#and the countless time travel aus? yeah but which one

[starlit-dreaming]

me: lol yeah ive got a few chapters fleshed out and some planned so it should be done soon!!!!

also me: makES MORE WIP PROJECTS AND DECIDES TO THROW SELF OFF A CLIFF INTO OLD FANFICS TO READ KNOWING THAT IF THEYRE INCOMPLETE THEN THEYLL NEVER BE UPDATED CAUSE THE FANDOM WAS MORE ACTIVE SEVERAL YEARS AGO

[smakonca]

Finally! After two months of work I finished my Nightkiller animation.

As you can probably guess they were my favourite ship for a great while now. And I felt the urge to create a little something for them 'cause my interpretation of them both as characters and as a ship differs from their canon versions. Aaaaand I absolutely love this song.

So yeah! Please enjoy and reblog if you like it! I put a lot of blood 'n tears into this.

Credits:

Killer belongs to rahafwabas

Nightmare belongs to Jokublog

Song: Нина by OQJAV

The story:

As we all know, Nightmare was in need of a henchman, so he went to Killer's AU to recruit him. This was the main reason, right?

But why was Nightmare interested particularly in Killer? There are plenty of Au's to find subordinates or slaves. Why of all people or monsters was he the one to catch the king's attention? 

Even Nightmare himself does not know. Or maybe he knows. But some things are better when left unspoken. 

He was fully aware of what happened in Killertale and knew about the horrors and suffering Killer had to go through. He wasn't perfect. Nor was he the easiest to manipulate. 

But then again... Why? Was it a simple interest? The loneliness that followed him throughout the centuries? The need for negativity? Or something else? 

Perhaps something even Nightmare won't ever admit. 

A little spark of sympathy. 

After killing everyone in his AU countless times, Killer realized there's nothing left of him. Nothing that would really hold him to his world anymore. He made a deal with a human so as to feel "something new" only to find himself bored again. 

Not only that but he also crossed the line of his morals, betraying everyone he once cared about. Until even their departure meant nothing. He survived through the loss, the pain, the blood on his hands... 

And here he sits. In his once favorite bar. With a glass in his hands. Feeling nothing. Nothing, except for boredom. 

Then suddenly… he appeared. 

And he walked in. 

Without a greeting or a proper introduction. Demanding for a drink. 

His entire silhouette screamed that he was dangerous. Dangerous, yet graceful.

Dark emerald bones, a giant coat and four strange appendages behind his back, resembling tentacles. 

Nightmare was always the one to leave an impression after himself. But this time, however, he didn't go straight to the point. 

He wanted to know whether Killer was worthy of his offer.

So Nightmare made a joke. A bad one, indeed. Mocking the Killer with the loss of once his dearest friend and bartender. Grillby. 

But Killer surprised him. 

Instead of panicking, asking questions or going for Nightmare's throat for such arrogance, he didn't even flinch. 

Instead he smiled. With a twinkle in his black eye sockets. And poured him a drink. As Nightmare demanded. 

Killer felt a slight cold when the stranger sat near him. 

Something was telling him not to trust, not to listen. Not to even look at him. 

But there was no one to talk to anymore. There was no one alive anymore.

Except him. An enigmatic stranger. 

He said he was a traveler. A seeker. For the lost and forsaken by fate. 

They talked for a little. Killer wouldn't remember the theme of the conversation, even if he tried. 

But Nightmare... He never forgot. And never will. 

As Killer will never forget the moment the mystic stranger offered him a hand. And an opportunity to leave this place. Once and forever.

An opportunity to feel something new. 

Killer knew it wasn't a sane thing to do. But there was something about a person sitting right next to him.

Was it his inscrutable and sly smile? Was it a strange sense of pain and cold, which followed him as a perfume? Or was it a strange resemblance of Killer's own appearance? 

However, Killer knew for sure that his conversationalist made him feel something he did not feel for a very long time. Or maybe he forgot how to. 

A pure curiosity.

He looked in Nightmare's azure eye yet again. And he spotted a little spark too. As he was waiting for Killer's decision. 

He hesitated a little before finally accepting the offer. 

Killer felt the tentacles envelop him, as the world itself disappeared before his eyes. 

In a slight panic he looked into the stranger's face. He let out a short laugh and finally told Killer his name.

The life of Nightmare's subordinate wasn't an easy one. 

The king of negativity pulled the strings as he wanted to. Playing with Killer as he wanted to. 

Poisoning him with his own hate and guilt. 

And yet Killer stayed. He thought of this as a punishment. For everything he has done to his family and friends. He felt like he deserved it. 

For a long time Killer despised Nightmare. 

He went with him in an attempt to forget about his past. Only to be captured instead. Turned into a murderer, who enjoys hurting others, enjoys the suffering he brings. 

Nightmare was alone for a very long time. So when Killer joined his company he did not know what to do with him for a great while. 

He thrived on his subordinate's negative emotions. Destroying any memories about sympathy towards Killer he once felt . 

He wanted to be seen as dangerous, unmerciful and bloodthirsty. Because that's what the world demanded him to be. Nightmare thought it was the only way to receive respect. The only way to be himself... 

But times have changed. As did the relationship between these two. They became closer. 

It's hard to deny that they both were lost, longing for someone to be by their side. Someone, who could understand them. 

Nightmare unintentionally started opening up to Killer. Showing that there's a little more to him than just cruelty and arrogance. 

They became fond of each other, but it still wasn't affection. 

Nightmare did this out of boredom. After all, when you live for such a long time you tend to forget how mortals view their existence. You forget how to enjoy the world around you. Because in the end you're going to outlive even the time itself. 

Killer did this mainly to find Nightmare's weak sides. In order to hurt him like he did. And finally be free. 

And yet sometimes they felt peace while being in each other's company, becoming dependent on each other's existence in their lives. 

It all changed suddenly when risking his own life Killer protected Nightmare during their mission. 

And the king was confused. 

Why did he do it? Why despite all the things Nightmare did to him he still stayed? 

Was it dependence? A blind obedience? 

Killer also did not know. 

Part of him wanted to run from Nightmare, but part of him wanted to stay. 

Maybe because he hoped for something better. For things to change. As Nightmare was the only one who made him feel something. 

At that exact moment he felt like he had to protect. 

This occasion led to Nightmare being interested in Killer's behavior towards him. 

He decided that he wanted to play with him. To manipulate. To destroy him as a person. And see for himself, whether he will stay with Nightmare. 

But it wasn't only that. 

All his life Nightmare didn't receive anything but hate. He does not know how to show genuine affection towards someone. He does not know how to love... Or how to be loved. 

That time when Killer valued Nightmare’s immortal life more than his own. That exact moment of pure determination. This is what made Nightmare question their relationship. 

No longer was Killer a regular pawn. A tool in his useful hands. He was something more…

Nightmare felt like he started to worry about Killer when he went on missions. He sought for his company. 

He started to show affection. And care. And he wanted to get rid of them immediately. 

He wanted to be this immortal being without weaknesses. Without anyone dragging him down. 

So Nightmare decided to "play cards" with Killer. A game for his own life.

Killer knew it from the start. He learned every little detail about his boss, realizing how scared Nightmare actually was. Scared of being alone and scared of truly caring about someone. 

And behind all the masks Nightmare wore he managed to see the truth. 

The king was lonely and lost. Pathetic even. Desperately wanting someone to care about him. Even his royal image couldn't hide it. 

Killer thought the two could play this game.

After all, there was no victory for both of them. Nightmare knew Killer would lose to him anyway, but wasn't aware that his loss was inevitable too.

Since then both of them wanted to stay close. They never said it out loud. They perhaps never will. But they were busting with desire to be together.

Killer started first by offering Nightmare a rose. A red one. After all, red is a color of both blood and love. And roses are extremely beautiful. Even if they are full of thorns. 

As Nightmare himself.

The king of negativity was baffled. How could he allow it? How could he start to care? 

He tried to hide it. With the glass full of wine, which represents all his negative emotions. The poison. No one will ever want to drink. 

Or... not? 

And then he received the rose. Received Killer's offering to him. And accepted. 

And also offered him a drink. As once Killer did. Finally allowing himself to be weak, to show affection.

They shared a moment of passion together. 

Even though it hurt, even though it was painful, they managed to find peace for once. 

Killer smiled at Nightmare, for the first time in a long while feeling happy. 

Of course such positivity hurt Nightmare. Burned him like fire. But it was a fair price for an opportunity to be loved. To truly matter to someone. 

And he smiled back. Sincerely and tenderly. Allowing himself to break the chains and love. Allowing someone to love him back.

Unfortunately, happiness doesn't last forever. 

Nor does life. 

Nightmare knew this day would come. He knew he was going to outlive Killer anyway. But he was trapped by his feelings, trapped by the sweet poison of love. 

And he lost him. Killer turned into dust in his arms.

And while he was dying he cracked a little joke as Nightmare once did to him. Laughing in the face of death itself.

Nightmare was punished by fate itself once again. For his arrogance, for his cruelty. For looking down on life. 

There's nothing in this world more painful than losing someone close to your heart. 

And he lost Killer. 

The only thing left of him was his jacket. And the rose, which soon wilted. Leaving Nightmare alone in his castle.

Until the end of time.

[bi-naesala]

Scars

(Kinktober 28: Daddy & Mommy | Body Worship | Cockbulge)

Post Persona 3, Shinjiro Lives AU, Scars, Top Surgery, Trans Akihiko, Body Worship, Porn with Feelings, Vaginal Sex

Akihiko and Shinjiro get intimate again after the latter wakes up from the coma. Everything should be good, but Akihiko's worried that the way his body has changed might be a turn-off for Shinjiro, whose only option is to prove him wrong.

(AO3 link)

(Fic under the cut)

Shinjiro almost finds it funny how, out of the two of them, Akihiko’s the one who’s insecure about his body, his well-toned and very hot body, and not him, the one who’s been in a coma for almost a year and has barely exercised afterwards – he just can’t be bothered, honestly.

“My chest is…” Akihiko mutters, gesturing to the general area in question.

“Yeah, you got your tits cut off, so?” Shinjiro asks. “I knew from the start that it was going to happen.”

Sure, they were soft and nice, and he loved burying his face between them, but they made Akihiko feel bad about himself; Shinjiro’s happy he got them removed.

“But the scars…”

At that, Shinjiro scoffs. “I have scars too, you know? Wanna compare?”

“… There’s a lot of them.”

Shinjiro sighs. Yeah, Aki travelled the world and got fucked up a bit, so? It’s not like he’s any better.

“Aki,” he begins, taking his face between his hands, forcing him to look at him in the eyes. “Do you really think I give a shit about what you look like?”

Akihiko hesitates only for a moment, before weakly shaking his head.

“That’s right,” and with that, Shinjiro drags him for a heated kiss to which Akihiko succumbs immediately, letting him hold the reins, as Shinjiro presses his body against his, wrapping his arms around his frame and sneaking his tongue past his lips.

Akihiko moans, shivering at the touch. Hearing that spurns Shinjiro on, as he pushes the other down on the mattress, settling between his legs.

It’s then that he starts to slowly, oh-so-slowly, remove his clothes, kissing the parts of his body that get  revealed as he goes on.

Akihiko wasn’t lying when he said he was full of scars: endless patterns crisscrossing on his skin, signs of the countless fights he’s pulled through in his life.

Part of him wants to punch him for being this reckless – seriously, would it hurt him not to rush into things without thinking? – but hey, at least he’s still alive, isn’t he?

In a way, these scars are badges of honor, because no matter how though the fight was, he always came out on top and… okay, fine, they’re hot too, okay? He’s admitted it – they certainly look better than his scars.

It’s endearing how much Akihiko squirms each time he presses his lips against the ruined skin, pressing soft kisses wherever he likes; well, he’s always been pretty sensitive, but never to this level, at least as Shinjiro recalls, though his memory is a bit hazy thanks to the coma, so he might be simply remembering things wrong.

It’s probably nothing, but he can’t help but to worry either way – he really doesn’t want to fuck this up, not when it’s been so long since the last time they could touch and hold each other like this.

“Hey…” he mutters, stopping the effusions just for a moment. “You good?”

Akihiko nods, though he can’t hide the fact that he’s tearing up, not from Shinjiro, who’s known him since forever. “Yeah, it’s just… a lot.”

“A good kind of ‘a lot’, or a bad kind?”

“Good… God, yes, good.” He cups Shinjiro’s face between his hands. “I can’t believe you… I’ve missed you so much.”

At those words, all Shinjiro can do is to kiss him, as if that will ever be enough to make up for all the pain he’s caused him, but it’s a start. Akihiko puts no resistance when he presses his tongue past his lips, welcoming him while placing his arms around his shoulders, holding him.

This is more than Shinjiro deserves, but… He’s trying to cut it out with all this self-loathing shit – everyone’s been telling him that it’s for the best – and to just accept the good things that are coming his way, so he sucks it up and keeps kissing Aki over and over again, until their lips are all bruised and puffy for the excessive use.

He is the first one to pull away, doing it only so that he can kiss down his neck, then his shoulder, only to move even further down, to his chest, which he lavishes with licks and kisses, sucking a few marks that he hopes will last at least a couple of days; to tell the truth, the idea of marking Aki sets something on fire inside him, but he tries to quell it down: now it’s not the time to be rough. Some other day, he’ll ruin him, but not today.

He spends a lot of time on his long surgery scars. They’re faded, now, and are barely visible in contrast with Akihiko’s already pale skin, but they can still be felt to the touch; they do seem to be a bit irregular, but Shinjiro’s willing to bet it’s because the idiot probably didn’t follow the doctor’s instructions and didn’t rest properly until they were completely healed.

Still, out of all the scars on his body, these are the ones he likes the most, because he knows they make Akihiko happy.

He takes his time with them, peppering them with kisses, while with his hands he caresses his hips, his ass, his legs, wherever he can reach.

Akihiko’s making the sweetest sounds, encouraging him to keep going. Fuck, he’s missed this so much.

It’s so weird, being glad for being alive, but if he weren’t, then he wouldn’t experience this, and that would be absolutely fucking terrible.

When Shinjiro brings his hand between Akihiko’s legs, he finds out that he’s already drenched.

“Christ, Aki…” he moans, slipping two fingers in, marveling at how smoothly they go inside, meeting no resistance whatsoever.

“S-Shinji!” Akihiko moans, holding him tightly in his arms while he starts to fuck him with his fingers. “Shinji! Shinji! Shinji!”

He’s close already, very, very close.

“Shinji… Inside, please! I need you!” he begs him, then, and who’s Shinjiro to tell him no?

He removes his fingers, replacing them with his cock, which would’ve been easier if Akihiko had let him go even for just a moment, but oh well, it’s done now – besides, it’s not like he doesn’t find all this attachment endearing.

He moves slowly, tenderly holding the body underneath him, gently pressing their foreheads together.

“Shinji… I love you,” Akihiko moans. Shinjiro can feel a slight burn on his back; he’s holding onto him, sinking his nails in his flesh – that’ll definitely leave a mark, a less permanent mark than the scars on their bodies, but Shinjiro doesn’t care.

“Me too, Aki… Me too,” he replies, before kissing him.

Akihiko is the first to come, but Shinjiro follows right after, burying himself deep inside him as he does so, making the other shiver at the sensation.

When he pulls away, he moves slowly, before collapsing on Akihiko, who grunts, but otherwise doesn’t push him away; actually, he looks like he’s enjoying having a “weighted blanket”.

“Fuck…” Shinjiro mutters, making Akihiko chuckle.

���That’s exactly what we’ve just done,” he replies, looking way too proud of the stupid joke he just did. Shinjiro smacks his head, not as heavily as he would’ve wanted, but he’s tired.

“Who taught you to talk like that? I’d like to have a few words with them,” he asks.

This time, Akihiko outright laughs.

The last memory Shinjiro has of him – one of the last, at least – it’s of him, distraught, trying to hold back tears as he watched him – supposedly – die.

This Akihiko, the one in front of him, looks completely different: he’s grown up, for starters, but also… Shinjiro can see that he’s truly happy.

Needless to say, he much prefers this version.

[jamiscrazy4krerdly]

The he/she/ghoul demigirl Catti fan focusing on ghoul not showing up in the spamton sweepstakes nor the newsletters: shriveled up, wilting away, beating up a pillow VS the he/she/ghoul demigirl Catti fan that realizes Toby Fox is intentionally hiding ghoul away because ghoul is the playable character of chapters 3-5: jumping up in joy, thriving, feeling the sun against their skin. (aw yeah progress report time >:3)

STUFF IS HAPPENING!!!! Wowowow so much stuffs its crazy how much stuffs is… I don’t… it’s… uhm, happening?!! I thought I should clear some shits up. Ok so basically I’m working on four simultaneous projects somehow!!! Two AUs (“Mystery Delta Dungeon” and Deltaswap Inspired “Delta Scene Change” title STILL pending) and the fourth and fifth iteration in my kind of Deltarune… Krerdly… series?? Idk what to call it but just know that that’s happening! The two new mainline fics don’t overlap too-too much which means working on both sort of at the same time is pretty stress free in the continuation department. Soo those are going smoothly (even if they’re still both kinda in the draft phase) and I’m really happy with the vibes there!! I actually decided to implement the fourth in the middle of the fifth so it’s more of a compliment to the series than anything but I definitely think it’s needed and a super welcome addition in my opini-onion. *~^* ~

The order I’m aiming to release my projs is Delta Dungeon 1st -> Delta Scene Change 2nd -> Pieromancer 3rd -> Boons and Banes of Love 4th! I think THINK (think) that Delta Dungeon could be finished by this year if I do a good job ;^> but don’t count on it because deadlines were my downfall for my last upload “Cosmetic Heart Container”. ònó I made the setting a friggin mall and pulled that “big fish small pond” shit at a MALL like omg there was so much… potential and I frew it all up but WHATEVER I’m proud of the buildup!! Just wish I didn’t have to spoil my own fun with deadlines (fuck deadlines)… maybe I’ll rewrite a sort of continuation for that fic and double it’s size when everything else is said and done?? I’ll see!!!! It definitely deserves justice!!

Speaking of aftermaths: I’ve been rolling the idea of a Catti-focused fic in my brain for a bit now. Don’t know about the nitty gritty details but after everything I think it could be fun to promote “major side character” to “main character” and see what happens. Don’t want to pull a Spamton NEO and drop dead after I sever my last string from Deltarune lol (ouch @o@) (won’t happen anytime soon @v@‘).

Since I posted Krises last time I felt like doing sneak peaks, here’s some supplemental Berdlys to keep them company.

Auugh the quality!! Sorry I blended the pixels and made a smoothie out of them. :( It was tasty tho.

Ok enough business it’s me time and I’m kicking it off with a huge announcement. I’m not afraid to say it anymore… I really like Gyftrot Noelle. I REALLY like Gyftrot Noelle!!!!! There’s something about her that speaks to me mhm mhm. My first experience with the concept was through the design done by @pespillo but while searching for references I also saw some really cute ones by @undertalegorls so definitely go and dig through their profiles to see the vision! ì.í

Okay I have to cut the silliness short because it’s time for… spontaneous Animal Crossing Headcanons!!

Kris Moment!!!

Bug Enthusiast Bug House Bug Island Only Bugs 3 Golden Nets In Inventory Flick’s Best Friend Flick Cosplayer Completed Bug Museum within 24 Hours via time traveling

Ugliest villagers imaginable

Most crafted item: pitfall seed

Crazy good at Hide-And-Seek, cracked custom outfit designer (countless horned-hat QR-codes)

Hates Blathers

“Sings” along at K.K. Slider concerts,

“Make Flick and CJ gay wedding real right now @NinninedoOfficial @NinninedoOfficial @NinninedoOfficial”

Programs the wedding themself out of spite.

Reaction Wheel - Mischief/Let’s Go/Sleepy/Cold Chill/Scare/Stretch/Sniff Sniff/Sneezing

Wordy Berd(l)y

Time Traveler Anti “I-IT’S CHEATING!!”

Achievement Enthusiast (according to his passport)

Doesn’t realize unlimited tasks are unlimited

Buys turnips up the wazoo but gets horrible selling price luck (always needs to use Noelle’s shop)

Keeps track of exact tool durability and customizes his tools different colors to refresh it

Can’t figure out why he doesn’t have every reaction

“Intellectual villagers ONLY” (that’s why)

Crushes on AND kins Raymond, very seriously considers getting a yellow or blue eye-contact to match his heterochromia

Hangs up all his villagers’ photos like trophies, including dupes

Regularly rants about his villagers to Kris (“Why is it that Raymond can spontaneously profess his love for me but YOU CAN’T?!”)

Cannot for the life of him make a pretty island, to his dismay

#1 Pocket Camp Hater

Blathers kinny

“Kris don’t let me fall asleep it is absolutely vital that I wish for star fragments tonight.”

Reaction Wheel - Pride/Aggravation/Thought/Smirking/Behold/Amazed/Mistaken/Heartbreak

Catti (Wow)

Queen of Nookazon

Hacked star trees

INVENTS fashion

Infamous haunted island dreamcode

Always has a matching umbrella

Favorite NPC is Brewster

“Wand-outfit slots… increase them.”

Reaction Wheel - Haunt/Take a Picture/Yoga/Resignation/Disagreement/Agreement/Intense/Work It

The bunny outside is frightful, Noelle

Cannot stop playing Happy Home Designer DLC

Permanently sets island to Winter

Terrified of Zipper the bunny

Completely normal about the New Leaf soundtrack being BETTER

Furnished extra houses for her family

Extremely attached to her villagers and convinced Catti and Ralsei to help her write fan-fiction for them

Takes animal crossing personality quizzes religiously

Highest HHA score out of her friends but doesn’t tell Berdly

Somebody get this girl more co-op features she is desperate.

Reaction Wheel - Eager/Pleased/Sighing/Sheepishness/Curiosity/Distress/Act Natural

Introducing… Ralsei!

Prince of Amiibo Cards (scans one every day because they are all his friends)

Really wants to show his friends every part of his island

Treats villagers like royalty

Can’t say no to villager requests

Posts ethereal flower patch combos

90% of his island consists of flower fields

Never had to look up a single fake painting tutorial

Jumped in joy at the food update

Mails letters to all his residents every day.

Reaction Wheel - Greetings/Wave Goodbye/Confetti/Glee/Delight/Worry/Apologetic/Here You Go

If anyone’s allowed to crash directly into the studio it’s Susie.

