#au: deficient & determined

[dollyyun]

𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥'𝐬 𝐤𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬' 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐲 | 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟔.𝟏

SYNOPSIS: The mystery behind whoever orchestrated the incident has yet to unravel, and the very same incident is the start of the palpable rift in your relationship with the four leaders. Things get gradually worse, and problems after problems keep piling up, especially having discovered a shocking revelation that causes you to develop mistrust towards them, but at the same time, you are caught in a dilemma where your mind and heart are in dissonance. In spite of it all, your heart still desires for them — the ones whom you have given your heart and soul to.

PAIRING: non!idols enha hyung line x fem!reader

GENRE: 18+ (mdni), semi-college au, adulthood, reverse harem, dark themes.

WORD COUNT: 24.7k

WARNINGS: mentions of christianity, profanities, explicit themes, dramas, angst, sexual assault, coercion, violence, blood, mention of death, manipulation, corruption, toxicity, lots of crying, dubcon theme, smut.

PLAYLIST: Disturbia - Rihanna, Animals - Maroon 5, RUNRUNRUN - Dutch Melrose, Gods & Monsters - Lana Del Rey, Poker Face - Lady Gaga, The Heart Wants What It Wants - Selena Gomez, Church - Chase Atlantic, Right Here - Chase Atlantic, Circles - Post Malone, Kiss It Better - Rihanna.

PREV (PART 5) | NEXT (PART 6.2) ✘ SERIES MASTERLIST ✘

-smut warnings under cut:

smut warnings: unprotected sex (no!), meandoms!heejake, name calling, degradation, manhandling, mild bondage, blowjob, fingering, pussy slapping, edging, crying, squirting, creampies, overstimulation, multiple orgasms, threesome (kinda).

An excruciating pain plummeting into your head precipitously pulls you out of the dreamless slumber, drawing out a wince from your lips, while the gradual return of your consciousness enables you to feel an indescribable affliction that aches tremendously in every part of your body.

You force your heavy eyelids to pry open, and once you do, your vision slowly adjusts to the red neon luminosity that provides a dim setting of your surroundings before you finally gain clear-sightedness, in which the view beholds stagger you. Though you remain immobilised with your cheek pressed onto the floor, you are acutely aware that there are dozens of mirrors ahead of you.

Soon, the confusion fuzzing your head is eclipsed by fear, impelling you to hasten away, but even the simple task of lifting a limb exhausts you as your body feels like it weighs a ton. You can feel your immobilised body shivering from the sheer coldness despite being adorned in a wool cardigan, denoting the protracted duration of your unconscious arrival at this unknown place.

As you remain motionless on the numbing hard ground, questions begin to surface in your muddling mind ─ who was responsible for knocking you out cold ruthlessly and why have they brought you to this place? Most importantly, what did you do wrong to deserve this?

For a moment, you nearly fall tempted to concede defeat and succumb to the inviting darkness that threatens to consume you once more, but when you immediately spot your phone just a reach from your outstretched arm, determination sparks in your eyes before you decide to rally every strength and courage from your inner core. The next thing you know, you force your upper body to rise from the ground despite the incessant aches.

You quickly retrieve your phone while silently thanking whoever is your kidnapper for being foolish enough to leave your phone with you, be it intentionally or not. Your eyes are fixed intently on the phone screen while your trembling fingers are trying their utmost to remain cooperative with the firm resolution to call the first person that comes to mind.

“Come on.” You mutter to yourself as you press on Yunjin’s contact, desperation lacing in your tone before the sheer disbelief comes forth as you are unable to reach out to her because of the deficient network, possibly due to the location you are at. 

You try again as you raise your phone a little higher in hopes of gaining a better signal, and this time, you attempt to reach out to Wonyoung, Karina, and even the four men who no doubt will come to your rescue. A glimmer of hope tingles in your chest at the moment you are able to reach Jake as the signal stabilises, just nearly, but disruption returns before he could even answer your call.

You refrain from erupting into waterworks as you tuck your phone inside your pocket. Refusing to remain a damsel in distress any longer, the firm resolution morphs into one that has you miraculously regaining vitality as you find yourself rising from the ground, now standing on your feet. You curl your slightly trembling fingers into a fist, grasping the courage that fuels your determination to save yourself from whatever possible imminent loom before it gets you.

Swallowing enough spit to moisturise your parched throat, you begin the first step to your escapade venture with the intention to find any doors that lead to the exit, but as your eyes wander to the mirrors that no doubt provide illusions and tricks, your determination falters as you find yourself questioning your perception and sense of reality altogether, especially as you reach out to touch the cold surface of the mirror before you can even carelessly bump into it.

You retract your hand, your eyes darting to your surroundings, which only daunt you further due to the unknown labyrinth filled with infinite reflections and endless hallways. Your chin wobbles and your breaths go slightly uneven as you grapple with maintaining equanimity while the panic expands in your chest painfully. How are you even going to find your way out of here?

Still, you advance forward with your arms latching around your figure to provide a semblance of security in an attempt to alleviate your inner turmoil, while the hauntingly cold atmosphere only feels progressively oppressive, as though there is more than just one predator awaiting the right moment to pounce on you.

A wince leaves your lips just as you bump into a mirror, your fingers ascending to rub your throbbing forehead that only seems to worsen your persisting headache while your palm presses on the mirror to support your body just when you nearly stagger back. Forcing yourself to focus and return to the right track, you release a sigh before lifting your head, but just as you do, you are being greeted with a manly silhouette from a few distances ahead of you.

Whoever they are seems to be taking a step forward, and this time, the red neon illuminating the figure allows you to gain a clearer view of him ─ clad in an all-black ensemble with the hood covering his head, but what sends you a huge wave of relief is the familiar yet distinct red mask he adorned.

It is peculiar because, despite the compelling urge to run into his arms, something is strongly holding you back as you remain rooted to the ground. Just before you can call out his name, the small smile on your lips falters as soon as your eyes catch sight of a gleaming hunting knife in his hand.

“Jaeyun?” Amidst the palpable fear that churns in your tummy, confusion laces in the echoes of your voice throughout these hallways as you call out to the man who you thought wouldn’t do anything to hurt you. “Jaeyun, stop it. This isn’t funny.” You muster the courage to sound as stern as you can, but cowardice soon influences you at the moment he begins to advance in the direction of your transfixed figure.

A part of you wants to believe that Jake is simply trying to give you a good scare, just as he did on that one night where he embodied ghostface, but you should know better than to defy your better instinct, and so you heed it, turning around with the intention to flee from the man who you thought wouldn’t hurt you.

Little did you know that you had been too inattentive to your surroundings to notice an ominous presence looming over you from behind, resulting in you bumping into a solid figure that nearly sends you plummeting to the ground, but you quickly regain balance before you look up with your breath hitching in your throat when you recognise the silver mask he adorned.

“Sunghoon.” You utter his name in a splintered whisper as you slowly back away from him, discerning the malevolent mockery just by the mask’s visage alone. A whimper clogs in the back of your throat as you spot a vaguely familiar axe in his grasp, which he used on Devil’s Night and was dripping with blood.

“S-Sunghoon─” Just when you decide to implore him, stark terror strikes you as he raises his axe with the intention to attack you, drawing out a genuine scream of horror from you before you swiftly dodge his wilful aim as he brings down his axe with such skillful precision that you know your body would be butchered into half if you had remained standing in front of him.

Refusing to dawdle any longer, you pivot on your heels in the other direction and dash forward in trepidation, fleeing from your two predators. It is as though you have mastered adroitness in countering the illusionary as you manage to avoid bumping into transparent glasses and mirrors, but you are too concentrated on getting out of here, hopefully unscathed, to marvel at your agility.

Tears begin to accumulate in your eyes while anxiety tightens your chest upon hearing their footsteps echoing from behind you, spurring you to pick up the pace despite your temporary vitality on the verge of teetering as the effect of the unknown substance they injected into you gradually returns.

In the face of peril, the tempestuous hurricane of emotions threatens to sweep you away, each vying for dominance, but you know that you can’t be distracted. Just as you drift to a corner, a terrifying shriek tears from your throat upon the appearance of another predator, adorning himself in a familiar black mask.

You scream as soon as he swings the sledgehammer, aiming for your head before you deftly dodge his attack, only for him to hit the mirror at the side as it shatters. Amidst the fear pumping in your heart, heartbreak is palpable as you watch him in horror. He is relentless, aiming for your head with his weapon while you continue to elude him.

“Jay! Please! It’s me!” You decide to implore in the hopes of knocking senses into him while your voice blends in with the sound of shattering mirrors due to his aims. “Jay.” Your voice trembles while your throat hurts from inhibiting a bundle of emotions that threatens to implode.

Finally accepting defeat in your failed attempt to reason with him, you run in the other direction while silently thanking God for the multitude of hallways that allow you to choose either one to continue your escapade. This time, however, your depleting vitality impedes your coordination to elude your predators, as evident in your laboured breathing.

Exhaustion begins its descent on you, followed by the weeping as you finally allow the brimming tears to cascade down with strangled sobs leaving your lips. Could this be what the anonymous guy meant after those cryptic messages he sent you regarding your safety and whatnot? Could he have also known that the reason behind Jinae’s death was because of the four men who have each captured your heart?

You grit your teeth while unrelenting tears continue their descent on your cheeks as you inwardly berate yourself for stubbornly refusing to listen and heed your best friends’ words of advice and warning after all this time. Yet, your mind is battling an internal conflict with the rational part of you, which adamantly urges you to expunge any affectionate feelings you harbour for them, but you can feel it in your pumping heart; your love for them outweighs your rationality.

Unbeknownst to you, another impending danger is set off to inflict harm upon you as he sees the apparent exhaustion in your tapering pace and how you are preoccupied with wiping your tears languidly. Lacking focus, you accidentally bump into a transparent glass, resulting in you losing balance and almost plummeting to the ground if it weren’t for strong arms holding you steady from behind.

Instead of gratitude, you become highly alarmed by the touch of your predator while your widening eyes are staring at the mirror just a few distance away from you, which reflects your figures, allowing you to soak up the haunting image of the familiar white with a vertical red stripe on half of the mask. Instantly, you force your way out of his chilling grasps before turning around to face him.

“Missed me, sweetheart?” The familiar voicemod device he uses to manipulate the pitch of his voice brings you back to Devil’s Night, taking you by surprise, which is your first mistake, because just as you blink your eyes, you feel the force of his gloved hand ramming your head into the mirror.

As soon as you hit the mirror, you feel a splitting pain that has struck you deeply in the side of your head, while the brutal impact caused the mirror to crack in a rippling effect. You don’t even have the opportunity to recover when he clutches a handful of your hair into a makeshift ponytail to seize control over you, ramming your head into the mirror once more and this time shattering the broken pieces of the mirror that have been stained by your blood while a cry tears from your throat due to the agonising pain that eventually melds with the effect of unknown substances flowing through your veins.

The rough release from him causes your weakened body to collapse to the ground as your buckling knees have given up on you. You can feel warm liquid trickling down your temple before your eyes flicker at your reflection in the mirror, only to spot blood oozing from the wounds on your head as it trickles down your temple.

“Give it up, sweetheart.” Heeseung─ no, White says with a sickening delight in his tone as he revels in the way you are pathetically trying to crawl away from him with sobs leaving your lips. Before you can crawl any further, he stops you with his booted foot on top of your leg by applying pressure, prompting you to look up at him with sheer fright. 

“H-Heeseung.” You whimper out his name while he becomes enamoured by the sight of your pretty eyes glistening with tears as well as the crimson smearing your skin. “Please don’t do this.” You implore him in between fearful yet heartbreaking sobs amidst grappling with the torrent of emotions within you, especially when he is now holding a fairly long melee knife, the blade promising pain.

“On the contrary, I do need to do this.” He crouches down to your level, toying with his knife idly before bringing it to caress your cheek with the sharp tip, causing your heart to rattle against your chest. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this.”

Despite the fear, a palpable heartbreak carves the hurt that was punctured in your chest while you stare at him with glistening eyes of betrayal. “I should’ve known that you were going to make me end up like the girl you toyed with the same way you did to me. Jinae.” You choke back a sob, wanting him to hear the remaining last words from you if this is indeed your last moment.

“So you finally learned about Jinae.” The tip of his knife is treading dangerously on your neck. Although he uses the same voice-mod device, you can discern the cruelty in his cold chuckles, sending involuntary shivers down your spine. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. After I fuck you, I’m going to kill you and carve out your heart to keep it in a pretty box. I’ll store it along with my other prized possessions.”

“You’re downright mental!” You manage to find your voice as it comes out strong, but soon the dam breaks as you weep again. “How could you do this?! I thought I meant something to you! I thought you loved me─” In a blink of an eye, your head is turned sideways due to the impact of his slap on your now-stinging cheek, while the ruthless action only seems to amplify the splitting pain in your head.

“Shut the fuck up, or I’ll cut off your tongue.” He nearly growls out before seizing your chin, forcing you to look at him again while feeble sobs leave your lips. “This wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t foolishly invited and spread your legs like a filthy whore so easily, but I guess you’re just the same as your mother. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree after all.”

The mention of your mother manages to send you a jarring sensation amidst the splitting pain that threatens to consume you whole as you stare at him confoundingly. “My mother? What do you mean?” You dare to inquire adamantly, despite knowing that he can end your life with a single swift drag of his knife across your neck.

“How pitiful.” He lets out a faux sigh. “You have no idea the dirty secrets they’ve been keeping from you, but just know that your mother is not the devout Catholic you thought she was.” His answer is vague, and just before you can ask him for more elaboration, he makes the disapproving sound of a tut. “A mouthy thing, aren’t you? Even in the face of death.”

“The only mouthy thing here is actually you.” You have no idea what possesses you, but it may stem from the fact that he insulted your mother, and thus, you take him by complete surprise when you use your foot to hit him in the sack hard, resulting in him falling to the side as he groans out in pain.

You try your utmost to gather whatever strength is left in you as you rise from the ground before wasting no time in fleeing from him. “Y/N!” You hear him roaring in sheer anger from behind you.

This time, your better instinct strongly beckons you to go in the specific direction in which you feel a sense of anticipation that you’re most likely able to find the exit, but he is not far from you, as evident in the sound of his footsteps. A terrifying shriek is elicited from you just as his melee knife hurls straight ahead of you, nearly hitting your head if you hadn’t been on time to dodge it.

“You can run for as long as you want, but you’re not going to live to see the next day!” He roars out to you again, but you choose to ignore him as you navigate your way to find the exit, remaining persistent. Finally, after every twist and turn, you spot it while hope and relief mingle in your chest.

Before you can have your mini celebration in your head, a pounding pain plummets into your head, nearly impeding you, but you quickly refocus and proceed on while strands of your hair are stuck to your sweaty skin.

The passage of time appears to be slowing down, with the red neon luminosity encompassing you gradually fading into a blur, while the bright sign of 'exit' ahead remains a beacon to your fortitude, but your quest to the road of freedom grows languid as the eventual exertion dawns on your body.

Tears welling in your lower eyelids are a recrudescence of terror, parallel to your inner turmoil that remains unabating, and you feel as though it is eating you alive from the inside, dwindling the hope you so desperately clutch onto.

Your ears perk up at the sound of familiar, heavy-booted steps from not far behind you, eliciting a forlorn cry from you before you force your weary body to pick up the speed in spite of the unknown yet lethal substance streaming through your every fibre and returning to take its major effect on your whole being.

No, this is not how you imagined facing your demise. You never would have thought that one of your worst nightmares had manifested itself and plunged into your reality.

Your skull is throbbing painfully, with blood seeping from the fresh wounds that trickle down the side of your face, while your heart aches tremendously. A sob emerges from the back of your throat before waterworks cascade down on you, but you refuse to allow yourself to die tonight, not when you’re nearly getting the taste of freedom.

Before you know it, you use the force of your body to push the door open as it swings outward violently, and you continue to run on the asphalt ground, having no clue of your current location, while your heaving chest is starting to hurt with how ragged your breathing is that mingles with the sobs.

“Please.” You choke out, your tearful eyes blurring your vision, while you feel as though more needles are piercing into your skull. “Please let all of this be a nightmare.” You manage to whisper in between broken sobs, nearly succumbing to the hyperventilation that renders you unfocused on your surroundings as your body remains in a fight-or-flight mode.

The next thing you know, you bump into a solid chest that nearly has you staggering back if it weren’t for strong arms latching onto your trembling form. The moment your eyes meet his concerned eyes that soon blaze with anger, a frightful shriek tears from your parched throat before you push him away from you, as though he is a disease.

“Princess?” Sunghoon, whose head is fogging with confusion, frowns visibly as he sees the way you are looking at him as though he is a terrifying stranger.

The movements from Jake and Jay catch your heightened sense, prompting you to cower away from them as you back away. “Stay away from me!” You shout at them, the fear is palpable in the tremor of your voice, to which they halt their movements.

“Baby, it’s us!” Jay exclaims while trying his utmost not to give away the tempest of wrath that storms within him upon seeing the state you are in. 

“Lovely…” Jake takes cautious steps towards you, but even his loving, gentle tone is not enough to dispel the betrayal and heartbreak you are still reeling from.

“I said don’t come close to me! Please!” To see you hyperventilating as you sob hard hits them in the face, but what pains them is the terror you exhibit right now because they never wanted you to fear them as though they would really hurt you.

You turn around with the intention to run from them, but this time, Heeseung’s figure is a hindrance as he blocks your way. His hands find their way to hold you firmly while you attempt to thrash and struggle in his captivity.

“Let go of me!” You become relentless, your fear is now eclipsed by anger that stems from the fresh betrayal.

Despite the confusion upon seeing the blazing anger in your crystalline eyes, Heeseung remains calmly collected as he holds you effortlessly yet is unable for you to escape from. “Sweetheart─”

Being utterly overwhelmed and blinded by the maelstrom of pain, betrayal, sadness, and anger, you raise your hand and bring it down to land a harsh slap to his now-stinging cheek, shocking the other three from behind.

“Do you think this is meant to be humorous to you?!” The rage in your voice is unmistakable as it sounds foreign to your ears, but your focus remains on his face as he slowly turns to look at you while you are oblivious to the raging storms in his dark eyes. “Is this really your endgame?! Once you’re satisfied after fucking me, you'll kill me?!”

Heeseung’s deadly silence only seems to fuel your wrath, and so you begin to throw punches into his chest that don't even have any effect on him. “Fight back!” You scream in between sobs, tears relentlessly streaming down your cheeks. “If you want to kill me, do it now!”

“Y/N, stop.” Jake and Jay appear from behind, intervening as they grab you away from Heeseung’s defeated grasps while you continue to struggle and fight against their strong hold valiantly despite feeling debilitated.

“What are you talking about?” Heeseung’s calm voice manages to reach your ears despite the sound of your hysteria.

“Yeah, what do you mean by killing you, lovely?” Jake asks with a frown as soon as you shoot him a glare. “We would never do such a thing─”

Miraculously, you manage to escape from their grasps, and your glaring eyes penetrate into each of them. “Don’t lie to me! I know you’re the ones who kidnapped me and brought me to this God-forsaken place, and for what? To kill me!”

“We didn’t!” Jay objects vehemently, disbelief lacing his tone. “Why would we ever want to kill you?”

“Liar!” You retort before breaking down again, the sound of your cries only fuels their anger to hunt down whoever dared to hurt you. “If you weren’t the ones back there, then how did you even know where I was?”

“I installed a tracker on your phone. It’s the reason why we managed to track your location.” Jake steps forward, his softening eyes seem to balm your hysteric nerves. “But you have to believe us, love. We would never do anything to jeopardise your life.”

You open your mouth to speak, but a whimper comes instead as you feel the familiar pain plummeting into your skull, prompting you to clutch your still-bleeding head, and Sunghoon, being the nearest to you, holds you steady against him just as your body sways lightly.

“You’re still bleeding, princess.” Sunghoon murmurs, his gentle tone and his touch send you into a whirlwind of confusion. Disappointment seeps through him as you push him away while your mind is waging a battle of internal conflict, recalling the girls’ words about them, but at the same time, your love for them remains palpable, which only makes your head spin.

“Don’t touch me.” You protest weakly as you attempt to yank your arm from Heeseung’s firm grasp, but the substances injected into you that flow in your system wholly revoke the remnants of your vitality, rendering you debilitated as you find yourself leaning into him.

Without a word, Heeseung effortlessly carries you in a bridal style, with your whole body going limp as your consciousness slips away faster than you like before the darkness welcomes you once more.

“Gather all the knights from your respective houses. We’ll be having a meeting tomorrow morning.” Heeseung orders calmly, causing the three to exchange glances. “All of them, and not a single person is to be left out.”

“You got it.” Jake gives him a firm nod.

Heeseung catches Sunghoon and Jay’s eyes, and they immediately understand his deadly intent. “Find those fuckers inside and do what you need to do. Bring their heads to me.”

It turned out that no heads were brought to Heeseung last night, much to their discontentment. Both Sunghoon and Jay have conducted the hunt throughout the entirety of the place, not missing out on every nook and cranny, which took them approximately an hour just to find no one other than shattered mirrors alongside your blood. But the four of them have shared a mutual understanding and collectively concluded that the likelihood of who was responsible for what happened to you must have been orchestrated by their very knights, especially when they are more than aware that they have enemies even within their fraternity. It’s just a matter of time before those said enemies finally decide to drop their amiable pretences.

Hence, with the exception of those who are currently travelling abroad for the holidays, every junior and senior knight from their respective houses has been summoned to the meeting, which is highlighted as crucial. Those who dare to defy will, of course, face the consequences.

The cold atmosphere in the general meeting room is patently imbued with a palpable tension that derives from the four leaders as they stand before these suspected knights. The intimidation emanating from the four silent leaders seems to dominate the entirety of the fraternity in the room as the sound of their incessant chatter and exchanged conversations decreases.

“This meeting won’t end unless you come forth and confess that you did what you did.” Sunghoon raises his voice with a distinct authority that has almost the majority of knights feeling dreadful, especially as they recognise the signature callous smirk drawn on his lips. “We can wait all day.”

“Or better yet,” Jay toys around with the metal baseball bat in his grasp, evoking fear from some. The smirk on his lips mirrors Sunghoon's, while his eyes gleam with a familiar delight at his penchant for brutality. “We can do this the hard way by beating the confession out of you. Every single one of you.”

“This isn't fair! Us juniors did nothing!” One of the juniors, who goes by the name Taesan, bravely speaks for his fellow peers, earning him murmurs and whines of agreement. “At least I know I did nothing.” Taesan adds, his tone lacing with sincerity.

“Yeah. We weren’t the ones responsible.” Another junior, Jaehyun, says this as he stands next to Taesan. “As a matter of fact, the juniors were out partying at Sunoo’s crib last night.”

“Sunoo?” Jake looks over to the familiar blonde-haired male, who has been occasionally checking himself out on the camera phone. “Is it true that you hosted a party at your crib last night?”

“Oh, yes.” Sunoo, alongside Jungwon and Riki, doesn’t appear to be the slightest affected by the leaders’ intimidation, as he beams with a lopsided grin on his face, scrolling through the gallery on his phone before showing them a video. “Look! Seunghan went completely wasted and sprawled by the dance floor after puking up─”

“Dude!” Seunghan’s loud groan can be heard amidst the snickering amongst the juniors, while Sunoo shoots him an innocent smile.

“They’re all right.” Jungwon steps forward, drawing the four leaders’ attention to the intense conviction written across his features. “You told Sunoo, Riki, and I before that you have complete faith in us and trust us, so trust me when I say that the juniors were not the ones responsible for whoever captured and attacked Y/N.”

“Even if any of our juniors dared to, you know that I wouldn’t allow for this to pass.” Riki adds on, the austerity he exudes is clear in the way he casts a momentary yet warning glare at his fellow peers. “We know better than to mess with someone else’s prey.”

“Right, prey.” This time, someone else from the senior batch decides to speak up, drawing their attention to Choi Soobin, who adorns a smirk that is clearly a mockery as he stares sharply at the leaders. “It does beg the question: why do you care so much about your prey?”

“Yeah, who cares if she has gotten injured because of what happened last night?” Hyunjin scoffs, agreeing with Soobin. “Preys are meant to be hunted down by hunters, which is us.”

“I personally think that you should be grateful that someone else is doing the job for you by hunting and hurting your precious prey.” Taehyun remarks with a cynical smile that only adds more suspicion to the leaders. “Plus, she was probably hallucinating or even fabricating shit when she might be the mastermind behind the attack on herself.”

“Hallucinating?” Jake is seething with anger, taking the others by surprise with his unexpected shortness of temper. “You dared to spew shit about my girl, Kang? For fuck’s sake, she was bleeding out of her head! Who in their right mind would inflict harm on themselves?!”

“Easy.” Heeseung, with ease, holds back Jake as he places his hand on the latter’s chest before directing his sharp attention on Taehyun. “Congrats, Kang Taehyun. You’ve just become our number one suspect.”

“Y/N could’ve died if she hadn’t gotten immediate medical attention.” Sunghoon says, clenching his jaw as he tames the tempest of wrath within him upon the obvious agreement to Taehyun’s statements. 

“Even if she had died, why does it matter?” Hyunjin asks, and a smug smile dawns on his lips as he leans back on his seat leisurely. “I mean, look at what happened to Jinae. She was your prey, just like Y/N, and yet her death didn’t seem to affect you in the slightest.”

“Who is Jinae?” A collective murmur of confusion emanates from the juniors, including Sunoo, Jungwon, and Riki, whereas the seniors look equally dreadful, and some are sighing at Hyunjin’s idiocy.

Sunghoon and Jake exchange wary looks while Jay is more than ready to launch his attack on Hyunjin, but as they finally look at Heeseung, they find it surprising to see his calmly collected demeanour.

Hyunjin continues to run his mouth idly, not affected by the foreboding tension in the air. “Either way, you guys are going to end up killing your prey─” Seated beside him, Jeongin punches his shoulder in an attempt to silence him.

