs, and getting in fights with anyone that looked at him or you too long. Seeing this side of him was so odd: he was always expected to get into trouble, but this kind of trouble? This trouble where you couldn’t be stupid and had to actually stop and think? Last thing you’d expect.

Demasiado diferente. 

After he graduated from college, you never saw him again. Your father had died when you were six and he was fourteen. Your mother developed lung cancer eight years later and died just a couple months ago. You weren’t sad: you were never close with either of your parents. The most shocking thing of this whole event was your brother willingly taking you under his wing so you could go to college and get a degree. 

Your feet started to ache tremendously as you neared the end of the tunnel. It was dark outside, a complete contrast to the sunshine you’d seen when you entered this hell hole. A sleek, silver BMW waited for the four of you. A man, wearing a low baseball cap, sat in the driver’s seat. Baekhyun sat in the passenger seat and as you slid into the backseat, you found yourself between the two men. Red hair was silent as he laid his head against the window and you noticed a scar that ran through his eyebrow. 

It was Mr. Blacky that was giving you trouble. His hand rested on your thigh, the cold metal of his rings felt even through your jeans. He was looking out the window, pretending like he wasn’t two inches away from your core, but you could see the small smirk. Frustration roiled through you and you couldn’t tell if it was pure or sexual. 

“Is there a reason I had to come live with you, dear brother?” You piped up, shifting your legs so that Mr. Blacky’s hand fell away. “I mean, mom and dad’s house was paid off, couldn’t I just stay there and you pay for college? I love living in that big, scary house all alone.”

Of course you were biting at him. You were glad he allowed you to live with him, but you yearned for answers. Where had he been all these  years? He didn’t even show up at mom’s funeral and didn’t contact you until two months after her death. You’d been alone for all those months. In that huge-ass, dark, creaky house. 

Muy solitario. 

There were probably ghosts that were waiting to feed on your soul.

Baekhyun didn’t give you the honor of his response.

“I was neomu lonely, Bak,” you grumbled, playing with the string bracelet on your wrist. You heard him shift, his expensive-ass leather jacket squeaking against the custom leather seats. 

“Did you keep up with your Korean lessons?” He asked, slowly shifting the subject.

You frowned. “No. I dropped it and took Spanish.”

Silencio. 

“I’ll have you know that I actually got an award on my spanish. Top of my class. My spanish teacher gave a speech at my graduation. I can speak it fluently. I could probably move to Spain or Mexico—never come back,” you rambled. Baekhyun always hated your ranting and how you had this weird ability to go on and on about the most stupid shit. He deserved thirty hours worth of pointless rambling. “I’ve actually been thinking of taking French. Maybe I could become a professional translator; wouldn’t that be cool? I could travel the world, talk to the locals—OOOO I could run, like, a travel critic blog. Muy bien!” 

You clapped your hands.

“You didn’t mention how fucking annoying she was,” Baseball Cap spoke up. His voice was deep and gravelly.

“This is her way of taking her anger out on me.”

You felt like a scolded child as you sat there. That was the one thing you’d always hated about your brother: his ability to make you shut up with some simple statement. He knew you too well, he knew exactly what got under your skin. He knew how to make you feel stupid or childish and as the years went by, he only got better at it. 

And so, you went silent for the rest of the ride.

☁☁☁☁☁☁

It took you less than a week to learn the rules of the house. Baekhyun told everyone what to do and they all listened. It was rough, nearly impossible for you, your inner self always begging to challenge him. But Baekhyun made it clear he wouldn’t treat you any differently just because the same blood pumps through your hearts. You learned that when he dragged you to a windowless room and let you sit there all night without any dinner.

    You also had to sit through the embarrassing “Off Limits” meeting. It was an hour long talk where Baekhyun repeatedly reminded his men and women that you were untouchable. If anyone so dare as look at you for more than a second, their heads would be ripped off and guts shoveled into a meat grinder. You never agreed to it, but here you were, alone and untouched.