Borrows everyone else’s Switch to play

Runs everywhere holding an axe

Extremely emotional about fishing results

Goes out of her way to ask Blathers about fossils and responds with “woooah” every single time without fail

Claims the dinosaur exhibit is her favorite but finds all of the museum extremely relaxing

Dives off balconies into the water over and over

Sells everything through the drop-off box

Loves goofing around in Harv’s island

“The hell you mean you don’t grow rocks in your rock garden?”

Ralsei lets her terraform whatever she wants and builds off of it

Genuinely upset that she can’t terraform higher than 4 levels

“MOSS UPDATE??!”

Reaction Wheel - Flex/Encouraging/Curiosity/Laughter/Day Dreaming/Excited/Bashfulness/Shocked

And if anyone wants to visit MY island my Dream Address is DA-8935-5288-7510 ùvú

Also to contextualize this seemingly random Animal Crossing section, I’m sure some of you won’t be surprised to hear that before I was crisping chicken I was… a Marshmond maniac. *insert ominous thunder flash* Marshmond stands for Marshal and Raymond btw. Krerdly is definitely more Bob x Raymond lean, though…

Speaking of related characters!! I’ve been keeping track of kin-lists for my fav trio on the side. Here’s what I got so far!!

Kris Kins: Karkat (Homestuck) - Flick (Animal Crossing) - Link (The Legends of Zelda) - Beast Boy (Teen Titans) - Gnabbit (Mario Bros.) - Mae Borowski (Night In The Woods) - Bax Twiford (Ikenfell) - Metal Sonic (Sonic The Hedgehog) - Gramble Gigglefunny (Bugsnax) - Prince of Ouji (Katamari) - Creeper (Minecraft) - Courtney (Paranormal Park) - The Devil (Cuphead) - Magalor (Kirby)

Berdly Kins: Tobey McCallister (Word Girl) - Falco Lombardi (Starfox) - Revali (The Legends Of Zelda) - Waluigi (Mario Bros.) - Blathers (Animal Crossing) - Ibn Oxley (Ikenfell) - Lace (Hollow Knight: Silksong) - Jet The Hawk (Sonic Riders) - Snorpy Fizzlebean (Bugsnax) - Amity Blight (The Owl House) - Miles Edgeworth (Pheonix Wright: Ace Attorney) - Ren (Oxenfree) - King Dice (Cuphead) - Sheldon (Splatoon)

Catti Kins: Raven (Teen Titans) - Bea (Night In The Woods) - Blaze The Cat (Sonic) - Beffica Winklesnoot (Bugsnax) - Katrina (Animal Crossing) - M’ggie (Broken Age) - Magic Witch Ashley (WarioWare)

“You better be afraid of the great CA-A-TTI!”

~~ OK ANYWAYS ~~

~~ LIGHTNING ROUND ~~

~~ DIRECTLY FROM MY NOTES APP ~~

~~ LET’S GO!! ~~

Kris and Susie going as Flick and CJ for Halloween.

Berdly asks Catti if they can go as Blathers and Celeste to follow suit and there is 1 (one) universe where ghoul says yes.

Kris and Susie love Bugsnax fr fr.

Kris and Berdly go bonkers over Bug Fables. Cosplay Group: Catti Lief, Berdly Kabbu, Kris Vi, Jockington Chompy.

Krerdly is so bogus binted x papers printed core <3

Berdly is Yikking out! (Leans in to kiss Kris at QC’s Diner without warning, they demand he never try to do so ever again.)

Kris pestering Berdly with “if. you. were. gay, da na-na na-na na-na. that’da. be. o-k. da na-na na-na na-na” all of pride month.

Catti and Noelle as the “should I kill off the characters in my book to make it more interesting?” audio.

Ralsei: Slay!! Noelle, internally: Sleigh??

Noelle, sweating and holding up a paw: Sorry I’m late, I was the man behind the slaughter! Susie, blowing steam out of her nose: I’m stuff…. wait what?

(To the tune of Fairly Odd Parents Theme Song) The trash and mash in that school stash Just gave out instantly When the magic little goat hidin’ his every dote Gave a prophecy!

“BANG, BANG, BANG STRAIGHT THROUGH MY HEEAAARRT” -Kris every moment of every day after creating 77 original animation memes

“Pray tell, companion of mine, what is this… “jiggle jiggle skin” you are referring to?” -Player 1

“Glizzyyy” -Player 2 110%

Berdly HATES jellybeans because they’re awful and manipulative

For that last one I originally wrote down that Berdly really liked jellybeans because they just seemed to fit his palette in my mind until I ate one that made me wanna puke and decided it wasn’t meant to be.

Also also idk where to put this but there’s this one scene in Broken Age after Vella escapes the sacrifice ceremony where she’s standing on the back of a giant blue bird flying through the sky in her ripped dress and a knife in her mouth and I’ve never wanted Kris to take the place of another character so badly before… (Berdly makes a fun Shay replacement also but the big blue bird is clearly the hanging fruit here)

Ok! Cool! Good post! Awesome job! Thanks for sticking around. Play Ikenfell, Chicory, and A Short Hike. Don’t forget to totally look at my island lol I definitely didn’t speedrun finishing it just for this post lol. Appreciate cha if you do (DA-8935-5288-7510). Amazingness. Goodnight gamers.

Posted July 27th, 2023. Sparkle Sparkle.

[blackgoldaster]

The horrors of the Undertale Multiverse...

(Aka what was supposed to be a vent post but turned into a fanfic....)

Imagine: you have a tragic backstory only known to you. You smile and joke to hide the pain, your brother is the most important thing to you. Oh yeah, you're also haunted by a time-travelling flower, as well as a higher dimensional being controlling a human attached with the soulless remains of another human, which may either give you a semi-happy ending, or tear it all down and start again. 

You know this from your observations, from the reports, from the broken machine in your basement. But lets say that you got your happy ending. Lets say you even managed to fix the machine alongside your good pal Alphys.

Your good pal who has studied alternate universes.... 

Imagine not just fixing it but improving it, not enough to go back, but enough to see reality itself.

Now, what do you think you would see? Well, a lot that's for sure, probably some, or a lot of good things really... you should focus on that...after all you got a happy ending....

Why should the literally infinite suffering in all the other AUs matter to you?

Then, you get invited to meet other AU charactes. Neat! you think. Your scientific curiosity is peaked. But once you're there, you realise...

It's all you.

But different at the same time.

What are they like? You meet a self where your own beloved brother abuses you, where the entire underground has gone to hell.

You meet one where your and your bro's personalities seem to be swapped, but also not, for the two skeletons may look like you and your bro, but they behave like neither of you...

But then there's the self that seems to be a future version of you, with a red scar, and your bro's scarf which gives you deja vu of a certain outcome of your own universe you swear you have seen before....

There's more of course, like that one who killed everyone and appearantly hallucinates your bro, the one who eats people, the one that seems to be a fusion between you and HIM....

But then, there are these strange "outcodes" as they call themselves...

One who inspires/embodies/created the multiverse (its unclear to you which)...

A parasite which memeifies those it possesses...

One who embodies positivity...

One who embodies negativity (and reminds you of HIM)...

And one who seeks to destroy the multiverse....

And finally one who seeks to restore his world...

All of them you, a lot of them malicious, all casually talking to each other like nothing is wrong...

Silliness ensues, they're having a blast really, you join them, thinking, if they can enjoy it, then you can too...

Yet you wonder why your bro seems to be missing....

Then, the party is crashed... appearantly there is an enemy of the multiverse, someone who everyone hates, someone whose far worse than all your awful AU selves combined...

And he just appeared... dressed in X's....

It's HIM!

And all your alternate selves retaliated. They fought and fought, until... well, you didnt know what happened, but a monochrone kid appeared, a goner, of a person very familiar to you...

"Frisk?"

It was only a split second before a storm of darkness appeared, and countless versions of HIM appeared, surrounding X. All wearing masks...

Masks of mockery.

But behind those masks, you could hear screaming...

As they all dragged X to the VOID where HE belongs

The you's were all cheering, as they were comforting each other, talking about how HE "can't hurt you anymore"...

You're smile faltered in pure horror for a moment, but quickly recovered... you decided to take a short cut back to home...

...

You decided to visit a certain gray door.

You had to find out more about that goner, about what you witnessed...

After tampering with the machine, you managed to summon the gray door, the same gray door Frisk had encountered in one of their 'runs'

You decide to enter... and find HIM... the same Mystery Man Frisk had encountered...

Or as you knew him, the remains of W.D. GASTER.

You know what you had to do. You had to interact with him... so you did...

And you both disapeared into the void.

And yet, where the Mystery Man stood, now stood two realities. One was happy, where Gaster took care of a young you and your bro. Appearently, he was your dad in that universe.

The other one was horrifying, where Gaster tortured you and your poor bro in the name of Science....And yet, appearantly he was your dad too...

Then the scene changes, in the first reality, the CORE malfunctions, and your dad falls into the core...you see yourself crying...

Yet in the second reality, you are the one who pushes him into the core, you catch him completely of guard, and you're full of rage.

Then, the scene shifts yet again, to countless realities, countless possibilities, some which you had heard and seen before, others which you couldn't even imagine. And yet they all followed the same patterns. The huge majority centered around you. A lot of AUs were repeats of each other. And the villains, almost always lead to those three. The flower, the demon, and the Man. And no one else.

Then the scene shifted yet again, and all you saw were the three villains, chained by the darkness. You knew they did awful things, you saw it after all, you felt utter rage towards them. 

But then, why should you be any better? After all, it wasn't just these three who were awful...You also saw countless versions of yourself who were awful, hell, you saw other people you knew who were awful in those universes... So why should you and they get to have a happy ending, when you and they were no better than the villains being punished in front of you?

You decide, as much as they deserve this hell, its not fair if only they get blamed. So you decide to save them. You turn their souls blue.

Except, none of these three had a soul. Your magic didnt work. And then, you saw the goner Frisk again... and they spoke with an apathethic smile.

'There is a lot of evil in the multiverse, but there is a lot of good in the multiverse too.'

You asked back, equally apathethic, "That may be true, but then why do only these three get punished and no one else? And where are their souls?"

"Their bodies get punished because that is the law of the multiverse, whereas their souls atone by embracing the will of the creators"

You shuddered at the word creators, and as you did, you saw the same red & green strings that you saw in your basement machine envelop the goner Frisk, as well as the three empty vessels of the villains.

The same strings as the anomaly.

You looked at yourself...

They enveloped you too.

...

You shortcutted out of the void. There was no point in saving any of them if the anomaly controlled them... if they controlled you...

You went to the grave of the first fallen child. There you encountered the flower, and the Mystery Man behind them... and you asked all three villains to erase your memory.

The flower was hesitant, but the Mystery Man complied, and the fallen child ended up erasing your memory.

...

Sans was happy that this timeline had a happy ending. It seems that the world wouldn't reset itself either. And yet, as he took one last look at the basement machine, he noticed a note that he didn't remember putting there...yet it was in his handwriting. 

It simply said: forget

[simping-impact]

Kamisato Siblings, at your Service!

A/N: This is just pure brainrot. Planning to give this a part 2 but we will see if my motivation is still up to do it.

Summary: Honestly it’s just you whaling for the siblings lol

Warnings: SAGAU (i think thats it honestly)

Ever since you were isekai’d to the world of genshin. You were expecting for the worst outcome because of the countless impostor AU’s you’ve been reading, instead you were greeted by peaceful winds and kind npc’s who couldn’t identify who you were.

People weren’t enraged when you set foot in mondstadt. They saw you as a traveler from a different nation. Though the 5 star characters did recognize you. They recognized you and they all got down to their knees and worshipped you. They were all quick to offer their riches and services to you. Diluc even offered to be your personal bodyguard. Which made venti jealous and proceeded to fight the red haired man, claiming “I’m Barbatos! The god of anemo! I should be the one protecting their grace!” Which just further resulted to more conflict. You didn’t want to be caged and constrained. So while everyone was at each others necks, you flee from mondstadt and seeked shelter in an abandoned house somewhere in between liyue and mondstadt.

It’s been months since that predicament. You heard from passerby’s that mondstadt has spread word to the other nations that the divine creator is somewhere in teyvat. It honestly just made your life a hassle. You were constantly moving from one abandoned house to another. You even have tried to stay at the island near mondstadt that wasn’t on the map but to no avail. Apparently jean and venti remembered you taking them there (when you were doing the quest) and stationed guards there to assist you just in case you went there.

Liyue, on the other hand, had the adepti’s travelling from place to place everyday just to see if they can finally find their missing creator. Xiao was the one who always finds you. Which was irritating because you’re just so tired from going to another place on repeat. The geovishaps try to buy you time from escaping but they were only 2 hits for xiao before they die. You curse yourself from giving xiao such monstrous build. You were lucky at the last time you escaped xiao he was fighting cryo and hydro abyss mages with multiple cryo and hydro slimes. He was getting freezed constantly, buying you enough time to run to liyue harbor and fitting yourself in a box that was in a ship headed to inazuma.

Yeah- your acolytes are annoying to escape from.

As you stayed in an abandoned house somewhere in narukami island, you found out that genshin still works in your phone. You spent your days playing genshin even though you’re inside the game. When you heard that Ayato was the new character being released, you were on a nonstop grind. Apparently playing genshin while inside genshin has it’s benefits. You had infinite welkin and BP, making your life so much easier when farming for primogems. It wasn’t long before you managed to get enough money to bring the yashiro commisioner home. As you stared at his banner, you prayed to any archon and even to yourself (because you’re God, apparently) and wished for him. The night sky was suddenly filled with shooting stars in the colors of blue and occasional purples. You were in awe at the sight. ‘So this is how wishing looks for them’. Unbeknownst to you, everyone from inazuma went out of their houses, relieved to see the creator still well and alive. They wonder who is the lucky person who will be given the blessing of connecting with the divine creator. Who is the person that will get the golden star. As you hit 75 pity, you finally saw that golden star. And when you looked above the sky, that golden star brightly glowed in the dark sky. You even mistook it as a firework. But it wasn’t. You closed your eyes, fearing on losing another 50/50.

Ayato was calmly watching their creator blessing them a myriad of shooting stars. Feeling the relief of their creator being well and still caring for teyvat. His eyes widened as he saw the golden star that was glowing brightly. He felt a pang of jealousy hit him when thinking that it means their god had blessed someone in inazuma with their everlasting presence. He remembered the countless times Ayaka and him waited for their golden star, only to not be blessed. Those feelings were amplified when thoma received not one, but three purple stars. He wouldn’t mind getting atleast a purple one. Even a blue one. But all those feelings and memories disappeared as he saw the golden star was directly falling to him. “No..” he whispered as he held his hand out to the star that slowed down when it came near his palm. The star glowed brightly and he was instantly filled with warmth. Ayaka was also shocked at the sight in front of her. Ayato tears fall from his face as he heard a faint voice of the divine creator telling him “Welcome home, Ayato!”

You squealed when you saw ayato came home. “WELCOME HOME AYATO!!!” You exclaimed as you jumped up and down in joy. You were so overjoyed that you forgot the one problem you encountered while farming.

You couldn’t farm their ascension and talent materials for some reason.

As you sat down again, being bummed out by that. In the corner of your eye you saw your phone glow. Glancing back down to the device you were shocked to see the banner changing again.

It was Ayaka’s banner now.

You looked at your phone and to the night sky and thought ‘well, there’s no harm in wishing for the other sibling is there?’ And with that, another wave of blues and purples filled the night sky.

You swear you heard a distant cry when the gold star fell somewhere near the kamisato estate again.

[childeaether]

scholarship.

cw: 18+ only, zhongli/f!reader, professor/student relationships, camgirl au, dragon dildo fuckery

wc: 2.2k

zhongli sighed as he shrugged off his jacket and loosened his tie with his free hand. he was exhausted. today’s lecture had been a long one, and his class was definitely going to need a curve on this upcoming test grade. he’d tried to help them understand the topic. he’d tried assigning a lighter workload. none of it worked. it was like teaching to a brick wall.

he needed to decompress.

he grabbed his laptop and sat on the couch. there was already a box of tissues and a bottle of lotion on the end table. he’d anticipated this. it had become an obsession recently.

he opened his laptop and typed the url into the search bar.

angelsofteyvat.com

he knew this website well. it had started satiating his cravings at 9 pm every day for the last month. he almost wished he’d never found it.

glazedlily is now live!

right on time.

he quickly clicked on the profile and joined the livestream. and there you were, all dolled up, wearing only your bra and panties. it was a beautiful, light pink lingerie set. you looked stunning. there you were.

his star student.

“welcome to the live, guys!” you said with a smile. he felt a weight lift from his shoulders. he unzipped his dress pants.

“how are we today?”

phoenixrising: good how are you

knightk: horny

rockyalchemist: doing better now

zhongli rolled his eyes as he scrolled through the comments. he hated being associated with these losers. hated that you might see him the way you see them.

lapisrex: been a long day, baby. how are you?

he swore he saw your eyes light up. which made sense. he knew how expensive college was; he was a generous tipper.

“i’m doing okay, lapis! sorry you had a long day. hopefully, tomorrow will be better!” you said. his breath caught in his throat.

knightk tipped $5!

you rolled your eyes. “c’mon, k, i haven’t even done anything yet!” you giggled. you didn’t need to do anything. you could sit there and stare at the camera; you would still get tips. even from zhongli.

but you were a hard worker. he knew that. you were top of his class, for god’s sake.

“so, what are we thinking tonight?”

phoenixrising: do you know how to do self-bondage?

knightk: i need that bra off asap

zhongli already had plans for the night, though.

lapisrex: i know it’s last minute, but are your private sessions open?

he watched you pause as you read the comment, your eyebrows furrowing. fuck. he definitely should’ve asked in advanced.

“hmm.. normally i’d say no, but you are one of my favorites, lapis. how much?”

his heart was beating so fast, he thought it might beat out of his chest.

lapisrex: $1,000. i’m willing to go up.

your jaw dropped in surprise. “well, shit, i can’t say no to that.”

he knew you couldn’t. your next school payment was coming up in a week.

knightk: does that mean ur ending the live??

“sorry, but yeah. love you guys! always! but i could use that money. so, unless you guys can do better...”

knightk: $1,010

rockyalchemist: $1,500

zhongli rolled his eyes. as if he could be outbid by these randos.

lapisrex: $2,000

he watched as your eyes widened. just like a deer, frozen by approaching headlights.

“okay, that’s enough!” you said. “lapis, the private session is all yours. sorry, you guys! i’ll see you for the next one!”

before anyone else could comment, you ended the live. a bright red notification flashed on his screen as he received your message.

glazedlily has invited you to video chat!

he joined almost immediately, only pausing to make sure his webcam and microphone were both disabled. he couldn’t risk you finding out. it would ruin you both.

“hey, lapis!” you said happily, clasping your hands together. “it’s our first private session! are you excited?”

he was practically levitating.

lapisrex: very.

you grinned as you read the message. “alright, well, what are you feeling tonight?”

he was feeling many things. guilt, arousal, infatuation-

lapisrex: can i see what kind of dildos you have?

“of course! give me just a sec.” you stood and walked off camera. he heard shifting for a moment, and then you returned with a box about the size of your lap.

“okay, so we’ve got a few,” you said as you shifted through the toys, “what size were you thinking?”

lapisrex: the biggest you have

you giggled, and your smile lit up his laptop screen. “well, aren’t you confident?” you teased.

he was.

“the biggest one i have... it’s a little unconventional,” you said sheepishly, a blush dusting your cheeks.

you reached into the box and pulled out a big, thick, oddly shaped dildo. it had an orange tip that faded into yellow, and then into a dark brown at the base. but it didn’t look... normal.

oh.

it was a dragon dildo.

“this big guy hardly ever gets any action. his name is orochi,” you said. “it really came with that name. i don’t name my toys.” your laughter made his chest tighten.

and god, your hands were so tiny compared to it. they could barely cover the base. he felt his hand travel to his dick.

“i know it’s kind of fetish-y, though, so if you don’t like it we can try something else.”

and normally, he’d say, no - let’s try something else. don’t fuck yourself with that dragon dildo.

but everything you made him feel surprised him, every time. you looked so beautiful. he’d fantasized countless times about you looking up at him like you were at the camera now, your eyes sparkling, one of your bra straps falling off your shoulder. a dick in your hand. he wanted to pull those lace panties to the side and fuck you senseless.

he wanted to watch you fuck yourself with a dragon dildo.

lapisrex: no, i like it.

the smirk you gave to the camera made his dick twitch.

“wow,” you said, amused. “i didn’t think you’d be so kinky, lapis. you’re always so tame during my lives.”

you made him feel anything but tame. you made him succumb to the most carnal, primal feelings he’d ever known.

“alright, before i lube this fucking monster up, any other requests?”

just one.

lapisrex: can you call me professor?

lapisrex: if you’re comfortable, of course.

you raised your eyebrows. “damn, you are kinkier than i thought, lapis,” you said. “oh, my bad. you’re kinkier than i thought, professor.”

something in him snapped in half. jesus fucking christ. he had dreamed of this. of you on your knees, looking up at him with those big, beautiful eyes. whispering his title. dreamt of whispering back a simple, soft-

lapisrex: good girl.

-before, ideally, fucking your throat.

you reached off camera to grab a small bottle of lube. he watched as you poured some directly on the toy, and then spread it with your hands. he’d never been so jealous of a dildo in his life.

after you’d deemed the dildo lubed enough, you poured a bit on your fingers. you looked shyly into the camera. “just wanna make sure i’m fully prepped,” you said, and reached down to take off your panties-

oh.

he’d dreamt of this, too. of laying you on your back against his desk, reaching up your skirt, pulling your panties to the side. taking his sweet time with you. gently, slowly scissoring his fingers in and out of you, watching your face contort as you refused to look at him. you really could be so shy sometimes.

“okay,” you said finally, positioning yourself above the dildo. he took his cock into his right hand. “here goes nothing.”

he had to stifle the groan that left his throat just watching you sink slowly onto the tip. you bit your lip as you winced, pausing to adjust to the stretch. “sorry,” you panted, “it’s… really big.”

fuck. did you have any idea how fucking sexy you sounded?

lapisrex: don’t apologize, baby. take your time.

you shot the camera an appreciative grin. his heart squeezed.

slowly but surely, you sank yourself all the way down to the base. even with the generous amount of lube, he was impressed. you were a determined girl. it made him want to split you open himself.