“Meeting dismissed.” Heeseung announces in a low rumble that this is enough to send almost all of them scurrying from the meeting room. His eyes meet Beomgyu’s for a fleeting moment, and yet, despite Beomgyu’s small smile, which he knows is supposed to send some form of supporting assurance, it only seems to stir his inner turmoil.

“We have two suspects. Taehyun and Hyunjin.” Jake informs his best friends once all the knights have made their departure except their three apprentices.

“Add Choi Soobin as well.” Sunghoon rolls his eyes in annoyance, followed by a disdainful scowl etched on his face. “Did you see the way that fucker smirked? I bet he’s involved too.”

“What are you guys still doing here?” Jay asks sternly, his attention directed to their three apprentices while they exchange glances with apparent curiosity in their eyes.

“Yeahh, you see, we’ve been wondering who the hell Jinae is. So we’re not leaving until you tell us.” Jungwon voices out, his face is devoid of any mischief as he crosses his arms over his chest. “And what did whatever Hyunjin meant earlier mean?”

“And how come we’ve never heard of this Jinae girl?” Sunoo frowns, his lips jutting into a pout. “I thought we were all the best of friends to share secrets!”

Riki, ever the most observant, whose sharp eyes are scrutinising the four leaders who have been silent, notices the sombre casting shadows over them alongside the irresolution written across their features. “This Jinae, the girl you’ve preyed on before, is dead. Isn’t she?”

For a moment, the air in the room shifts uncomfortably with palpable intensity. Heeseung catches Jay’s eyes and gives him a head nod before the latter steps forward with a sigh. “Since you guys are so annoyingly adamant, I’ll tell you the truth, but not a single word goes out to the others.” They don't miss the edge of warning in his tone.

“I don’t understand. If it’s the truth, then why does it matter if it goes out to the others?” Sunoo inquires rather bluntly while his eyebrow is arched inquisitively.

A muscle pulses in Jay’s jaw as he briefly looks away. “Because the truth is more complicated than you think. Come. Let’s head to my office.” Like a bunch of ducklings, Jungwon, Riki, and Sunoo begin to trail behind Jay without any objections.

“We should check in on Y/N.” Sunghoon tells Jake and Heeseung as soon as the others leave the room, earning him nods of agreement before they proceed to venture their way to your room with silence wrapped around them.

After you passed out in Heeseung’s arms, they wasted no time in bringing you to the hospital where Heeseung’s older brothers were working. Coincidentally, Daehyun and Jaesung were working night shifts when you were referred to the emergency department instead. To say the twins were shocked upon seeing the dire state you were in was an understatement, but nonetheless, they offered to be the ones to oversee you as their patient. You had only been admitted to the emergency ward after your wounds were treated and the drugs in your system were excreted, until Heeseung adamantly requested that you recover in the palace instead.

Of course, the older twins could never refuse Heeseung, and so here you are, currently asleep and tucked comfortably under the covers on your bed as Sunghoon, Jake, and Heeseung watch as Jaesung has just completed another medical check on you, especially since your body is still recovering from the drugs injected in your system. Their hearts ache upon seeing the white bandage wrapped around your head. They recall when Daehyun informed them last night that if they hadn’t brought you to the hospital sooner, you would’ve been in a coma or worse.

“She needs plenty of rest and sleep over the next few days since the drugs that were previously in her system strongly affected her body.” Jaesung informs them with a mask of professionalism that immediately recedes when his eyes narrow at his brother. “You owe me, brother. Now, care to explain what the hell happened?” Before any of them can speak, Jaesung heaves a deep sigh as he pinches the bridge of his nose. “For the love of God, please don’t tell me that you’re doing what I think you’re doing.”

“And what do you think we’re doing?” Sunghoon asks rather rudely, to which Jaesung dismisses since he has long since gotten used to the bunch being so ill-mannered, even towards their elders.

“You know exactly what I meant. Toying around with Y/N just as you did three years ago.” Jaesung’s lips press thinly while a sombre shadow casts over his features. “I understand that the preying has always been part of the devil’s knights’ tradition, but to the point where their lives are endangered─ don’t you think it’s too far? I don’t know what Y/N did, but she most certainly doesn't deserve to get hurt or worse.”

Heeseung scoffs coldly, his eyes are ablaze with seething anger. “You thought so lowly of us just because of what happened three years ago when we would never dare to harm Y/N.”

“Heeseung’s right. If we were the ones who harmed her last night, Heeseung and Jake wouldn’t have brought her to the hospital quickly.” Sunghoon intervenes before Heeseung can get further pissed off at Jaesung. “Besides, Y/N is different.”

“Y/N is not like Jinae.” Jake adds, his clasped hands raising to support the back of his head as he leans.

A humourless smirk plays on Sunghoon’s lips. “Yeahhh, our girl is not crazy pants.”

“Guys, the least you could do is to talk about the dead girl respectfully.” Jaesung shakes his head, expressing his disapproval, before he glances down at his wristwatch. “Since my job here is done, I’ll be taking my leave, and don’t forget to feed her the medication I’ve given you.” Jaesung pats Heeseung’s shoulder firmly before exiting your room.

“Wonyoung texted me earlier. She and the other girls will be coming over to visit Y/N.” Sunghoon breaks the silence, watching as Jake heads over to the bed and crouches down next to you, holding your cold hand in his to give a gentle kiss on your knuckles. Sunghoon tears his gaze away from you to look at Heeseung. “I tried refusing, but you know, Wonyoung being Wonyoung.”

“Let them. If it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t have known that Y/N were taken by some fuckers.” Heeseung clenches his jaw while his callous eyes harden. The thirst for vengeance is palpable in his veins. He looks over to Jake, who remains by your side and whose longing eyes are tethered to your angelic face. “Jake, what’s the progress of cracking the code? It’s highly possible that whoever the anonymous texter who pestered Y/N before is responsible for this.”

“It’s getting nowhere.” Jake releases a soft sigh, and his shoulder slouches in defeat. “Trust me, I tried, and I even got extra helping hands from Sunoo and Riki, but it’s as if their firewall is made out of an impenetrable shield for us to hack through.”

Sunghoon’s phone chimes loudly in his hand, prompting him to look down at his phone screen. “Be right back. Wonyoung and the girls have just arrived.” He informs them before departing your room.

Jake places one last kiss on the back of your hand before standing, and he even reluctantly releases your hand gently from his grasp. He walks over to Heeseung, who appears to be in deep thought.

“Heeseung, what do we do when she wakes up? You’ve already seen how terrified she looked at us last night.” Jake sighs out in frustration as he brushes his long strands to the back. “I’m suspecting that whoever attacked her impersonated us in some way.”

“Our masks.” Heeseung blurts out as a bulb lights up in his head. He meets Jake’s storming gaze that parallels his wrath. “It makes sense. If not, why else would she be so afraid of us?”

Before Jake can voice out his thoughts, a knock on the door interrupts them, prompting them to look over to see Wonyoung, Karina, and Yunjin. The two spot Sunghoon behind them, who beckons them to give the girls some privacy with you, and they do, but not before one of the girls speaks to them.

“Has she not awakened since morning?” Karina asks sadly, the only one who doesn’t entirely have her guard up around them, unlike Wonyoung and Yunjin. Though they did inform the guys about the commotion Yunjin heard over the line last night that resulted in your sudden disappearance, that doesn’t mean they trust the leaders.

Jake shakes his head in response as the two are standing at the entryway. “She might be awake in the next few hours or so, hopefully.” He tells them curtly.

“Heeseung.” Wonyoung’s cold voice draws their attention while her unwavering eyes penetrate into Heeseung’s, to which his eyes narrow as he senses such hostility from the tall girl. “You guys may be the ones who rescued Y/N, but if I ever find out that you guys were the mastermind behind all of this, you’ll be sorry.”

“Is that a threat I sense?” Heeseung’s voice drips with callous mockery while a smirk plays on his lips and his eyes glint dangerously. “Careful, Wonyoung. You might want to remember who you’re speaking to. I can only tolerate much.”

Jake shields in front of Heeseung in case the latter decides to do something unpredictable. He casts a charming yet wary grin at the girls upon noticing how Wonyoung is fuming. “We can assure you, ladies, that we weren’t the ones responsible. We care for Y/N more than you think.”

“Oh, really? Do you really?” Wonyoung lets out a sardonic chuckle while Yunjin is holding the girl by her arm. “If you had cared for Y/N, you wouldn’t have preyed on her in the first place.”

“Enough.” Sunghoon intervenes with a low warning rumble, his stern eyes meeting Wonyoung’s. “We’re not here to fight you. We’re all here for Y/N, aren’t we?”

In return, Wonyoung scoffs before turning her back on them at the same time the guys do as they proceed to leave your room. The longer they are in the vicinity of the ones you called your best friends, the more they find them insufferable.

The sound of murmurs and the heavy dip on your bed rouse you from the deep slumber you were in before an incessant pounding pummels into your skull, causing your face to contort into a grimace, as well as a whimper that emits from you alarms them. You can hear them calling for your name, but they sound muffled as your mind decides to focus on collecting the fragments of the events that transpired last night, which eventually coalesce into one account.

You have been hoping that it was all just a nightmare, but the tremendous aches throbbing in your body as well as the splitting pain in your head counter otherwise. The sensation of a warm hand enveloping yours causes you to flutter your eyes open, to which you are greeted by the ray of sunlight filtering through the window that casts shadows across your ceiling.

Everything feels languid, even as you turn your head to look at the person who is holding your hand gently yet with familiar reverence. Upon meeting the tenderness of his warm eyes, a soft smile unfurls on his lips. “Hey, baby.” Jay greets you softly, his tone holds an unmistakable affection that is only reserved for you.

“Jay.” Your throat feels dry as sand as you whisper his name, longing, but at the moment he squeezes your hand in return, it is as though something in you has triggered off, prompting you to immediately yank your hand from his while your abrupt change of demeanour startles them.

A frown touches Jay’s lips before he attempts to reach out for you again. “Baby─”

“Go away!” You yell, tears accumulating rapidly in your eyes as you attempt to scoot further away from them until your back hits the headboard. Your body is trembling, emanating an intense fear, while your mind is in tumultuous chaos, as manifested in your irregular breathing.

“Princess,” Sunghoon, who has been sitting next to you on the bed, holds your arm firmly while his concerned eyes examine the borderline hysteria you exhibit as you are reeling from the transpired event that serves as a playback tormenting you in your mind. A frown pulls at his lips as he sees you struggling in his firm grasp. “Princess, it’s us.”

“Get out!” You scream in between sobs as tears descend on you. You are more than conscious to know that they were not the ones responsible, but you can’t help with your mind as the sight of their hands reminds you of the weapons their impersonators possessed and attempted to murder you.

“Sweetheart, you know that it wasn’t us.” The mellow tone of Heeseung’s voice miraculously manages to break through the whirlwind of hysteria you are in as you flicker your eyes at his towering figure by the bed. Despite his benign demeanour, you tremble under his gaze, recalling his impersonator's brutality towards you that nearly cost your life.

“I-I─” The words you wish to utter are stuck in your throat, and a whimper emits from you instead as you shake your head in protest while your chest feels encircled by pressure, rendering your breaths alarmingly uneven as though something is choking you. 

“Princess, hey!” Sunghoon holds you by the shoulders as he forces you to look him in the eyes, but your vision is in an unfocused blur while the sound of your irregular breathing gets frantic, and your pounding heartbeat is going rapid as it drums loudly in your ears. “I need you to calm down and focus on me.” But Sunghoon’s stern instruction only seems to worsen the situation as you weakly attempt to push him away from you, recalling his impersonator with the lethal axe.

Your surroundings feel disoriented, as do the muffled murmurs from them in the background. Finally, Sunghoon’s hands slip from your shoulders, only to be replaced by another pair of warm hands cupping your tear-stained cheeks. Before you can even jerk away from their touch, his gentle tone serves as a temporary balm.

“Breathe, love. Slow and steady.” Jake says so softly yet firmly, enough to draw your focus as you finally meet his warm brown eyes that hold an unmistakable affection amidst the solicitude. Your hysteria ebbs away at the moment his warmth touches you, and you begin to follow his guidance as you attempt to regulate your breathing, earning you an encouraging head nod from him. “That’s it. Good girl.”

“J-Jaeyun,” Your voice sounds hoarse as you utter his name brokenly. Another sob escapes you, rivulets continuing their descent on your vulnerable countenance. “Jae─”

“I got you, love.” Jake pulls you into his warm embrace, hugging you closely while you don’t hesitate to cling your arms around his torso, your face burying into his chest as you continue to weep into him.

Oddly, there are no ill feelings as they watch Jake, who has successfully managed to be the one to calm you down, comforting and holding you close. Only a huge wave of relief washes over them. Jay makes a gesture to Heeseung and Sunghoon, beckoning them to leave Jake alone with you, and they do before Heeseung, being the last person to exit your room, closes the door quietly.

With one arm around your heaving body, the other ascends to run his fingers through your soft locks and occasionally massage your head, careful enough not to come into contact with the bandaged area. He presses a gentle kiss on the side of your uninjured head before dipping his head down to kiss your earlobe and whispering, “I’m here. We’re all here. No one is going to hurt you ever again.”

You only squeeze your arms around him in return, while the sound of your weeping gradually ebbs as you continue to silently bask in the comfort he emanates, providing you with a blanket of security. The weight in your eyelids seems to be pulling down, and before you know it, you flutter your eyes closed as you slowly go lax in his arms.

You have no idea how long it has been since the moment you returned to your slumber, but long enough to be awakened by a strong arm encircling your waist and his hand cradling the back of your head as he tucks your face into his chest, prompting you to briefly glance up just to see Jake being asleep.

Your heart warms at how protective yet intimately he has secured you in his embrace, even as he is sound asleep. But then comes the cold reality as your mind recalls a certain memory you don’t wish to revisit.

“You have no idea the dirty secrets they’ve been keeping from you, but just know that your mother is not the devout Catholic you thought she was.”

Maybe you would turn out to be wrong, but you have a strong sense that whatever Heeseung’s impersonator meant is highly correlated to the four leaders, which also involve your mother.

However, the big question remains: Why would your mother be involved? And why did he speak in a manner that you would’ve assumed he knew your mother personally?

So many questions are throbbing in your head, and yet you know you should unravel whatever secrets have been kept from you sooner, even if it means that you’ll be destroying established trusts.

When the next day arrives, the compelling urge that derives from your fervid intuition for you to start the investigation beckons, resulting in your intrusion into the familiar yet prohibited part of the palace once again. With steely eyes of determination, you recall the distinct memory of when Anonymous’s instruction the last time enticed you to invade the forbidden, as you now find yourself entering Heeseung’s office.

This time, however, you could care less if either of them discovered of your abrupt rebellion, especially when your wilful mind is set straight with one ultimate goal, and that is to discover what sort of association your mother had with the devil's knights. Sure, you could turn out to be proven wrong, and the likelihood of you getting punished by Heeseung or any of them is high, but you adamantly wish to dispel your vehemence of curiosity.

Still, despite the steel of your resolve, your fingers are trembling slightly as they hover over the keyboard while your stomach churns with turmoil, but you immediately fix your composure, distinctly recalling Anonymous’s instruction the last time he enticed you to do this with the exception that you are now doing this of your own accord.

The familiar sight of the computer screen displaying files arranged meticulously in rows greets you before your keen eyes begin to search for the familiar folder named ���001’, and once you do, you use the mouse to click on it.

Naturally, you expect a pop-up webpage that requires you to enter the password to appear again, but this time is different because, when you click on it, it reveals a few different files listed, bringing a frown to your lips and your face contorting into confusion.

Ding!

Your phone chimes in your pocket, and you quickly fish it out to check, only to be greeted at an eerie notification from an unknown number to which you have a strong inkling that it is the same anonymous as before.

UNKNOWN NUMBER: You’re welcome :)

Goosebumps arise on your skin, ignoring the fact that he is undoubtedly watching you, and you have no idea how or where. Instead of replying, you shove your phone back into your pocket and redirect your focus to the computer screen.

As your eyes scan these mysterious files, something feels odd as you recognise that some of the files are saved as images. Slowly, as you hover the cursor over the first file, your pulse drums loudly in your ears while your stomach begins to churn violently. Before you allow hesitation to seize you, you begin to click on it.

What greets you isn’t anything you expect. It’s pictures in sequence of your mother and the familiar face of Heeseung’s father in a car. The images seem to look recent, but the file's name states otherwise, as it was saved a few months ago.

Your eyes narrow at your mother and Heeseung’s father’s interaction, noticing how intimately close they are in the first picture, while the second picture looks like he is caressing your mother’s cheek with his eyes full of unmistakable affection. The third picture has you gasping in sheer disbelief, as they are undoubtedly in lip lock.

Haphazardly, you close the file and proceed to open another, and this time, you recognise Jake and Sunghoon’s fathers in this sequence of pictures, seated in a cafe with your mother. In the first few sequences, they seem to be catching up, and you would’ve thought that they were long-lost college friends if it weren’t for the fact that one of them embraced your mother in an intimate hug before the next image shows the other kissing her forehead.

You can feel the sheer betrayal and hurt squeezing around your pounding heart. You know you should not continue, yet you find yourself going through another file, showing images of Jay’s father and your mother standing on the porch of your home in an intimate hug as well as in a lip lock unabashedly.

“No. This can’t be true.” You murmur to yourself, distress is written across your features as you decide to close the file, unable to look at your mother’s unravelling infidelity any longer.

You don’t understand why your mother would do this when her declaration of love for your father has always been consistent, and most importantly, how did she know them?

It is as though something is beckoning you to the answer you seek as your eyes spot a video that looks starkly different than the others, and the date indicated on the file shows that whatever is contained in it is older than you think.

Swallowing down the bile of emotions harshly, you proceed to click on it and brace yourself, or perhaps you didn’t prepare yourself enough for what is presenting to you. 

“Oh my god….” You whisper brokenly as tears fill your waterline. More gasps emit from you, prompting you to cover your mouth with your palm. The longer your eyes remain fixated on the obscene orgy that their younger selves were engaged brazenly alongside their lewd noises, the more you feel utterly revolted, wanting to puke up as the churns in your tummy become intemperate.

Upon the atrocious revelation that entailed the dark history your mother had with their fathers, you decide that what you have just unravelled is enough as you quickly close the file and proceed to shut down the computer.

In a state of complete distraught, with tears flowing down your face, you continue to make your departure from the prohibited territory. Fortunately, the four of them are nowhere in the palace, as Jake texted you earlier that they had some business to settle. You wouldn’t know what to do if you had to face any of them sooner, or maybe you don’t wish to see them at all.

As you wallow in the overwhelming tumult of emotions on your bed, all curled up and underneath the covers, you weep. You can’t believe that your own devout Catholic mother would do this, but above all, confusion mingling with resentment and betrayal is directed at Heeseung and the rest for storing such videos, and for what?

You simply don’t understand what benefits them, as they keep this dark revelation to themselves. Had they known all the while that their fathers had always harboured some form of affection and lust for your mother, even back in their college days?

After having had enough of wallowing, you decide to head into the bathroom to wash your face. As you look at yourself in the mirror, momentarily grimacing at the visible exhaustion on your complexion, which denotes how mentally drained you are, a firm resolution hardens your once-bleary eyes.

You don’t have the heart to meet them or even to see a glimpse of their faces. You should’ve known that they were more than capable of anything, especially after killing Jinae. You feel genuinely sick and disturbingly uncomfortable at the thought of being around them any longer.

No longer are you able to withstand this incessant dread that crawls on your skin, and so with a heavy heart, you proceed to pack whatever minimal necessity into your sling purse before heading into the walk-in wardrobe to change your clothes into something a little presentable, but you end up choosing an oversized hoodie.

Biting down your lip harshly, you look down at your phone, where the screen displays your group chat, before typing away with your trembling fingers. 

Y/N: I’m going back to my dormitory. HEESEUNG: Why? SUNGHOON: Is something wrong, princess? JAY: Yeah, are you feeling too lonely, baby? We’ll be returning soon. Y/N: No, I just miss my best friends and I want to reconcile with them so I won’t be returning to the palace. Please understand. JAKE: Of course, lovely.

Arriving at the lobby of your dormitory gives you a whiplash as you recall when the lights fully blacked out before you were attacked and rendered ruthlessly unconscious, causing you to wrap your arms around your frail form before you hasten your steps to the elevator while you ignore the odd stares you receive from the other students.

However, with each step nearing the door of your dormitory, the nauseousness you forced yourself to keep at bay surges while your mind is still reeling in revulsion from the prior discovery. You wish to wash your eyes with bleach and erase the stark images of their obscenity.

With a shaky hand, you fumble with tapping your access key card on the smart lock, and once it chimes, you quickly push down the handle and open the door, haphazardly entering the household that is filled with distinct chatter from your roommates.

“Y/N!” Karina is the first one to spot you by the living room, but you overlook the genuine surprise written across their faces upon seeing your unexpected appearance as you dash for your room. You hear them calling for you, but you are too preoccupied with the pain of holding back your nauseousness.

Finally barging into your bathroom, you head for the toilet bowl before crouching down with your back hunched as you lean over to throw up liquid content into the bowl. It appears that the alarming sound of your retching reaches the ears of your best friends, and before you know it, you hear footsteps rushing from the outside to your bathroom.

“Oh my god! Y/N!” You hear Karina gasp loudly amidst the echoes emanating from your retching throughout these bathroom tiles, but you don’t turn around to see them as the pain from your stomach and your throbbing head consumes you, as does the pain that stems from the fresh betrayal.

“Y/N.” Wonyoung’s worried voice manages to break through before you feel her presence next to you as she assists you in holding your hair up to prevent the strands from getting in the way before you continue to puke for another time while Yunjin crouches down on the other side to rub your heaving back soothingly.

After what feels like forever, both Yunjin and Wonyoung assist you in bringing you over to the sink for you to wash your mouth, while Karina heads out to the kitchen to grab a mineral bottle for you. Yunjin and Wonyoung exchange confused yet wary glances at your resonating silence as they hold your frail body, walking out of the bathroom.

“Here.” Karina jogs into your room, one hand holding the bottle as she extends her arm towards you. Without meeting her gaze, you shake your head before taking a seat on your bed, with Yunjin and Wonyoung refusing to leave your side. Karina releases a sigh. “You need to hydrate yourself after throwing up nothing but water.”

“For that matter, why are you here?” Yunjin inquires worriedly, and her tone indicates that she wants to chide you. “You should be resting in the palace, and even if you wanted to come back here, you should’ve at least texted one of us to fetch you. What would’ve happened if you had fainted on your way here?”

“Jen’s right, Y/N.” Wonyoung places her hand on your tensed shoulder, taking notice of your loud silence and your avoidance as your head hangs low. “What happened? Are you feeling sicker than usual? Or are you─” Wonyoung pauses as her eyes widen, mirroring the same expression as Yunjin and Karina. “Are you pregnant?”

You barely flinch at the obvious wince in her tone as you remain reeling in pain from the betrayal. A part of you wants to confide in your best friends, but you also don’t wish for them to know the revolting truth about the history your mother had with the four leaders’ fathers, fearing that they would abandon you again out of sheer disgust.

“No. I’m not pregnant.” Your voice sounds scratchy due to all the puking that leaves a bitter acid on your tongue. “I um─” You pause, swallowing harshly as you look down at your trembling hands on your lap before you clasp them together, but the tremor in your voice remains. “I couldn’t stay there any longer.”

“What? Why?” Wonyoung asks, her tone sounds firm. “Did they hurt you? I swear if they hurt you─”

“They didn’t.” You shake your head, the instinctive urge to always defend them is still strong, which is perplexing because you know that you no longer feel comfortable being around them, and yet the emotional attachment you have towards them remains unchanging. You bite down on your lip hard, completely frustrated with yourself. “They’ve never hurt me, but I don’t think I want to be around them any longer.”

“But aren’t you in love with them?” Karina inquires, treading carefully with her words as she kneels down in front of you to get a better look at your face. She places her hand on top of yours. “Y/N, we don’t understand─”

A sharp sob leaves your lips, unable to articulate your muddling thoughts and feelings that are parallel in a tumult, and alas, the waterworks erupt with uncontrollable sobs emitting from you, prompting Wonyoung and Yunjin to offer you their comfort with their hugs while Karina holds your hand firmly. The three share the same sympathy despite feeling genuine confusion at your abrupt emotional breakdown.

“I know they wouldn’t hurt me, but─” A hiccup escapes you just as you manage to speak in between sobs. Wonyoung pulls you into her side embrace, allowing you to fall weak as you rest your head on her shoulder. “But I’m honestly scared. I really love them, and I don’t know what to do.” You continue, letting your established feelings be known to them, no matter if they vehemently disapprove.

“Y/N, if you really love them, then you should let them know.” Karina tells you, encouraging you with a small smile, but you shake your head in return.

“It’s complicated.” Wanting to tell them the truth is so close, but you force yourself to hold back. Instead, you resort to another path, and only you know that they wouldn’t do something so deplorable to you, or at least you hoped. You lean forward as you clutch your head with your elbows on your thighs, supporting you. “Maybe it isn’t love, or maybe it is, but what you girls said about Jinae the other night got me reevaluating my feelings for them.”

“It’s true that she died because of them, but Y/N, as much as we hate to admit it, we can see that they care greatly for you.” Wonyoung rubs your back comfortingly. “I think they love you the same way you do.”

Silence is all they receive from you for a moment before the sound of your sniffle comes, watching you wipe your tears away from your cheeks. You finally lift your head to look at the three of them, your nose and eyes red from the relentless weeping from earlier until now.

“I still don’t understand why they killed her, and how did she die?” You allow yourself to voice out one of the many questions lingering in your head.

“Initially, we didn’t know what to believe because of different speculations circulated on campus, but at the end of the day, it had been confirmed that Jinae did something to piss off all four leaders greatly.” Karina unravels, and it does seem like an uncomfortable subject for her to talk about, as evident in the grimace on her face.