Que divertido.

    You poked at your dinner, staring boredly at the wall. Baekhyun was gone, along with almost everybody, so you were left alone with Mr. Blacky. In other words: Hwang-fucking-gorgeous-Hyunjin. The boy with his stupid teasing smiles, little smirks, and eyebrow raises would not leave you alone. He was older than you by barely a month, but you’d never guess by the way he held himself like the king of the world.

He was a more handsome, younger version of Baekhyun.

And it sucked. 

    If you had known the Baekhyun was trying to turn his men into multiple versions of himself, you would’ve thrown yourself out a window. Hell, you would’ve flipped off the mysterious mailman who delivered the letter you got two weeks ago. This wasn’t fun, this was suburban. 

“So, you’re the royal babysitter?” You asked, looking up at Hyunjin. He sat on the counter, scrolling through his phone and not sparing you a single glance as he answered.

“Sure.”

“You’re barely older than me,” you pouted, “I don’t need a babysitter.”

    He held up the pack of cigarettes he had confiscated from you not even five minutes ago. You watched, your mouth watering, as he shook the packet at you. There was the other rule: no smoking. Or at least not for Y/N or around Y/N. Everyone else constantly smelled like weed and tobacco, but you would never see the drugs again in your life.

“Didn’t you try to leave last time you were alone?”

He spoke about the event as if it wasn’t yesterday. 

“I’m the leader’s younger sister! Don’t you think I deserve some form of special treatment?” You cried, shoving your plate away from you. The boy looked up, watching as the china skittered to the other side of the table before peacefully stopping.

Maldita. 

    You stood up, letting the chair clatter around the shiny tiles. Your feet stomped against the floor as you marched towards the boy. A slap ran through the room as you slammed your hands down on his knees, eyes narrowing as you looked up at him. You leaned forward until your faces were mere inches apart.

“I’m not a child.”

“Then why do you act like one?”

    Then he smiled, and there was something about it that was so wrong and so right at the same time. It was sadistic and perfect. Ice shards and fire blazed through your body as a craze lit up his eyes. He tilted his head at you, his hand coming up to run along your cheek and then over your brow bone. 

“You say you want special privileges?” He hummed. His thumb moved down and ran along your lips. Your mouth slowly opened, an ache starting in your core as he slipped the digit in. His knees tightened around your body and he brought your mouth to his.

    You weren’t sure what you were expecting. The taste of weed and addiction? Something bitter? Instead, he tasted like smarties and you could feel his chapped lips pressed against yours. He gripped your chin tightly in his hand as he easily slipped his tongue into your mouth. Your straightened up, moaning into his mouth as his other hand came up to tighten around your throat. 

    He pulled back for barely a second, inhaling sharply before his lips crashed onto yours again. You whimpered, letting your hands slide up his legs and rest on his upper thighs. Your thumbs rubbed circles on his inner thigh and you didn’t miss the way he bucked up into your touch. Hyunjin nipped teasingly at your lips and then pulled back.

    His mouth moved achingly slow along your jaw and then he moved to your ear. Pain laced through your body and pleasure ran to your core as he teeth dug into the upper part of the shell. The soft moan you let out pulled one from him and his grip tightened on your neck. 

“You know,” he whispered into your ear, “you act like such a big, bad girl, but I bet you’ve never had a true taste of danger, hmmm? Do you want it? How badly baby?”

    You panted, eyes slowly meeting his dilated ones as he pulled back and stared at you. It took only one fluid movement for him to hop off the counter, spin you around, and bend you over the marble. Gasps and whimpers of excitement started to leave you. 

Placer y dolor. 

    You felt Hyunjin’s bulge press against your thigh as he ran his hand down your spine. Tingles raced through you and shivered in anticipation. The boy’s desperation bled through as he reached for your yoga pants. He pulled them down quickly, taking your panties with it. He ran his index finger down your folds and then a soft chuckle left him.