“fuck, professor,” you gasped, “i feel so… full.”

he couldn’t stop his hips from thrusting into his hand. you really had no idea what you did to him.

you leaned back onto your elbows, giving him the perfect view of your pussy, stretched around the base. god, you were so fucking beautiful. “i think i’m ready to start now,” you said. your face was flushed, your eyes already starting to glaze over. he’d seen you like this before, during your lives- but this was so much better. seeing you like this for him was so much better.

you were looking into the camera with those same puppy dog eyes you gave him in class. the same ones that sparkled when he called on you during a lecture. the same ones that looked at him with such adoration as he explained concepts to the class.

you slowly pulled the dildo out by the base before cautiously working it back in. you cringed ever so slightly. he wanted to be there with you. he wanted to stroke your hair and whisper sweet nothings into your ear as you adjusted to the feeling.

lapisrex: you’re doing so good, baby. take it slow if you need to.

you whimpered as you continued your gentle thrusts. “thank you, professor,” you said softly. there it was again. that dazed, sinful look in your eye. he knew you liked to be praised long before he found your profile. you always flushed when he complimented your work.

your mouth fell open into a silent moan as you gradually sped up your thrusts. “oh, god, it’s so big,” you groaned, “it feels so fucking good.” you threw your head back as you brought your free hand to your clit, rubbing soothing circles while you increased your speed.

zhongli was fully fucking his hand now, sinking his teeth into his bottom lip. you were addicting. with a particularly hard thrust, your back arched, showing off your fucking perfect tits. his mouth was practically watering.

“shit, i’m- i’m close, professor,” you gasped, followed by a whine as you circled your clit faster. his cock ached.

lapisrex: not yet.

you let out a desperate sound, still fucking yourself at the same speed. “please, i can’t- i can’t hold on for much longer,” you cried. “it’s so… intense.” you took your hand away from your clit and brought it to tease one of your nipples.

he wished he could break you down like this every night. you were always so calm, so composed. and so damn smart. it had to be exhausting. he wanted to relieve you of all that stress. to turn you into his pliant, brainless slut- even for just an hour.

“professor, please,” you begged, sending a pulse through his cock. he was getting close, too. he’d been stroking his cock so long his arm was starting to hurt. “please, professor, i can’t-”

lapisrex: why should i let you cum?

lapisrex: do you deserve it?

a pathetic whimper escaped you. “yes, yes, i- i’ve been good professor,” you nearly sobbed. just hearing the desperation in your voice was almost enough to send him over the edge. you were right. you had been so, so good for him.

lapisrex: hmmm.

lapisrex: okay, baby. you’ve been good. you can cum.

you threw your head back and sighed in relief. you returned your hand to your clit and thrust the dildo harshly in and out of you. finally, your toes curled; your back arched. “ohh, fuck,” you groaned loudly, “thank you, professor- thank you, thank you.” you were babbling now, riding out your orgasm as your cunt clenched around the dragon dick. zhongli’s vision blurred as he roughly stroked himself over the edge. he didn’t even bother to muffle the gravelly moan that ripped from his throat.

when he opened his eyes, there was cum all over his hand, and some on his laptop screen. you were on your back, still lazily circling your fingertips over your clit. your legs were shaking.

you looked angelic. he longed to reach out and pull you close, to kiss the top of your head. his heart ached in his chest. he knew what he was doing was wrong. but he couldn’t help himself. you were enchanting, and he was only a man. only another fool in love.

you sat up. “wow,” you breathed, “that was… fucking incredible.” you giggled, clearly fucked out. “thank you, professor. i mean- i guess, lapis, now.”

you carefully dragged the dildo out of you, wincing slightly. “i... i really needed that,” you laughed. “i hope you got your money’s worth, too.”

you were worth the earth, the moon, the stars.

lapisrex: absolutely. you were so good for me.

lapisrex: thank you, baby. i hope we can do this again soon.

the smile on your face was genuine, just like the ones you flashed him during lecture that day. a warmth bloomed in his chest. “of course, lapis! you’re one of my favorites, remember?”

he wanted to be the only one.

“okay, professor, time’s up. i’ll see you again soon.” you smiled one last time into the webcam and then you were gone.

he sighed, leaning back on his couch.

how was he going to look you in the eye on monday.

[btsmosphere]

For the drabble game thing: Yoongi x female reader, dystopia au, friends to lovers, forehead kisses. I know this whole event invites chaos, but I just really like dystopian fluff, okay?

~summary: countless nights the two of you have escaped the City to see each other. something changes tonight, but really, nothing does. ~pairing: yoongi x reader ~fluff, mild angst?, dystopia au, friends to lovers ~word count: 837 ~rating: g ~warnings: vague dystopia, but it’s just fluff :)

~a/n: thank you so much for your request!! this was so lovely to write, I feel like it made me write in a sort of different way, which I enjoyed. I don't exactly know what it is tbh, as a drabble it's just a snapshot and fleshing out the world and relationship was tough but here it is! it felt quite natural to me in the end, so I hope it makes sense to anyone else too haha

“You didn’t come yesterday.”

You whisper it into Yoongi’s shoulder, but you know he’s heard you when he sighs, a hand running through your hair.

There’s not much for your voice to get lost in. No one ever comes down here; it’s just you two and the hum of the pipes.

“I know, I’m sorry. It just wasn’t safe. I hope you didn’t wait too long.”

“Went back before the second guard. Got some sleep.”

The two of you pull apart then, Yoongi gently holding your shoulders. Even though you tried to meet as often as you could, you knew it wasn’t always possible. When the evacuation happened to the New City, Yoongi had been placed on a higher level than you, and you were forced to find a way around the enforced separation.

It hadn’t been easy. Travelling to the foundations of the City without being seen, trying to communicate with eyes on you practically all the time.

But it was worth it. You had missed your friend.

He gazes at you now with a small smile he was barely conscious of wearing.

“But I’m here now.”

A smile of your own blooming on your face, you move to sit on one of the giant pipes, Yoongi following suit.

“How have you been?”

“Alright,” he shrugs, seemingly more focussed on his finger which taps against the metal. “Lonely.”

“Me too,” you sigh, “but… you’ve met some people up there, right? Made friends?”

Tilting your head, you watch with slight concern as his tapping slows, gaze finally raising to you.

“Yeah. Still…”

His fingers are still fumbling. Shifting a little closer, you reach out to them, wrapping your own fingers around his to get his attention. His movements still at your touch. He pauses, takes a breath.

He’s nervous for something, even though you’ve been down here countless times. Spent hours in each other’s presence.

His eyes meet yours again and you’re frozen in place. The rawness shining there takes your breath away, and all of a sudden you’re sitting in your old front room sharing pizza again, while he rants about music, or the fate of the world.

“All I can think about is when I can next come back here.” His voice is rough, but he doesn’t stop, “it’s like, I can get on with people. But I don’t choose to spend time with them. All that feels real… is you.”

He pants slightly, as if those whispers have somehow stolen all the air from his lungs.

“I’ll always be here,” you whisper across the space.

You know him so well that you barely question the instincts that tell you to shift closer, lift your hand to his face. Softly, your thumb caresses his cheek.

Releasing his breath, he falls forward so your foreheads touch.

This stillness is perhaps the only place they won’t hear. Even so, his voice hardly sounds, more mist than word to what leaves his mouth.

“Sometimes I wish we could just run away.”

You swallow, willing away the same urge you know lies within you. When your eyes meet with such searing longing, you know he understands.

“You know it isn’t safe out there,” you remind him.

He sighs, climbs back from that ledge.

“I know.”

“We’ll do what we can.”

Your hand ventures higher now, carding through his hair as you drink each other in. In these moments, your world is filled with only him, his soft breathing replacing the thrum of the City far above you.

Listening to it, you’re so wrapped up that you don’t even notice your own breath slowing.

But it has, and the silence absolutely cocoons you until you’re staring into Yoongi’s eyes. So familiar, and yet, trained on you in this moment you feel as if you’ve never seen them before.

“I didn’t mean to leave you down here. I promise I’ll always come back to you.”

You feel his breath on your lips when he speaks. Although you’re not exactly sure when you got so close, you don’t want to pull away from him.

So engulfed in him, you’re hypnotised by his lips as he leans forwards, your eyes fluttering shut as they land softly on your forehead. The lingering kiss he presses there feels right. His hand cupping the back of your head, the comforting scent and the softness of his lips.

Even when he pulls back, lips still only a hair’s breadth away, he cradles your head, your body, so precious to him.

He’s staring over your head, away into the dark maze of pipes, but the thing that feels most grounding is you.

“I love you,” his voice falls into the darkness, but it came as no shock. His kiss had told you as much, the same reverence in his confession as there was in his movements.

And you understand why he was afraid. You are precious to each other; something to lose.

But sealing it like this never changed a thing.

“I know. I love you too, Yoongi.”

Thank you for requesting!! I hope you enjoyed💜if anyone wants to make requests, the drabble event is still open here

Taglist: @aianloveseven @preciouschimine @un2-verse @taegularities 

[outivv]

I was just watching Demon Slayer while eating my lunch, and I got an idea. So what if The Boys' s/o is a demon, but they're like Nezuko; they can shrink and enlarge at will, but they aren't immune to sunlight so they may rely on The Boys to carry them in a makeshift backpack. They can also absolutely kick ass if necessary, and they're insanely stronk. But most of the time, they're smothering The Boys with kisses, headpats, etc. because they really like The Boys and want them to know it.

Synopsis: demon slayer au, where y/n is like nezuko

Warnings: mentions of fighting, and minor cursing.

Game/ anime: genshin impact and a slight bit of demon slayer.

Characters: zhongli, Diluc, childe, kaeya, and dainsleif

Pronouns for reader: gender neutral/ not mentioned

A/n: yes! Demon slayer has been on my mind recently, so yes! I really want to see the movie but haven’t gotten around to it for some reason? I don’t know, but this was honestly really exciting to write because demon slayer is probably one of my favorite animes. So I really hope you enjoy, and have an amazing day/afternoon/night! (Now I’m imagining the boys as demon slayers :’))

— zhongli —

To say the least zhongli is hiding you from xiao. So he took you in, and now he’s stuck with you.

In the first few months of your relationship(?) he found out that you can shrink and enlarge at will. Which to say the least was surprising. Literally gave him a heart attack when you suddenly enlarged to get something on top of the cupboards.

Later that same day he found out you hate sunlight. Like... hate it. He’d do anything in his power to make you comfortable, and when you both need to go somewhere in the day he’d try to shield you from the sunlight as best as possible. Then you suggested that he’d carry you in a little backpack, and it’d be easier because you could shrink... so he did that.

You probably got caught by some treasure hoarders, thinking that the makeshift backpack you were in had something valuable. When you jumped out and throat punched one of them though, they found out just how wrong they were. Zhongli watched in awe at your strength before realizing that it would be smart of him to step in and help.

He finds it oddly adorable how you can go from absolutely destroying a ruin guard in one punch, to smothering him in kisses and love. He doesn’t mind it no, but he finds it kinda hilarious. I mean you went berserk and now you’re nuzzling up to him saying how much you live him. Kinda makes him just... sit there. Like ‘wow... ok... I mean... I want the affection but... wow...’ he’s absolutely smitten honestly.

— childe —

Now in childe’s scenario I’m going to say either you were a failed experiment gone right by dottore. Or he found you in the forests of snezhnaya. (I’m gonna leave it up to you to decide) either way, childe said you could be valuable to the fatui, and now here you are... in a relationship with this bastard amazing guy.

I feel like he’d know about your strength, and growing/shrinking abilities. Mostly because I think because one of the reasons that they kept you was so you’d be of some sort of use to the fatui (at first! Childe grew to care and love you. Lowkey a sucker for these kinda fics so... I’m adding it into my headcanons.) they’d have to see what you could do exactly. For their safety, and the safety of others, they’d need to know.

I think he’d be kinda iffy on the whole ‘carrying you in a backpack’ thing. Mainly because it’s always snowing in snezhnaya so it’s always cloudy. But when you travel he’s going to have to suck it up and carry you.

I think you’d often go with childe on missions, because 1. He’s your boyfriend. And 2. He’s the one that decided you should join the fatui, so in the harbingers eyes he’s the one that has to take responsibility. (I feel that that made y/n sound like a dog I’m so sorry :’)) so he’s seen you in action before, and every time he does it never fails to take his breath away.

And you fighting countless foes on the battlefield, and then showering him in your love makes him feel proud, and kinda cocky. Like you, a future harbinger candidate, just took down a bunch of foes... and now your going to give him all of your affection. He just feels extra special when you do that, not going to lie.

— kaeya —

He probably found you doing some commissions, he was just taking a stroll around mondstadt and stubbled upon one of the people the knights wish they could recruit. Complete coincidence.

When he goes to walk over to you fighting a bunch of hilichurls, and sees that you’re taking them down in one hit, he’s slightly impressed. I mean they’re just hilichurls after all. At first he challenged you, and said you should fight the ruin guard at the thousand winds temple, and when you rose to the challenge and completed it with ease he could see why the knights wanted you so badly.

Of course he’d “stumble” upon you more and more, and then you know... you start dating (I’m not in the mood to write a while backstory for how you got into a relationship but just imagine it as a “he kept challenging you and then fell in love with you” kinda thing? I’m not sure but yeah :D)

Whenever you fight, whether it be sparring with someone, or a commission, and kaeya has the honor of seeing you he’ll announce to everyone that “hey that’s my s/o!” And he expects attention and kisses afterwards from you.

He knows the routine by now, you fight, or do a commission, just something that involves fighting, and then he gets a bunch of attention. Kaeya is no fool. He knows.

When he found out that you hate sunlight, and that’s why you do most of your work at night, he was kinda surprised. He honestly just assumed you were like rosaria, and were busy during the day so you did your... “community work” at night.

When he finds out you can shrink and grow he’s just kinda like “oh... well that’s new. Cool. But new.” And then asks you what else you can do that he didn’t know about.

I don’t think he’d need to take you anywhere in a makeshift backpack. And if he needed to he probably couldn’t due to knight work you know?

— Diluc —

He’s seen you a few times at angels share, only late at night of course but he’s still seen you around. He’s been kinda crushing on you from afar so he didn’t know much about you. Only that you’re a high ranked adventure from somewhere other than mondstadt. Eventually though he did ask you out, and now you’re dating. Congrats!

When he saw you fight for the first time I can guarantee that his first thought was ‘where the hell are they from!? What were they feeding them holy-“ he’s in absolute awe at your strength. Diluc isn’t much of a guy for sparring, but now he’s inclined to try to spar with you. He’d probably break something but it’d be worth it in his mind.

After you fight like three ruin hunters, and you run over to him smothering him in love and affection, he’s taken back. Like he had to make sure you were the same person that absolutely destroyed those ruin hunters. I mean he’s not complaining... he probably found it attractive honestly. (You thought childe would be the one to find you destroying some enemy and then giving him all your attention, attractive??? I mean he does... but no! It was Diluc all along!)

He’ll take note that you don’t like sunlight and then will be very adamant on getting you a backpack that you can fit in. Like it’s one of the first things he does after finding out.

When he finds out you can shrink/ grow though? He’s confused. He’ll act like it was normal but will then suddenly say “what was that.” Very sternly. Like he demands and answer.

— dainsleif —

You’ve been with dainsleif for a while, both as he travel companion, and his s/o. So I think he’s knows for a while that you’re insanely strong, don’t like sunlight, and and grow and shrink.

When he found out you were really strong he was kinda taken aback but went with it and didn’t really ask you about it, more passively asked you how you got so strong.

Whenever you come up to him and kiss him, and just generally shower him with love and attention, he’ll gladly take it. Like full smile on his face, because just like Diluc he thinks that you beating a ruin hunters ass and then giving him all your love is attractive.

When he saw you shrink and grow he did the same as Diluc, except didn’t demand an answer. He was just like, “so... care to explain what that was?” He’ll understand if you don’t want to but that doesn’t make him any less curious.

You both travel a lot, so he’d have to carry you in a makeshift backpack everywhere. He doesn’t mind it, he wishes you could be walking right beside him but he understands that you physically can’t. Cause sunlight will turn you to dust, and he loves you too much to be selfish and let that happen.

[lokiandracoon]

Pairing ; Loki & fem!reader

Summary ; You sinked his boat, and you may sink his heart, but until then he’ll follow your lead through the seven seas

Content Note ; Pirate AU, Pirate!reader, Prince!loki

Loki masterlist || AO3 link || series masterlist || join my taglist

Hi! Thank you so much for all the love in the first chapter 🥹 If any of you guys are interested here’s a Spotify playlist that I made and listen to while writing the story, you could listen to it while reading if you would like <3

Previous chapter ; I. Runaway prince

Next chapter ;

˗ˏˋ A SMOOTH SEA NEVER MADE A SKILFUL SAILOR — CHAPTER II ; SAPPHIRE

Two days of travel since the raiding of the royal ship, and you could finally see Sapphire in the horizon line.

The island rose proudly over the water as you had a hand on the helm. You knew how excited everyone was to be back home, but your brain only itched you to make the stay short. You never liked staying on land for long, even if Sapphire was the exception.

Sapphire was a lone island. Nobody ventured in this waters due to rumours of being infested of pirates, which was true to some extent.

The moderate piece of land was a perfect hideout, it was covered in dense vegetation so to any outsider it seemed like a deserted place. Moreover, the rocks around it made it difficult to disembark if you weren’t an experienced sailor; so everyone naturally evaded it. On top of that, since it didn’t fall into any important trade routes no kingdom bothered acquiring the island; it wasn’t of importance to them, they had many other lavish lands to take care of.

There where many other islands like your own throughout the seas, they where known as the lands of no one, since no kingdom had power over them. Because of that, countless pirates claimed these islands as their own, settling in them.

“Get ready to touch land!” Natasha’s yells at the crew snapped you out of your daze as she walked up the stairs, “Finally back home” she said with a smile which you returned.

“Now you can have your alone time with Steve” the redhead flushed at the mention, you hadn’t stopped teasing her the whole voyage, “Just drop it already” she pleaded, “Never” the devilish smile on your face told her you really wouldn’t drop it.

“How are things going with your prince” she asked leaning on the handrail in front of you, “I don’t know what you’re talking about” you averted your gaze back to the island far away, “Oh please, whenever you’re in the same room it looks like you’re gonna jump on each other” her smirk morphed into a full grin as she came to stand in front of you.

“Still don’t know what you’re talking about” you kept your cool.

Truth is, you didn’t spend much time with Loki since you helped him with his hair. You naturally saw him in the early morning as he rose to help Wanda and you ventured into the kitchen in desperate need of your daily tea. You greeted him, but after that you quickly averted your eyes away from him.

At first you where attracted to him because he was a handsome man. You thought you would get over your little crush— because you definitely weren’t going to act on it— but then it didn’t go away, it just got worse.

“I didn’t even see him at all” you blatantly lied to Natasha, but she only smiled, it was easy for her to identify your lies.

“Yeah” that’s all she said before walking down to bark more orders, swaying her hips in that distinctive and subtle manner she always did.

You did see him, but he didn’t see you.

It was the night before, you were watching the tides rock the boat in a comforting way from the quarterdeck. You loved the sea, but sometimes you weren’t fond of the darkness of its deep-end; however, at night you liked this peculiar darkness as it let the stars and moon reflect on the wavy water.

As you turned your head slightly you saw Loki doing the same from the main deck.

You wanted to go talk to him, but your legs held back at any wish of movement from your brain. You found yourself caught in a daze as you shamelessly stared at the runaway prince.

The moon shone just right on his pale skin, so much so that for a moment you thought he was the lost son of the shining rock in the sky. You noticed he was still wearing the cloth you gave him, slightly styled in a different way.

Although he looked slightly messier than when he arrived, there was no denying that he didn’t really fit here. Yet, strangely he looked like the missing piece of the place, maybe it was the porcelain skin or the green eyes that reflected the heavenly light above, but to you, he looked like he rightfully found his place.

You shook the image away from your head and decided to focus. You had to have all your senses on deck in order to disembark without killing everyone on board.

As everyone took their given positions and got ready for the difficult landing your senses sharpened, your face took in a stoic look of determination and you tightened your hold on the helm.

As your demeanour completely changed to one of a true captain, Loki observed curiously from the deck. He carefully stood aside, trying to stay away from everyone’s way as they paced around.

It’s not that he didn’t think you were a real captain, it’s just that he could feel it in his bones this time. It was the same when you raided his boat and walked around like you owned the vessel, in that moment he truly thought you did own it.

You were the embodiment of confidence, and he had always wanted that.

He always held his head up when he walked around the palace, not once did he cower when someone tried to intimidate him, he protected himself with a calm expression, but he didn’t often fight back.

Loki learned that keeping his cool in every situation will give him the upper hand in the end, so he held strongly to that advice, even if it failed him sometimes.

He hid behind a mask of indifference to everything. Even when Odin proclaimed that he will send him to marry away, he still held his mask and didn’t object.

He never fought back, he assumed the doors he built would take care of it. But his precious shield quickly crumbled upon realising that it was built on a fake confidence. An ephemeral castle of sand that washed away once the big wave finally hit.

He always tried to hide behind his strong demeanour, without realising that he didn’t build that demeanour enough to protect him.

So he just crumbled with his sand castle.

ི⋮ ྀ⏝ ི⋮ ྀ⏝ ི⋮ ྀ⏝ ི⋮ ྀ⏝ ི⋮ ྀ⏝ ི⋮ ྀ⏝ ི⋮ ྀ⏝ ི⋮ ྀ

“Dad!” young voices approached the boat as the crew started unloading the stuff they brought.

Clint opened his arms as his son and daughter came running to embrace him, “Hello you little demons!” you smiled warmly as he twirled them around.

Everyone made their way out of the boat and into the small town they created inside the island, but you stayed behind.

Natasha turned to you before leaving with Steve, “Not coming?” she asked, although she knew the answer.

“I have something to do, I’ll come later to dinner” your reply made her nod as she left.

Now you were alone, or so you thought.

Turning around you were surprised to see Loki sitting on a barrel, you looked at him puzzled and he was quick to talk, “I don’t know where I’m supposed to go” you nodded slowly at his answer.

You pondered between sending him with the rest or keeping him here. But you decanted for the latter, you didn’t want to put more work on your crew as they spent little time with their family, and you needed help anyways.

“Fine, come with me” you gestured him to follow you as you made your way to the captain’s cabin. Loki jumped from the barrel and followed closely behind.

“I need to sort out something before dinner” you walked behind your desk and grabbed a box that was there.

You put it on the desk in front of you, “I wanted to put aside a jewel for someone, but now I can’t find it” Loki nodded as you pushed the box full of precious stones towards him, you turned and grabbed another box to put it too on the desk, “It’s either on the bottom of that box or this one”

“What does it look like?” Loki asked before dipping his hand in the box, not wanting to accidentally push the jewel further down, “It’s a blue and it has many colourful specs inside” you replied, already looking through the box in front of you.