“She was found dead in their palace.” Yunjin continues for Karina after a brief, sombre silence. Her lips press thinly while her eyes search for yours, seeming to be studying your expression. “But since they’re the sons of affluent figures in the eyes of the government, of course they were not arrested for committing another crime.”

“It’s one of the reasons why I despise them.” Despite Wonyoung’s declaration, her tone remains gentle as she speaks to you, matching the way she offers you a small smile as she tucks a hair behind your ear. “But I’ve long since realised that you couldn’t help with who you’ve fallen for, even if they turned out to be the ones I despise most.”

From your inner core, you are terribly shaken up by this new information. To be honest, you never really wanted to believe that the four leaders were responsible for Jinae’s death, but upon hearing the undeniable truth that she was found dead in their palace, it genuinely fucked you up in the head.

Tears well in your waterline as you look at them with a pained expression. “Do you think they’ll kill me just like they did to Jinae?” You ask in a splintered whisper, and you feel as though a vine has wrapped itself around your heart, squeezing it painfully with the jagged ends prickling you. 

“I don’t think they would ever do anything to hurt you, Y/N.” Wonyoung reassures you with her balming tone, but as she looks at Yunjin and Karina, you can see the glimpse of uncertainty in her eyes.

“What if you’re wrong?” A fallen tear trickles down your cheek at the agonising thought of your life being ended in the hands of your loved ones. “I did something, Wony. I broke one of their rules again.”

“What did you do, Y/N?” Yunjin inquires sternly, but you know that she is concerned for you. Yunjin flickers her gaze at Karina and Wonyoung. “Should we do something? I don’t know about you two, but I don’t want to risk anything concerning Y/N’s life.”

“Calm down. We’re only adding more panic and stress to Y/N.” Karina tells Yunjin with a disapproving frown before returning her gaze to your face, her eyes softening. “What do you want to do now?”

The thing is, you have already made up your mind about your next move. They see it in your eyes—the firm resolution that is familiar to them whenever you are determined to get what you want. “I need your help.” You tell them.

“Of course. Whatever you need.” Wonyoung gives your shoulder a firm squeeze.

“Yes. We’re here for you, Y/N.” Karina reaffirms this, earning nods from the other two.

You meet Karina’s eyes. “I need you to drive me home tomorrow afternoon. I want to visit my parents.”

The three of them exchange wary glances, feeling an immense sense of guilt after being the reason why your mother has practically disowned you.

“But why?” Yunjin dares herself to ask, her eyes studying your expression carefully. “I don’t mean to burst your bubble, baby girl, but aren’t you on bad terms with your parents?”

She is more than right, but frankly speaking, you’re still in contact with your father, whereas your mother refuses you. You don’t meet any of their gazes as you discreetly curl your fingers into a fist. “I have something important to confront my mother.” You say curtly, and just the tone of your voice is enough for them to avoid prying.

“Okay. I’ll drive you home instead.” Karina offers as she rises from the ground. She checks the time on her phone. “We’re actually planning to dine outside. Do you want to join us?”

“No, thank you.” You politely decline, giving her a weak smile. “I still don’t feel good.”

“I’ll check if there are any medications for you. Stay put.” Yunjin instructs you, like a mother to her child, before she walks out of your room.

“Rest, Y/N. We’ll buy some food for you.” Wonyoung tells you as she assists you to get comfortable on your bed, tucking you under the covers.

A faint chuckle leaves your lips while you hold back from crying again, feeling touched and nostalgic about this dynamic with your best friends. “I’m not a baby, Wony.”

“Nonsense, you’re our baby girl.” Wonyoung insists before pausing, almost as if she is contemplating whether to take back her words. “In a good, unrestrained way, of course.”

“What Wonyoung meant is that no matter what, you are still the same Y/N we know and love.” Karina adds, and it doesn’t help that you are gradually getting sappy as you smile at them with tears blurring your vision.

Not too long later, the whole of your dormitory is filled with complete silence as your best friends have left to dine outside. At first, you feel the familiar comfort of your old, homey room as you get snuggly under the covers, but soon, a profound sense of loneliness dawns on you.

Your eyes turn crestfallen as four handsome faces appear in your mind. There is no denying that you are already missing them, despite your rationality, which has given you a litany of reasons why you should not have given your heart to them in the first place.

Your phone buzzes next to you, and you reach for it to read the message from a certain individual.

SUNGHOON: Can I video call you? I’m already missing you, princess. 

Tears immediately spring in your eyes as you choke back a sob. The strong yearning in your bleeding heart consumes you. But you don’t reply to him, knowing that you’d only cave in to your yearning, and so you choose to sleep without any of their warmth embracing you that you have grown accustomed to.

Old habits really do die hard. It is something you have always done, ever since you were young. Throughout the two-hour journey from your dormitory to the town you grew up in, your fingers would occasionally ascend to fiddle with the silver cross in an attempt to seek a semblance of alleviation from your churning inner turmoil.

Unlike Wonyoung and Karina, who are currently settled in the backseat and comfortably sound asleep, you chose to forgo the calling of sleep that beckoned you, only focusing and thinking about any worse possible outcome of the impending confrontation, and you have no idea if you are being ignorantly foolish about this, which resulted in you remaining frozen in the passenger seat.

“It looks like your parents are having guests over.” Karina remarks as she leans forward, her folded arms resting on the leathered steering wheel. Her eyes trail over to you while you are staring at the same sight of four different car models parked on the massive asphalt road outside of your two-story house. “Do you recognise those cars?”

“No. Not that I know of.” You frown, your face contorting into confusion, and yet, your inner turmoil seems to worsen at the mere sight. You look at Karina, giving her a wry smile as you busily unbuckle your seatbelt. “Wish me luck.”

“Call us if you need some help.” Karina offers you an encouraging smile that does nothing to ease your incessant perturbation.

The crisp afternoon air greets you as soon as you exit the vehicle before making your way to the sidewalk. Your steps feel heavier on the concrete pavement as you feel daunted. Your palms are starting to feel clammy, to which you wipe them on your skirt as you now walk on the gravel path that leads to the familiar front porch of your humble abode.

A wave of nostalgia washes over you as your eyes flicker to the creamed wooden swinging bench on the front porch, alongside the lovely adornments. You recall the times when your father would find you seated there to wallow in sadness, which prompted him to accompany you and engage in talks with you in an attempt to cheer you up, or whenever you willingly helped out your parents in decorating the front porch to match the seasons. 

But the sentimentality that softens your features immediately fades away, only to be replaced by something so sour that embitters you as you vividly remember the picture of your mother and Jay’s father on this very porch.

The vehemence of resentment you now harbour towards your mother sets in motion, storming towards the ajar door and pushing it open as you break through the threshold, not forgetting to remove your shoes and wearing the house shoes you retrieve from the rack.

Your eyebrows arch inquisitively upon seeing four different polished shoes that no doubt belong to businessmen, before your ears perk up at the sound of chatter coming from somewhere in the living room. You amble further, but those manly voices accompanying their laughter evoke a tremendous dread in you. You hope that they’re not the ones you think they are.

Mustering whatever bravery you have left, you increase the pace, and alas, the sight of the four men being amicable with your mother appals you, causing you to flinch visibly as though you have been smacked in the face.

Upon your obvious presence in the room, all eyes are on you, each mirroring the other, filled with genuine shock, but your blazing eyes are fixed intently on your mother’s soon panicked expression as she rises from the single couch.

“I’m home, mother.” You announce your arrival calmly, and the word itself comes out of you as though it is poison, to which your mother flinches. A cold smile plays on your lips, wickedly revelling in the way she becomes flustered amidst the apparent panic. “Where is Dad, by the way? Does he know you have guests over?”

“Y/N Kang, I taught you better than to be discourteous.” Your mother reprimands you, but the tremor in her voice is palpable, eliciting a low scoff from you. Your mother flashes ingenuine smiles to the four men in distinct sumptuous suits as she heads towards you. “Forgive my daughter’s lack of manners. Please continue. I have to speak with my daughter privately.”

You fold your arms over your chest, displaying your defiance, while the coldness in your eyes mirrors your mother’s. “I, for one, feel that we should have our conversation here since, after all, it involved these intruding guests.”

“Enough, Y/N Kang.” Your mother is practically seething with anger beneath her composed demeanour as she holds your arm tightly. “I won’t tolerate this disrespect any longer. Follow me.” It is not as if she gives you a choice, as you find yourself being dragged by her.

Once you are out of their sight as your mother finally brings you to the kitchen instead, you yank your arm from her tight grip roughly, adding to the palpable tension that sizzles in the air before you meet her glaring eyes.

“How dare you even step foot into the house when you are not permitted to come home, let alone disrespect those four gentlemen? Do you even know who they are?” Your mother speaks harshly—nothing to the mother you once knew and viewed her as—because the woman standing before you is someone you no longer recognise.

“Should I know them? I mean, sure, they look classy and rich, but don’t you think it’s a little inappropriate to have male guests around while Dad is away for work?” You are more than conscious that you choose to cope with sarcasm, as your voice drips with mockery, which only fuels your mother’s indignation, as evident in the way she is fuming. 

“Don’t you dare teach me what is appropriate and what is not.” She snaps back coldly at you, and you can see it in her eyes that her firm, scowling demeanour is teetering due to the unceasing panic. Disgust forms a sneer on her features. “What do you know about morality when you’re the one who spreads your legs like a shameless whore for their sons?”

You ignore the pang of hurt in your chest, masking it with a humourless grin that smears across your lips. “Like mother like daughter, don’t you agree?” Your coy remark makes her go visibly flinching, and you know you managed to hit a spot.

Your mother quickly recovers with a glare, but her trembling hand is enough for you to be satisfied that she is feeling disturbingly antsy. “What are you talking about? If you’re here to show your insolence instead of sincerely apologising and redeeming yourself, then get out.”

“Oh, don’t feign ignorance, mother.” You sneer at her, unfolding your arms as you stalk towards her. “I know what sort of relationship you have with them. I know about you.” Your tone holds a tint of darkness that is foreign to you, but you are driven by the resentment towards your mother as you continue with the cruelty deepening your smile. “Ah, the lovely irony of whore-shaming your own daughter when you’re just the same. The apple indeed doesn’t fall far from the tree─”

A loud smack resonates throughout the kitchen as your head is flung sideways from the impact of your mother’s palm, and there comes the stinging pain on your cheek, but you refuse to allow the waterworks you have been keeping at bay to erupt any sooner, and so a chuckle leaves your lips instead as you slowly divert your attention back to your now teary-eyed mother.

“How could you stoop so low to disrespect your own mother?!” She raises her voice, and the betrayal in her tone elicits a disbelieving scoff from you while she continues. “You don’t know anything, Y/N Kang!”

“Don’t I, really? I’ve only recently discovered your infidelity, but I know for a fact that you had an immoral history with them! Yet you dared to chastise me for fucking around with their sons when you don’t even have the right to!” It has now become a screaming match, no longer are you bothered by the fact that they might hear you.

“Y/N!” Your mother gasps loudly as though you have just physically attacked her, but you are relentless, and this time, tears begin to spill from your eyes. “I am your mother! And you have no idea what I feel for them─”

“I don’t give a damn about your feelings, but for fuck’s sakes, you are a married woman!” The veins in your neck are protruding as you overpower her sound. A sardonic yet broken chuckle falls past your lips. “Oh, so now you want to remind me that you’re my mother, but weren’t you the one who declared that you no longer recognised me as your daughter? Because to you, I’m apparently a whore!”

You cut off your mother before she can open her mouth to speak, hurling your pent-up emotions, including resentment towards her, like shooting bullets. “You’re a hypocrite, mother!” You spit out while hot angry tears continue their descent on your face. “You condemned me for spreading my legs and fucking around, but you’re even worse! You sneaked behind Dad’s back to pursue your trysts with them! Do you even realise how disgraceful that is?!”

It seems that your words are impactful because this time, any traces of indignation in your mother’s firm demeanour completely dissipate, replaced by the fear and indignity dawning on her. Her lips tremble as she attempts to reach out for you. “Y/N─”

The fresh pain of betrayal and hurt consumes you as you back away from her. “Dad has always worked hard for this family, and no matter how busy he gets, he always makes time for us and for you.” You sob out at the same time she does. “I thought you’re in love with Dad. I thought you’re happy with him.”

“I do! I still love your father!” She defends herself, lacing with such desperation, and yet her declaration doesn’t deter you. “Please, honey, my feelings for your father have never changed, but you have to understand that my history with the four of them is something that is complicated. I still care for them, but the one that I truly love is your father!”

“But those pictures said otherwise.” You sniffle, wiping the continuous tears away from your cheek.

“What? What pictures?” She asks, confused.

“It doesn’t matter, but what matters is that you ruined what I thought the love you had for Dad was.” You manage to utter something in between the weeping as you stare at her with betrayed eyes. “I feel so fucked up because, throughout my life, I have known you as a doting mother who is a devout Catholic. You even instilled the teaching of Christianity in me, and yet what I discovered has ruined the version of my mother I viewed in my head.”

“I’m so sorry.” Is all she can utter, covering her mouth with her palm as she looks down due to the mortified realisation and sheer humiliation.

“Like what you’ve always said, seek forgiveness from God instead.” You say wryly. “Oh, and maybe seek forgiveness from Dad too, if he has yet to learn of your infidelity.”

“Y/N! Wait! Please, wait!” Your mother frantically calls for you just as you turn your back on her, wanting to exit from the kitchen, and she manages to grab a hold of your arm. “I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have done what I did to you!” A sharp sob heaves from her, and the sound of it only seems to clench your heart. “I’m so sorry for disappointing you.”

Of course, you’re not about to forgive her just so easily. Without a word, you force yourself to escape from her flimsy clutch and hasten as you navigate your way around with the intention to leave the house, choking back more sobs before you cover your mouth with your palm.

Just as you walk past the living room, Heeseung’s father stops you as he calls for you, causing you to halt your steps before turning to meet his eyes. You hate how he is gazing at you kindly while guilt is written across his features.

“We admit that we overheard your conversation with your mother.” He pauses to look over his shoulders, meeting the others’ gazes as they nod their heads before continuing. “But don’t put the blame on your mother. Blame us.”

“He’s right.” Jay’s father steps forward, and it takes everything in you not to cower away due to the icy intimidation he exudes despite his neutral gaze. As you stare at the man, you can only see him as a pathetic excuse for a father who abused his son. “It was our fault. Your mother is a great woman, and she has always wanted the best for her baby girl.”

“Do you guys still love my mother?” You inquire sharply, wanting to get straight to the point. The silence from them and the way they avoid their gaze tell you all you need to know, which only brings a sneering disgust to you. “You are married, and yet you dare to love my mother? Do you think this is a game to you?”

“Y/N, I can assure you that nothing is a game, including our feelings for your mother.” Sunghoon’s father firmly counters, and you recall when Heeseung told you about Sunghoon’s father wanting his son to be erased from the face of this earth.

“I don’t care about your feelings for my mother or that you still love her, but please don’t ruin my parents’ marriage.” You plead in a cry, tears springing in your eyes once more before you cast them a withering glare. “Don’t fucking ruin my family just because yours are fucked up. I don’t want any of you to be around my mother like you always have.”

You don’t wait for their response as you flee from the living room, making your way to the door. After hurriedly putting on your shoes, you are ready to leave when the door swings abruptly open, revealing your father, who looks delightfully surprised to see you.

“Honey! What a pleasant surprise.” He stops as soon as he notices the tears staining your cheeks, the redness on your cheeks, and your lower lids from the relentless weeping. He cups your cheeks with his callous palms while his eyes go stern. “Baby girl, what’s wrong?”

You only manage a whimper in response as you shed tears silently. You open your mouth to speak, your chin wobbling with sadness, but it is as though you lost your voice, and with a heavy heart, you shake your head at him before gently pushing him away and running past him.

Yes, you hate your mother, but seeing your father after so long, you don’t have the heart to reveal the truth about your mother’s infidelity to him. You decide to sob out whatever is left in you, wiping your tears with your sleeves as you make your way to Karina’s car.

Forcing yourself to compose despite the annoying hiccups emitting from you, you startle the girls as soon as you open the door and shove yourself inside the car before slamming the door.

“That was actually longer than we thought.” Yunjin remarks from the backseat, oblivious to the sadness you emanate, but Karina, who has been examining you the moment you entered, is no stranger to the redness of your eyes and nose.

“Y/N, what happened?” Karina asks quietly, and her question draws Yunjin and Wonyoung's full attention before they lean forward to get a better view of your side profile.

You don’t meet any of their eyes as you lean back comfortably, your eyes gazing out to the window instead. “I don’t want to talk about it. Can we go somewhere else, please?” Your voice sounds hoarse from the crying and screaming.

“Of course. We know just the place you need.” Wonyoung chimes in hopes of livening the atmosphere in the car, but you remain the same. With a resigned sigh, Wonyoung’s eyes meet Karina’s with a certain knowing. “You know where.”

“I, in fact, don’t.” Karina replies as she proceeds to drive off from the curb, earning a glare from Wonyoung, but Karina, in fact, knows exactly what you need.

“So, do you feel better now?” Yunjin’s voice pulls you out of the stupor you are in, prompting you to gain full consciousness of your surroundings and spot Karina and Wonyoung making their way to your table from the restroom.

Apparently, the three of them thought that bringing you to the ice cream parlour, which is located near your campus, was a good idea and may lift your spirits, but honestly, you feel even worse. Never mind the fact that the strawberry cheesecake-flavoured ice cream tasted amazing.

“Ice cream won’t solve my problems, you know.” You state this flatly while Wonyoung and Yunjin return to their seats.

“But you love your ice cream, though.” Yunjin points out, earning hums of agreement from the other two. “Come on, you must’ve felt at least slightly better.”

“Alright, fine.” You concede, and maybe you do feel a little better now as you find yourself adorning a faint smile before your eyes glaze with gratitude as you look over to them. “Thank you so much for being my moral support. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“Consider this as our apology.” Wonyoung grabs your hand to give it a squeeze. You notice the guilt in her delicate features. “We didn’t mean what we said to you before, and we shouldn’t have treated you like that.”

“Wonyoung’s right. We’re sorry for what happened.” Yunjin offers you an apologetic smile. “To be honest, we’ve missed you so much.”

“We’ve missed being with you like this, just us girls.” Karina adds, turning the once lively atmosphere in the parlour into a pensive sadness. “Let’s never fight like that again.”

“What happened in the past is already in the past, so let’s not dwell on it.” You reassure them with a smile before proceeding to engage in another topic, gradually losing track of time due to getting immersive to the point where you almost forget all sorts of problems in the back of your mind until the night has fully ascended.

“Is it possible to get full just by eating three ice creams?” Karina asks with a groan as she pats her belly while your arm is interlocked with hers. The four of you are currently walking along the pavement to make your way to the parking lot.

“Maybe it’s just you, but I can easily finish off five ice creams and still have room for other desserts.” Yunjin tells her, and a smug smile on her lips earns her a playful scowl from Karina, to which you chuckle as they proceed to engage in banter, and soon enough, you have reached the nearly empty parking lot.

“Uh oh. It looks like we have unwanted people coming this way.” Wonyoung’s remark prompts you to look at her, spotting the sternness in her face with her eyes looking straight ahead, which you follow as you turn your head just to see two familiar figures clad in leather.

Your eyes instantly meet Jay’s steely ones, and from his expression, you have a feeling that you may or may not be in trouble. Before you can speak, Wonyoung shields you from their sight, prompting the other girls to follow her protective stance.

“Move.” Jay’s cold voice cuts through the nightly air sharply, but his stern command doesn’t deter your best friends. “I don’t have time to fuck around with you. I said, move.” You flinch slightly at the hint of warning in his flinty tone.

“No.” Yunjin seems to match the level of his austerity, and as you try to take a peek, your eyes widen at the stark, raging storms in the glaring eyes of Jay, whereas Sunghoon’s demeanour appears to be collected, but you know that he is just as pissed off as Jay. “Why are you here?”

“We need to speak with Y/N.” Sunghoon answers, his vehement tone indicates that there is no way they are leaving unless they get what they want. “Alone.”

“Whatever you need to say to her, you can tell her now.” Wonyoung counters strongly, as she has her arms over her chest in an intimidating stance.

“Didn’t you hear him? He said alone.” Jay glowers at them, but they remain unmoving, to which Jay no longer bothers to conceal his detestation towards them. “Why the fuck are you acting like her bodyguards? For fuck’s sake, it’s not like we want to hurt her!”

“Do you, really?” Karina asks in an annoying mockery that has their eyes twitching. “You guys are beyond predictable, so we don’t trust you to be alone with Y/N.”

Before things can get worse between them, you decide to step in, moving out of their body shields and revealing yourself in front of Sunghoon and Jay, whose eyes immediately latch on your figure.

You offer your girls a small smile in an attempt to assure them. “It’s okay. You girls can go ahead and wait for me in the car. Besides, they won’t do anything to hurt me in public.”

You can feel the sheer disbelief emanating from Sunghoon and Jay as their eyes drill into the side of your face. You ignore them as your eyes meet Wonyoung’s, giving her a firm nod.

Wonyoung releases a sigh, denoting her resignation, before nudging the other two. “Let’s go.” She says, and they eventually acquiesce, but not before shooting the guys a withering glare.

As the girls make their retreat to the car, you finally shift your attention to the disbelieving males, and this time, there are no traces of austerity or callousness they exhibited in front of your best friends. Just noticeable hurt glinting in their eyes by your previous statement, but they composed themselves with the rare sternness patch on their countenance.

“Do you know how much trouble you’re in?” Jay initiates the confrontation, his steely eyes penetrate into yours. “You shouldn’t have done what you did. Have you forgotten that there are always consequences to your actions?”

Your lips press thinly, refusing to back down despite feeling gradually small under their dark, pinning gaze. Your arms latch around your form, feeling the chilly wind hitting you. “I don't know what you’re talking about.” You lie so easily, and yet there is a palpable tremor in your voice.

“Heeseung is furious at you, princess.” Though Sunghoon is just as austere as Jay, the softness in his tone is so unmistakable that it almost impels you to cave into your longing and run into the comfort of his arms.

“We’re furious at you.” Jay seems to correct Sunghoon’s statement, and you nearly deflate like a balloon under the intensity of his dark gaze as he takes an intimidating step forward. “We don’t know why you did what you did, but you better have a good, reasonable explanation.”

“Stop.” You force your voice to come out strong as you back away, just before Jay can reach out to you. Your glare of hostility throws them off, and it is as though they are back to square one with you. “I’m not going anywhere with either of you. Just leave me alone.”

“Why are you being like this? Did we do something wrong?” Sunghoon voices out his frustration, while there is a hint of longing in his tone. “Talk to us, princess. Don’t shut us out.”

You shake your head, fighting against your vehement longing for them. “I just think it’s better for us to distance ourselves from each other.” You utter a broken whisper as you look away from their confused yet hurtful gaze. The tumult of emotions threatens to come down on you, springing tears to accumulate in your waterline. “You guys overwhelmed me, so please give me the space I need. Tell Heeseung that I’m sorry.”

Just as you are prepared to leave, Jay grabs you by the arm, pulling you close to him until he has you flushed against him. Your heart pumps rapidly at the warm contact of his body on yours and the way his dark eyes bore into yours deeply.

“You’re not going to walk away from us until you tell us why you’re avoiding us.” He demands calmly, while the low rasp in his voice awakens a familiar flutter in your beating heart. You notice the way his eyes flicker at your parted pink lips briefly. “I don’t want to force the answer out of you, baby.”

“Just go away!” You attempt to push him away from you in the chest while he still seizes control over your other arm, so you struggle in his unyielding grasp. Tears prick your glaring eyes as you look back at him. “I don’t have anything to explain to you! I’m not even your girlfriend!”

“Princess, calm down.” You feel Sunghoon’s presence behind you before his hands land on your tensed shoulders, alarming you at the fact that you are now being sandwiched between them.

You remain adamant, shaking your head vehemently before trying valiantly to escape from their possession, but exhaustion dawns on you more quickly than you like. “Just please…” You plead, and your voice has a noticeable crack in the end as you are caught in a whirlwind of emotions.

Succumbing to defeat, you hang your head low, hiding the sight of you in tears from them, before you instinctively lean your forehead against Jay’s chest. “Please let me go. I don’t want to argue with you two any longer. I’m tired.”

Sunghoon resists the urge to wrap his arms around you from behind, and when his eyes flicker to meet Jay’s, he gives him a firm nod, causing Jay to loosen his hold on you, but you remain in a defeated stance, unmoving.

“Fine, we’ll give you the space you need, but don’t think for a second that this is the last time you’ll ever see us.” Sunghoon speaks in a low murmur next to your ear, his cold breath fanning your earlobe.

Sniffling, you finally look up and push them away from you. Avoiding their gazes, you hug yourself in an attempt to provide some warmth amidst the chilly wind. “Forget it. I don’t want to see any of you anytime, sooner, or ever.” Despite your declaration, your heart vehemently disagrees. “I’ve decided to revert to the girl I was before she foolishly allowed herself to fall for your charms.”

“Princess…”

“Baby…”

You muster the last of your courage as you glare at them through your teary vision, unable to see the expressions they wear. “Whatever we had before, it’s over. We’re over.”

You don’t give either of them the opportunity to speak or counter-remark, as you immediately flee from them, heading towards Karina’s car, where your best friends have been watching the entire interaction closely. As you shove yourself in the passenger seat and slam the door, Karina wastes no time in driving you off, and alas, you release the restrained waterworks.

You stayed true to your firm decision about reverting to the good Catholic girl you were before all the corruption you allowed to break you from the inside, because when Sunday morning arrives, you find yourself entering the familiar divine building alongside other churchgoers. Settling on a pew in the right aisle, you grab your bible from your tote bag and place it on your lap while your other hand clutches the rosary as you await the service to begin. 

It feels foreign to you to come back here after so long, but above all, stepping foot on these holy grounds evokes an immense guilt in you, and you feel as though you are undeserving after having your impurity ripped off due to your immoral willingness. Nevertheless, you know that those thoughts are whispers of the devil in order to lead you astray again.