“I bet you’re tight too, baby,” he mused. You listen to the sound of him unbuckling his jeans and the sound of them hitting the floor. There’s the soft sound of skin rubbing against skin as he pumps himself out. You lean forward, eyes closing. 

    Hyunjin completely sinks into you in one go. A loud groan escapes you—he stretches you out painfully and deliciously and it’s addicting. His forehead rests against your back and there’s a few moments where he just silently gasps. Then he starts moving.

His thrusts are rough. His fingers dig into your thighs as he hitches you up even higher. Your gasps and his grunts fill the room as his hips smack against your ass. You’re soaked; slurping noises filling the room because of your pussy. His cock continues to hit your g-spot repeatedly and your eyes start to roll into the back of your head.

“Fuck, I could ruin you,” he gasps out, “and no one would ever know. Shit, baby, shit.”

Arruinarme. 

“Just as tight as I thought.”

Arruinarme.

    You felt your high approaching and you unconsciously clenched around him, silently begging for him to finish with  you. And then just as you’re there, just as you feel the beginning of the flashes, he pulled out. You hold still, too shocked to whine or look back. 

Then you hear the all time familiar sound.

Tsssst. 

    You peeked over your shoulder, eyes widening as you watch him light a cigarette. Hyunjin meets your gaze and grins, something broken and psychotic hanging in the depths of his orbs. You watch as he takes a slow puff and then presses a kiss to your neck, the smoke filling the air around the two of you. 

Arruinarme. 

“You can take it baby, whether you want to or not,” he said. 

    Part of you knows what he’s about to do, but the hazy part of your brain refuses to keep up. Then you feel it, a quick jump of pain. You hissed, your head falling against your forearms as the cigarette is pressed to your thigh. You smell it—it’s so subtle, but it’s there—the smell of your own flesh, burning. He pulls it back and you stiffen as you prepare yourself for the next tap. He presses it to your other thigh and this time you let out a loud whimper. Pleasure comes with the pinch this time and your eyes flutter shut. 

“Such a whore, aren’t you?” He laughs.

Then he throws the blunt in the sink and sheaths himself inside you again. His pace picks up, almost as if he never stopped. It barely takes a few seconds for you to finish, your fingers digging into the counter as you tighten around him. Hyunjin grunts and he thrusts harshly through his own orgasm. His seed spills into you and down your legs as he continues to fuck it into you. 

Arruinarme. 

Then he pulls back, letting you breathe. You do, taking in big gulps of air, your legs shaking, and eyes fluttering shut. He lights another cigarette and hands it to you. You accept graciously, puffing on it. The smoke fills the kitchen as the boy helps you back into your pants and then pulls up his own. He runs a hand through his dark hair and then winks at you.

A swirl of smoke surrounds your head as he walks out. 

You hum to yourself.

“Arruinarme.”

[prettywordsyouleft]

Could You Marry Me? - Part 4

Summary: Marriage was something you dreamed of reaching after falling in love with the man of your dreams. Yet the romantic in you is thrown out the window when you end up having to fake your engagement with your personal assistant.

Pairing: Son Hyunwoo x reader

Genre: office au / ceo x personal assistant / co-workers to lovers au / romance / fluff / fake dating

Warnings: none

Index: Preview | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Perhaps you did have the luck of being like a drama couple on your side. Dinner had gone well; you had everyone convinced that you and Hyunwoo had fallen in love within the office. It helped that he knew little nuances about you that could cement parts of your storyline, and even you hadn’t been aware that he had picked up on your little habits like twirling your pen in your hair mindlessly when working at your desk.

Your surprise was genuine and so the reaction was positive.

“We need to get together again soon!” Mina gushed and you nodded happily, holding her hand in yours and feeling entirely warm. Normally you had been kept at arm’s length, not having the ability to quite match her playing field. Now that you were engaged however, you wondered if becoming closer friends would be possible with her. You didn’t realise you had wanted to be a part of her circle until now.