You still had some time before dinner so you looked carefully and calmly for the gem. You also stole glances at Loki from time to time, trying to be discreet, without knowing he was doing the same.

And in a sudden coincidence you both raised your eyes to look at the other, catching each other in the act. Quickly, you lowered your gaze back to the jewels and tried to keep your eyes in check.

“What’s gonna happen after Bone Island?” Loki’s sudden question had you frowning.

“After Bone Island?”

“Yes. After you receive the money for the kidnapping”

You nodded slowly while pondering. You actually didn’t think much of it, after Loki offered to stay and you accepted you no longer thought of giving him back, so when the time comes it would certainly be a problem.

“I thought you said I wouldn’t get anything from the king” you raised your gaze to look at Loki, who shrugged in response.

“That’s what I think, but he’s unpredictable” Loki pulled a gem that looked like you described and raised it for you, you shook your head and he put it down with the pile of discarded stones on the table.

“Well, regardless of his decision, I’m not giving you back” Loki frowned at this answer.

“You don’t want to get rid of me?” he asked and you chuckled lightly, “And have Wanda decapitate me for throwing away her new helper? I think that’s a no” you answered winking at him with a smirk. Loki smiled at that. He also didn’t want to go back, he liked staying in the boat and your crew was nice to him. He felt at home.

Silence reigned in the room again as both of you went back to rummaging through the gemstones. You were about to give up your search when you heard an ‘oh’ from the man in front of you.

“Is it this one?” He raised a jewel in his slender fingers and you smiled, that was what you were looking for.

Before you knew it, your feet took you to stand next to Loki. You carefully lifted the gemstone from his hand and turned to hold it against the last rays of sunlight that came from the window.

“This is it” you whispered while carefully examining the jewel.

Suddenly a pale hand entered your line of vision. Loki had come to stand closely behind you, extending his arm to take the gem back from your light hold while still keeping it in front of you.

“It looks like a coral reef” his velvet voice whispered dangerously close to your ear, you took a short breath in before answering, “It does”

Yet your voice was so low, it was barely audible, but the prince behind you heard it perfectly. He moved his face so you could feel his breath in your neck, and you moved your own head to the side, leaving him more space.

You desperately wanted him to plant his lips on your skin. But instead, you felt Loki’s hand slide the gemstone in your pocket as he moved his face away from your neck.

You sighed softly and slowly turned to look at him. But he didn’t meet your gaze, he looked downwards, away from your eyes.

You tried to move your hand to his face, to make him look at you, but the doors of the cabin suddenly flew open.

“Captain! It’s almost dinner time!” you quickly stepped away from Loki and looked towards the door, it was Lila, Clint’s daughter, who looked at the pair of you with a curious expression.

“What did I say about barging in the captain’s cabin like that?” you asked the girl who only smiled innocently, “Not to do it because it was unacceptable” she replied and you raised an eyebrow but she only looked at you with a pout that had you smiling.

“Come on, let’s go for dinner” you gestured for Lila to move as you followed her, but before leaving you turned to Loki, who stayed behind in the same place.

“Loki?” your soft call snapped him out of his thoughts, he turned to look at you and you pointed towards the outside, “It’s almost dinner time” you gestured for him to follow you and so he did.

“Who’s him?” Lila asked curiously as both you and Loki walked down from the boat, “He’s Loki” you answered and the younger nodded, “Well I’m Lila” she introduced herself and Loki smiled at her as both of them walked behind you.

“Pleasure to meet you, young lady” Loki responded with a smile and Lila giggled, “Why do you talk like that?” the little girl asked and Loki frowned, “Like what?”

“Like a prince” she answered innocently and you chuckled, “Because he used to be” you glanced at Lila over your shoulder with a smile and she gasped, “You are a prince?!”

Her enthusiasm had Loki chuckling, “I’m not anymore” Lila looked confused but you were quick to answer as you neared the bonfire, “He’s a pirate now”

Lila nodded, although still confused, but she was quick to abandon Loki’s side to go and play with her brother.

The fire illuminated the open space in the middle of the small amount of houses. There were wooden benches around the fire for everyone to sit and chat.

You walked with Loki following you until you could sit down next to Natasha. She smiled at you knowingly upon seeing the prince behind you, you just threw her a glare to shut her up which didn’t do much to scare her.

“Where were you two?” her sly smirk made you want to punch her, “Working, unlike someone” you answered pointing with your eyes to where Steve was, that shut her up quickly as she averted her eyes to the fire.

“Anyways, have you checked on her?” Natasha nodded, already knowing who you were referring to, “She’s a little better than before, Laura said she took her for a walk through the beach this morning” her answer made you nod with a melancholic smile.

Loki glanced at you curiously, wanting to know, but the shift in your demeanour had him holding back, figuring it brought you bad memories.

“Welcome back Captain, Natasha” Laura’s voice filled your ears as you turned to look at her, “Thanks, Laura” you smiled at her as she extended cups of rum for the three of you, “You must be Loki, I’m Laura” Loki nodded with a smile as he accepted the cup she gave him, “Yes, I heard Clint talk about you” Laura chuckled at the mention of her husband, “I hope it was only good things you heard”

Loki chuckled with Laura just as Clint was arriving, “Please don’t fall for the new guy” Clint looped an arm around his wife’s waist with a smile, you made a gagging gesture while turning to Natasha, “Please keep those activities in your house” Laura blushed at your words and Clint scoffed, “With your permission Captain, I will” Natasha, Loki and you laughed as the couple retired somewhere else.

“I hate them” you murmured bringing the cup to your mouth, Natasha chuckled as she got up from the bench, “Lighten up a bit Captain” you glared at her but she just winked back at you and left, leaving only you and Loki behind.

“Captain, can I ask a question?” Loki’s question had you turning your attention back at him, “Go on” you encouraged and he looked at the fire in front of you, “How long have you all lived here?” he turned his eyes full of curiosity back at you, and you pondered for a second, “I don’t really remember, it’s been years” you answered truthfully.

You had stumbled upon the island on one of your voyages— deciding it was a good place to hide your treasures, you settled down. With time, as your crew started growing in number you started leaving people behind to make sure the things you left were safe; and before you knew it, you had a little town to take care of.

Loki tilted his head as he processed for a second, “So you weren’t born here?” you chuckled at his question, “No, I actually wasn’t born on land” you turned to look at him with a smile and you saw his eyes widen for a moment, “You were born at sea?” you nodded as answer.

Since the moment you were born, all you knew was the ocean. The infinite water land was all you needed to be happy. Unlike a grand part of your crew, you didn’t mind long journeys through the seas, on the contrary, they thrilled you.

“You love the sea, don’t you?” you grinned, “I do indeed”

You didn’t really need to say it. Loki saw it in your eyes, how they twinkled with excitement when you looked over the waters, how at ease you looked when you had your hands on the helm of the ship. It was your home.

ི⋮ ྀ⏝ ི⋮ ྀ⏝ ི⋮ ྀ⏝ ི⋮ ྀ⏝ ི⋮ ྀ⏝ ི⋮ ྀ⏝ ི⋮ ྀ⏝ ི⋮ ྀ

“Where is Loki going to stay?” Wanda’s voice called your attention as dinner was finished and everyone retired for rest.

You shifted your gaze through the place until you saw Loki talking with Vision next to the slowly diminishing fire, “I didn’t think of that” you answered looking back to the redhead in front of you, “He could stay with me and Vision, we have a spare bed. Unless of course, you were thinking of taking him somewhere else” you were quick to notice the smirk with which she said the last part, but your slight glare was enough to shift her gaze away from you.

“It’s okay, you can take him with you for this couple of nights while we fix him somewhere to stay” Wanda nodded with a smile.

“Then we’re off to bed, good night Captain” she waved walking away to the pair of men, “Good night” you answered softly, although you doubted she heard you.

You watched as the three of them walked over to were Wanda and Vision stayed, and you got up from your seat once they had closed the door.

Walking to the small fire left, you covered it with sand that was on a bucket to make sure it wouldn’t latch onto some plant and burn the place down. Leaving the bucket behind once the fire was out, you made your way to have some rest too.

Your place was a little more far away than the rest making it the furthest away from the water, intentionally.

Slowly opening the door, you intended to tiptoe inside the house. But you didn’t have to, the person you didn’t want to wake was already awake.

You walked to where the older woman was, standing behind her as she watched out of the window. You put your hands on her shoulders and massaged her slightly, “Mother…” she only gave a hum in response to your whispering voice.

You sighed, you didn’t think there would be any progress today either. Reaching in the pocket of your coat you got the gem Loki found, “I brought it for you” she only stared at it when you put it in front of her, “It looks like coral reefs, I thought you would like it” yet, she didn’t even move her hand to touch it.

Your hand that rested on her shoulder slowly slid away from her as you tightened your hold on the gem. Your disappointment was obvious as you left the shiny stone on the windowsill and rapidly made your way to the door.

You couldn’t stand being in the same room as her, your guilt ate you up. You thanked the seas she wasn’t looking at you directly; her empty eyes, devoid of any emotion, made you want to throw up.

And the worst thing: it was all your fault. You couldn’t even blame anyone— it was all your doing, your decisions, your commands— you were the only one to blame.

You climbed into your ship with a somber expression, you needed rest so you walked into the cabin and went straight to the not-so-comfortable bed, discarding of your coat and boots on the way.

Normally sleep would have come to you in no time, but not even the subtle movements of the boat over the tides managed to lull you to sleep. You were tired, but you couldn’t close your eyes for long either.

You pressed your closed eyes with the palms of your hands from the exasperation, you just wanted to sleep, was it such a big of a wish?

The guilt that you wanted to leave behind at the house didn’t want to leave either; instead, it only increased with the memories that flooded your brain—your mother, the boat, the sea, the storm, the high waves, the bodies—, images so vivid that they made you jump from the bed.

The air seemed to leave your lungs without wanting to come back, you opened the window wanting the breeze to cool you down but not one single tree leave moved with the air.

You paced around the cabin, hands holding the sides of your head as you tried to calm your racing mind. For a moment you thought the overwhelming feeling that was suddenly crushing your chest would make your heart stop; until you came to a half in front of your desk, and your eyes caught sight of the discarded gems you and Loki were piling when looking for the one you wanted.

Aching to distract with something, you found yourself carefully putting the shiny stones back in the average sized boxes. The images of the raging sea in your head morphed into calm waters, monstrous waves turning into gentle ones as your thoughts shifted to the raven haired prince.

You picked the last gem to put back but the shiny stone stopped you from putting it with the rest. A rough emerald. You examined it closely, getting lost in the different shades of green that adorned it. It reminded you of Loki, he seemed to like green; when you found him he was wearing green and his eyes are green, so much so that your brain seemed to establish a correlation between the colour and him.

You wandered if he would be soundly sleeping right now. But he surely would be, unlike you.

You moved to sit down on the chair behind your desk, the air coming back to your lungs slowly as you played with the emerald in your right hand.

You inhaled and exhaled deeply as you shuffled to lean your head on the desk before you. You realised you had lost the track of time, as the first rays of sun mildly lighted the cabin.

ི⋮ ྀ⏝ ི⋮ ྀ⏝ ི⋮ ྀ⏝ ི⋮ ྀ⏝ ི⋮ ྀ⏝ ི⋮ ྀ⏝ ི⋮ ྀ⏝ ི⋮ ྀ

Natasha sighed when she realised you were nowhere to be found. You hadn’t slept in your house, and you hadn’t showed up for breakfast. You always had breakfast with her in the morning so this was completely unlike you.

You were probably in the ship, that much she knew. The redhead was about to go look for you when she spotted a certain newly made pirate coming out of Wanda’s house.

She raised an eyebrow in confusion but was quick to call him over. Loki abided as he walked to her, “You’re staying with Wanda and Vision?” Loki nodded in answer to her question, “Good, do you have something to do now?” at her question Loki shook his head in denial, “Great, come with me, let’s go look for y/n”

Loki was about to question her why, but the redhead had already started walking so he just followed her. He thought she would guide him to your house but instead he realised that they were making their way to where the ship was settled.

He frowned in confusion, did you not stay where everyone did? Was it because you’re the captain, so you had to stay in the ship?

Once they reached the boat Natasha made him stay in the deck while she went to check on the cabin, so he stayed standing and wondering.

When the ship had just arrived in the island and everyone was unloading and making their way down, Loki couldn’t help but notice that you didn’t seem to want to go with them. You hesitated in every step you took, like you didn’t know where to go—something that he had come to understand was absolutely ridiculous, because in his eyes you always knew what to do.

So in his curiosity he had declined Wanda’s offer to go and rest in her house, opting to stay behind with you. He had wanted to ask you about the island, and maybe get you to talk to him about yourself.

But instead he found he couldn’t utter a word in your presence, the feeling that if he talked he’ll make you mad or upset crept inside of him, so he chose silence and observing your calm features as you looked through the gems.

“You look like a ghost” Natasha’s remark made Loki snap out of his thoughts just as you and her made your way out of the cabin.

But her comment wasn’t directed at him, “I know I do, that’s why I have a mirror, Tasha” Loki could hear the irritation in your voice. You looked like you hadn’t slept much, the dark circles below your eyes giving you away, “So when are we planning?” the redhead questioned as you put on your coat, “Later tonight” you stopped for a moment when you noticed Loki just standing there.

He didn’t know what to do as you just stared at him, “Good morning” his voice gave away his nervousness as he spoke, you nodded at him and turned to Natasha.

“I’m gonna take—” you gestured with your head to the island, “A walk, Loki is coming with me” You gestured for him to follow you as you made your way down, and although he was confused, he complied.

Loki shot Natasha a last look, looking for answers to your behaviour but she just shrugged with a smirk, so he just quickened his pace until he reached your side.

You walked past the small village and far into the island. Loki noticed it didn’t have much of special, it was a regular island: not so big, didn’t have much exotic flora… it was the perfect hideout, it was beautiful from the outside but it didn’t attract much attention, especially due to the sharp rocks that surrounded it.

“You like the place?“ your voice made him turn his gaze from the plants to your form walking in front of him, “I haven’t had time to explore in depth, but I do like it” you only hummed at his answer.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go back to your palace?” Loki could hear the smile in your question, so he chuckled lightly, “I would much rather stay here” suddenly you came to a halt and turned to look at him with curious eyes, “How so?”

He decided to keep it honest as he looked straight into your eyes, “I’m not really wanted back there” you nodded and slowly walked until you were practically invading his personal space, he looked into your eyes expectantly and their colour suddenly reminded you of the emerald you found yesterday that now rested in the pocket of your coat.

“And are you here?” he was taken aback by your question, yet he didn’t let it show into his face as he answered, “I hope so, and if I’m not, I wish to be someday” you seemed satisfied with the answer as your gaze soften slightly.

You made a move to turn away from Loki, but you found yourself unable to as the prince’s arm sneaked around your waist and pulled you to him. Suddenly you found your face inches away from his, noses almost touching as you gazed at each other’s eyes.

“Trying to seduce the captain? Bold of you” you whispered, making him smile, “I believe the captain doesn’t mind it” and he was right.

You moved your hands to his neck and pulled him by the collar until your lips finally met.

You let your hands rest in his neck as you melted into his embrace, feeling how the tiredness from not having slept enough left your body, instead filling it with a comforting warmth. Comfortable was short to describe how you felt while encased in his arms. You tangled your fingers in his hair as he pulled you even closer than before.

The world around you was no more as your lips danced with his, you didn’t want to let go even if your lungs where begging you to. But the need to breath won over your desire so, hesitantly, you pulled away from him. Once your bond was broken you were met with green eyes that seemed darker with desire, just as yours were.

Loki didn’t know what had taken over him, he didn’t know if he was drunk in the saltiness of the sea or your eyes— but he needed to fulfil his desire of having you close, desire that had been building since you put a knife to his throat and had him wishing for you to do it again, but with your hands instead.

He liked how your lips felt over his, how your hands tangled in his hair and the warmth that emanated from you when he had you close. He liked, wanted, and needed it again.

“So I wasn’t wrong, the captain doesn’t mind it” he whispered and you smiled softly, “No, not at all” Loki was about to lean in and claim another kiss when your hands in his chest stopped him. He looked at you confused, did you not like it? Had he overstepped?— but instead of drawing your knife at him, you grabbed his hand in yours and pulled him as you walked, “Come…” was the only whisper he got as an answer while you dragged him further into the lands of Sapphire.

Truth is, you didn’t know how to go on after that occurrence so the best decision that crossed your mind was to drag Loki to the place you had intended to take him in the first place, and he wasn’t opposing either— instead, manoeuvring his hand smoothly to interwind his fingers with yours, which made your heart swell slightly.

You kept walking until you reached a small water stream, not as big so as to be considered a river but enough to provide fresh water to the village. With your hands still bound together, you let the stream guide you towards it’s source, you had always loved it there.

Loki let his eyes wonder once you reached; it was a peaceful place with the heavy rocks assembled in different levels making small waterfalls. He was entranced while looking at the clear water— however, he quickly jumped out of his thoughts when you made a move to cross through the rocks towards the other side.

You turned to look at the prince when you felt his grip on your hand tighten suddenly, “What’s wrong?” you asked softly but he looked behind you to the stream, “We’re crossing to the other side?” you tilted your head at his question— was he scared?, “Yeah, there’s a fruit tree on the other side and I’m hungry” your answer had him switching his eyes from the stream to you, as if begging you not to.

You smirked— he was scared! So you decided to take advantage and toy with him a little. You let go of his hand suddenly, “You can stay here while I go for the fruit” an innocent smile adorned your face as you jumped onto one of the rocks, “No, wait!” you stopped and turned to look at the prince as he stared at you with wide eyes, “You might slip and fall” you laughed at his excuse and jumped another rock forward, “Are you scared?” you raised an eyebrow and Loki scoffed and denied with his head, “Well then come here” you gestured for him to follow you as you continued your jumping between rocks.

Loki looked with wide eyes as you kept going forward— you had completely abandoned him!. So he balled his hands in fists and decided to catch up to you, he didn’t need you to mock him anymore. He clenched his teeth as he carefully eyed the rock you had first jumped on; it wasn’t far away, he could make it, but if he didn’t calculate well he could slip and fall— that would be a disaster.

For once, he put aside calculations and decided to just go for it. He bent his knees and prepared for the jump.

No sooner had you put a foot on the other shore, you heard the sound of something heavy falling into the water. You turned rapidly and yes— Loki had fallen into the water. It wasn’t deep so there wasn’t a need for you to jump to his aid.

You stifled a laugh once you had a clear view of the prince’s face, he didn’t look happy at all, “Is the water fresh, your highness?” Loki rolled his eyes at your remark and tried to get up, only to fall back again. You laughed and made your way back to help him.

You offered your hand for him to stand, but the mischievous glint that you saw flash in his eyes told you you shouldn’t have. But it was too late to back away, Loki had already grabbed your hand in a strong hold, and before you knew it you too were drenched in water.

The sound of Loki’s laughter filled your ears as you turned to look at him with a blank face, “This betrayal shall not go unpunished” Loki’s laughter subsided as he turned his focus to you.

You jumped on him and made sure that every part of his body that previously had escaped the water was now dripping, you didn’t even realise when laughter started bubbling from you, you didn’t remember anytime you had had fun like this.

“I learned my lesson— I yield!” Loki’s demands for mercy mixed with his laughter as you pushed his shoulders to get him underwater made you finally deem your job done, “I hope that taught you something” as your laughs subsided, you became awfully aware of the position you were in: Loki below you, while you supported yourself on both your arms, at each side of his head.

You made a move to get up but the prince’s hands on your hips stopped you. You looked into his eyes while one of his hands travelled from your hip to the side of your face. You didn’t know what to do, you were absolutely frozen, hypnotised by the emeralds of his eyes. One side of your brain begged you to get up and step as far away from him as you could; while the other ached to lean in and taste his lips once again, and never let go of him.

While your thoughts were colliding, Loki’s decision was clear as day in his head. He wanted you, in fact, he needed you. You were the breath of fresh air he needed, the push he had waited for all his life to get him out of his dull prince reality. In his heart he believed you saved him, you were the storm he was wishing to sink his ship when Odin sent him away— except, you brought him up to the surface and opened him a door to a new life.

He was drunk in you, and if you were to ask him he wasn’t going to deny it. Softly, he pulled your face closer to him, and connected your lips one more time.

His kiss deepened as he moved his palm from the side of your face to the back of your neck, and you responded by grinding your hips on him, eliciting a groan from the prince. You smiled into the kiss as he used his arm to draw you to him even more.

Just as you were about to move your lips to his jaw a thought flashed through your head— anyone could come and see what both of you were doing. Loki noticed as you suddenly went stiff in his arms, he tried to look for your gaze without any success.

You coughed awkwardly as you slowly moved from on top of the prince, thanking the seas that he didn’t stop you this time. Only when you came to your knees on his side did you look into his eyes.

Loki chuckled upon seeing the blush in your face, you slightly glared at him, “Are you hungry still?” he asked as he sat up, “Well of course” you answered while rapidly standing up and offering him a hand, Loki grinned as he looked up at you, “Are you just going to sit there?” you raised a brow as you moved your hand away slowly but Loki rapidly reached up for it.

You pulled him up a little too strongly, which combined with his own strength made him collide into you, almost making you fall back. You thought you’d slip and fall again in the water, but Loki’s hand was quick to reach for your waist and stabilise you. You muttered a small thanks and turned to keep walking ahead, the prince following you with no issues this time.

Why was it that you had the urge to run away every time he touched you, even if you wanted him to touch you? You frowned at your own thoughts and picked up your pace, leaving Loki behind once again as you landed on the other shore.

“Why the rush, Captain?” Loki questioned with a smile as he reached your side, “Because I’m hungry and you’re delaying my breakfast” you groaned as you got to walking into the vast amount of trees, Loki following close behind as you finally came to a halt in front of a tree “And in compensation to that, you’re going to climb this tree and get me the fruit” you smiled at him as you leaned on the tree’s trunk.

Loki raised his face to look at the fruit that rested on the top branches, they were really out of reach and he was pretty sure he never climbed a tree that high. He lowered his gaze to look back at you with a pleasing look, but you only sent him a stern one in return, “Captain’s orders” you finished as you patted him in the back and moved to lean on another tree.

Loki’s hands rested on his hips as he exhaled heavily, he looked at you over his shoulder but you just raised an eyebrow expectantly. Just do it, he decided and moved to rest his palms on the trunk; you chuckled behind him, you didn’t think he would actually do it.

“Go on your highness, we don’t have the whole day” your mocking voice finally made him take the first step upwards. Loki breathed heavily as he slowly made his way up, cursing the world for how the hard trunk of the tree felt against his body. Yet again, one more thing he would have never though he’ll end up doing; but here he was, climbing a tree to get fruits for the pirate captain he works for.