As soon as the service commences, you attempt to direct your full attention on the pastor as he delivers his preaching, but your eyebrows furrow at the feeling of eyes watching you, nearly dissuading you from your focal point before you force yourself to refocus again while clutching your rosary.

Perhaps it is your paranoia at the possibility that whoever attacked you the other night is back to hunt you down, but you can’t shake off the feeling of eyes fixated on your figure, especially in the way the back of your hair rises and goosebumps on your skin hidden underneath your white cardigan that matches well with your cute white floral dress.

Okay, maybe you are being paranoid, and those eyes probably belong to people seated in the rows behind you since you are seated in the very first row, but you have this strong urge to turn around, and you do so slowly. As your eyes briefly scan these people, their focus seems to be on the preaching. Just then, you feel a burning sensation drilling into your face, prompting you to shift your eyes elsewhere.

At the moment your eyes lock with his, your breath goes hitched in your throat while your heart pounds hard against your chest. Seated amongst the other churchgoers somewhere in the backrow in your aisle is Lee Heeseung.

The bill of his cap does nothing to shadow the wicked glint in his dark, mesmerising eyes, and a devilish smirk plays on his lips. Your eyes follow the movement of his tongue gliding across his bottom lip, which is adorned with the familiar silver ring. Despite the forbidden arousal stirring in your core, confusion fills your head.

What is he doing here? At least to your knowledge, Heeseung has never gone to this church, nor is he someone who is religious, so his unexpected appearance greatly confounds you. Nevertheless, you force yourself to break the devilly yet heavenly trance from his eye contact, facing the front again.

When the service ends, you exchange polite greetings and farewells to the others in your vicinity before abandoning your seat to make your way through the departing people to greet the priest, and midway, you look over your shoulder to check if Heeseung is still there. A frown touches your lips at the empty spot where he was seen earlier. His sudden disappearance only seems to unnerve you.

You grace your countenance with a polite smile as soon as the priest greets you warmly. The thought of Heeseung immediately dissipates as you engage in a meaningful conversation with the priest. However, you feel weirded out upon noticing his lecherous gaze and how often he compliments your overall look, not forgetting the way his eyes linger on your revealing legs even though the length of your dress reaches just above your knees.

You inwardly shake your head and silently berate yourself for such ill-thoughts of the priest when he has always been kind to you. Besides, your intention is to make a confession entailing your sinful pursuits, and so the priest begins to guide you to the sacrament of penance while the church gradually becomes quieter due to the others’ departure.

However, uneasiness is gnawing at you while your stomach churns, noticing that something is indeed off as he guides you to a different route and the atmosphere gets ominous.

You bite down your lip, contemplating before deciding to act upon your better instinct. “Um..Father, from what I recall, this isn’t the way to the─” You are cut off when he grabs a hold of your arm tightly, feeling as though he has stopped the blood flowing in your arm.

“What are you doing?!” You try to yank your arm from his deadly grip as he continues to drag you with him into one of the rooms where the lights are dim, shoving you inside. Panic and anxiety expand in your chest as you feel helpless against his strength.

Something dark casts a shadow across his features as he looks at you, his lips curling into a wicked sneer while you grimace at the lecherous gaze of his. “I’ve waited a long time for this, for you, my sweet child.” He says so amorously, pulling you closer until his prominent bulge is pressed against your thigh.

“Get away from me, you perv!” You scream, trashing against his hold, no longer do you hold such respect for him. “Help! He’s trying to─” He slaps you hard on the cheek and shoves you to the ground, standing over you.

You choke back a sob while tears prickle in your eyes, not understanding why the priest would do this to you. Just when you think there is no hope, the door is violently pushed open, with the handle being wholly destroyed. Before you know it, the priest has been shoved away from you, manhandled by an imposing figure.

“You sick hypocritical fucker!” Jake’s enraged voice startles you as it reverberates throughout the room. When you look at the side, you gasp upon seeing Jake deliver brutal yet skillful punches to the priest’s face as he hovers over. “You dared to assault my woman?!” He roars out, making you go flinching.

Jake is seeing absolute red and becoming relentless. Another punch, and this time, you can’t bear to see the violence as blood begins to spill. 

You stand with shaky legs, getting ready to bolt your way out of here, but when another figure enters the room, you gasp again upon seeing a melee knife in Heeseung’s grasp while his eyes are ablaze with rampant storms. His focus is solely on the priest, who is being beaten relentlessly to the pulp.

You should be running away by now, but you remain frozen with fascination and horror as you watch the vicious element Jake revels in, as evident in the way he smirks. Clutching the nearly half-dead priest by his blood-stained shirt, Jake casts a glance at Heeseung. “Should we kill him off quickly or painfully slowly?

Heeseung mirrors Jake’s smirk as he toys around with the knife. “The latter is music to my ears.”

Your heart drops to the pit of your stomach at the dreadful realisation of their firm decision to kill off the priest. Sure, you now loathe the priest and feel completely revolted by his assault, but killing doesn’t sit right with you.

Just when Heeseung brings the pointed tip of the knife near to the priest’s bloodied face, you stop him with a plea, “Don’t kill him!”

The sound of your voice draws their attention in an instant, but the expressions they wear on their faces cause your stomach to churn unpleasantly. Jake scoffs, his gaze burning into your face. “You don’t get to decide the fate of this sick bastard. He fucking assaulted you, Y/N. He must pay the price.”

“N-Not like this. Please.” You try to reason with them, and a tear trickles down your cheek while you tremble with a palpable fear for them. “We can report him to the police instead. Just please, no killing.”

“You don’t seem to understand that you are in no position to make demands.” Heeseung says lowly, the warning projecting in the rasp of his voice while his dark eyes penetrate into yours. A cold smirk plays on his lips as he diverts his attention to you. “For that matter, you had the audacity to stop us and tell us what to do after what you did.”

“H-Heeseung…” You whisper in a panic, your tearful eyes bringing him a wicked delight as you slowly back away from him.

Heeseung stalks towards you, chuckling softly. “Oh, sweetheart, you didn’t think I’d forget your rebellion, did you? It’s time for you to face the consequences, and how fitting it is to punish you on these sacred grounds.”

Entering fight-or-flight mode, you decide to flee from them, bolting out of the room and navigating your way back to the pew since you had left your belongings there. You hear thundering footsteps from behind you, eliciting a fearful sob from you as you know that Heeseung is relentlessly chasing after you, and unbeknownst to you, he is catching up fast.

When you arrive at the crossing, you are greeted by a desolate sight, bare of any churchgoers. It is eerily silent too, with the exception of your harsh panting as you halt from running, needing to gasp for air while your chest feels tight. Running really is your weakest suit.

You spot your belongings at the previous spot you were seated at, and just before you move forward, the door ahead of you from afar opens, revealing Sunghoon and Jay sauntering into the church leisurely with equal boredom on their countenances, and in their manner, it is as though they are on the grounds of their territory.

“You two are just in time.” Heeseung startles you from behind, but your reaction in eluding him delays, resulting in you being caged in his possession with his hands seizing your arms now being interlocked behind you securely.

“Heeseung! Let go of me!” You struggle valiantly against him despite apprehension coiling within you, and when a rising anticipation at the feasible thrill of what they have in store for you stirs in your inner core, you silently berate yourself for nearly forgetting your morality.

Your eyes flicker to Sunghoon and Jay as they continue to advance forward, their neutrality at the sight of you being held captive in Heeseung’s possession confounds you. Nevertheless, you have no idea why you desire their help when they are probably in it too. “J-Jay, Hoonie…” You utter their name weakly, feeling dejected by their indifference.

“They’re not going to help you, sweetheart.” Heeseung chuckles lethally and softly beside your ear, sending shivers down your spine. “They’re here to take out the trash, and who knows if they want to watch us as well?”

“Heeseung, please.” You whimper out, fear is palpable in the tremor of your voice, and yet you can’t seem to put a stop to your stirring arousal in your core at the deliverance of your punishment from him. “I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to.”

“Oh, but you did mean it, sweetheart. The camera in my office captured everything. You just couldn’t keep your pretty hands to yourself and stayed curious like the good fucking girl you were supposed to be.” He snarls coldly, evoking more dread in you that soon mingles with your unbearable arousal, causing you to discreetly squeeze your thighs together.

The commotion coming from the side prompts you to turn your head, and your eyes widen in horror at the sight of the fucked-up priest, whose face is close to wrecked with blood smeared all over, being dragged across the floor by Jake with ease.

“Thank fuck, you guys are here. He’s heavy as fuck.” Jake groans loudly as he releases the priest’s limb without any thought of gentleness when Sunghoon and Jay approach him. “Handle him, and I don’t care how or what you choose to do with him.”

“What did he do again?” Jay inquires rather uninterestedly, wanting this to be done as soon as possible.

“Sexually assaulted young girls for the past few years and threatened them into staying silent.” Jake lists them down, whereas you become genuinely appalled by the revelation. When his eyes flicker at yours fleetingly, you flinch slightly. “The fucker assaulted our girl too.”

“Say less. We’ll get the job nicely done.” Sunghoon affirms, adorning a smile that gives you the chills. You watch as Sunghoon and Jay drag the priest by his arms, seeming to be making their way to the other exit and leaving you with the very two predators you should be evading.

“Lovely.” Jake drawls out, his charming grin is a deception you recognise, while his eyes are overtly displayed with a mingling displeasure and lust. “Where are your manners, my love? We did save you from that pretentious bastard.”

“T-Thank you.” You stammer, your cheeks flushing pink with humiliation, under their burning derogatory gaze.

“Awww, isn’t she adorable, Heeseung?” Jake coos, his gentle tone dripping with mockery, as does the way he looks at you, akin to how a predator is ready to pounce on their prey before devouring them alive.

 Heeseung hums in agreement as he strokes your cheek in a hauntingly loving gesture. “You’re right. She’s so fucking adorable.” You hear the sneer in his voice before he directs his speech to you. “Just like how adorable you were trying to escape when you should’ve known that I’ll always win over you, sweetheart.” 

“I wasn’t trying to escape!” You accidentally display your defiance, denying the obvious truth, and you smack your lips shut together while berating your idiocy once more.

“So she lies as well.” Jake tuts disapprovingly. “The list just keeps adding. First, you broke one of our rules by trespassing on Heeseung’s office for the second time. Second, you didn’t want to see us anymore. Now, this?”

“Someone needs to be taught a lesson or two.” Heeseung chuckles darkly, eliciting an enticing whimper from you that goes straight to their cocks. “It really is fitting for our girl to be punished on these sacred grounds, right, Jake?”

“Definitely.” The sensation of Jake’s eyes raking all over you feels scorching. “Bad girls need to be taught some lessons, and it looks like our sweet angel has fallen. We can’t have you become bad. No, you need to be good just for us.”

It is really confusing. You are caught up in a predicament where the rational part of you beseeches you to follow your morality and refuse your awaiting predators, but another part of you, which you regard as corrupt, is pulling you to its side, lulling you to succumb to their depravity.

“Did you know that Jake was such a good boy, just like you?” Heeseung purrs in your ear, dripping with his seductive allure that projects in his husky voice.

You shudder lightly as you feel his wet muscle licking a stripe on your earlobe before speaking to you in a deceptive, gentle tone that belies familiar darkness. “Oh, yes. He even took his studies in religion to a higher level, which almost granted him the opportunity to become a preacher. It’s rather fitting for him to preach and correct the errors of your ways now, yeah?”

A whimper leaves your lips when Heeseung seizes your chin without any gentleness to forcefully turn your head to look at Jake, whose dark eyes penetrate into yours and bear such wicked intent, while a smirk unfurls on his lips as he stalks towards you.

“Please.” Your voice is barely above a whisper, while a tear escapes from the corner of your eye as Jake caresses your cheek in a hauntingly loving gesture. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to─”

“Oh, you’ll be begging for forgiveness, alright.” Jake chuckles coldly, no traces of his usual charming mirth are detectable. His thumb brushes across your bottom lip sensually before tugging it down, causing your lips to part open while you remain helpless in Heeseung’s impenetrable hold.

“I’m your fucking preacher now, and since you are so desperate to seek forgiveness, you’ll be confessing your sins to me while I fuck you until I decide when you can be pardoned.” Jake says so harshly, causing more tears to accumulate in your eyes. His dark eyes bear zero ounces of clemency, while his countenance reminds you of the night when he embodied a serial killer. “Now face the damn cross and get down on your fucking knees.”

Once Heeseung releases you, you know better than to delay further, following Jake’s instruction despite the humiliation descending on you before you finally find yourself kneeling on the ground and facing the imposing cross.

“On your fours, sweetheart.” Heeseung instructs firmly, his gentle tone does nothing to ease your frayed nerves. You swallow down a whimper as you reluctantly lean your body forward with both palms pressed on the floor, feeling exposed from the back since you are bare of any safety shorts.

You feel Jake’s hands manoeuvre from behind you, lifting the entirety of your dress to fully expose your ass, with your white lace underwear barely covering the expanse of it. You don’t have time to grasp the sensation of his callous palm landing on your ass cheek hard, as it sends you a shocking wave in a painful ripple through your body before he does it again.

“Ah! Jaeyun!” You yelp out, your body jerking forward due to the impact, before you feel fingers tangling in your hair to grab a fistful of your hair and apply enough pressure to pull your head to the back, making you face the high grand ceiling.

“I’m not hearing any apologies from you yet, lovely.” Jake tuts as he rubs the soreness of your ass cheek soothingly before taking you by surprise when he smacks it twice hard, eliciting a sob from you, and yet, you can feel your arousal staining your underwear as it leaks from your needy cunt. “I can do this all day.”

“Please! I’m so sorry! I made a mistake by breaking your rule!” You begin your confession, apologising through sobs as well, while tears are prickling in your eyes as he remains unforgiving in spanking you. “I promise I won’t do it again! Please! It hurts!”

“Oh yeah? If it hurts, then why are you so wet from your punishment, lovely?” He chuckles sardonically as he finally ceases the spanking, only for his fingers to migrate your lace underwear and stroke the outer of your cunt, where he spots a visible wet patch on the material. “Naughty, dirty angel. If you wanted to be punished like this so badly, then why didn’t you say so?”

You feel him releasing your hair, allowing your strained neck to rest. “I-I don’t─” A gasp leaves your lips at the moment Jake practically tears your underwear savagely and tosses it aside. “Jaeyun! My underwear─”

“Shut up.” Jake cuts you off sharply, earning him a dejected whimper from you while he loosens his slacks, freeing his erection that desires to be buried in your warmth after so long. “I’m going to fuck your sweet cunt, and you’re going to fuck Heeseung’s cock with your mouth. You’re going to take us both like the well-trained slut you are for us.”

It isn’t really helping when your cunt keeps clenching anytime either of them delivers their degradation to you, and it’s even worse when you are eagerly anticipating for their cocks and for them to ruin you once more.

“Come on, sweetheart. Open up.” Heeseung towers over your figure in front of you while your hungry eyes are staring at his erection, the pink tip is engorged. You part open your lips, inviting him to push his cock into your hot cavern, and he does. 

You try your best to avoid gagging as the head gets further away, grazing against the roof of your mouth. A pleasurable sigh leaves Heeseung’s lips as soon as you begin to fuck him with your mouth, your tongue swirling around the head before deepthroating him skillfully like a pro, earning you an approving rumble from his chest while his dark eyes watch you.

Seeing as you are too distracted with Heeseung’s cock, Jake smirks softly and aims his cock directly at your cunt, just for the head to rub against your slick folds, eliciting a muffled moan from your stuffed throat as the head continuously bumps your neglected clit.

Without any further foreplay, Jake thrusts the entirety of his length into you as your walls welcome him, despite the tightness that has him biting down his lips. The sheer girth of his shaft has you whimpering and moaning that are restricted by Heeseung’s cock, causing you to stop as Jake unyieldingly delivers his slow yet hard thrusts into your needy cunt with the walls fluttering around him.

Not satisfied with your performance, Heeseung grabs a fistful of your hair while your jaw goes slacken, and your teary eyes meet his stern ones. “I didn’t say you could stop, did I?”

You immediately shake your head at him before resuming, but it is getting harder to focus on Heeseung when Jake is fucking you from behind so deliciously as the sound of his thighs smacking against your bums resonates throughout these sacred walls.

“Oh, fuck, lovely.” Jake throws his head to the back, gritting his teeth at the delirious sensation of your fluttery walls practically vacuuming his cock, as though they never want to let go, prompting him to deliver shallow thrusts while picking up the pace. “You must’ve missed my cock that much, yeah?”

There is no possible way to verbally respond to him other than muffled moans. Heeseung uses your hair as leverage to fuck himself into your mouth; each thrust gets shallower as the head hits the back of your throat.

“Good girl. Take my cock like the champ you are.” Heeseung coos, admiring your tear-stained face and how sinfully innocent you look with your eyelashes fluttering as you look up at him while your mouth is stuffed full by his cock. A muscle pulses in his jaw, unable to prolong the impending orgasm as it reaches its climax. “I’m gonna cum, sweetheart. You know what to do, yeah?”

You nod your head, eager to please him, and hurl him to the edge as you play around the sensitive tip with your tongue before deepthroating him and going still as he finally cums into you while you gladly swallow every drop.

“That’s it. Oh, my beautiful sweetheart.” Heeseung continues to shower you with compliments that make your heart swell, whereas Jake feels neglected by your lack of attention.

As soon as Heeseung steps away from you, Jake grabs you by the hair and pulls it back while he fucks you harder yet precisely shallow, which has you nearly seeing stars in your vision.

“Oh God!” You moan out, lost in a haze of intense pleasure, with your eyes rolling to the back of your skull as he sets a brutal pace that you never knew you needed from him.

“No God, baby.” Jake rasps, his voice thick with gratification and his eyes darkening as he revels in the sweet sound eliciting from you, adding to the symphony of your sinful intercourse in front of the holy cross. “Only Jaeyun for you. I’m your God now.”

“Jaeyun!” You begin to blabber, deprived of complete coherence, as you begin to fuck yourself back on him, wanting to feel him deeply, and when the head manages to hit that spot deliciously, a loud moan tears from your throat. “Oh! Jae! Right there!”

“Right fucking there?” Jake growls as he tightens his grip on your hair, drilling his cock deep into you, and fuck, he feels it, the head hitting something spongy inside you while the repeated action of his draws out more moans from you. “Yeah? That’s your spot, lovely?”

“Please! More!” You sob out, completely delirious to the sensation of his cock that consumes your every sense, and unbeknownst to you, more than one pair of eyes have been watching you.

“Don’t be greedy, love. It’s a sin.” Jake chuckles, mockery lacing his tone, but his voice sounds nearly strained as his impending orgasm comes forth, rendering him teetering at the edge while his vigorous thrusts don’t let up. “Fuck. I’m going to cum in you, lovely.”

You whimper out while tears cascade down your cheeks, and at the same time, your orgasm hits you violently when his hips go completely stilled with his cock burying to the hilt, dumping his cum into your womb to mix with yours. Still, you feel dissatisfied, as evident in the way your walls go clenching around him like crazy, eliciting a breathy chuckle from the male.

Jake gently pulls out his cock from your nearly battered, fluttery walls, earning him a needy whine from you, which he clicks his tongue at. “Don’t worry, lovely. You’ll get what you want. Now get up.”

Slowly, you stand on shaking legs while your thighs and knees are evidently sore. Heeseung takes you by surprise when he grabs your arm firmly to guide you forward. Your confusion is mingled with immense guilt as you feel the weight of the holy cross glaring at you while he guides you until you reach the altar.

“Sit and lay down with your legs spread open.” Heeseung calmly instructs you, but you remain frozen, shaken from the core at the realisation of what he is about to do. “I’m not going to say it again, sweetheart.”

Not wanting to piss him off, you obediently follow his absurd instructions while ignoring the wicked thrill in you. As you sit on the altar and face the front, your heart nearly drops at the sight of Sunghoon and Jay, who seem to have been watching you from the spot where Jake had fucked you, while one of them is clearly recording you with his phone.

In a blink of an eye, Heeseung has you laid down on the altar, your legs now spread flexibly for their eyes to feast upon your cunt that pulsates with the incessant need to be stuffed full again.

“Greedy for more, aren’t you?” Heeseung looms over your vulnerable figure in front of you, whereas Jake stands behind you to bind your wrists above your head, denying you any possible defiance against what Heeseung is about to do. A smirk plays on Heesueng’s lips, seeing the heavy lust amidst your teary eyes. “It seems you’ve forgotten that this should be your punishment. I guess Jake didn’t execute your punishment properly.”

“Fuck you, I did.” Jake retorts, but Heeseung merely ignores him as his eyes trail to your pink, slick folds from both Jake and your cum. A breathy moan leaves your lips as his fingers stroke your throbbing clit before rubbing it for good measure, just to take you by surprise when he suddenly lands a sharp slap on your pussy.

“Heeseung!” You scream as he does it again painfully, and another comes that has you struggling in Jake’s firm hold while your hips jerk at the impact. You sob out, feeling your pussy being abused by his relentless slaps and teasing of his fingers, occasionally rubbing your aching clit, as though to edge you in an agonising way. “Please! No more!”

“No more? But you’re fucking wet, sweetheart.” Heeseung unfurls a soft smirk as he finally relents, just to slide his fingers down on your slippery folds that are coated with your slick arousal. “Gonna baptise you, pretty girl.”

“Our sweet angel just loves the pain, doesn’t she?” Jake smirks down at you cruelly, his eyes marvelling at how docile you are being displayed like this and how your legs seem to be spreading for more room. “Oh, you do want this, yeah? Fucking give it to her, Heeseung.”

You flinch again when Heeseung delivers one last smack on your drenched-reddened folds before he lowers himself to level with your throbbing cunt and wastes no time delving into you, his hands pressing on your inner thighs to keep your legs from closing.

You gasp at the abrupt intrusion of his wet muscle thrusting into your cunt, but as his tongue dances across your sensitive flesh, licking your every wall with his nose rubbing your clit, you arch your back as you move your hips in tandem with his expert tongue delving into your cunt and the way he teases your quivering walls with his lip ring. His cap has completely fallen off as he becomes utterly drunk in your sweet pre-essence, his hunger for your cunt is insatiable.

Jake watches as your angelic face contorts into pleasure with your eyes fluttered close and moans spilling from your lips that go straight into his now-twitching cock.

The slick sound emanating from your slick cunt is utterly obscene as it reaches to your ears, only turning you on more as does the

“Oh my god! Seungie!” You mewl at his uninhibited movements, ravaging you as though your pussy is his last meal. You feel him humming, sending vibration through your quivering body, before he drags his tongue across your slick folds to find your clit and sucks on your nub, setting your bundles of nerves aflame.

“Fuck!” You cry out when he bites down on your nub without any ounce of mercy before he laps it up to soothe the pain, and yet it is a pain you have grown to crave. “Seungie.” You mewl again, moving your hips sensually as his tongue expertly swirls and licks your sensitive clit, and you become wholly consumed by the pleasure.

Without letting up his tongue, Heeseung plunges two fingers into your sopping cunt, thrusting vigorously with primal abandon. The sheer intensity of his tongue and fingers hurls you to the teetering edge, your pleasure building to a crescendo while wanton moans spill from your lips, surrendering to the rapturous onslaught.

Your tearful eyes meet Jake’s, whose eyes darken with a primal lust as he watches Heeseung unyielding punishment to your sopping cunt, and you begin to feel it—the familiar white-hot sensation sizzling through you at the same time his fingers curl in you, hitting that spot unrelentingly. “I’m gonna cum.” You moan brokenly, sobbing.

“Do it, lovely.” Jake coos as he brushes away the messy strands from your face, his eyes hold an unmistakable affection amidst the lust. “Wanna see you squirt for us.”

With Heeseung’s one last flick on the nub, your orgasm comes crashing down like tidal waves, and your release gushes out messily with fluid while your body convulses uncontrollably on the altar as you sob out at the sheer intensity of the overwhelming pleasure. Just when you think he is done, his fingers resume fucking into you, even as you continue to squirt.

Heeseung looms over your figure, his face is demented with primal lust, and a devilish smirk plays on his lips. Your heart flutters at how good he looks, his sheeny nose and chin dripping with your slick essence while his hair is tousled and his dark eyes gleam with insatiable lust for you. You whimper as he roughly removes his fingers to deliver a slap on your wholly drenched pussy.

“Look at you. Being fucked and ruined by us on these holy grounds.” Heeseung's husky voice is laden with lust, while his dark eyes gleam with familiar corruption. He slaps your sensitive clit sharply, drawing out a cry from you as he continues to degrade you while you remain powerless against Jake’s hold. “You should be ashamed of yourself, sweetheart.“

“I’m sorry.” You sob out, unable to think straight as your mind has melted into a puddle, only wanting to succumb to the exhaustion.

“That’s right. Seek forgiveness only from us.” Jake says so softly, his caress on your cheek feels deceptive, and yet you lean into his touch, your lidded eyes struggling to stay open. “We’re your salvation, lovely. You need only us.”

You nod your head slowly, feeling languid, but just as you are about to succumb to the darkness that nearly consumes your every sense, you manage to spot them holding their phones, snapping shots of you, before you finally pass out on the altar from the sheer exhaustion.

As soon as you gain consciousness, the soreness in your lower region serves as a reminder of the event that transpired earlier in the holy church, and the recollection hits you with an unadulterated mortification as you remain numbly unmoving from the bed, facing the familiar ceiling that is painted in delicate tapestry from the soft glow of the moon filtering through your window.

You can’t help but feel surprised when they bring you back to the palace instead of abandoning you and leaving you half-stark naked on the altar, considering that you did displease them and how their cruelty was punctuated in the way they gave you both pleasure and pain.

Yet, despite the gratification that satisfies your longing lust for them, you are still caught in the dilemma of whether you want to be closer to them or to listen to your rationality and depart from their lives for good. Tears prickle in your eyes, frustrated at the clear dissonance of your heart and mind.