This desire fuelled you on. From what had been one dinner date was now having lunch with Mina a couple of times a week and you even started planning your wedding together.

Which didn’t seem as scary as you believed it would be.

“You really don’t have anything planned yet, do you?”

“Well, we just recently got engaged,” you reminded Mina over the phone, twirling your pen in your hair and catching yourself in the act. You glanced out your office window towards Hyunwoo’s desk, smiling lightly when he caught your gaze. He blinked before smiling back, returning to his work and you swung around in your chair. “We have plenty of time to plan a wedding.”

You had briefly discussed with Hyunwoo about this when you went over the contract. Knowing you were the only daughter of an affluent family meant you couldn’t just skimp out and have a private wedding. But you had proposed having the wedding sooner rather than later. It would mean most of the more expensive venues would be fully booked out and you would save costs by limiting the time you had to plan. Whilst you knew your parents would be thrilled as long as you had a husband at the end of the day, you also knew giving your mother the opportunity to plan for a long period of time would be disastrous for keeping this marriage contained.

Considering it was a fake marriage as well, you felt guilty enough for even allowing them to pay for the ceremony.

“What date did you decide on?”

“Uh, well we’re hoping to talk to my parents this weekend about it,” you started, staring at the small desk calendar where you had pencilled in ‘meeting with family’. Forcing a smile despite being on the phone, you tapped at your desk for an answer to crop up. “But maybe a spring wedding?”

“Spring is only two and a half months away, Y/N! You don’t have time if you want to plan everything! Oh my goodness, that’s it! I’m putting myself in charge of helping you with this. As someone who is already married, I know what needs to be implemented immediately.”

“Oh, no I wouldn’t want to ask that of you.”

“I insist! So I’ll come around to your apartment after dinner tonight to get some of this inspiration really flowing, okay?”

So that’s how you ended up rushing through your final meeting for the day, dashing home and standing awkwardly in your front entryway letting Mina into your apartment soon after.

“It’s so cute!” she enthused, smiling brightly at you as she placed down her bag, looking around. She then turned to smile again at you. “I remember the days before Jihwan and I lived together. Though we moved in before our marriage because we couldn’t handle being apart from each other.”

You smiled as she giggled, and then you realised Mina was subtlety asking why you and Hyunwoo weren’t living together yet. You cleared your throat. “We have decided to move in after we’re married. Since we work side by side so intimately now, we already know we’ll be able to live together as well.”

“That makes some sense, though there’s always so much more to learn about the person once you start sharing the same space,” she agreed and you relaxed at her acceptance. “Oh! Can I use the bathroom? It’ll be the first time I get to go without an audience. My son tends to think the bathroom is public domain when Mummy is in there.”

Chuckling, you directed Mina to the right door and then set about making some tea whilst she was in there. When she returned, she was frowning. “Do you see Hyunwoo out of the office?”

“Of course I do, he’s my fiancé after all.”

Mina sat down and took the mug you held out to her, still perplexed. Then she turned to you for answers. “Does he not stay over?”

“He… he does.”

“It’s odd that he doesn’t see the convenience of leaving his toiletries here. I noticed there was no toothbrush in the jar next to yours and no sign of his skincare either. Come to think of it, there were no slippers in the doo-”

“He’s a little particular about these things,” you interrupted with a laugh that sounded desperate to regain her confidence. You were unsettled, feeling this magical world she had encompassed you in start to darken around the edges for the fake you truly were. You attempted to smile. “I’ve been trying to convince him to just keep a set of everything here for practicality for weeks now but he likes to use his own things from home and cart them over when he stays.”

“He sounds rather efficient.”

You relaxed, nodding with ease over a word you used to describe him often.

It was a shame that you yourself weren’t nearly as onto things as you thought you had been. Once Mina was gone, you rung Hyunwoo in a frantic state, barely stopping to listen to how sleepy he sounded on the other end. You glanced at the time, cringing at how late it was.