You carefully watched how the prince made his way up from the ground, you didn’t want him falling or anything. Once he finally got a hold of the fruit you smiled, at least you’ll get your breakfast now, “Now try to get down without killing your self” you stated loudly, and for a moment regretted it as you saw the prince loose his balance slightly; you made quick steps to get close to the tree, but Loki had already stabilised himself by holding on to a branch.

You sighed in relief as the prince made his way down carefully, “There” he handed you the pair of fruits he took from their branches and you muttered a thank you, “Let’s go” you turned, making way back to the water stream.

ི⋮ ྀ⏝ ི⋮ ྀ⏝ ི⋮ ྀ⏝ ི⋮ ྀ⏝ ི⋮ ྀ⏝ ི⋮ ྀ⏝ ི⋮ ྀ⏝ ི⋮ ྀ

“Your climbing was not bad, but extremely slow” you said before putting another piece of fruit into your mouth, pulling right out of your daggers pointy end. Loki frowned slightly as he turned to look at you, “Was that a test?” he questioned as slowly pieced the reason behind you making him climb a tree, “Kind of, we need to figure out your position inside the crew” Loki nodded as you handed him a piece of fruit by use of your dagger again.

“I thought I would just stay in the kitchen with Wanda” you hummed in response, “Wanda doesn’t only cook for us, she only takes care of that because she’s the only one that won’t burn my ship down while trying to make a meal” Loki chuckled at your response, “So she has another position?” he asked curiously.

“Inventory, she has great memory for that. But she’s also a great fighter” you answered getting up from nest to the prince, now standing a little far in front of him, “I was thinking of putting you on lookout duty in the crow’s nest with Clint, but you suck at climbing so that would be a problem” you stated making him cringe slightly at the mention of his horrible climbing skills.

“How good are you with a sword?” your question caught him off-guard but he only shrugged in response, “How about fighting in general? Rumour says you’re good with knifes” Loki nodded; it was true, he didn’t want to boost but he was pretty skilled with daggers.

“I do prefer them over swords” he answered and you moved to sit back next to him, “So you really are not going to discard me once you get the money?” you moved your gaze aside to look at him but he had his eyes on the water, “I made a deal with you and as long as you’re willing to keep your word, I’ll keep mine” Loki only nodded making you sigh.

You put your palm below his chin and softly turned him to look at you, “You’re part of my crew now, part of my family, and I don’t abandon my family” you spoke sincerely, you didn’t know if he’ll believe you but you only said the truth.

The crew, the town, the ship… they were everything you had, and you were willing to give up your life for them; now Loki was part of all of it too. You didn’t know if it was because you were somehow attracted to him, or because now he was part of your ‘family’, but you were not going to leave him behind.

You moved your hand away from his face and got a hold of his hand instead, pulling him to stand with you, “There’s probably things to do so let’s go” you started walking to make your way to the other shore again when you realised you couldn’t hear the prince’s steps behind you, you turned to look at him, “Well?” you questioned as he just looked at you, suddenly he broke into a radiant smile, “Yes, Captain” was all he said before following you.

Silence reigned between both of you as you made your way back to the small village, but there was not much to be said. Loki wanted to thank you, for everything you were doing for him: for raiding his ship, kidnapping him, letting him stay with you, welcoming him into your family… but something told him you already knew that.

His heart felt at home with you here, and he wanted to experience the happiness that came with it for many days more. He wanted to spend more time with the people of the town, getting to know them, letting them get to know him, he wanted to sail in your ship and embark in the pirate adventures he read about in books, he wanted to smell the saltiness of the sea first thing in the morning… and he wanted to see more of you.

Loki kept his eyes fixed on you as you entered the small village and smiled lightly whenever someone would greet you, kids especially brightening as you made your presence known, and Loki realised, he’ll give up anything to be part of this small piece of world that you created.

You turned to look at him once you came to a halt in front of what seemed to be an armoury with a moderate training ground, “Now this is a test, come” Loki only nodded as you led him inside, you wanted to asses his fighting skills.

“Busy?” you asked the tall blonde man that had his back to you, Steve turned to face you with a smile, “Not at all Captain” “Good, I want you to spar with Loki” you crossed your arms while walking around and having a look at the weapons, Steve glanced at Loki and back at your wandering form to answer, “Sure, with weapons?” you nodded and made your way to the training ground where you where going to wait for the pair of men.

Steve smiled at Loki and handed him one of the swords he had grabbed, “It’s just assessment, just give it your best and don’t worry about it” Steve reassured the prince upon seeing the unsure look on his face. Loki exhaled heavily but made his way out with the blonde nonetheless.

The sound of clanking swords filled the training grounds as you watched both men intently. Steve was quick with his attacks, recovering easily and throwing back at the prince with a lot of strength; surprisingly to you, Loki was holding himself quite well. He wasn’t the best sword fighter, that much you knew, but he was better that what you had inferred before. You didn’t think that he was horrible at it for a fact, you just didn’t think he would be able to put up front against Steve. Yet, the prince held himself surprisingly well; he blocked Steve’s attacks and launched back at him with everything he had, he was putting in a lot of effort and that was obvious to you in the way he clenched his jaw or the way a frown adorned his forehead as he focused on dodging Steve’s sword or the way that his hand has such a strong grip on the sword’s handle that even at your distance you could see how his veins marked his skin.

By the time you had deemed they did enough Loki was exhausted, breathing heavily with his hands on his knees. You waved Steve over to where you were sitting and he turned to give Loki a final look, “Take a rest, you did well” yet the prince couldn’t even see the almost amused look on the blonde’s face as he immediately plummeted to the ground.

Steve let the sword he was holding fall to the ground as he made his way to stand in front of you, “So what do you say?” you asked as you moved your gaze that was previously on the prince to your best swordsman so far, “He’s absolutely fine to me, I think he would manage himself better with other weapons but he’s good” Steve took a moment to look at Loki over his shoulder, the latter still sitting on the ground before looking back at you, “I’m guessing he got training at the palace, given that he’s a prince and all that” you hummed at his opinion, not far from the one you had already formed on your own.

“What would you say if I put him to work with you” you looked at expectantly, waiting for an answer, he sighed and awkwardly rubbed his neck, “I don’t know, with his skill set I don’t think I’ll have to look after him but I think it’s soon to tell…” you nodded and got up, “Well thank you for your service, I guess I’m gonna have to think about it” Steve gave you a nod as you walked towards the fallen prince.

You wanted to find Loki a role that would match him, something that would be comfortable for him to do; but you also wanted your crew to be comfortable around him, most of the roles were covered and you didn’t want to just throw him to do something random. You came to a halt next to his laying form and smirked when he looked up at you, “Comfortable down there, your highness?” he scoffed and rapidly moved to get up to direct himself at you, “What now?” your features softened as you could visibly see his exhaustion, “You can take a rest for the day, you did enough for me” you already made him fall in a river, climb a tree and spar with Steve, it was enough.

Loki nodded before you both walked back into the armoury to leave the weapon and make your way further into the village, “I’ll see you tonight” you spoke once you came to a halt in front of Wanda and Vision’s door, Loki tilted his head with a confused look “Tonight?” you nodded, “For the planning” you reminded him and the words you had with Natasha that morning replayed in his head as he muttered a soft ‘ah’, you furrowed your eyebrows at his expression and he was quick to clarify, “I didn’t think I was allowed to go there” he spoke in a low voice and you smiled lightly, “It’s for all the crew, and you’re part of it so you’re expected to be there” you spoke softly and for a moment you thought you saw a twinkle in his eyes that flashed away rapidly as he broke into a smile, “I’ll be there then” you smiled at his response and gave him a nod before you turned to make your way to the beach shore, awfully aware of Loki’s eyes on your back.

ི⋮ ྀ⏝ ི⋮ ྀ⏝ ི⋮ ྀ⏝ ི⋮ ྀ⏝ ི⋮ ྀ⏝ ི⋮ ྀ⏝ ི⋮ ྀ⏝ ི⋮ ྀ

“We need to get more gunpowder” Steve’s voice boomed through the cabin making everyone go quiet and turn to look at you, you sighed and looked directly at the blonde before asking, “How much do we have” you asked sternly, “Not enough if we are to encounter a whole fleet” he stated and you nodded.

“We betted that the royal ship would have enough gunpowder for us to steal but it didn’t” Natasha added and Sam raised from his seat to stand next to Steve, “What if we visit Bucky and take some from him, he would definitely have enough ready and waiting” Steve nodded at the offer but Wanda was quick to retaliate, “Yes but that may not leave us enough time to reach Bone Island on time for the seventh day” Vision hummed at her observation, “We have to take into account the time from here to Moonlight City if we want to go to Bucky, and how much that would affect our original route towards Bone Island”

Loki observed in silence from his seat as everyone engaged in the conversation. All of them were making great points; so much so that when he thought he had a clear idea to present, someone will come up with a new point of view that he also had to take into account. As Tony was explaining that he and Bruce had to make a couple repairs on the ship, Loki turned his gaze to you. You were listening intently to everyone from behind your desk, making a remark when you deemed necessary or stopping a conversation when you thought it got a little bit too heated.

And for a moment he was entranced. Your gaze was filled with your seriousness and your voice was authoritarian every time you said something— all so different from how you were with him during the day, it was almost a different person. No smiles, smirks or jokes— just true leadership framing your face.

“And what do you think?” Loki was snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed Clint directing his question at him, as he moved his gaze from you and looked around he realised everyone’s eyes on him. Shifting uncomfortably below everyone’s gazes Loki got ready to give voice to his thoughts, but— what should he say? Do a direct route to Bone Island without stops for supplies and risk encountering an enemy larger in number? Make a stop in Moonlight City and risk loosing time?— Loki’s thoughts raced as he pondered what to say, every point he had made in his head suddenly felt to ridiculous to share right now; he didn’t want to make a fool out of himself, especially in front of you.

You. He eyed you slightly and found your gaze was already on him, you were patiently waiting for his answer. Your eyes were expectant but it didn’t seem like you were rushing him to talk, you were calm as you waited for his voice to make itself known and that on its own gave him some confidence. He turned to look at everyone and noticed Wanda and Vision giving him reassuring smiles, the final push he needed to talk, “It might take a little more effort from everyone, but you could make the crossing from here to Moonlight City in a day or less, get the supplies quickly and make way to Bone Island in a day” Loki spoke in low but firm voice, and just when he thought everyone would just brush over his contribution Bruce spoke up, “That might work, if me and Tony are able to finish the reparations before tomorrow’s sunset we could make way for Moonlight City at night, we’ll arrive at nighttime, pick up the supplies and leave” Tony next to him nodded, although skeptically.

Natasha, who was standing next to you, lowered her form so she could speak in your ear and you hummed at whatever she said, “Okay” you finally spoke and everyone turned to you for the final decision, “Tony and Bruce fix anything that you have to fix starting tonight” the pair nodded upon your statement, it wasn’t rare for them to stay awake during the night so it wasn’t a problem, “We sail tomorrow at sunset, we won’t stop on Moonlight City” everyone stiffened at the final sentence but you continued nonetheless, “I know I’m asking you to risk too much but we don’t have much time, what we have right now has to be enough and we shall hope that luck is on our side” you finished sternly.

Everyone was silent for a moment, processing the information. The firsts to stand up where Tony and Bruce, “We’re gonna get to work” Tony stated and you nodded dismissing them from the room. As they left Wanda and Vision stood up, “Captain, we would like to start organising supplies for the voyage” Vision spoke and Wanda nodded in affirmation, “You can go” you dismissed and they were quick to leave the room.

For a moment nobody else stood up, and you guessed the ones left would be the ones to complain about the decision. But Clint stood up and talked, “I would like to go help Tony and Bruce, to make the process quicker” you nodded and he made his way out of the cabin. Sam and Steve sighed and Steve took the initiative to talk, “We’re going to check all the weaponry we have left and get everything ready, but I think we might need more people” you hummed, “Take as much as you deem necessary” you spoke finally and they both nodded before making their way out.

“That went better than I thought” Natasha voiced once it was only you, her and Loki in the room, “Yeah, I thought Steve and Sam would fight back on it” you stated sitting more comfortably on your chair, “I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t go against your orders” Natasha said before letting her eyes fall on Loki.

He was the last one on the room, and he was awfully aware of if. Natasha looked at him expectantly and he suddenly jolted up from his place, making you turn your head to him in surprise, “I— I would like to— uhm—” Loki suddenly felt minuscule as you and Natasha just stared at him, he didn’t know what to say.

To top it off even more, Natasha chuckled at his behaviour before turning to you. Loki thought that was it— Natasha would tell you how pathetic he was, and how he didn’t deserve to be there, and that the whole situation was his fault, and— “I’m off to asses the crew” that was all the redhead said to you before leaving the cabin, giving Loki one last amused look.

The cabin’s door closed behind Natasha and Loki turned to look at you, he swallowed hard and prepared to talk but you spoke first, “It is not your fault” your soft voice caught him off guard, he was confused as you stood up from your chair and made your way to him.

Loki looked at you with a puzzled expression as you stood in front of him, “This—” you gestured around the room, “—is not your fault, it’s mine” you looked at him with an almost apologetic look and Loki felt a sudden urge to pull you to him and reassure you that it wasn’t your fault. It was his; he was the one that wished for for freedom, he was the one that wished to escape Odin and his dull life, he was the one that involuntarily invoked this outcome.

“It’s not” he spoke simply although there was so much more roaming his brain that he wanted to say instead, “But it is” you lowered your head slightly and Loki was quick to lift it up with his hands on both sides of your face, “But it’s not” he whispered getting close to you until your foreheads were touching, “How could it not be” you could feel his breath on yours as your lips were about to touch, “I begged the skies for this, I’m the one to blame” you couldn’t say one more word as his lips were already upon yours.

It was a soft and sweet kiss, one that calmed your nerves and relaxed your muscles. It wasn’t a new feeling to you, both other times he had kissed you felt the same— at peace. Nothing else was there, and nothing else you could feel, only his lips.

Your eyes fluttered open as you felt his mouth retract from yours, “I could get used to this” Loki smiled at your words.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it <3

Taglist (click here to join) ; @moonlightreader649 @misswimberly @devilbat @yournightmare-1987 @crystaldragonborne @kingtwhiddleston @123forgottherest @iridescent-vixen

[dem-obscure-imagines]

Second Chances

Ben Hargreeves x Reader

Fandom: The Umbrella Academy

Summary: With new threats about, the Umbrella Academy is looking for new members to (potentially) help save the world and your healing abilities make you the perfect candidate to join.

Note: Idk why I’ve been in a Ben Hargreeves mood these past few days, but have some fluff. Set in a no time travel no apocalypse au?

Warnings: Very mild mentions of death

Word Count: 1.2k

Reader is: Gender Neutral

When you’d called the Umbrella Academy claiming to be gifted like they were, the others were, admittedly, skeptical. Several times throughout their childhood, the Hargreeves had met countless parents with children they claimed to be special, and none of them ever actually were. But, with Reginald dead and world-ending threats lurking around every corner, the remaining Hargreeves siblings were a little more…open to having more help around.

So, you arrived at the house, with little more than your messenger bag, your laptop, your favorite mug, and some clothes. You figured you shouldn’t bring too many things in case they kicked you right back out, but they wouldn’t have any reason to. You really were gifted.

The monkey butler, named Pogo, welcomed you in, and a nice woman named Grace made a cup of tea for you, and in the meantime, the rest of the siblings slowly assembled in the living room. The first of whom was Klaus, who, as usual, was bored.

“So you’re the one who called, huh?” He asked, sizing you up.

“Yep. I’m (Y/N).”

“And what’s your ability?” Klaus asked, plopping down on the couch across from you.

“We’ll let them show us when everyone else gets here.” Luther asserted, entering the room. “Nice to meet you, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you, too.” You said politely, sipping from the mug of tea. Off in the corner of the room, you felt a…presence. You looked over there, your eyes narrowed, and sure enough, there was a bundle of energy concentrated there. Almost as though…

Huh. Odd.

You caught Klaus staring at you when you glanced back that way and he smirked a little to himself, although he didn’t explain why it had caught his attention. Given your faint knowledge of the Umbrella Academy members, heralded as heroes while you were growing up, you were fairly certain he was Séance, which could only mean one thing…

It only took the others a few more minutes to get to the living room, and so once everyone was assembled, a man who had introduced himself as Diego said, “Alright, so what’s your thing?”

“I’m a healer. I have healing powers and they’re…kind of ridiculously powerful.” You told them.

“Healing powers are great, but we’re going to need you to prove it.” Luther crossed his arms, focused on you.

“Okay.” You shrugged. There was a dead plant sitting in a pot on the coffee table, so, you concentrated, green energy manifesting around your fingers. You flicked them onto the plant, and when you did, immediately, it perked up, its brown and withered leaves filling out and returning to the green color they had been weeks prior before it had died.

“Woah.” Allison smiled, staring at the now, very much alive plant. “That’s…incredible.”

“Thanks.” You chuckled. “It, uh, works on people, too. Obviously.”

“Right. Well, next time one of us is injured, we know where to find you. Welcome to the team.”

“Thank you.”

***

And so, you moved some more of your things in, which included a large amount of books. You liked reading, so a lot of your time spent at the school was in the living room, curled up with a book and a mug of tea.

It was on one of those occasions that Klaus approached you.

“You can see him, right?” He asked, motioning to the…presence that was lingering next to him. It migrated swiftly to one of the chairs in the living room, and Klaus looked at it, seemingly listening to it before turning his attention back to you. “When you first got here, you looked right at him.”

“I cannot see him, no, but I can feel him. I don’t know if that makes any sense…It’s like a magnetic field, kind of. There’s a pull to wherever he is.”

“Ah. Makes sense.” Klaus nodded. “This is Ben. My dead brother. Our dearly departed.”

“Oh, uh, sorry for your loss.” You said, unsure of how to respond to such a statement. “And nice to meet you, Ben.”

Klaus looked to Ben before repeating, “He says it’s nice to meet you, too. I have a question, though, are you into spirituality? Like witchcraft? Or is this part of your gift?”

“I’m…not sure, actually. I collect rocks, but more because they’re pretty than any other reason.” You thought for a long moment about just what he was insinuating. “Huh…”

“What?”

“Hold still.” You told the empty space where Ben was supposedly sitting, calling your power to your hand and watching as the green light flickered around your fingertips. Then, you flicked your wrist forward, sending the energy in that direction.

Then, suddenly, a young man in a black hoodie and leather jacket appeared in the chair in front of you, staring at you dumbfounded.

“Holy shit!” You jolted, gasping and staring at him. “I did not expect that to work, honestly.” You admitted, giggling.

“You can see me?” He asked, looking down at his hands and then pressing them to his cheeks to feel his skin.

“Yeah, and I can hear you, too.” You told him.

“Am I…?” Ben murmured softly, feeling the fabric of his hoodie. He pinched himself.

Klaus walked over and poked him a few times. “I mean, you feel pretty real to me.”

“How did you…How did you do that?”

“I have no idea, but I guess we can add necromancy to my list of powers.”

“Is there something going on in…here…?” Allison was standing in the doorway, looking into the room. Her eyes landed on Ben. Immediately she teared up. “B-Ben?”

“In the flesh. I think.” Ben chuckled, still not positive he was really alive after all of his years as a ghost. Tears brimmed his eyes too. “Been a while, huh?”

Allison rushed into the room and hugged him tightly, tears streaming down her cheeks, and once she was done, she went to gather the others while Klaus took his turn, giving his formerly dead brother a hug.

As soon as Klaus let go of him, Ben walked over towards you and knelt down in front of where you were sitting, taking your hand, tears streaming down his cheeks. “Thank you. So much. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

“Of course.” You said softly. “I’d say anytime, but I don’t want you to die again anytime soon, alright?”

“Right.” He laughed. “I’ll try to stick around a while longer this time.”

“Good.”

***

With Ben alive again, the occasion called for celebration, which meant some family bonding and drinks and music, and while you didn’t really feel like part of their mismatched family yet, the Hargreeves welcomed you quickly as one of their own, especially given that you had returned their brother to them.

And once the party was over and the others were slowly but surely going up to bed one by one, Ben made sure to single you out, approaching you with a smile brighter than the others said he’d ever smiled during his first life.

“I don’t mean to be too forward, but, um, second chances and all that…” Ben rubbed the back of his neck chuckling to himself and blushing for the first time in about a decade. “Do you maybe wanna go to the movies sometime? Or like out to dinner? I’d like to do something to repay you, and also…get to know you a little better? If that’s alright? If not, it’s totally cool, I just—”

“I’d love to, Ben. That’d be great.”

“Awesome. Cool. Um, Friday at seven?”

“Friday at seven.” You nodded, smiling. “It’s a date.”

[strange-lace]

Macaque

I was in the mood to make more content for Inverted AU, so here’s a short-ish fic of how episode 9 would go in this AU with Macaque, Wukong, and MK! Enjoy the shadowpeach!

Another demon defeated but still no sign of Sun Wukong. Macaque let out a sigh before rolling his shoulders to bring relief to tense muscles. Oh well, he'll just have to keep looking, not like he hasn't been at it for years now. At least this city he wandered to was quite nice with pleasant people, nothing too out there aside from demon attacks.

"Hey! Hey you! Shadow monkey man!" Macaque wouldn't deny that the sudden voice made him jump, considering he was on top of a pretty tall building. Apparently not tall enough to stop the young man from climbing up the side, somewhat out of breath yet that didn't deter from the determined look on his face. He simply brushed his messy hair out of his eyes and adjusted his teal backpack, which looked surprisingly heavy. Macaque couldn’t help but be somewhat curious as to what was in that thing.

Wait was that the Monkey King's staff in his hands?

Indeed it was, he'd recognize that weapon anywhere.

“Ah, you must be the Monkie Kid I’ve been hearing so much about, am I right?” That got him a look of suspicion before the young man also seemed to remember the staff in his hands, causing him to let out an amused huff at his own paranoia.

“Yeah, the staff kind of gives it away, don’t it? Name’s MK though. Now whomst is you? Most of the time, demons who ask me who I am are five seconds away from trying to kill me.” Macaque couldn’t help but chuckle at that, already finding that he was starting to like this little guy and his attitude. Perhaps if a person like MK was chosen to wield Wukong’s staff, then perhaps that meant his love had finally started turning things around for the better. Maybe it meant he finally stopped being someone he wasn’t all for the sake of keeping a memory alive.