Not long later, you are freshened up. The whiff of your shampoo scent hits you as you march your way around to find them, your eyes hardening when you vividly recall one of them recording the entire obscenity in the church earlier, spurring you into confronting them while a stab of betrayal plunges into your heart.

After long minutes of searching for them, you finally found them across from the arcade room, where they are in the middle of playing billiards. The lighting in the room is aesthetically dim, exuding an air of allure, especially when the entire space is dominated by their tantalising presences.

You ignore the familiar jitters that flutter in your tummy at their distinct, sharp gazes on your figure, while the cold atmosphere feels oppressive, punctuated by the cadence of your rapid heartbeat. Ignoring the jitters, you focus on the resentment that stems from the betrayal, which has deeply stained the mistrust you have developed for them.

“I know you guys recorded and snapped pictures of me earlier.” The coldness of your voice is tinged with utter disbelief while your steely eyes glare at their seemingly neutral demeanour, with the exception of their equally callous gazes. A muscle pulses in your jaw, refusing to back down from their oozing intimidation. “I did not consent to any of it. So please delete them.”

Still, your sensibility has been hoping that they would listen to you since they always do, but the air of nonchalance exuding from their imposing figures shatters that hope, and the cruelty shines through in the way Heeseung smirks.

“We knew that you’d be confronting us about it, but we’re not going to delete them unless you confess to us about why you did what you did.” Heeseung says calmly, leaning his lower back against the pool table with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Oh, so you’re trying to blackmail me? Is this what you’re doing now?” You let out a disbelieving chuckle while you feel as though a knife has slashed your beating heart. “And if I don’t confess? What do you plan on doing with them, then? Posting and spreading those pictures and videos online?” You bombard them with rhetorical questions.

Heeseung narrows his eyes at this, and you notice a flare of protectiveness in his eyes. “No, sweetheart. We would never do any of that, because your body is meant for our eyes only.” He nearly growls out, as if the thought of anyone who dares to get a glimpse of your nudity enrages him.

Nevertheless, you scoff, rolling your eyes as you fold your arms below your chest. “That doesn’t change the fact you guys took them without consent from me!”

“How else are we going to get your undivided attention when all you’ve done is avoid and try to escape from us? Especially after knowing what your mistake was.” Sunghoon counters firmly, his eyebrows arching at you.

“That’s the second time you broke one of our rules, Y/N.” Jay remarks, the austerity he emanates reminds you of his father, to whom the elder managed to leave an impression. “We didn’t expect such behaviour from you.”

“Speaking of behaviour, you’ve become different after going through Heeseung’s computer.” Sunghoon points out. “Clearly, you’ve discovered something that led to your avoidance, princess.” You ignore the way your heart lightly flutters at the endearment.

“And we don’t usually give second chances to anyone’s rebellion, not even you.” Jake’s statement deepens the hurt in your chest, which springs the tears in your waterline, and when you look at him, he seems to regret the words left in his mouth before the steeliness in his eyes melts. He releases a soft sigh, settling on the single couch at the side. “Just tell us the truth─”

“I found out about our parents.” You cut him off sharply, trying your utmost to maintain your composure and not go all hysteric on them. You continue, even when the cold atmosphere feels foreboding. “I saw those pictures of them, and what disgusts me the most is that you kept an old tape of theirs─” You inhale sharply as you turn away from them, unable to continue when the recollection of that God-forsaken tape resurfaces in your mind.

From your peripheral vision, you spot Jay moving towards you rather cautiously. “Baby, we can explain─”

Your eyes are ablaze with anger and hurt as you return your gaze to them, every fibre of your being surging with unbridled tumultuous emotions that you have been keeping at bay. “What is there to explain?! That it’s beneficial for you to keep such sickening content?” You lash out at them, and fuck, you hate it whenever you are caught up in the haze of your anger, tears will always spring up in your eyes.

Jake clenches his jaw, his eyes storming dangerously with pique. “Lovely, if you just allow us to explain─”

You cut him off with a sardonic chuckle, which escapes you as your chin wobbles with sadness that derives from their betrayal. “Oh, I know. Those pictures and videos you took of me, you’re going to keep and jerk off to them just like you do to our parents’ orgy.” You can see it in their countenance—how greatly angered they are by your statements, which they deem false.

“Fucking hell, Y/N. Why would we jerk off to their sex tape when it’s meant for blackmailing our fathers?!” Sunghoon exclaims, his eyes in utter disbelief at your accusation. “Fine, if you want to know why, it’s because we’re going to blackmail our fathers once the time is right.”

“For what? Revenge against them?” You press on the matter, scoffing as you wipe away your tears. “I don’t care about whatever grudge you have against your fathers, but to involve my mother in your revenge scheme? How could you─”

“It’s not in any of your business, Y/N.” Heeseung’s low voice serves as a warning. His callous gaze seems to hurt you more. “You don’t have the right to question what we do.”

“It is when my mother is involved!” You retort angrily before sobbing, as tears are unrelentingly cascading on your cheeks. “If I had known that you were this deplorable, I shouldn’t have given my heart to you in the first place.”

“Baby.” Jay attempts to reach out to you, but you back away from him, shaking your head.

“I can’t do this anymore with all of you, and this time, I mean it when I say that whatever we had, whether I’m just your fuckdoll for you to toy around or whatever, we’re over.” You force your voice to come out strong, and yet you falter with the pain expanding in your tightening chest.

But Heeseung stops you just when you are ready to egress. “Y/N Kang, don’t you dare leave this room without taking back your words or─”

It is as though something so profound snaps within you as you whirl around to glare dementedly into his eyes. “Or what?! You’re going to kill me just like you did to Jinae?!”

This time, your strident exclamation staggers them into a complete silence that is deafening throughout the room, with the exception of your harsh breathing. The look on their faces dispels any lingering doubts about them being Jinae’s murderers, although it is not a telltale sign of guilt but rather something so cryptic as you scrutinise them for another time.

Nevertheless, your resolve remains unwavering, determined to get the entire truth out of them, wanting to listen to their side of the story of what exactly happened three years ago.

“No more hiding anything from me. Tell me the truth.” You demand, and the palpable tremor in your voice punctuates your qualm. Their deafening silence only seems to aggravate you as you clench your fist. “Why did you kill Jinae?”

“It’s been three years since her passing. Why bring it up now?” Jake deftly dodges the question as he looks away from you, his chiselled jaw goes clenching.

“How did you know about her?” Sunghoon asks sternly, his thick eyebrows furrowing at you.

“It doesn’t matter how I know about her, but I know enough that she was your prey, just like I am now. That’s why you guys targeted me in the first place, right?” Your resolve in the way you firmly speak slowly wanes as hurt flickers in your gaze at the dawning realisation. “I’m not anything special to you. I’m just your prey for you to fuck me over until you decide to end my life the same way you did to Jinae if I ever cross any of you, right?”

“Do you really think the worst of us, sweetheart?” Heeseung asks quietly, something that is akin to the hurt reflecting in your eyes glinting in his. “Do you really think that we would ever do anything to jeopardise your precious life?”

His questions hit you like whiplash as you blink away your tears, and a shaky breath leaves your lips, unable to think of anything other than the look in his eyes. Never have you ever seen Heeseung being hurt, especially by you.

Still, you don’t relent, acting upon your ego as you swallow the painful emotional lump in your throat. “Yes.” You answer shakily, looking away from them. “But by all means, you are welcome to prove me wrong. Until then, I don’t want to be around any of you because I no longer trust you.”

Like a bolt of lightning, you depart from the room before any of them can stop you, your hasten steps guiding you back to your room with the intention to pack whatever necessities and head over to your dorm.

You sniffle, wiping the remnants of tears away from your cheeks with the sleeves of your blouse, unaware of your surroundings to even hear heavy footsteps behind you that punctuated his vehemence in preventing you from ebbing away from his reach any longer.

A startled gasp tears from your throat when a hand latches on your wrist to spin you around. Transient confusion fills your muddling head. “Sunghoon─”

Without a word, Sunghoon manoeuvres you swiftly, being quite nonchalant in the way he does as he carries you over his shoulder effortlessly with one arm hooked around your waist for security before he advances forward.

You gasp once more before vexation takes you over, swinging your legs and delivering puny punches to his toned back in defiance. “Park Sunghoon! Put me down!” You squeal just as his palm smacks down on your ass cheek, causing your cheeks to turn rosier while the stinging pain of the impact renders your silence.

Not too long later, Sunghoon pushes open the door to his room and brings you over to his bed before settling down as you stand by the edge of his bed. It seems that he has already predicted your next move, because before you can dash for the door, he grabs your wrist tight and spins you around.

“Park Sunghoon─” You don’t have time to process anything when he yanks you into his chest and silences you with his lips slamming into yours.

The faint taste of cigarettes on his lips pervades your overwhelming senses, and just when you have every intention to push him away, the way he is kissing you dissolves your resistance as you melt against him like butter, reciprocating the kiss with equal fervour while your hands go winding in his hair.

Sunghoon manoeuvres you over his bed without breaking the lip lock. Your back is pressed against the mattress with him hovering over you as he kisses you like he needs air, prompting you to force yourself to pull away from his chasing lips.

The sound of your bated breath mingles with his as you gaze into his dark, penetrating eyes that swirl with unfathomable emotions. His hair is just as tousled as yours, tempting you to skim your fingers through his soft locks once more.

Before you can speak, he silences you again, capturing your lips in a kiss that is a reflection of the depths of his feelings for you while the fluttering butterflies remain in their wake.

“Sunghoon,” You manage to utter in between the kisses, your hands latching on his nape. You gasp when he gently nips at your bottom lip before placing a chaste kiss at the corner of your lips. “Sunghoon, wait─”

“Don’t leave, princess.” Sunghoon’s desperation is accentuated by the uncharacteristic softness of his deep voice, which throws you off guard, his lips ghosting yours and pressing a deep, tender kiss on your lips while his arm slithers beneath your back, hugging you close to him with a longing sense of raw intimacy.

You gasp for air as soon as he pulls away, and when your eyes flutter open, your breath hitches at the glinting vulnerability in his eyes. You swallow harshly, looking away from him. “You can’t change my mind, Hoon.”

“Please, I─” Sunghoon dips his head into the hollow of your neck, mapping his kisses on your skin, each a testament to his desperation and affection reserved for you and only you. You hear him whimpering, or maybe you heard wrong, but you swear something stirs in your fluttery heart. “I can’t bear the thought of you leaving for good. I need you, princess.”

“You don’t need me. You never had.” You whisper, choking back a sob as you are overwhelmed by emotions. Your feeble attempt at pushing him away ceases, and you surrender yourself to his addictive kisses on your neck.

“Just don’t leave.” He remains adamant as he murmurs against your neck before trailing his kisses upward and reclaiming your lips in a searing kiss. “Let me fix this, yeah?” He rasps hotly against your lips before forcing his tongue into your mouth, exploring every inch and dancing in an intimate tango with your tongue, eliciting a breathy moan from you.

His kisses and his touch feel like a scorching brand all over you, enticing you to succumb to his overpowering allure. Finally caving into what your yearning heart desires, you slowly wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him close to you and deepening the fervent passion in the exchange of your kisses.

Maybe it won’t hurt you to indulge your heart, but you know that, at the end of the day, you need to put some distance between you and them for the sake of your sanity.

Losing track of time since the moment you made out with him, Sunghoon now basks in the warmth of your arms in silence, his head comfortably on your chest while his cheek is pressed against the plumpness of your boob with his arms around your waist, never letting go of you. Your fingers gently treading through his soft locks lull him to sleep, and having fallen for your deception, he allows himself to drift into the realm of sleep.

But Sunghoon is roused awake by the missing warmth of your body and your scent, which he has grown addicted to. Sitting up on his bed, he ruffles his tousled hair in frustration, silently cussing himself out for falling deep asleep, as evident in the soft glow of the moon filtering through his room.

Just as he has every intention to go to your room, his door pushes open, revealing Jay. Sunghoon’s frown deepens upon seeing the sombre casting a shadow on his best friend’s countenance.

“Don’t bother. She left the palace a few hours ago.” Jay tells Sunghoon in a grave tone as he leans sideways against the doorframe. A muscle pulses in his jaw. “As much as I oppose the idea, maybe it’s better if we give her some space to think.”

“What if we lose her for good?” Sunghoon voices out his worst nightmare while his eyes harden. “We can’t lose her. There's no way in hell I’m about to let that happen.”

Jay opens his mouth to speak, but footsteps approach from behind him, prompting the two of them to look at Sunoo, whose face is adorned with a mischievous smirk while Riki’s countenance remains ever so stony.

“We have good news.” Sunoo informs them in a cheery manner, totally ignoring the grimaces on Sunghoon and Jay’s faces at his bright demeanour.

“Yeah? Unless it’s Y/N coming back, then fuck off.” Sunghoon shoots him a scowl, earning him a pout from the latter.

“Well, if you don’t want to know the identity of Y/N’s anonymous texter,...” Sunoo drawls out, smirking as he sees the obvious shifts in their demeanour. “Oh, yeah, we finally cracked the code. But before we tell you who, Heeseung and Jake are waiting for the both of you in Heeseung’s office.”

“Just tell us who the fucker is, damn it.” Jay says impatiently. “Is it any of the guys on our suspected list?”

Sunoo and Riki exchange glances. Riki releases a sigh before finally revealing, “It’s─”

TAGLIST: @aishigrey @kgneptun @b3tt7boop @smg-valeria @lhspeachie @enhaverse713586 @strxwbloody @firstclassjaylee @jwnghyuns @deobitifull @loumin908 @sousydive @pinkkami @skzenhalove @caravm @shinrjj @loljaeyunz @star4rin @darkjongsung @mlywon @yorukoshii @nshmrarki @lol6sposts @lilyuwon @enha-crumbs @slut4hee @capri-cuntz @kaykay11sworld @firesunflames @notevenheretbh1 @parksunghoonsgf @luvkpopp @superbbananananana @eastleighsblog @in-somnias-world @nyxtwixx @theresawtf @fuxktaekook @readbyjjk @yunhoswrldddd @fuxktaekook @bobaikeu @minjaexvz @heelariously @hoonsdrnkdzd

[herbgerblin]

happy birthday, but also i am BEGGING you to elaborate on 'TLT TAZ AU' because me and my friend have been bouncing back and forth ideas on what that could possibly mean and there are a million different directions you could take it. where's your brain at

apologies for this reply being several months old. i am blaming the vitamin d deficiency (this is not a bit, i was super deficient and in depressy mode for a few months.) I'll admit I haven't marinated on this more than a few surface thoughts because trying to determine who was what got very complicated. But I have provided the amalgam of scribbles i have made as is a continuation of this post.

ID: On the left of the first image is a drawing of Barry and Lup standing and talking to each other. An arrow pointing to Barry is captioned "guys with no pulse" and an arrow pointing to Lup is captioned "girl whose whole thing is blood circulation". Between them is a shared thought bubble that reads, "I want to study you under a microscope." They're both wearing black, nondescript clothes. Lup is wearing a belt containing various vials of blood. She also has a cardiovascular tattoo on her chest and arms.

On the right of the image is a doodle of Lup and Taako. Taako is wearing a wizard hat of bones. Lup stares off in the distance, muttering, "I'm gonna take that guy." Taako asks, "In a fight, right?" Lup blushes beside a thought bubble that reads, "NSFW" Taako reiterates in all caps, "In a fight right?"

The second image is sketches of Magnus, Davenport, and Merle. Magnus is a tall man with messy hair and a beard. He wears a long military jacket, open with no shirt, breeches, and knee-high boots. He is beaming and leaning on his leg, one foot resting on top of a skull. Davenport is a short man with a neat little mustache. He wears a tailored military outfit with a cape. He is standing on a platform of bones. Merle is a short, portly man with a hair bun and a beard. He wears a surcoat with a skull and bones insignia over military clothes with epaulets. He is smiling with his hands on his hips.

The third image is three drawings of Lucretia as a necromancer. She has short, curly hair, and a slim build. She wears a black, sleeveless turtleneck dress with double slits and platform sandals. On the left, she is pointing a quill pen towards a skull perched to her hand. Int he middle, she is wearing a dark veil and looking forlornly, an open book resting on her lap. On the right, she is standing and holding her book close to her chest, looking uneasy.

[punkshort]

Chapter warnings: language, violence, angst

A/N: this chapter might be a little slower than the rest, but I felt like it was important to establish how they are surviving. I tried to keep it spicy and interesting but please stay with me, I believe I have some great stuff coming up :)

Chapter Ten

Pairing: Joel x F!Reader, pre-outbreak and post outbreak

AU (the only thing I kept was the outbreak, Joel, and Tommy's characters. Joel's backstory is different, and the way he finds Jackson is different. I may include Ellie one day, I just haven't planned that far)

Fic Summary: You worked for Joel and Tommy a few months before the outbreak. The outbreak happens, and you and Joel get stuck traveling the country and keeping each other safe. Neither of you spoke about the feelings you had for one another pre-outbreak, and in a post-apocalyptic world, it seems like survival should be your only focus. But feelings can't be ignored forever.

Fic tags: Explicit Smut (18+ MDNI), Smut, Language, Canon-Typical Violence, Alcohol Use, Age Difference (Reader is 10 years younger than Joel), slow burn, mutual pining, angst, trauma, SA referencing later but I will put a big warning on those chapters

October 2003

Pittsburgh, PA

It had taken you nearly a full month to make it 400 miles, having to stop frequently and rest for a couple days here and there, but you were halfway to Chicago. Your bodies were not used to the constant exercise, and it required you to rest more than you expected. Joel suspected you were both deficient in some capacity since all you had eaten was canned and processed food for a month and exerting much more energy than normal. You were holed up in a small cabin outside of Pittsburgh, about 10 miles away from reaching the city. Joel had broken into the cabin late last night, and the two of you collapsed into bed once he confirmed the place was empty. He had planned to stay here for a couple days, wanting to make sure you were both as well rested as possible.

The next morning, Joel was looking around the small basement of the cabin, his flashlight bouncing off the dirty concrete walls while you went through the clothes left in the dressers upstairs, determining which ones were suitable to swap out. With winter fast approaching, you both needed to find clothes with longer sleeves and extra layers.

His flashlight scanned over a rusted metal shelving unit in the far corner. He walked over to inspect the items, finding mostly cleaning products, insect repellant, paint, and other chemicals. At the very bottom he found a hunting trap which he picked up to examine, pleasantly surprised to find it was still functional. He took it upstairs and placed it on the small kitchen table, then went to find you in the bedroom, where he heard you opening and shutting the dresser drawers.

The queen bed was covered in clothes, women's clothes on the right and men's on the left. On the floor you had tossed three well-worn hunting jackets, and on the other side of the room was a pile of discarded clothes that looked like they were meant for warmer months.

"Makin’ some progress up here?” he asked, bending down to take a closer look at the jackets and opening the pockets to see what was left behind. He triumphantly pulled out a few batteries and a lighter, shoving them in his jeans pocket. He picked the jacket up and shook the dust off before trying it on.

"Yeah, we got some good options. I think the guy's clothes will fit you, her clothes will be a little baggy on me but that's fine, I can do layers," you said over your shoulder as you scooped up loose socks from the top drawer and tossed them on the bed, getting to work matching and rolling them up. "Did you find anything useful?"

Joel put the jacket back on the floor and picked up a second one, trying that one on before settling on the third, which was a little big on him, but the thick leather kept him well insulated. "Yeah, actually, I found a hunting trap. I'm gonna go out a little ways and see if we can catch somethin', I think we need more protein, we've been needin' to take too many breaks lately."

"You want me to come with you?" you stood up after matching up the last pair of socks.

"Nah, I won't be long, you keep workin' on this stuff here." Joel grabbed his rifle and the trap, closing the front door behind him and setting out into the woods.

The cabin was surrounded by a thick forest but there were a few trails that must have been forged by deer given how tall the grass and narrow the paths were. Joel walked carefully into the trees, staying alert for any threats. Out this far into the wilderness, infected weren't the problem. The pair of you hadn't come across any more people since that night in his apartment a month ago but he made sure you stayed off the roads as much as possible. You weren't as quiet or withdrawn anymore, but he noticed you were becoming hardened by the world you were forced to live in. He had seen the slow progression as you both learned how to take down infected as efficiently as possible. He remembered when you first had to do it: you were so scared he could see the switchblade shaking in your hand as you snuck up behind a dormant runner. As the weeks went on and you practiced more, you became more comfortable taking them down, but he also saw the hardness growing in your eyes. He knew it was just a product of your environment and it was essential in order to survive, but some nights when he was unable to sleep, he laid awake and imagined a world where he could be a shield for you, taking all damage, and you could be your warm and sweet self again, safe under his protection.

Being out in the wild without the comfort of an apartment helped quell his feelings for you a little. He was less distracted when he had to always be on high alert, forcing his thoughts off you and onto survival. But whenever you stayed in a safe spot for a few days, like this cabin, he eventually found his thoughts wandering back to how soft your lips were against his that night, the curve of your hips in your dress, or the way you moaned into his mouth. The forced proximity and the illusion of safety usually meant his body ended up finding yours in the middle of the night and pulled you close to him. You never mentioned it, and neither did he, but he knew it was a byproduct of trying to stamp out his feelings for you. It was almost like his mind was saying one thing, but his body was refusing to obey. So, whenever he woke and found himself tangled in you once again, he didn’t allow himself to savor the moment and quickly removed himself from you before his heart swelled and he would be lost in you all over again.

It was about a ten minute walk from the cabin before Joel found a good spot to place the trap. It was near a big bush that looked to be home to some kind of animal based on the prints in the dirt. He took a pink scarf out of his pocket and ripped a piece off, tying it to the tree branch above the trap. As he followed his footsteps back, every minute or so he tore another piece off and tied it to a branch until he reached the cabin. He pushed the door open and set the rifle down by the door. He heard you singing softly to yourself in the bedroom, completely unaware he had entered the cabin. The first instinct he had was to chastise you for not being more aware of your surroundings, but the part of him that was desperate to protect you ultimately won, and instead he stood in the kitchen to listen.

You left the bedroom with an armful of rags you had made from the summer clothes in the corner, lyrics softly leaving your lips when you saw Joel standing there and yelped out of fright.

“Jesus, Joel, you scared the shit out of me!” you exclaimed before taking your pile of rags to the couch and setting them down. “How long were you standing there?”

“Just walked in a minute ago,” he replied, giving you a small smirk. “Found a good spot for the trap, I’ll check it before sundown. Maybe we’ll get lucky.” He shrugged the hunting jacket off and draped it over a chair.

You nodded and headed over to the cupboard to see what the previous residents left behind.

“Are you hungry? We have some soup here, and some canned stew. What do you want?” You turned to face him with your hand on your hip, but his gaze seemed unfocused and his thoughts far away at your question. Moments like this felt so domestic and it made him ache. What did he want? He wanted everything you had to offer. He wanted to turn back time and take back what he said to you, before he ruined everything. He wanted domestic bliss where you made him dinner and he had you for dessert. He didn’t want to be fighting for your lives while you ate expired Dinty Moore.

His gaze refocused on you and replied, “I’ll take the soup.” He reached into his jeans pocket and found the lighter from earlier and got to work setting up a small fire outside while you rummaged around for pots to heat up the canned delicacies that awaited you.

Joel had just left to check the trap before it got too dark, and you were left scrubbing the pots in the sink until your fingers felt raw. You dreaded any time he left. You hated being away from him, and not because you were scared, it was something more. You figured it out when one morning about a week ago you woke up wrapped in his arms again, for maybe the third time, but that morning was when you realized you only truly slept well when he sought you out in the middle of the night to pull you close and breathe you in. You were always disappointed when he woke up and pulled away from you so fast, leaving you feeling ashamed for being the only one who wanted it to continue. You had to constantly remind yourself it meant nothing, that Joel only had wanted one thing from you by replaying how mad he got for not sleeping with him that night. He never apologized for it, and you know you shouldn’t care anymore, but sometimes when you let your thoughts wander, it bothered you.

You put the pots back in the cupboard and raked your fingers through your hair aggressively, looking out the window to see if you could spot him. You hadn’t had any moments between you like that day in the subway when you saw the heat behind his gaze as you ran your hand up his arm. You convinced yourself afterwards that you had misread the situation, that the look in his eyes was not one of passion, but one of disapproval, and the embarrassment for the way you behaved sat with you for the next week. Eventually, the embarrassment faded when your focus was redirected to surviving in the wild and learning how to take down infected. You were both becoming pretty good at it, so long as you had the upper hand and noticed them first. Only twice did Joel have to use a gun to take one down, so your ammo reserve was still well stocked. But there was something feral that triggered inside you when you watched him kill: the little curl his upper lip made when he made contact, the fire in his eyes when the adrenaline kicked in, the way the muscles in his arms moved from the force of piercing a knife through their skulls. There had to be something wrong with you, nobody should find something like that attractive.

You heard his boots walking up the small porch, but you put your hand on your gun, just in case you were wrong. He opened the door, smiling proudly and holding up a dead rabbit to show you, and set the rifle back down in the corner by the door.

“I’ll go skin it, get it prepped for later. We can finally have a real meal for dinner.” Joel said, still holding the rabbit in his hand. “What’s wrong?” he asked, his smile faltering a bit when he noticed your expression seemed a little distant. You shook your head and smiled.

“Nothing, I’m fine, just distracted today,” you assured him, then turned around to find a small bag of rice you had seen next to the soup earlier. “I’ll make this to eat with dinner.” You plopped it down on the counter and went back to the bedroom to review the clothes you had set aside. Joel’s eyes followed you until you disappeared around the corner. He could tell something was wrong, but he knew better than to push it.

Joel was right about needing more protein and rest. You both felt recharged after just two nights but allowed yourselves the luxury of one more night indoors before heading off towards Pittsburgh. The morning you planned to leave was when Joel had let his guard down and you awoke entwined with him again. It was early, the sun hadn’t even risen yet. You knew the longer you let him do this, the more hurt you would ultimately inflict upon yourself, but as hard as you tried you just could not bring yourself to be the one to end the embrace. So, you squeezed your eyes shut and willed yourself back to sleep.