“Yes, Y/N?”

“Tomorrow after work, we need to go shopping.”

“Is this necessary?” Hyunwoo asked as you grabbed from the shelves and dumped multiple toothbrushes into your cart. He eyed your excessive number of items and then sighed. “I’m sure your explanation has eased her mind and it isn’t as if you will often have her over to your apartment.”

You nodded mindlessly, looking at shaving cream and then at Hyunwoo. He pressed his lips together in a firm line before stretching above you for the brand he preferred. He placed one into the cart and you reached for two others to stock in the cabinet under the sink. “I don’t think it was a once off, Hyunwoo. She’ll be back over again and this time I’ll be prepared for her.”

“With the way you’re preparing, it’s going to be overboard,” he commented with a sigh, shaking his head along with it.

And yet he humoured you.

He allowed you to grab for things you needed, chiding you for the items you didn’t. Soon, he was replacing your ill-informed choices with his own, laughing at you constantly. He even shunted you playfully when you reached for couple clothing. And unlike every other boyfriend you had tried this tactic in the past with, he didn’t object to it, smiling down at the matching outfits. You decided you had uncovered that Hyunwoo had a softer side to him than all the smarts suits and capable assistance you were too used of.

It made your heart skip without you quite understanding it.

“Shall we go get coffee?” you suggested and he nodded more freely than usual, smiling warmly at you as he pointed to a nearby café. You grinned and once your purchases were in the trunk of his car, you followed him into the coffee shop.

And then you stared up at him blankly.

Why didn’t you know what he drank? He could list off your order every time without missing a beat, and yet here you were trying to decide if he was an Americano or latte kind of guy.

What surprised you was Hyunwoo actually waited for you to decide. At work, whenever you hesitated, he would be prompt in sweeping in to speak for you, to direct the conversation in a way that you could effectively continue after his save. Right now, he was remaining tight-lipped, albeit with a ghost of a smile tugging up the corners of his mouth.

You let out a small indignant breath at him playing coy.

“Ma’am, your order?”

With a final glance in Hyunwoo’s direction, you ordered two drinks and then took the number handed to you by the clerk, firmly spinning around and moving to a table along the far wall. Hyunwoo chuckled when he sat down. “You don’t know anything about your fiancé.”

“Excuse me?!” you responded immediately, guilt filling your chest at his statement. He was entirely right but with the uncharacteristically playful expression still evident in his eyes, you didn’t want to back down either. “I happen to know some things about you.”

“Like?”

“You look really good in suits,” you admitted and you were certain his ears reddened at your compliment. It gave you instant confidence to continue. “And you look just as good out of them.”

“Huh.”

You smirked. “See, I know some things.”

“I guess you do,” he agreed, taking the drink the clerk handed to him and staring in at the contents. You were hesitant, hoping that an Americano was the right pick. Hyunwoo lifted the drink to his lips, smiling when he put it down after taking a sip. “Not bad.”

“You don’t drink it? I thought you’d be a simple coffee drinker. Nothing too fancy.”

“I’m actually fond of caramel macchiato,” he replied, surprising you at his choice.

You eyed him carefully, wondering if he was teasing you. Hyunwoo’s emotions didn’t betray him. You huffed. “So maybe I need to learn more about you then.”

He merely smiled, not denying nor agreeing with you. And the longer you stared at him smiling like that, you found yourself grinning back.

And then you giggled. “It’s like we’re dating, don’t you think?”

You hadn’t meant to blurt it out and cringed immediately at such a foolish remark. You weren’t deluded or anything, you knew Hyunwoo was here with you, going through all of this because of you. To assist you. And yet, when he smiled so easily like that, for the smallest of time, you wondered why you hadn’t seen this side to him until now.

You kind of liked it.

He didn’t seem put out by the statement, in fact, he was still smiling. Hyunwoo then glanced up at you, his eyes full of warmth. “Let’s class this as our first date then.”

_________________

Part 5

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