“The name’s Macaque, though, the Six-Eared Macaque is actually my full name. But what brings you up here exactly bud? I doubt you’d climb up this high just for anybody.” MK’s face showed that he wanted to argue that point out of principle before remembering his purpose for coming up here.

“Simple, teach me.”

Wait what?

“What what?” MK scoffed at the question.

“I want you to teach me to fight, like how you fought that demon back there. I don’t intend on leaving you alone until you do and that is a threat!” Macaque didn’t doubt that he meant it that way and could very easily follow through on that. Sensing he wasn’t going to get out of this, he let out a sigh before giving MK a smile.

“You sure your mentor won’t have a problem with me teaching you?”

“Bold of you to assume Wukong’s disapproval will stop me.”

“Well alright then, I think we’re gonna get along just fine, bud.”

---

“I see what you’re trying to do, you’re afraid of holding back and giving your enemy the opportunity to win. But the first strike isn’t the most important one. Every strike counts. Other people may tell you that patience and focus don’t matter but a fool allows himself to rush without restraint. While you have power inside you, you have to use it carefully. Take the power to defend others, not just destroy those who stand in your way. You’re not a weapon kid, you wield the weapon above all else.”

---

It started with a fairly innocent question from MK after one of their training sessions, him slowly going through a water bottle given to him by Macaque while the monkey made them something to eat. He needed a distraction to stop himself from taking over the cooking, years of feeding others making him feel guilt the moment someone else took over.

“So Mac, how exactly do you know the Monkey King?” To his credit, Macaque only fumbled the slightest bit at that sudden question and was able to save the plate before it crashed to the floor.

“Oh um well… funny thing about that is, well… we used to be together actually. Like y’know… together-together,” he explained while he plated their food, wincing internally at how awkward he sounded. With his back towards MK, Macaque didn’t notice him go tense and grip the couch arm so tightly that the wood underneath cracked at the pressure.

“Used to be together, huh? What happened?” Macaque couldn’t help but shiver at the chill which traveled down his spine. MK’s voice was perfectly even and calm yet he was filled with an overwhelming fear that warned him to not turn around and remain perfectly still until the danger passed.

His ears twitched at the sound of sparks behind him, magic power permeating through the air.

“I… I messed up honestly. We had an argument about something, I don’t even remember what it was so long ago. But I had to leave to just get some space and air before I said something I’d regret, something I couldn’t take back. It was only meant to be a couple hours but some stuff out of my control happened and by the time I got back… Wukong was gone. I had been looking for him for centuries after that and then… well then you found me.”

“What, you hoped getting on my good side would mean that you’d win the Monkey King back?” His tone promised nothing good if Macaque kept digging himself a deeper hole.

“No! No, nothing like that at all. I don’t expect Pe-...Wukong to take me back or anything like that. I just… wanted the chance to apologize to him is all. If he wants anything to do with me afterwards, then I want that to be his choice. Nothing more, I swear.”

MK remained silent behind him before the sudden tension in the air dissipated as quickly as it appeared. Macaque let out a sigh of relief, slowly turning around to see MK still sitting on his couch, placing the staff back in his ear nonchalantly.

“Fair enough, sounds like you both were just idiots who don’t know how to communicate. If you actually intended on using me to get to the Monkey King, you’d have actually mentioned him during our training and yet you haven’t. And you can’t lie to save your life anyway. Just don’t be an idiot again alright? Monkey King… Wukong, he’s a mess and I don’t think he could handle thinking he’s been abandoned again.”

Macaque could feel his heart break at the idea that his Peaches, his love, thought that he had left permanently. He wanted nothing more than to run to him now and make things right. But that was Wukong’s decision to make, nobody else’s.

The two ate their food in silence after that.

---

Sun Wukong may have supposedly “lost his edge”  but he was by no means dense or oblivious.

And while he was certainly happy about his successor’s vast improvement over the past couple weeks, a part of him sensed something was off. Like his successor was hiding something from him. And those moves he watched MK use to absolutely demolish the old mural, the Monkey King swore he had seen them before.

But it couldn’t possibly be. He hadn’t seen him in centuries. Not since he… left, like everyone else.

“I’m impressed, my boy! Tell me, how did you do that? Have you been seeing another mentor perhaps?” Wukong asked, his typically serene smile straining the slightest bit at the idea of his son student learning from someone who wasn’t him. The sensible part of his brain was gently poking at him, reminding him that it seemed silly to get upset about such a thing as, if anything, MK had appeared significantly calmer during their training compared to when they started. This could be a good thing, it told him.

Yet it was silenced by the majority of his brain which ran on fatherly protectiveness and had immediately been plagued by images of the worst case scenario. A demon had approached MK, promising him to make him stronger while also poisoning his student as a bid to turn him against the Monkey King before stealing his powers or, Heavens forbid, harming him.

No, Wukong refused to even allow a chance of that happening, logic and reasoning be damned.

“Hey, you’re the one always going on about ‘patience and focus’, I’m just finally putting what you said into practice,” MK answered, the picture of being casual which only set off further alarm bells within Wukong’s head. But before he could question him further, MK’s phone dinged to tell him of a new text message which he quickly read over, his eyes widening slightly at the message.

“Welp, looks like I gotta cut things short for now Wukong, something came up and I gotta head out. See ya later! Don’t forget to eat something tonight and sleep, I will know if you don’t.” And with that, MK was off through the hole he had created in the wall where the mural was before the Monkey King could get a word in edgewise. 

Wukong waited long enough to allow MK to get a reasonable distance away before transforming into a bird, flying after his successor.

Something fishy was going on and the Monkey King was determined to find out what it was.

---

“Why exactly are we climbing up to this giant mountain again Mac?” MK wheezed, hating to admit it but this hike had genuinely winded him despite all his training. He had immediately gone to Macaque’s place the moment he got his text only to be told to follow the six-eared demon, leading them to where they were now.

“Well, consider this your ‘final exam’ bud! I want you to use everything I’ve taught you to fight against me, no holding back. Think you can do that?” MK couldn’t help the twitch at the corners of his mouth at the sight of Macaque’s genuine excitement as he explained, all six ears twitching while his tail was wagging like a dog. A demon who was centuries old and had fought countless powerful demons had no right looking that endearing, but here MK was looking with his own two eyes.

MK gave a chuckle before straightening himself out, wordlessly pulling the staff out his ear.

“You sure you’re comfortable getting your ass kicked by me, Mac?” With a smirk, Macaque summoned his own weapon in a flash of purple with the beginning of two shadow clones pooling at his feet. They shyly peeked from the ground from behind their master.

“Oho, a couple training sessions with me for a month and you think you have what it takes to defeat me, bud? Well then, bring it Monkie Kid!” MK didn’t hesitate to charge forward with Macaque mirroring him, weapons at the ready and adrenaline already running through their veins.

“Enough!”

A sudden force landed in between them with enough force to send them both flying backwards.

MK and Macaque recovered in time to see who decided to interrupt their duel.

Both of their hearts nearly stopped at the sight of the enraged Monkey King but for vastly different reasons.

“You have 5 seconds to explain yourself for trying to harm my-” Wukong’s rage quickly deflated as the dust cleared enough for him to truly see who it was he had thought was attacking MK. “Mango Flower?”

“Um… hello again, Peach Blossom. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” Macaque joked, voice weak as he restrained himself from acting out of bounds even if he wanted nothing more than to gather the other into his arms. It had been so long, far too long. 

He nearly broke at the sight of tears beginning to form in Wukong’s eyes.

His resolve finally shattered as the Monkey King ran towards him, arms outstretched, and before Macaque knew it his legs were moving on their own. The wind was knocked out of him at how tight Wukong squeezed him yet he returned the embrace back with gusto, ignoring the groaning of his ribs. He simply buried his face into the other’s fur, the smell of peaches still there even after all these years. Faintly, Macaque realized he was also crying once he felt a wetness on his cheeks.

Macaque let out a squeak in surprise as Wukong picked him up in the hug and spun him around, the sound of his laughter echoing throughout the mountain. The sight of such unabashed joy on his face was enough to make the six-eared demon to start laughing too, joy contagious in the best of ways. 

MK would deny it unless under the threat of death but he couldn’t help but smile as he watched the two monkeys get lost in their own little world. It made the guilt which nagged at his chest at having to manipulate the two to make this meeting happen ease up, seeing how happy the two were.

“It’s been so long…” Wukong whispered as he placed Macaque back on his feet, gently cradling his face as if afraid that if he stopped touching the other, that he’d disappear again. “But, why are you here? I had thought that you hated me, isn’t that why you…” Macaque went stiff in shock before taking the Monkey King’s hands into his own.

“What? No! If anything, I thought you hated me for leaving instead of talking things out and that’s why you were gone when I came back. I always intended on coming back to you Peaches, I swear on it.” Wukong’s eyes went wide at that, extremely close to crying again a second time that day. “I had been looking for you for centuries now to apologize.”

And now the warm feeling was gone, leaving MK to bite down on his staff to stop himself from screaming at how much those two had failed at the simple of communication.

“We’ve both been absolutely foolish, haven’t we?” Wukong couldn’t help but laugh at it all, which only worsened as he noticed all six of Macaque’s ears turn red in embarrassment.

“Yeah, I guess we have been-” His words were cut off as the Monkey King grabbed his scarf, pulling him into a sudden kiss that made Macaque jolt in surprise before he practically melted into the other’s arms. A purr rumbled in his chest and neither noticed their tails wind around each other.

The sound of MK clearing his throat, loudly, was enough to get them to break apart in embarrassment.

“If you two are done being romantic idiots, I have to beat the shit out of Macaque to prove that I’m better than him. I mean ace my ‘final exam’.” The grin on his face showed that he was lying through his teeth.

“Don’t think I forgot about all your trash talking, young man. How about it Peach Blossom? You willing to go all out with me and the kid?” 

Wukong’s face was the epitome of ‘Every part of my body wants to say yes but I shouldn’t.’ He was already terrible at saying no to MK and now with Macaque’s endearingly earnest face, he knew he was done for, at least with these two working together now.

“...Oh alright.”

The two mutual cheers at his agreement made Wukong feel slightly less guilty in letting his lessons go for a brief moment. But not completely.

But that was okay, Wukong was used to living with constant guilt.

[robininthelabyrinth]

Hello! I saw a post that said your prompts are open, but if they’re not yet, please don’t worry about this. Anyway, if you’re interested, please take this ‘Wen Ruohan appoints Lan Wangji his next heir with being 1) impressed by him, or 2) bested by him’ Lan Wangji is less than thrilled about this

Modern AU

“I hate this,” Wei Wuxian grumbled. “This is so dumb.”

“I don’t think you’re supposed to enjoy being kidnapped,” Jiang Cheng said, his arms crossed over his chest. He was scowling. He hadn’t stopped scowling. Nobody blamed him one bit. “It’s not like it’s something that gets advertised in travel brochures or anything.”

“Listen, if it was like in the movies, it’d be one thing,” Wei Wuxian argued back. Lan Wangji suspected he was just arguing in order to hear himself speak, but since Lan Wangji also enjoyed hearing him speak, he didn’t mind. “Getting snatched into a van! Taken to a mysterious secondary location via plane! Villain monologues! Handcuffs! Zipties! Ropes! Chains!”

Lan Wangji wondered if Wei Wuxian had a thing for bondage. He would be okay with that.

Very okay with that.

“Wei Wuxian…” Jiang Cheng started.

“But noooooo, we don’t get jungles or the ‘most dangerous game’ or sexy people in skimpy swimsuits –”

Lan Wangji had a bathing suit. It wasn’t that skimpy, though.

“- we just get kidnapped by a deranged politician who’s decided that the best way to figure out who deserves to be his heir is via a stupid reality show!”

“I think it’s based on the Apprentice,” Nie Huaisang said from where he was sitting. “Possibly the Bachelor? I actually don’t watch that much reality television.”

“You watch the Great British Bake Off like a fiend,” Jiang Cheng pointed out.

“First, Great British Bake Off doesn’t count. Second, if this was a bake-off, your sister would win, instead of not even being here. Is that what you want?”

Both Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian shuddered.

“So, we’re all in agreement that the goal is to lose, right?” Wei Wuxian said. “No one actually wants the job of being Wen Ruohan’s heir, right?”

Nods all around.

“Doesn’t he have kids already?” Jin Zixuan wondered.

“Wen Xu and Wen Chao,” Lan Wangji said shortly.

“…yeah, fair, I’d be looking elsewhere too. They’re pretty awful – dumb and dumber. But surely there’s someone else in the family…?”

“I think they’ve been disowned. Anyway, who would want power if it means putting up with Wen Ruohan?”

Nods all around a second time.

“How will this work?” Nie Huaisang asked. “Are there, like – contests?”

There were.

Stupid ones.

Lan Wangji did his utmost best to mess up the archery competition – archery? In this day and age? – but he wasn’t quite willing to turn around and wildly shoot backwards the way Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng were doing, if only because the possibility of collateral damage made him shudder. He focused his arrows on a small corner just outside the target.

(Nie Huaisang’s arrows impressively did not reach the target even once. When asked how he had managed to pull that off despite being closely monitored to make sure he was actually trying, he proudly pointed to years of practice in fucking up his brother’s efforts at getting him to train.)

Lan Wangji was also incapable of getting a low score in the calligraphy competition, although Nie Huaisang shared in his misfortune there – being an artist did not necessarily translate to good penmanship, but in Nie Huaisang’s case it did – and naturally no one could quite compare to the atrocity that Wei Wuxian had created.

“It’s still recognizable as words, in my view,” Nie Huaisang declared after several minutes of close study. “So it should be fine to submit…you should really consider taking up abstract art, though. It’s quite nice, from that perspective.”

“Thank you,” Wei Wuxian said. “I think. Or was that an insult?”

The mathematics segment was even more disastrous for Lan Wangji – his uncle had brought him up with a strict prohibition against lying, including on test answers – and then they’d brought out music…

They didn’t even give Lan Wangji a chance to sabotage his chance, opting to just play a Youtube clip of one of his public performances on the guqin.

He was very, very good at guqin.

At least they’d done the same for Wei Wuxian and his flute – he ended up getting ranked first in music, even above Lan Wangji – but that wasn’t going to be enough to overcome his middle-of-the-road performances in the other subject.

“I think you’re going to win,” Jiang Cheng told Lan Wangji. “I’m very sorry. Seriously, and without sarcasm: I’m very, very sorry.”

Lan Wangji said nothing, but apparently his face managed to convey his misery effectively enough because Wei Wuxian came over and gave him a hug.

Lan Wangji enjoyed the hug, at least.

“Don’t worry,” Nie Huaisang said. He was fanning himself again – where did he even get a fan? Lan Wangji thought all three of the ones he’d seen Nie Huaisang pull out of his pockets had been confiscated, and surely there was a limit to how many “back-ups” a person plausibly needed – and reclining under the shade, having been thoroughly knocked out of the running during the physical portion of the competition. He hadn’t even had the courtesy to be concerned: he was, as always, secure in his uselessness. “We’ve been here for quite a while, haven’t we? Our families will be along soon enough to pick us up, and then we can forget all this.”

“What if they can’t, though?” Jiang Cheng said, wringing his hands. “I mean, we all hate him, he’s awful, yes, but he still has influence and power, for some unknown reason –”

“I still can’t believe there are people who support him. Least of all nearly half the cultivation world!”

“Less than half. Remember, we just counted.” 

“Yes, yes, I know, but still. Regardless, don’t worry – it’ll be fine.”

“Surely if our families were going to do something, they’d be here already?” Jin Zixuan asked.

Jiang Cheng pointed at him. “See? Even the peacock is worried!”

“Also, what if Wen Ruohan wants to keep Lan Wangji as his heir even after we’re rescued?” Wei Wuxian wanted to know. He looked worried, which Lan Wangji appreciated. “Listen, my future boyfriend and I are not going to live somewhere named something as classless and pretentious as the, and I quote, ‘Nightless City’, okay? I refuse.”

…future boyfriend?

“The Nightless City is a perfectly decent name,” Nie Huaisang said. “For a Bond villain. Which I’m not convinced Wen Ruohan isn’t.”

Boyfriend? As in – romantic partner boyfriend?

“A Bond villain wouldn’t be this stupid,” Jiang Cheng argued.

Wei Ying’s future boyfriend?

“I dunno,” Wei Wuxian said. “There were some real stinkers, especially in the 70s…”

Did he mean Lan Wangji?

“Can we get back on subject?” Jin Zixuan wanted to know. “Lan Wangji is on the verge of being selected to be Wen Ruohan’s heir, and I’m not sure that process doesn’t involve brainwashing at some point.”

Wait, why was it future boyfriend? Couldn’t they be boyfriends now?

“I would fight them first,” Wei Wuxian declared. “All of them. Immediately!”

“Or we could escape. I know the guards took our cell phones, but I pickpocketed Wen Zhuliu’s and the GPS says we’re actually just at a warehouse outside the city.”

“We’d need a distraction, though…”

“How about we release the giant turtle?”

“Wait, that thing in the moat is a turtle? I thought it was a snake.”

“I don’t know why you expect me to know anything about amphibians.”

“It’s not – they’re not even remotely – a snake has no legs! What is wrong with you people?!”

“Unrelated, but has anyone noticed that none of the girls got brought in? Isn’t that sexist?”

“Like Wen Ruohan being sexist is a surprise –”

“I still think we need to do something before he tries to adopt Lan Wangji –”

“Do you want to go on a date with me?” Lan Wangji asked Wei Wuxian, who blinked at him, and then beamed. “Or maybe make out in the corner while everyone’s arguing?”

That seemed like something they’d both enjoy.

It was, too, right up until someone did unleash the giant turtle, at which point it was mostly screaming and splashing and all of their families coming to their rescue at just the right time.

But Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian were dating now, so overall, a good experience.

Well, mostly. Wen Ruohan sent him countless letters for the next two months asking him to consider coming back for an internship (to be paid in "experience" and "exposure", of course).

Lan Wangji burned them all.

[mp100fanworkstranslation]

Slice of Folklore: An Asian Historical Folklore AU

 by Tamadango

Oh god....Okay so this is an AU based on Chinese Folklore.

Reigen is a Daoshi Priest. This is a real sect of Taoism. But within the context of folklore, these Daoshi are more like Mages. They travel from village to village, doing exorcisms, performing rituals, removing curses, treating illnesses, presiding over ceremonies like funerals and also reanimating the dead so they can be walked to where they need to be buried.

Ekubo is a Jiangshi. More on this later.

That idiot villager…. said this route was a safe and easy hike

This is taking way longer than I expected. The other route would have been much faster

As he’s walking through a cave, the path underneath his feet collapses and he falls into a lower level of the cave.

(In chinese folklore, humans live on the surface and monsters/the dead/ spirits reside underground. Caves are sort of a limbo area inhabited by monsters, that average people avoid. 

The path collapses underneath his feet, and he falls. -Screaming- Holy shit! 

He falls and grunts in pain before looking up.

Directly in front of him, is a Jiangshi.

SAFE MY ASS!!

(Jiangshi are monsters from chinese folklore. They are corpses reanimated by blood spells. Lower level Jiangshi are just straight up zombies. Higher level ones are spirits sealed into dead bodies so they have some kind of will/consciousness like Ekubo here. They are reanimated by Daoshi priests and are obligated to serve them.

By default, Jiangshi are servant monsters, they ALWAYS have a master. Since they are dead/decaying bodies, they feed on the lifeforce of living people, ie blood. They can be powered up with blood, sealed with blood seals, sustained/controlled with blood. etc.  

It’s sort of the mix between a zombie_ (undead, with poisonous bite)_, a vampire (needs blood), and a summoned demon (serves a master.) in western fiction.)

Reigen reaches around for his bag as the Jiangshi hops towards him. “Dammit all my tools are in my bag.” 

(Tools specifically associated with being a Daoshi priest, like exorcism stuff, ritual daggers…spell tags…etc)

WHOA!

The creature is lunges at him, snapping. -teeth snapping sounds-

Reigen: ....? What an odd blood seal. Is it possible that this Jiangshi is acting under the control of this spell?

I have to remove it somehow! 

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

bottom panel -murmuring-

Ekubo: Hnnnnnngg

I’m finally free… Thanks to you

(So technically, he serves Reigen now. Jiangshi are servant monsters by their nature.)

Reigen: Ahhh the J…..J…. Jiangshi…. It talks! (Low level Jiangshi can’t talk... only the spirit sealed ones can.)

Ekubo: What kind of terrible outfit is this?

Ekubo: Huh? Don’t put me in the same category as those low class monsters.

Ekubo leans over: ....hmmmm

Sniff Sniff

You’re a Daoshi Priest from the Salt group aren’t you?

Eh?

Ekubo: and you’re a virgin….good! good!

Reigen: What business is that of yours?

Ekubo: Haha…What’s your name?

Reigen: Reigen.... Reigen arataka 

(Daoshi Priesthood requires celibacy, virginity, veganism, no alcohol and vow of poverty, along with a lot of other things like prayer, literacy in religious languages, etc.) 

My name is Ekubo. I am an high level creature of darkness!

(In Chinese folklore, Humans reside on the surface and monsters, demons, spirits, reside underground, and are collectively referred as such.)

You’re going to help me find the asshole who kept me sealed for the past couple hundred years so I can take my revenge. 

Reigen: No, I’ll pass. I need to get to the next town, see ya (he says this very fast while walking away)

Ekubo: What?! Hey Wait! There’s lots of gold and treasure in the crypt below. I was guarding it. It’s yours if you help me out.

Reigen’s ears twitch.

(Daoshi Priests are required to take a vow of poverty so he’s not supposed to be interested in riches or accumulating wealth.

Jiangshi are servant monsters by their nature, and must have a master at all times. Which is why Ekubo tries to convince Reigen to go with him. Because If Reigen just left, he would have no choice but to follow.)

They’re looking at a sarcophagus covered in spell seals in the chamber below.

Reigen: Is that the owner of the crypt buried here? Doesn’t look wealthy to me.

Ekubo: Im sure all the good stuff is in the coffin

(In ancient china, as in most ancient cultures, it’s typical to dress the corpse lavishly and fill the coffin with jewelry, money and valuables, so the dead person can be wealthy in the afterlife)

Reigen: Hey, All these coffins in the back here are empty… that’s really strange

-Click-

Ekubo: No… those aren’t normal coffins… these… they’re sacrifices! 

Reigen! It’s dangerous, Get Back!

Reigen: Wait… why are you running?!? Weren’t you looking for this guy so you can take revenge?

Ekubo: Hey I thought he sealed me here to guard the crypt, I didn’t realize I was intended as a snack for later.