Joel stirred when the sun shone into his eyes through the thin curtains, squinting and yawning. As usual, he detached himself from you quickly, frustrated with his subconscious once again. After using the bathroom, he went outside to start a fire. The air was crisp and there was a sharp autumn wind that took his breath away. He huddled in his new jacket and shifted from foot to foot as he waited for the fire to flare up. He looked up into the sky, trying to detect if any rain would be heading your way, but the forest blocked most of his view. He heard the cabin door swing shut and twisted around to watch you walk down the steps wrapped in one of the other hunting jackets and carrying a kettle in one hand and the jar of instant coffee in another. He reached out to take the items from you so you could go back inside and grab two mugs and a spoon. He sat down on one of the thick logs used for stools that were surrounding the firepit and waited for the water to boil. You came back out with the mugs but also had a couple bowls and packets of instant oatmeal.

“’Morning,” you greeted groggily, setting the items down on one of the empty logs and choosing a spot next to him. You yawned, looking around the forest and buried your face in your coat when the wind picked up.

“Sleep ok?” Joel asked you, knowing full well he was setting you up to ask about the way he woke up clutching you, but much to his relief, it seemed as though that topic was never brought up.

You nodded, saying, “Yeah, better than usual.” And left it at that.

Neither of you were morning people and generally didn’t speak much until coffee hit your system. You had been lucky so far and found reserves of it at most of the places you stopped, but you had to dip into the stash from your apartment when you made camp in the forest. You sipped your coffee and ate your oatmeal in silence.

“Next time we find a sporting goods store, we oughta look for a bow and arrow, somethin’ silent,” Joel mused as he scraped his bowl. “We should learn to hunt out here. With winter comin’, it would be a good skill to have.”

You agreed, grabbing both bowls and the kettle while he picked up the mugs and snuffed out the fire. It was probably pointless, but you cleaned your dishes and put them back. It was unlikely the owners of this cabin would find it again, but it just felt wrong to leave things messy. This cabin provided for you both when you needed it and keeping it clean and in its original condition felt like the best way to thank it.

After breakfast, you packed up all your new clothes and replenished any food and rags you could fit in your packs and headed back out on the trail towards Pittsburgh. The forest was thick and lush, and offered a lot of cover, so you were able to make decent time getting to the city, arriving in the early afternoon. You approached a cliffside, stopping there to eat lunch and rest for the first time since you left the cabin. Joel didn’t want to start a fire and attract attention, so you ate some granola bars, peanuts and shared a can of peaches while you surveyed the city in the distance.

“So, what’s the plan?” you asked him, taking a sip from your canteen.

“Well,” he began, shoving the wrappers from the granola bars into his backpack, “I figure we should steer clear of the city proper best we can, especially the QZ. They won’t ask questions; they’ll just shoot on sight if they see anyone.”

You looked up at the sun in the sky, trying to determine the time. “We will have to find somewhere in the city that’s quiet, we won’t make it through before sundown.” You told him, looking back from the sky to meet his gaze. He nodded, impressed.

“Yep, you’re exactly right. Good girl.” he said, the compliment making you flush. “If we stick to the outskirts, maybe we can find a small shop or somethin’. But we’re gonna have to take turns takin’ watch, I don’t trust bein’ this close to soldiers.” he warned you, and you nodded in understanding. After you had spent a few minutes resting, Joel stood up, checking his revolver and tucking it back into his pants and zipping his backpack closed. You followed suit, shoving a rag back into your pack that you used to wipe some sweat off your forehead, and you both soldiered on towards the city.

It was approaching dusk as you and Joel finished clearing out a gas station in a quiet part of the city. There were only three runners inside, and you made quick work of taking them down silently. You helped Joel drag the last body into the men's bathroom, closing the door behind you. Joel wasn't thrilled with the building: it was filled with huge broken windows and left you too exposed for his liking, but the sun was waning, and your choices were limited. There was a small office tucked in the corner that you had emptied of the rolling desk chair and a few boxes of receipts so you could spread out your sleeping bag on the floor. Joel insisted on taking first watch, and you propped the door to the office open with one of the boxes so you could hear if there was any trouble before tucking yourself in.

Joel sat on the rolling chair by the front door, hiding in the darkness behind an aisle, every so often standing in a crouch to glance out the large windows for any movement. He was getting tired, but he still had a couple more hours left on his watch before he woke you. In an effort to keep him awake, he wandered over to the small electronics section behind the cash register, perusing the items on the shelves. His gaze settled on a Timex analog watch. He pried open the package and attached it to his wrist, adjusting the time to match the clock on the wall, assuming it was correct before sitting back down in the chair.

You had about 20 minutes left before he planned to wake you up. Joel was just finishing some beef jerky when he saw flashlights bouncing off a building about a block away. He straightened up in his chair, tossing the bag of jerky to the side, and hoisted the rifle onto his shoulder so he could see through his scope. He watched behind the aisle as a group of four men walked down the street in the direction of the gas station. He could see they were armed, noting knives in their boots, pistols holstered at their hips and two of them held military grade assault rifles. As they came into view, Joel scanned their clothes for any type of military insignia but found none. How did they get those assault rifles?

They were getting closer, but Joel still couldn’t tell if they were planning on entering the gas station or if they were just passing through. His hands began to sweat as he gripped his rifle tighter, his body tense and ready to strike. They were about 50 yards away when one of the men laughed at something one of the others said. The rest immediately shushed him, but it was too late. They froze as an unfamiliar noise echoed through the air from a dumpster they had passed half a block ago. Joel frowned, unable to identify the noise, but based on the reactions of the men, they knew. They whipped around, their backs now to the gas station, all four aiming their guns in the direction of the noise. It sounded like a high-pitched screech mixed with a gasp, then a distinct click, click, click. He heard one of the men swear under his breath, his voice sounding shaky as he shifted his weight back and forth nervously. The one next to him tried to get him to be quiet, but his nerves got the best of him, and a shot rang out, making Joel jump in surprise. In his peripheral, he saw you fly out of your sleeping bag, scrambling for your gun. He crouched as low as he could without sacrificing speed, and made his way over to the office, wrapping his hand over your mouth as you twisted around about to shout out to him. He put a finger against his lips, and only when you hastily nodded did he slowly remove his hand, turning back around to hide behind the front counter with you peeking over his shoulder, watching the scene unfold.

Two infected came ambling towards the group. At first, they stumbled and were slow, but when one of them shifted his weight and slid on some loose asphalt, they both let out a horrific scream unlike anything you had heard before and charged towards the group. Neither of you could understand the creatures you were seeing: they had a fungus growing all over their bodies but primarily on their heads, a mouth was the only facial feature you recognized since the fungus had completely grown over the rest of their faces. Blood had stained their throats and chests, their clothes were ripped and barely hung on, and underneath their skin looked wrinkly, but upon closer inspection, it appeared to be more layers of fungus.

The assault rifles were spitting bullets and bouncing off the clickers, as if the fungus acted like some type of armor. One of the clickers jumped on the man who had slipped, viciously ripping into his throat while its fingers dug animalistically into his chest and blood pooled in the street below him. Another man saw his opportunity and pressed his pistol to the back of the clicker’s head, firing and watching its body drop to the pavement. Then without hesitation, he aimed his gun at his friend’s head and fired, his body jerked once and stilled. In the meantime, the second clicker had made short work of the other two men, one already ripped apart on the ground while it continued its assault on the other. The man did the same thing: walked up and shot the clicker in the back of the head, and for good measure shot the other two men on the ground. He was now the last man standing, panting for breath as he bent over to rest his hands on his knees. That was when he noticed the blood seeping through his jeans and trickling down to his sneakers.

“Fuck,” he whispered to himself, sitting down in the road to lift the pant leg. Joel could see the telltale imprint of teeth and blood when the man aimed his flashlight at his leg. He dropped the pant leg back down and hung his head between his knees. Joel tightened his grip on his rifle, expecting the man to come to the gas station in need of first aid, but before he could blink, the man lifted his pistol up to the side of his head and fired, dropping lifelessly to the side and joining the pile of dead bodies in the road.

Joel twisted around to try to shield your eyes, but it was too late. You let out a shaky breath, one tear sliding down your cheek as you looked up at him, his face full of concern. His eyes traveled down and reached his hand out to cup your face, his thumb gently wiping the tear away. Your eyes fluttered closed, and you had to resist the urge to lean into his touch.

"You alright?" he whispered to you in the dark. You nodded, breaking the contact and standing up.

The whole attack took less than five minutes. Joel approached the broken window and leaned out, listening intently to see if the noise had attracted any more infected or people. You waited as Joel went to each window multiple times to confirm nothing else was around. Satisfied, he turned back to you, your eyes wide and still gripping your gun at your side.

"I don't think anyone else is around," he said, placing the rifle next to the office chair. You nodded, tucking your gun in the back of your jeans.

"What the fuck was that?" you asked, staring at the bodies. "So these things are evolving now?"

"Seems that way," Joel answered, leaning tiredly up against the wall. He fought to keep his eyes open, but you could see he was exhausted.

"Go get some rest, I got this," you told him, "I'll wake you if I hear or see anything at all, I promise."

Joel wanted to resist and tell you he wasn't tired, but a yawn pushed through and gave him away. "You sure?"

"Yeah, go ahead. You need your rest, and we have to get out of this city tomorrow." You waved him off towards the office and went to sit in the chair after you grabbed his rifle, using the scope to get a better look at your surroundings.

Joel didn't bother rolling out his own sleeping bag, he just tucked himself into the one you were using, your scent enveloping him as he drifted off.

The sun rose about an hour ago. You waited as long as you could before deciding to wake Joel. He seemed so tired last night, you wanted him to get as much time as he could, but you knew you needed to leave. Once you got back into the forest, you could rest again. You went to the back office, carrying a to-go container of dry cereal in one hand, and found him snoring on his side with his back to the door. You popped a few pieces of Cinnamon Toast Crunch in your mouth and leaned down to gently shake his shoulder.

Joel whipped around at your touch and grabbed your wrist firmly, his eyes wild. You dropped your cereal in surprise.

"Joel! It's me," you yanked your arm, but he still held your wrist in his grasp and it was starting to hurt. "Joel!" you said again as loud as you dared. He finally realized and let you go, stumbling back a bit as you rubbed your wrist.

"Shit, sorry, must have been havin' a bad dream, you alright?" he asked worriedly, opening the sleeping bag and reaching forward to examine your wrist. He brushed his thumb tenderly over the red mark he left, the gesture making you melt and leaving you with a pang in your stomach.

"I'm fine, it's ok," you said, taking your wrist back and turning away from him, trying to create some space. "We should get going, eat something quick and I'll refill our packs with any supplies I can find."

"You sure you're ok?" he eyed you carefully. He hated how you shied away from his touch. You nodded, opening up another cereal from the shelf and continued to eat while you inventoried the food in your packs.

You shouldered your backpacks and guns after you ate, getting ready to head out. After stepping out onto the road, Joel frisked the dead bodies and picked up some more ammo for your handgun, along with two extra flashlights. He checked the assault rifles, too low on ammo for him to consider taking one, but he did remove two of the knives and sheathes strapped around their ankles, handing a set to you. The roads seemed quiet, so you took advantage and got a move on, silently threading your way through the city.

November 2003

Cleveland, OH

The weather was turning cold and rainy, even a couple nights leaving a dusting of snow that melted early the next morning. You trudged along behind Joel in the pouring rain, trying to stay hidden and dry by walking underneath a raised highway. It was risky, being close to the roads, but Joel didn't see much choice. The weather hasn't been cooperating for a couple days now, and your journey had significantly slowed down. He glanced at his watch, seeing it was around 4pm. It was getting darker earlier now, and the storm clouds just made it worse. He sighed, shaking the water droplets from his curls, and looked around. You were near an exit ramp. He saw it led to a suburban area maybe two miles away, clusters of smaller one story homes that the builders made as close as possible to one another in order to sell more houses.

"C'mon, this way," he said over his shoulder, bringing you out of your reverie. You looked in the direction he was leading you and quietly celebrated to yourself. You were tired and soaked, you didn't want to set up camp outside again and the possibility of sleeping on a mattress gave you a second wind.

The two of you hid in some thick decorative bushes looking down a road called York St. All the houses looked very similar and close together, the biggest differences being the color the owners had chosen for the siding. Joel had kept watch for about an hour in this position, waiting until it got dark so he could see if any of the houses had flashlights or lanterns inside. You were squatting next to him, trying to control your shivering but the rain was pouring down hard, and your clothes were dripping wet, even under your jacket. Your teeth chattered as you inadvertently leaned against him for some warmth. Focused intensely on the homes in front of him, Joel's body tensed at the unexpected contact. He glanced down at you and saw your soaking wet hair and your lips a darker shade than normal.

“Alright, let’s see if we can get into this one right over here, follow me.” he said, helping you stand into a crouch as you jogged over to the yellow house on the corner. Joel peered inside the windows for a minute while you stood watch with your arms crossed, keeping an eye out for any light or movement on the street or houses. You heard a snap behind you, and you turned to see Joel had used his large hunting knife to break the doorknob. You sighed with relief as you followed him inside, shutting the door behind you.

You swung your flashlights around the room, Joel rushing to the windows and closing all the curtains as you inspected the house. It was small: a living room, kitchen, one bathroom and two bedrooms. Joel went down into the basement to make sure it was clear while you emptied essentials from your pack in one of the bedrooms. You pulled out a somewhat dry set of clothes and tucked them under your arm, heading towards the bathroom. You took your jacket off to hang up on the shower rod to airdry and got to work peeling the soaking wet clothes from your body. You figured you could just toss the shirts you were wearing and pick up new ones here, but you really liked the jeans you had so you did your best to lay them out to dry in the tub.

After you put some dry clothes on, you started to feel a little better, but you still couldn’t shake the shiver in your bones. Joel mirrored your actions after he came up from the basement, changing into fresh clothes and hanging up the wet ones to dry, making sure to take the keychain out of his pants pocket and transferred it to his new ones, and then met you in the kitchen where you were rifling through the cupboards to see if there was anything worth eating. You pulled out a bag of trail mix, some canned tuna, and a few cans of mixed fruit, setting them on the small table while Joel rooted around for some forks.

You were hungrier than you realized and ate quickly, all the miles you walked today catching up with you.  Joel finally broke the silence after he finished a can of fruit.

“Which room did you want to sleep in?” he asked. This was the first time you stayed indoors where there were two sizeable beds. He wanted to give you the option, give you your space. You kept your gaze trained down at the bag of trail mix in front of you, considering his words. You knew he was giving you a choice, and it was completely up to you now on what the sleeping arrangements would be.

“I liked the room I put our backpacks in, why don’t we stay in that one.” you replied, still not looking up. We. Joel’s pulse sped up and he tried to hide his grin. You made the choice to stay the night with him, you wanted to be with him. It was probably just a habit for you, or maybe you were afraid to be on your own, but he didn’t care. He didn’t want to be apart from you, either, regardless if his reason differed from yours. 

That night, he heard you softly snoring, laying on your side with your back to him like usual. This time he deliberately turned over and wrapped his arms around you, pulling you close to him. He breathed in your scent and nestled his face at the back of your neck as you let out a contented sigh, and small smile played across his lips as he closed his eyes.

Chapter Eleven

Taglist: @chiogarza.

[justanapplenothinghere]

Party! Friends Au DogDay:

Fun facts 🌟✨:

His nickname is cinnamon

He's very energetic and popular with the kids

He's very clingy

He was a puppy before a few years before the "hour of Joy"

His favourite caretaker is Y/N (angel)

He absolutely adores any sort of affection.

Loves bones.

He often salivates when he's really excited (just like a dog)

Very loyal to Y/N, will absolutely protect them despite his size.

(yes I remade his reference because the other one was awful)

Au explanation:

In this the smiling critters were made not as toys but as actual experimented animals with a conscious transfer with selected candidates. How the factory selected the unfortunate was by secretly observing them through playing,every day life at the orphanage and tests(could be personality too).

These all determined which orphan specifically would match the certain Critter mascot they can merge their consciousness with an actual animal body.(Of course they all start out with younger bodies.) The scientists have to train the critters in their spare time to behave well and fulfil their duties.

They at first were used as a special party birthday mascots before when they were a bit older handing them out proper care duties.

Name of Orphan kid for this critter before:

Name:Sam Neve.

Age:9

Gender:M

Notes:

It is reported how his mother gave him away to the orphanage as she was unable to take care of him anymore due to financial difficulties

Despite this, I have been observing him from a far as being really sociable and gentle with the other children.

It's astonishing to see him act this way considering the possible traumatic stress he had to undergo through before.

Additional notes:

He is left handed.

Often seems rather clingy.. could be due to abandonment issues(?)

He keeps asking when he can see his mother again, on top of that asking how she's doing.

He has iron deficiency which often explains why his legs feel numb and unreactive sometimes.

We put him on medication though.(See previous point above)

Assigned Mascot:DogDay.

[somepsychopomp]

its avatar time

lol i was trapped on a commute that was like 2 hours longer than expected today and drafted up the start to an ATLA fic I've been wanting to write. There's definitely bits I want to expand on but I'm posting it now just to share for fun

the actual fic will be a very zuko-centric AU, but somehow I ended up writing a hearty prelude (featuring Ursa's POV as she has her first child)

Ig the only warning is that this does feature some old timey women-not-having-it-good themes. Like there's discussions of child bearing and bodily autonomy but it's not too heavy imo. But i absolutely loved writing from Ursa's POV and hope to do more with this AU soon

(also- if u have any idea what's up with baby zuko, i wanna hear what your guess is!)

+++

Excerpt:

The sages and midwives cleansed the babe and swaddled him, as well as dabbed Ursa’s own tear-streaked face with a cool cloth, before finally permitting her to hold her own child. 

Ozai already had a name picked out for him.

“Hello, Zuko.” Ursa said. After the day she had, her voice was little more than a hoarse rasp. 

Her son opened his eyes and cried. 

Ursa’s stomach plummeted. 

Her child was wrong.

+++

Word count: ~2,900

+++

Lady Ursa came into her new family with much fanfare, as was expected of a royal wedding. Her new husband insisted upon her superb beauty to all that would hear and lavished her with gifts of fine silk and golden adornments. Spoils of war, as well. Their marriage bed was crafted from highly polished dark wood, inlaid with pearls from the South Pole and abalone imported from the coasts of the Earth Kingdom. 

But what her nation did not know as well as she did, was that her husband was not a patient man. Not at all. 

Ozai was a man of great elegance, yes. He moved as though no man could best him, as though he were a greater being from another realm. But he possessed a terribly watchful eye. And what he wanted more than Ursa’s beauty or her love was her body. He wanted an heir. 

First, he wasted no time consummating their marriage. The man seemed determined to appease his father by getting Ursa pregnant before she could fully remove her wedding gown. 

The heat that came off his skin as he held her close was enough to suffocate her. 

Ursa did her damndest to satisfy him. She let herself be followed every moment of every day by a legion of medical experts, sages, and attendants who instructed her how to best have her first child. They dictated when she woke up, the temperature of her baths, her food, her dress, her exposure to sunlight, the bitter teas meant to influence her body’s moods, and when she went to bed every night. 

They were at their most insistent in the early months of her marriage. She didn’t even have both feet past the threshold of the palace, technically not even a wife yet, before she was whisked away to some private room, told to strip before all their eyes, and examined to a humiliating degree for any bodily deficiencies to be concerned over. They deemed her perfectly healthy and said that with the proper diet and tea, she’d be giving birth by next summer. 

But that precious early stage of her marriage, those cool and gentle months between summer and winter, came and went without her menstrual cycle ceasing. Autumn was the most auspicious time for women in the Fire Nation to become with child, as it meant their babies would be born in the hottest months of the year under Agni’s brilliant eye. 

But for all his determination, for all the efforts made, winter came in full and Ursa was still bleeding monthly. 

That was when she began to pray. She prayed every morning at sunrise and every evening at sunset. In her bedroom, at the royal family’s personal shrine, in the capital’s grandest temple. Sometimes for hours at a time without rest. The sages approved greatly of her devotion. The doctors disapproved, as she could not partake in food or drink while in prayer. 

Ursa begged Agni for a baby. She begged for Ozai’s furious advances to cease. Since her wedding night, she had crawled out of bed every morning sore and tender, made even more humiliating when her attendants slathered her most intimate parts with potent oils or creams to soothe the aching and chafe. 

Her body was no longer hers, she knew that. But please, was she not devoted to her new husband and her country? Was she not healthy? Why was she being tested so?

Above all else, Ursa asked for something to hope for. 

The new year came and went. The nation was alight with all sorts of colors in the sky and endless trails of beautiful lanterns, but it was a cold comfort for Ursa. 

Both she and Ozai grew rather distant and demoralized as winter gave way to spring. Or rather, she grew demoralized as her husband grew distant. They sometimes went days without speaking to each other. Yet they retired to the same bed without fail every night. They had no choice. 

Her husband began regarding her with this cruel tint to his eyes, as if she were to blame for his lack of progeny. Ursa was afraid of him. 

Then, in that delicate time early in the year between late winter and young spring, she found her cycle late. The sages and doctors ran their tests. Ursa felt as if she couldn’t breathe. She almost dared not believe it could be true. 

But it was. The palace was jubilant, ecstatic even. Lady Ursa was finally with child. 

The sages brought this wonderful news to the Fire Lord, presenting Ursa and Ozai as if they were mere trinkets, more spoils of war. It was a less ideal time of the year to have a baby, yes. This did not go unnoticed by Ozai or his father, the two of them so alike in their dispassionate eyes. But the sages spun a tale of how, as the new year emerges from the ashes of the past, much like the great phoenix, so did Fire Lord Azulon’s great and prosperous bloodline. 

His newest grandchild was a symbol of vitality, of hope.

Ursa straightened her back, as did her husband. 

And Fire Lord Azulon seemed pleased. He even gazed upon Ursa directly and congratulated her on her first child, implying he’d expect more in the future. 

A hand touched her belly and Ursa was surprised to find it wasn’t her own. Ozai caressed her gently, though there was no bump to be had. Not yet. He smiled at her and she could feel the heat from his palm seeping through her clothes and soaking into her skin. 

Her child would likely be born in the densest portion of winter, when the days were short and the nights were so very long. They would be a strong child, the sages said, as any creature must be to weather out those dark, bitter months. 

There was only one problem. Two, even.

One, Ursa went into labor the night before the winter solstice. For first time mothers, they sometimes went several days before properly giving birth. She almost hoped this would be the case, but Ursa was not so fortunate. Why would she be?

Amongst her tears and fervent screaming, her first child was born after sunset on the shortest day of the entire year. As if Agni himself deigned to fit her with as many ill omens as possible. At least the birth itself was without complications. 

Oh, and it was a boy. Not that female heirs were unheard of, nor would it be a travesty for Ozai, who was himself only second in line to inherit the throne. But who would want to disrupt the current dynasty’s male-dominated line of succession after so long? 

Ozai would be quite pleased to know his firstborn was male. 

The sages and midwives cleansed the babe and swaddled him, as well as dabbed Ursa’s own tear-streaked face with a cool cloth, before finally permitting her to hold her own child. 

Ozai already had a name picked out for him.

“Hello, Zuko.” Ursa said. After the day she had, her voice was little more than a hoarse rasp. 

Her son opened his eyes and cried. 

Ursa’s stomach plummeted. 

Her child was wrong. 

His skin was fair and pale, his downy baby hair dark and plentiful, his body healthy.

But his eyes…

They reminded Ursa of the beautiful gemstone pendant her mother once wore, a family heirloom from before the war. It was a precious stone more commonly found in the Earth Kingdom than the Fire Nation, a glowing and iridescent opal. 

Her child had opal eyes. Half his irises were the rich, bright amber yellow of the royal family. It was undeniably the hue of Ozai’s own eyes. But dispersed throughout the baby’s irises were shards of bright, cerulean blue. 

But there was nothing she could do or say. The midwife was letting her husband into the room to view his progeny. Everyone else was leaving to give them a brief moment of privacy, odd after the months of stealing every ounce of autonomy from her. Ursa prayed the baby would seal his eyes and hide his abnormality. 

Ozai came upon the side of her bed, footsteps light and a bright smile upon his face. He peeled back a bit of the blanket for a better look. 

“Wait-” Ursa said. 

Ozai faltered. Not at her request, no. But because he felt the need to recoil from the sight of his child. 

“Sages!” he called, not looking at her, “I want the head sage in here immediately!”

Ursa couldn’t say she remembered what happened after that. Only that she was afraid of the venom in Ozai’s voice. 

He wanted them to take the baby and ensure that it was indeed his. Ursa didn’t know what kind of rituals they could enact, which spirits they could call upon, to prove that the child was indeed Ozai’s. All Ursa knew was that Zuko could belong to no other man, not that her word held much weight. 

Ursa was kept isolated from the rest of the royal family, and her own child, with only a servant and her midwife for company and care. Half of her wanted her baby back. She needed the protection he offered her, where his living body would cease Ozai’s relentless assault upon her own. She could finally cease waking up throbbing every morning, cease the constant monitoring and control over her body, and enter the family as a proper princess. 

Half of her was terrified of the baby, of what it could mean for them both if the sages found his lineage inconclusive. 

Several days later, her husband entered her quarters with the head sage and the child. 

“It is my great honor,” the old man said, “to confirm that this child is indeed the legitimate offspring of Prince Ozai.”

He came to Ursa and allowed her to hold her baby for the first time since his birth. Zuko was no longer crying, instead making these soft sounds from behind closed lips. It seemed to her that he was wanting something. Her touch or milk, perhaps?

When the old man and her attendants all left, when it was just husband, wife, and child in the room, Ozai did not approach her. He just stared at the small mass in her arms swaddled in silk. 