Reigen: What?!? Does that mean those coffins are empty because it already ate them? So there’s no actual treasure?

Ekubo: Is THAT what you’re worried about right now? Can you stop being a greedy bastard for a bit so we can get out of here? 

(Again, as a priest, he would have taken a vow of poverty and isn’t supposed to be interested in riches.)

Ekubo: Reigen what are you doing? You cant beat him! That monster is powered up from eating countless other creatures of darkness.

Reigen: Yeah that’s exactly why he needs to be stopped

Reigen: Ridding the world of monsters and exorcising evil is my calling!

Reigen: And you, since you haven’t been eaten yet, help me out

Ekubo: Tch! I want to, but this body is way too weak to go up against a monster like that.

Get down! 

Ekubo: You don’t look it, but you’re actually pretty powerful. Shame it’s not enough to defeat him. Impressive nonetheless.

Reigen: We don’t have time for small talk! Think of something useful! Get us out of this mess!

Ekubo: Alright alright, calm down. You can leave it to me. 

Ekubo: huh! very nice flavor.

The blood from the tongue of a virgin plus my (some kind of power class that is ancient but also protective) 

(I really tried to translate this part but I don’t get the exact words he’s saying. The gist is that he gets a powerup by combining their powers. That’s it.) 

Ekubo: I should be able to break through the protective barrier that he’s using to shield himself. 

**Ekubo: Bring it! I’ll show you my true strength. **

Reigen: Can’t move… Cant feel my body at all….Looks like the poison is taking effect…. Makes sense… the bite of a Jiangshi

(Jiangshi feed on lifeforce/blood, so their bites can drain a person of their lifeforce temporarily.)

Can’t feel my tongue at all. It’s completely numb

Dont lose you bastard

I’m so tired…… 

Reigen: Ekubo?

Ekubo: Farewell...

Ah!

-tongue hurts - Thinks: so it wasn’t a dream 

**He starts sobbing. **

**Ekubo: You alright? **

Reigen: It’s a talking fart!

Ekubo: Hey! It’s me! Ekubo!

Why are you crying? You miss me? 

(More advanced Jiangshi are spirits sealed into dead bodies so they can be freed if their bodies are destroyed )

Reigen: Idiot! I’m trying to get the taste of corpse out of my mouth! You’ve been dead for hundreds of years!

Ekubo: Why are you so angry? Was that your first kiss?

Reigen: Shut up! Don’t you have some underground crypt to return to? What are you loitering out here for?

Ekubo: Just doing my guard duty.

Reigen: Why are you following me?

Ekubo: Why can’t I follow you? I just saved your ass, you could be a little more grateful you know.

(So earlier, Reigen removes the seal that was controlling Ekubo, and he then serves Reigen by default. After his body is destroyed, he’s free to move on. The implication here is that he’s chosen not to, and has decided to follow Reigen around instead.)

By Tamadango

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UGHHHH. I was not going to translate this. But @gemmawritessometimes prodded me into it. There was so much goddamn folklore shit to explain. 

Also this comic has a lot of terms you ONLY see in folklore and rarely anywhere else. Goddammit. 

Yeah, anyway, enjoy this comic.

[sooibian]

So Let's Runaway - Costa Brava

Prologue >> Costa Brava >> Seville >> Cuéllar

Pairing: Kyungsoo x Fem!Reader ft. bff!Chanyeol

Genre/Themes: Fluff, angst, humour, travel AU, road trip through Spain, travel buddies Chansoo

Warnings: Grief, loss, heartache, toxic relationships, mildly explicit language

Description: A bachelors trip turns into a soul-searching journey when an unlikely group of three travels through the scenic landscapes of Spain. Their experiences present them with opportunities to mend bridges, face their fears and fall back in love with the true essence of life.

Word Count: ~ 5.3k

A/N: this story is a part of @supermwritersnet​ ‘Around the world in 31 days’ event. event masterlist. 

Tag list: @sooadorable @rosetvler @changshapatrol @his-mochi-cheeks @is-that-baekhyuns-shirt @j-pping @kysoobydoobydoo @exoxobsession @camillapad @reekyungsoo​ let me know if you’d like to be (un)tagged.

@smolgirlbigthoughts​ thank you so much for the description!!! ;~~~~~;

After having stayed the night (or whatever was left of it after a red-eye flight) in an Airbnb in Barcelona, the three of you hired a Lyft to Europcar to pick up the SUV that Chanyeol had pre-booked for the Costa Brava - Seville - Cuéllar itinerary. What you’d gathered from your several conversations with Chanyeol after that serendipitous coffee date was that each of the three friends had handpicked an adventure sport to try out in these places.

Chanyeol had chosen scuba diving in the rugged coast of Costa Brava with its spectacular cliffs and countless coves. Kyungsoo had appositely picked out an adventure sport involving throwing oneself out of an airplane thousands of feet above ground a.k.a. skydiving in Seville, the capital of Andalusia, resting, wise and old, upon the Guadalquivir river. And Yixing, bless his heart, had wanted to take part in a bull run in Cuéllar that takes place on the last Sunday of August each year.

Twirling the car key on his finger, Chanyeol, dressed in baggy black shorts, a loose fitting purple tee, super dark oversized shades and a snapback cap worn backwards, strongly resembled that ‘smiling face with the sunglasses’ emoji as he walked out of the booking office with Kyungsoo following closely behind. All set to catch a few winks in the rear seat comfort of the SUV, you pulled down the brim of your sunhat but suddenly, a blur of turquoise swooped past you, capturing your attention. Your drowsy eyes wrestled the summer sun to land upon a gorgeous turquoise Buick convertible swerving around the parking area before coming to a fashionable halt. A portly, bespectacled man stepped out of the vehicle and deposited its key with the booking office.

This was it.

This was the car ideal for a road trip, not some mafia boss’ kidnapping vehicle.

The essence of time dawned upon you so you trotted to where the Buick was parked and went down on your knees, hands folded in an implicit plea. The two men, startled at first, were quick to realize what was up.

Kyungsoo fixed you with a judgemental gaze that wasn’t any different from a mother’s fed-up of her child’s tantrums while Chanyeol broke into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. Shoulders hunched under the weight of his tan leather backpack, Kyungsoo crammed his hands into the pockets of his khaki pants and sighed, “The SUV’s more practical.”

With a twinkle in your eye, you exclaimed, “Screw practical! Just look at it! It’s a convertible and we’re on a road trip!”

Grinning from ear to ear, Chanyeol advanced towards you gingerly. “Shifu, my love-”

Jutting out your lower lip, you crossed your arms over your chest and whined, “Don’t call me that after you’ve ditched me for Miss Perfect Hair!” causing Kyungsoo to roll his eyes which distracted you from Chanyeol’s stealth attack.

All of a sudden, the beanpole leapt at you, maneuvered you like he would a balloon sculpture, tucked his arms under your knees, picked you up and shoved you in the backseat of the dreary black vehicle with sun shades on windows darker than Kyungsoo’s soul. With Chanyeol’s finger pressing down on the ridge between your eyebrows, you laid down on your back, sulking, “Some road trip this is. Can I atleast drive?”

Before slamming the car door shut, he teased, “Take a nap.”

And...you tried.

Forty five minutes into the drive, you tried so hard to make up for the red-eye flight but Kyungsoo’s phone Just. Wouldn’t. Stop. Ringing. To make matters worse, he sounded like a broken record parroting the words ‘margin call’, ‘shorting’, ‘S’, ‘B’, ‘stop loss’ over and over again. The same damn thing, every single time.

“Enough Kyungsoo! We’re on a vacation, dude,” Chanyeol chided, the almost indiscernible crack in his voice indicative of his annoyance.

Leaning back into his seat, Kyungsoo bragged, “The last thirty seconds earned me enough commission to be able to buy at least five bags of the kind I bought Aera yesterday.”

“Now, why would you buy Aera a bag?” Chanyeol asked, a hint of suspicion evident in his tone. The sounds of their voices had been mercilessly thwarting your attempts at a peaceful slumber but, this was different. The lack of response from Kyungsoo seemed to have piqued your interest. Your eyes fluttered open to a one eighty shift in Chanyeol’s mood. Brows knit together, his fingers impatiently drummed on the steering wheel as you both waited for Kyungsoo’s answer with a bated breath. But in his stead, it was his stupid phone that broke the silence.

Wide eyes fixated on the screen, Kyungsoo suddenly cried out, “Stop the car!”.

“What?!”

“Stop the car, Chanyeol!”

Letting out an exasperated groan, Chanyeol rashly veered the car to the right before hitting the brakes, causing you to nearly roll off your seat. Kyungsoo darted out of the vehicle and the next thing you knew, he stood facing the hood of the vehicle, his laptop perched atop the bonnet and his life support cellphone clutched in one hand.

Bowing to the screen, he greeted, “Moshi Moshi!”

“Is he taking  a work call right now?” you mused.

Chanyeol snorted, “That’s Doh Kyungsoo for you.”

Chuckling softly, you squished your face against the back of Chanyeol’s seat and groused, “Well, along with loony, your friend seems to be fluent in Japanese.”

“Yah! Cut him some slack. He’s had a rough couple of weeks,” explained Chanyeol, wrestling with a bag of chips in his hands.

“Yeollie -”

It was on the tip of your tongue.

You wanted to tell Chanyeol about your encounter with Kyungsoo on the rooftop but there was no way you could explain your own presence in the first place. To make matters worse, you were the worst liar you knew. So, you decided it was a story that best remained untold for your own sake, your mother’s and inadvertently, Kyungsoo’s.

“Yeah?”

“Can I have a chip?” you asked instead.

“All yours!”

“I’ll have just one, thanks.”

“You alright, Shifu?” Chanyeol slurred around a mouthful of chips, “Is there anything you need?”

“A nap would be nice,” you jested while nibbling at the edges of the deep fried snack.

“Aww, sleepyhead, we’ll be there in an hour.”

Humming in agreement, you reached for another chip and cooed, “Are you alright, Yeol? What’s with the whole ‘bag for Aera’ situation?”

Chanyeol’s head spun around to give you a warm, dimpled smile. “Don’t worry. It’s not what you’re thinking.”

You couldn’t help but notice how he had wolfed down an entire packet of chips in a matter of minutes along with a can of some neon and black fizzy drink. A distant memory of Chanyeol guzzling an entire bottle of water in three seconds for shits and giggles back in Uni stretched your lips in a wistful smile.

By then, Kyungsoo was done with his twenty minute long call against the quaint cerulean and stone backdrop of fishing villages by the coast. Who needs a virtual background when you’re surrounded by coves of deep blue sea and beaches of golden sand? As he reached for the car door, you whispered in Chanyeol’s ear, “One more call and I’m chucking his phone out the window.”

Grinning mischievously as he fastened his seatbelt, Chanyeol sang, “Oh, Shifu, I’ve missed youuuu!”

The moment Kyungsoo stepped inside, a tangible gloom proliferated in the enclosed space. Chanyeol started the car and you quietly curled up in the backseat. Kyungsoo’s head spun around, round eyes blazing with conviction. Pointing towards the trunk, he said, “Do you see that cloth bag on top of Chanyeol’s trolley?”

“This one?” you asked, hoisting yourself up on one elbow, your arm carelessly flapping all over the luggage before landing on said cloth bag with a dull thump.

“Hand it over, please,” winced Kyungsoo, “Be gentle, it’s a gift.”

Passing him his precious ‘gift’, you let out an annoyed huff and laid down again, facing the backrest. But curiosity got the better of you. You immediately turned back around to see what this ‘gift’ looked like.

Kyungsoo loosened the strings of the canvas tote to reveal a black Birkin Cargo. Soft and lightweight, it was supposed to be Hermès first off-road bag. Your droopy eyes flew open in awe of its high-brow craftsmanship and it was certainly a thoughtful gift for a bride-to-be. If this gift was meant for you, you were sure to forgive any and all of his crimes but the bag didn’t seem to have the same kind of effect on Chanyeol.

The air was still thick with tension.

Gaze fixed on Chanyeol’s profile, Kyungsoo murmured, “I didn’t want to do this now.”

Eyes on the road, “Spill,” grunted Chanyeol, as if expecting the obvious.

“This is an ‘I’m sorry’ gift for Aera,” started Kyungsoo before lowering his voice to a whisper, “I picked it up from duty free last night...it’s fifteen times Yixing’s annual agricultural income.”

Chanyeol clicked his tongue in disapproval at Kyungsoo’s snide remark.

“What do you want to apologize to her for?” he then asked with a deep sigh.

“I- I can’t make it to the wedding,” said Kyungsoo, faltering in his otherwise steadfast speech.

“Why?” quizzed Chanyeol in a terrifyingly cool tone while anger started to rise within you. Why he allowed this midget to walk all over him was beyond you. Didn’t he have better friends?

“I pushed back an important appointment for this trip. It was either Spain or the wedding. And since you insisted on Spain...”

Furious, Chanyeol struck the steering wheel with his palm. With the rattle of the metal strap of his Rolex reverberating in the car, he bellowed, “The actual fuck, Doh Kyungsoo?!” 

“What?! I said I’m sorry!”

“No, you didn’t! Besides, ‘sorry’ doesn’t fix anything! You’re supposed to be my best man - are- are you listening to yourself right now?!”

Chewing on the insides of his cheeks, Kyungsoo patiently waited for his friend to simmer down. After a pregnant pause, Chanyeol resumed reasoning with him, his tone evidently milder this time, “Okay, okay, talk to me. Does this appointment have to be on the exact same day as the ceremony?”

“No, it doesn’t and...it isn’t,” Kyungsoo explained before hurriedly requesting, “Can we do this later?”

Chanyeol took a sharp right turn along the tapering road and brought the car to a screeching halt. Brows furrowed, lips quirked in an angry smirk, he looked Kyungsoo straight in the eyes and you felt as if the air conditioner had suddenly started meting out the chilliest of blows.

“No, I want to talk about it right now! So, tell me. What’s more important than your best friend’s wedding?”

Kyungsoo took off his glasses, threw his head back and pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. “Chanyeol, please -”

“No, I need to know!”

“Then remember it was you who wanted to have this conversation on the first day of our trip,” he stated curtly.

“Enough with the drama Kyungsoo!” Chanyeol’s roar rang through the car.

“FINE!” Kyungsoo grumbled, “I got a job offer from the London office and...I accepted. I leave a week after we’re back in Seoul….since it’s a new position I cannot fly back for the wedding. And I would’ve...I- I was going to fly back for the wedding had it not been for this trip.”

“So you decided to leave. Forever. Just like that. Without even talking to me about it first.” Chanyeol thought out loud, his tone tellingly casual.

Looking out the window, Kyungsoo whispered audibly, “There’s nothing left for me in Seoul.”

Without another word, Chanyeol started the car.

Putting his glasses back on, Kyungsoo threw his hands up and argued, “So you’re not going to say anything?!”

Chanyeol cranked up the volume on the car’s stereo in response, leaving Kyungsoo tongue-tied.

***

Ten minutes into the drive, Kyungsoo’s phone blew up for, conservatively, the fifteenth time. But before he could even swipe to answer, Chanyeol lowered the car window, plucked his phone out of his hand and chucked it into the shrubbery by the roadside and continued to drive at an accelerated speed.

Kyungsoo’s mouth fell open but no words came out and unbeknownst to you, you were mirroring the dazed look on his face.

Chanyeol stuck his thumb out to where you were seated and justified indifferently, “It was her idea.”

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It wasn’t a house. It was a warzone.

The spacious three bedroom apartment had invisible borders drawn out and nobody dared to encroach upon the other’s territory.

After arriving in Costa Brava, the three of you settled in and freshened up before heading out for a scheduled theoretical lesson on scuba diving conducted by your PADI certified instructor. The lesson had ended sometime around sunset and through the entire thing, you acted like complete strangers, making it more awkward than necessary for the twenty something instructor.

After the lesson, Kyungsoo offered to drive the trio to a boutique hotel, Hostal Sa Rascassa’s restaurant, which was supposed to be located on the edges of a tranquil, secluded cove and served traditional sea-food centric dishes like -

“- grilled sardines, cod fishcakes and octopus stewed with onion and pepper,” Kyungsoo counted on his fingers, making your stomach growl and your mouth water.

Chanyeol brushed him aside with a bitter, “I’m not hungry.”

Turning to you, Kyungsoo asked politely, “Wanna come?”

From the corner of your eye, you noticed Chanyeol shooting you a death glare so you decided to wriggle out of the situation by citing tiredness.

Kyungsoo lifted his shoulders in a dismissive shrug and took off in a taxi, leaving the car to the two of you.

“Where do you wanna eat?” Chanyeol asked as you got into the passenger’s seat.

Slack jawed, you chastised a giggling Chanyeol, “Yeollie, you’re absolutely horrible!”

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It had been months.

Months since Natasha had walked out of their shared apartment.

And ever since then, every night, the moment Kyungsoo’s head would hit the pillow, a sense of hopelessness would erupt right in the middle of his chest. Spreading its wings far and wide, this despair would engulf him entirely and render him sleepless.

Nothing he tried helped his disposition so he’d started working on accepting this feeling as an inextricable part of his being. Something he’d have to learn to live with for the rest of his life.

Overcome by exhaustion, Kyungsoo drifted off only to be jolted awake by a jarring memory.

Hands balled into fists, Natasha yelled, ‘HOW COULD YOU DO THIS?’

‘This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, Natasha! This deal could help us!’ Kyungsoo thundered in the face of her dogged determination to not let this slide.

‘Can’t you see that I don’t care?’ She met his bloodshot eyes with tears welling in hers.

Brows knit together, Kyungsoo ruminated on his thoughts before firing back, ‘Are you saying that you don’t care about my life?’

Exasperated, Natasha ran a hand through her hair to ground herself and argued, ‘Stop it, Kyungsoo! Don’t confuse your work with your life! Your work isn’t your life. It’s just a part of it. WHAT ABOUT US?’

‘Us?’ Kyungsoo deliberated, ‘I bought this apartment so that we could live together.’

Natasha retracted with every step Kyungsoo took towards her, expression coloured in unpleasant shades of anger and disgust.  Letting out a mirthless laugh, she taunted, ‘Oh, please! You bought this apartment to impress people with your upmarket address.’

Aghast, Kyungsoo sank into the couch, his mind flitting between despair and hope. Head in his hands, breathing jagged and raspy, he reasoned, ‘I can’t believe you’re saying this to me! I’m planning a future with you.’

‘The future is yet to come, Kyungsoo. WHAT ABOUT OUR PRESENT?’

‘STOP YELLING!’

‘THEN LISTEN TO ME!’

Hands on his knees, Kyungsoo’s gaze shot up to rest upon Natasha’s flushed face. ‘What do you want?’ He demanded in a terrifyingly low tone.

A silent tear slid down her cheek as she explained with a quiver in her voice, ‘I want your time, Kyungsoo. I want a relationship not a retirement plan.’

Helpless, Kyungsoo toyed with the words in his mind before blurting, ‘If the chairman of Nakamura Corporation wants to meet me then I have- to- go! If he likes the presentation, he’ll give us the entire account. Don’t you see how big this is for me?’

‘But what about us, Kyungsoo? What about our dinner plan?’

‘We can postpone it to next month, can’t we?!’

‘It’s my birthday, Soo. I can’t postpone my birthday. You’d promised me this dinner...no matter what! You cancelled the reservation without even asking me first.’

Cupping her face in his hands, he pressed his lips to hers and whispered, ‘Baby, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry...but I have to go.’

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When you padded into the living room, sleep befuddled at 5 a.m., you caught Chanyeol and Kyungsoo locked in an embrace, both of their eyes squeezed shut, as if wordlessly conveying an incredible degree of warmth and affection towards each other.

All of it….in “bro code”.

You imagined the conversation in your head, in two deep, distinct male voices:

‘I’m sorry I threw your phone out the window, bro!’

‘It’s what I deserved, bro!’

Rubbing away the drowsiness from your eyes, you tiptoed back into your room so as to not disrupt this….whatever this was supposed to be.

***

Underneath the purple-pink skies, enveloped in the cool early morning breeze, Kyungsoo, Chanyeol, and you, dressed in spandex scuba suits, huddled together in solidarity on the boat’s bulwark.

The diving site that Chanyeol had picked was called ‘Boreas Wreck’. The Boreas was a high sea tugboat that served for the German Navy during World War II. It was deliberately sunk in 1989 for the purpose of creating an artificial reef and thus, a scuba diving attraction.

“Any non-swimmers?” the trainer asked and Kyungsoo’s hand shot up in the air.

Her full lips curled up in a dazzling smile. “You’re brave,” she remarked and you heard Kyungsoo swallow hard, inviting a snigger from Chanyeol.

Hands on hips, her perfect figure accentuated by the spandex, she instructed, “You will be diving deep into this sea now, do you remember the theoretical part I taught you on the shore?”

Chanyeol and you were confident (and loud) in your affirmation.

Kyungsoo, not so much.

With the bulky dive equipment on, the instructor created a circle with her thumb and forefinger, gesturing, “All okay?”

The three of you responded by following suit.

First dive, twelve metres depth.

You’d become the proverbial fish out of water except you were not the fish and you were under water and your whole world had been turned upside down….quite literally.

You spun around to find the instructor assisting Chanyeol with his breathing rhythm and Kyungsoo curled up like a shrimp, hugging his knees. Arm extended, he gave you a “thumbs up” which meant an entirely different thing under water from what it did on land.

Thumbs up, in diving lingo, spelled trouble. It meant that, for whatever reason, the diver wished to ascend. But, by then, you’d known Kyungsoo long enough to understand that there was no real cause for concern.

The look in his eyes told you that he was simply struggling to adapt.

You swam towards him, with your legs and not your arms, in order to maintain good buoyancy control. Clasping your hands together in a mitten grasp, you signalled him to hold onto you. Kyungsoo created a circle with his thumb and forefinger to signal “okay” before putting his hand on your forearm, the soft ripples caused by his gentle movements gleaming in the artificial light from your gear.

You then raised your other arm and flattened your hand, palm down, to “pat” the water in front of you as you would the head of a dog. Wearing a comforting eye smile, you essentially asked Kyungsoo to take it easy and relax. You then levelled your hand with his eyes, palm facing up before drawing a deep breath, wordlessly asking Kyungsoo to breathe slow, deep and long.

Another nod. Another “okay”.

He then pointed his index finger to his ear, the gesture indicating that he couldn’t clear his ears and had trouble equalizing. So you locked your eyes with his and took his elbows in your hands to pull him up to ascend slightly before quickly pushing him down again while wondering whether he’d paid attention to the theoretical lessons at all.

He squeezed his eyes shut before giving you another nod which meant that the equalization was a success.