“The sages could prove that boy might be mine, but we’ll be lucky if he lives to see his hundredth day.” Ozai said softly. He wrinkled his nose in displeasure, “I am no fool. All the omens indicate he will be weak. Cursed, even. If there is any fire in his blood, I know it will be weak and flickering.”

Perhaps she shouldn’t have, but Ursa couldn’t help but snap. She said, “Zuko is still yours, Ozai. His blood is your blood, and his fire will be your fire.”

He scoffed at her, turned his back, and left Ursa to tend to their child. 

+++

Ursa knew most children weren’t able to bend until they were a few years old, or their bending was so weak that it was imperceivable. Sometimes it took even longer for them to realize their innate gift if both parents were nonbenders. Only rarely would very young children, tiny souls still mastering the art of walking and talking, display visible signs of bending. 

Zuko’s family, however, were very much expecting it. 

He really only got to be a baby for a few months before the weight of princely expectations were set upon him. 

Ursa would watch as Ozai would ignite a fire at the tip of his finger, no bigger than that of a candle flame, and hold it over their child’s soft, clammy palm. Every time, their baby would recoil from the heat and cry. Zuko refused to take the flame. Ozai would sneer or grit his teeth every time, but he continued to try day after day to get his son to take the flame. 

In those moments, it was hard to remember that this strange man was the boy’s father. 

Ursa’s small solace came in the form of the sages’ wisdom. They spoke of well documented cases where children metamorphosed early in life, their hair or eyes changing in color before taking on their true hue within a year or so. Ursa didn’t need the explanation, she’d seen it herself. Or heard about it from her mother, at least. She herself had been born with eyes nearly brown in color before they lightened into a dull honey hue by her second birthday. But the explanation did give her hope, however small, that her child would grow to more closely resemble Ozai in the coming years. They just needed a little more time. 

Which they would get, it seemed. Zuko lived to see his hundredth day, then first birthday. Ozai never said anything, but seemed to accept that Zuko was not only his child, but that he was also going to live. 

And something seemed to change in him.

The summer after Zuko’s first birthday, they went to Ember Island together. No attendants, no guards. Just them as a family. Ozai brought Ursa to his family’s estate on the island, took her shopping, and went with her two nights in a row to the theater. The show they were putting on was such a touching drama that Ursa just had to see it twice, her husband obliging with a kind of abnormally fond patience. He even got up to walk around the empty halls with their little boy whenever Zuko grew restless, all so that Ursa wouldn’t have to miss a minute of the climax. 

Baby Zuko, meanwhile, loved sitting in the sand beneath the sun. From morning to night, he relished soaking up the sunlight and the breeze coming off of the ocean. This seemed to please his father, who had a greater tolerance for the heat than Ursa ever could. The two of them would sit out in the sun while Ursa needed the shade provided by a lofty umbrella. 

While on a pleasant walk along the shore, Zuko kept wandering toward the water with increasing tenacity. Ursa tried to interest him in the beautiful shells that washed upon the shore, but to no avail. Her son wanted to splash in the water that, while only ankle-deep for her and Ozai, was much more formidable for him. Such a brave, little thing. He did not yet know the dangers of the world, but Ursa was a fool for letting her own guard down. 

A sudden swell crashed upon the shore and swept Zuko off his feet. In such a moment, his hand was ripped from hers. 

Ursa dove for him, but he was already being pulled by the waves and was out of her reach before she could even utter his name. 

She gasped, awestruck, as Ozai threw himself into the shallow water without a hint of grace. In hindsight, Zuko hadn’t really been pulled very far. But he was so small, so fragile. He could not swim. Ozai grabbed the boy and waded through the rough waves back to Ursa, using his body to shield their son from the spray. 

Ursa took Zuko and patted him on his back. He wasn’t crying or coughing, he didn’t even seem to understand what had happened to him, but she soothed him all the same. That was when she noticed her husband was bleeding. 

Ozai touched the scratch on his abdomen lined with tiny pearls of red blood. It must’ve been from a piece of broken shell, something not yet worn down by the relentless sea. He said it was hardly a cause for concern and in just a few minutes, it ceased bleeding. 

Zuko gave thanks to his father by immediately trying to return to the water as soon as Ursa set him down. Ozai snatched him up, but didn’t reprimand his child. Perhaps he knew it’d do little good for a boy so small and curious. Zuko’s feet did not touch the sand for the remainder of their walk. 

Thankfully, their vacation concluded without much fanfare.

On the boat ride home, as Ursa watched the clouds drift by with her son in her arms, she dared to believe that maybe, all would be well. That Ozai was merely a man under tremendous, inconceivable pressure to act as the ideal prince. After all, he’d been born into royalty and surely had to contend with things Ursa had not yet conceived of. Perhaps the first year of their marriage was only a rough start. That deep down, Ozai did care for her and Zuko not just as political power, but as his family. It’d just taken stepping away from his royal duties and endless obligations for his true nature to show. 

Then there came the day when everything changed. When Ursa knew her life was not in her hands, nor in the hands of her husband, and not even in the hands of her Fire Lord. When she knew her life was dictated by the will of the spirits and theirs alone. 

And that her son would never be safe in his father’s house.

[theveryconfusedartistsart-blog]

I wanted to talk about Frisk from my three AU's! The Growing Pains fanfic series, the River Person AU, and the Monster in the Mountain fanfic. The three of them all stem from the same timeline.

Specifically, I want to talk about their differences and similarities at the point of age 20ish. More below! 👇

Growing Pains Frisk!

🌻Dated just three people before they turned 21.

🌻More understanding and patient.

🌻Due to growing up around goofballs, they're funnier and sillier than their other two counterparts.

🌻A lethally terrible cook 🔥

🌻Very good at lying and keeping secrets.

🌻More depressed (than MitM Frisk)

🌻The biggest softie of the three.

Monster in the Mountain Frisk!

🖤Did a ton of dating in their teens, so they're more experienced in Romance than their other two counterparts. (No Asriel to distract them during that time!)

🖤A little more headstrong with their wants and needs.

🖤Can cook fairly better (than their two counterparts) (was forced to practice)

🖤After doing Asriel's puzzles, they became much more stronger and athletic.

🖤More prone to overthinking (than Growing Pains Frisk)

🖤More anxious (than Growing Pains Frisk)

🖤Might actually be a year older than they think due to Asriel ripping holes through time and space.

River Person Frisk!

👤Too busy and scared to even think about dating in their teen years. But once they became River Person they still keep their distance but definitely attempt to flirt with monsters their own age.

👤The most timid and easily frightened of the three, but the most excellent under pressure.

👤 They do NOT cook, instead they buy already-cooked meals and eat the food that they receive as tips from their patrons.

👤Very badly vitamin D deficient, either sleeps too much or not at all, physically weakest but somehow the best swimmer of the three, and also a master lock picker!

👤Better at keeping secrets and lying than even GP Frisk.

👤More anxious and depressed than the other two.

👤Has no idea how old they actually are, they grow slowly and lose count after age 17 due to the glitches and remembering erased timelines, it becomes even worse after Flowey's numerous Resets.

Similarities between GP Frisk and MitM Frisk and River Frisk.

✨All are equally flirty, lol.

✨All are very goofy and golden retriever-based.

✨All are equally Determined.

✨All are artists!

[glowingmin]

This is a super overcomplicated diagram/explanation for how the Four Sword works in my AU's! This is basically word vomit and is almost incomprehensible, but I did try. Enjoy!

How Rainbow's Four Sword works when it comes to energy

It's comparable to either a computer program or an energy circuit. It is a constant send/receive loop between the Color's bodies and the swords. The more distance between the swords, the weaker the connection gets, leading to energy deficiency. For the Color's physical bodies to exist, the body requires energy.

How energy enters the loop is through the Color's bodies. Food and water and rest all provide energy that mostly stays in their body's energy reserves. Some of this energy is sent to their swords to be stored for later use. Food, water, and rest alone do not provide the Color's bodies with enough to remain sustained. Between the mental link and this rather unbalanced homeostasis, the Colors need their swords in order to make up for the energy deficit.

The Colors are essentially manifestations of the elements of fire, water, earth, and wind. They are able to gather energy by being exposed to these elements. For Red it is heat/fire, for Blue it is hydration/water, for Green it is movement/air, and for Vio it is compression/touching the ground. All of this energy is sent to the swords. The sword itself cannot gather the energy. It needs to be obtained via the Color. Think of it as the Colors are receivers of external input, and the swords as receiving only internal input.

From there, the swords prioritize their respective Color when it comes to sending energy back. When merged, it is typically the sword with the most energy that will be prioritized when assigning control of the body. The swords function more like batteries that withhold energy until needed. Again, the Color of that sword is prioritized, but the swords do share energy through the mindlink.

When a deficiency is observed, there are several checkpoints to be found. When separated from their sword, the Color will need more food/water/rest/elemental exposure to slow the loss of energy/make up for the extra energy needed to transmit energy to/from the sword (i.e. when Red was separated from his sword in the manga he was significantly weakened/attracted to his element to compensate, but able to exist without pain due to the sword still existing). Depending on the issue will determine if the shared energy can be given to the Color.

Breaking the sword is an entirely different ruleset. There is no extra energy trickling in from the sword anymore, nor is there a way to store the energy the body is gathering. It is not as easy as handing over another sword/taking turns, because the swords will prioritize their Color and will not give energy to the Color with a broken sword. The funnel is effectively shut off.

Until the sword is fixed or the Colors merge back together, the Color will solely be relying off their internal energy reserves (which do not provide enough for homeostasis).

If the Color's body runs out of energy for whatever reason/a limb is severed, their bodies will dissolve into light to retain any residual energy to be found. Then they will be stuck inside their swords until another merge and split can occur. At this point the downed Color is entirely reliant on the energy shared between them to recover, severely weakening the rest due to the drain.

If the Color dies, however, there is an alteration. Any energy within the body is deleted. This can and will knock the Colors out when they merge as the empty space is treated as a vacuum to be filled.

[intersexalastor]

so a part 2 to the control crossover of the txf dabitwice au

jin is consumed by guilt. he knew there was danger. he led touya straight into it and now he's gone. not a trace. when enji is ripping into him, he can't even argue back. it's his fault.

as touya went through the academy, people kept their distance and scoffed. all of them elbowing each other to tell their peers yeah, THAT todoroki. assistant director todoroki's eldest son. rumors that he was getting special treatment were rife. not that it bothered touya, always staying firm to his goals and blazing through the academy anyways.

once touya was put on the X-Files, by enji no less, suddenly the talk changed. it became painfully obvious that enji didn't actually want touya around to begin with. well, OBVIOUSLY that must mean he's deficient somewhere, somehow. he must not be very smart, or strong, or hard working. maybe he's a coward or a crybaby or dumb as rocks.

when touya disappears, people openly speculate, in front of enji himself, that touya probably couldn't take the pressure and ran off in shame. what a loser, they snicker. abandoning his post. and they shake their heads, saying how DARE he drag enji's name through the mud by fucking off, without the decency of owning up to his weakness and resigning in person. his family must be so embarrassed.

and this becomes enji's turning point, his realization that this is all fucked up. that he made touya's life unfairly difficult. he ruined his relationship with his own son and now he's gone and who knows if he's ever coming back?

but he is certain of one thing: that these people are wrong. touya's too determined, too stubborn to just run off. something happened. he doesn't now what, but he's certain of that.

meanwhile jin is burying himself in his work, trying to look through old cases, find a smidge of hope that there's some lead, some clue he can grasp onto. but there's nothing.

when touya's younger sister calls him, asks him to have dinner (because she knows he must be taking everything hard, especially with the way her father was muttering about jin under his breath). she assures him that enji won't be home and that she and her brothers would like to have him over.

he hesitates. but agrees. he tries to find some way to apologize to them throughout the meal, but can't find the words. he's lost his own sister under mysterious circumstances, and it's because of him that they've lost their brother in similar conditions. no answers. only wondering and wondering and wondering. he thinks on whether he'll wonder about both himiko and touya until the day he dies.

and then enji shows up unannounced. a very loud shouting match starts. fuyumi and natsuoi try to talk(fuyumi)/bark(natsuo) enji down, with shouto silently hanging along a wall. jin figures he's caused enough trouble and goes to leave, but not without getting a few shots in first. accusing enji of treating touya less-than, right in front of other agents, talking down to him. and, he adds, even if this is his (jin's) fault, at least some of the blame lies on enji. it's not jin's fault that enji didn't take the X-files seriously and threw his son into a vast and dangerous unknown.

and then there's a knock at the door.

they all swivel their heads to the front. but when the knock happens again, they realize it's coming from... the coat closet in the hall, the one that sits between jin and enji. the knob turns a couple of times and the door swings open and touya steps out, pushing past a black peacoat.

it is touya. although his hair is not white, not even the red it used to be, but a jet black. he no longer looks haggard, but his drooping lids make it obvious he's either on the verge of sleep or just woken up.

enji takes a step, trying to form words, but touya ignores him and instead moves to jin before collapsing. jin catches him just in time, carrying his partner to the couch as the entire family erupts in confusion and surprise

[isocertificationnnigeria65]

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[guardian-blood-balance-au]

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PERUSE MOREOVER:-

https://gummiestoday.com/

[matskreider-blog]

5, 8, 22, & 23 for b&b au, also the same for d&d au if you’re feeling up to it

5. who is most likely to carry the other?

b&b: pekka carries juuse everywhere juuse asks, even if it’s playful and just around the house, or if it’s life or death situations with negotiations gone wrong, or if it’s on their wedding night some kind of special occasion, if juuse wants to be carried, pekka will deliver

d&d: pekka still carries juuse, but it’s moreso that he likes to hold him. if it’s not a good night, juuse compensates by basically holding pekka, but he def can’t carry him

8. nicknames? & if so, how did they originate?

b&b: they both use nicknames all the time, and part of it is part of the routine of ‘look at my gorgeous arm candy yes please underestimate him’ and part of it is that they actually are just that in love with each other. most of the time it’s some kind of abbreviation or affectionate twist on their actual names, but for actual pet names:

pekka to juuse: little one, baby, sweetheart, my love, darling, precious, baby boy;; juuse to pekka: daddy and babe ( he uses daddy a lot though, so. it evens out )

d&d: again, they have the nicknames from hockey that transfer over, but also they some have the names that they use when it’s just the two of them, in a scene and not. it’s a fair bit more limited just because their roles aren’t set in complete stone like in b&b:

pekka to juuse: baby, babe;; juuse to pekka: daddy, babe, sweetheart, 

22. who cooks more/who is better at cooking?

b&b: miikka and mikko are the cooks for the house, so really its just juuse exploring new instagram recipe’s he finds, and occasionally pekka stress cooking if he’s home and has the time

d&d: pekka, for sure, but juuse knows some easy snacks and no-bake desserts that he sometimes puts together for if pekka’s having an off day

23. who comes up with cheesy pick up lines?

b&b: juuse, 100%

d&d: again juuse, but sometimes pekka will give one here or there, just to see juuse’s reaction

( send me a ship/number !! )

[koifish86]

Roles and positions aboard the Marauder

This is how everyone fits into my pirate au marauders fic specifically on the ship, the Marauder. This took me ages so like it or go fuck yourself I'm running on no sleep and no coffee or tea or chocolate. Enjoy bestie :)

Captain (James Potter)

Elected by the crew

Charismatic

Experienced

Complete authority in battle

Leads the attack when boarding a ship

Even-tempered

Skilled with both sword and pistol

Received double share of the loot

Tactical decision maker

Quartermaster or first mate (Remus Lupin)

Second in command (most authority on the ship after the captain)

In charge of seeing the captains orders carried out

Handles day to day operations of the ship

Helps divided plunder amongst crew accordingly

 In charge of discipline

Received a double share of loot

Master-at-Arms (Marlene McKinnon)

Deals with security of the ship

Fitness of the crew

Dispensing of justice

Feared and dreaded of a ships officers

Captains closest collaborator with the quarter master

Expert in the art of combat and war strategy

Internal management so in charge of organising crews plans when attacking merchant ships

Navigator or Sailing Master (Lily)

Gets the ship too its destination

Trained to navigate with stars

Determines ships latitude

Sail from east to west with ease

Longitude is harder to determine

Sailing north to south is more guess work

Crucial to the workings of a ship

Boatswain or bosun (Alice Fortescue)

Junior officers

Keeps ship in shape for travel and battle

Looks after wood, canvas, and ropes vital to swift and safe sailing

Led shore parties to restock supplies or find material for repairs

Oversees activities such as dropping and weighing the anchor, setting the sails, and making sure the deck is cleaned.

Received share and a half of the loot

Reports general condition of the ship to the captain

Experienced sailor

Cooper (Frank Longbottom)

Makes and maintains barrels

Inspects storage barrels to insure they are sound

Dismantles empty barrels to make space in limited cargo areas

Reassembles when needed

Doctor or Surgeon (Sirius Black)

Helped with diseases and wounds

Amputations often necessary to stop infections with proper medicines

Trained doctors were hard to find, and sometimes veteran sailors would serve in their stead

Serious injuries were common amongst pirates

Pirates suffered from venereal diseases like syphilis and tropical illness like malaria

Vulnerable to scurvy (caused by a Vitamin C deficiency when ships ran out of fresh fruit)

Medicines were worth more than gold

Carpenter (Regulus)

Answers to the boatswain

Ensures ships structural integrity

Fixes holes after combat

Makes repairs after storms

Keeping the masts and yardarms functional

Knowing when the ship needed to be beached for maintenance or repairs

Would have to make repairs on desert island or stretch of beach

Would use what they could scavenge or cannibalize from parts of the ship

Sometimes double as the surgeons

Master Gunner (Dorcas Meadows)

Extremely complicated and dangerous procedure

Everything had to be specific placement of the shot, correct amount of powder, the fuse, and the working parts of the cannon itself

12-pound cannon balls but the cannons range from 3000 to 3500 pounds

Skilled gunner was a very valuable part of any pirate crew

Trained by royal navy

Worked up from being powder monkeys running back and forth carrying gunpowder to cannons in battle

Master gunners were in charge of ALL cannons, the gunpowder, the shot, and everything else to keep the cannons in working order.

Leader of a small group of gunners

Four to six people needed to aim, fire, reset, swab and load.

Coordination with other gunners required

Harder on pirate ships as they rarely wanted to destroy other ships but disable them

Gunning crew

Master gunner (commander of gun crew)

First gunner (Fabien Prewett)

Second gunner (Gideon Prewett)

Loading gunner (Barty Crouch)

Wiper (Evan Rosier)

Deputy loading gunner (Hestia Jones)

Deputy wipers (Arthur Weasley)

Powder monkey (Bill Weasley)

Musicians (Pandora Lestrange)

Popular on pirate ships because of the tedious life

Help to pass the time

Having skill with musical instruments brought with it certain privileges like playing while others worked or increased shares

Sometimes taken from ships pirates plundered

Cook (Mad-Eye Moody)

Prepared food

Would rarely step in as surgeons to help with amputations

Often old crew members that have suffered crippling injuries

Rigger (Benjy Fenwick)

Rigging and unfurl the sails

In battle pull enemy vessels near enough to board

Role taken up by other sailors

Lookout (Kingsley Shackbolt)

Positioned at the top of the mainmast to alert crew of enemies, ships or land

Sometimes the role would be taken up by different sailors

Helmsmen (Peter Pettigrew)

Steers the ship with information from the sailing master

Sometimes the role would be taken up by different sailors

[thiscrimsonsoul]

Meta – Wanda & Vision Having Children Naturally: Pregnancy, Medical Complications, & Caring for the Twins

[ Trigger Warnings: Heavy medical and hospital themes having to do with pregnancy and babies ahead! ]

This meta contains all my headcanons for Wanda getting pregnant naturally by Vision, what that means for her pregnancy and health, and what raising real, half-human, half-synthezoid children is like. I’d like to have some threads with Wanda and Vision regarding the twins if possible, so I’m getting everything written down here for reference purposes. If you have any questions or comments about anything in here, let me know!

POTENTIAL AUS IN WHICH THIS COULD HAPPEN

Without Vision – Wanda has Vision’s twins, but he remains dead. Either he’s harvested and repurposed into a weapon by SWORD as he was in WandaVision, or Wanda is able to reclaim his body for burial, but he remains dead and Wanda, at least for now, is a single mother. I would be willing to write this AU either as Wanda or as another character relating to Wanda if someone else wants to write her.

With Dad!Vision – Vision’s body is taken by SWORD, but either in the early stages of her pregnancy or after the twins are born, she confronts Hayward as she did in WandaVision. Except this time, instead of leaving after she determines that she can no longer feel him, Wanda has an emotional burst of magic (like she did when she created the Hex) that, instead of creating a temporary new Vision, infuses Vision’s original body with the energy from the mind stone that she’s been storing inside her. This essentially restores Vision’s soul, memories, and personality. All that remains is to reassemble him. In an AU where Tony Stark survives Endgame, he could help Dr. Cho not only reassemble him but also restore his organic content as well, which would otherwise have rotted away during the five years he was dead. Or… a huge fudge could be done and we could just say that Wanda reassembles him and restores his organic content herself as part of her emotional magical outburst. Vision would then be restored to Infinity War status, as himself, with all his memories and emotional capacity intact. He can then help Wanda raise their twins and would likely ask her to marry him, which he was planning on doing before everything went to hell in a handbasket in Infinity War anyway. I would be willing to write this AU as either Wanda or Vision.

PREGNANCY AND BIRTH: SPECIES INCOMPATIBILITY AND LIFE-THREATNING MEDICAL COMPLICATIONS

I tend to get very detailed and realistic when I flesh out topics like this, so I didn’t just want to gloss over things and say that Wanda has a normal pregnancy. She really shouldn’t. Even if Vision is capable of reproduction (which my version of him is) and conception can occur, there are a lot of issues with Wanda carrying partially-synthezoidal children. Their genetics would be combined, and as such, their physiologies would be a blend of human and synthezoid. What does that mean for them as far as their health, appearance, and capabilities? I’ll get to that later. But first… what effect does this have on Wanda’s health as the pregnancy progresses?

Early on, the pregnancy is fairly normal, or at least there isn’t enough wrong to set off any warning bells with regard to her health. But as it progresses, Wanda will start to experience metal toxicity and vitamin deficiency symptoms. She’ll have balance problems, she might slur her words at times, she feels weak, shaky, and has fainting spells. Her skin will also become very pale, almost translucent. This occurs because most of the vibranium atoms that were contained in Vision’s… donation to Wanda, eh-hem… have already been incorporated into the twins’ bodies, and now they need more. In the absence of more vibranium, they start to compromise by drawing away other vitamins and minerals from Wanda’s body. Whatever vibranium atoms were not incorporated into the twins ended up in Wanda’s blood and organs, causing her various potentially life-threatening side effects.

The result is that neither mother nor babies are doing very well, but by this point (probably at around three months in), Wanda’s health would be noticeably bad enough for her to get help or for anyone who sees her to reach out to get her medical assistance. Eventually she will be placed under Dr. Cho’s care. Why? Well it was her technology that created Vision’s physical body, and aside from Tony, she’s the one who would know the most about what might be required by offspring of someone with such a body. Tests will need to be done on Wanda and on each of her babies to determine what is going on in their blood, which would then give a clearer picture of what was wrong, missing, etc.

Basically, it is determined that the twins need an influx of free vibranium atoms to incorporate into their bodies as they grow. They also need a specialized panel of vitamins and minerals to grow properly. Wanda, on the other hand, needs the normal human amounts of certain vitamins and minerals for herself, but then also needs to be protected from vibranium toxicity and unwanted substances ending up in her blood. Wanda lives where Dr. Cho’s laboratory is located, and is mostly told to rest as much as possible. The less she stresses her system, the better. Twice a week, her blood needs to be cleaned of any toxic substances via a filtration process not unlike dialysis. She’s placed on a strict diet as well. Ports are carefully placed for each twin that allow for vibranium atoms and essential nutrients to be directly injected into the babies.

Because this is an extremely delicate and precarious procedure to place the ports without disrupting Wanda’s pregnancy or harming the babies, she’s basically bedridden to limit the potential for tears and other injuries. Very quickly, Wanda is forced to confront and overcome her fears of doctors, labs, and needles, which is a daunting task for her. The only thing that gets her through it is the very real knowledge that the pregnancy might fail without this intervention. At this point, Vision would likely still be dead in either AU, and so Wanda views her babies as the last living parts of Vision. She’s willing to do anything, no matter how painful or frightening, to carry her twins to term.

At around 7 ½ months, however… things begin to look grim. Despite the blood filtration processes and other attempts to keep Wanda as healthy as possible, her health begins to decline again. The stress and strain of carrying two unique babies whose genetics and biochemistry are partially incompatible with her own begins to take its toll. Dr. Cho and likely Clint or anyone else who’s been frequently caring for or staying with Wanda eventually need to have a very difficult conversation with her. If she continues with the pregnancy, there’s still a chance it might fail early, but the longer she can hold out, the better chance her babies will have of surviving after they’re born. However, the longer she holds out, the greater chance that life-threatening complications will occur, such as more seizures, strokes, and toxicity conditions. In short, she’s told that she could deliver the twins early and survive, but because the twins are unique beings, there is no guarantee that they will have developed enough to survive at this point… or… she continues to carry them, and she may lose her life. Wanda chooses to continue, because she’s willing to die to give her twins the best chance they can possibly have.

Wanda is able to make it to 8 ½ months before something changes and her health declines rapidly. When she loses consciousness, the decision is made to deliver the twins by C-section. Once that’s done, Wanda is stabilized, and a potential tragedy is averted.

CARING FOR INFANT TWINS

The twins are kept on much the same supplements of vibranium, nutrients, and other minerals as they were in the womb. A powder is basically custom-designed for Wanda that she can mix into their milk. In addition to breastfeeding them, once a day she bottle feeds them milk containing the dissolved vitamin supplement. This ensures the twins have what their bodies need to grow properly. Otherwise, they’re normal, happy, healthy babies that mostly appear human to those who don’t know their unique genetics.