Kyungsoo’s thumb and forefinger met in another “okay” but this time with an eye smile which you reciprocated with an “okay” before snapping your fingers into a teasing finger heart.

All traces of agreeableness instantly vanished from his visible features.

***

The deeper you went, your fluo green spectrum widened, whelming you with the underwater world’s tranquil beauty which neutralized the shooting pain in your ears and the violent thumping of your heart. Corals in the shape of giant mushrooms floated around you and sea urchins greeted you with their bright purple-brown spikes glowing under the ocean’s natural light. At your feet, a shy goby fish with its large head and tapered body tunneled its way into the sand upon sensing the arrival of strangers.

While you were immersed in this exquisite scenery, a wide eyed Kyungsoo grabbed your attention by waving at you, his hand holding a pink fin.

‘That fin looks familiar,’ you thought before realizing it was your fin that had released itself from your right foot. You almost choked from laughing with the regulator on and the mask attached to your face as Kyungsoo helped you stick it back on.

Having been privy to breathtaking videos and countless stories of the mysteries and magic of the underwater world, a first-hand experience felt surreal. You were quick to adapt to the environment and didn’t try to fight it or control it and your first breath under water had been an experience like no other.

The Boreas Wreck was home to a number of incredible marine species such as Mediterranean sponges and blue gorgonians, scorpionfish, sea urchins, starfish, goatfish, mullets, bream, lobsters, groupers, and barracuda. While you couldn’t pindown all the enticing, drop dead gorgeous palettes of reds, blues, and yellows that crossed paths with you, shoaling, schooling...or even solitary, it didn’t take away from the sheer awe you were overcome with at every second of your time several azure and viridian metres below the surface of land.

The instructor then guided the three of you inside the boat’s wreck, which was safe to enter since all hazardous items had been removed before Boreas was scuttled. With an excited Chanyeol in the lead per usual, you visited some of its confined rooms, and went further in to explore the kitchen, the engine room, the bridge and even the captain’s cabin. The dilapidated metal and wood body of the civil boat, covered almost entirely in sea fauna, was nothing short of a beautiful nightmare.

Traversing, you reached one corner of the boat basked in a blinding white light, enveloping you in a gentle embrace. Emotions so carefully locked away came flooding through the dam of your forced stoic indifference. Giving in, you stretched your arms out, allowing yourself to freefall into a distant memory.

Haphazardly flapping your arms and legs, you struggled to keep your head up but no matter how hard you tried, the pool water made its way into your mouth, nose, and eyes, even.

‘Appa!’ you managed loudly as you felt yourself drowning again.

Your Appa was the one who always came to your rescue.

No matter where you were, no matter how bad things got. He was always there. So when he just stood there, a smile on his face, watching you grapple with a force that mercilessly dragged you down while you kicked and punched and floundered to stay afloat...a mysterious emotion rose within you.

You felt betrayed by the man who was supposed to have your back.

Seething, ‘Appa!’ you bawled, but to no avail.

Until...magically...you didn’t need his help anymore.

After days of relentless torture, you’d finally found yourself moving forward, cutting through the water with synchronized movements of your arms and legs.

But the exhilaration hadn’t lasted long.

A couple of minutes in and you realized that that force was winning again but this time, you didn’t drown.

This time a familiar pair of hands grabbed you before you went under and threw you up in the air as your misty eyes took in the biggest smile on your father’s face with an equally big one gracing your bright features.

Circling his arms around your tiny torso, he nestled you into himself.

‘My champion!’ he whispered into your swim cap covered ear.

***

Back on the boat, with your diving gear off and fresh towels wrapped around your shoulders, you sank to your knees, completely wracked with sobs.

You felt a million emotions, all at once, the reigning one being embarrassment at this sudden outburst. With his arms around you and his chin resting on the top of your head, Chanyeol whispered, ‘It’s okay, it’s alright,’ to ground you while gently rocking you back and forth until you’d let it all out. Turning around, you buried your face into the crook of his neck as if to hide away from the inquisitive eyes of Kyungsoo and the instructor. Chanyeol held you closer, his hand stroking the back of your neck in silent support.

.

.

.

Even after a sumptuous lunch of salmon canapes, baked scallops, rice with spiny spider crab, mixed seafood finger foods complete with a chocolate semi sphere, Chanyeol was uncharacteristically quiet and Kyungsoo, uncharacteristically amiable.

“Feels a little morbid to be eating all this seafood after a dive,” you jested with a serious expression, nibbling on a piece of dark chocolate. And it was only then that the boys went back to being their true selves. Amused, Chanyeol guffawed, “Good to have you back!” while Kyungsoo choked on his sparkling white wine.

Shortly after, Chanyeol excused himself to make a call to Aera.

Kyungsoo ordered two coffees for the both of you and you noticed how he kicked about a conversation starter in his head as opened his mouth only to clamp it shut several times, before finally mustering, “I just want to say -”

“No,” you interrupted him in a mortified haste, “no, please don’t say anything I don’t wanna talk about it except, I’m really sorry for making it so awkward for you guys back there.”

“Oh, no,” he gave you a dismissive wave of hand, “it was just Chanyeol, me, and...erm...the pretty instructor who we’ll never see again. Chanyeol makes a complete ass out of himself every waking hour and as for me, please don’t worry about me. Especially not after you found me blind drunk on a rooftop in the dead of night. We all have our moments. I’m sorry,” he suddenly stopped short, expression solemn, “you said you didn’t wanna talk about it.”

You chuckled, teasing, “Pretty instructor, huh?”

This was the longest conversation you’d had with Kyungsoo so far and truth be told, you were caught off guard by... his smile. His resting face was a natural frown, mostly due to his poor eyesight. And in your experience, if he had his glasses on, it was Chanyeol who was the primary reason for his scowl, with you being a close second.

It took you a moment to take in that dazzling, heart shaped smile of his before you could speak again but it was Kyungsoo who lugged the conversation forward.

“I just wanted to thank you for what you did for me back there. I think I felt a little overwhelmed by the,” he pondered his thoughts before concluding, “the vastness of the ocean. Sorry, I’m no poet.”

“Don’t mention it,” you smiled, “How did you feel by the end of it?”

“Umm,” Kyungsoo ruminated on your question, “I felt like I was in the moment...like, reaching a stage of subtle awareness from surface awareness.”

“And you say you’re not a poet,” you quipped, “So, like, meditation?”

“Maybe. It felt as if I was letting go of...of all the emotional baggage -” he trailed off rather plaintively.

Voice laced with hesitance, you sang, “So….maybe…you’ll sleep better tonight?”

Clearly taken aback by your question, Kyungsoo exclaimed, “What?!”

“I’m sorry but, it’s very obvious that you haven’t been sleeping too well.”

Thick eyebrows scrunched together, he let out a confused ‘Oh!’

“Did Chanyeol -” he continued, only to be interrupted by a booming, cheerful voice, “Think of the angel and the angel appears!”

Kyungsoo looked up at a beaming Chanyeol and deadpanned,  “That’s not how the saying goes. Anyway, what took you so long?”

Eyes holding a glint of humour, Chanyeol placed a neatly wrapped iPhone box in front of Kyungsoo and took the dramatics up a notch with a stage performer-esque curtsey thus inviting amused stares from the nearby tables in the courtyard style restaurant. Kyungsoo unwrapped the packaging with the eagerness of a five year old on Christmas Eve and to his disappointment, instead of the high end handphone, he opened the case to a hot pink flip phone.

Kyungsoo let out a low growl, “The fuck is this?”

Standing at a safe distance from his fuming friend, Chanyeol quipped, “A phone,” while making no effort to suppress his laughter.

“Thank you, Mr. State The Obvious, but I’m an adult male, not a Japanese schoolgirl!”

Tickled by his own little prank, Chanyeol threw you under the bus by triumphantly howling, “It was Shifu’s idea!” before darting out of the premises.

Dumbfounded, you exclaimed, “WHAT?! NO!” as Kyungsoo fixed you with a death glare.

.

.

.

‘When were you going to tell me about this?’

Maybe this was one of your endless nightmares.

Maybe this wasn’t happening at all.

Your mother deflected your question by putting things away. Dirty dishes in the washer, clothes in the dryer, leftovers in the fridge, while you followed her around like a lost puppy, a crumpled, time stained letter held delicately in your hand.

The throbbing in your head now bordering on numbness, bile rising up your throat, your legs threatening to give away, you reiterated your question, vociferously this time, surprised at your own power of will. A quality that forever eluded you. The inability to voice your needs, your opinions, masked under a not so thinly veiled sense of self deprecating humour was...you, in a nutshell. This sudden surge of fighting spirit consuming you whole felt alien but at the same time, very natural and, at the same time, it was taking a toll on every nerve, every muscle, every bone.

Every second felt like your last.

‘Would she be able to handle it all over again?’ crestfallen, you mused, ‘The grief. The sympathy. The cumulation of my life -- all these decades condensed into a tiny vessel of ever fading memories. The sands of time trickling through her wrinkled fingers.’

‘Eomma, please -’ you cried out, only for your plea to fall upon deaf ears.

It wasn’t until the next morning that she spoke to you again.

Bloodshot eyes framed by the weight of living, she handed you a warm cup of tea and let out a deep sigh.

‘He never wanted you. It was your Appa who accepted me...he accepted us… It’s been three days since your Appa -,’ wracked with sobs, it took her a while to compose herself to be able to speak again, ‘don’t dishonour his memory.’

‘Why should I believe a word you say? Why should I believe that- that my own father never wanted me?’

[lino-know]

Misfits

pairing :: reader insert! w/ lee know word count (chapter) :: 2.5k chapter count :: 1/?  genre :: historical au!, enemies to lovers, mostly fluff + adventure 

description ::  in which you and minho are travelling bandits who steal things for a living, but he has an uncanny talent for getting in your way and finding where you are. also known as me speed-running the enemies to lovers trope and squeezing it into the span of god knows how many chapters.

note :: I say 'enemies to lovers', when it's really a combination of witty banter and increasing sexual tension. there is a plot if you squint hard enough, but honestly it's mostly the reader running away from minho and minho squirreling his way back into their heart. 

also there is smut, but it’s later in the story. 

see the end for historical notes if you’re interested!

also posted on ao3

schedule :: updates every tuesday until it finishes! 

the three kingdoms, despite how strong and fortified they seem from the outside, are ultimately the best place to be a bandit. for one, each kingdom has a rivalry with the other two, which makes it easy for criminals to slip unseen between one or the other. for another, the kingdoms are so constantly at war with each other that the officials don't really have time for anything except for warfare, and politics. which means that none of the authorities would bother themselves with the likes of you, a thief traversing across the lands making a living by picking pockets, charming people and sometimes reselling whatever you took. Well, not necessarily in that order.

having travelled between the borders countless numbers of times, the guards are already familiarised with the sight of you and your horse as you approach the gates. grinning, one of them starts to ease the large city gates open. "I see you're back, _______-nim."

in return, you smile back, pulling a small pouch from one of the bags hanging from your horse's back. "how can I forget such a beautiful city, yoon-nim?"

he laughs, and you toss the pouch at him, before leading your horse through. "remember to share it, yoon-nim!" you call back, and the gates close behind you. bribing the guards isn't really part of the job description, per se, but you make sure to do it anyways. it always helps to have an ally somewhere, somehow. and it's especially important if you're being chased on horseback by someone from another kingdom, when they actually find out and actually give a damn. which is also why you decided to make baekje your refuge and sanctuary of sorts - you know you'll always be safe here.

the city of sabi is as busy as always, with its bustling marketplaces and everyone milling around with an agenda in mind. not only are there merchants from baekje walking around, selling their goods, but also merchants from china, japan, and some other manner of dress that you've never seen before. you smile and take a deep breath, the fresh ocean air never failing to be refreshing and relaxing. "_______-ssi!"

at the sound of your name, you whirl around and spot yeon, one of the shopkeepers that you're most familiar with in the city. "you back from another trip?"

"yeah, just came back from goguryeo." leading your horse on with the reins, you near his store, leaning closer to scrutinise his goods. "the wars there are terrible - I just managed to escape."

"I suppose you didn't manage to get as many pickings as you used to, then?"

"hmmmm," you hum absent-mindedly, intentionally avoiding his question. shopkeepers, regardless of their facade, are all the same - all they want are goods they can buy off others at a low price, then selling them at a much higher price and wheedling you to buy it until you give in. you've long since learnt the art of bartering, but it's always a tricky business, and a thin line to tread. picking up one of the jade pieces in his store, you hold it up to the light. "how much is this?"

yeon frowns at not receiving an answer. However, he takes it from you nonetheless. "this isn't worth any oshuchon. I'll give it to you for three bolts of hemp." setting the piece of jade onto his table, the shopkeeper taps it a little thoughtfully. "you can get it to a blacksmith, smooth it out, and take it to the jeweler's. hong would probably be able to make something out of it. he'd take it off your hands for three oshuchon, easily."

"that's a good suggestion," you agree, turning around to your horse to get the bolts of hemp from your bag. however, just as you're about to hand over the material, a hand comes out of nowhere and places down two pieces of silver on the counter. "I'll take it for two oshuchon."

instantly, you whirl around in indignation to see who it was disturbing your transactions, and is surprised to see the hand belonging to a handsome young man. however, he barely spares you a glance, merely a lazy flicker of eyes to your direction before being directed back to yeon, who is standing there baffled. "two oshuchon?" he prompts, cocking his head.

"b-but sir," taken aback, yeon seems to lose his words for a moment. clearing his throat, he starts again. "but sir, that piece of rough rock is barely worth anything. three oshuchon is what I predict for what it could become, not for its current price." he pauses. "you'll be wasting your money if you're spending this much."

"two oshuchon," the young man repeats. "take it, or leave it." and of course, being the shopkeeper that he is, there is no way yeon will refuse such a generous offer. he quickly snatches up the silver pieces in the offered palm, and hands the customer the stone. giving yeon a brief nod, he pockets the jade piece, but just as he's about to leave, you come back to your senses. "hey!" you grab the man's wrist to prevent him from leaving. he sighs, as if you're the one bothering him instead of vice versa. "what?"

"I was here first. I had my eye on the jade piece first." your eyes narrow, and you frown. he scowls and wretches his wrist out of your grasp. "the hell you barging in and just snatching my purchase from me?" the man rubs his arm resentfully, before scoffing. "well, the shopkeeper agreed to my purchase. I paid for it fair and square, and he accepted it." he pauses, a small smirk appearing on his face. "I don't see what the problem is."

furious at his seemingly unbothered demeanor, your blood starts to boil. "well I do! if you don't know, this country has its own set of rules, and its own set of traditions. come to think of it, even if you're not from baekje you should've been taught manners. or are you not even capable of that, you bastard?"

the smirk slides off his face, and his eyes narrow in return. a sense of satisfaction settled over you as you successfully rile him up, but just before he could respond Yeon quickly intervenes in the fight. "Now, now. ________, I have other jade goods as well, why don't you take a look at them? and sir," he bows at the young man, an action that makes you scoff in disbelief. "my apologies for my acquaintance. they mean well." at his words, your eyes widen in indignation, but before you can put in another word yeon's glare silences you. the young man nods, satisfied, having gained victory. "you'll do well to remember your place, peasant." laughing, he spins on his heel, and walks away.

still furious, you wheel on yeon. "what's that for?"

the shopkeeper raises his head and cocks an eyebrow at you. "don't you know who that man was?"

"why would I know who that insolent brat is?"

yeon blinks, then guffaws loudly. "insolent brat, eh? I'd think that was a more appropriate title for you, ______." he pokes your cheek affectionately, but you brush him off, annoyed. sensing your mood, the shopkeeper clears his throat, sobering. "that 'guy' is one of the most fearsome figures in all of the three kingdoms. no one knows where he's from, or what his name is, but his nickname is the 'white wolf'. and there are pretty wild stories about him out there too."

"like what?"

he shrugs, and slides the silver pieces into his pouch. "apparently he rode all the way to daxing in china in the span of two months and came back with his bags full of Chinese treasures, fighting back guards on the way back. he managed to enter the city gates of goguryeo just in time, and to lessen the king's fury at leading the enemy right up to their gates even visited him to offer all the goods he had. And legend has it, when he was dining with the king, he was asked to show his military skills and managed to defeat the goguryeo's top generals." yeon ducks under the table and rummages around. "of course, whether that's true or not, no one knows. now!" the shopkeeper places a smooth, white stone in front of you. "this is by no means as high quality as that piece of jade, but it's a rare gem from the shores of silla. one bolt of silk, how about that?"

you hesitate, before an idea crosses your mind. "do you have any blades?"

night soon falls, and you find yourself drifting towards the guesthouses by the river, feet weary and in desperate need of rest after a long day of bargaining. most of the goods you've hauled back (coughs, stolen) from goguryeo has been sold off to the sabi merchants, but they'd been filled with baekje goods in return, through actual, legitimate means. All in all, a fruitful day, and you were negotiating with the proprietress for a warm meal after having put your bags in the room upstairs, when you saw him.

instantly, your fingers close around the dagger hanging on your waist. yeon had tried and failed to convince you not to purchase the blade, having guessed correctly that you wanted to go after the so-called 'white wolf' and chop his head off with it, but you'd manage to persuade him otherwise by handing over two pieces of oshuchon. the knife definitely wasn't worth that much, but you could see it's sturdy and will last you at least three years before being demoted to scrap metal. plus, the handle is laden with actual silver. with any luck, you can resell it for double its price.

the infuriatingly familiar young man is sat at one of the wooden tables, a steaming bowl of something sitting in front of him untouched, mainly because he's conversing with some of the other individuals sat around the table. it's clear that the other men are all listening to him, a spell-bound expression on their faces as they're in awe of whatever he's sharing. for some reason, him having so much attention irks you so much that you find yourself on your feet, having sat down and waiting for a meal after successfully guaranteeing a room for yourself.

"what are you talking about?" you drop yourself casually on one of the seats surrounding him, a bowl of makgeolli in hand. the annoyed expression on his face tells you that you've clearly interrupted him in the middle of something particularly interesting, and you savour it as you sip the rice wine. "oh, I'm sorry, were you saying something important?"

"he just got to the part where he meets the king of goguryeo," one of the surrounding men chimes in, and the 'white wolf' frowns in annoyance.

"oh, I know about that." you prop your feet onto the wooden surface of the table, boots brushing against his bowl of broth. "he was then asked to show his fighting skills and beat all of goguryeo's top generals' ass. very impressive. or so they say." you sip casually from your bowl again, and points it at him. "is that even true, mr white wolf?"

some of the men who were listening with wide open eyes a few moments ago start sniggering, and the smirk on his face slides right off. he leans in, the look in his eyes dangerous, with an undertone of a threat. "are you challenging me now?" you swallow under his gaze, but doesn't waver. "why, afraid of your lack of credibility?" you retort.

"at least he has legends spoken about him." one of the - braver, you assume - men speaks up. "what have you done, young fellow?"

"i'd say having the ability to properly piss off the white wolf is pretty high up on my list." tearing your gaze off the aforementioned man, you set down your drink and direct your glare to the one who has spoken, and your smirk seems to have set him off as he lunges forward, grabbing your collar. "perhaps the next one is slitting your throat?"

"enough!" the proprietress has overheard your argument, and she is bustling to the table you're all centered around. even you don't dare anger her - it has always been known that proprietresses are one of the most frightening people throughout the three kingdoms. the man immediately drops his grip on the front of your shirt, and you slump back onto your chair, coughing. "start a fight in my inn again, and you'll pay dearly." she glares at the man who just turned the fight physical. "and you," she directs her eyes to you, though as you wipe the spit off the corner of your mouth, her eyes soften, just a little. "stop starting arguments."

"yes ma'am," He mumbles, and you know better than to argue, satisfying her with a nod. "good." Immediately, she spins on her heel and heads back to wherever she came from - likely settling accounts. the mood broken, the men clearly lost their interest in the white wolf's stories and go back to their meals, though you can still sense their annoyance from some side glances being sent your way.

however, for one person the issue has yet to be settled. after you manage to prop yourself upright on your seat, and is about to reach for the bowl of maekgolli you were nursing, a knife is driven between you and the drink, the sharp blade missing your hand by a few inches. you look up, annoyed, and meet the white wolf's eyes. "what are you playing at?" He hisses, a hand on the knife's handle.

"what are you playing at?" you retort back. "trying to be some kind of bigshot, telling these men lies about all your glory and achievement or whatever the fuck you're trying to achieve through these stories?"

he scowls. "can you prove that I'm lying?"

"I can't prove that you're telling the truth," you reply, cocking your eyebrow at him. you know you're playing with fire, but you don't care. for some reason, these verbal clashes sent a shot of adrenaline through your veins, and you like the feeling. maybe it's because of the influence of alcohol, but you're certainly in no mood to back down, lest of all from a fight, and you can feel the tension rising as you feed the flames between you two. when he doesn't reply, you decide to mock him further. "why, scared now that your lies are exposed?"

suddenly, he stands up, the abruptness causing his chair to clatter to the ground with a loud crash, bringing attention to him again - but this time, he's occupied with you jumping at the sound, and he smirks. "why, scared of a chair?" he mocks, copying your tone. furious, you jump up, and he laughs as he heads outside, a clear invitation to follow him.

fucker.

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historical notes ::  the three kingdoms :: the three kingdoms of korea is a period in korean history between 57 BC to 668 AD, with the three kingdoms being goguryeo in the north, baekje in the southwest, and silla in the southeast

sabi :: capital of baekje during 538 AD - 660 AD

wars in goguryeo :: goguryeo suffered from internal strife in the years 531 AD to 551 AD, and after that entered into a period of military conflict with china in the late 6th and 7th century

oshuchon :: korean currency, meaning 'five grain'. it was introduced to korea after the han dynasty (china) invaded the north at the end of 2nd century BCE. they're used in silla and goguryeo, the other two kingdoms aside from baekje, until 10th century CE, but since there is no sufficient material on baekje currency I've opted to use the same in the story setting

hemp :: primary forms of currency during ancient korea is cloth and grain, with silk, hemp and ramie as the most common forms of cloth used for exchange. silk is considered one of the most highly valued mediums of exchange.

daxing :: capital of the tang dynasty in china

goguryeo's top generals :: goguryeo is known to be the most militaristic state out of the three.

near the river :: sabi is located on a plain near the geum river

makgoelli :: the oldest traditional korean rice wine, first mentioned in the founding story of the goguryeo kingdom (37 - 19 BC). traditionally drunken from a bowl

young fellow :: usually only men travel overland in ancient korea. but otherwise,  meant to be a gender-neutral term