At only a couple months old, however, Wanda begins to notice a few interesting things about her sons, and the reasons why they required vibranium atoms begins to become apparent. Occasionally while dressing or changing them, Wanda notices patches on their bodies that look just like Vision’s “skin.” They’re red, they’re textured, sometimes they’re hard, and at other times they’re soft. The patches don’t remain, but rather they come and go, seemingly at random. At times, Wanda even catches it happening in real time, seeing their skin ripple and change, just like Vision’s did when he was employing his human disguise. The curious thing though, is that the twins are not synthezoids, but neither are they human. Their genetic code, their blood lab results, and various other statistics come back inconclusive, anomalous, or otherwise different than normal humans. They are their own unique beings, a hybrid species.

As the twins grow and become more mobile, crawling around and such, Wanda notices that sometimes the synthezoid skin would appear as a result of impact trauma. In other words, if Tommy hit Billy while careless flailing his pudgy little infant arms, that area of Billy’s skin would ripple and form hard synthezoid skin which is stiff to the touch, like armor. Or if Tommy crawls around and bumps his head on something, the same would happen where he was hit. It’s almost as if it’s part of some kind of defense response in their bodies to armor-up if they’re being injured.

CARING FOR OLDER TWINS

Once they’re older and eating solid foods, their supplements are still mixed in once a day with whatever they’re eating. The older they get, the more the twins are able to control the transformation of their skin at will instead of it just being a passive physiological response. Billy takes after Wanda with regard to his powers, and Tommy resembles Pietro’s with his, but there are indications of Vision’s abilities in them as well. Billy is able to control his density to some extent, and Tommy’s eyes have extra lenses and extended irises that allow him to adjust his vision to better see in the dark, and while moving at high speeds. He can also see a much wider spectrum of light than humans can. Billy tends to take after Vision more in personality, being more introspective, gentler, and being a sponge for information. Tommy takes more after Wanda or even Pietro (which, Wanda would inherit a lot of genetics similar to Pietro’s with them being twins, so that makes sense), being more impulsive, a prankster, and quicker to anger.

In an AU without Vision present, as they grow and develop these abilities, they begin to ask Wanda a lot of questions about the things they can do and parts of them that aren’t like her. Wanda waits until they’re at an age to understand well enough before she tells them about their father. She’s able to find video footage of Vision to show them, and she explains as much as possible about who and what he was. Above all, she makes it very clear that he would have loved them both so much. Billy is very curious about Vision and will sit with a tablet and look up information about him all on his own. Tommy… is a bit more defensive and doesn’t like to think about Vision, because it makes him sad and angry that he had to grow up without a father. The twins are very close, however, and sometimes he watches things with Billy when they’re alone.

In an AU with Vision present, he can teach them about the synthezoidal aspects of their bodies and abilities himself. He is the proudest, happiest, most hands-on and involved dad ever. He explains what he can, shows what he can’t explain, and otherwise tries to guide his sons as best he can… in amongst loving on Wanda, of course. He becomes very much like Westview!Vision as far as personality, just happy and living the dream.

That’s all I’ve detailed for now, but if I think of more, I’ll add it here. Let me know your thoughts if you like! =)

[timelordthirteen]

In All Things 25/?

Mr. Gold/BelleFrench, Explicit (eventually)

Summary: A Rumbelle arranged marriage AU.

Chapter Summary: The morning after the party, Gold and Lady Ella have a talk over breakfast, Lady Ella is a goddamn delight, and I do some blatant foreshadowing. :)

Notes:  The conversation in this chapter was intended to be a bridge to what I really wanted to get to, but Ella ran away with things because she is so fun to write. Apologies that this chapter isn't longer, this is probably a huge mess because it was edited late. I'm curious if anyone will notice the blink and you'll miss it thing I slid in here...

[AO3]

Gold went to bed not long after Belle left him in the library, having waited several minutes, until he was sure that she had made it all the way upstairs to her room.

The evening had been much more enjoyable than he’d anticipated, and indeed more than it had been for him in some time. He could only attribute that to Belle’s presence. Most people who lived in the area were no doubt as excited to see the new Lady Gold as they were for a party. Of course once they met her in person, she won them over as easily as she had him with her charm, grace, and beauty. It only made what he’d done worse.

His thoughts had kept him from falling asleep for some time, but he had, unfortunately, awoke early to an agonizing pain in his leg. He felt he rather deserved it, both for dancing quite a bit more than he should have, and for his having committed Belle to a life she would likely come to resent.

If they had been simply indifferent to each other, it might have been more manageable. He could have accepted their marriage as a useful and satisfactory association for both of them, but she had been so determined to be kind and to befriend him. He’d told her she was the most beautiful woman in the room, and he’d meant every word of it. Last evening, with her twirling and smiling so radiantly, he could only admit that his plans made him the worst sort of man. In truth, he might end up being seen as no better than the likes of Milton in her eyes, and the idea of it pained him far more than his leg.

Countess de Vil came into the room as Gold shifted in his seat, trying in vain to find a position that would relieve his aches. She made a face at the windows beyond the breakfast table, her eyes narrowing in the morning light and her face contorting as if in pain.

“Feeling a bit worse for wear?” he asked.

Lady Ella waved a hand at him and walked around the table to take a seat with her back to the double doors leading to the patio. “I’m perfectly fine, dear.”

He let out a short, bemused scoff. “Clearly. I’m sure it’s just the morning sun reflecting off the snow and ice, and not at all your enthusiasm for my wine last night.”

She shot him a glare and reached for the teapot, filling her cup almost to the brim and forgoing any milk or sugar. “So, about your lovely bride...”

“I’m sure she’ll be down soon.”

Ella selected a pastry with peach jam and sat back in her seat with a smirk. “That’s not what I was going to say.” He looked at her sideways, busying himself with spreading butter over a piece of wheat toast. “Truthfully, Gold, when did you become a fan of matrimony again? Lady Belle is pretty to be sure, but -”

Gold rolled his eyes. “My reasons are my own, thank you.”

“- was she really that bad off that she needed your money?” Ella continued, ignoring Gold’s interruption entirely.

She took a large bite of her pastry, pausing to lick some of the peach from her thumb, and then kept talking. “Of course that’s what everyone has been saying, but I think there’s more to it. Are you afraid you’ll need someone to look after your son? If so, you could have hired a governess to do that, and for far less than bailing out old Maurice I should think.”

“Ella...” he warned. “Please, this is not the time or place.”

Ella popped the last bit of fluffy pasty in her mouth, her eyes narrowing at Gold as she chewed. “Well, there has to be some reason you’ve suddenly married after spurning every other option available to you, and why you’ve chosen a woman fresh out of an engagement of her own, which, I will add, was rather abruptly - and possibly scandalously - ended.”

The lid of the teapot rattled sharply as Gold brought his fist down on the table. “That’s enough!”

The Countess sighed, not the least bit startled by his outburst and lifted her tea. “I don’t give any of that nonsense with Sir Gaston any credit,” she said, gesturing with the cup, “and I don’t mean to pry, but -”

“Oh, yes you do mean to,” he said wearily, sagging back against the chair as he rubbed at his knee.

“I don’t like to hear my friend’s name being raked through the mud by the gossips.” A moment later her hand, warm from holding her cup, covered his, and he sighed, finally meeting her eyes. “Just put my mind at ease and tell me there’s nothing to it.”

He flashed her a smile and nodded. “I promise, there’s nothing to it. And I’ve heard enough of it to know what they’re probably saying.”

“Good,” she answered with a tight squeeze of his fingers and a smile. “Because I rather like your Lady Belle. She’s delightful, and I’d be very disappointed if I had to hate her on your behalf.”

Then she took two slices of bacon, sliding them onto her plate with a fork, and sat back in her seat. “I heard you were at the palace last month. What was that about?”

Gold waved a hand and made a face. “Just some business with the King.”

“Like paying off Lord Maurice’s debts?”

He shook his head. “Countess, I believe you’re about to overstay your welcome.”

Lady Ella threw her head back and laughed. “Oh, when do I not, darling?”

“When do you not.... what?”

Gold and Lady Ella looked to the doorway to see Belle, who smiled at them as she entered and took the seat across from Gold.

“Put her foot in her mouth,” Gold said with a smirk.

Belle’s eyebrows lifted, but she said nothing as she poured herself some tea.

The Countess gave Gold yet another glare, and then smiled sweetly at Belle. “When do I not make a marvelous spectacle of myself, of course.”

“Is this a trick question?” Jefferson asked.

Everyone turned to look at him, and he pushed off the doorframe to saunter into the room. He was without his usual jacket, and seemed to be fighting to get the cuffs of his shirt buttoned. Lady Ella, Gold, and Jefferson shared a hearty laugh, and Belle sat back in her chair, holding her teacup to her lips as she looked on.

Jefferson joined them at the table, and there was the usual light conversation that had filled their mornings for the last few weeks. Belle was keen for the Countess’ opinion on the matter of a woman running an estate, which Lady Ella was all too eager to lay out for her in detail. She went so far as to relay the story of having to sort out her late husband’s investments and the problems with some accounting irregularities.

“I’m afraid I know how you feel in that regard,” Belle said, exchanging a look with Gold. “Seems we’ve both had our share of irresponsible finances.”

“That’s men for you,” Ella sighed, “can’t be trusted.”

Gold rolled his eyes. “Present company accepted, of course.”

Ella laughed again and then pushed to her feet. “Well, thank you for a lovely celebration as always, but I should be off. It’s a long ride back home.”

Belle’s eyes widened at Lady Ella’s attire. Long gone was the elegant gown of the previous evening, or the day dress she’d been expecting, and in its place was a set of well fitted riding leathers, complete with knee high boots.

Belle stood slowly, the surprise almost making her forget her manners. “You’re riding, Lady Ella?”

“Oh, yes,” Ella said, grinning. “I always do. Best cure for what ails me after a party is fresh air.” Then she paused and gave Belle a wistful look. “And I adore it.”

Belle smiled widely. “As do I.”

Ella’s face lit up and she moved around the end of the table to take Belle’s hands in hers. “Oh, well then, when you visit we must go for a ride together! I have a gray gelding named Jasper, just turned four. He’ll be perfect for you this spring, very docile.”

Belle could feel Gold’s eyes on her as her lips curved. “If it’s all the same to you, Countess, I’d prefer to ride my own horse.”

“Of course!” Ella said, giving her hands a squeeze. “As you wish, darling, you’d be my guest after all, and I am never deficient in what is owed to my guests, am I, Gold?”

“I would never suggest such a thing,” he replied, hiding a wince as he pushed to his feet, leaning heavily on his cane. “Come, Ella, let me see you out.”

Ella gave him a short nod and then stepped back from Belle.. “It was lovely to meet you, Lady Belle.”

Then she offered a short bow, in the manner of a gentleman rather than the curtsy expected of a lady, much less a Countess, and Belle’s amusement grew. Though she did not know Countess de Vil all that well yet, the blatant eschewing of societal norms in such a way, and her intent to ride her own horse back to an estate she rightfully owned, could only be described as delightful.

In turn, Belle inclined her head towards the Countess, and smiled. “And you as well.”

Gold exchanged a look with Jefferson, that was bemused to say the least, and then followed Lady Ella out of the room. Jefferson and Belle went back to their breakfast, which suddenly seemed much more reserved and sedate than before. Her intention to ask Jefferson why he seemed so rushed this morning, was forgotten as her mind whirled with thoughts of Lady Ella.

Belle had always been frustrated by the role impressed on her by the world, and the lack of agency and freedom that came with it. The Countess was a woman who seemed to care for none of it and to do exactly as she pleased, while maintaining the whole of her title and power in the process. Lady Ella de Vil was definitely someone with whom she wanted to become better acquainted.

Gold and the Countess walked in silence to the wide front entrance of Thornhill.

The cold winter air felt pleasant against his face, and though he did enjoy Lady Ella’s company, this seemed to be one of the times where he was anxious for her to be on her way and to have his home back to normal again.

“Look, Ella,” he said quietly, “you’re not entirely wrong in your assumptions, but there are - there are other things in play right now. I need to keep things close, do you understand?”

Ella waved a hand at him. “Oh, you know I just enjoy teasing you, Gold. I know full well you’re scheming something, you always are, just be careful.”

He gave her a wry smile. “I know how to handle the royal court, and the King.”

“That’s not what I mean.” Her look was pointed, making his eyes narrow as he regarded her. “I’m talking about your Lady Belle.”

Gold frowned and planted his cane in front of him. “What about Belle?”

Lady Ella sighed and looked over to where the coachmen were loading the last of her things into the carriage “Just - just make sure you know what you’re doing,” she said finally. Then she turned back to Gold. “She’s a delightful young woman and it would pain me to see her hurt. Or you for that matter.”

He huffed and tipped his head back. “Ella...”

“I’m serious!” she insisted, taking him by the arm as she came closer. “The heart is a volatile thing, Gold. You know that.”

His eyebrows lifted as he fixed her with a flat look. “There is little danger of any hearts being broken, I assure you.”

A soft snort escaped her and she patted his arm before letting go. “I’ll remember you said that.”

He smiled. “You always do.”

The coachmen brought over Lady Ella’s horse as they talked, and stood holding the reigns at the bottom of the front steps until she came down. The horse, a broad, jet black Friesian mare, nudged the Countess, and she gave her muzzle an affectionate rub. She moved to the side and mounted the beast in one, rather elegant, motion, and Gold found himself wondering at how Belle might look on such a horse. He had the fleeting idea that he might buy her one if she wanted it, but then she had her own horse, which she was no doubt missing, and he determined that bringing it to Thornhill would be a far better option. He would write to Desmond about it, and see if it were possible to do before within the next fortnight.

The clack of hooves on the stones shook Gold from his thoughts, and he noticed Ella staring down at him with a bemused expression. “I’ll be back at court in two weeks,” she said, “for the New Year’s ball. If I hear anything interesting, I’ll let you know.”

Gold tilted his head and started to smirk as another idea came to mind. “Perhaps I’ll be there as well.”

The Countess grinned devilishly as her horse pranced impatiently next to the steps. “Well, you do have a new wife to show off...”

He shook his head and raised his hand, giving her a small wave. “Good bye, Lady Ella.”

Her head dipped as she flashed him one last cheeky smile. “Gold.”

He stayed outside for several minutes after the Countess and her carriage had passed through the gates of Thornhill. The contrast of the warm, bright sun and the cold, crisp air was oddly soothing. The heart is a volatile thing, Gold. You know that. And he did, all too well, just as he knew the pain of it being broken. It was why he had decided to marry the way he did. It would ensure his son’s future without any other entanglements on his part. Lady Ella might be perceptive, and she liked to tease now and then, but on this he had decided that she was simply wrong.

[hey-hamlet]

BNHA AU Ideas: True Might

Also on AO3! 

TL;DR:  Powers don't make the hero - passion does. Luckily for Izuku and Toshinori, this is something the quirkless have in droves.

AKA: All Might is a quirkless vigilante, One for All isn't a quirk that exists and 1A gets a whole 3-week buffer before villain's start kicking their face in as opposed to the 3 days of canon.

Basically: Quirkless!Vigilante!All Might and Quirkless!Successor!(gen ed) UA Student!Midoriya. It’s a riot.

Yagi is stupid strong, his only form in this AU is basically Muscle Form from canon, but he’s a little less ridiculously cut. Not quite chubby, but huggable. This is mostly because he A, isn’t a celebrity that needs to have a marketable image and B, he really likes carbs.

He’s not exactly a vigilante by choice, in his day and age quirkless kids weren’t permitted to apply to UA, either gen ed or heroics. When Nezu got the job, that all changed, but it was a solid decade too late for Yagi.

He’s admittedly a little bitter about it, but he refuses to do anything but his best. He might be a little snippier with Pros than he really needs to be but oh well.

Katsuki and Izuku are utterly enamoured with this crazy vigilante that just doesn’t lose, refuses to back down from a fight even when he’s outmatched, and somehow coming out victorious anyway, rescuing everyone. They have a tense relationship, but often find time to get together and just ramble about how cool All Might is, share theories and dissect his fights. It’s not uncommon for Katsuki to have been hurling abuse at Izuku during class, only to show up at his house after school with a backpack full of snacks and a notebook full of questions.

Izuku knows most of what Katsuki does is to keep his status in the school. If he showed pity to a dumb quirkless runt he’d be painted with the same brush. This doesn’t make what Katsuki has done right! Only Izuku doesn’t blame him because he’s way too forgiving.

Izuku is the smartest person Katsuki knows and vice versa – they are each other’s measuring stick. Katsuki shows Izuku bravery, Izuku shows Katsuki determination.

Episode 1 goes as it does but you see a real flash of regret when Katsuki tells Izuku to jump off a roof because they are kinda-sorta friends. Izuku looks so betrayed. We meet the slime villain like before, All Might saves Izuku and 100% doesn’t expect the kid to fanboy about him and ask for two autographs – one made out to a “Kacchan”.

“Can someone quirkless be a hero?” “The whole world will be against you. Most places won't even give you a shot – no matter how good you are. You’re better off picking something else.”

Izuku is crushed but he does understand. All Might leaves and Izuku trails off kinda hopelessly. He follows the sounds of explosions without meaning to.

It’s Katsuki! He’s dying! Like usual at this point lmao. Izuku rushes in much like canon, All Might shows up, pulls Katsuki free and slams a dumpster on the slime villains head before making a speedy getaway. The police rip into Izuku but Katsuki actually defends him. “You were doing fuck all while I fucking died – don’t knock the only asshole who tried.” Izuku quietly slips him the autograph before running off the scene. Katsuki cries because Izuku got that for him even after he was such a fucking bastard that day? He can’t bring himself to be a dick to Izuku again, even only for show.

All Might finds Izuku and he's like “Sorry I was an ass I was being a dick because I had low self-esteem – I’m quirkless. If you’ll have me I’ll make you into the best hero the world had ever seen

Izuku, obviously, says yes please!

Also, hypermobile Izuku with joint braces as support gear because just let me project please my arms are killing me ( I wrote this a while ago and yes. My arms are still killing me - yes even now). He gets them after All Might sees him miss a dodge because his ankles rolled beneath him. They support his joints beyond the normal range of strength, letting him do some crazy pivots and handsprings, making it easy to support all his weight on a single-arm with very little strain. They can also lock in place, lessening muscle fatigue if he needs to hold onto something for ages and preventing injury if he’s pushing against something. Produced by David and Melissa Shield and imported through Nighteye Heroics.

Is support gear illegal for civilians to own? Yes! But medical equipment isn’t so if you can just convince people its medical not support you can get away with a lot.

Yagi has no weapons himself, other than the random shit he picks up and swings at people, and has little support gear other than a communicator, panic button, and a whole lot of zip-ties.

Izuku should probably have weapons but I’m struggling to think of anything other than war fans because how cool would that look? Because Shonen they would also have the ability to create powerful downdrafts that would give a boost to a jump or dodge.

Probably doesn’t get them until later and needs to train with them.

In this AU, One for All isn’t a quirk. Rather, it’s a role, passed from quirkless person to quirkless person, the only people who can’t be hard countered by All for One. They tend to be vigilantes, crime lords or hero managers, doing their part to foil as much of All for One’s plans as they can, through whatever means necessary.

It’s a role with a pretty high fatality rate.

No one knows All Might is quirkless other than those close to him, they instead think he has a strength quirk. He’s the most prolific vigilante in Japan and is almost as much of a household name as canon All Might. More divisive though, with most people decrying his vigilante status when he could ‘easily make a respectable hero’. He’s also pretty brutal with his takedowns of some villains, leading a lot of people to call him an unregulated brute. Still more call him a villain which, legally he would be - were he using a quirk.

Nighteye is his contact in the heroics industry, gives him loads of inside info that’s typically not something he should be passing on. He’s still close with David Shield. Nighteye imports any costume parts he needs from David and leaves them at various pickup points for Yagi.

He went to college with David in America after Nana died; America having a quirk blind admission process helped - but he’d have gotten shit talked a lot if people didn’t just assume he had a strength quirk. Dude was and is crazy big.

David was one of the only people that knew he was quirkless

OH FOR FUN; Nighteye was also going to this American college and that’s where he met All Might. The three of them became the world’s strangest group of friends and may have lowkey done some slightly illegal vigilante work around the campus and surrounding town. They had a reputation for getting no sleep ever and being the most mismatched set of people

Secretly Smart Jock, Business Man with a Touch of E-boy, Science Hipster. They all tumbled into class together with varying levels of alive-ness. Nighteye and David were very much not morning people.

UA! It’s a ride. Izuku fails the practical but he’s not shocked – he was prepared for this.

He actually got like 30 hero points? But they refused to admit him on hero points alone due to his ‘deficiencies’. They don’t exactly tell Izuku this but Aizawa was there and he was furious.

Gets into 1C with Shinsou, Shinsou fuckin hates him on sight for reasons best known to him (It’s bc he was so god damned cheerful he just – assumed Izuku had a quirk. I love Shinsou but he’s more than a little judgemental). Izuku is like smiling through the pain because he just wanted to make a friend his age – Katsuki barely counts.

He sits with him at lunch and makes friends-ish with the hero kids who dragged Katsuki along, meets Ochaco again. She’s upset he didn’t get in – especially after he tells her he apparently got 30 points. The whole table gets mad on his behalf and hes embarrassed and happy.

Like day 2 he’s leaving gym and someone is like “Oh LMAO it’s Deku – he was in the year below me at Aldera. Only fuckin quirkless kid in the whole school; can’t believe he got into UA.” He turns to Izuku. “Who’s dick did you suck to get in you - ?” And Shinsou just decks him. He grabs Izuku – who is super confused fyi – and s p r i n t s. They have to stop after a while because hes having a panic attack and Shinsou doesn’t know what the fuck to do and he’s mad and upset and the sunshine boy is sobbing –

Aizawa shows up, having seen the (end of the) altercation and is ready to expel some gen ed kids he can’t legally expel – until he sees the two kids from the entrance exam he was interested in – including the quirkless kid who should have gotten in. Well he’s much more willing to hear them out.

100% requests expulsion on those 2 2E kids because that’s Discrimination and they should know better as second years. Nezu grants it because those 2 were di ck s

No USJ because no All Might – stuff like that will come,,, later : )

Sports Fest! Izuku and Shinsou kick ass, Aizawa is Watching. All Might may have gotten in as a crowd member with Nighteye and a visiting David and Melissa and they are cheering on their sun son. Also, Nighteye is going to go cheer on Mirio so he just got a pass to attend all 3 days of the sports festival. He’s just buying snacks on the second day because he’s never talked to one of the second years in his life.

Shinsou and Izuku make it to the tournament. Izuku has been training pretty seriously with All Might for a while now and hes a very good fighty boy. Makes it to the 3rd round of the tournament where he loses to Iida. Shinsou makes it second where he loses to Katsuki. Izuku is like “Iida might you be Ingenium’s brother or something?” “Yes, I am!” “OH MY GOD I LOVE INGENIUM ISN’T HE THE COOLEST” “YES MY BROTHER IS AMAZING” Shinsou is just watching while faintly amused.

[laidbare-a]

Snippets of Peter's childhood //

I’ve finally decided that Peter was born and raised in Galar! Peter’s more unusual traits were apparent from pretty early on, some even from birth. Even as a baby, it was as if anyone nearby could get an idea as to what he needed or wanted at any given moment as long as they were close enough. Routine health checks were fairly normal (save for the occasional vitamin or mineral deficiency here and there), but blood tests always came back with unusual and inexplicable results that were different every time. But as long as he seemed healthy enough, they just sort of... ignored it. His mother made sure to keep as many of the records as possible though. Even if she didn’t have the know-how to really make sense of the results, she was determined to find someone who did... but she didn’t have much in terms of free time to look around and as long as Peter was healthy, finding answers wasn’t a priority just yet.

As he grew, it seemed he would attract more and more wild pokemon. For the most part it was all quite positive--Peter was never in need of companionship! But running off to play with any and every wild pokemon he came across got him into all sorts of trouble more than once, and as an overworked single mother Kainé could only keep her eyes on him so much. He practically needed one of those child leashes (grookey flavored!) if they ever went to places like Ballonlea... do you know how often she’d look away for 5 seconds only to look back and see her son being carried off by drifloon??? That’s terrifying!

It wasn’t until he was about 7-9 that things reeaally started getting strange. He grew more emotionally unstable as his empathy and psychometry began to really manifest, and with these strong spikes of emotion brought a very bizarre energy that was more than a little unsettling. There may have been locations or objects he couldn’t get near without pitching a fit, but when asked to explain why he was fussing, he couldn’t verbalize it. Only to find out later that said location or object was used in something like a crime or accident, stressful situations like that. (Psychic Investigator Peter...... or pip. detective au time) This was when his mother turned her attention back into finding resources to learn more about what exactly could be the source of Peter’s unusual abilities, if only so she could better help him to cope with the changes in his life.

By that point it was undeniable to onlookers that there was something quite different about him--but humans with psychic abilities weren’t unheard of, so those around him just assumed that was the case. Some thought this was cool, some shunned the very concept (and him by extension, not wanting their minds to be read or the like), but at first he wasn’t treated very differently in his hometown because ultimately he was still the same lovable well-meaning kid he always was. The other children could at times be cruel (as children often are), but he handled most teasing surprisingly well--he knew there was little to no truly bad intentions, they didn’t really mean him harm. And in some cases he could tell if another child’s mistreatment of him came from their own trauma, and you can bet that Peter would end up saying some very ominous things that would bring to light some of these struggles, for better or for worse. This was also around the time he started to really become nosy and he didn’t yet have the tact or foresight to know when to back off, which lead to an increasing amount of tension with the adults especially, but lbr, who would be thrilled about some spooky ominous child walking up to you and suddenly spouting your deepest fears and insecurities?

I’mma stop this here for now before this post gets too long-winded (as if it isn’t already lol), but. there’s some snippets into peter’s past as a human! stay tuned for the next one, that’s when interpol and aether start to get involved and everything goes downhill. :^)